History Main / KarmaHoudiniWarranty

Compare AdaptationalKarma, where a character who got away with their actions in the original work is given their comeuppance in the adaptation. Contrast OffscreenKarma, in which the character's karmic retribution is explicitly mentioned to have happened but isn't shown, often because [[TakeOurWordForIt it would be too complicated to provide details for]] or because it's (supposedly) more satisfying that the retribution reduces the KarmaHoudini to a mere InUniverse footnote.

A standard [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] of a KarmaHoudini. In other words, a regular fucking story. This trope describes situations where a villain gets away with their crimes -- but in another installment, they painfully discover when their luck runs out and the long-delayed punishment suddenly lands on them. A heroic guy may also suffer this trope when the consequences of NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished catch up with him.

A standard [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] of a KarmaHoudini. This trope describes situations where a villain gets away with their crimes -- but in another installment, they painfully discover when their luck runs out and the long-delayed punishment suddenly lands on them. A heroic guy may also suffer this trope when the consequences of NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished catch up with him.

* ''Film/Dune2021'' ended with [[BigBad Baron Vladimir Harkonnen]] managing to cheat death and Rabban remaining untouched for the most part, not even having an encounter with Paul Atraides. In ''Film/DunePartTwo'', the Baron gets everything that's coming to him, as Paul's ascension dashes every one of the Baron's schemes and ambitions to pieces and leaves the man himself dying at the point of his grandson's crysknife. As for Rabban, Gurney [[CurbStompBattle takes him down within seconds of engaging him]].

* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': A rare self-acknowledged example; by the end of the musical, Thenardier and his wife have successfully conned their way to lavish riches. However, their final song has them declare that, when all is said and done, they'll be seeing all the other aristocrats in Hell, implying that they're fully aware that their warranty will expire when they do -- which is [[CardCarryingVillain fine with them]], as long as they to enjoy their newfound wealth and freedom in the meantime.

* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': A rare self-acknowledged example; by the end of the musical, Thenardier and his wife have successfully conned their way to lavish riches. However, their final song has them declare that, when all is said and done, they'll be seeing all the other aristocrats in Hell, implying that they're fully aware that their warranty will expire when they do -- they're just content to enjoy their newfound wealth and freedom in the meantime.

*** In the second game, this is ''[[InvokedTrope invoked]]'' by VigilanteMan Simon Keyes, who [[TheChessmaster sets in motion the events of the game]] to punish the people who made his life miserable and got away with it, each of whom is a culprit in the game; from his father Dane Gustavia having murdered his partner, the case that became the DL-6 incident where Gregory was murdered, to Blaise Debeste and Patricia Roland, two prominent conspirators in the plot to unseat/kill President Di-Jun Huang and [[KillAndReplace replace him]] with his body double. The imposter himself, however, is actually killed by Simon, which Edgeworth is finally able to arrest him for.

* On the ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'', Dream starts out as a KarmaHoudini. In Season 1, he directly convinces Wilbur to go through with his MadBomber plot to destroy L'Manburg, but with bigger problems on the Pogtopians' minds (Techno's FaceHeelTurn, Wilbur being KilledOffForReal, and rebuilding L'Manburg), he gets away with everything. In Season 2, he [[ManipulativeBastard manipulates]] multiple members of the server, gaslights and abuses Tommy while he was in exile (on Dream's demand, in fact), and helps [[NukeEm carpet-bomb L'Manburg to bedrock]] in the Doomsday War, among ''many'' other transgressions. His warranty ''finally'' runs out at the end of the season, when he tries to kill Tubbo and imprison Tommy in [[HellholePrison Pandora's Vault]] after their fight for [[NumberOneDime Tommy's discs]] for the last time, with him being outnumbered by half of the SMP members [[BigDamnHeroes coming to the rescue]] and Tommy taking two of his lives, and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard him being hauled off to Pandora's Vault instead]]. Though later this was [[SubvertedTrope thoroughly undercut]] by the fact that Dream had ''planned'' the imprisonment ahead of time, it was still quite the CatharsisFactor to see half the server, including one of his former best friends, stand up to him, as well as his abuse victim [[TheDogBitesBack killing him twice over]].

*** William Shamspeare got away with killing Duncan Ross prior to the game as the death was ruled an accident. Later on, he is nearly killed by poison and Soseki Natsume is accused of the crime... and during the trial, Shamspeare's involvement in Ross's death are unveiled.