History Main / OffscreenRebuilding

* This trope has been employed by the MarvelUniverse almost constantly since the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' and the ''Avengers'' debuted in the mid-60s. For years, New York City streets were being torn apart in battles between superhumans, and then in the next storyline it's like all the devastation never happened. In 1989, after about 25 years of playing this trope straight, a mini-series called ''ComicBook/DamageControl'' was released, focusing on the construction firm that repairs the damage caused by your typical superhuman showdown.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', several of the [[RoguesGallery villain plans]] are shown to cause serious world-wide damage (Wild growing plants, rampaging robots, worldwide earthquakes, etc). Nobody seems to remember it by the [[StatusQuoIsGod next episode]]. Kim regularly blows up [[ArchEnemy Dr. Drakken's]] [[SupervillainLair lair]], but it's always rebuilt by the next time they meet.
** A couple of episodes mention that Drakken uses a Villain Lair Rental company and rents a new one after the old one gets destroyed to explain why it's always rebuilt. [[RunningGag The new one is always the previous lair]] of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Dr Dementor.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'', Limburger's building is destroyed OncePerEpisode yet always manages to be rebuilt.
** Subverted in one episodes, one where it's still being built in the intro and before it's finished gets torn down again.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}''. In the first season finale, Mount Rushmore is the setting for Ben's battle with [[BigBad Vilgax]], during which Vilgax proceeds to shatter one of the heads with one punch. In future revisits, the head is still shown as missing. Then, in the final battle with the Forever King, Ben destroys the rest of the heads and has Grandpa Max put up a hologram so no one notices.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', Finn and Jake's treehouse is (partially) destroyed every other episode. It always ends up inexplicably rebuilt in the next episode it appears in, though it has to be said there are many signs of repairs to the house. Also, there's the implication Finn and Jake like to intentionally damage their home so they have something to do in repairing it.
** But averted when Flame Princess destroys the Ice Kingdom. The Ice King spends the next season or so staying with Finn and Jake while Gunter borrows his crown to rebuild with.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny Rides Again'', when Yosemite Sam says to Bugs "this town ain't big enough for the both of us," Bugs proceeds to build a sprawling metropolis behind the town in no time flat off-screen.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''' City of Townsville always had its share of issues undone at the end.

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'': Played straight for [[spoiler:[[DoomedHometown Colony 9]]]], after the Mechon attack there. Averted for [[spoiler: Colony 6]]; it only gets rebuilt during an ongoing sidequest that lasts 'till the endgame.

-->-- '''Crow T. Robot''', ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E11TheGunslinger Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''

-->--'''Crow T. Robot''', ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E11TheGunslinger Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''

* Minas Tirith looks fabulous at the end of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings: The Return of the King'' after taking quite a pounding during a siege.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with Wayne Manor in ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga''. It's being rebuilt off screen after [[spoiler: Ra's Al Ghul burned it down]] in ''Film/BatmanBegins'', and Bruce and Alfred are forced to reside at and operate from a different location throughout ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.

* In ''Ride/JimmyNeutronsNicktoonBlast'', the wall in Jimmy's laboratory is partially broken down by Ooblar, but is then seen patched up with wood in under four minutes.

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* Averted in the fist episode after [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie the movie]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' where you can see rebuilding occurring during the intro.

* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben10}}''. In the first season finale, Mount Rushmore is the setting for Ben's battle with [[BigBad Vilgax]], during which Vilgax proceeds to shatter one of the heads with one punch. In future revisits, the head is still shown as missing. Then, in the final battle with the Forever King, Ben destroys the rest of the heads and has Grandpa Max put up a hologram so no one notices.

But [[FridgeLogic what's this]]? We come back the next week/film and the city is already rebuilt?! Only it now has to face the [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil next]] [[GodzillaThreshold big threat]] from the [[ScienceIsBad experiment]] [[GoneHorriblyWrong gone wrong]] or the psychotic supervillain who wants to [[ColonyDrop drop rocks]]. Rinse and repeat. Funny, everyone seems to remember that things, happened, but everyone seems to [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forget]] that things were destroyed.

* New York City in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''.
* Minas Tirith looks fabulous at the end of ''[[Film.TheLordOfTheRings The Return of the King]]'' after taking quite a pounding during a siege.

* In ''TransformersAnimated'', Detroit always looks surprisingly intact after being trashed by giant robot battles just about every episode, although the people are irate enough to show that repairs ''are'' being done in-universe, and people are being inconvenienced. The Autobots are actually shown performing said repairs at several points.