History Main / PlotTailoredToTheParty

* Used a few times in ''[[Comicbook/TheTransformers Transformers]]'', most notably in the Triggerbots' debut where each of them deals with one of the traps in Optimus Prime's way: Override dodges through some geysers, Dogfight cuts through a cable trap with his wings and Backstreet outruns a collapsing floor.
* During the DC comics series ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'', while infiltrating the robotic OMAC satellite, ComicBook/MisterTerrific remarked that his power was to be invisible to technology. When asked whether such a power was useful, he replied, "It is today." Although given how many robots they end up fighting, that one just seems like a genuinely useful if slightly situational power. Plus, it may have been more of a BatmanGambit, considering that Batman knew of his ability and chose the team members among people he trusted and/or needed (Except for Comicbook/GreenArrow, whom he only asked to join to see how he'd respond).
* This trope is the bread-and-butter of the Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes auxiliary, the Legion of Substitute Heroes. They were teenagers who applied to join the Legion, but their powers were [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway too lame or]] [[CripplingOverspecialization too specific]] to be considered useful. But gosh darn if they didn't manage to save the day whenever fate conspired to present them with a crisis that only their lame and specific powers could handle. Example: Color Kid had the power to change the color of anything. Not very useful in a fight. But then he discovered that if he changed the color of green kryptonite, it no longer affected Kryptonians … while the Earth was engulfed in a green kryptonite cloud. In which case, ComicBook/GreenLantern should have permanently handcuffed himself to Color Kid, making both of them much more useful.

* Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' gave rise to [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman an infinite number of such plots]]. Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} is a member of the ''[=Superfriends=]'', and arguably pretty much every plot which involves him is kind of an inverse of this trope, as they [[DeusExitMachina have to use Kryptonite or otherwise disable him somehow]] to give everyone else something to do.

** ''Literature/TheSixServants'' tells the story of a prince who [[EngagementChallenge wins the hand of a princess]] with the help of his six servants and their strange talents and powers, including one who can [[LongNeck stretch out his neck to see far away]], one who can [[SuperSenses hear just about anything with his enormous ears]], a man who can [[RubberMan stretch his body to incredible lengths]], a man who goes around in a blindfold so he doesn't accidentally destroy things with the [[EyeBeams destructive beams he can fire from his eyes]] a fat man who can [[BigEater consume enormous quantities of food and drink]], and a man whose body produces biting cold in warm weather and burning heat in cold weather.

** ''Literature/TheSixServants'' tells the story of a prince who [[EngagementChallenge wins the hand of a princess]] with the help of his six servants and their strange talents and powers, including one who can [[LongNeck stretch out his neck to see far away]], one who can [[SuperSenses hear just about anything with his enormous ears]], a runner with SuperSpeed who has to tie one of his legs back so he doesn't go TooFastToStop, a man who goes around in a blindfold so he doesn't accidentally destroy things with the [[EyeBeams destructive beams he can fire from his eyes]] a fat man who can [[BigEater consume enormous quantities of food and drink]], and one who produces heat in cold weather and vice versa.

** ''Literature/TheSixServants'' tells the story of a prince who [[EngagementChallenge wins the hand of a princess]] with the help of his six servants and their strange talents and powers, including one who can [[LongNeck stretch out his neck to see far away]], one who can [[SuperSenses hear just about anything with his enormous ears]], a runner with SuperSpeed who has to tie one of his legs back so he doesn't go TooFastToStop, a fat man who can [[BigEater consume enormous quantities of food and drink]], and one who produces heat in cold weather and vice versa.

* Creator/TheBrothersGrimm tale ''Literature/HowTheSixMadeTheirWayInTheWorld'', where an unemployed soldier teams up with a [[SuperStrength strong man]], a [[ImprobableAimingSkills keen-eyed sharpshooter]], [[SuperSpeed a super-fast runner]], a man who can [[BlowYouAway blow gale-force winds]] out his nose, and a man who can [[AnIcePerson generate a field of cold]] by straightening his hat to con a king out of a warehouse full of treasure.

* In ''The King of Ireland's Son'', the eponymous prince gathers an assortment of travelling companions in his quest to find and marry the woman of his dreams, each of which has a gift that comes in handy during their quest.

** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' has an interesting variation on this. Every member has a specific connection to the plot, but it has little to do with their actual powers. Film/IronMan was already the team consultant and his tower is used by [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]], [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Captain America]] had a previous engagement with the Tesseract, Film/{{Thor}}'s brother Loki is the mastermind behind the plot, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} has been brainwashed by Loki and knew of his plan, ComicBook/BlackWidow is sent out to find and retrieve Bruce Banner, and Bruce is tasked with finding the Tesseract since it emits gamma radiation and he is an expert in that field. Banner's involvement is extra interesting since, while the other members' special skills and powers are seen as a huge plus by S.H.I.E.L.D., Banner is meant to be brought in as a scientist and they try to make sure he won't turn into the [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] (not that they are successful, mind you).

Most often occurs in series with heavy SuperHeroSpeciation. Can be the result of a ThematicRoguesGallery. A good hypothetical example is if the ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} had to destroy a nuclear threat. Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} and other flying members would take out the strategic bombers, the not-launched missiles would go to the grounded members, such as Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}, and the sub-launched missiles would go to ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}.

Most often occurs in series with heavy SuperHeroSpeciation. Can be the result of a ThematicRoguesGallery. A good hypothetical example is if the Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} had to destroy a nuclear threat. Franchise/{{Superman}} and other flying members would take out the strategic bombers, the not-launched missiles would go to the grounded members, such as Franchise/{{Batman}}, and the sub-launched missiles would go to ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}.

** Again with one of [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]]'s death traps for Reed, a simple corridor that keeps getting narrower and narrower, doors progressively sealing the way back. Reed is forced to push his stretching abilities to their limits in order to keep going... only to find a dead end.

* This trope is the bread-and-butter of the Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes auxiliary, the Legion of Substitute Heroes. They were teenagers who applied to join the Legion, but their powers were [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway too lame or]] [[CripplingOverspecialization too specific]] to be considered useful. But gosh darn if they didn't manage to save the day whenever fate conspired to present them with a crisis that only their lame and specific powers could handle. Example: Color Kid had the power to change the color of anything. Not very useful in a fight. But then he discovered that if he changed the color of green kryptonite, it no longer affected Kryptonians … while the Earth was engulfed in a green kryptonite cloud. In which case, Franchise/GreenLantern should have permanently handcuffed himself to Color Kid, making both of them much more useful.

** In ''Film/XMen1'', to stop the machine, they needed both ComicBook/{{Storm}}'s power and [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Jean]]'s finer control to get Wolverine up to the torch, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s claws to land and to break the machine, his healing to bring [[Characters/XMen80sMembers Rogue]] back from near-death, and [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]]' long-range Eye Beams as a back-up plan.
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Xavier]] or [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] probably could have found the Hellfire Club's submarine on their own, but Banshee can do it more easily by using his MakeMeWannaShout power as sonar. [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Beast]]'s power isn't an obvious counter to Azazel's, but he's agile and strong enough to hold off Azazel, who is beaten [[spoiler:when ComicBook/{{Mystique}} tricks him by turning into Shaw]]. Banshee and Havok team up to fight Angel.

** And by the end of the series [[spoiler:everybody has taken a level on a job; they can all do some minor hacking, and the Thief -- who planned complex jobs when working alone -- becomes the new nominal Mastermind.]]

** The third game takes this UpToEleven; the plot is ''extremely'' reliant on the decisions made in the first and second games, most obviously who you managed to keep alive. Multiple quests need established characters around for you to get the best outcome.

* Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' gave rise to [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman an infinite number of such plots]]. Franchise/{{Superman}} is a member of the ''[=Superfriends=]'', and arguably pretty much every plot which involves him is kind of an inverse of this trope, as they [[DeusExitMachina have to use Kryptonite or otherwise disable him somehow]] to give everyone else something to do.
* Averted in the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode "[[Recap/TeenTitansS5E4ForReal For Real]]". Control Freak, a teenage TV addict super villain, comes up with a Plot Tailored To The Party featuring a trial for all of the Teen Titans. He is upset to find that they're out of town and a secondary team is in their place. As the challenges were tailored to the exact limits of the main cast, the secondary team easily manages them. He has a temper tantrum and then returns with specific challenges for the substitutes. This is practically an inversion of the trope, as each Titan is given a challenge where their powers ''won't'' work. Aqualad has to face a mechanical shark - that is, his fish-controlling powers won't work. Bumblebee is stuck in her small form. Speedy has no arrows. Mas y Menos ([[WonderTwinPowers who need to be touching each other to activate their superspeed]]) have to simultaneously push two buttons on opposite sides of the city. They all get around it, of course.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' invokes this trope explicitly. A ship carrying mutants to Genosha is attacked by pirates in search of mutants with useful powers. They end up kidnapping all of the adults and leaving the kids behind on the sinking ship. The kids' abilities are: breathing underwater, making "sticky goop", talking to machines, making things shatter by focusing on them, and butterfly wings. Initially, they mope around on the ship because they believe their powers are useless, but ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} appears to show them that no-one is useless. At Nightcrawler's direction, they shatter some cargo crates and have the underwater-breathing kid glue them onto the breaches using the sticky goop. The girl who talks to machines navigates the boat, and the girl with butterfly wings makes and puts up a flag of questionable usefulness. Then they chase after the pirate ship, where Nightcrawler uses ''his'' powers to duel the pirate captain and save the grownups.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' used a variant somewhat similar to the ''Film/JamesBond'' example above: A gigantic flaming meteor that's too hot to approach menaces Townville shortly after Blossom learns that she has [[AnIcePerson ice]] {{breath|Weapon}}. Unlike Bond, however, Blossom tried to use the ice breath in other situations and only made things worse, resulting in a HeroicBSOD. After saving the day in the end, she says she thinks that she used it all up [[SnapBack but it pops up in a few later episodes]] instead of just disappearing after its debut.

* Averted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', during a Robot War that turned out to be an advanced training simulation. It was designed to get the team to work together, utilizing each others' strengths to their fullest and figure out how to exploit every situation in the manner of the trope; then Superman [[FlyingBrick flies in and smashes all the robots basically single-handedly]]. When called out on this apparent show-boating, he explicitly points out the fact that he's [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]], and it didn't make sense to send in [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the guy with a bunch of gadgets]] or [[Franchise/TheFlash the guy who's fast]] but [[FragileSpeedster squishy]] when he can just take care of something that needs brute strength. He [[StrawmanHasAPoint has a point]], even if he suffers heavily from TheWorfEffect during the initial show's run, not to mention the fact that Wonder Woman -- who canonically is one of the top-tier strongest characters in the DCU -- is right there as well.
* Played with in the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' episode "Misplaced". When the world gets split into two dimensions, one for adults and one for kids, Captain Marvel's ability to change from an adult to a kid is used quite effectively to establish communication between the worlds. The reason it's a played with example is that this has happened before in DC continuity, and yet no one thought of this. It's more a case of InUniverse FridgeBrilliance.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd Journey's End]]" is carefully designed so that the resolution requires the [[spoiler:TARDIS to be linked to the [[Series/{{Torchwood}} Cardiff Rift]] via [[Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures Mr Smith, using base codes provided by K-9]]]]. Something similar happens in the previous episode "The Stolen Earth", when [[spoiler:Mr Smith, the Rift and the Subwave network are all used to contact the Doctor]].

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Games", the Seven have to break into a satellite protected by {{Deadly Game}}s. [[TheGunslinger Soolin]] handles the QuickDraw game, [[AcePilot Tarrant]] handles the flight simulator, and [[MasterOfUnlocking Villa]] gets them through the lock.

** During the Episode 2 {{cliffhanger}} fight in the story "Robot", the new Doctor [[EstablishingCharacterMoment shows off his personality]] by using all the comical parts of his new outfit as a weapon against the K-1 - he uses the hat to block the robot's vision, the scarf to trip it up, and the contents of the oversized pockets to distract it.
** The CrisisCrossover ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "Journey's End" is carefully designed so that the resolution requires the [[spoiler:TARDIS to be linked to the [[Series/{{Torchwood}} Cardiff Rift]] via [[Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures Mr Smith, using base codes provided by K-9]]]]. Something similar happens in the previous episode "The Stolen Earth", when [[spoiler:Mr Smith, the Rift and the Subwave network are all used to contact the Doctor]].

* Creator/TerryGilliam's film ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' gives the spotlight to the Baron's manservants in his wager with the Sultan. First, [[SuperSpeed Berthold]] is dispatched to Vienna to procure some wine. When he takes a nap, narrowly missing the deadline, [[ImprobableAimingSkills Adolphus]] wakes him up with a shot. Per the Sultan's agreement, The Baron is allowed to take as much treasure he can carry, which, thanks to [[SuperStrength Albrecht]], is ''all of it.'' To escape from the Sultan's guards, Gustavus [[BlowYouAway blows them away]].

** But in the climatic battle of season four, Xander, Willow and Giles used their specific personalities to help Buffy.
** And in the climactic battle of season five, they each used their skills to fight Glory and her minions.

** A villain version happens with the introduction of the Trio. "Life Serial" has them ostensibly testing Buffy for weaknesses, when they're actually demonstrating their skills (and personalities) to the audience (Warren's skill is technology, Andrew's is demon summoning, and Jonathan's is magic).

** In ''Film/XMen1'', to stop the machine, they needed both [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]]'s power and [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Jean]]'s finer control to get Wolverine up to the torch, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s claws to land and to break the machine, his healing to bring [[Characters/XMen80sMembers Rogue]] back from near-death, and [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]]' long-range Eye Beams as a back-up plan.
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Xavier]] or [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] probably could have found the Hellfire Club's submarine on their own, but Banshee can do it more easily by using his MakeMeWannaShout power as sonar. [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Beast]]'s power isn't an obvious counter to Azazel's, but he's agile and strong enough to hold off Azazel, who is beaten [[spoiler:when [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]] tricks him by turning into Shaw]]. Banshee and Havok team up to fight Angel.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' invokes this trope explicitly. A ship carrying mutants to Genosha is attacked by pirates in search of mutants with useful powers. They end up kidnapping all of the adults and leaving the kids behind on the sinking ship. The kids' abilities are: breathing underwater, making "sticky goop", talking to machines, making things shatter by focusing on them, and butterfly wings. Initially, they mope around on the ship because they believe their powers are useless, but [[Characters/MarvelComicsNightcrawler Nightcrawler]] appears to show them that no-one is useless. At Nightcrawler's direction, they shatter some cargo crates and have the underwater-breathing kid glue them onto the breaches using the sticky goop. The girl who talks to machines navigates the boat, and the girl with butterfly wings makes and puts up a flag of questionable usefulness. Then they chase after the pirate ship, where Nightcrawler uses ''his'' powers to duel the pirate captain and save the grownups.

* This trope is the bread-and-butter of the Comicbook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}} auxiliary, the Legion of Substitute Heroes. They were teenagers who applied to join the Legion, but their powers were [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway too lame or]] [[CripplingOverspecialization too specific]] to be considered useful. But gosh darn if they didn't manage to save the day whenever fate conspired to present them with a crisis that only their lame and specific powers could handle. Example: Color Kid had the power to change the color of anything. Not very useful in a fight. But then he discovered that if he changed the color of green kryptonite, it no longer affected Kryptonians … while the Earth was engulfed in a green kryptonite cloud. In which case, Franchise/GreenLantern should have permanently handcuffed himself to Color Kid, making both of them much more useful.

* Creator/TheBrothersGrimm tale "The Six Men Who Went Far in the World", where an unemployed soldier teams up with a [[SuperStrength strong man]], a [[ImprobableAimingSkills keen-eyed sharpshooter]], [[SuperSpeed a super-fast runner]], a man who can [[BlowYouAway blow gale-force winds]] out his nose, and a man who can [[AnIcePerson generate a field of cold]] by straightening his hat to con a king out of a warehouse full of treasure.

* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'' parodies this as Waller tells Bloodsport, an expert fighter and marksman, that every member of his team has been selected because they possess a unique set of skills needed for the mission, then introduces Peacemaker, an expert fighter and marksman. It's clear that in truth the team members have been selected with minimal consideration, notably sending Killer Shark, a giant dumb SharkMan, on what is theoretically an infiltration mission, and not bothering to check whether Weasel could swim before having him jump from an airplane over the ocean.

** During the shipyard fight in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', Creator/JossWhedon included a bunch of random human {{Mooks}} so that Black Widow and Hawkeye have someone to fight while the heavy hitters of the team deal with [[Characters/AvengersEnemies Ultron]].

* Played with in the Sasuke Retrieval arc in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' placing the team against the Sound Four. While the big names were Naruto versus Sasuke, the other characters all had a strong showing. [[MightyGlacier Large taijutsu user Chouji faces large taijutsu user Jirobou]], while the pair Kiba and Akamaru face off with Ukon and Sakon. There was also the music-manipulator Tayuya versus the shadow-manipulator Shikamaru and taijutsu-expert Lee against kenjutsu-expert Kimimaro. Inverted in the case of melee combatant Neji, who faces long range combatant Kidoumaru.

** DoubleSubversion in one issue: Cosmic beings conduct an experiment on the team, suppressing their primary characteristics ([[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed]]'s intellect, [[ComicBook/HumanTorch Johnny]]'s temper, [[ComicBook/TheThing Ben]]'s courage and [[ComicBook/InvisibleWoman Sue]]'s compassion). Lo and behold, each one is presented with a challenge that is suited to a ''secondary'' characteristic - a monster protecting her child stirs Ben's compassion, an illusion suppressing Johnny's powers causes him to demonstrate surprising smarts, a battery of laser cannons forces Sue to summon up her courage, and an airtight cell forces Reed to tap his normally sublimated aggression to break free.
** Again with one of ComicBook/DoctorDoom's death traps for Reed, a simple corridor that keeps getting narrower and narrower, doors progressively sealing the way back. Reed is forced to push his stretching abilities to their limits in order to keep going... only to find a dead end.

** When Susan/Ginormica gets depowered, the other monsters get to show what they can do. Who knew Dr. Cockroach had [[spoiler:a Ph.D. in dance?]]

** In ''Film/XMen1'', to stop the machine, they needed both ComicBook/{{Storm}}'s power and ComicBook/JeanGrey's finer control to get Wolverine up to the torch, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s claws to land and to break the machine, his healing to bring ComicBook/{{Rogue}} back from near-death, and ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}' long-range Eye Beams as a back-up plan.
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': [[ComicBook/ProfessorX Xavier]] or ComicBook/{{Magneto}} probably could have found the Hellfire Club's submarine on their own, but Banshee can do it more easily by using his MakeMeWannaShout power as sonar. ComicBook/{{Beast|MarvelComics}}'s power isn't an obvious counter to Azazel's, but he's agile and strong enough to hold off Azazel, who is beaten [[spoiler:when ComicBook/{{Mystique}} tricks him by turning into Shaw]]. Banshee and Havok team up to fight Angel.

** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' has an interesting variation on this. Every member has a specific connection to the plot, but it has little to do with their actual powers. Film/IronMan was already the team consultant and his tower is used by ComicBook/{{Loki}}, [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Captain America]] had a previous engagement with the Tesseract, Film/{{Thor}}'s brother Loki is the mastermind behind the plot, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} has been brainwashed by Loki and knew of his plan, ComicBook/BlackWidow is sent out to find and retrieve Bruce Banner, and Bruce is tasked with finding the Tesseract since it emits gamma radiation and he is an expert in that field. Banner's involvement is extra interesting since, while the other members' special skills and powers are seen as a huge plus by S.H.I.E.L.D., Banner is meant to be brought in as a scientist and they try to make sure he won't turn into the [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] (not that they are successful, mind you).
** During the shipyard fight in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', Creator/JossWhedon included a bunch of random human {{Mooks}} so that Black Widow and Hawkeye have someone to fight while the heavy hitters of the team deal with ComicBook/{{Ultron}}.

* ''LightNovel/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'': In the first volume, the information that the main characters possess on the villains' plot would only be useful for [[TheHero Kyousuke]], something even [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the narration. Justified, as the BigBad, [[spoiler:the White Queen, is [[{{Yandere}} completely obsessed with him]]. She specifically arranges things to get him involved, sometimes even giving him information directly. For the same reason, Kyousuke is the only one capable of (temporarily) defeating her, as she always holds herself back to avoid killing him]].

** The only 'specialist' role that anyone is qualified for is [[spoiler:escorting whatever's left of the Normandy crew back to the ship]] - provided you've secured their loyalty, anyone will make it. [[spoiler:Mordin, Tali or Kasumi]] are who most people pick, though, as [[spoiler:they contribute the least to holding the line even if loyal.]]

* Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' gave rise to [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman an infinite number of such plots]]. Franchise/{{Superman}} is a member of the ''[=Superfriends=]'', and arguably pretty much every plot which involves him is kind of an inverse of this trope, as they have to use Kryptonite or otherwise disable him somehow to give everyone else something to do.

** Inverted in the Map episodes, where the Cutie Map sends the ponies best suited to fix the friendship problem wherever it is. PlayedWith in that the way the plot is tailored is not always clear, as the map doesn't always send someone because their strengths are useful, but because their flaws are important (e.g. [[spoiler:Starlight Glimmer]] is sent to fix a problem because her impulsiveness and tendency to try and brute-force a problem end up being useful), or because the ones that are being sent have something to learn from the experience as well.
** The Season 6 finale "To Where and Back Again" uses this with the team of Starlight, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax trying to save the day. Played with in that Discord and Starlight's greatest strength, their magic, is stripped and they have to rely on other talents (Starlight's brains and Discord's affinity for distraction) while Trixie uses her slight of hand illusions and Thorax is the only one who knows where they're going and what they're facing.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' invokes this trope explicitly. A ship carrying mutants to Genosha is attacked by pirates in search of mutants with useful powers. They end up kidnapping all of the adults and leaving the kids behind on the sinking ship. The kids' abilities are: breathing underwater, making "sticky goop", talking to machines, making things shatter by focusing on them, and butterfly wings. Initially, they mope around on the ship because they believe their powers are useless, but ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} appears to show them that no-one is useless. At Nightcrawler's direction, they shatter some cargo crates and have the underwater-breathing kid glue them onto the breaches using the sticky goop. The girl who talks to machines navigates the boat, and the girl with butterfly wings makes and puts up a flag of questionable usefulness. Then they chase after the pirate ship, where Nightcrawler uses ''his'' powers to duel the pirate captain and save the grownups.
* ''WesternAnimation/XMen'': Inverted at least once in the '90s series, wherein Xavier and Cyclops -- the normal team leaders -- are completely uninvolved, Beast has abandoned his GeniusBruiser ways and gone on a literal RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Wolverine has come up with an ingenious and non-violent way to defuse the situation, etc. The only one still up to her usual tricks is ComicBook/JubileeMarvelComics, who [[LampshadeHanging snarkily points out the fact nobody's acting normally]].

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' invokes this trope explicitly. A ship carrying mutants to Genosha is attacked by pirates in search of mutants with useful powers. They end up kidnapping all of the adults and leaving the kids behind on the sinking ship. The kids' abilities are: breathing underwater, making "sticky goop", talking to machines, making things shatter by focusing on them, and butterfly wings. Initially, they mope around on the ship because they believe their powers are useless, but ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} appears to show them that no-one is useless. At Nightcrawler's direction, they shatter some cargo crates and have the underwater-breathing kid glue them onto the breaches using the sticky goop. The girl who talks to machines navigates the boat, and the girl with butterfly wings makes and puts up a flag of questionable usefulness. Then they chase after the pirate ship, where Nightcrawler uses ''his'' powers to duel the pirate captain and save the grownups.

** In ''Film/XMen1'', to stop the machine, they needed both ComicBook/{{Storm}}'s power and ComicBook/JeanGrey's finer control to get Wolverine up to the torch, Franchise/{{Wolverine}}'s claws to land and to break the machine, his healing to bring ComicBook/{{Rogue}} back from near-death, and ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}' long-range Eye Beams as a back-up plan.

** Inverted in the Map episodes, where the Cutie Map sends the ponies best suited to fix the friendship problem wherever it is. Played with in that sometimes ponies question why they were the ones sent, as the map doesn't always send someone for their strengths ([[spoiler: Starlight Glimmer]] is sent to fix a problem because her impulsiveness and tendency to try and brute-force a problem end up being useful) or sends someone who needs to learn something themselves.

* ''WesternAnimation/XMen'': Inverted at least once in the '90s series, wherein Xavier and Cyclops -- the normal team leaders -- are completely uninvolved, Beast has abandoned his GeniusBruiser ways and gone on a literal RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Wolverine has come up with an ingenious and non-violent way to defuse the situation, etc. The only one still up to her usual tricks is ComicBook/{{Jubilee}}, who [[LampshadeHanging snarkily points out the fact nobody's acting normally]].

[[folder:Folklore]]
* The Russian folk tale "Literature/TheFoolOfTheWorldAndTheFlyingShip" follows this model perfectly. On his way to win a princess's hand in marriage, the Fool is obligated to pick up anyone who asks to come along with him. Each person he meets has a different bizarre skill, and each one saves his life once when he reaches the Czar and is subjected to various death traps and {{Impossible Task}}s.
* The fairy tale "The Seven Simons" is about seven brothers named Simon, each of whom has one skill at which he excels--building an unbelievably fast ship, for example, or retrieving a piece of game no matter where it fell. Very specialized brothers, they are, and each skill just ''happens'' to be essential to winning the hand of a princess.
* "The Seven Chinese Brothers" tells about seven brothers who are all identical, and each of whom has a powerful ability (hearing, strength, [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway weeping]]) or immunity (to fire, to cold, etc.) All of these powers allow them to evade execution and live happily ever after.
* Creator/TheBrothersGrimm tale "The Six Men Who Went Far in the World", where an unemployed soldier teams up with a [[SuperStrength strong man]], a [[ImprobableAimingSkills keen-eyed sharpshooter]], [[SuperSpeed a super-fast runner]], a man who can [[BlowYouAway blow gale-force winds]] out his nose, and a man who can [[AnIcePerson generate a field of cold]] by straightening his hat to con a king out of a warehouse full of treasure.
* Subverted in an Ethiopian folk tale: three suitors of a princess were sent afar to study some special abilities: the first one learned how to tell what was going on far away, the second one learned how to travel really fast, and the third one learned how to resurrect people from the dead. After they finished their studies, the first found out the princess had just died, the second took them all quickly to the princess, and the third one brought her back to life. This lead to a heated argument between the three men regarding which one of them deserves her for having saved her life, and so she is still a virgin to this very day.
* In one Anansi the spider [[Myth/AfricanMythology story]], he has many sons, each with a strange power or skill. When Anansi goes missing trying to retrieve a rare treasure, his sons team up to track him down and rescue him. Anansi decides to gift the treasure, an enormous ball of silver, to one of his sons, but they can't agree on who deserves the most credit. In order to stop his sons' bickering, Anansi has the god of the sky place the silver ball in the heavens for all to see, which is [[JustSoStory where the Moon came from]].
* In ''The King of Ireland's Son'', the eponymous prince gathers an assortment of travelling companions in his quest to find and marry the woman of his dreams, each of which has a gift that comes in handy during their quest.
[[/folder]]

--->'''Will''': And what's your power? Just showing up for the meeting after 135 years?
--->'''Magnus''': I'd like to see you do it.

* ''Series/{{Sense 8}}'' is about eight very different people from around the world who have a telepathic link to each other. They can access each other's skills and knowledge to overcome obstacles. As such, they frequently find themselves in situations where they need someone else's skills to resolve.

* Considered something of the "ideal" adventure plot in a tabletop roleplaying game like ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', where each character advances in a {{class|AndLevelSystem}} that [[AnAdventurerIsYou defines his or her talents]]. A smart GameMaster keeps in mind the characters' capabilities and comes up with an adventure that allows everyone in the party to contribute something. A ''great'' GameMaster applies this to the PlayerArchetypes as well, with satisfying battles for TheRealMan, loot that TheMunchkin can use in creative ways, an NPC encounter that lets TheRoleplayer shine, and a chance for TheLoonie to have some fun without endangering the rest of the party. A ''[[KillerGameMaster Killer]]'' [[KillerGameMaster Game Master]] inverts the trope by creating challenges that the party is ''not'' capable of facing.

* Happens almost on a constant basis in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', so that every character could show off his or her mask or elemental power, because hey, when toy advertising and plot advancement go hand in hand, why not? Though subversions were nearly as common as straight examples. Video and web games abused this to no end, however they often resorted to completely changing the characters' special powers.

** DoubleSubversion with Uryu Ishida vs Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Both are [[BadassBookworm highly intelligent and analytical]] and both [[IShallTauntYou love to point out the shortcomings of their opponents.]] At first, it seems like a subversion, until Kurotsuchi's arrogance from assuming [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he'd already analyzed everything about the Quincy]] proves to be his undoing. Quincy had ''two'' powers that he didn't know about, and the first happens to be the only one that can defeat Kurotsuchi's Shikai ability, and the second happens to be the one most perfectly tailored to fighting in a world made entirely of the stuff it uses for ammo. Even earlier, Ishida fought a 3rd Seat shinigami whose primary ability was projectiles. Unfortunately for him, it's damn near impossible to out-projectile a Quincy.

*** The above was also subverted: while Yumichika was hidden and thus able to use his true power to win, Ikkaku was fighting at the same time and wasn't hidden, leading to his loss. Then it's {{double subver|sion}}ted when the Fraccion that beat him (Poww, who has the ability to [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever grow ginormous]] is beaten by Captain Komamura, who has the ability to summon a creature that's [[SummonBiggerFish even bigger.]]

Most often occurs in series with heavy SuperHeroSpeciation. Can be the result of a ThematicRoguesGallery. A good hypothetical example is if the Justice League had to destroy a nuclear threat. Superman and other flying members would take out the strategic bombers, the not-launched missiles would go to the grounded members, such as Batman, and the sub-launched missiles would go to Aquaman.

** [[DoubleSubversion Double Subverted]] with Uryu Ishida vs Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Both are [[BadassBookworm highly intelligent and analytical]] and both [[IShallTauntYou love to point out the shortcomings of their opponents.]] At first, it seems like a subversion, until Kurotsuchi's arrogance from assuming [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he'd already analyzed everything about the Quincy]] proves to be his undoing. Quincy had ''two'' powers that he didn't know about, and the first happens to be the only one that can defeat Kurotsuchi's Shikai ability, and the second happens to be the one most perfectly tailored to fighting in a world made entirely of the stuff it uses for ammo. Even earlier, Ishida fought a 3rd Seat shinigami whose primary ability was projectiles. Unfortunately for him, it's damn near impossible to out-projectile a Quincy.

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' does these nearly constantly. The plot arcs of the show rely heavily on {{Tournament Arc}}s, so this is to be expected, but except for [[spoiler:Kuwabara sitting out the final arc]], the core group members who actually do any fighting got to make major contributions in every arc of the show.

* Happens coincidentally in ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'', when an alien from a game company holds Mahiro's high school captive and offers to release the students if Mahiro's group can beat him. "Agent Smith" picks the games at which he excels, not realizing that the heroes completely outmatch him in every one; in Daifugō he faces Nyarko, who can create an infinite number of Joker cards, and in Darts he faces Mahiro, who has ImprobableAimingSkills when it comes to [[ImprobableWeaponUser throwing forks]].

* [[DoubleSubversion Double-subverted]] in an issue of ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Cosmic beings conduct an experiment on the team, suppressing their primary characteristics (Reed's intellect, Johnny's temper, Ben's courage and Sue's compassion). Lo and behold, each one is presented with a challenge that is suited to a ''secondary'' characteristic - a monster protecting her child stirs Ben's compassion, an illusion suppressing Johnny's powers causes him to demonstrate surprising smarts, a battery of laser cannons forces Sue to summon up her courage, and an airtight cell forces Reed to tap his normally sublimated aggression to break free.
* Again with one of Doctor Doom's death traps for Reed, a simple corridor that keeps getting narrower and narrower, doors progressively sealing the way back. Reed is forced to push his stretching abilities to their limits in order to keep going... only to find a dead end.

** On the other end of the writing spectrum, the various X-Teams were often shown to train to gain greater mastery or find creative uses for their powers and to develop team tactics with creative combinations of powers (the most famous being the FastBallSpecial) specifically to try to avert this trope.

* During the DC comics series ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'', while infiltrating the robotic OMAC satellite, Mr. Terrific remarked that his power was to be invisible to technology. When asked whether such a power was useful, he replied, "It is today." Although given how many robots they end up fighting, that one just seems like a genuinely useful if slightly situational power. Plus, it may have been more of a BatmanGambit, considering that Batman knew of his ability and chose the team members among people he trusted and/or needed (Except for Comicbook/GreenArrow, whom he only asked to join to see how he'd respond).

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens''

* Terry Gilliam's film ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' gives the spotlight to the Baron's manservants in his wager with the Sultan. First, [[SuperSpeed Berthold]] is dispatched to Vienna to procure some wine. When he takes a nap, narrowly missing the deadline, [[ImprobableAimingSkills Adolphus]] wakes him up with a shot. Per the Sultan's agreement, The Baron is allowed to take as much treasure he can carry, which, thanks to [[SuperStrength Albrecht]], is ''all of it.'' To escape from the Sultan's guards, Gustavus [[BlowYouAway blows them away]].

* In the climax of ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', [[spoiler:a situation arose for each one of the "sidekick" characters to show off their fairly useless powers. Zach, whose only ability was to glow in the dark, had his moment when he was used as a human flashlight by the protagonists escaping through a dark tunnel. Ethan used his ability to turn into a puddle to get the drop on a bully through a clever use of misdirection. Magenta, who could shapeshift, but only into a purple guinea pig, used her power to crawl through a small ventilation shaft and disable a bomb]]. As for Layla, well, [[spoiler:don't mess with a vegetarian with the [[GreenThumb power to control plants]]]].
* ''Film/ZoomAcademyForSuperheroes'', [[DuelingMovies which regrettably came out about the same time as]] ''Sky High'', shows the skeleton of its plot a little too often. The worst example of this is in the FinalBattle, which isn't so much a battle as a recital. The BigBad talks big for a few minutes, then gets hit by [[FinalExamBoss every main character's power]] exactly once, which puts him exactly where he needs to be so they can FinishHim.

* Pretty much the whole point of ''Film/{{Signs}}''. All of the characters' neuroses and bad life experiences are essential to fighting off the aliens... leading the protagonists to deduce [[spoiler:the existence of an "author".]]

* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''
** In ''Film/XMen1'', to stop the machine, they needed both ComicBook/{{Storm}}'s power and ComicBook/JeanGrey's finer control to get Wolverine up to the torch, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s claws to land and to break the machine, his healing to bring ComicBook/{{Rogue}} back from near-death, and ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}' long-range Eye Beams as a back-up plan.
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': Xavier or Magneto probably could have found the Hellfire Club's submarine on their own, but Banshee can do it more easily by using his MakeMeWannaShout power as sonar. Beast's power isn't an obvious counter to Azazel's, but he's agile and strong enough to hold off Azazel, who is beaten [[spoiler:when Mystique tricks him by turning into Shaw]]. Banshee and Havok team up to fight Angel.

** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' has an interesting variation on this. Every member has a specific connection to the plot, but it has little to do with their actual powers. Film/IronMan was already the team consultant and his tower is used by Loki, [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Captain America]] had a previous engagement with the Tesseract, Film/{{Thor}}'s brother Loki is the mastermind behind the plot, Hawkeye has been brainwashed by Loki and knew of his plan, Black Widow is sent out to find and retrieve Bruce Banner, and Bruce is tasked with finding the Tesseract since it emits gamma radiation and he is an expert in that field. Banner's involvement is extra interesting since, while the other members' special skills and powers are seen as a huge plus by S.H.I.E.L.D., Banner is meant to be brought in as a scientist and they try to make sure he won't turn into the [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] (not that they are successful, mind you).
** During the shipyard fight in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', Creator/JossWhedon included a bunch of random human {{Mooks}} so that ComicBook/BlackWidow and ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} have someone to fight while the heavy hitters of the team deal with ComicBook/{{Ultron}}.

* In one of the stories of Anansi the spider, he has many sons, each with a strange power or skill. When Anansi goes missing trying to retrieve a rare treasure, his sons team up to track him down and rescue him. Anansi decides to gift the treasure, an enormous ball of silver, to one of his sons, but they can't agree on who deserves the most credit. In order to stop his sons' bickering, Anansi has the god of the sky place the silver ball in the heavens for all to see, which is [[JustSoStory where the Moon came from]].

* "Literature/ColdSnap" by Creator/KimNewman is a CrisisCrossover story that brings together characters from many of his earlier works. In-universe, they've been hastily assembled as the only people available at short notice who might be some use, without being specifically matched to the problem at hand. All the same, in the course of the story each character gets at least one moment where their particular capabilities are of use.

* ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}''

This tendency was satirized in the ''Dragon Magazine'' comic ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'', where the role of "thief" in the noble adventurer party was filled by [[CannonFodder a disposable henchman]], who the party used to disarm traps and open doors in the most inhumane ways possible (i.e. tossing him into them until one of them broke). Fittingly the comic ''still'' follows this trope, because said henchman is incredibly experienced (not to mention [[TheCynic incredibly cynical]]) as a result of a lifetime being (ab)used in this manner and ends up solving a number of mental conondrums his GenreBlind employers can't.
* Fred Hicks of TabletopGame/SpiritOfTheCentury and other [[TabletopGame/{{FUDGE}} Fate RPG]] system games fame referred to this as "the secret language of character sheets" in a blog post. To summarize, it means that the contents of a character sheet should be read as a player's vote for what kinds of things they want to do in a game. As an example, if nobody took stealth skills then don't rely on a stealth sequence as mandatory to advance the plot - let people bash, charm, bribe, or even magic their way around an obstacle instead, if those are the abilities they focused on. As well, if only one person took a particular ability, why, there you have a perfectly tailored way to put them into the limelight.

* Subtly used in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII''. Each thief, courtesan, and mercenary guild in Florence and Venice will help Ezio with at least one assassination target. Less subtly used in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', where each guild helps Ezio with exactly one target. However, when [[spoiler:preparing to assassinate Micheletto, the thieves pull out last-second, "forcing" Ezio to use his own Assassin guild instead.]]

* Same goes for ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' {{licensed game}}s for [=GBA=]. Player always controls up to 3 characters out of minimal roster of 4. When and only when you get a new character, you start getting puzzles for him.

* Most RTS games with single-player campaigns feature this to some extent. In early missions the player will only have a few basic units, with additional units being added one or two at a time as the campaign progresses. When a new unit has a special ability, it will inevitably be necessary to the completion of the mission. Sometimes this is justified by having it noted that you're given the new unit specifically because its ability will be needed, but often it comes completely out of the blue with no way the person giving your orders could have known about it.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. In "And Maggie Makes Three", the ShowWithinAShow ''[[Series/KnightRider Knight Boat]]'' ran on this Trope.

* Averted in the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode "[[Recap/TeenTitansS5E4ForReal For Real]]". Control Freak, a teenage TV addict super villain, comes up with a Plot Tailored To The Party featuring a trial for all of the Teen Titans. He is upset to find that they're out of town and a secondary team is in their place. As the challenges were tailored to the exact limits of the main cast, the secondary team easily manages them. He has a temper tantrum and then returns with specific challenges for the substitutes. This is practically an inversion of the trope, as each Titan is given a challenge where their powers ''won't'' work. Aqualad has to face a mechanical shark - that is, his fish-controlling powers won't work. Bumblebee is stuck in her small form. Speedy has no arrows. Mas Y Menos ([[WonderTwinPowers who need to be touching each other to activate their superspeed]]) have to simultaneously push two buttons on opposite sides of the city. They all get around it, of course.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' sees Quagmire, Peter, and Cleveland each demonstrate unique knowledge/skills in order to clear security checks and break into Carter's vault on Joe's behalf.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' invokes this trope explicitly. A ship carrying mutants to Genosha is attacked by pirates in search of mutants with useful powers. They end up kidnapping all of the adults and leaving the kids behind on the sinking ship. The kids' abilities are: breathing underwater, making "sticky goop", talking to machines, making things shatter by focusing on them, and butterfly wings. Initially, they mope around on the ship because they believe their powers are useless, but Nightcrawler appears to show them that no-one is useless. At Nightcrawler's direction, they shatter some cargo crates and have the underwater-breathing kid glue them onto the breaches using the sticky goop. The girl who talks to machines navigates the boat, and the girl with butterfly wings makes and puts up a flag of questionable usefulness. Then they chase after the pirate ship, where Nightcrawler uses ''his'' powers to duel the pirate captain and save the grownups.
* ''WesternAnimation/XMen'': Inverted at least once in the '90s series, wherein Xavier and Cyclops -- the normal team leaders -- are completely uninvolved, Beast has abandoned his GeniusBruiser ways and gone on a literal RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Wolverine has come up with an ingenious and non-violent way to defuse the situation, etc. The only one still up to her usual tricks is Jubilee, who [[LampshadeHanging snarkily points out the fact nobody's acting normally]].
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' used a variant somewhat similar to the ''Film/JamesBond'' example above: A gigantic flaming meteor that's too hot to approach menaces Townville shortly after Blossom learns that she has [[AnIcePerson ice]] {{breath|Weapon}}. Unlike Bond, however, Blossom tried to use the ice breath in other situations and only made things worse, resulting in a HeroicBSOD, and it [[ContinuityNod pops up in a few later episodes]] instead of just disappearing after its debut.

** PlayedWith when Finn and Jake enter a dungeon at different times, and follow different paths to prove that they don't need the other. Each winds up coming across challenges that the other could do easily, but which are very difficult for them, prompting them to realize that they need each other.
** {{Justified}} in "Mystery Dungeon", where [[HarmlessVillain the Ice King]], [[IRejectYourReality Lemongrab]], [[CoolOldLady Tree Trunks]], [[DeadpanSnarker Shelby]] and [[RobotBuddy NEPTR]] [[YouWakeUpInARoom wake up in a dungeon]] and have to work together to get out. Eventually it's revealed that the Ice King needed to get through the dungeon and kidnapped the others specifically because their abilities would be useful. Also PlayedWith because a) Shelby tricks Tree Trunks into taking on the job that was meant for him (being bait for a fish) and b) the Ice King actually ''meant'' to grab [[DoAnythingRobot BMO]] instead of NEPTR (though NEPTR proves capable of helping out anyway).
* Averted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', during a Robot War that turned out to be an advanced training simulation. It was designed to get the team to work together, utilizing each others' strengths to their fullest and figure out how to exploit every situation in the manner of the trope; then Superman [[FlyingBrick flies in and smashes all the robots basically single-handedly]]. When called out on this apparent show-boating, he explicitly points out the fact that he's {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le, and it didn't make sense to send in [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the guy with a bunch of gadgets]] or [[Franchise/TheFlash the guy who's fast]] but [[FragileSpeedster squishy]] when he can just take care of something that needs brute strength. He [[StrawmanHasAPoint has a point]], even if he suffers heavily from TheWorfEffect during the initial show's run, not to mention the fact that Wonder Woman -- who canonically is one of the top-tier strongest characters in the DCU -- is right there as well.

* Both ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'' and its successor ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingSpiez'' use this trope in the same manner as the James Bond example above; no matter how different and seemingly random the gadgets that Jerry gives thim for a mission, you can bet that for every single one of them the protagonists will encounter at least one situation in which that gadget is precisely what they need. Never will a gadget remain unused for the entire plot. That said, the gadgets are not always used in the way the designers intended. A good example is the Totally Spies episode "Wild Style" with the Scan Man 9000 Portable Radio and Radar Scanner; the spies never need its radar scanner abilities, but the fact that it can still play music like a regular radio proves vital to beating the villain.

* Happens coincidentally in ''LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan'', when an alien from a game company holds Mahiro's high school captive and offers to release the students if Mahiro's group can beat him. "Agent Smith" picks the games at which he excels, not realizing that the heroes completely outmatch him in every one; in Daifugō he faces Nyarko, who can create an infinite number of Joker cards, and in Darts he faces Mahiro, who has ImprobableAimingSkills when it comes to [[ImprobableWeaponUser throwing forks]].

As a variation, this may apply to [[SomedayThisWillComeInHandy multiple abilities]] or [[ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest items]] which a single character has; each item or ability will always find [[ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest some contrived use]]. This "item-ized" version of this trope is applicable to the gameplay environment design of {{metroidvania}} games; see UtilityWeapon, AbilityRequiredToProceed, and NewWeaponTargetRange.