History Main / PupatingPeril

* ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'': "The Quick Clone Syndrome" reveals that [[FallenHero Alpha]] has been recovering from the injuries he suffered back in [[Recap/MenInBlackS1E4TheAlphaSyndrome his first episode]] by wrapping himself up in a cocoon deep in the sewers. Having transformed into an even ''less'' human shape in the intervening time, he goes on the offensive as soon as J and K begin forcing his cocoon open.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' has the Zeo enemies in Sector 2, slow-moving caterpillars that start pupating once you beat the boss. When you return during the blackout, they have become the flying Kihunters.

* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'': In "Mission: Imp Possible", Mothias is first met while in its cocoon made of magical golden silk. The extremely greedy imp Nefir as well as Iago both instantly get the idea to steal the silk. The emerging giant moth has a well-known hunger for imps and instantly starts hunting Nefir. Only by tricking Mothias into a spider web made of it's own golden silk can the massive creature be subdued.

** ''Film/GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth'': The larval Mothra spins a cocoon on top on top of the Japanese National Assembly Building. The scene where she hatches in her butterfly form - while her fairy priestesses sing a hymn to her -- is the high point of the movie, played for wonder and awe rather than terror. In contrast, Mothra's spikier, more threatening SpearCounterpart Battra skips the cocoon altogether, and transforms from caterpillar to imago in a flash of red lightning.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1596044920088997200
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:159:[[VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metroidpupates.png]]]]

* ''Anime/YuGiOh:'' In Yugi's first duel at Duelist Kingdom against Insector Haga/Weevil Underwood, Weevil was able to set Larva Moth into the field: upon flip summoning it, he then equipped Cocoon of Evolution so that he could special summon Great Moth within 4 turns. Upon emerging, it was Weevil's strongest card (second to Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth) since it has an effect of scattering poisonous pollens that lower attack and defense (which is exclusive to the manga/anime since it doesn't have that effect in the TCG).

* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'': Zig-zagged in "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho121EnemyOfTheDaleks Enemy Of The Daleks]]": here, the Doctor encounters an insectoid species known as the Kiseibya, engineered specifically to kill Daleks. Starting out as parasitoid larvae, they eventually pupate and emerge as [[BigCreepyCrawlies human-sized flying insects]]; however, though the emergence of the first Kiseibya is played for horror, complete with the scientist responsible for its creation [[KneelBeforeZod forcing the Doctor to kneel before it]] as it hatches, the threat turns out to be non-existent: adult Kiseibya live exclusively on metal - and only become a threat to organic life when it's time [[FacefulOfAlienWingWong for them to breed]]. However, it's played very straight when the Daleks find the now-empty cocoons... just in time for the entire swarm to ambush them.

* ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'': The ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' villain Mister Mind (a caterpillar-like creature from Venus) is exposed to artificial time particles known as suspendium, allowing him to finally escape his larval form. He uses [[spoiler: ComicBook/BoosterGold's RobotBuddy Skeets]] as a makeshift cocoon, eventually emerging as a monstrous winged creature capable of devouring ''time itself''.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour:'' During the Stan Lee / Jack Kirby run, Alicia Masters is abducted by the Enclave, who wish her to help them with their creation, known only as Him. Turns out Him is so powerful no-one can approach without being blinded, and he keeps lashing out with his powers whenever anyone tries. So they get Alicia to try for them. After a whole issue of build-up about how dangerous Him is, it turns out he's a cocoon. Him hasn't even been properly "born" yet.

[[folder: Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction; [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX Monster X]], not unlike Mothra in the movies, attracts this kind of awe and anxiety from whatever humans are present during each of its three [[{{Metamorphosis}} Metamorphoses]] respectively. Each time it changes, whether due to a lack of understanding or [[spoiler:Ghidorah]]'s malevolent influence, the human characters are unsure whether what comes out will still be a hero-aligned [[TwoBeingsOneBody San and Vivienne Graham]] or it'll be a monster like Ghidorah was.

** ''Film/GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth'': The larval Mothra spins a cocoon on top on top of the Japanese National Assembly Building. The scene where she hatches in her butterfly form - while her fairy priestesses sing a hymn to her - is the high point of the movie, played for wonder and awe rather than terror. In contrast, Mothra's spikier, more threatening SpearCounterpart Battra skips the cocoon altogether, and transforms from caterpillar to imago in a flash of red lightning.

* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', the [[Characters/MonsterVerseMUTO male MUTO]] hatches from a huge, glowing, crescent-shaped chrysalis after feeding on the radiation of a nuclear reactor from within for fifteen years. While the larval form is never seen, the imago is [[GiantFlyer a winged insectoid]] which immediately begins a trail of destruction across the Pacific.
** In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', [[Characters/MonsterVerseMothra Mothra]] is introduced as a humongous egg from which her equally huge larval form hatches. A bit of [[GentleGiant non-lethal guard tossing]] later, she disappears from the plot for a while aside from a brief scene to show that she has spun herself a cocoon underneath/behind a waterfall. When she finally emerges as a bioluminescent moth the size of a 747, the spectacle is so awe-inspiring that everyone who witnesses it either stares or weeps at the sight. Unlike the MUTO example above, Mothra's metamorphosis is one of the rare benevolent examples as the Queen of the Monsters, just like [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} her King]], is [[LightIsGood firmly on the side of good]].
* ''Film/{{Species}}'' has the alien Sil that EscapedFromTheLab as a preteen girl, who boards a passenger train. In one of its compartments, she undergoes a BodyHorror puberty that involves creating a cocoon. From this stage, she emerges as a young woman in her twenties. The other occupant of the compartment doesn't survive this process, and a conductor checking compartments sees way too much weirdness and simply turns a blind eye to it all.

* ''Series/AlienEmpire'', a 1995 documentary series, brings up a comparatively mundane example of this in order to demonstrate what happens when [[HumansAreMorons humans meddle with insects]]: in "Replicators," a fisherman has a tray of live maggots left over from his daily bait, but he doesn't want to get rid of them, so he puts them in the fridge -- believing that the cold will keep them subdued until he gets back from his holiday. But while he's out, a fuse blows, the fridge begins heating up, and with nothing to stop them, the maggots begin eating through their food supply, then metamorphosing in a time-lapse sequence; by the time the scene cuts away, the fridge is full of pupae. And [[BrickJoke at the very end of this episode]], the fisherman arrives home, [[OhCrap realizes that the power's off]], opens his fridge -- and is greeted by the sight of several ''hundred'' [[FliesEqualsEvil bluebottle flies]] buzzing towards him.

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': {{Conversed}} [[PlayedForComedy for laughs]] in ''[[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS2E6TheCooperNowitzkiTheorem The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem]]'', where Leonard explains [[ItMakesSenseInContext his theory on how Sheldon reproduces]] to Penny.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E2TheArkInSpace The Ark In Space]]" introduces the Wirrn, essentially parasitic wasps in space: having already demonstrated a breeding process replete with BodyHorror, it's revealed that the Wirrn larvae resulting from this conversion process will eventually pupate into even more dangerous adults. Worse still, this also marks the point when they cease to require oxygen - leaving the Doctor and the others in serious danger when the Wirrn switch off life support.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' feature the giant flying insects known as Rot Flies. These daemons started out as the puppy-like [[ObliviouslyEvil Beasts of Nurgle]], but eventually grew frustrated with the fact that their new "friends" [[AndCallHimGeorge refused to play with them]] and eventually gave in to hatred after being banished from the physical world. Retreating to the depths of [[EldritchAbomination Nurgle]]'s [[GardenOfEvil garden]], they eventually develop a cocoon out of sheer resentfulness -- in which they gradually metamorphose into the forms of giant insects so that they can take their revenge on the mortal realm.

* ''Videogame/DeepRockGalactic:'' Glyphid Dreadnoughts, basically the game's bosses, are usually found inside of cocoons that need to be actively popped. According to Mission Control, this is necessary because having them ambulatory and ready to crash other mining operations (as they sometimes do to you) is bad news, and because their cocooning means they're trying to turn into something even ''worse'' than the chitinous, fiery juggernauts themselves.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'': The Larvitar line is a unique non-insect example. As Larvitar, it starts out as a small baby reptile before evolving into the cocoon-like Pupitar. When it fully evolves into the Godzilla-esque Tyranitar, it drops the Ground sub typing for a Dark Type, as they're fearsome Pokemon that can destroy mountains.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':
** The first missions of the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zerg]] campaign in the original game have the Overmind charge you with protecting a mysterious, fleshy chrysalis, which grows quite large as whatever inside develops. When it finally hatches, what comes out is Sarah Kerrigan, a main character in the preceding Terran campaign last seen being overrun by the Zerg, now mutated into a frighteningly powerful human-Zerg hybrid custom-made by the Overmind to be its champion, and who plays a central role through the rest of the series. The rest of the Zerg species is like this to a lesser extent, as many of their advanced units metamorphose from basic units that turn themselves into chrysalii.
** In the sequel(s), Kerrigan can regenerate from death inside a cocoon after a minute or so.
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', the J'avo type enemies have a chance (modified by difficulty and level) of randomly bursting into flames and then freezing into waxen-looking cocoons, from which they can emerge as any of a variety of different more powerful monsters. Additionally, the boss monster Haos, a creature designed to literally infect the entire planet with the latest ZombieApocalypse plague, initially appears inside of an enormous cocoon that a closer look reveals is made up of tens of thousands of people melted together into a single mass of wax-like resin to provide the requisite biomass.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'':
** Most levels featuring GiantSpiders will also feature Egg Sacs that contain baby spiders. Sometime they erupt when your units come close, other times they emerge when the sac is destroyed.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': The first missions of the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zerg]] campaign in the original game have the Overmind charge you with protecting a mysterious, fleshy chrysalis, which grows quite large as whatever inside develops. When it finally hatches, what comes out is Sarah Kerrigan, a main character in the preceding Terran campaign last seen being overrun by the Zerg, now mutated into a frighteningly powerful human-Zerg hybrid custom-made by the Overmind to be its champion, and who plays a central role through the rest of the series. The rest of the Zerg species is like this to a lesser extent, as many of their advanced units metamorphose from basic units that turn themselves into chrysalii.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction; [[AdaptationalHeroism Monster X]], not unlike Mothra in the movies, attracts this kind of awe and anxiety from whatever humans are present during each of its three [[{{Metamorphosis}} Metamorphoses]] respectively. Each time it changes, whether due to a lack of understanding or [[spoiler:Ghidorah]]'s malevolent influence, the human characters are unsure whether what comes out will still be a hero-aligned [[TwoBeingsOneBody San and Vivienne Graham]] or it'll be a monster like Ghidorah was.

** In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju Mothra]] is introduced as a humongous egg from which her equally huge larval form hatches. A bit of [[GentleGiant non-lethal guard tossing]] later, she disappears from the plot for a while aside from a brief scene to show that she has spun herself a cocoon underneath/behind a waterfall. When she finally emerges as a bioluminescent moth the size of a 747, the spectacle is so awe-inspiring that everyone who witnesses it either stares or weeps at the sight. Unlike the MUTO example above, Mothra's metamorphosis is one of the rare benevolent examples as the Queen of the Monsters, just like [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} her King]], is [[LightIsGood firmly on the side of good]].

* ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'': Mogwai that are allowed to eat after midnight encase themselves in creepy, Giger-esque cocoons as they begin metamorphosing into gremlins. This is played for much ominousness when Billy discovers that five of the six Mogwai are now cocoons clustered around his bed; it eventually results in an especially nightmarish moment in which the newly metamorphosed gremlins begin clawing their way out of their cocoons while a terrified [[TokenGoodTeammate Gizmo]] tries to hide.
* ''Franchise/MonsterVerse'':

** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', the [[Characters/MonsterVerseMUTO male MUTO]] hatches from a huge, glowing, crescent-shaped chrysalis after feeding on the radiation of a nuclear reactor from within for fifteen years. While the larval form is never seen, the imago is [[GiantFlyer a winged insectoid]] which immediately begins a trail of destruction across the Pacific.
** In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju Mothra]] is introduced as a humongous egg from which her equally huge larval form hatches. A bit of [[GentleGiant non-lethal guard tossing]] later, she disappears from the plot for a while aside from a brief scene to show that she has spun herself a cocoon underneath/behind a waterfall. When she finally emerges as a bioluminescent moth the size of a 747, the spectacle is so awe-inspiring that everyone who witnesses it either stares or weeps at the sight. Unlike the MUTO example above, Mothra's metamorphosis is one of the rare benevolent examples as the Queen of the Monsters, just like [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} her King]], is [[LightIsGood firmly on the side of good]].

** In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', the direct sequel to the above, [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju Mothra]] is introduced as a humongous egg from which her equally huge larval form hatches. A bit of [[GentleGiant non-lethal guard tossing]] later, she disappears from the plot for a while aside from a brief scene to show that she has spun herself a cocoon underneath/behind a waterfall. When she finally emerges as a bioluminescent moth the size of a 747, the spectacle is so awe-inspiring that everyone who witnesses it either stares or weeps at the sight. Unlike the MUTO example above, Mothra's metamorphosis is one of the rare benevolent examples as the Queen of the Monsters, just like [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} her King]], is [[LightIsGood firmly on the side of good]].
*** Much of the above echoes Mothra's arc in the earlier ''Film/GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth'', where the larval Mothra spins a cocoon on top on top of the Japanese National Assembly Building. The scene where she hatches in her butterfly form - while her fairy priestesses sing a hymn to her - is the high point of the movie, played for wonder and awe rather than terror. In contrast, Mothra's spikier, more threatening SpearCounterpart Battra skips the cocoon altogether, and transforms from caterpillar to imago in a flash of red lightning.
*** And let us not forget [[Film/{{Mothra}} Mothra's debut film]]. After cutting a swath through Tokyo and toppling Tokyo Tower, the larval Mothra builds a cocoon while using the ruined landmark as a framework. In one of the film's iconic sequences, the JSDF attempts to roast Mothra alive while she's still in her cocoon, using the Atomic Heat Ray Gun to turn the cocoon into a giant fireball. However, they only succeed in toasting the outer shell, as Mothra emerges in her gargantuan imago form and takes off to continue her pursuit of the Shobijin, setting up the final act of the film.

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' website has [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-200 SCP-200]], a gigantic chrysalis attached to a queen-sized bed, apparently transformed from what was once an ordinary 13-year-old boy. No one knows how he formed the chrysalis, [[BodyHorror or what he might be metamorphosing into]].

* ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'': Mogwai that are allowed to eat after midnight encase themselves in creepy, Giger-esque cocoons as they begin metamorphosing into gremlins. This is played for much ominousness when Billy discovers that six of his five Mogwai are now cocoons clustered around his bed; it eventually results in an especially nightmarish moment in which the newly metamorphosed gremlins begin clawing their way out of their cocoons while a terrified [[TokenGoodTeammate Gizmo]] tries to hide.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In "[[Recap/AmphibiaS1E07TheDominoEffect The Domino Effect]]", Anne adopts a wild caterpillar that reminds her of her cat back home. It is later revealed that the creature is a "coastal killerpillar" which soon after pupates into a monstrous moth-like creature and tries to eat the Plantars.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'', Aravos is able to interact with the outside world from his magical prison through a caterpillar. The last episode of the current season shows that the caterpillar has built a huge cocoon, which Aravos will presumably emerge from should the series continue.

** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', the [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju male MUTO]] hatches from a huge, glowing, crescent-shaped chrysalis after feeding on the radiation of a nuclear reactor from within for fifteen years. While the larval form is never seen, the imago is [[GiantFlyer a winged insectoid]] which immediately begins a trail of destruction across the Pacific.
** In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', the direct sequel to the above, Mothra is introduced as a humongous egg from which her equally huge larval form hatches. A bit of [[GentleGiant non-lethal guard tossing]] later, she disappears from the plot for a while aside from a brief scene to show that she has spun herself a cocoon underneath/behind a waterfall. When she finally emerges as a bioluminescent moth the size of a 747, the spectacle is so awe-inspiring that everyone who witnesses it either stares or weeps at the sight. Unlike the MUTO example above, Mothra's metamorphosis is one of the rare benevolent examples as the Queen of the Monsters, just like [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} her King]], is [[LightIsGood firmly on the side of good]].

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': The first missions of the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zerg]] campaign in the original game have the Overmind charge you with protecting a mysterious, fleshy chrysalis, which grows quite large as whatever inside develops. When it finally hatches, what comes out is Sarah Kerrigan, a human who suffered an UncertainDoom by the Zerg in the preceding Terran campaign, now mutated into a frighteningly powerful Zerg hybrid custom-made by the Overmind to be its champion, and who plays a central role through the rest of the series. The rest of the Zerg species is like this to a lesser extent, as many of their advanced units metamorphose from basic units that turn themselves into chrysalii.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': The first missions of the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zerg]] campaign in the original game have the Overmind charge you with protecting a mysterious, fleshy chrysalis, which grows quite large as whatever inside develops. When it finally hatches, what comes out is Sarah Kerrigan, a human mutated into a frighteningly powerful Zerg hybrid, custom-made by the Overmind to be its champion, and who plays a central role through the rest of the series. The rest of the Zerg species is like this to a lesser extent, as many of their advanced units metamorphose from basic units that turn themselves into chrysalii.

* ''Series/AlienEmpire'', a 1995 documentary series, brings up a comparatively mundane example of this in order to demonstrate what happens when [[HumansAreMorons humans meddle with insects]]: in "Replicators," a fisherman has a tray of live maggots left over from his daily bait, but he doesn't want to get rid of them, so he puts them in the fridge -- believing that the cold will keep them subdued until he gets back from his holiday. But while he's out, a fuse blows, the fridge begins heating up, and with nothing to stop them, the maggots begin eating through their food supply, then metamorphosing in a time-lapse sequence; by the time the scene cuts away, the fridge is full of pupae. And [[BrickJoke at the very end of this episode]], the fisherman arrives home, [[OhCrap realizes that the power's off]], [[WhatAnIdiot opens his fridge]] -- and is greeted by the sight of several ''hundred'' [[FliesEqualsEvil bluebottle flies]] buzzing towards him.

*** And let us not forget Mothra's debut film. After cutting a swath through Tokyo and toppling Tokyo Tower, the larval Mothra builds a cocoon while using the ruined landmark as a framework. In one of the film's iconic sequences, the JSDF attempts to roast Mothra alive while she's still in her cocoon, using the Atomic Heat Ray Gun to turn the cocoon into a giant fireball. However, they only succeed in toasting the outer shell, as Mothra emerges in her gargantuan imago form and takes off to continue her pursuit of the Shobijin, setting up the final act of the film.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Subverted in "[[Recap/TeenTitansS2E7Transformation Transformation]]". Starfire starts to exhibit all sorts of ugly deformations as a result of Tamaranean puberty that she tries to hide with bulky clothes. Eventually, she's unable to hide them anymore and flies off in fear that her teammates will think she's ugly. She ends up getting captured by a spider alien that feeds on Tamaraneans that go through this process, just as Starfire ends up immobilized in a cocoon. The other Titans show up to save her, with Robin reassuring Starfire that no matter how monstrous she might end up looking after the metamorphosis, she'll still be their friend. It ends up being moot, because Starfire looks just the same after emerging -- the only difference being that she now has extra powers.

* ''Film/MonsterVerse'':
** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', the male MUTO hatches from a huge, glowing, crescent-shaped chrysalis after feeding on the radiation of a nuclear reactor from within for fifteen years. While the larval form is never seen, the imago is [[GiantFlyer a winged insectoid]] which immediately begins a trail of destruction across the Pacific.

** Much of the above echoes Mothra's arc in the earlier ''Film/GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth'', where the larval Mothra spins a cocoon on top on top of the Japanese National Assembly Building. The scene where she hatches in her butterfly form - while her fairy priestesses sing a hymn to her - is the high point of the movie, played for wonder and awe rather than terror. In contrast, Mothra's spikier, more threatening SpearCounterpart Battra skips the cocoon altogether, and transforms from caterpillar to imago in a flash of red lightning.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants:'' Played with in "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E5WormyPattyHype Wormy]]", where the titular caterpillar confuses [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick by undergoing metamorphosis. After the duo leaves, we see live-action footage of Wormy's cocoon set to creepy music, eventually emerging into a live-action butterfly. Normally this wouldn't be too scary, but the episode portrays Wormy as a monster from [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's point of view, with some horrifying buzzing close-ups of the live-action butterfly's face.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Species}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/species_cocoon.jpg]]]]

* Although not a true pupa, some internal parasites such as trematodes have a semi-dormant "cyst" stage to their complex life cycles, in which form they ride out the transfer from a smaller host species to a larger one.