History Main / SteelEarDrums

* Generally averted in ''Literature/{{Duumvirate}}'', but played somewhat straight for the superhuman title characters who can also [[GoodThingYouCanHeal regenerate]] hearing damage.
* There is a simultaneous aversion and straight use of this trope in ''Literature/Utopia2002'' by Lincoln Child. In the end, [[spoiler:Dr. Warne, the temporary BadassBookworm kills a terrorist using a fireworks mortar as an improvised bazooka and stops the terrorist's armored truck by using his pet robot, which is carrying about 10 pounds of flash powder, as a suicide bomber]]. He is mentioned as suffering from bleeding ears afterwards but other than that, there seems to be no permanent damage. Realistically, noise of that magnitude should have rendered him permanently deaf almost instantly.
* Averted in ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'', where [[spoiler:Miss Pross]] goes deaf from a gunshot.
* Averted in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's novel ''Literature/{{Barrayar}}''. Aral and Kou are both temporarily deafened after a near miss from a grenade in an assassination attempt.
* Averted in the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novel ''Necropolis'', where a number of minor characters were permanently deafened by explosions. Oddly, in the first book in the series, a number of soldiers from the same regiment were deafened in the exact same way, also "permanently", but the medical procedure for repairing the damage was quick and simple.
* Averted in the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series, where the professional gunmen always have earplugs handy if they expect to get into a fight. Artemis picks up on this habit and equips himself and Butler with [[GreenRocks elvish technology]] earplugs that seal their ears from sudden loud noises (such as, say, their own sonic grenade trap).

* Lampshaded and justified in the Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/WithoutRemorse''. Before he begins his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, John Kelly does some quick practice with his .45 pistol. He considers hearing protection but then decides not to... since he's just modified it with a suppressor and needs to see how well it works. Also occurs later with a suppressed CAR-15 for the same reason. He also forgoes ear protection when practicing with the pistol without the silencer, but only when outdoors and in private. After being through a couple of tours of duty in a warzone, plinking a few cans with a .45 probably won't make much difference.
* In Creator/JohnVarley's short story "[[Literature/EightWorlds In the Bowl]]", one of the main characters laments that since they were going on a trip with well-known exploding crystals in the area, they were foolish to forget to pack extra eardrums (this being the future when replacing your parts is easy).
* Averted in ''A is for Alibi'', the first book in Sue Grafton's ''Literature/KinseyMillhone'' series. The protagonist shoots someone from inside a garbage can and is temporarily deafened. Later books reveal that the ringing didn't go away for weeks, and her ears never fully recover.
* Averted in ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' by Creator/VictorHugo -- Quasimodo eventually goes deaf from near-constant exposure to the huge cathedral bells. Frollo teaches him sign language so he can cope. The trope is played completely straight in [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney the Disney movie]], however.
* Averted in ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' by Creator/SuzanneCollins, when the protagonist, Katniss, is deafened in one ear by an explosion and worries that it may be permanent. [[spoiler: It's repaired after she wins the games.]]
* Averted in ''Cursor's Fury'' of the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series.. Tavi's eardrums burst after he's struck by magic lightning due to the air pressure difference. His life was saved by a [[FriendlyFireproof bloodstone]], but his ears were less fortunate. Played straight later (after a long stint in the healing tub) when they hit him again and he's expecting it; he keeps his mouth open to stop the pressure from blowing his ears out. (It's apparently a common problem among novice fliers, so people knew how to combat it)
* Both averted and justified in ''Literature/MercyThompson''. Mercy is deafened by the blast and has to wait for her hearing to return, but her HealingFactor means that she hardly notices any inconvenience.
* Averted (sort of) in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe''. Aslan warns Lucy and Susan to plug their ears before he lets out a huge roar. Slightly damaging the realism is the statement that while Lucy has her fingers in her ears, she can't hear ''anything.'' (Plugging her ears should have damped the noise but not blocked it out entirely.)
* Sometimes averted in ''Literature/{{Dragonback}}''. Firing machine guns don't seem loud enough to hurt -- though admittedly this ''is'' the far future -- but there's a point in ''Dragon and Soldier'' where something explodes and at first, Jack can't even hear his own voice.
* Averted in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G17jQg_pUJg& It is necessary to wear earmuffs]] when potting Mandrakes because their cries are fatal. Baby Mandrakes' cries aren't fatal, but they will knock you out for several hours. Despite wearing his earmuffs, Neville faints.
-->'''Professor Sprout:''' ''[grumbles]'' Longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs.
-->'''Seamus Finnegan:''' No ma'am. He's just fainted.
-->'''Professor Sprout:''' Yes, well, just leave him there...
* Averted in ''Literature/TheElenium'' during the Battle of Chyrellos. Berit is up in the bell tower of a church keeping watch when a siege machine sends a rock his way. He avoids being hit, but the rock hits the giant bells, causing them all to start ringing. A few minutes later, he is shouting at Sparhawk in the relatively quiet aftermath because he can't hear anything but the ringing. Played straight as well in that a few days later, he shows no signs of permanent hearing loss.
* Pretty much averted in the ''Literature/{{Sharpe}}'' series, where characters usually take time to recover their hearing following battle, and it is occasionally mentioned that battle-hardened characters have permanently (though mildly) damaged hearing.
* Averted in ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'' following the squad's flour-bombing of the kitchen, with their guards lying flat out, stunned and deafened, banging the sides of their heads with their hands, etc.

** Averted, [[GunPorn as with all matters related to guns]]. The protagonist of the series is involved in several gunfights in enclosed spaces over the course of the first two books and develops permanent hearing loss requiring the use of a hearing aid.

* In Marion G. Harmon's ''Literature/WearingTheCape'' novel ''Bite Me: Big Easy Nights'', the gun shop owner offers ear protection and disapproves when Jacky turns it down -- but among her other superpowers, she really does have these.
* Averted for the most part in the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' novels -- most characters present when Merlin-improved artillery starts firing have already put their earplugs in.
* In Heinlein's ''Literature/BeyondThisHorizon'', set in a future where laser duels are common, the hero digs up an old 45 revolver. His friend knows the hero can draw faster but thinks the slower chemical processes in the ancient gunpowder weapon may give him an advantage in an aiming competition. In the end, he doesn't fire at all because he is so startled by the noise. (They end up comparing fingernail polish colors.)
* Generally averted in ''Literature/WaxAndWayne''. When Marasi fires a gun at a man holding her, she can't hear for a while, and her friends worry that she might have permanent hearing loss. She carries earplugs from then on.

%%* Averted in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', some of the monsters' roars are so loud that your hunter can't help but cover his ears (which leaves him defenseless for a few seconds), however, there is a skill known as "earplugs" to counter this, as well as High-Grade Earplugs for monsters with roars even more deafening. Some monsters are also very weak against "sonic bombs".

--->'''Archer:''' Seriously, I have to sleep with a fan on.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Averted and quickly lampshaded in the {{Machinima}} series ''Machinima/FreemansMind'', in which the titular character fires a gun in an air vent and promptly receives massive pain and a high pitched keeling, followed by him whining about how he's going to end up deaf at this rate.
[[/folder]]

* Averted in ''Machinima/FreemansMind'', when Gordon mistakenly shoots a headcrab inside an air vent, which results in a loud ringing noise that we get to hear for a few seconds.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Gunners in the British Army are issued ear defenders to protect from the sound of the chonking big gun going off when you're stood right next to it - but they make it hard to hear orders, so they generally only cover one ear permanently during fire missions.
* Actor Tim Barlow, while serving in the British Army, was left profoundly deaf from firing a high-powered rifle.
* Modern earplugs that can allow different amounts of sound into the ear via switches are issued for 21st-century US ground troops (and presumably others). However, many soldiers prefer to leave them out and risk eardrum damage if it means a better chance of hearing something that happens to be both quiet and vital to his or her survival, not to mention it's one less piece of kit to hassle with in a warzone. Colonel Kathy Gates, audiology consultant to the US Army surgeon general, stated in an Army Times article that soldiers who wear the issued earplugs properly are protected from most hearing damage.
** The [=USMC=] experimented with issuing every single Marine a suppressor in 2016, even on the heavy machine guns. The result was drastically improved communication.
* The Spokane, Washington Police Department suppressed [[https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/oct/07/spokane-police-will-add-suppressors-to-rifles-citi/#/1 all of its rifles]] in 2016, noting that the suppressors were cheaper than paying out disability claims for hearing loss.
* Range Safety Officers, who spend most of their entire workday on the firing range keeping an eye on things, often play it very safe by wearing both earplugs ''and'' earmuffs.
* Orchestras:
** In orchestras, players who sit in front of the trumpet section are issued earplugs because if you sit in front of any decent trumpeter when the music gets loud and/or intense, ''you face the very real threat of having your eardrums ruptured.''
** Some orchestras will put pieces of plexiglass between the brass players (especially trumpets and French horns) and those who sit in front of them. In a decent concert hall, it will make no difference to the sound in the audience, but it can help keep your bassoonist from being deafened when the horns play "Bells Up."
* Creator/WilliamShatner suffers from tinnitus because of standing too close to explosions going off on ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'', as did the late Creator/LeonardNimoy and Creator/DeForestKelley. The last specifically from the FX explosions at the beginning of "Arena".
* Music/DannyElfman suffers similarly from hearing loss due to his days in Music/OingoBoingo.
* Many rock and roll musicians, especially from the days before it was common practice to include earplugs. Special mention though to Pete Townsend of Music/TheWho, who is now nearly completely deaf as a result of being too close to Keith Moon's drumkit when he blew it up, and Roger Daltrey says that his and Pete's respective hearing losses began in opposite ears because they were facing each other at the time it exploded. And all that guitar as well...
* This is the reason that drummers and guitarists generally wear some kind of ear protection while practicing or rehearsing (and during modern studio recording which isn't being videotaped/recorded, a commonly used trick is the aforementioned switch earplugs or to wear earmuffs that are combined with headphones -- that reduce the sound allowed in to a non-damaging level -- IF the band is rich enough to afford either, which a lot of starting bands aren't). The only problem is that none of these tricks (short of the earplugs, for a drummer who isn't very visible) work onstage and in recorded studio lives, meaning that while ''some'' hearing damage is lessened (because it is cumulative, and every little bit you can reduce helps) most hard rock / heavy metal musicians will end up with ''some'' by their 40s or 50s unless they take long breaks or are just very, very lucky. Singers are the worst affected because they usually can't wear ear protection even while practicing or rehearsing ''and'' their own voice can even do the damage (as with Kyo of Music/DirEnGrey, who ruptured an eardrum with his own screams). Bassists are next, as they generally can't wear ear protection during rehearsal since they have to keep time with the drummer -- which also puts them closest to the loudest and most likely to cause said damage part of your average band short of standing directly in front of a guitar amp or a [[Music/{{Kyo}} particularly]] [[Music/DevinTownsend loud]] screamer's face.
* A real-life aversion of this can be seen with astute observation while attending an air show. When the military jets do their low and fast flyovers, one will notice children in the audience often cover their ears. Unlike the adults, who by that point have sustained enough cumulative hearing loss that the sound does not hurt their ears. Thanks, loud music.
** Also at race tracks, especially the "minor-league"[[note]]for lack of a better term[[/note]] tracks where you're only a few yards from the track. Those cars are ''loud''. Music/{{ACDC}} frontman Brian Johnson had to quit a tour because driving race cars without earplugs threatened him to go deaf.
** The key is not just in the loudness but the ''spectrum''. Hearing degenerates with age in any case, and older ears do not pick up the higher frequencies at all. The kids, who have the full range, probably absorb more energy and/or are hearing parts of the engine's "scream" that the adults don't. It's also the reason why children are better at hearing bats in their caves; the squeaks ''are'' mostly well outside the range of human hearing, but the bats' lower end of emission overlaps better with children's upper range of reception.
* Locomotives in the U.S. use loud air horns which most places require engineers to blow when they go over crossings as well as in emergency situations. While most modern horns are mounted toward the middle of the locomotive, in the past, they were mounted right above the cab. Since most cabs lacked air conditioning, the windows were left open. [[NoOSHACompliance Naturally, a lot of old engineers have at least some degree of hearing loss]]. Nowadays, cabs are insulated and air-conditioned. Hearing protection is also mandatory when the cab window is open. As with jet aircraft, you'll often notice that it's children who cover their ears when a train blows its horn.
* Averted ''harshly'' when [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa Krakatoa erupted in the late 19th century.]] The eardrums of sailors as far as 40 miles away were ruptured outright, and the sound [[labelnote:note]]an estimated 310dB at ground zero, theorized to be the loudest in human history[[/labelnote]] persisted as far as Perth, Western Australia where it was mistaken for offshore cannon fire.
[[/folder]]

* Comically averted in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' episode 290, after the ship Guts's party is travelling on repels a pirate attack. Isidro and Puck were temporarily deafened by the noise of the cannons while watching from the deck, and when they go below deck to gush to their companions about how cool it was, they don't realize [[NoIndoorVoice how loudly they're talking]]. Their friends cover their ears in agony and beg them to lower their voices, but of course they misunderstand this, too.
* Averted in ''Manga/CityHunter'' in a funny way, Ryo Saeba uses bullets in his ears as earplugs.

* Hilariously averted in ''Manga/SgtFrog'' where Fuyuki gets a pair of shoulder cannons in one story to [[ItMakesSenseInContext fight against a horde of tiny cavity-causing aliens]]. Cue the cannons firing and Fuyuki running around clutching his ears in pain.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', some of the monsters' roars are so loud that your hunter can't help but cover his ears (which leaves him defenseless for a few seconds), however, there is a skill known as "earplugs" to counter this, as well as High-Grade Earplugs for monsters with roars even more deafening. Some monsters are also very weak against "sonic bombs".

* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', as people (usually Archer) getting [[HollywoodHealing temporary]] hearing loss from gunshots or explosion when they forget their earplugs is a RunningGag, to the point that Archer thinks he may be developing tinnitus.
** In one episode, Lana drives the point home when Archer's flirting with an attractive actress on the firing range without ear protection.
** In another, both she and Archer are deafened when he mistakes a frag grenade for a smoke grenade, and can only talk to one another after they pay a visit to Lana's ear, nose, and throat doctor.

** Bizarrely, Archer seems to have obtained permanent hearing loss that is somehow purely beneficial: he was able to repeatedly fire off a gun in someone's face to get them to agree to his terms while noting he barely even hears the same sounds, [[RuleOfFunny yet he's never shown to suffers from an inability to hear regular sounds.]]
* Averted on one occasion in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Imaginationland Part 1" when the terrorists blow up part of Imanginationland and shoot characters. We then cut to a scene of total silence in a shoutout to "Saving Private Ryan" as destruction and bloodshed occurs, then Kyle makes his way to find Stan and we hear ringing as Stan's hearing is coming back.
* Averted in the Gene Deitch ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short "Sorry Safari"; Tom's master punishes him by wrapping a gun around his head and firing it, at which the cartoon goes completely silent. Tom then tries to pick at his ears until the sound returns.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26558347/chapters/64743250#workskin Class of Bun-A]]'': Averted. After Bakugou hits Izuku on the face with his Quirk, Recovery Girl informs Izuku he'll likely have some level of hearing loss on that side.

** While atop an AFV, Ruby's ears are left ringing after being too close to the roof mounted cannon while it's firing. She is able to adjust though.

* Averted in the ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/5796685/ The Sins of the Father]]''. Matt is rendered disoriented when Bullseye fires a sniper rifle not too far from his head. In a later confrontation, when Matt confronts Bullseye while he and Elektra are crashing Fisk's wedding, Bullseye shoots his rifle at a giant church bell, the loud ringing sound further disorienting Matt. In the subsequent showdown between Matt, Elektra, Fisk and Bullseye, Bullseye kicks things off by taking Matt as a human shield, and uses Matt's left ear to stabilize his pistol as he kills Fisk's bodyguards. This renders Matt partially deaf as he subsequently takes on Fisk in a one on one fight, and it is several days before he gets his hearing back.

* Averted in ''Fanfic/VowOfTheKing''. Bambietta's own explosions give her tinnitus, which also makes her immune to Tosen's sound based shikai.

* Averted in ''Film/ThereWillBeBlood'', where the hero's young son is permanently deafened by the loud noise of an out of control gas eruption in one of his father's derricks.

* Averted in ''Film/CopLand'', in which the sheriff is purposely deafened by a gunshot and the last scene is showed mostly from his perspective of having no hearing.

* ''Film/UnderSiege''. Gunfights never cause an issue, but when Tommy Lee Jones' character is walking on the deck of the ship when the heroes fire off a 16 inch main gun, he is shown to be deafened and in pain for a few minutes.

** ''Film/DieAnotherDay'': During Q's demonstration of the glass-shattering ring, he casually shoots at a plate of bulletproof glass at point blank range without giving himself or Bond any ear protection.
* Averted in ''Film/CecilBDemented''; [[SassyBlackWoman Chardonnay]] fires her shotgun at one point while wearing headphones(on the movie, she's in charge of sound), and immediately regrets it.

* Averted in ''Film/MrHollandsOpus'' during the parade scene, when the fire truck sounds its powerful air-horn. Young children are crying from the pain, and even many adults are visibly wincing, but when Iris turns to her stroller to check on Cole, [[spoiler:she finds him still sleeping peacefully, which is her first clue that Cole already is almost entirely deaf]].

** The famous bank robbery shootout, which is widely and rightfully considered one of the very the best shootouts in movie history, does play this trope straight. Considering the sheer number of large guns and rifles being used, (shotguns, [=M16s=] a couple of Colt [=M733s=], a Galil and an FNC-80, and that's before we even get to the standard arms of the uniformed cops) and the extraordinary number of shots fired, everyone involved should have been deafened. This goes double for the robbers, who are at one point blasting away with three automatic rifles from inside the confines of a car. There's no way they should have been able to hear the instructions that they shout to each other later, or the quieter moments like when Neil [=McCauley=] pleads with his wounded friend Chris Shiherlis to get up and keep going so they can make their escape.

* Lampshaded and justified in the Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/WithoutRemorse''. Before he begins his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, John Kelly does some quick practice with his .45 pistol. He considers hearing protection but then decides not to... since he's just modified it with a suppressor and needs to see how well it works. Also occurs with later with a suppressed CAR-15 for the same reason. He also forgoes ear protection when practicing with the pistol without the silencer, but only when outdoors and in private. After being through a couple of tours of duty in a warzone, plinking a few cans with a .45 probably won't make much difference.
* In Creator/JohnVarley's short story "[[Literature/EightWorlds In the Bowl]]", one of the main characters laments that since they were going on a trip with well known exploding crystals in the area, they were foolish to forget to pack extra eardrums (this being the future when replacing your parts is easy).

* Sometimes averted in ''Literature/{{Dragonback}}''. Firing machine guns don't seem loud enough to hurt -- though admittedly this ''is'' the far future -- but there's a point in ''Dragon and Soldier'' where something explodes and at first Jack can't even hear his own voice.

* ZigZaggingTrope in ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' episode "The Box". Peter needed to disarm a device that kills by sound, so he was deliberately deafened by firing a gun next to both ears. By the end of the episode his hearing is completely back to normal and there's no indication that he's suffered permanent damage.

** While played straight most of time, the second episode of season 2 averts it as Matt spends most of the episode concussed and for a period, deaf, as a result of getting shot in the head (the bullet being stopped by his helmet) by Frank at point-blank range.

* ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'': Notably averted in season 3 after Nucky survives the explosion of Babette's. He's concussed, and clearly has tinnitus.

* Averted in ''Series/Hawkeye2021'' where it's shown that Clint now needs to use a hearing aid on one of his ears. Unlike the comic's version of the character, who deliberately deafened himself to save the day, here it's a result of long term sustained damage from all the explosions and other loud noises he was around in his life of being an agent of SHIELD and an Avenger. Humorously, the show even makes a short montage of all the huge explosions and other injuries he's been in the vicinity of and sustained in his line of work, really to just hammer in the SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.

* ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 3}}'' makes a stab towards this; when you shoot outdoors, your gunshots are loud, but manageable. If you shoot inside confined spaces, the gunshots are louder and drown out ambient noise.

* ''{{VideoGame/Firefall}}'': You get sort of ShellShockSilence on two sort of occasions. One is being at the receiving end of NonLethalKO. The other is "Crater" ability of Assault battleframes (makes you stomp down with authority from any airborne height, the more the heavier). That's it, numerous explosions of various magnitude from weapons, abilities, mission events notwithstanding.

* Justified in ''Franchise/MassEffect'': All of your weapons are essentially rail/coil guns firing rounds the size of a grain of sand. Even with the bits of metal reaching relativistic speeds, there would be a small sonic boom but without propellant gas there would be less oomph to the sound. Explosions still dampen sound when you're hit.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', some of the monsters' roars are so loud that your hunter can't help but cover his ears (which leaves him defenseless for a few seconds), however, there is a skill known as "earplugs" to counter this, as well as High Grade Earplugs for monsters with roars even more deafening. Some monsters are also very weak against "sonic bombs".

* Mostly played straight in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', where explosions and other loud noises are commonplace and nobody reacts to anything but the hitboxes. In ''one'' aversion, however, [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Snake]] will duck and cover his ears if one of his grenades explodes sufficiently close to him - though he won't react the same way to his forward smash attack, which involves shooting an RPG almost directly at his feet. While Snake doesn't return in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'', newcomer VideoGame/DuckHunt -- a master of projectiles, one prominent one being an explosive can fired at and kept in the air by an offscreen marksman -- will do the same thing if a shot is fired too close to them, leaving them momentarily vulnerable.

* Played with in ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''. [[TheGunslinger Percy]] hasn't shown any indication of hearing loss, despite the fact that Matt often mentions how loud the shots from his guns are. However, in Episode 27, he fires [[{{BFG}} Bad News]] in close quarters right next to Vax and Tiberius, and they both have to make Constitution saves. Tiberius fails his, and is deafened for a minute or so.

** In another, both she and Archer are deafened when he mistakes a frag grenade for a smoke grenade, and can only talk to one another after they pay a visit to Lana's ear, nose and throat doctor.

** Bizarrely, Archer seems to have obtained permanent hearing loss that is somehow purely beneficial: he was able to repeatedly fire off a gun in someone's face to get them to agree to his terms while noting he barely even hears the same sounds, [[RuleOfFunny yet he's never shown to suffers from inability to hear regular sounds.]]

* Modern earplugs that can allow different amounts of sound into the ear via switches are issued for 21st century US ground troops (and presumably others). However, many soldiers prefer to leave them out and risk eardrum damage if it means a better chance of hearing something that happens to be both quiet and vital to his or her survival, not to mention it's one less piece of kit to hassle with in a warzone. Colonel Kathy Gates, audiology consultant to the US Army surgeon general, stated in an Army Times article that soldiers who wear the issued earplugs properly are protected from most hearing damage.

* Range Safety Officers, who spend their most of their entire workday on the firing range keeping an eye on things, often play it very safe by wearing both earplugs ''and'' earmuffs.

* A real-life aversion of this can be seen with astute observation while attending an air-show. When the military jets do their low and fast flyovers, one will notice children in the audience often cover their ears. Unlike the adults, who by that point have sustained enough cumulative hearing loss that the sound does not hurt their ears. Thanks, loud music.

** Later in the film, Agent Coulson uses an explosive to open a door. Civilian ComicBook/PepperPotts covers her ears while Coulson and his fellow ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} agents do not. Though it was a small explosion, they may have simply known they wouldn't need to.

* Averted in one scene of ''Film/RamboIV''. During the final fight, the female missionary who is beside the FriendlySniper cries out and covers her ears while the fight ensues. Many viewers assume this is simply her reacting to the violence around her. It is in fact due to the noise of the sniper's rifle. Those who have ever been next to an extremely powerful firearm such as a rifle chambered in .50 BMG know that the report coming out of the muzzle is EXTREMELY loud (especially since the weapon includes a muzzle-brake which reduces felt recoil, but effectively turns the volume UpToEleven). To put it into perspective a rifle like that creates a concussion from the muzzle that can be felt on the skin from several yards away. She's not crying out in terror, she's crying out in pain.

* Played straight in ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', in which your weapon is UpToEleven HeavyMetal and Noise is one of the elemental forces that was used to create the world (the other three being Fire, Blood, and Metal).

** Some orchestras will put pieces of plexiglass between the brass players (especially trumpets and French horns) and those who sit in front of them. In a decent concert hall, it will make no difference to the sound in the audience, but it can help keep your bassoonist from being deafened when the horns play "[[UpToEleven Bells Up]]."

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/DeltaTenn https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/del9.jpg]]]]

* ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'': Misaka's signature "Railgun" maneuver should by all logic blow out her eardrums from a single firing, but she's never affected. Presumably falls under RequiredSecondaryPowers. Strangely enough, Kuroko is seen plugging her ears in the first episode when Misaka fires it.

* Averted in ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'' series ''ComicBook/{{Justice|NewUniverse}}'': The title character rescues a baby from an explosion (caused by the events of ''ComicBook/ThePitt'') that wipes out a city park. After finally bringing the baby to safety, he sadly points out that although he saved the child's life, the baby is now deaf; he snaps his fingers next to the infant to demonstrate its lack of reaction.

* Averted in ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'' series ''Justice'': The title character rescues a baby from an explosion (caused by the events of ''ComicBook/ThePitt'') that wipes out a city park. After finally bringing the baby to safety, he sadly points out that although he saved the child's life, the baby is now deaf; he snaps his fingers next to the infant to demonstrate its lack of reaction.

* Averted ''harshly'' when [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa Krakatoa erupted in the late 19th century.]] The eardrums of sailors as far as 40 miles away were ruptured outright, and the sound [[note:an estimated 310dB at ground zero, theorized to be the loudest in human history[[/note]] persisted as far as Perth, Western Australia where it was mistaken for offshore cannon fire.

* ''Franchise/Tintin'': Pops up here and there, but notably the sequence in ''Land of Black Gold'' where Tintin is exposed point blank to the detonation of ''a room full of fireworks.''

* Partially averted in the season 2 finale of ''Series/TheRighteousGemstones''. Five men are in a small car with closed windows when a concussion grenade goes off inside; immediately following, none of them can hear and at least one has blood coming out of his ears. However, their hearing comes back over the course of the scene and there doesn't seem to be any long-term effects.

* Played with in ''Film/GunsAkimbo''. Miles accidentally fires off a shot from his (literally) wrist-mounted .45 1911s, while struggling to maneuver them to get dressed in his apartment, whereupon he is instantly [[RealityEnsues deafened and stunned to the point of nausea]], even narrating how firing a gun in an enclosed space would leave most action movie protagonists talking in sign language for the rest of their film. But after that point, he engages in firefights in all manner of environments, and his hearing is none the worse for wear.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' plays this totally straight - while in [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the novel]] Quasimodo goes deaf after long exposure to the bells of Notre Dame, in the movie, nothing stops him from bursting into song on a regular basis.

* Averted in ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' by Creator/VictorHugo -- Quasimodo eventually goes deaf from near-constant exposure to the huge cathedral bells. Frollo teaches him sign language so he can cope. The trope is played completely straight in [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the Disney movie]], however.

* Averted in ''Series/Hawkeye2021'' where it's shown that Clint now needs to use a hearing aid. Unlike the comic's version of the character, who deliberately deafened himself to save the day, here it's a result of long term sustained damage from all the explosions and other loud noises he was around in his life of being an agent of SHIELD and an Avenger.

* ''Film/DanBrownsInferno''. Langdon is attacked in the hospital by a female assassin, and (due to a head injury) winces in pain from the gunshots as she tries to ShootOutTheLock.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' plays this totally straight - while in [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the novel]] Quasimodo goes deaf after long exposure to the bells of Notre Dame, in the movie, nothing stops him from bursting into [[AwesomeMusic/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame wonderful melodious song]] on a regular basis.

* Averted in ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'' - Clint has started wearing hearing aids, as his regular proximity to explosions and other loud noises during his time with [[StateSec SHIELD]] and [[SuperTeam the Avengers]] has started to [[DentedIron take its toll on him]].