History Main / StolenMacGuffinReveal

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', immediately after thinking he's escaped from the Cave of Wonders, Jafar discovers he no longer has the lamp; cue BigNo. ''Then'' it's revealed, when Aladdin thinks Jafar got away with it, that Abu has stolen it back from him.

** Something similar happens in the sequel, ''Film/EscapeFromLA''. The new president is a downright [[PresidentEvil theocratic dictator]] who sends Snake to recover the controller of the "Sword of Damocles", a series of EMP cannons meant to shut down the weaponry and electricity of entire nations. At the end Snake fools everyone with a decoy controller and a hologram projection of himself, having decided he'd rather throw the whole world in the dark and hope people will be able to start anew than letting [[EvilVersusEvil either the president or the violent communist insurgency]] have their way.

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[[AC:{{Film}}]]

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[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In the ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' episode "The Top Hat Job" they do this in a rather clever fashion, fitting as they are thieves. [[spoiler: As the VillainOfTheWeek is busily erasing the incriminating files about the tainted food his company was selling, he forgot an important detail, those weren't the most important thing on the company servers. Team hacker Hardison steals the company food patents, worth millions, and downloads them to the baddie's cell phone as they captured Hardison with his hard drive. After Hardison convinces the baddie to walk outside, Parker pickpockets the phone with the information and Nate uses that to blackmail him into pulling the tainted food.]] In general this is a fairly common concept on the show and one of Parker's specialties, she almost always [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets does this with guns]].

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Attempted by Tails in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', by swapping one of the seven Chaos Emeralds with a replica set to malfunction and stop Dr. Eggman's plans to fire the Eclipse Cannon. Trouble is, Eggman had already seen signs of a duplicate emerald being around and easily [[YouJustToldMe tricks Tails into spilling the beans]].

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'': Variation--immediately after thinking he's escaped from the Cave of Wonders, Jafar discovers he no longer has the lamp; cue BigNo. ''Then'' it's revealed, when Aladdin thinks Jafar got away with it, that Abu has stolen it back from him.

* In one episode of ''[[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 TMNT: Fast Forward]]'', the MacGuffin in question is a piece of revolutionary technology that looks strangely like a coffee maker. Smuggler Torben Zixx enlists the turtles to help him steal it by claiming he wants to use it to destroy an asteroid which threatens earth. When he later reveals he only wants to sell it to the highest bidder and the disaster is a hoax, Donny reveals that he switched the device for an actual coffee maker when Torben wasn't looking. The episode ends with Torben trying to talk down an annoyed crimelord with the words, "You know, it really does make an excellent cup of coffee..."

'''Reverend Mother''': What is this sin, my children?\\
''[The nuns look at each other, then reveal from under their robes the distributor and coil they have removed from the Nazi's cars, stopping them from catching the Von Trapp family.]''

There's a MacGuffin everyone is after and the BigBad has just managed to snatch it right out of the Hero's hands and is [[EvilLaugh laughing]] as they make their escape, with TheHero left in a bit of a HeroicBSOD. But wait! The PluckyComicRelief, team thief, or even a [[HiddenDepths less obviously sneaky]] character suddenly brightens the mood by revealing that they've just done the same -- stole the MacGuffin right out from under the villain's nose as he made his escape, too. Being a cheeky larcenist, the thief may even taunt the retreating villain with it, though they usually replace the stolen MacGuffin with a flawless decoy, worthless rock, mocking note, or other means of taunting the villain. If the MacGuffin is in a case, the thief may do a SatchelSwitcheroo.

As the page quote shows, the StolenMacGuffinReveal can also be used to other ways, such as removing engine parts to stop a villain in their tracks from getting the MacGuffin or another objective. Also worth noting is that the hero/villain roles can be reversed.

* There's an early ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' story where Cutter and Skywise get captured by Picknose the troll and his family because Picknose believes the pommel of Cutter's sword is the key to a treasure chamber. After escaping, Cutter is upset that the sword he got from his father is now ruined - until Skywise reveals that he stole back the pommel and hid it in his mouth (explaining why he seemed so tight-lipped during their escape).

* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', the case carrying the four stones needed to stop The Evil is fought over intensely. After villain Zorg finally gets it, it's amusingly revealed to be empty, much to Zorg's frustration. Their guardian, Plavalaguna, showed how seriously she takes guarding them by revealing she [[spoiler:hid them in her stomach.]]

'''Bobo the Bear:''' Not as close as you think, my friend. ''(holds up futuristic gun clip)'' "Please load weapon"...

* In ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'', the Von Trap family manages to escape pursuing Nazi's because the nuns at the convent they were hiding in "sinned" by removing engine components from their cars.

* ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' After Kirk and Co steal the Enterprise the [[SmugSnake Smug Captain of the Excelsior]] brags about how this will be the shortest hijack in history because his ship will quickly overhaul the old relic. Scotty, meanwhile, has nicked some rather important bits of it's engine, leaving the Excelsior floating helplessly in space.

* ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'': Variation--immediately after thinking he'd escaped from the Cave of Wonders, Jafar discovered he no longer had the lamp; cue BigNo. ''Then'' it's revealed, when Aladdin thinks Jafar got away with it, that Abu had stolen it back from him.

** In ''Film/TheMummy1999'', the final fight leads to Imhotep briefly trying to kill Jon before Rick takes his arm off with a sword, leading Imhotep to go for him instead, by which time the [[ChekhovsSkill the kleptomaniac Jon]] had already filched the key to the Book of the Dead.

* In ''[[AuntDimity Aunt Dimity: Snowbound]]'', the hikers prove to be [[spoiler: the offspring of the American G.I.s who stole the Peacock Parure. They have the jewels with them]], and the plot goes from locating them to returning them to their proper location.

* In Series/{{Leverage}} in "The Top Hat Job" they do this in a rather clever fashion, fitting as they are thieves. [[spoiler: As the VillainOfTheWeek is busily erasing the incriminating files about the tainted food his company was selling, he forgot an important detail, those weren't the most important thing on the company servers. Team hacker Hardison steals the company food patents, worth millions, and downloads them to the baddie's cell phone as they captured Hardison with his hard drive. After Hardison convinces the baddie to walk outside, Parker pickpockets the phone with the information and Nate uses that to blackmail him into pulling the tainted food.]] In general this is a fairly common concept on the show and one of Parker's specialties, she almost always [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets does this with guns]].

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "Starship Mine": After a long, drawn out ''[[DieHardOnAnX Die Hard on the Starship Enterprise-D]]'', the bad guys still manage to get away with the highly unstable [[AppliedPhlebotinium trilithium resin]] they came to the ship to steal in the first place...until Picard reveals he stole the stabilising device on their container. Cue distant StuffBlowingUp.

* In one episode of [[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 TMNT: Fast Forward]], the MacGuffin in question is a piece of revolutionary technology that looks strangely like a coffee maker. Smuggler Torben Zixx enlists the turtles to help him steal it by claiming he wants to use it to destroy an asteroid which threatens earth. When he later reveals he only wants to sell it to the highest bidder and the disaster is a hoax, Donny reveals that he switched the device for an actual coffee maker when Torben wasn't looking. The episode ends with Torben trying to talk down an annoyed crimelord with the words 'You know, it really does make an excellent cup of coffee...'

** In ''Film/TheMummy1999'', the final fight leads to Imhotep briefly trying to kill Jon before Rick takes his arm off with a sword, leading Imhotep to go for him instead, by which time the [[ChekovsSkill the kleptomaniac Jon]] had already filched the key to the Book of the Dead.

* ''Manga/DeathNote''. At the end, [[spoiler: Near steals the Death Note and replaces half of the pages with fake]] to prove that Light is Kira.

-->-- ''TheSoundOfMusic''

* ''Film/{{Star Trek III|The Search for Spock}}'' After Kirk and Co steal the Enterprise the [[SmugSnake Smug Captain of the Excelsior]] brags about how this will be the shortest hijack in history because his ship will quickly overhaul the old relic. Scotty, meanwhile, has nicked some rather important bits of it's engine, leaving the Excelsior floating helplessly in space.

* In ''Film/TheMummy'', the final fight leads to Imhotep briefly trying to kill Jon before Rick takes his arm off with a sword, leading Imhotep to go for him instead, by which time the [[ChekovsSkill the kleptomaniac Jon]] had already filched the key to the Book of the Dead.
* In ''Film/TheMummyReturns'' some bad guys steal a chest they think contains the Bracelet of Anubis but when they open it they find Alex's baseball trophy because Alex already took the bracelet out of the chest and put it on.

* In MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers, it seems as though Sein has escaped with the case containing the Relic, but it turns out that [[TheSmartGuy Teana]] anticipated this and hid the real one under Caro's hat. The Combat Cyborgs only realize the mistake after they're back at base, and only after looking at an image of the action in thermal vision enables them to realize the heroes' ruse.

* There's an early ''ElfQuest'' story where Cutter and Skywise get captured by Picknose the troll and his family because Picknose believes the pommel of Cutter's sword is the key to a treasure chamber. After escaping, Cutter is upset that the sword he got from his father is now ruined - until Skywise reveals that he stole back the pommel and hid it in his mouth (explaining why he seemed so tight-lipped during their escape).

* In ''TheSoundOfMusic'', the Von Trap family manages to escape pursuing Nazi's because the nuns at the convent they were hiding in "sinned" by removing engine components from their cars.

* ''Film/SherlockHolmes 2'' has Holmes reveal he stole Moriarty's red notebook with all his funds and assets. Though he doesn't hold the original, he gloats in having replaced it with one that he creatively drew a fisherman eaten by a shark in.

* In ''[[TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy Returns]]'' some bad guys steal a chest they think contains the Bracelet of Anubis but when they open it they find Alex's baseball trophy because Alex already took the bracelet out of the chest and put it on.

* ''[[TheElusiveAvengers Crown of the Russian Empire]]'' ends with TheDragon Ovechkin thinking he threw the Russian Imperial Crown into the sea to avoid its repossession by Chekists... until the LovableRogue Naryshkin reveals that what Ovechkin threw was an empty bag, and the crown is safely with him, and hands it to the heroes.
* Creator/RoaldDahl's short story ''TheHitchhiker'' has the title character swipe a policeman's notebook after the protagonist gets a speeding ticket.

* In ''TreasureIsland'', Silver's crew finally reach the place where Captain Flint buried his treasure, only to find that it had been dug up already. Turns out [[{{Robinsonade}} a marooned Ben Gunn]] had found it years earlier and kept it hidden inside a cave.

* In {{Leverage}} in "The Top Hat Job" they do this in a rather clever fashion, fitting as they are thieves. [[spoiler: As the VillainOfTheWeek is busily erasing the incriminating files about the tainted food his company was selling, he forgot an important detail, those weren't the most important thing on the company servers. Team hacker Hardison steals the company food patents, worth millions, and downloads them to the baddie's cell phone as they captured Hardison with his hard drive. After Hardison convinces the baddie to walk outside, Parker pickpockets the phone with the information and Nate uses that to blackmail him into pulling the tainted food.]] In general this is a fairly common concept on the show and one of Parker's specialties, she almost always [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets does this with guns]].
* Done repeatedly by Sheldon in the ''BigBangTheory'' episode "The Precious Fragmentation" while the guys are fighting over the One Ring prop. [[spoiler: Also done by Leonard after he claims to have mailed the ring back to Creator/PeterJackson.]]

* ''TheSimpsons'': Bart steals the keys to the Fighting Hellfish treasure from Mr. Burns while hugging him, asking to be brought along.

-->And there's a joke to those souvenirs. Take a closer look. They're copper top batteries.

* ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "Starship Mine": After a long, drawn out ''[[DieHardOnAnX Die Hard on the Starship Enterprise-D]]'', the bad guys still manage to get away with the highly unstable [[AppliedPhlebotinium trilithium resin]] they came to the ship to steal in the first place...until Picard reveals he stole the stabilising device on their container. Cue distant StuffBlowingUp.

* Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'' ends on this note. A small army of dwarfs and trolls are scouring a cavern for a MacGuffin, but Nobbes, with the infamous Nobbes' Sidle already snagged it.

* Done repeatedly by Sheldon in the ''BigBangTheory'' episode "The Precious Fragmentation" while the guys are fighting over the One Ring prop. [[spoiler: Also done by Leonard after he claims to have mailed the ring back to PeterJackson.]]

* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'', Knuckles went on a quest to find and retrieve the Sword of Acorns and, thanks to Mammoth Mogul's treachery, was able to get the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix to fight each other. In the scuffle, Knuckles returns the sword, but it's revealed at the end that Mogul has the real sword in his possession. A few issues later, Sally calls back Knuckles in an attempt to ask him to try to retrieve it again after she, Rotor and Sonic find out the sword they had's a fake (with Sonic quipping "What's fake? The sword or the cockamamie story?")

* ''Manga/DeathNote''. At the end, [[spoiler: Near steals the Death Note and replaces it with a fake]] to prove that Light is Kira.

* ''Manga/DeathNote'', sort of. At the end, [[spoiler: Near steals the Death Note and replaces it with a fake]] to prove that Light is Kira.

* In {{Leverage}} in "The Top Hat Job" they do this in a rather clever fashion, fitting as they are thieves. [[spoiler: As the VillainOfTheWeek is busily erasing the incriminating files about the tainted food his company was selling, he forgot an important detail, those weren't the most important thing on the company servers. Team hacker Hardison steals the company food patents, worth trillions, and downloads them to the baddie's cell phone as they captured Hardison with his hard drive. After Hardison convinces the baddie to walk outside, Parker pickpockets the phone with the information and Nate uses that to blackmail him into pulling the tainted food.]] In general this is a fairly common concept on the show and one of Parker's specialties, she almost always [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets does this with guns]].

* In ''MuppetsFromSpace'', [[TheMenInBlack Man in Black]] K. Edgar Singer threatens the aliens with a {{BFG}}, which then cheerily announces "[[ItWorksBetterWithBullets Please load weapon]]" in a ComputerVoice.

* In {{Leverage}} in "The Top Hat Job" they do this in a rather clever fashion, fitting as they are thieves. [[spoiler: As the VillianOfTheWeek is busily erasing the incriminating files about the tainted food his company was selling, he forgot an important detail, those weren't the most important thing on the company servers. Hardison steals the company food patents, worth trillions, and downloads them to the baddie's cell phone as they captured Hardison with his hard drive. After Hardison convinces the baddie to walk outside, Parker pickpockets the phone with the information and Nate uses that to blackmail him into pulling the tainted food.]] In general this is a fairly common concept on the show and one of Parker's specialties, she almost always [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets does this with guns]].