History Main / TheHardHat

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1655769809078798500 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ScannerCop https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/headplate.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:He's a metal head, but not a {{metalhead}}.]]
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%% Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1442826049064527200
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One good way to protect [[HatDamage your hat]] (and, in turn, your head) is filling it with something dense. Or perhaps you've got a steel plate in your skull from a long-ago injury, that happens to be [[ChekhovsGun just what's needed]] to [[BulletproofVest deflect a bullet]] or [[MindRape psychic attack]].

See also PocketProtector, DisabilityImmunity, HardHead and UseYourHead.

This trope contains marked spoilers due to the UnspokenPlanGuarantee.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* [[spoiler:[[BigBad Gauron]]]] of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' is revealed to have installed a titanium plate in his forehead due to an earlier injury, [[spoiler:and hence is the reason he survived [[ChildSoldier Sousuke]]'s [[PrettyLittleHeadshots bullet to the head]] and lives to terrorize poor Sousuke some more]].
* Bean Bandit from ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' tops his bulletproof ensemble with an impact resistant headband. That apparently weighs at least twenty pounds. He wears this ''on his forehead.''
** It greatly helps in the ''Anime/RidingBean'' OVA where Semmerling shoots him in the head point blank. Although however it does leave Bean a bit delirious due to the impact.
* Jotaro Kujo from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' gets stuck by a bunch of knives from multiple directions while he's fighting DIO. It's revealed that at some point he shoved a bunch of magazines under his clothes and hat, which kept the knives from doing deep damage.
* Shishio Makoto from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' wears a headband lined with steel - the only piece of armor he wears. The reasoning lies in the events of his original 'fall', when he caught a bullet to the forehead, paralyzing him for a while, and giving his enemies time to burn him. He wears the headband to ensure that it never happens again, and it does indeed prove remarkably effective...
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* In one ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' comic, the Caped Crusader is saved from a bullet to the back of the head at point blank range by a magnesium crash helmet (essentially a skullcap) he was wearing under his cowl.
* Played for laughs in a ''ComicBook/{{Cattivik}}'' story where the person he just hammered on the head happens to have a 10 cm thick steel plate under his hat.
* Beachhead from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' is said to have a metal plate in his head during a crossover with ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''. In order to sneak through the Decepticon base the Joes cannot have any metal on or in them. Beachhead is unable to go because of his plate.
* ''ComicBook/JFKSecretOps'': John F. Kennedy has a metal plate in his head, placed there after [[AlternateHistory he survived the bullet that hit him]].
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'''s iconic helmet has deflected gunshots on several occasions. He usually doesn't even flinch. Averted in "The Day The Law Died" when an SJS sniper shoots through his helmet. Luckily, medical science is advanced enough to revive him.
* During Walter Simonson's run on ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', during "ComicBook/TheSurturSaga" story arc, Thor fights The Fair Folk with the assistance of an army veteran who turns out to have partial immunity to their glamor because of the steel plate in his head.
* Miner Smurf in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic books wears a hard miner's hat version of a Smurf hat.
* The truck driving super hero US 1 (Or US Ace in latter incarnations) uses this to his advantage in a truckstop fight in the second issue.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film - Live Action ]]
* ''Film/TheATeam'': in the movie, Lynch tries to shoot Morrison (who's wearing a hood). Instead it's Murdock, and the hood is actually filled with melted ceramic plates.
* ''Film/BulletProof'' has Jack Carter, who is shot in the head (accidentally) by his friend Archie. He uses the steel plate on Archie when he's pissed. Later he uses it as a surprise weapon against bad guys.
* ''Film/{{Faster}}''. Driver has a steel plate which he got after being shot in the head by the men he's now hunting down in his RoaringRampageOfRevenge. [[spoiler:At the end of the movie it saves his life after Cop shoots him in the back of the head.]]
* ''Film/KickAss''. After his disastrous first attempt at being a superhero the protagonist ends up with a lot of metal in his body, making it a little difficult to knock him out.
* Inverted in ''Film/NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation''. Eddie used to have a metal plate in his head, but would forget things when his wife turned on the microwave, so it was replaced with plastic. He doesn't believe the plastic is as strong as his skull.
* ''Film/ScannerCop'': The BigBad initially resists the protagonist's psychic attack because of of the steel plate on his head, though it peels away the hair around it. The cop then concentrates really hard and [[YourHeadAsplode gets the desired result]].
* "Chop Top" Sawyer from ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2''. Is probably one of the more iconic instances of this trope. Especially with the whole Autocannibalism thing. [[note]] Picking at his metal plate with a heated wire hanger and eating the dead skin he burns off.[[/note]] It's revealed when Leatherface barges in on Chop Top and Stretch, accidentally knocking off Chop Top's wig and having his chainsaw scratch against the metal plate.
* In the old BMovie ''Film/TheyCameFromBeyondSpace'', a character's metal plate prevents him from being psychically controlled by the aliens like all his colleagues.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]
* ''The 47th Samurai'': A variation in which the protagonist is protected not by a head plate but by his titanium artificial hip, which stops a katana strike that otherwise would have sliced him in half.
* The German pulp series ''Literature/ButlerParker'' had the protagonist regularly wear a bowler with a steel insert - usually protecting him from being hit over the head or for use as a blunt weapon.
* ''The Gods Hate Kansas'' (published in 1964) may be the UrExample of the "metal plate in skull prevents mind control" variant.
* ''Literature/TheSupernaturalist'': Cosmo Hill gets a piece of tank armor grafted to his skull from improvised surgery. It allows him to headbutt his way through bulletproof glass.
* ''Literature/TheTommyknockers'' by Creator/StephenKing. Gardener and Ev Hillman are immune to the BodyHorror effects of the spaceship because they have metal plates in their heads (Gardener because of a skiing accident, Ev because of a war wound). Anne (Bobbi's sister) is apparently helped a bit by her extensive metal dental work, but not quite as much as the two with skull plates.
* In ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', Nanny Ogg has a [[Film/TheWizardOfOz farmhouse land on her head]], but is protected by her extremely sturdy hat. Hats that stop farmhouses becomes a running joke, reappearing in later books.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]
* In ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'', Steed's trademark bowler hat was lined with steel, though he more often used it to clonk people than to protect himself.
* On ''Series/TheBlacklist'', after Raymond shot Mr. Kaplan in the head and she survived, it's later revealed that she had a steel plate in her head from a previous shooting.
* ''Series/DropTheDeadDonkey'': Jerry the Camera has a "suicide by jumping" land on his head (thanks to Damien demanding he get right in underneath for the shot), however he is saved from injury due to the steel plate he has in his head from Damien's piece on why plastic bullets are safe.
* In the pilot episode of the original ''Series/KnightRider'', undercover detective Michael Long is shot in the face, but survives thanks to the steel plate he got after brain surgery for a UsefulNotes/VietnamWar injury. The bullet severely damages his face, but thanks to MagicPlasticSurgery he [[NotQuiteDead can now return]] as Michael Knight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]
* One strip of ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' had a construction worker standing with a toppled building resting on his helmet, with the foreman mentioning that ''that's'' why they wear hard-hats.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' some hats can be upgraded with ballistic weave, giving them protection that actually outclasses any non PowerArmor helmet.
* ''VideoGame/RedAlert3'': Imperial Tankbusters wear large conical hats wider than their body. These hats can shoot lasers that dig a foxhole just under the tankbuster, greatly reducing the damage they take and making them immune to crushing at the cost of disabling their weapon.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]
* A throwaway gag in a filler strip in ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' has Newt claiming his character is crouching real low and taking cover behind his 'Kevlar watch cap'.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* The ''[[WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow Dick Tracy]]'' animated series from the '50s/'60s had "Joe Jitsu" with a hat with a German WWI Helmet underneath it that protected him from a bonk on the head.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Gravity Falls}}'', The Author has a metal plate inserted in his head sometime after he fell through the portal in order to protect his mind from being taken over by Gravity Falls' resident EldritchAbomination.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law}}'', Mentok the Mindtaker tries to do his shtick on Ernie Devlin, but only hears static. Devlin reveals that he has a metal plate in his head due to one of his many motorcycle crashes.
* In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' it is shown that under his helmet Ram Man appears to have a metal plate grafted to the OUTSIDE of his head. This would certainly come in handy considering his role is to be a human battering ram. It isn't stated if this is because of an old injury but seems plausible considering his teammates Mekaneck and Fisto got their respective metal parts following battle injuries.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Rabbit's Kin", Pete Puma comes prepared for WesternAnimation/BugsBunny's HyperspaceMallet with an Acme Stovetop Lid under his hat. The CrazyPrepared Bugs then produces an Acme Stovetop Lid Remover...
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': "An experienced fry cook always keeps a brick of lead under his hat." In this case, it's to protect the hat from being stomped on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]
* TruthInTelevision; Bowler hats were conceived as alternatives to top hats that were better able to protect the wearer's head. A properly made one is quite rigid.
** The same goes for modern police hats (they look like soft caps, but they're quite hard). Also, the Victorian predecessors to UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers' distinctive dome-shaped helmets were simply reinforced top hats.
* Hard hats, of course. Which were reportedly invented[[note]]Well, not so much invented (they certainly existed before), as introduced as a mandatory safety device: Kafka proposed using them to decrease the number of [[NoOSHACompliance injuries to construction workers]], and thus the amount of insurance paid by the company he worked for.[[/note]] by Creator/FranzKafka, of all people, while he was working as an insurance agent in Prague.
** Unfortunately, true hard hats actually subvert this trope; the density or toughness of a hard hat isn't the only thing that saves you. It's the suspension inside that spreads out the force of the impact over the rest of the head, which makes a difference between cushioning incoming force from above and a smashed-in head.
* Before these there was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettle_hat kettle hat,]] a late-medieval to early-modern combat helmet that was basically an ordinary hat of the day, [[RecycledINSPACE but made of iron]] (the German and French names for the helmet, ''Eisenhut'' and ''chapel-de-fer'', both mean "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin iron hat]]"). It was most common for commoner foot soldiers, as it could be made cheaply in large numbers (only professional armourers could make a proper helm, but any village blacksmith could make a hat out of iron) and its wide brim afforded extra protection without special fittings (and kept the soldiers from being dazzled in the bargain). They were particularly favoured by the [[UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar New Model Army]], which included a derivative form called the morion as part of the standardised uniform.
** Armor in general--including helmets--disappeared after the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, but helmets of this type saw a resurgence in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, when the French Adrian and British (and later American) Brodie Helmets were explicitly modeled after the kettle hat.
** Interestingly, around the same time European lords were decking their footsoldiers in kettle hats, the Japanese ''daimyo'' gave their ''ashigaru'' (i.e. peasant footsoldiers) [[AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats conical hats]] made of iron.
* Some companies issue baseball caps with a hard (plastic) insert to their employees as a protective device, e.g. for people loading trailers.
[[/folder]]

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Gravity Falls}}'', Stanford Pines has a metal plate inserted in his head sometime after he fell through the portal in order to protect his mind from being taken over by Gravity Falls' resident EldritchAbomination, Bill Cipher, though it also kept Dipper from using LaserGuidedAmnesia in a panic.

* Beachhead from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' is said to have a metal plate in his head during a crossover with ''TransFormers''. In order to sneak through the Decepticon base the Joes cannot have any metal on or in them. Beachhead is unable to go because of his plate.

* Miner Smurf in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic books wears a hard miner's hat version of a Smurf hat.

* In the pilot episode of the original ''Series/KnightRider'', undercover detective Michael Long is shot in the face, but survives thanks to the steel plate he got after brain surgery for a UsefulNotes/VietnamWar injury. The bullet severely damages his face, but thanks to MagicPlasticSurgery he [[NotQuiteDead can now return]] as Michael Knight.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law}}'', Mentok the Mindtaker tries to do his shtick on Ernie Devlin, but only hears static. Devlin reveals that he has a metal plate in his head due to one of his many motorcycle crashes.

* In {{WesternAnimation/Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law}}, Mentok the Mindtaker tries to do his shtick on Ernie Devlin, but only hears static. Devlin reveals that he has a metal plate in his head due to one of his many motorcycle crashes.

* In ''Series/TheAvengers'', Steed's trademark bowler hat was lined with steel, though he more often used it to clonk people than to protect himself.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1442826049064527200
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ScannerCop https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/headplate.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:He's a metal head, but not a {{metalhead}}.]]

%% Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1442826049064527200

* Shishio Makoto from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' wears a headband lined with steel - the only piece of armor he wears. The reasoning lies in the events of his original 'fall', when he caught a bullet to the forehead, paralyzing him for a while, and giving his enemies time to burn him. He wears the headband to ensure that it never happens again, and it does indeed prove remarkably effective...

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'''s iconic helmet has deflected gunshots on several occasions. He usually doesn't even flinch. Averted in "The Day The Law Died" when an SJS sniper shoots through his helmet. Luckily, medical science is advanced enough to revive him.

* ''Film/ScannerCop'': The BigBad initially resists the protagonist's psychic attack because of of the steel plate on his head, though it peels away the hair around it. The cop then concentrates really hard and [[YourHeadAsplode gets the desired result]].

* In the old BMovie ''They Came From Beyond Space'', a character's metal plate prevents him from being psychically controlled by the aliens like all his colleagues.
* ''Film/BulletProof'' has Jack Carter, who is shot in the head (accidentally) by his friend Archie. He uses the steel plate on Archie when he's pissed. Later he uses it as a surprise weapon against bad guys.

* ''Literature/TheTommyknockers'' by Creator/StephenKing. Gardener and Ev Hillman are immune to the BodyHorror effects of the spaceship because they have metal plates in their heads (Gardener because of a skiing accident, Ev because of a war wound). Anne (Bobbi's sister) is apparently helped a bit by her extensive metal dental work, but not quite as much as the two with skull plates.
* ''Literature/TheSupernaturalist'': Cosmo Hill gets a piece of tank armor grafted to his skull from improvised surgery. It allows him to headbutt his way through bulletproof glass.
* ''The Gods Hate Kansas'' (published in 1964) may be the UrExample of the "metal plate in skull prevents mind control" variant.
* The German pulp series ''Literature/ButlerParker'' had the protagonist regularly wear a bowler with a steel insert - usually protecting him from being hit over the head or for use as a blunt weapen.

* A throwaway gag in a filler strip in ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' has Newt claiming his character is crouching real low and taking cover behind his 'kevlar watch cap'.

* The ''[[WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow Dick Tracy]]'' animated series from the '50s/'60s had "Joe Jitsu" with a hat with a German WWI Helmet underneath it that protected him from a bonk on the head
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': "An experienced fry cook always keeps a brick of lead under his hat." In this case, it's to protect the hat from being stomped on.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Rabbit's Kin", Pete Puma comes prepared for WesternAnimation/BugsBunny's HyperspaceMallet with an Acme Stovetop Lid under his hat. The CrazyPrepared Bugs then produces an Acme Stovetop Lid Remover...

* In ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'', Nanny Ogg has a [[Film/TheWizardOfOz farmhouse land on her head]], but is protected by her extremely sturdy hat. Hats that stop farmhouses becomes a running joke, reappearing in later books.

* During Walter Simonson's run on ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', during "ComicBook/TheSurturSaga" story arc, Thor fights The Fair Folk with the assistance of an army veteran who turns out to have partial immunity to their glamor because of the steel plate in his head.
* Beachhead from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' is said to have a metal plate in his head during a crossover with ''TransFormers''. In order to sneak through the Decepticon base the Joes cannot have any metal on or in them. Beachhead is unable to go because of his plate.

* During Walter Simonson's run on ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', there was a story arc where Thor fights The Fair Folk with the assistance of an army veteran who turns out to have partial immunity to their glamor because of the steel plate in his head.

* In the pilot episode of the original ''Series/KnightRider'', undercover detective Michael Long is shot in the face, but survives thanks to the steel plate he got after brain surgery for a VietnamWar injury. The bullet severely damages his face, but thanks to MagicPlasticSurgery he [[NotQuiteDead can now return]] as Michael Knight.

* Before these there was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettle_hat kettle hat]], a late-medieval to early-modern combat helmet that was basically an ordinary hat of the day, [[RecycledINSPACE but made of iron]] (the German and French names for the helmet, ''Eisenhut'' and ''chapel-de-fer'', both mean "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin iron hat]]"). It was most common for commoner foot soldiers, as it could be made cheaply in large numbers (only professional armourers could make a proper helm, but any village blacksmith could make a hat out of iron) and its wide brim afforded extra protection without special fittings (and kept the soldiers from being dazzled in the bargain). They were particularly favoured by the [[UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar New Model Army]], which included a derivative form called the morion as part of the standardised uniform.

* Beachhead from ''GIJoe'' is said to have a metal plate in his head during a crossover with ''TransFormers''. In order to sneak through the Decepticon base the Joes cannot have any metal on or in them. Beachhead is unable to go because of his plate.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''DropTheDeadDonkey'': Jerry the Camera has a "suicide by jumping" land on his head (thanks to Damien demanding he get right in underneath for the shot), however he is saved from injury due to the steel plate he has in his head from Damien's piece on why plastic bullets are safe.

* ''Literature/TheSupernaturalist'': Cosmo Hill gets a piece of tank armor grafted to his skull from improvised surgery. [[BadAss It allows him to headbutt his way through bulletproof glass]].

** Armor in general--including helmets--disappeared after the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, but helmets of this type saw a resurgence in WorldWarI, when the French Adrian and British (and later American) Brodie Helmets were explicitly modeled after the kettle hat.

* Before these there was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettle_hat kettle hat]], a late-medieval to early-modern combat helmet that was basically an ordinary hat of the day, [[RecycledINSPACE but made of iron]] (the German and French names for the helmet, ''Eisenhut'' and ''chapel-de-fer'', both mean "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin iron hat]]"). It was most common for commoner foot soldiers, as it could be made cheaply in large numbers (only professional armourers could make a proper helm, but any village blacksmith could make a hat out of iron) and its wide brim afforded extra protection without special fittings (and kept the soldiers from being dazzled in the bargain). They were particularly favoured by the [[EnglishCivilWar New Model Army]], which included a derivative form called the morion as part of the standardised uniform.