History Main / TheyWouldCutYouUp

* ''Fanfic/SpiderNinja'':
** Zig-zagged. After the robot that attacked Avengers Tower is defeated, it's taken to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Doctor Connors disassembles it for study. Averted, however, with the Turtles, as Connors realizes that they're sentient beings (not to mention [[WouldntHurtAChild teenagers]]) and doesn't even consider experimenting on them (although he [[spoiler: later steals some of Raph's blood]]).

--> [[spoiler:Doc Ock]]: Please, there are nonlethal methods of experimentation; I thought you were smarter than that. As far as I know only four of your kind exist; killing one of you for study would be foolish.

** In Chapter 26, [[spoiler:Doctor Octopus]] [[EveryoneHasStandards of all people]] points out why [[DeconstructedTrope this trope is a bad idea:

* After he agrees to join SHIELD in ''Fanfic/TheNewRecruit'', Matt Garretty says that he wants SHIELD's help in figuring out how he and his friends got their powers, but that he doesn't want to be [[InvokedTrope dissected or anything]]. This trope is averted when Coulson promises that won't happen; SHIELD scientists can be enthusiastic, [[EveryoneHasStandards but they aren't crazy]].

* ''Fanfic/SpiderNinja'': Zig-zagged. After the robot that attacked Avengers Tower is defeated, it's taken to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Doctor Connors disassembles it for study. Averted, however, with the Turtles, as Connors realizes that they're sentient beings (not to mention [[WouldntHurtAChild teenagers]]) and doesn't even consider experimenting on them (although he [[spoiler: later steals some of Raph's blood]]).

* Resident doctor/nuttybar Shiro in ''VideoGame/{{Siren}}'' does this to [[spoiler:the Shibitofied Onda twins]], experimenting on what, exactly, it would take to kill them. The answer is: nothing. Made especially {{Squick}}y when he tugs an unborn fetus out of [[spoiler:Mina, the girl he had KILLED earlier in the plot]], and proceeds to stamp on it. Lovely.

* ''Fanfic/{{Spider-Ninja}}'': Zig-zagged. After the robot that attacked Avengers Tower is defeated, it's taken to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Doctor Connors disassembles it for study. Averted, however, with the Turtles, as Connors realizes that they're sentient beings (not to mention [[WouldntHurtAChild teenagers]]) and doesn't even consider experimenting on them (although he [[spoiler: later steals some of Raph's blood]]).

* This is one of the main reasons why Henry keeps his ResurrectiveImmortality a secret in ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}''. As revealed in one episode, Adam, another immortal who's 2000 years old, experienced this firsthand during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII at the hands of [[MadDoctor Josef Mengele]], who kept trying to figure out the secret to Adam's immortality.

Sadly, there is a lot of TruthInTelevision to this trope. There is a long and dark history of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_experimentation#History_of_medical_abuse_of_human_subjects human subject research]] and the early days of biological science can best be summed up as: "Let's see how many needles we can stick in this dog before it stops making noises!"

Modern research works a lot less intrusively as sonography, [=MRIs=], and other medical imaging techniques have made hands-on vivisection less necessary for the internal examination of research subjects. Given sufficient funding and resources, there should be no reason for slicing off a limb just to see how it looks on the inside. The PlayingWithSyringes mentality of fictional "research" also happily ignores the fact that when you only have ''one'' specimen, it is a good idea to take care of it because once it stops working it'll be much harder to figure out how it used to. Of course, being locked up is cold comfort to the specimen -- it just means the torture will be of a greater duration, and would still result in them being locked away somewhere against their will. Just because they aren't cutting you up doesn't mean they ever intend to let you wander off (or that [[AndIMustScream you won't wish they were]]). [[AvertedTrope However]], the OnlySaneMan might point out that, if the subject is intelligent and capable of speech, they can save a lot of time and effort by simply asking the subject questions about their powers/anatomy/biology (allowing them to get more clear answers and not have to go through the trouble of [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable restraints]] or a [[IWillFindYou manhunt]]).

** In the pilot episode when John Crichton explains that he's not [[HumanAliens Sebacean]] but human, Captain Crais threatens to pull him apart to see what he's made of, though it's unclear if he means autopsy-wise or just lots of ColdBloodedTorture. However, Crais has personal reasons for wanting John dead, given that he accidentally killed Crais's brother moments after he arrived. In the [[Recap/FarscapeS01E02IET following episode]] it's played straight--the crew of Moya land on an alien planet that hasn't bade first contact, and one of the locals helps Crichton because she's worried her military employers will put him on an autopsy slab if captured.

Then there's the question of medical ethics. In RealLife, medical researchers have to follow ''very'' strict testing standards to be able to publish their results. Getting caught violating them can easily end their careers and leave them facing civil or even criminal charges. It should be noted that the NotEvenHuman excuse some scientists love to use in fiction would not be much of a defense, as no law explicitly says only ''Homo sapiens'' [[InhumanableAlienRights have the right]] to refuse to be gutted against their will. The RealLife instances where people have donated their bodies (or blood samples or whatever) to science in order to help the research of particular conditions were, after all, ''voluntary''.

* ''Fanfic/{{Spider-Ninja}}'': After the robot that attacked Avengers Tower is defeated, it's taken to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Doctor Connors disassembles it for study. Averted, however, with the Turtles, as Connors realizes that they're sentient beings (not to mention [[WouldntHurtAChild teenagers]]) and doesn't even consider experimenting on them (although he [[spoiler: later steals some of Raph's blood]]).

* ''Fanfic/TheLastSeidr'': Zig-zagged; the SHIELD agents willingly return Kevin (a snake Harry summoned during his fight with Loki) to Harry without hurting him, but Kevin (via a Parseltongue conversation with Harry and Thor) reveals that they performed numerous tests on him, and were not gentle. He goes so far as to declare the SHIELD scientists as enemies of serpent kind. Tony also says (somewhat jokingly) that SHIELD will want to do the same to Harry (which is why the Avengers become so protective of the kid).

* ''Fanfic/{{Spider-Ninja}}'': After the robot that attacked Avengers Tower is defeated, it's taken to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Doctor Connors disassembles it for study. Averted, however, with the Turtles, as Connors realizes that they're sentient beings (not to mention [[WouldntHurtAChild teenagers]]) and doesn't even consider experimenting on them (although he does ask Donatello a few questions, and [[spoiler: later steals some of Raph's blood]]).

* In ''Franchise/GIJoe vs. the Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', the Joes are ordered to do this to [[KidAppealCharacter Bumblebee]] and Wheeljack by their superiors, who [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman only see them as machines]]. They almost carry them out, until a stunned Wheeljack reveals that the army's plans of nuking Cobra Island will have disastrous consequences...

'''Surgeon:''' Contents of stomach: the same deviled egg...

* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. Superman actually forms a public research pact with S.T.A.R. Labs so that everyone benefits.

A standard {{justifi|edTrope}}cation for any unusual character to maintain a {{Masquerade}}, because TheGovernment is Evil and ScienceIsBad and if [[GovernmentConspiracy the authorities]] got their hands on them, they'd stick them in a concrete box and perform all sorts of cruel experiments to find out what makes them and/or their special powers tick, either [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman destroying their quality of life, or killing them outright]] in hopes of getting [[CapturedSuperEntity all sorts of goodies.]]

Scientists will usually be portrayed as [[ForScience too obsessed to care]] for anyone or anything who might be used to further our knowledge of the universe or make a cool new weapon, caring only about the fame or payment they'll receive from their higher-ups. Only one bad scientist is enough to spoil your day, but in settings that use this trope the ''majority'' of encountered research workers are likely to be like this.

The oddest part of this trope is that the danger may ''never even materialize within the story'' -- but the certainty of it happening will '''never be questioned''' by anyone concerned. HumansAreBastards after all, InhumanableAlienRights be damned.

Modern research works a lot less intrusively as sonography, [=MRIs=], and other medical imaging techniques have made hands-on vivisection less necessary for the internal examination of research subjects. Given sufficient funding and resources, there should be no reason for slicing off a limb just to see how it looks on the inside. The PlayingWithSyringes mentality of fictional "research" also happily ignores the fact that when you only have ''one'' specimen, it is a good idea to take care of it because once it stops working it'll be much harder to figure out how it used to. They may also ignore the [[StatingTheObviousSolution obvious solution]] that, if the subject is intelligent and capable of speech, they can save a lot of time and effort by simply asking the subject questions about their anatomy/biology (allowing them to get more clear answers and not have to go through the trouble of [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable restraints]] or a [[IWillFindYou manhunt]]). Of course, being locked up is cold comfort to the specimen -- it just means the torture will be of a greater duration, and would still result in them being locked away somewhere against their will. Just because they aren't cutting you up doesn't mean they ever intend to let you wander off (or that [[AndIMustScream you won't wish they were]]).

Then there's the question of medical ethics. In RealLife, medical researchers have to follow ''very'' strict testing standards to be able to publish their results. Getting caught violating them can easily end their careers and leave them facing civil or even criminal charges. It should be noted that the NotEvenHuman excuse some scientists love to use in fiction would not be much of a defense, as no law explicitly says only ''Homo sapiens'' [[InhumanableAlienRights have the right]] to refuse to be gutted against their will. The RealLife instances where people have donated their bodies (or blood samples or whatever) to science in order to help the research of particular conditions were, after all, ''voluntary''.

Modern research works a lot less intrusively as sonography, [=MRIs=], and other medical imaging techniques have made hands-on vivisection less necessary for the internal examination of research subjects. Given sufficient funding and resources, there should be no reason for slicing off a limb just to see how it looks on the inside. The PlayingWithSyringes mentality of fictional "research" also happily ignores the fact that when you only have ''one'' specimen, it is a good idea to take care of it because once it stops working it'll be much harder to figure out how it used to. Of course, this is cold comfort to the specimen -- it just means the torture will be of a greater duration, and would still result in them being locked away somewhere against their will. Just because they aren't cutting you up doesn't mean they ever intend to let you wander off (or that [[AndIMustScream you won't wish they were]]).

* ''Fanfic/TheLastSeidr'': Averted; the SHIELD agents willingly return Kevin (a snake Harry summoned during his fight with Loki) to Harry without hurting him, but Kevin (via a Parseltongue conversation with Harry and Thor) reveals that they performed numerous tests on him, and were not gentle. He goes so far as to declare the SHIELD scientists as enemies of serpent kind. Tony also says (somewhat jokingly) that SHIELD will want to do the same to Harry (which is why the Avengers become so protective of the kid).

* Creator/WilliamGibson's short story "Hinterlands" depicts what it would be like to be on the receiving end of a CargoCult -- the first human to experience it does not end well, dissected in a Soviet laboratory. Also {{Foreshadowing}}, as an insane victim of the cargo cult [[spoiler:reprograms her spaceship's surgical bay to dissect ''herself'', committing suicide]].

Compare AlienAutopsy, in which the fantastic creature being studied is usually dead when human scientists find it in the first place, which would make such an up close and personal study sound ''significantly'' less unethical; MedicateTheMedium, in which the special ability would be dismissed as psychosis and treated as such; PlayingWithSyringes, in which unusual characters are the ''result'' of experiments, rather than being experimented on for being unusual; and SuperhumanTrafficking, which is a general trope for the exploitation of unusual individuals.

* A subplot in the "Camelot Falls" arc of ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' is about a ShadowArchetype of the man himself that's practically everything that could have gone wrong in Clark's origin story. An alien whose parents crash l-landed, his father already dead and mother died from childbirth right after, he was vivisected since birth and studied for ''fifty years'' in attempts to make a living weapon. Only known as [[YouAreNumberSix Subjekt-17]], this superbeing that's [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds only ever known abject pain and cruelty]] wants to KillAllHumans, the only thing he wants more is Clark to choose between joining him or [[SuicideByCop stopping him]].

* A subplot in the "Camelot Falls" arc of ''ComicBook/Superman'' is about a ShadowArchetype of the man himself that's practically everything that could have gone wrong in Clark's origin story. An alien whose parents crash l-landed, his father already dead and mother died from childbirth right after, he was vivisected since birth and studied for ''fifty years'' in attempts to make a living weapon. Only known as [[YouAreNumberSix Subjekt-17]], this superbeing that's [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds only ever known abject pain and cruelty]] wants to KillAllHumans, the only thing he wants more is Clark to choose between joining him or [[SuicideByCop stopping him]].

* ''Fanfic/TheLastSeidr'': Averted; the SHIELD agents willingly return Kevin (a snake Harry summoned during his fight with Loki) to Harry without hurting him, but Kevin (via a Parseltongue conversation with Harry and Thor) reveals that they performed numerous tests on him, and were not gentle. He goes so far as to declare the SHIELD scientists as enemies of serpent kind.

* After he agrees to join SHIELD in ''Fanfic/TheNewRecruit'', Matt Garretty says that he wants' SHIELD's help in figuring out how he and his friends got their powers, but that he doesn't want to be dissected or anything. This trope is averted when Coulson promises that won't happen; SHIELD scientists can be enthusiastic, [[EveryoneHasStandards but they aren't crazy]].