History MamaBear / LiveActionFilms

* Getting her entire wedding party ambushed and blown away by Bill and his assassins was bad enough. Getting the ever-loving crap beaten out of her by the assassins, followed by a bullet in the head from Bill himself, was bad enough. But when the Bride finally gets out of her coma after four years and discovers that the child that she was carrying is gone (and apparently dead), she decides to...well...''KillBill''.

* Evelyn in ''Film/TheMummyReturns'': Don't kidnap her son, or she'll even [[spoiler:come back from the dead]] to kick your ass.

* Pictured on the main page: Ellen Ripley of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series was always a competent character with a decent survival instinct. [[Film/{{Aliens}} Threaten her quasi-adoptee girl Newt]] and then, well, she's duct-taping weapons together to make a {{BFG}}, single-handedly invading the aliens' nest and strapping into a [[PoweredArmor Power Loader]] to take on the Alien Queen in the mother of all catfights. Say it with us: "Get away from her, you ''bitch!''" And considering that Ripley had killed a number of the Queen's offspring as well, it qualifies as a ''Mama Bear Showdown''.
** Subverted in ''Film/AlienResurrection'', where the HalfHumanHybrid Queen orders her offspring to kill one of their own to have its acidic blood dissolve a way out of the cell. The NightmareFetishist scientist is dismayed to see the Xenomorphs show such [[HumansAreBastards human behavior]]. Also, Ripley [[spoiler:abuses her newfound HalfHumanHybrid status, killing Xenomorphs that are downright affectionate towards her.]]
* ''Film/TheTerminator'': Sarah Connor. Saving the world ''from nuclear annihilation'' is considered an incidental bonus to saving her son from the machine sent back to kill him. This gets cranked up to eleven in [[TheSarahConnorChronicles The Series]].

* Arguably, Chris Parker in ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting''. OK, she's the babysitter, not the mom, and two of the kids aren't that much younger than Chris herself. Still, a suburban teen takes on several inner-city gang members to defend her charges while in the way to help her best friend. Successfully. ''With verbal intimidation alone''.
* Pamela Voorhees, the killer of the first ''Film/FridayThe13th1980'' movie, goes completely psycho and goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after finding out that her son Jason drowned in Crystal Lake because [[DeathBySex two camp counselors who were supposed to be watching him were getting groiny with each other instead.]] Her bloody path of destruction is only stopped by FinalGirl Alice, who chops off her head in the final showdown. And then Jason [[NotQuiteDead emerges from hiding]] and eventually [[BackFromTheDead returns from the dead]] to start a rampage of his own...
* The premise of ''TheLastHouseOnTheLeft'' is about a group of people who get trapped inside a house with a PapaWolf and a MamaBear after they brutalize and rape the couple's daughter. Three guesses as to what happens next.

* Do '''NOT''' steal [[GiantFlyer Mothra's]] egg and/or try to harm her larvae. She will [[BerserkButton unleash her rage upon you]]....Yes, even if you happen to be [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} GODZILLA]]. [[spoiler: Mothra lost the fight. But she bought enough time for her larvae to hatch. Said larvae then proceed to hand Godzilla one of his few defeats ever by wrapping him up in silk]]. Yes, freaking ''Godzilla'' got his ass kicked by [[spoiler: ''infants''.]]
** This happens in all three eras of the Godzilla series: ''Film/MothraVsGodzilla'' in the Showa era; ''Film/GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth'' in the Heisei era (though this time she's defending Battra); and ''Film/GodzillaTokyoSOS'' in the Millennium era (with [[HumongousMecha Kiryu]] backing her and her babies up).
* ''Film/SurfNazisMustDie'' has a mother avenging the death of her son against the eponymous Surf Nazis.
* Eco-horror film ''Film/{{Prophecy}}'' (from 1979) centers around [[BearsAreBadNews giant, pissed off,]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot mutated]] MamaBear [[TooDumbToLive whose cubs were stolen by humans]].

* In ''Film/{{Salt}}'', the reason why Evelyn Salt [[spoiler: abandoned her mission and faked the Russian Prime Minister's death]] was so she could [[LoveRedeems save her husband]]. But once [[spoiler: Orlov had her husband killed, she decides to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge to hunt down every other Russian agent who was involved.]]
* Crosses into BecomingTheMask in 'BigMommasHouse 2'', where FBI agent Malcolm ends up going against orders because of his promises to the Fuller children he made as Big Momma.
* Rose De Silva is willing to go to hell and back to get her mentally troubled daughter Sharon back in the film version of ''Film/SilentHill''. Along the way, Rose finds that [[spoiler: Sharon didn't have mental problems, she was all that was left of a 30 year old's woman's innocence, and she was being called back to Silent Hill.]]
* If a character played by JodieFoster has a child or a teenager in her care -- do not threaten them! Movies like ''Film/FlightPlan'' (where [[spoiler: her little daughter is abducted and petty much ''erased'' by a bunch of terrorists playing a GambitRoulette]]) and ''Film/PanicRoom'' (where she and her teenage daughter, also an IllGirl, have to protect themselves thee dangerous delinquents searching for something in their apatment's panic room]]) should make that very, very clear.
* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' combines this with PapaWolf, showing that the mated T-Rex couple are fiercely protective of their offspring; the human protagonists quickly note in a frightened tone that this ''completely'' debunks a widely-held theory that the species would abandon their young quickly after they were hatched.
** In the third film, the alpha ''velociraptor'' ordered her pack to hunt down the protogonists after one of them stole her eggs.
* Non-action-movie version: In the 1938 Yiddish film ''Mamele'' (Little Mother), Khavkhe (Molly Picon) takes care of her whole family. A gangster, Max Katz, recruits her brother into a burglary gang, and courts her sister (with the intention of turning her into a prostitute). Khavkhe manages to pickpocket Katz's gun, and makes him write a letter breaking up with the sister. ("You may be a Katz (cat), but you'll leave here as a kitten.")
* ''Film/HomewardBoundTheIncredibleJourney'' had a very ''literal'' use of the trope with Chance trying to "fish" with Sassy's help. The fish ended up getting close to some bear cubs. Chance, instead of giving up his fish, decided to scare away the bear cubs. The bear cubs then turned tail and fled from Chance's barking, and climbed up a tree screaming for their mother. Sure enough, while Chance was bragging about his victory, their mother approached Chance, not too happy with him for what he did and fully ready to kill him for it. Chance was just barely warned before he just barely fled.
** Amusingly, the cubs were black bears while the "mother" was a grizzly bear.
* ''Film/AnimalKingdom'' contains an evil example in the shape of Janine, [[AffablyEvil grandmotherly]] matriarch of the criminal Cody family and fiercely protective of her sons [[spoiler: to the extent that she arranges for her grandson Joshua to be killed after he threatens to testify against them]].

* The british kaiju film, ''Film/{{Gorgo}}'' features a 200-foot tall monster [[spoiler:that's nearly indestructible to all of man's weapons such as the military, bombs, fire, and electrocution]], and is on a RoaringRampageofRevenge all over Great Britian. Why? Because her child has been captured and is on display as a sideshow attraction at a circus for people to laugh at.
* Susan Sarandon's character in ''Film/{{Arbitrage}}''. She played the TrophyWife and ProperLady for her husband and tolerated his shady business deals and [[YourCheatingHeart marital indiscretions]]. But when his latest business fraud involved their daughter and left her [[BrokenPedestal heart-broken and jaded]], she ruthlessly [[BestServedCold blackmailed him into signing away his estate to her charitable foundation]], [[PyrrhicVictory leaving him without everything he'd worked for to that point]].
* Frey from ''Film/{{Elysium}}''.
* ''Film/DarkNightOfTheScarecrow'': This 1981 made-for-tv chiller has Jocelyn Brando (yep, Marlon's sister) as GentleGiant Bubba's mother - loving, protective, and lots more badass than his tormentors.
* Mercedes from ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', considering the fact Ofelia's IllGirl mother is too weakened from her ''very'' difficult pregnancy to really be there for her daughter. Mercedes is really the only one throughout the movie who is consistently kind to Ofelia and goes MamaBear on [[BigBad Vidal:]]
-->'''Mercedes''': [[PrecisionFStrike Motherfucker...]] [[MamaBear Don't you dare touch the girl.]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome You won't be the first pig I've gutted!]]
** And even better when [[spoiler: Captain Vidal is mortally injured ''after'' having done the same to poor Ophelia, and Mercedes tells him that she'll make sure newborn child ''will never have memories of his evil and now dead father''. ]]

* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' combines this with PapaWolf, showing the mated T-Rex couple fiercly protective of their offspring; the human protagists quickly note in a frightened tone that this ''completely'' debunks a widely-held theory that the species would abandon their young quickly after they were hatched. (As pictured above)

* Mercedes from ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', considering the fact Ofelia's own mother is too weak from her pregnancy to really be there for her daughter. Mercedes is really the only one throughout the movie who is consistently kind to Ofelia and goes MamaBear on [[BigBad Vidal:]]

* If a character played by JodieFoster has a child or a teenager in her care -- do not threaten them! Movies like ''Film/FlightPlan'' and ''Film/PanicRoom'' should make that very, very clear.

* ''Film/RaisingArizona'' - Even though she and her husband stole their "son", Edwina "Ed" [=McDunnough=] gets mighty protective of him when the evil bounty hunter comes for him.

* ''TheBlindSide'': "You threaten my son, you threaten me. You so much as cross into downtown, you will be sorry. I'm in a prayer group with the D.A., I'm a member of the NRA, and I'm always packin'."

* This was the point of ''TheLongKissGoodnight'', where Geena Davis plays an ordinary, suburban homemaker/schoolteacher...until an escaped convict threatens her husband and child. Then it suddenly turns out that she's a former assassin with EasyAmnesia, and she proceeds to kick his ass seven ways to Sunday. Towards the end of the movie, she's taking on a terrorist-organization-backed-by-CIA single-handedly to save her daughter.
* Arguably, Chris Parker in ''AdventuresInBabysitting''. OK, she's the babysitter, not the mom, and two of the kids aren't that much younger than Chris herself. Still, a suburban teen takes on several inner-city gang members to defend her charges while in the way to help her best friend. Successfully. ''With verbal intimidation alone''.

* ''RaisingArizona'' - Even though she and her husband stole their "son", Edwina "Ed" [=McDunnough=] gets mighty protective of him when the evil bounty hunter comes for him.

* In ''{{Salt}}'', the reason why Evelyn Salt [[spoiler: abandoned her mission and faked the Russian Prime Minister's death]] was so she could [[LoveRedeems save her husband]]. But once [[spoiler: Orlov had her husband killed, she decides to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge to hunt down every other Russian agent who was involved.]]

* If a character played by JodieFoster has a child or a teenager in her care -- do not threaten them! Movies like ''Film/FlightPlan'' and ''PanicRoom'' should make that very, very clear.
* ''[[Franchise/JurassicPark The Lost World]]'' combines this with PapaWolf, showing the mated T-Rex couple fiercly protective of their offspring; the human protagists quickly note in a frightened tone that this ''completely'' debunks a widely-held theory that the species would abandon their young quickly after they were hatched. (As pictured above)

* ''AnimalKingdom'' contains an evil example in the shape of Janine, [[AffablyEvil grandmotherly]] matriarch of the criminal Cody family and fiercely protective of her sons [[spoiler: to the extent that she arranges for her grandson Joshua to be killed after he threatens to testify against them]].

* The british kaiju film, ''{{Gorgo}}'' features a 200-foot tall monster [[spoiler:that's nearly indestructible to all of man's weapons such as the military, bombs, fire, and electrocution]], and is on a RoaringRampageofRevenge all over Great Britian. Why? Because her child has been captured and is on display as a sideshow attraction at a circus for people to laugh at.

[[quoteright:320:[[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mother_and_child_t__rex_6211.png]]]]

* Pictured on the main page: Ellen Ripley of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series was always a competent character with a decent survival instinct. [[Film/{{Aliens}} Threaten her quasi-adoptee girl Newt]] and then, well, she's duct-taping weapons together to make a {{BFG}}, single-handedly invading the aliens' nest and strapping into a [[PoweredArmor Power Loader]] to take on the Alien Queen in the mother of all catfights. Say it with us: "Get away from her, you ''bitch!''"
** Doubles as an example of TheHecateSisters. And considering that Ripley had killed a number of the Queen's offspring as well, it qualifies as a ''Mama Bear Showdown''.

** The page image is so iconic that a male version of it (Cable of the ComicBook/{{X-Men}}) is the PapaWolf page image.

[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mother_and_child_t__rex_6211.png]]

** This happens in all three eras of the Godzilla series: ''MothraVsGodzilla'' in the Showa era; ''GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth'' in the Heisei era (though this time she's defending Battra); and ''TokyoSOS'' in the Millennium era (with [[HumongousMecha Kiryu]] backing her and her babies up).

* Jasmine, the aging lioness in ''SecondhandLions'', might be getting old and a little bit sickly. She might not be too much to look at any more. But put one hand on her human "cub" Walter, and you are in for a world of pain, [[spoiler:even if the strain is too much for her heart]].

* ''[[Franchise/JurassicPark The Lost World]]'' combines this with PapaWolf, showing the mated T-Rex couple fiercly protective of their offspring; the human protagists quickly note in a frightened tone that this ''completely'' debunks a widely-held theory that the species would abandon their young quickly after they were hatched.

* Pictured above: Ellen Ripley of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series was always a competent character with a decent survival instinct. [[Film/{{Aliens}} Threaten her quasi-adoptee girl Newt]] and then, well, she's duct-taping weapons together to make a {{BFG}}, single-handedly invading the aliens' nest and strapping into a [[PoweredArmor Power Loader]] to take on the Alien Queen in the mother of all catfights. Say it with us: "Get away from her, you ''bitch!''"

* Eco-horror film ''Film/{{Prophecy}}'' (from 1979) centers around [[EverythingsWorseWithBears giant, pissed off,]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot mutated]] MamaBear [[TooDumbToLive whose cubs were stolen by humans]].

* Pictured above: Ellen Ripley of the ''Film/{{Alien}}'' series was always a competent character with a decent survival instinct. Threaten her quasi-adoptee girl Newt and then, well, she's duct-taping weapons together to make a {{BFG}}, single-handedly invading the aliens' nest and strapping into a [[PoweredArmor Power Loader]] to take on the Alien Queen in the mother of all catfights. Say it with us: "Get away from her, you ''bitch!''"

** Subverted in ''[[Film/{{Alien}} Alien 4]]'', where the HalfHumanHybrid Queen orders her offspring to kill one of their own to have its acidic blood dissolve a way out of the cell. The NightmareFetishist scientist is dismayed to see the Xenomorphs show such [[HumansAreBastards human behavior]]. Also, Ripley [[spoiler:abuses her newfound HalfHumanHybrid status, killing Xenomorphs that are downright affectionate towards her.]]

* ''TheTerminator'': Sarah Connor. Saving the world ''from nuclear annihilation'' is considered an incidental bonus to saving her son from the machine sent back to kill him. This gets cranked up to eleven in [[TheSarahConnorChronicles The Series]].

* Do '''NOT''' steal [[GiantFlyer Mothra's]] egg and/or try to harm her larvae. She will [[BerserkButton unleash her rage upon you]]....Yes, even if you happen to be [[{{Godzilla}} GODZILLA]]. [[spoiler: Mothra lost the fight. But she bought enough time for her larvae to hatch. Said larvae then proceed to hand Godzilla one of his few defeats ever by wrapping him up in silk]]. Yes, freaking ''Godzilla'' got his ass kicked by [[spoiler: ''infants''.]]

** The page image is so iconic that a male version of it (Cable of the {{X-Men}}) is the PapaWolf page image.

* Susan Sarandon's character in ''Film/{{Abritrage}}''. She played the TrophyWife and ProperLady for her husband and tolerated his shady business deals and [[YourCheatingHeart marital indiscretions]]. But when his latest business fraud involved their daughter and left her [[BrokenPedestal heart-broken and jaded]], she ruthlessly [[BestServedCold blackmailed him into signing away his estate to her charitable foundation]], [[PyrrhicVictory leaving him without everything he'd worked for to that point]].

* Susan Sarandon's character in ''[[Film/{{Abritrage}}]]''. She played the TrophyWife and ProperLady for her husband and tolerated his shady business deals and [[YourCheatingHeart marital indiscretions]]. But when his latest business fraud involved their daughter and left her [[BrokenPedestal heart-broken and jaded]], she ruthlessly [[BestServedCold blackmailed him into signing away his estate to her charitable foundation]], [[PyrrhicVictory leaving him without everything he'd worked for to that point]].

* Susan Sarandon's character in ''[[Film/Abritrage]]''. She played the TrophyWife and ProperLady for her husband and tolerated his shady business deals and [[YourCheatingHeart marital indiscretions]]. But when his latest business fraud involved their daughter and left her [[BrokenPedestal heart-broken and jaded]], she ruthlessly [[BestServedCold blackmailed him into signing away his estate to her charitable foundation]], [[PyrrhicVictory leaving him without everything he'd worked for to that point]].

* Susan Sarandon's character in ''[[Film/Arbitrage Arbitrage]]''. She played the TrophyWife and ProperLady for her husband and tolerated his shady business deals and [[YourCheatingHeart marital indiscretions]]. But when his latest business fraud involved their daughter and left her [[BrokenPedestal heart-broken and jaded]], she ruthlessly [[BestServedCold blackmailed him into signing away his estate to her charitable foundation]], [[PyrrhicVictory leaving him without everything he'd worked for to that point]].