History TemptingFate / WesternAnimation

* In the '90s ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' animated series, the X-Men break into a government compound to destroy many of the files of [[SuperRegistrationAct several mutants]] before attempting to escape the compound. Morph says the line, "Didn't I tell you? Clear sailing all~ the way!" Cue the [[KillerRobot Sentinels]] marching through the trees. Quoth the Beast: "[[SacrificialLamb Oh dear]]". [[spoiler: Beast is captured, Morph dies]].

--->'''Stiletto:''' Oh well...it-a could've been a-worse, Barony.\\

** In "WesternAnimation/PorkysBadTimeStory", Gabby Goat is awoken by a leaky ceiling, and pulls out an umbrella to protect himself. When Porky points out opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck, Gabby scolds him for being superstitious... then a freak lightning bolt comes in through the window and zaps Gabby's umbrella. When Gabby shouts in frustration "I might as well try sleeping under Niagara Falls!", the roof caves in and dumps a ton of water on him and Porky.

-->'''Spike:''' ''(To Rainbow Dash)'' Haven't you learned ''never'' to say that by now?

** In their backstory, Rigodon and Tico have travelled all over Europe as circus performers, but Rigodon has grown tired of travelling and is seeking more settled employment for himself and Tico. Becoming Fog's butler seems to be the answer to his prayers, since Fog doesn't travel and "leads a very quiet life." Hours later, Fog arrives home from the Reform Club with news that Rigodon [[note]]Fog doesn't know about Tico at this point.[[/note]] is to accompany him on a trip . . . around the world.

-->'''Kevin:''' ...I blame myself.

Return to the main page [[TemptingFate here]].

*** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver The Best Night Ever]]" starts with this, with the Mane Six indulging in a CrowdSong about how all their hopes and dreams for the Grand Galloping Gala are about to come true. Naturally, they don't. Then near the end of the episode, Celestia and Twilight Sparkle step into the main hall and find that the others have laid waste to the entire party. Thinking she's been utterly humiliated in front of her mentor, Twilight remarks "At least things can't get any worse..." A moment later, a horde of wild animals stampedes into the room with [[BewareTheNiceOnes an insanely frustrated Fluttershy]] on their heels.

*** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Magical Mystery Cure]]" begins with Twilight singing a song that includes the line "Can things ever go wrong? I don't think that they will." [[MusicalisInterruptus She doesn't even get to finish the song]] before disaster strikes.

*** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E25TheEndingOfTheEndPart2 The Ending of the End, Part 2]]": The VillainTeamUp of Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis have defeated Discord, Celestia, and Luna, conquered Canterlot, and divided the three pony tribes. Twilight's friends try to comfort her, with Rainbow Dash topping it off with "It's not like things can get any worse!" Cue the howl of a windigo, adding the threat of an EndlessWinter to the Mane cast's problems.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[ParodiedTroped Parodied]] with [[Marcy's Theme Song Takeover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw]] showing her past adventures which ends with Marcy saying "Hope nothing bad ever happens to me!" when the [[Dramatic Irony audience knows]] [[spoiler: she'll be stabbed in the chest after being betrayed by her mentor figure.]]

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E4Rosebud Rosebud]], after Mr. Burns starts ruining Homer's life in an effort to make him hand over his beloved old teddy bear Bobo (which he refuses to do as Maggie adores the toy), Homer muses "my life can't get any worse." Cue Smithers over the intercom:

* ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'': One of the mini-shorts has a camper raking a big pile of leaves and saying "I can't imagine having to do that again." The plot of the short has Skip and Chip driving an out of control speedboat, so we expect the speedboat to ram into the leaves. Instead, it rams into another campmate who happens to walk by.

-->'''Spike:''' ''(To Rainbow Dash)'' Haven't you ever learned ''never'' to say that?

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}}'' episode "The Pirate Plot". After the pirates capture Birdman, Captain Kidd's first mate warns him that Birdman's eagle companion Avenger has escaped. Captain Kidd says "What can an eagle do to harm us? Let it go!" After the pirates make Birdman walk the plank, Avenger swoops in, flies underwater (!) and bites through the ropes tying Birdman's hands, freeing him.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

** In the two-part episode "The Boiling Rock", the Warden says that no one has ever escaped from his prison. [[spoiler: By the end, 5 people have escaped -- Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda, Suki and Chit Sang.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/DCNation'' short ''Tales of Metropolis - Jimmy Olsen'' has Jimmy complaining to [[SecretIdentity Clark Kent]] about how ComicBook/{{Superman}} is excessively clingy and annoying, ending by saying that he never wants to see the Man of Steel again. A title card flashes up reading "Literally four seconds later", after which we see Jimmy in the clutches of a {{Kaiju}}, screaming "Save me, Superman!"

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'', Johnny goes into a natural history museum [[WhatAnIdiot thinking it's a hobby shop.]] He takes a "model kit"--really a fossilized dinosaur egg--and runs out when the staff shows up. One guard remarks on the stolen egg, but his supervisor tells him not to worry--"There's a ''billion'' in one chance of that egg hatching!" SmashCut to Mama Bravo cuddling the egg and saying that it's about to hatch.

** In a season 4 skit showing [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]]'s backstory, when he makes his DealWithTheDevil he remarks "Well, at least I got my complexion." only to be immediately engulfed in flames right as the skit ends.

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS11E14TheList The List]]", Cartman's first plan to steal the girls' list of the boys listed in order of cuteness is called "Operation: Cannot Possibly Fail". It does - one of the steps to stealing the list is to have Butters kick the list keeper, Nelly, in the testicles.

* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' season 3 arguably would have been better off ''not'' subverting this trope: Stella says, of saving someone from her own homerealm to get her Enchantix, "I hope I don't have to save Chimera." [[spoiler:When push comes to shove, she ends up saving her dad, left by Chimera and her mom escaping in his vehicle. So instead of maybe getting [[HeelFaceTurn Chimera coming over to Stella's side]], we end up getting Chimera being ignominiously defeated in an anticlimactic battle.]]

'''Vision: Why?\\
'''Thor''': ''(Brainwashed and arriving with a lightning storm)'' Your end has come, betrayers!

*** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon Mare in the Moon]]": Twilight brushes off Princess Celestia's advice to make some friends, saying "The fate of all Equestria doesn't depend on me making friends". By the next episode, it's clear that actually, it does.

** From "Pizza Delivery":

-->'''Timmy:''' The Darkness is never coming back!\\

** A RunningGag in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' is this trope being lampshaded or otherwise discussed. Ben is [[GenreSavvy all too aware of how it works]], leading to much frustration when one of the GenreBlind supporting characters invokes it. He spends much of the episode "Outbreak" trying to explain it to Rook:

** In "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS4E6Petarded Petarded]]", there's a cutaway set in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A man arriving at his car notices a parking ticket and laments "I was only gone 5 minutes!" A moment later, a car drives by and splashes mud on his pants. He asks "how could this day get any worse?" Then there's the sound of something falling from the sky...a monkey.