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| 3 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks! |
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| 9 | [[quoteright:349:[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/loserlord_ozai.png]]]] |
| 10 | [[caption-width-right:349:From [[GodEmperor Phoenix King]] to [[BarefootCaptives Loser Lord]].]] |
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| 12 | %% Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion in the Caption Repair thread: |
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| 15 | ->''"This is the guy who used to be able to turn solid stone into lava just by thinking hard at it. The '60s' most powerful superhuman! And all he's fit for now is soaking up whiskey like blotting paper and burning the toast!"'' |
| 16 | -->-- '''Comicbook/{{Zenith}}''' |
| 17 | |
| 18 | These people once had it all. They were wealthy and powerful, sycophants hung on their every word, and it seemed like the world was their oyster. Then they fell, hard. Now their empire has crumbled, their money is gone, and they are scorned by the people who once admired them; there's nothing left for them to do but long for the GloryDays. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Other characters may shake their heads in pity and comment, "[[TitleDrop How the mighty have fallen.]]" |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Someone powerful and {{pride}}ful who suffers a HumiliationConga or BreakTheHaughty can have this fate waiting for them at the end. However, it can just as easily happen offscreen, or to someone who wasn't excessively prideful. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Depending on how sympathetic the character is, this can be played for comedy, tragedy, or karmic justice. It may even prove to be a HappyEnding; he avoids LonelyAtTheTop for [[PowerOfFriendship true friendship]] and [[PowerOfLove true love]]. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | The TropeNamer comes from [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel the Second Book of Samuel]], as the soon-to-be-King David [[TropeCodifier laments the death of King Saul]]. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | The FallenPrincess copes with it; the PrincessInRags pretends it hasn't happened. LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair is when it happens to civilization, or VestigialEmpire when it happens to a nation-state. Compare VillainDecay. RichesToRags is related but involves the loss of money rather than power (though there is frequent overlap). |
| 29 | |
| 30 | ---- |
| 31 | !!Examples: |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 34 | |
| 35 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 36 | * The first 2017 ''Advertising/UFOKamenYakisoban'' ad is about former 90's hero Yakisoban falling from grace, unable to hold a job, and his once-adoring public finding him washed-up, weird, and annoying. He turns evil as a result. |
| 37 | [[/folder]] |
| 38 | |
| 39 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 40 | * ''Literature/AccelWorld'': Noumi is introduced as one of the most powerful antagonists of the series. His Brain Burst avatar, Dusk Taker, has the power to permanently steal another avatar's powers and abilities, such as Haru's trademark wings, as well as access to the powerful [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Incarnate Ability]]. In addition, thanks to an illegal brain chip, he's able to access the Accelerated World without using his neural linker, which means he can disappear at will from match lists without losing connection to the internet (and cheat on tests). He's also high placed enough in the Accelerated Research Society that he can call in favors from the group's leader Black Vise. Plus being crafty enough to maneuver Haru into a position where he is a virtual slave to the dirty brat. By the end of his arc, Noumi has been reduced to a wiggling torso in the virtual world after losing an all of nothing battle against Haru, begging those he'd maliciously mocked for the points necessary to prevent Brain Burst from uninstalling itself from him. When we next see him in the real world, he's become nothing more than a normal twelve-year-old. |
| 41 | * ''Anime/TheAnimatrix'': As shown in the euphemistically-named short film, ''The Second Renaissance'', humanity entered a new age with the birth of artificial intelligence in the 21st Century, and then [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters showed a profound lack of appreciation for their offspring]], treating them as slaves. Despite efforts to show appreciation and cooperation, the AI gathered in the world of Zero One eventually formed an army, [[CurbStompBattle soundly defeated humanity]] and [[HumiliationConga turned the roles about, enslaving humanity with a similar level of prejudice and contempt]] as biomechanical batteries for the Machine City and the virtual world known as Franchise/TheMatrix. A few humans and Machines regret the error. |
| 42 | * ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'': [[spoiler: Occurs to the Vexos, Prince Hydron, and King Zenoheld at the midway point of “New Vestroia”. The season started with them conquering the Bakugan homeworld of New Vestroia. Halfway through, the Brawlers Resistance broke their occupation and forced them to flee home to Vestal. After that, Mira, Ace, and Baron returned home as well, and revealed all of their crimes to the people, chief among them being hiding that the Bakugan were sentient beings with free will. When the people rallied to apprehend them, Zenoheld, Hydron, and the Vexos fled the planet aboard the Royal Palace. Escaping to another dimension, Zenoheld plotted revenge, planning to use the Bakugan Termination System to destroy all of the Bakugan. This plan fails too, and after that, he’s forced to flee once more to yet another distant dimension, and is shown impotently taking out his anger on his son and his operatives hunting for someone to blame. Professor Clay brings out one final trump card for him: the Alternative Weapon System, with the new plan now being to destroy the universe. This fails as well, only this time, it results in his death when his son Hydron, finally standing up to his abusive father, chooses to sacrifice himself to ensure that Zenoheld can’t escape the Alternative spaceship as it explodes. Zenoheld ultimately dies alone, pathetically and futilely begging the son he abused and spat upon to save him, to no avail.]] |
| 43 | * ''[[Anime/BeybladeMetalFusion Beyblade: Metal Masters]]:'' The crux of the BreakTheHaughty arc for Julian Konzern. [[spoiler: It hits even harder considering the determination he showed even after his first loss. Julian was a very [[RichBitch rich and popular aristocrat,]] heir to the largest fortune in Europe, who also represented Europe in the Beyblade World Championships as leader of Team Excalibur. Wielding the Bey Gravity Destroyer, the only Bey on Earth capable of dual rotation, in addition to its [[GravityMaster gravity manipulation abilities,]] Julian was a force to be reckoned with. Then, he’s defeated by Gingka in the World Championships. Refusing to give up, Julian [[TrainingFromHell trained like mad]] and became immensely stronger as a Blader, later rejoining the tournament to regain his lost pride. Unfortunately, his opponents this time around were Team Star Breaker. Excalibur lost in a landslide, ''even though not all of Star Breaker were there,'' and Julian took the worst of it. His opponent was Star Breaker’s Damian, who, in addition to [[CurbStompBattle curbstomping]] Julian, spends their battle sadistically tormenting him. Damian defeats Julian even after Sophie and Wales break the rules to support him, culminating in Damian humiliating Julian completely by making him denounce himself as weak before the global audience. '''''And it doesn’t stop there!''''' Not long after that, HD Academy seized control of all the properties and businesses that belonged to the Konzern family, [[RichesToRags leaving Julian penniless.]] Dr. Ziggurat approaches him, saying he’ll at least preserve the Konzern family’s reputation if Julian becomes his {{Mook}}. Dashan Wong lampshades just how much punishment Julian’s taken, calling him “Hades’s pet monkey” and saying that he’s fallen as far as possible. Dashan finally starts pulling him from the bottom in battle with him by reminding him of his determination and Blader pride, of his true strength. Sophie and Wales finally set him free by [[UndyingLoyalty reminding him of their loyalty to him;]] they didn’t stick by his side for so long because he was rich - they stuck by him because they were a team, Team Excalibur, and it was because of that they came to save him even after he became their enemy. With this epiphany, Julian finally pulls his head out of his ass and performs a HeelFaceTurn. While he ultimately loses to Dashan, he acknowledges his weakness, but that he can also rise again, saying “A broken sword can be fixed.”]] |
| 44 | * In ''Manga/BlackButler'', Sebastian says this of [[spoiler:Ash/Angela]] in the first SeasonFinale. In this case, he's referring to three things exactly: first, the {{Irony}} that someone who adored [[PureIsNotGood Purity]] is now [[EmotionEater drawing power]] [[{{Hypocrite}} from human corruption]], second that is a ''literal'' FallenAngel, and third, that [[spoiler:s/he]] is [[CurbStompBattle about to go]] '''[[CurbStompBattle DOWN]]'''. |
| 45 | * In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', this ends up happening to [[spoiler:Othinus, a virtually unbeatable Magic God, who gets all of her powers taken away by even stronger Magic Gods after her HeelFaceTurn]]. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/ChainsawMan'': The "Hero of Hell" and the "Terror of all Devils", [[spoiler:Pochita, aka Chainsaw Devil, was reduced to a small dog-like creature after a massive battle while escaping Hell, now living as the pet of a poor, starving, deep-in-debt boy on the verge of death. Living situation aside, [[CursedWithAwesome Pochita seems to have been perfectly happy with this]], as his new form made it easier to receive the hugs he dreamt of having for a long time.]] |
| 47 | * The life of {{Fallen Prince|ss}} Lelouch Lamperouge/vi Britannia in ''Anime/CodeGeass''. Even his [[MyHeroZero Zero]] persona goes through this. |
| 48 | * ''Anime/CrossAnge'' kicks off with this as part of its DownerBeginning, when the titular [[FallenPrincess Ange]] goes from a beloved, popular princess to a [[AntiMagic Norma]] stuck in [[TheAlcatraz Arzenal]]. |
| 49 | * ''Manga/DeathNote'''s ending leaves [[spoiler:Light broken both physically and mentally, with all his sycophants either dead or not having a clue who he is. The anime scene with him running sobbing from the warehouse only for Ryuk to unceremoniously write his name on the Death Note a few minutes later is the ''nice'' version of his death, and within a few years, the world's gone back to normal. In the original manga, he's killed while writhing in agony and begging that he doesn't want to die.]] |
| 50 | * In ''Literature/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'', the titular Devil is transported from his world (where he is the commander of a massive army of demons and possesses extraordinary magical power) to our mundane world, [[BroughtDownToNormal where he is no more powerful than a regular human]] and has to take a job at a fast-food restaurant to survive. [[spoiler:The same winds up being true for the Hero that tried to oppose him, as well as his most powerful subordinates.]] |
| 51 | ** [[SubvertedTrope However]], unlike most cases of this trope, he doesn't seem overly distressed about his fall from power. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity to climb the ranks and amass power in this world [[spoiler:just like he did in his original world]]. When [[spoiler:the destined Hero]] also shows up, she has a similar attitude towards her own position in this world. |
| 52 | * ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheHauntsOfEvil'' has Nobita adopting a stray dog, who later turns out to be a sentient, TalkingAnimal and the Prince of Bauwan named Kuntakku, a SmallSecludedWorld of dog-people in the heart of Africa. In the past, the King of Bauwan was murdered by a usurper who then took over the throne and had the Prince hunted down. Barely escaping his pursuers, Prince Kuntakku loses his armour, weapons, and eventually dives into the Zambezi River before ending up in an African port, where he then hitches a ride on a Japanese ship and ends up in Tokyo as a stray dog scavenging for food in the city's alleys. |
| 53 | * ''Manga/DragonBall'': |
| 54 | ** Goku more or less expresses this when he mocked Frieza's final attack after he deemed him too weak and NotWorthKilling. He states this again after Frieza was cut in half by his own attack. Finally, after being forced to blast Frieza after he tried to shoot him in the back, Goku has an expression that practically embodies this trope. For someone who was once called the most powerful being in the universe, it was indeed a mighty fall. |
| 55 | ** Vegeta's demise during the Frieza Saga has shades of this. He's the Saiyan Prince and the strongest his race has to offer... and is left helpless and reduced to tears against Frieza's power. After being beaten to a bloody pulp, Vegeta is given an anti-climactic end by being shot through the heart and spends his last moments tearfully begging Goku, a lower-class warrior, to defeat Frieza and avenge their race. |
| 56 | ** In both ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', this has happened to Frieza's entire empire. They went from being the most feared and powerful force in the universe, who controlled 70% of the known universe, to barely qualifying as an army after not only losing Frieza and his father but all their best fighters on Namek. According to Sorbet, they're on their last legs and are considered a laughing stock. [[spoiler: By the end of ''Super'' and the beginning of ''Broly'', Frieza and his empire has gained some of their clout back, but are still struggling to regain the foothold they had earlier.]] |
| 57 | ** Frost, Frieza's [[AlternateSelf Universe 6 counterpart]]. He's initially depicted as the Emperor of his universe, beloved by all as a hero, but during the Universe 6 Saga, it turns out that he's, in fact, a villain just like Frieza who does such things as start wars so he can end them and gain good publicity, which he openly brags about. Upon this reveal, he's one-shotted by Vegeta, beaten up by Hit after trying to steal Champa's cube, and becomes a fugitive on the run. Come the Universe Survival Saga, Hit finds him huddled in an alleyway, with nothing but a worn cloth to protect him from the elements. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/FairyTail'': The titular guild itself suffers a tremendous one following the TimeSkip. After their master and strongest members go missing, most of the guild's remaining members leave the guild out of frustration or shame, the ones left behind are forced to foreclose their guildhall as it has become too expensive (the replacement building not-withstanding), they are constantly being hit up for money that they borrowed from a neighboring guild filled with {{jerkass}}es, and they lose their reputation by losing six consecutive years of the Grand Magic Games in a row. The lost guildmates finally return after seven years and things begin to improve. |
| 59 | * ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Yoki. He goes from leader of a prosperous mining town to Scar's snivelling lackey. |
| 60 | ** In the anime, he is reduced to scavenging in a junkyard to survive. |
| 61 | * ''Anime/FushigiYuugi'': Nakago and Tenkou used to be the most powerful enemies who could almost conquer the world. But, the Suzaku warriors successfully botch their EvilPlan by depowering them. |
| 62 | * ''Manga/GhostSweeperMikami'': Doctor Chaos was once a renowned alchemist, exorcist, and inventor with a genius-level intellect, his greatest achievements being attained immortality and the creation of [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Ma]][[RobotGirl ria]]. In the series proper, he's a senile old crackpot living in a cheap, rundown department and working on a bunch of odd jobs for peanuts to survive. |
| 63 | * The core premise of ''Manga/TheGreatJahyWillNotBeDefeated'' is how Jahy, the second-in-command of the Demon Realm gets reduced to PerpetualPoverty after the Demon Realm's destruction. |
| 64 | * Several of the countries from ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' have moments like this. The Roman Empire himself, for starters, is said to have had everything, but then vanished one day (although, as a young Italy remarks, he had many scars and was in pain beforehand, probably for a long time). Prussia used to be a great fighter, and now, he isn't a nation anymore. During the Revolution, America remarks on how England "used to be so big." Kind of played with in the case of France, when he isn't invited to one of the Allies' meetings and tries to remember some of his "finest hours," all of them ruthlessly destroyed/parodied (in the cases of Joan of Arc and Napoleon, because of England, and in two cases he just jumped into the fight when the enemy was already weak). |
| 65 | ** Portugal cheerfully says to Spain's face that he's happy that Spain's fallen into dire straits since his empire days since it makes him feel better about his own fate. |
| 66 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Joseph Joestar, main character of [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Part 2]] (1938), was [[PowerCreep almost]] as powerful in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Part 3]] (1987). But in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Part 4]] (1999), time has finally done its dirty work to him -- he's withered, nearly deaf, partly senile (though said senility may actually be an act) , and generally on death's door. Josuke, his illegitimate son, can't bring himself to accept Joseph as his father for several reasons, and one of them is, "How could ''that'' seduce my mother?" |
| 67 | * ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' has [[spoiler:Kaguya's father Gan'an Shinomiya]]. Once one of the most powerful men in the world, by the time the reader actually gets to see him he's [[spoiler:a half senile old man on his deathbed with weeks to live at best while the corporate empire he spent his life building is being bought out from under him by his arch enemies.]] |
| 68 | * ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'': A common theme when it comes to wide-spanning empires and nations. Chronologically, the first one is the United Earth Government, which is naturally the birthplace of humanity and focal point of all human civilization. However, shortly after colonization, they had already become decadent as their military grew way too large, their resources exhausted, and the native people lacking any intelligence and imagination as they focused more on financial and military power than self-sufficiency. As a result, the government became corrupt with Earth financiers and military lobbyists technically owning the government, allowing them to abuse colonies however they pleased. When the colonists had enough and rebelled, the military itself had become so decadent that they were more interested in killing people and plundering for jewels and treasures rather than hunting down the insurgents. By the time the colonies finally regained the upper hand, they were drastically on the receiving end of the abuse that was a hundred times worse than theirs. When the story finally starts, the Earth is barely recognizable and nearly uninhabitable to the point it's almost completely forgotten. |
| 69 | * This is the premise of ''Manga/Level1DemonLordAndOneRoomHero''; The Demon Lord was slain by the hero Max, but promised to revive himself. Ten years later, the Demon Lord does revive...as a chibi version of himself. And his nemesis Max has become a bum living in a dirty, one-room apartment. The rest of the series is the Demon Lord trying to help Max get his act together so his vengeance will be fulfilling. |
| 70 | * ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'', the fourth season manga of the Nanoha franchise gives this treatment to [[spoiler:[[LadyOfWar Signum]]]] in spades. Fortunately, after recovery, she's working her ass off to subvert this. |
| 71 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': |
| 72 | ** The death of his crew at the hands of Kaido left Gecko Moria really screwed up -- by the time the protagonists first meet him, he's let himself go and uses others' strength instead of his own to get the job done. [[spoiler:His BadassDecay eventually got him kicked out of the Seven Warlords of the Sea by Doflamingo, as he was deemed too weak for the position.]] |
| 73 | ** Earlier on, during Usopp's introduction arc, [[EvilGenius Kuro]], upon seeing his crew struggling against the Straw Hats, almost says this trope word for word expressing his frustration/anger at their "inexcusable" weakness. |
| 74 | ** During the Baratie Arc, it's stated that Don Krieg had a fleet of 50 ships with 5,000 men... which he lost when he entered the Grand Line and ran afoul of "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk. When he first appears, Krieg's Pirate Armada has been reduced to one battered ship and about 100 starving men. Krieg's motivation for stealing the oceangoing restaurant is using it to build a new fleet. |
| 75 | ** Donquixote Doflamingo and his crew in the Dressrosa Arc. During the end of Punk Hazard Arc/beginning of Dressrosa Arc, Doflamingo was the well-respected King of Dressrosa and one of the 'heroes' who helped to get rid of the tyrannical ruler [[spoiler:whom he and his crew framed]] with Doflamingo being [[spoiler:a World Noble]]; and his crew was wildly popular, so much that even ''the underlings'' had followers and fans of their own. By the end of the day (and 2 and a half real-world years) and a lot of chaos later, [[spoiler:Doflamingo is exposed as the mastermind behind the above-mentioned tragedy and is given a thorough HumiliationConga by Law and Luffy, stripped of his Warlord status ''and'' his World Noble status is rendered void with his last appearance in said arc being a VillainousBreakdown regarding how ''he'' was the lynchpin of the New World and no one in particular listening to him; and his top executives defeated by Luffy, the gladiators and the rest of the Straw Hats, and arrested (with the less evil members pulling a HeelFaceTurn and getting away).]] |
| 76 | ** A recurring element in the Wano Arc, to show just how badly things have gone in Wano since Kaido took control. Hyogoro was one of the most powerful yakuza, but is now just a malnourished, small elder imprisoned in Udon. Queen lampshades how pathetic a legendary yakuza has become. Shinobu was once a beautiful kunoichi, but went to seed and is now an obese old woman of questionable skill. The country itself used to be a picturesque ThemeParkVersion of Feudal Japan, but Kaido's factories have poisoned the landscape, turning the entire nation, bar the Flower Capital into a polluted wasteland. [[spoiler:The Straw Hats and the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance later help the mighty rise again once more.]] |
| 77 | * ''Literature/{{Slayers}}: NEXT'' has Martina, a princess whose kingdom is blown up by Lina, and who takes to following the heroine around seeking revenge. |
| 78 | * ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': [[spoiler:Viral]] at beginning of season 2, [[spoiler:Simon (by choice)]] at the end. |
| 79 | * This happened to Kotetsu's old boss in ''Anime/TigerAndBunny''. Ben Jackson was the director of [=TopMag=]'s HERO division before it closed down and he became a mere taxi driver. Unlike most examples of this trope, he was a genuinely caring boss to Kotetsu. Later episodes show that he doesn't mind it though he still looks out after Kotetsu [[spoiler:especially when he realizes that Kotetsu is losing his powers]]. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:this is ultimately subverted as he becomes the new president of Apollon Media]]. |
| 80 | * ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'': When first introduced, Rize Kamishiro is TheDreaded "[[RedBaron Binge Eater]]," having thrown several wards into chaos by herself. After her attempt to eat Kaneki results in him getting an organ transplant from her that turns him into a HalfHumanHybrid, [[spoiler: she's used as a kakuhou farm by Dr. Kanou; by the time she's rescued from such a fate, Rize is now nothing more than an insane shell of her former self who can do nothing more than cry, drool, and beg for food]]. |
| 81 | * ''Anime/YuGiOh'': |
| 82 | ** Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki (aka Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor) were introduced as the champions of the Japanese Duel Monsters circuit. But their reputations as competent duelists went down the gutter after losing the preliminary rounds to the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City competitions while newcomers [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan Yuugi Muto and Katsuya Jounouchi]] replaced them as dueling legends. Now they're brushed off as laughingstocks who can't catch a break. |
| 83 | ** A similar fate happened to Bandit Keith Howard, the champion of the American Duel Monsters circuit. His fame and title came crashing down after Pegasus defeated and humiliated him using a child from the peanut gallery. Afterwards, Bandit Keith disappeared into obscurity while [[DrowningHisSorrows taking up drinking to ease his pain]]. In the manga, he even participated in underground death games to get by in life. |
| 84 | * ''Manga/YumeNoShizukuKinNoTorikago'': Mahidevran Gulbahar. She was the mother of Prince Mustafa, the first and only son of [[TheEmperor Emperor Suleiman]], giving her the second-highest position in the harem -- surpassed only if Suleiman had a legal wife, and the current Valide Sultan, Suleiman's mother. She used her status and manipulation to strike fear into the other women in the harem, ruling them with an iron fist, and [[RemovingTheRival had any pregnant concubine killed]] to ensure her status as mother to the only heir remains. When [[TheHero Hurrem]] enters the harem, Gulbahar begins to lose her status as Hurrem ends up liked by most of the other concubines, and she has such good protection through Grand Vizier Ibrahim that Hurrem even manages to give birth to a son for Suleiman. Gulbahar loses her unique position, and her influence lessens until Hurrem is not only on par with her in terms of position, but Hurrem also becomes the first-ever Haseki[[note]]sole favorite[[/note]] to the emperor, putting her position above Gulbahar's. The former only mother now has little to no power left in the harem, resting her last hope of retaining anything worth the status she's fought for into making her son Suleiman's chosen successor. |
| 85 | * In ''Literature/TheZashikiWarashiOfIntellectualVillage'', the Youkai-policing organization Hyakki Yakou was once the most powerful shadow organization in Japan. However, after [[spoiler:the Zashiki Warashi left]], they went into a steep decline. While having their headquarters on a massive flying wing seems impressive at first, it actually demonstrates just how far they've fallen: Hyakki Yakou no longer feels safe to maintain a single base on the ground and must instead constantly stay on the move. |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 89 | * ''ComicBook/CommonGrounds'': The once-prominent superhero Blackwatch is now a slovenly homeless man after serving a long prison term for accidentally killing newbie hero Snowflame in [[LetsYouAndHimFight one of those superhero fights]]. |
| 90 | * ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'': While the Penguin was distracted by the Joker's return, his NumberTwo, Ogilvy, took advantage of the situation to steal his boss' position as top crime boss of Gotham, coercing the loyalty of Penguin's lieutenants and buying out all his assets. By the time Penguin realizes what's happened, he's been rendered homeless, powerless, and completely broke. |
| 91 | * ''ComicBook/DraculaMarvelComics'': Count Dracula was the Lord of Vampires after being blessed by [[MonsterProgenitor Varnae]] himself until he was stripped of his vampirism one time and was so distraught by his loss of power that he begged his hated vampire daughter Lilith to turn him; she refused but he would regain his lost power later on. In a more recent example, after a crushing defeat at the hands of ComicBook/OldManLogan (who was displaced from his reality and ended up in the prime Marvel universe), he was retreated to an old lady's home and became a BasementDweller that plays video games all day long. Quite the step down from the guy that ruled his own nation. |
| 92 | * ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Chief Judge Silver was once the highest authority of Mega City One. He fell from power hard after the defective Judge Kraken, whom he approved against the wishes of the retiring Judge Dredd to take his place, fell under the control of the Sisters of Death and released the Dark Judges. After the fiends took over, Judge Death decided to [[FateWorseThanDeath make Silver a zombie so that his torment would never end]]. When Necropolis ended, Silver hid out of fear that he'd be burned as an abomination. When he finally tried to take back power, Dredd ruled in his favor on being entitled to his old post, but then executes him for criminal neglect of duty. Silver is incinerated and ignominiously disposed of by the sweepers. |
| 93 | * ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'': When [[WomanScorned Perdissa]] thinks she's [[spoiler:killed Lucifer]], she indulges in a bit of EvilGloating by quoting Isaiah 14:12 - "Oh how art thou fallen from grace oh Lucifer, son of the morning." |
| 94 | * ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersBoomStudios'': Lord Drakkon was once a feared monster who took over his world and [[ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersShatteredGrid nearly destroyed the multiverse in the name of power]]. When he returns sometime later, he's a babbling madman talking to the ripped-off head of Saba after having seen... [[VaguenessIsComing something]]. Even worse, his heroic counterpart, Tommy Oliver, drops him in one punch and this was [[spoiler: [[HeroKiller the guy who killed him temporarily]].]] |
| 95 | * ''ComicBook/QueenOfVampires'': Arkhalla, the titular queen of vampires, is the first vampire, and as the [[VampireMonarch "Undying Queen"]], she created armies of vampires and a terrifying empire where humans are food and slaves. But when her inner circle tries to kill her, she escapes but loses everything. Reduced to a lone, injured, starving, sickened, naked fugitive, the overthrown queen suffers further degrading from a gang of men who capture and imprison her as their [[RapeAsDrama rape slave]]. Although she eventually kills and feeds off them and regains her strength to begin plotting to take back her empire, the ugly experience adds to the HeelFaceTurn that she is already feeling due to [[ThePowerOfLove having experienced love and loss]] just when her followers turned on her. And then later she also makes the [[ThePowerOfFriendship first real friend]] she's ever had. When a human mob capture and prepare to burn her to death, Arkhalla is nearly a DeathSeeker by then. |
| 96 | * ''ComicBook/{{Revival}}'': Lester Majak got famous decades ago for his fitness book ''Strong Century''. He's still a local celebrity and quite fit for his age, but he's been coasting downward from that one success ever since. |
| 97 | * ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'': Thanos is like this for a while after [[spoiler:Thane {{depower}}s him]]. The once [[PhysicalGod god-like]] GalacticConqueror is left to scrabble together a living in the ruins of Titan, eating vermin just to survive and getting his ass kicked by other scavengers, people who he once could have killed without even noticing. |
| 98 | * ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'': Ratbat's fall from Cybertronian senator to Casetticon minion is chronicled across the IDW Transformers line but concludes in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'' where an attempt to seize control of the defeated Decepticon army and restart the war ends in his murder. |
| 99 | [[/folder]] |
| 100 | |
| 101 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 102 | * ''Fanfic/BecomingATrueInvader'': By the end of the story, the Tallest have completely lost their empire and power, [[spoiler: their legs have been cut off (rendering them short), and they've had to go into hiding doing menial work on Foodcourtia]]. |
| 103 | * ''[[Fanfic/TheLamentSeriesChaoticNeutral Chloé's Lament]]'': |
| 104 | ** The story opens with Chloé [[TheBadGuyWins triumphing against the heroes as Miracle Queen]], using her MindControl wasps to turn Ladybug, Hawk Moth, Mayura, and practically everyone else into her servants. Then Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg's [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calling her out]] on her callousness and cruelty spurs her to make a [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor poorly considered Wish]] to [[RoleSwapAU trade places with Marinette]]. The [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy resulting reality]] strips her of her status as the Mayor's daughter and [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty all the protection that afforded her]], leaving her as a social pariah who's one infraction away from getting booted out of Françoise Dupont for her bullying. |
| 105 | ** PlayedWith with her father. André goes from being the Mayor of Paris to running a bakery with a somewhat average reputation. [[RippleEffectProofMemory Unlike his daughter]], however, he doesn't recall his original circumstances, and seems content enough with his lot in life, regarding his work with pride. Mostly he's concerned about Chloé, not knowing how to help her... while Chloé regards him with dismay, thinking that he deserves so much ''better'' than his current position. |
| 106 | * ''Fanfic/DemonInFodlan'': Goetia's situation at the beginning has shades of this. He was the immortal King of Demon Gods who commanded the 72 Demon Pillars and single-handily incinerated various parts of the Human Order throughout history. Then his defeat against Chaldea resulted in the destruction of the Temple of Time, the Demon Pillars separated from him, becoming human and losing a majority of his power. He wasn't initially bothered by this when he arrived in Fodlan, but as time goes on, it has start to heavily dawn on him that he had lost everything and is currently working at a mundane job as an assistant librarian. [[spoiler:Combined with a brutal confrontation with Sitri at the climax of the Cindered Shadows arc, leaves Goetia [[HeroicBSOD emotionally broken]] after the arc]]. |
| 107 | * ''Webcomic/DragonBallReboot'': In his prime, Oniott was King Vegeta's most favored general and led the elite-class warriors of the Saiyan Army. By the start of the prequel spin-off, Oniott is reduced to a sickly old man living in the suburbs who can't even do a push-up without injuring himself and is reliant on Gine (a low-class Saiyan) as his caretaker. |
| 108 | * ''Manga/Evangelion303'': When the history starts Asuka is [[AcePilot the best pilot of all Children]] and she openly declares that she is the best there is. [[BreakTheHaughty Several events later]] [[BrokenAce her self-confidence and self-esteem were shattered]], she (mis)blamed herself [[spoiler:for the failure of several missions and her friend's death]] and she saw herself like a [[http://eva303.smackjeeves.com/comics/1794689/024/ pathetic]] [[http://eva303.smackjeeves.com/comics/1794691/025/ failure]]. |
| 109 | * ''Fanfic/HailToTheQueen'': After Amity ran off to join the rebellion, the Blight family progressively lost status and prestige, especially in comparison to Boscha's family, who are now further ahead than they ever were. Blight Industries productions took major nosedives, and with Edric and Emira unlikely to become coven leaders, the family became the butt of many jokes among the elite. |
| 110 | * ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': |
| 111 | ** In the backstory, Asuka went from considering herself the top pilot and a prodigy child to regarding herself as an ugly, scarred, worthless freak and a failure due to being ''repeatedly'' beaten, humiliated, mind-raped, brutally scarred and nearly killed. |
| 112 | ** In chapter 10 [[spoiler:SEELE kidnaps Gendo]]. While one of their members is torturing him, he mocks him quoting the line verbatim: |
| 113 | --->''The SEELE member looked in disdain at the quivering piece of humanity before him. "How the mighty have fallen. The Commander of NERV. Once a powerful man before whom nations and peoples trembled. Now reduced to this," he sneered noting that Gendou's right forearm was missing. An old injury. 'Pity,' he thought, 'five less fingers to break.' '' |
| 114 | * ''Fanfic/HuntersOfJustice'': Cinder Fall went from the Fall Maiden and the woman who would have made Beacon Academy fall to StrappedToAnOperatingTable as Brainiac's lab rat. |
| 115 | * ''Fanfic/TheKingNobodyWanted'': In the days of Old Valyria, the Saan family was among the ruling houses of the Freehold, with the right to open and close all meetings of the Assembly, and in its time was the greatest of the forty families. They barely survived the Doom, losing all of their dragons and all of their land save for a single hold, and are now reduced to a line of pirates and sellsails who have long been eclypsed by the Targaryens, a minor family that was once so lowly that the Saans saw them as too far beneath notice to even consider them rivals. |
| 116 | * ''Fanfic/LongLostLoud'': Lynn is hit HARD by this trope. Before, she was an all-star athlete, winning trophies and games with her abilities. However, thanks to her unwillingness to take a loss, Lincoln runs away and she spiralled to despair, quitting her clubs, getting low grades, hanging with drug users and even taking them just to relieve herself of the pain and guilt. Poor Lynn, but you can't help but think she had it coming. |
| 117 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12879916/29/Longest-Road The Longest Road ]]'' has Erika going from Celadon Gym Leader to prisoner on Orange Islands, with ban for life in Pokemon Leauge and both Gym Leader and Trainer licenses revoked. |
| 118 | * ''Fanfic/AMothToAFlame'': Marcy's ancestors, the Wu Clan, were an AncientConspiracy of royalty, conquerors, and sorcerers who controlled Eurasia from the shadows for centuries. She finds the fact that they've been reduced from that to struggling middle-class suburbanites in Los Angeles a bitter pill to swallow. |
| 119 | * ''Fanfic/MurderersRow'': Tucker starts off as one of the most feared inmates in the prison and a major player in prison politics. [[spoiler:After being blinded, he gradually loses his status and by the time of Volume 3 he's a frail old man who's only still alive because of Church's protection.]] |
| 120 | * ''Fanfic/NotThatKindaFired'': Bakugo entered U.A. as TheBully and a hot-shot would-be hero with the belief that he would become the Number One Hero. Three years later, he just barely graduates from U.A. and has been stuck as a sidekick that keeps getting passed between agencies because his horrible attitude is not enough to strip his license. Meanwhile, not only have several of his classmates achieved high rankings as heroes, but his main bullying victim has become the current #1 Hero's senior analyst and one of the few people Endeavour trusts. [[spoiler:And when he learns about the latter, he blows his top inside Endeavor's agency and gets his last chance to clean up his act before his hero license is pulled revoked.]] |
| 121 | * ''Fanfic/OneDayAtATimeNyame'': |
| 122 | ** In the first flashback arc, David Cain. Formerly a master assassin, TheDragon to Ra's al Ghul and the man who created Lady Shiva, in the present he's a JadedWashout ''well'' past his prime who regularly gets his ass kicked at the local [[FightClubbing fight club]] for money. Cass, who still loves him despite everything, is saddened by his current state, while Jason, who is far less sympathetic, finds it so pathetic he almost pities him. |
| 123 | ** The First Families of Gotham were once the five richest and most powerful families in Gotham, who helped the city recover from the American Revolution. Fast forward three hundred years later and only the Waynes are still thriving. The Crownes have died out, the Kanes are on the verge of dying out due to only having two female heirs, and the Elliots have only one male heir who has shown no interest in continuing the family line. Worst off is the Cobblepots, who lost almost all of their fortune by Bruce's time and have diminished to one male heir like the Elliots. That one male heir then rebuilt the family fortune with his connections as a crime boss and a supervillain, permanently shaming the Cobblepot name and ensuring that history would only ever remember them as a family of crooks. In Jason's timeline, all of the families (sans the Waynes) went extinct by the next generation. |
| 124 | * ''Fanfic/TheOneILoveIs'': Asuka was [[AcePilot the best Eva pilot]], a genius and a [[FieryRedhead beautiful girl]]. She gloated about it because her very fragile self-esteem depended on being the best at all that she did. However, throughout the fic, she got routinely beaten by her teammates, defeated by the [[{{Robeast}} Angels]] and the guy she loves is incapable to choose between her and another girl. When she is {{mind rape}}d, that is the final blow and humiliation and she feels that she is worthless and she has nothing to live for. She even quotes the line verbatim: |
| 125 | -->'''Asuka''': "How the mighty have fallen. Look at me... I'm crying... I hate crying... only a weak person cries. I hate Wonder Girl... she showed everyone how pathetic I was. I hate you... you made me cry, now you can see how disgusting I am. I hate everybody... but most of all... I hate myself..." |
| 126 | * ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'': A side story pits a young Professor Oak and Elite Four Agatha as rookie trainers against the Ghost-type Pokémon lurking in Drowning Woods led by an evil Gengar [[spoiler:who kills Agatha's younger brother Tony and turns his soul into a Gastly]], and they're only saved by the timely arrival of an Elite Four patrolling the area. Decades later, Agatha encounters the Gengar again, who is now but a shadow of its former self, old and weakened due to time and malnourishment, with just a few followers remaining after Agatha caught most of the Ghost-types living in the woods so they won't harm anyone ever again. |
| 127 | * ''Fanfic/TheRavensPlan'': Tywin Lannister. Once TheDreaded and the true power behind the Iron Throne, post-Remembering he's lost all the respect and fear people once had for him. Two-thirds of that is due to his notoriously [[TheCanKickedHim undignified death]] and the antics of the other Lannisters, particularly Cersei and Joffrey, in the previous timeline. The last third is due to everyone being too scared of other threats (mostly the Others) to really be concerned about him -- to the point that he only Remembers himself because Bran Stark ''forgot'' about him. This culminates in Tyrion usurping his authority in a couple of hours with a bloodless coup and interring Tywin in his own rooms. The icing on the cake, however, is when it's revealed that Tywin was an UnwittingPawn to the Conclave, who were using him to bring down the Targaryens. So it turns out he was never quite the great manipulator he and everyone else thought he was to begin with. |
| 128 | * ''Fanfic/ARavenUnderTheStarlight'': Master Cyclonis, though she's initially trying to build a new power base out of the locals on Ionos (the Far Side of Atmos), is a shadow of the Atmos-threatening empress that she once was during the [[WesternAnimation/StormHawks TV series]]' events. For a large chunk of the story, Phoenix is her only follower, and she's working out of an isolated cave. |
| 129 | * ''Fanfic/RubyPair'': Tenn was one of the Empire's finest Invaders, but after failing to conquer Meekrob she was exiled and ended up reduced to working as a bar waitress on [[WretchedHive Cyberflox]]. She considers working with Zim (the most despised Irken ever) on Earth as barely an improvement over this. |
| 130 | * ''Fanfic/RemnantInferisDOOM'': [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Adam Taurus]] starts out as the deadliest member of the White Fang. Come Chapter 20, and he gets beaten by the Doom Slayer, his Semblance stolen by Marcus Black, and he's made into the demon cult's errand boy. He's reduced to a pathetic wreck who can no longer fight and has lost any and all respect within the White Fang. |
| 131 | * ''Fanfic/StarsFade'' begins with [[Franchise/MassEffect Commander Shepard]] being flung into [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII Kirkwall]] - and almost immediately being mistaken for a corpse and robbed of all her gear by the locals. Though she survives, the saviour of the Citadel and the champion of the free galaxy is left as a penniless nobody on an alien world, struggling to recover her gear, and with almost none of the resources she had as a badass commander. Plus, in place of her state-of-the-art warship, she's living in a shack and pissing into a bucket. However, Shepard being Shepard, she soon finds a way to claw her way back to badassery. |
| 132 | * ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'': In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/423627/bitter-sweet Bitter / Sweet]]'', Worthy's Chocolate was the oldest chocolate shop in Equestria. Its founder and the first few generations of the family gave Worthy's Chocolate a reputation for perfect chocolate. Over the centuries, they expanded their operations and became renowned across all of Equestria. However, in the last couple of centuries, the Worthy family prioritized making bits over making chocolate (with Cutie Marks to reflect that). It all came crashing down when new customers actually tasted their chocolate and realized it was terrible -- a consequence of embracing automation, cheaper ingredients, and unskilled labor. The Worthy brand name soon lost its appeal and became a joke. By the time the fic takes place, the first and now last Worthy's Chocolate shop is closing down for the night for the last time. |
| 133 | * ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Gecko Moria's state as this is emphasized compared to his depiction in ''Manga/OnePiece'', with [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade an increased attention]] to how psychologically scarred he was by seeing his companions slaughtered by Kaido. Even Luffy bluntly assesses that Moria is, to all practical purposes, ''dead'' and simply hasn't had the decency to lay down in his coffin yet, instead continuing to sail the seas and hurt others in a hollow attempt to avoid his own pain and misery. Not even undergoing a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening can help Moria overcome just how damaged he is, and he's ultimately left broken and defeated for the second time. |
| 134 | * ''Fanfic/TopOfTheLineEditorBug'': By ''The Remedy'', Tak has gone from Zim's dangerous rival to working as a lowly mechanic on Aggrage 9, being constantly berated by her [[FantasticRacism bigoted]] boss. Zim is [[WorthyOpponent deeply offended by this]] and tries to rile her up back to her old self. [[spoiler: By the end of the story, [[SubvertedTrope she's brainwashed said boss and is now running the planet]], intending to eventually return to her old lifestyle once she's bored of this.]] |
| 135 | [[/folder]] |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 138 | * At the end of ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'', child actress [[BitchInSheepsClothing Darla]] [[EnfanteTerrible Dimple]] [[spoiler:loses her career and becomes a janitor]]. |
| 139 | * After he is sent back home in disgrace at the end of ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' for his attempted takeover of Arendelle, [[spoiler:Hans]] is shown mucking the royal stables as punishment in ''WesternAnimation/FrozenFever'' (and forced to do it in the same clothes he wore during his visit). When a sickly Elsa attempts to blow the birthday horn for her sister Anna on the latter's birthday, she accidentally sneezes a giant snowball into it instead, where it knocks [[spoiler:Hans]] into a wagon full of RoadApples much to the amusement of the horses. |
| 140 | * A hash demotion awaits the Mayor of Frank at the end of ''Film/OsmosisJones'' once his role in Thrax's presence and Frank's near-death is revealed, reducing him to a janitor scrubbing the filthy walkways in Frank's colon. The film ends with him undergoing one last bit of humiliation; when he hits a button marked "do not touch", he triggers a fart and is accidentally expelled from Frank's body by it. |
| 141 | * Yzma from ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', who goes from scary sorceress of the palace at the start of the movie to itty bitty kitten by the end. |
| 142 | * Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' with Jean-Bob; he's convinced that he's a [[Literature/TheFrogPrince human prince turned into a frog by evil magic]], but the films show he's just a regular frog with delusions of grandeur. |
| 143 | * [[spoiler:Brushogun]] in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansTroubleInTokyo''. [[spoiler:Once the most feared supervillain in Tokyo, it turns out that the supposed BigGood, Commander Uehara Daizo, actually captured him years if not ''decades'' ago and secretly forced him to exploit his ink-based MookMaker powers to create fake supervillains that Daizo and his "Tokyo Troopers" could capture, all for the sake of advancing Daizo's career. By the time Robin and the Teen Titans find him, he's a shriveled, elderly-looking wreck of a man, physically and mentally broken by years of mistreatment. He even reveals he deliberately sent one of his ink minions to Jump City, hoping he could lure the Teen Titans to Tokyo so they could be manipulated into freeing him, and the film ends with him dying of strain after Daizo [[HijackedByGanon hijacks his powers to assume a monstrous form capable of battling the Titans]].]] |
| 144 | [[/folder]] |
| 145 | |
| 146 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 147 | * ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': [[spoiler:After the TimeSkip, Thor's depression and trauma have made him into a shell of his former self. He's [[FormerlyFit drastically out of shape]], [[DrowningMySorrows living on pizza and alcohol]], and [[{{Hikikomori}} almost never leaves his house]], trading in noble battles against the forces of evil for [[ComedicSociopathy threatening children]] who beat his friends at ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}''. Bruce and Rocket are especially taken aback.]] |
| 148 | * The French war movie ''Film/CaptainConan'' (1996) ends with the title character, a fearless soldier and leader of men, as a debilitated shell of a man from illness. |
| 149 | * In ''Film/CreedII'', Ivan Drago, the walking Soviet propaganda device from ''Film/RockyIV'' and one of the strongest boxers of his time, has been reduced to living destitute in the streets of Kiev, Ukraine with his son Viktor in the decades since [[YouHaveFailedMe he was defeated by Rocky on Soviet ground]]. [[spoiler:His downfall culminated in ''his wife divorcing him'', forcing him to raise Viktor alone.]] He now tirelessly trains Viktor to be a boxer hoping to restore his reputation. |
| 150 | * ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'': At the beginning of the film, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, James Bond's biggest ArchEnemy, suddenly resurfaced years after laying low with a plan to exact revenge on 007 for foiling his numerous schemes and causing the downfall of his criminal organization. By this time, he's not only nearing bankruptcy, but he's also [[EvilCripple permanently crippled]], presumably from the exploding oil rig at the end of ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. In a few minutes of screentime, he [[MurderByRemoteControlVehicle attempts to kill 007 via a remote-controlled helicopter]] while the latter is visiting the grave of his dead wife. But when Bond naturally disconnects the wire that allowed Blofeld to control the chopper, Blofeld [[VillainousBreakdown panics]], ''[[VillainsWantMercy pathetically]] [[AintTooProudToBeg pleading with 007]] [[DirtyCoward to spare him]]'' (but all he can offer is a delicatessen with stainless-steel fittings), but Bond won't have any and drops him off an industrial smokestack, killing him for good. |
| 151 | * Happens to the entire Dwarven race in ''Film/TheHobbit''. Their kingdom in the mountain, Erebor, was once one of the (if not ''the'') wealthiest, mightiest and most industrious city-states in Middle Earth. Then the dragon Smaug came and sacked it single-handedly, leaving the Dwarves as a destitute and scattered people, wandering the wilderness. Their prince, Thorin, is shown ironically labouring away in a human smithy just to scrape enough money to get by. |
| 152 | * In the [[CrapsackWorld slowly dying future Earth]] of ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} the New York Yankees]] have been reduced to a barnstorming team of college-age players and local stars. |
| 153 | * TruthInTelevision example from ''Film/TheLastEmperor'', in which an aging Puyi returns to the Forbidden City as an ex-convict tourist, to view the throne from which he'd once reigned. |
| 154 | * ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960'': Two of the Seven have wound up on the scrap heap and take the job to defend the villagers for lack of better options. |
| 155 | ** Bernardo O'Reilly was a well-paid BountyHunter who, after some unknown event, was reduced to being a woodcutter. |
| 156 | ** Lee was once a dangerous gunfighter whose life has led him to become paranoid and lonely, reduced to living in stables because innkeepers are afraid of the losses they'll incur if they let him have a room. His skills have washed up as well; while observing three flies he muses that in his prime he would have caught all three. |
| 157 | * ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' introduces Commodore James Norrington as a well-respected and handsome high-ranking member of the Navy who also shows to be a good person by appreciating Will's and Elizabeth's relationship besides wanting to marry the latter earlier in the movie. When he shows up again in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', he's wasted, drunk and incredibly aggressive thanks to having lost everything including his rank after letting Jack Sparrow escape at the end of the first movie. He's desperate enough to willingly join Jack's crew and help find the heart of Davy Jones. |
| 158 | * ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire''. Schreck reads the book ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' in order to study for his role 'playing' a vampire and is saddened by the scene where Dracula leaves a meal for Jonathan Harker. Schreck then remembers when he used to have servants to do such tasks for him, which reminds him of when he had a wife, family, estates, etc, whereas now he's just a scavenger living in a ruined castle. |
| 159 | * One scene in ''Film/SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' shows the burial of one of the older enlisted men of the regiment. He is revealed to be a former Confederate general. |
| 160 | * Khan in ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''. He went from being a leader in the Eugenics Wars and ruler of India to being stranded on a dead world, leading to his desire for revenge on Kirk. |
| 161 | -->"On Earth, two hundred years ago, I was a prince with power over millions..." |
| 162 | * A recurring theme in ''Franchise/StarWars'': |
| 163 | ** The Jedi go from the mighty [[TheChosenMany mystical guardians]] of the Republic to fugitives being hunted down by a tyrannical Empire they unwittingly helped create, all because of the schemes of a single Sith Lord. If they were lucky enough to survive [[ThePurge Order 66]] to begin with. Obi-Wan serves as microcosm of their fall from grace; during the Prequel era, he's one of the greatest, most beloved Jedi around, but by the time of ''Film/ANewHope'', he's a destitute hermit in a desert carrying a lonely vigil over the son of the man who ruined his life. |
| 164 | ** The Republic itself was once a bastion of freedom and peace in the galaxy. By the time of the Prequel Trilogy, [[VestigialEmpire it has begun falling into decay and obsolescence]] as it grows far too [[ObstructiveBureaucracy byzantine]] and fraught with corruption to function properly. Palpatine takes advantage of this decay to conquer the Republic from within. Even after [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi the Empire's fall]], the newly reformed Republic is still a shadow of its former self, too caught up in slowly rebuilding to deal with [[Film/TheForceAwakens the rising threat of the First Order]]. |
| 165 | ** Darth Maul's character arc over the course of the franchise sees him go from being [[TheDragon the right hand]] of one of the greatest Sith Lords in history to a pathetic, broken-down old man who's lost everything he ever cared about and is mostly kept going by an utterly pointless quest for revenge. [[spoiler:In the end, he dies on a backwater planet [[AlasPoorVillain in the arms]] of [[{{Archenemy}} his hated nemesis]], having [[AllForNothing accomplished nothing but hurting himself and everyone around him]].]] |
| 166 | ** Throughout the Sequel Trilogy, General Hux gradually falls from [[KnightOfCerebus an intimidating and powerful leader who commands the respect of legions]] to [[ButtMonkey a pitiful loser who is abused and hated by allies and enemies alike]] as everything that could possibly go wrong for him ''does''. [[spoiler:Eventually [[VillainousBreakdown it pushes him over the deep end]] and [[TheMole he winds up sabotaging his own side]] for no other reason than pure hatred and spite, which ends in him being executed for treason.]] |
| 167 | * ''Film/TheThirdMan''. Baron Kurtz now works as a black marketeer in post-war Vienna. |
| 168 | * Megatron in the ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'', by the third film, he's been left grievously wounded by Prime at the end of the previous film, scheming and hiding out in Africa. |
| 169 | * ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'': According to WordOfGod, William Munny ''is'' [[Film/DollarsTrilogy the Man with No Name]]. That means the fastest gunman in the west, who [[Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly once had a bounty of 100,000 Confederator dollars to his name]] and [[Film/ForAFewDollarsMore killed the entire El Indio Gang for their bounties]]... is now just an old pig farmer with arthritis who can't get on a horse or even ''shoot straight anymore''. The film is the last, tragic chapter in the old gunslinger's story. |
| 170 | * ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou''. Russian Grand Duchess Olga Katrina works as a waitress at Child's restaurant. Her uncle the Grand Duke is an elevator operator. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 174 | %%* ''Literature/TheAeneid'': The sentiment is expressed. "Quantum mutatus ab illo / Hectore" [[note]]How changed from what he was!" [[/note]] |
| 175 | * ''Literature/AgeOfFire'' has several examples of this: |
| 176 | ** When Auron first meets the dwarven Chartered Company, his friend Djer describes it as [[NGOSuperpower being more powerful than some nations]]. However, after their devastating war with [[BigBad the Wrymmaster's]] forces, they are left as a shadow of their former self. |
| 177 | ** Which is nothing compared to their rivals, the Wheel of Fire. After [[GuileHero Wistala]] engineers their downfall, all that's left is small groups huddling in filthy squalor and starvation, hiding from the many vengeful enemies they've made over the years. |
| 178 | ** By the end of the fifth book, ''Dragon Rule'', this is the case of [[AntiVillain the Copper]], as [[spoiler: he's ousted in a coup and exiled from his own empire, with [[IHaveYourWife his mate held hostage]] to ensure he stays gone. This leaves him in a depression that lasts ''twelve years'' until he learns of a group of dragons living independent of the empire, which [[HesBack inspires him to take back what's his]].]] |
| 179 | * ''Literature/TheAldabreshinCompass'' by Juliet E [=McKenna=]: An incidence of this being the HappyEnding occurswith [[spoiler: warlord Kheda having lost two separate kingdoms but is now free to be with the woman he loves and travel as he wishes instead of being tied to his throne]]. |
| 180 | * ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'': The third act operates on this for VillainProtagonist Alex, a [[TheSociopath vicious criminal]] (in the first act) whose [[ColdBloodedTorture "treatment" in jail]] has rendered him incapable of even thinking about a violent act without becoming cripplingly ill. It becomes particularly noticeable when some of his old peers find him being mercilessly beaten by [[ItMakesSenseInContext the elderly]] and then decide to beat on him themselves -- all of these people he'd easily crushed earlier in the story. |
| 181 | * ''Literature/{{Edgedancer}}'' (a novella of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''): A retroactive example -- after facing Nale, Lift gets a glimpse of what he was like before immortality and guilt drove him insane. The difference between the intelligent, honorable Herald he was and the AxCrazy lunatic he is now is rather dramatic. |
| 182 | * ''Literature/GodsBehavingBadly'' by Marie Phillips: The Greek Gods are holed up in a dilapidated house in contemporary London, much diminished in power because [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly no-one believes in them anymore]], what with "the upstart carpenter" and all. |
| 183 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Mrs. Rowling may like this trope. |
| 184 | ** Grindelwald was the most powerful dark wizard of his era, so dangerous only Dumbledore stood a chance at defeating him. When Voldemort goes to question him about the Elder Wand, he's been kept in prison for so long that he's little more than an emaciated wreck, possessing none of his former power. |
| 185 | ** This happens to Voldemort twice. Before the story proper, a miscalculation on his part leaves him as little more than a shade, powerless and desperately clinging to life. Had Quirrel not found him, it's likely the story would have ended there, but he manages to regain both his power and followers as well as a physical form. Then Harry defeats him again, and the last we see of him is little more than an ugly, misshapen thing trapped at the threshold of death and unable to move on. |
| 186 | * One of the two fates offered by ''Literature/HistoriaBrittonum'' for King Vortigern, the supreme ruler of Britain blamed for bringing the Saxons to Britain, is that he was dethroned and ostracized by his former subjects, so |
| 187 | -->"... that, deserted and a wanderer, he sought a place of refuge, until broken-hearted, he made an ignominious end." |
| 188 | * The Authors of ''Literature/TheHouseOfNight'' tend to favour the BreakTheHaughty method: |
| 189 | ** Aphrodite went from being the most popular fledgling, High Priestess-in-training, dating the hottest guy at the House of Night to being friendless, completely powerless, and spending her meal times sitting out in the courtyard eating alone. |
| 190 | ** Rephaim -- "The favourite son of an ancient immortal reduced to hiding in refuse and talking to the ghost of a human child." |
| 191 | * In [[Literature/JacquesMcKweon Jacques McKweon]] by Creator/BenCroshaw, star-pilots lost their purpose after quantunnelling made the job obsolete. Those who were once heroes who explored space and saved worlds were now homeless bums who either gave cheap transport for tourists or have "gone to the black" and were now space pirates. |
| 192 | * ''Literature/KentuckyFriedPolitics'': Post-reelection in a landslide, the Denton administration is riding high on both the capture of Gaddafi and managing the US through the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with an approval rating of 91%. Then, [[spoiler: an avalanche of scandals involving members of his Cabinet come to light along with his part in covering them up, and after a mid-term "donkey tidal wave" turning both chambers of Congress Democratic, Denton decides to resign before he can be impeached, with an approval rating of just 25%]]. |
| 193 | * Antichrist villain Nicolae Carpathia in the ''Literature/LeftBehind'' book series went from being a terrifying EvilOverlord who ruled the world with an iron fist and Satan indwelt to a pathetic and humiliated rotting shell of a human being who has to suffer for eternity in the Lake of Fire. |
| 194 | * According to the ''Legend of Belisarius'', the Eastern Roman general Belisarius ended up as a blind beggar on the streets of Rome. |
| 195 | * In the historical short story ''Literature/{{Limes}}'' the protagonist is a Roman patrician visiting the city two centuries after the fall of the Western Empire. He laments how Rome is in ruins: the once-mighty senators, those who have made and decided history, are now deprived of their meaning and doing just mundane burocracy, the ancient forum is in a state of disrepair with sheep and goats grazing there. |
| 196 | * ''Literature/TheLordOfBembibre'': During a tense discussion with the Abbot of Carracedo, Don Álvaro smugly gloats that obliterating the Templar Knights' fortress is an undertaking beyond of their enemies' forces. Annoyed, the abbot leads him to a window and shows him a heap of ruins upon a nearby hill-- ''Bergidum'', which was one of the most important and wealthiest cities in the Spanish Northwest during the Roman occupation, ten centuries ago. Mercilessly the abbot points out that the Romans were powerful and arrogant, right like the Templars, and still their mighty empire fell and was destroyed. |
| 197 | -->"Take a good look," said the monk, "take a good look at one of the great and many sepulchres enclosing the skeletons of that town of giants. They, too, in their pride and injustice turned against God, as your Templars have done. Go therefore, as I have gone amid the silence of the night, and ask these ruins about the greatness of their lords. The whistling of the wind and the howling of the wolf will not fail to give you an answer." |
| 198 | * In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Saruman starts out as the leader of the White Council, the strongest of the wizards, and a divine agent of sorts. When he undergoes a FaceHeelTurn, he manages to rally an army numbering in the tens of thousands and come close to laying low a powerful kingdom, for the sake of a larger plan to reshape the fate of the entire world and lay dominion over all men. However, over the course of only a few days, his army is destroyed, as is his base of operations, and a newly-strengthened Gandalf strips him of his rank and casts him out of the order, taking away most of his power in the process. Overnight, he is reduced to having to beg and barter his way back to the Shire (a land he dismissed as an insignificant backwater) and ends up reorganizing his old spying network to take the place over. Effectively, he ends up going from a leader of armies who [[VisionaryVillain sought to bend the world to his vision]] to the head of a gang of ruffians with no greater motive than spite. Even that doesn't last long before it crumbles. |
| 199 | * This is the premise for the protagonist of ''Literature/LucifersStar'' by Creator/CTPhipps. Cassius Mass is the greatest starpilot in the galaxy, a genetically engineered superhuman, and a nobleman who might as well be a Prince. The first chapter strips him of everything and then it is a TraumaCongaLine after that, culminating in him becoming a BrokenAce who works as an alcoholic navigator on a freighter. |
| 200 | * ''Literature/TheMachineGunners'': Having received a crushing defeat from schoolyard rival Chas [=McGill=], [[TheBully Boddser Brown]] finds his [[GangOfBullies followers]] have deserted him, people are no longer afraid of him and openly mock his turban-like bandages and his position of power and popularity at school is gone. |
| 201 | * Young George Amberson Minafer of ''Film/TheMagnificentAmbersons'' suffered this when his 'rich' grandfather died and it turned out that he had lost all his fortune and he just didn't tell him for the sake of pride. He went from living in a gorgeous mansion to living in a boarding house with a job involving explosives. |
| 202 | * Kallor in ''Literature/TheMalazanBookOfTheFallen'' once ruled a kingdom that spanned two continents, but was such a monster that his mages were willing to destroy a continent in the hopes of killing him. He survived the devastation and was later cursed to [[AgeWithoutYouth live forever]] and fail at whatever task he took upon himself as punishment for exterminating his own huge empire; man, woman, and child by the millions when he knew it would be taken away by beings more powerful. |
| 203 | * ''Literature/TheMisfitOfDemonKingAcademy'': When Emilia Lud(o)well first appeared she was a powerful but racist pure blooded demon teacher. After Anos manages to reincarnate her as a [[KarmicTransformation mixed-blood demon]], she had [[{{Depower}} no power]] outside of being cursed to revive as a hybrid each time she died, she loses her job as a teacher, [[RichesToRags she was penniless]], and the most [[ShamefulStrip humiliating thing about]] it was that [[NakedOnRevival she was entirely nude]] and did not have anything to wear until she attained rags by the time she returns to the story. |
| 204 | * Arch-Imager Vagel from ''Literature/MordantsNeed''. Once the most powerful Imager in the world and arch-enemy of BigGood King Joyce during the founding of Mordant, at the start of the series, many believe that he's the mastermind behind the recent troubles. Once he actually appears, it turns out that he's a wreck, passively serving the real mastermind [[spoiler:Eremis]] in the dreary hope that by doing so he'll at least get to see the people who brought him low fall. In the end [[spoiler:even his final defeat is anticlimactic. While Gilbur goes down fighting and Eremis gets satisfyingly HoistByHisOwnPetard, Vagel is last seen fleeing in panic from a crazy old man, who then kills him off-screen by impaling him on a tree branch]]. |
| 205 | * A recurring theme in the ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'' books; John Taylor notes that even gods can end up living on the streets. Herne the Hunter is one of the biggest examples. |
| 206 | * Creator/WilliamWordsworth's poem, "On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic": |
| 207 | -->"And what if she had seen those glories fade,\ |
| 208 | Those titles vanish, and that strength decay;\ |
| 209 | Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid\ |
| 210 | When her long life hath reached its final day:\ |
| 211 | Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade\ |
| 212 | Of that which once was great is passed away." |
| 213 | * ''Literature/ParadiseLost'' goes for both of them because Creator/JohnMilton loves his erudition: "If thou be'est he but oh how fallen / How changed..." |
| 214 | * In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/ThePhoenixOnTheSword", Thoth-amon used to be a powerful magician, until he lost his RingOfPower. Then he had to flee for his life and ended up being MadeASlave. |
| 215 | * In ''Literature/PosterGirl'' after the tyrannical Delegation was overthrown, the surviving elite of the Regime was locked into a ghetto called the Aperture, where the boredom and hopelessness of the situation drove many into a desperate hedonism, and several died of overdosing on self created drugs and moonshine. The main character, Sonya Kantor, used to be the regimes titular Poster Girl the face of it`s propaganda. Now she spends her days growing vegtables in a makeshift garden and fixing old pieces of technology for her fellow inmates. |
| 216 | * Vicar Zahmsyn Trynair starts the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' series as one of the driving members of the antagonistic church leaders known as the Group of Four. His position as Chancellor makes him the man in charge of Mother Church's diplomacy. As the series progresses, he never loses that position but between the escalation of the war with the protagonist Empire of Charis being managed by Captain General Allayn Maigwair, fear of reprisal following the naked power grabs by Grand Inquisitor Zhaspahr Clyntahn, and Treasurer Rhobair Duchairn being the only one willing to stand up to Clyntahn, Trynair's relevance vanishes to the point that he is essentially another of Clyntahn's lackeys. Duchairn notes by that point that for all intents they've become the Group of Three. [[spoiler:In the end, he ends up arrested and executed for heresy after saying that they've lost the jihad and need to reach a negotiated settlement with Charis now if the Group of Four wants to survive within Clytahn's hearing.]] |
| 217 | * Ozymandias in Creator/PercyByssheShelley's famous poem (the point being that such a fate is ''inevitable''): |
| 218 | -->"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:\ |
| 219 | LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"\ |
| 220 | Nothing beside remains. Round the decay\ |
| 221 | Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare\ |
| 222 | The lone and level sands stretch far away |
| 223 | * ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible'': Baron Ether. Not only the most powerful villain of his generation, he was the first recorded supervillain in history, being active during the Victorian Era. He once even held the entire nation of England hostage in a ploy to conquer the world. When he's introduced during the story proper, he's been imprisoned in his own mansion by his archenemy the Mechanist, though other villains seem to have little problem breaking in to ask his advice. He's also been crippled by rampant mutations and mystical maladies from his years of dabbling in evil science to the point that any further attempts at arch-villainy are well beyond his capability. |
| 224 | * ''Literature/SnowCrash'': Chuck Wrightson. Once the president of Kenai and Kodiak, now a homeless drunk. |
| 225 | * The anthology book '''Super Heroes''' features a short story called "A Clean Sweep" by Laurell K. Hamilton about a superhero named Captain Housework. Once a paragon of cleaning justice who fought the Dust Bunny Gang, Johnny Oil-Slick, and The Scuzz, these days the Captain has been relegated to cleaning up messes normal people make, including acting as a cleaning service for wealthy socialites too lazy to clean their own homes before parties. Faced with such a future, the good Captain snaps and massacres the party-goers, leaving behind the cleanest, most well-polished bones the coroner had ever seen. |
| 226 | * The German ballad "Trutz, blanke Hans!" by Detlev von Liliencron, about the rich city Rungholt wiped out by the Northern Sea. ("Blanke Hans"[[note]]"White Jack" or "Naked Jack", etymologically unclear[[/note]] is an AffectionateNickname for the sea.) You may mentally exchange Rungholt with Atlantis, Vineta, etc. |
| 227 | * In ''Literature/{{Updraft}}'', Tobiat, a scruffy, mad-seeming vagrant in Kirit's home tower, was once one of the exalted Singers, the closest thing the city has to rulers. |
| 228 | * In the fourth ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' book the recently overthrown former Amyrlin exploits this trope in order to get past a guard and flee the city: |
| 229 | -->Yesterday, I was perhaps the most powerful ruler in the entire world, able to summon kings and queens and have them answer; today, I must hope I can find a farm where I will be allowed to sleep in the barn. Whatever crimes you think I have committed, isn't this punishment enough? |
| 230 | * ''The Wrath of God'', a novel by Jack Higgins (this trope seems to involve lots of wrath!) Janos, a grossly overweight ex-soldier in the Hungarian imperial guard, now working as an ArmsDealer in 1920s Mexico, curses the glandular problem that caused his fall from grace. |
| 231 | [[/folder]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 234 | * In ''Series/{{Angel}}'', Illyria used to be worshiped by millions and held dominion over multiple dimensions. Due to her reincarnation in a [[PunyHumans mortal body]], as of series' end, she's capable of being defeated by a minion of creatures she previously barely noticed. And the closest thing she has to a worshiper just drinks a lot and called her a smurf. |
| 235 | * ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Malcolm Merlyn was once a billionaire and a well-beloved citizen of Star(ling) City, while also a diabolical mastermind that was planning to destroy the Glades for revenge for his wife's murder and a skilled enough combatant to hand Oliver Queen (who was no slouch in Season 1) his ass in one-on-one combat. By the end of Season 4, he's legally dead and has lost his company and reputation "post-mortem", his plan to destroy the Glades has killed his son, his daughter hates him, and Oliver has become so skilled that he can casually curb-stop him in a ''sword duel'', to the point that he has to ''hold back'' so he doesn't accidentally kill Malcolm, and settles for cutting off his hand instead. In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' Season 2, when Eobard Thawne and Past!Damien Darhk arrive at his dilapidated apartment to recruit him, he's on his couch, nursing a drink, and lamenting his status as a JadedWashout. His existence has become so pitiful that [[spoiler:after the Legion of Doom is defeated, Sara doesn't even bother punishing him further and instead just sends him back to his crappy apartment. Not long afterwards in the Season 5 finale, he commits a HeroicSacrifice to save Thea's life and kill Digger Harkness]]. |
| 236 | * ''Series/BreakingBad'': Walter White is hit HARD by this in the series' antepenultimate episode, fittingly titled "[[LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair Ozymandias]]". After spending five seasons building up his drug empire and sacrificing all of his morality to do so, we see every sin and mistake he's made in the series come back all at once. By the end of the episode, [[spoiler:a former close family member is dead, the rest of his family have all had their lives ruined, all of them despise him (or in the case of his baby daughter, [[IWantMyMommy would rather stay with her mother]]), and he becomes one of the most wanted men in America and is forced to go on the run.]] Its use of this trope was so hard-hitting that it's led to it being called one of the best episodes of television ever made. |
| 237 | ** Hector Salamanca is also portrayed as this. Within flashbacks and in ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', Hector is portrayed as one of Don Eladio's biggest and most feared enforcers as well as one of the heads of the cartel. After being dealt with a stroke, he's reduced to nothing more than an old man in a wheelchair who's mocked by his boss and whose only form of communication is a bell. |
| 238 | ** The prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' also does this to Saul Goodman, Chuck [=McGill=], [[spoiler:Howard Hamlin and Kim Wexler]]. |
| 239 | *** As we have seen in ''Breaking Bad'', Saul used to be ''the'' criminal lawyer you can go to if you wanted to get away scot-free, which Walt and Jesse used in order to cover up their growing criminal enterprise, with Saul also being a genuinely good lawyer to use the law as per the client's needs, if required. The opening of ''Better Call Saul'' reveals that "Gene Takavic" has become a mere shell of the bombastic, larger-than-life character we saw earlier, instead becoming a paranoid wreck who always has to look over his shoulders for any signs of the Heisenberg Empire's crimes catching up to him. |
| 240 | *** Chuck used to be one of the greatest lawyers in America, to the point that HHM, a law firm he founded with a partner is a legitimate powerhouse in New Mexico. Rival firms appreciated his input and knowledge, and employees looked up to him, including his brother Jimmy (future Saul Goodman). He is introduced having to stay due to his electromagnetic hypersensitivity. [[spoiler:After conning Jimmy into admitting forgery, Jimmy ''humiliates'' him in front of a bar hearing after exposing his EHS as a mental illness, and then after tipping the insurance company about Chuck's problems, he gets kicked out of HHM after threatening to sue, days after which he kills himself. A few years later, Howard is fondly reminiscing about Chuck to an intern in front of Chuck's portrait, only for the intern to sheepishly ask who the old guy in the portrait is. Chuck's legacy has faded into such obscurity that even people working at the firm he founded have never heard of him. Howard answers that he was the greatest lawyer he's ever known, and the intern, impressed, says he hopes someone says that about him someday. Howard suddenly gets very quiet as he turns back to the portrait and solemnly remarks that "maybe there are more important things" for the intern to aspire to.]] |
| 241 | *** [[spoiler:Howard Hamlin similarly is introduced as the leader of HHM, commanding a lot of respect and stature. After Chuck is exposed at the bar hearing, Howard's reputation slips due to hiding his condition from the clients. And later on, as Kim and Jimmy con him due to siding with Chuck earlier, he gets framed as a coke addict who frequents prostitutes, which also becomes his permanent legacy after Lalo kills him. At least until the series finale, where Kim's guilt gets the better of her and she finally confesses everything she and Jimmy did to him. Though since the finale takes place after ''Breaking Bad'', and therefore Howard's reputation has had a good few years in the toilet, it's unlikely to make much of a difference.]] |
| 242 | *** [[spoiler:Kim is introduced as a highly capable lawyer who wanted to make a difference for the little guy, eventually rising to become the head attorney for Mesa Verde, and partnering up with Schweikart and Cokely so that she can not only help Mesa Verde but also fulfill her dreams as a defender capable of giving poor people justice. After Howard angers her over a minor slight, Kim decides to ruin his life to show him, which results in Howard's death at Lalo's hands while Howard was calling them out on it, leading to a long VillainousBreakdown for her as Lalo manipulates her into try and kill Gus in hopes that Mike and his men get rid of her as well, at Howard's funeral, Kim gaslighting his widow is the final straw, leading her to retire from law, divorce Jimmy and distance herself from him, eroding all her progress in the series, with Saul only mentioning her in passing in ''Breaking Bad''.]] |
| 243 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': |
| 244 | ** When first introduced in Season 2, Spike is a well-established HeroKiller and a ''very'' dangerous threat to Buffy and the Scoobies. Come Season 3, he's a drunken wreck after Drusilla dumps him, and it's taken even further in Season 4; after being captured by the Initiative and implanted with a [[RestrainingBolt cerebral microchip]] that prevents him from harming humans, he becomes the series' ButtMonkey and tries to stake himself. |
| 245 | ** Angel/Angelus suffered a similar fall. In the past, he was ''the'' most evil and brutal vampire in recorded history... until his soul was restored by a GypsyCurse. From there, he began a downward spiral while WalkingTheEarth, until Whistler finds him on the streets of New York, living in the gutters and [[ReducedToRatburgers feeding on rats]]. Seeing Buffy and [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne her struggles as the Slayer]] inspires Angel to claw his way back up and make something of himself again. |
| 246 | * Creator/ConanOBrien discussed this trope in his opening skit to the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards, mocking Creator/{{NBC}} in the Broadway-style musical number "[[Theatre/TheMusicMan Trouble At NBC]]". As he sang in the song, NBC was once a powerhouse with ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', and ''Series/{{Friends}}''. By 2006, the network was fourth among the big networks, with scripted programs being cancelled left right and center and the sole big name -- that wasn't considered a complete washed-up has been -- on the primetime roster was Creator/HowieMandel[[note]]even then, he was coming back from a long, fallow period and was better known for being TerrifiedOfGerms[[/note]]. |
| 247 | * ''Series/TheFlash2014'': Around a year or so before the beginning of the series when Barry Allen was a Junior CSI, Ralph Dibny was a handsome and well-respected detective of the CCPD. Then, during a case eerily reminiscent of Nora Allen's murder, he planted evidence to get the primary suspect (who he believed to be guilty) convicted. While Ralph was being lauded as a hero, Barry, suspicious of how suddenly that evidence popped up, analyzed it, found it fabricated, and busted Ralph, getting him fired. Now, in the show's original timeline, Ralph's troubles more-or-less ended there because he was killed by the Particle Accelerator Explosion. However, he was revived thanks to Flashpoint, and life continued downhill for him. When we finally meet him in Season 4, he's a sleazy PrivateDetective whose [[FormerlyFit once-chiseled physique has turned into a beer belly]] and is so poor he can't even afford ''bus fare'', plus spending most of his debut episode as a ButtMonkey. Barry's reappearance in his life is a bitter reminder of how bad things have been for him for the last few years, and ironically the moment when things finally start to turn around for him. |
| 248 | * ''[[Franchise/ASongOfIceAndFire Game of Thrones]]'' universe: |
| 249 | ** ''Series/GameOfThrones'': |
| 250 | *** House Targaryen was once a mighty dynasty ruling Westeros for hundreds of years (as seen in ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'') [[DragonRider using dragons]]. The dragons went extinct, and the Baratheon-led rebellion reduced the family to just Viserys and Daenerys, with Viserys even begging for an army in Essos in the hope of [[RightfulKingReturns reconquering the Iron Throne]]. It's ultimately Daenerys who has the biggest shot at doing the latter, starting when she magically makes the three dragon eggs she owns hatch. |
| 251 | *** After Jaime loses his hand, this happens to him both figuratively and literally. |
| 252 | *** The entire series is essentially this for all of House Lannister. At one point the true power behind the Iron Throne, come the series finale they have practically lost everything. Their gold mines have run dry, leaving them impoverished, their name has been shamed thanks to the antics of Joffrey and Cersei (among which include Cersei's OpenSecret affair with Jaime and ''spectacular'' destruction of the Sept of Baelor using Mad King Aerys' wildfire caches), and finally, they're borderline ''extinct'', with the sole remaining Lannister, Tyrion, having become celibate in the wake of his former lover Shae's death. As if to rub even more salt into the wound, Tyrion is pressganged into becoming Hand of the King to Brandon Stark, the same boy Jaime threw out the window in the first episode, which started the DisasterDominoes that led to House Lannister's downfall. |
| 253 | *** By the end, this has happened to ''all'' of Westeros. [[spoiler:The Night King is dead, which has obliterated his army and Westeros' supernatural cycle of seasons. Daenerys went insane and was put down, ending the mystical prophecies of the Dothraki for good while leading the Unsullied to their doom, and Drogon leaves with her. Cersei died ignobly with none willing to obey her and the only person she ever cared about crushed by her weakness. All the other nobles are forced to come up with a new system of government or risk further succession crises destroying what is left. By the end, Bran the Broken has won... but can no longer care, giving governance to a council consisting of commoners and businessmen, meaning the age of Kings has subtly come to a true end. And the wildfolk, once a magnificent collection of clans, is now reduced to a few hundred - but the wilds are theirs alone to re-conquer and the border is permanently open for them to prosper in trade.]] So, in a strange twist, by bringing Westeros humiliatingly low, it has also overcome the fear and misery that has plagued its grand halls since the beginning. |
| 254 | ** Happens as ForegoneConclusion to some families seen in the {{prequel}} ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'', namely House Hightower, House Velaryon and House Strong. None of them is a power player anymore over a century and a half after the events of the series (they're hardly even mentioned in ''Game of Thrones''). |
| 255 | * ''Series/TheGlory'': As a famous wealthy and influential family, [[LikeMotherLikeDaughter Park Yeon-Jin, along with her mother, Young-Ae,]] thought they could forever be untouchable as they spent season 1 and earlier episodes of season 2 "buying everyone's silence" to get away from their crimes. Even she ever gloated to [[TheWoobie Dong-Eun]] that no matter how hard the latter tries to seek helps and justice, Dong-Eun would remain a loser. Nevertheless, when their crimes/sins start coming to surface, Yeon-Jin eventually lose one by one of everything she holds dear or takes pride on; her colleagues, her career, her friends, her own family; [[spoiler:her husband divorced her and her daughter disowned her. Even her mother eventually decides to sell her out]] when Dong-Eun blackmails the former, much to her chagrin. To rub salt into her wound, despite Yeon-Jin and her mom are sent to the same jail and running into each other, her mom consciously ignores her (implied to have disowned her), much to Yeon-Jin's utter dismay. Thus, Yeon-Jin ends up utterly alone in jail. |
| 256 | * Invoked in NBC's ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'' when Dr. Lecter is finally behind bars. Facing the new warden, [[spoiler:Dr. Bloom]], he gets a speech warning him to stop toying with Will Graham: |
| 257 | -->''"I know what you're afraid of. It's not pain or solitude. It's indignity. You're a little bit like a cat that way. I'll take your books, I'll take your drawings, I'll take your toilet. You'll have nothing but indignity and the company of the dead."'' |
| 258 | * ''Series/HouseOfSaddam'': Saddam spends the last episode hiding from US forces outside his own hometown on the Euphrates river, becoming unlikely friends with a local boy who doesn't know who the now powerless old man with the scraggly beard really is. |
| 259 | * A recurring theme in ''Series/TheMandalorian'' is how [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi the fall of the Empire]] has devastated a lot of people and factions, both those affiliated with the Empire and those who weren't, leaving the galaxy in turmoil as the New Republic transitions into power. The Bounty Hunter's Guild has been reduced to a bunch of scumbags and misfits chasing bail-jumpers, [[Film/ANewHope Mos Eisley Spaceport]] is a GhostTown, high-ranking Imperials like the Client are reduced to glorified thugs hiding in the shadows of society, and so on. On a larger scale, the Empire's Collapse has led to an economic recession thanks to [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture credits]] suffering massive devaluation, [[RichesToRags leaving many wealthy people destitute]]. |
| 260 | * ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'': In high school, Al Bundy was a football prodigy who scored four touchdowns to win the city championship in an amazing come-from-behind win. He was the BigManOnCampus due to his football prowess, was a ChickMagnet who went steady with his beautiful redheaded girlfriend Peggy, and was almost certain to become an NFL superstar on the level of John Elway or Tom Brady. Then [[DisasterDominoes he broke his leg and lost his football scholarship, was forced to marry Peg after drunkenly proposing to her and was stuck in his]] SoulSuckingRetailJob [[DisasterDominoes selling shoes because he thought]] SchoolIsForLosers and didn't have any other skills or education. In the present day, Al is a pathetic JadedWashout who's had to spend the last 30 years letting fat women shove their [[SmellyFeetGag stinking feet]] in his face while he whines about his GloryDays and [[SmallNameBigEgo thinks his four-touchdown victory still actually means something.]] |
| 261 | * In general, MTV. First showing music videos by new artists 24/7, then moving to original programming that broke barriers and experimented with new animation styles and subject matter, they now mostly show reruns of '''Ridiculousness'', ''Catfish'', and ''Jersey Shore''. |
| 262 | * The last two episodes of the second season of ''Series/{{Narcos}}'' show how far Pablo Escobar fell. Once the biggest drug kingpin in the world, the terror of Columbia, in the second to last episode Pablo spends his time puttering around his dad's isolated farm, and at one point gets covered in goat's blood and denounced by his father. In the last episode, Pablo returns to Medellin, but only has the one henchman as he hides out in his safehouse, and has to disguise himself just to get some ice cream. In both episodes, he's clearly gotten fatter and grown a nasty BeardOfSorrow. |
| 263 | * ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' not only shows the state of the [[Franchise/StarWars titular Jedi]] a decade after the events of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', but its second episode also features Nax, an [[OldSoldier aged clone trooper]] who used to be a member of the 501[-[[superscript:st]]-] before [[CareerEndingInjury getting shrapnel in his right leg]], now a homeless veteran on the streets of Daiyu who uses [[MundaneUtility his old helmet as a bucket]] when begging for credits so he can get a warm meal. |
| 264 | * ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Said by Stretch Snodgrass ([[DumbJock of all people]]) of Mr. Conklin, in the episode "Letter From The Board of Education. Walter Denton speaks the line in the [[SoundtoScreenAdaptation television remake]], "Spare That Rod". [[spoiler:Walter Denton had forged a letter threatening Mr. Conklin with dismissal for being "flagrantly dictatorial" in his disciplinary methods. Mr. Conklin was forcing himself to be meek and humble as a result.]] |
| 265 | * ''Series/{{Pennyworth}}'': At the end of the pilot, [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Raven Society]] leader Lord Harwood is captured by the government and spends the next two episodes being tortured, at the end of which he's left heavily maimed (missing a foot and his ''nose''), brainwashed into forgetting his identity, and tossed out into the street to live as a homeless beggar. Though this gets subverted shortly after, as his [[TheDragon lieutenant]] Bet Sykes finds him and nurses him back to both physical and mental health, setting him on the path to reclaiming his position as the BigBad. |
| 266 | ** It ends up happening to him again in Season 2, when [[spoiler: [[TheStarscream Colonel Salt]]]] [[{{Gaslighting}} gaslights him]], turning him into a paranoid maniac whose own troops eventually put him under indefinite house arrest [[spoiler: until he commits SuicideByCop in order to spite Salt]]. |
| 267 | * In ''Series/{{Rome}}'', the defeated king of the Gauls, Vercingetorix, is thrown before Julius Caesar, stripped of his clothes, and made to kiss the Imperial standard. Then he's dragged to Rome in a cage, displayed in a triumph and strangled. |
| 268 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek'': |
| 269 | ** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Said by Guinan of the recently [[BroughtDownToNormal depowered]] Q in the episode "Deja Q". |
| 270 | ** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': |
| 271 | *** The [[SecretPolice Obsidian Order]] was Cardassia. [[TheSpymaster Enabran Tain]] was the Obsidian Order. Not even the [[StateSec Central Command]] dared challenge him, and [[MagnificentBastard Garak]] was his official protégé. In Cardassia, it doesn't get much more powerful than that. Then Garak ended up in [[TheExile exile]] for an [[MysteriousPast unrevealed crime]], and now the Cardassians have this view of him. [[BullyingADragon Gul Toran]] even quotes this trope verbatim to him in the episode "Profit and Loss". |
| 272 | *** Dahar Master Kor suffers this in the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E07OnceMoreUntoTheBreach Once More Unto the Breach]]. Having pissed off half the Klingon empire almost no one is willing to give him a command to fight the Dominion. Being a good friend Worf appoints him a third officer on the ''Ch'tang'' over Martok's objections but when Worf and Martok are incapacitated at a critical moment Kor's deteroriating mental condition catches up with him and he almost gets the entire crew killed. The crew mocks him mercilessly but Kor regains their respect (and that of Martok's) by engaging in a SuicideMission that saves the Klingon fleet. |
| 273 | ** By the GrandFinale of ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', this is the ultimate fate of [[spoiler:the original Borg Collective. Once feared across the cosmos with trillions strong and held a large portion of the Delta Quadrant, [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Admiral Janeway]]'s introduction of the neurolytic pathogen caused the Collective to collapse, leaving the collective down to one barely-functioning Cube, most other Cubes having been put into sleep mode due to the disconnection. The Borg Queen survived inside this Cube but barely. Over twenty years later, it allied itself with a group of rogue Changelings also wanting revenge on Starfleet and set about a plan to secretly assimilate Starfleet via altered genetics. The plan almost succeeds before Picard and the command crew of the ''Enterprise''-D stop her one final time, eradicating this threat once and for all]]. |
| 274 | ** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': By the 32nd century this describes the Federation, which is largely a VestigialEmpire after a majority of the planets who made up the Federation - ''including'' Earth - have left. Thanks to the efforts of the USS ''Discovery'' the Federation manages to reverse this trend and the Federation begins to recover with both Earth and Ni'Var (aka Vulcan) rejoining the Federation. |
| 275 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': [[spoiler: At the end of the series, God himself gets stripped of all his power and is doomed to live a mortal life, grow old, get sick, and die. And [[GodIsEvil considering everything he did in the series]], he deserves it more than anyone else.]] |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 279 | * Several Music/BruceSpringsteen songs, most notably "Glory Days", which is the {{Trope Namer|s}} [[GloryDays for another trope]]. |
| 280 | * "Viva La Vida" by Music/{{Coldplay}} tells the story of a fallen king. He had money, power, and an admiring kingdom, but he soon became corrupt. Upon realizing how far he had fallen, he became disillusioned with his position of power and allowed himself to be removed from the throne and (assumedly) spent the rest of his days looking back on his reign and laments his fate. |
| 281 | * The Depression-era number "Brother Can You Spare A Dime", famously performed by Music/BingCrosby. |
| 282 | * Music/BobDylan's "Like a Rolling Stone": |
| 283 | -->Once upon a time you dressed so fine,\ |
| 284 | You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?\ |
| 285 | People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”\ |
| 286 | You thought they were all kiddin’ you.\ |
| 287 | ...\ |
| 288 | Now you don’t talk so loud,\ |
| 289 | Now you don’t seem so proud\ |
| 290 | About having to be scrounging for your next meal. |
| 291 | * The Laura Marling song "Failure" starts like this: |
| 292 | -->He used to be the life and soul of everyone around.\ |
| 293 | You'd never catch him looking up and never see him down but oh, la laa.\ |
| 294 | He couldn't raise a smile oh, not for a while, and he's a failure now. |
| 295 | * "Fortune Plango Vulnera" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana". |
| 296 | -->"Fortune rota volvitur;\ |
| 297 | descendo minoratus;\ |
| 298 | alter in altum tollitur;\ |
| 299 | nimis exaltatus\ |
| 300 | rex sedet in vertice\ |
| 301 | caveat ruinam!\ |
| 302 | nam sub axe legimus\ |
| 303 | Hecubam reginam.\ |
| 304 | (English translation: "The wheel of Fortune turns/I go down, demeaned/another is carried to the top;/far too high/the king sits at the summit/let him fear ruin/for under the axis is written/Queen Hecuba.") |
| 305 | [[/folder]] |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 308 | * {{Trope Namer|s}} is ''Literature/TheBible''; the phrase occurs in [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel 2 Samuel]] 1:19, 1:25, and 1:27. |
| 309 | ** Interestingly, not quite an example despite being the {{Trope Namer|s}}. The mighty in question, Saul, has actually fallen in battle, not merely fallen from power. |
| 310 | ** See also [[Literature/BookOfIsaiah Isaiah]] 14:12 -- "How are you fallen from heaven, O Shining One, son of Dawn! How are you felled to earth, O vanquisher of nations!" |
| 311 | ** In the [[Literature/BooksOfMaccabees book of 1st Maccabees]], when Judah Maccabee was slain in battle, his brothers Jonathan and Simon, as well as all Israel, lamented for him, saying "How is the mighty fallen, the savior of Israel!" Although, like in the case of King Saul, Judah has only fallen in battle instead of in power. |
| 312 | * Myth/ClassicalMythology: |
| 313 | ** Theseus, the King of Athens, lived a life full of adventure and was considered up there with Heracles and Achilles in terms of Greek heroes. His accomplishments include: 1) Killing the Minotaur single-handedly and liberating Athens from Crete's control, 2) Disposing of his step-uncle and his fifty sons from Athens and ending their mafia-esque control of the kingdom, 3) Uniting the region of Attica under a single kingdom with Athens as its capital, 4) Defeated the Amazons, 5) Sailed with the Argonauts, 6) Participated in the Calydonian Hunt, 7) Fought in the Centaur wars, 8) Made the roads to Athens safer by personally hunting down every single bandit he could find. So what became of this legendary warrior king and adventurer? Due to a series of bad life choices and personality flaws, he lost his position as king, having been usurped by a political rival of his, banished from Athens, and dumped on an island to rot, having lost everything he had ever had. To add insult to injury how does he die? The king of the island he was on, fearing that Theseus might overthrow him, [[DroppedABridgeOnHim shoved Theseus off a cliff while the latter's guard was down.]] Not exactly a death befitting a king. |
| 314 | ** Similarly, Jason escaped his murderous uncle, was the only mortal Hera ever showed favor towards, assembled the Argonauts, made it past the sirens, found the golden fleece and gained the love of Medea, defeated Talos (well, Medea did anyway) and returned triumphantly to his home to remove his usurping uncle. And a few years later, after dumping Medea, the gods withdrew their favor, leaving him to wander around and stumbling upon a half-buried, rotting ship. He realizes it's the Argo, once a magnificent ship carrying heroes to glory, and as he sits under the prow weeping for all that he's lost, the rotten wood finally breaks off and crushes his head. |
| 315 | ** An almost literal version with Bellerophon, a hero who killed the Chimera while riding Pegasus. Unfortunately, his success went to his head, and he announced his intent to join the gods on Mount Olympus. As he was flying towards the mountain, Zeus sent a horsefly to sting Pegasus, who bucked Bellerophon off. Bellerophon survived thanks to a bush breaking his fall... a thorn bush, which scratched out his eyes, leading to him living out the rest of his life as a blind beggar. |
| 316 | * Marcus Manlius Capitolinus, according to the mostly-mythical early History of AncientRome, became illustrious for saving the Capitol from a Gaulish invasion (hence his ''cognomen''). A few years later, he was accused of aspiring to kingship and was condemned to be hurled to his death from the Tarpeian rock. This story was the origin of the Latin saying, ''Arx tarpeia Capitoli proxima'' ('the Tarpeian Rock is close to the Capitol'), a warning that one's fall from grace can come swiftly. |
| 317 | [[/folder]] |
| 318 | |
| 319 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 320 | * A ''Wrestling/{{WWE RAW}}'' angle had Wrestling/ShawnMichaels so broke that he was reduced to working for Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield. |
| 321 | ** Long before that, Wrestling/NikolaiVolkoff had fallen on hard times and wound up working for [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase "The Million Dollar Man" Ted [=DiBiase=]]]. |
| 322 | * In a real-life example, Wrestling/RicFlair was a 16-time world champion and considered one of the greatest wrestlers ever. Between bad investments, messy divorces, and living the jet-set lifestyle character he played on TV left him seriously in debt later on in life. |
| 323 | ** Wrestling/HulkHogan has exhibited some similarities to Flair above. Recognized as ''the'' icon of professional wrestling (known not just in his own industry but as a beacon to non-viewers as well just because he's so damn iconic), the 2000s have been less than kind. Divorcing his wife and the legal problems that hounded his son following an accident that took the life of the passenger in his car has seen the Hulkster looking less-than-stellar. A lot of the opportunities he's taken in the 2000s are often seen by longtime wrestling fans as desperate grabs to keep him in the spotlight and otherwise give him a recurring income flow (such as his stint on ''American Gladiators'' and the fact he came to WWE one night just to shill it). It's even worse when a tape about him uttering a racial slur was discovered, which caused him to be released from WWE and then [[UnPerson have his records there erased]], though he was eventually reinstated. |
| 324 | * Wrestling/{{TNA}}. While not as mighty as, say, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, for many years it was indisputably the #2 ProfessionalWrestling promotion in the United States. Many recognized that the company had the potential to one day compete with the WWE. Hoping to capitalize on that, they decided to bring in Hulk Hogan and Wrestling/EricBischoff -- and what followed can amount to as "WCW-lite", including but not limited to: a failed attempt to restart the Wrestling/MondayNightWars, a massive amount of financial mismanagement, much of the younger talent being pushed down the card, and the PowerStable Immortal, which was [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]]: Take 2. |
| 325 | ** After Hogan and Bischoff left four or so years later, the company was in such disrepair that they lost their TV deal with Spike, while many of the TNA Originals (most notably Wrestling/AJStyles) quit when they were told they were to face significant pay cuts; in spite of A: the fact that their talents were already being misused during the Hogan-Bischoff era and B: Many wrestlers under their promotion were struggling to make the ends meet as is! Some really nasty examples: Wrestling/AwesomeKong just wanted a raise to buy a car, Wrestling/TaylorWilde was seen working at a Sunglasses Hut (and she was the Knockouts Champion at the time, too), Jesse Neal was able to qualify for food stamps, and Wrestling/GailKim was only bringing in $30,000 a year for her work (garbagemen make more, with better benefits to boot), in spite of the fact that she and Kong had the highest-rated segments on the show. |
| 326 | ** Wrestling/JeffJarrett, the original founder of the promotion, tried to buy the company back, but his offer was rebuffed since Dixie Carter's position in the corporate structure would not be as secure -- he eventually ended up starting ''another'' wrestling promotion instead. TNA is now desperately trying to grasp the glory that was once so closely in its grasp, only to continuously fall short and be eclipsed by [[Wrestling/RingOfHonor ROH]]. If all this weren't humiliating enough, PWI no longer considers the TNA World Heavyweight Championship a world title, declaring that to them, the company has dropped to indy status. There was a time when this company was lauded as the future of ProfessionalWrestling; today, many wrestling fans are just begging for it to be put out of its misery. |
| 327 | * Wrestling/{{Chyna}}. It seemed like a lifetime ago when this woman was a superstar with an assured future in the Hall of Fame. The only women from her time period that could ever compare to the impact she had were Wrestling/{{Sable}}, Wrestling/TrishStratus, and Wrestling/{{Lita}}. At one point an international sex symbol, her fall from grace has reduced her to doing ''porn''. That's only scratching the surface of how much the former Joanie Laurer's life has fallen apart, and she couldn't recover from it until her death in 2016 at the age of 45. Ironically, [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead it's only after that event]] that WWE finally got her into the Hall of Fame. |
| 328 | * Wrestling/{{WCW}}. At one point ''the'' most successful wrestling promotion in the world, the only promotion to ever drive Wrestling/VinceMcMahon to the brink of defeat, its disastrous twilight years are what it's best remembered for (where it became infamous among fans) -- that, and [[Literature/TheDeathOfWCW having a book that illustrates everything that could go wrong in a wrestling promotion by outlining the circumstances surrounding its fall, and the eventual impact it had on the industry]]. It's history, more or less. |
| 329 | * Wrestling/MattHardy had a mental breakdown after Wrestling/{{Lita}} cheated on him with Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}. At one point one of the most popular wrestlers of the early '00s, Matt entered a downward spiral that lasted years, culminating in him faking a suicide note for cheap publicity. It utterly destroyed his reputation, to the extent that his [[Wrestling/JeffHardy drug-addled younger brother]], who, earlier that same year, arrived at a PPV he was main eventing stoned out of his gourd, forcing the match to end in ''ninety seconds'' just so he wouldn't hurt anybody, was regarded as ''more responsible than him''. While Matt has worked to get his life back together since then, his legacy will forever be marred by his actions. All the same, he was able to hang on to a bit of his popularity on the independent circuit, particularly as a part of SCUM and The Kingdom in ROH, and ended up regaining his popularity after Wrestling/{{TNA}} gave him a second chance. |
| 330 | * The career of Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter (MVP) from 2006 to 2010 followed a complicated trajectory. Originally introduced as an [[SmallNameBigEgo "all-talk-no-action"]] blowhard who could [[TheBully (fairly) beat only people much weaker than he was]], MVP eventually proved he really could be as tough as he said he was, surviving an Inferno match with Wrestling/{{Kane}} and competing afterward even though he still had burns on his body. Then he won the United States Championship in 2007 and held on to it for quite some time, even getting some clean wins while still being a heel - which encouraged him to become even ''more'' arrogant. Then, in the summer of 2008, he began losing every match and continued his losing streak for the rest of the year; this led to him being denied the trademark inflatable tunnel through which he entered arenas. MVP finally starting picking up some wins in January 2009, resulting in a face turn. |
| 331 | * Another Real Life example would be Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. Vince dominated the American wrestling industry for nearly 40 years, through everything from the collapse of the old territory system to his being indicted on federal charges to the Montreal Screwjob to the Monday Night Wars and the threat of WCW. Despite many fans viewing him as increasingly out of touch and criticizing the quality of WWE shows, most observers thought TheGrimReaper was the only thing that would end Vince's career. Then, in the summer of 2022, a massive bombshell dropped in the form of allegations that Vince had spent nearly $20 million on hush money agreements with multiple women to cover up his affairs, and questions about whether that money came from Vince's own pocket or corporate funds. The ensuing investigation forced Vince to abruptly resign from his position at the top of WWE, leaving his daughter Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon to take over as co-CEO and his son-in-law Wrestling/TripleH to handle creative duties and talent relations. Vince's reputation is now in shambles, and his days running the WWE are almost certainly over. |
| 332 | [[/folder]] |
| 333 | |
| 334 | [[folder:Roleplay]] |
| 335 | * In ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'', Finn used to be at the top of the school's social ladder thanks to his father's position as the City Mayor. Then it was discovered that his father was embezzling city funds. He was arrested and Finn plummeted down in popularity, leaving him now as an outcast who collects gossip on others. |
| 336 | [[/folder]] |
| 337 | |
| 338 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 339 | * Many factions get hit with this in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', Clan Smoke Jaguar was once one of the most powerful Clans to invade the Inner Sphere, now there are only a few Jaguars left eking out in existence where ever they are hiding. |
| 340 | * ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' has an adventure describing the destruction of [[TheMagocracy Netheril]] named ''How the Mighty Are Fallen''. The undead walk the land, driving orcs and humans before them. The [[EldritchAbomination Phaerimm]] has no choice but to bring the empire down or die out. [[TheJuggernaut The Tarrasque]] wakes up. And just in case they somehow manage to survive all this, the greatest archwizard of them all prepares to cast [[GodhoodSeeker Karsus' Avatar]] (which in {{canon}} meant death to himself and the goddess of magic, and turning off all magic in the world long enough for Netherese flying cities to reach the ground -- "fallen" here is meant quite literally). |
| 341 | * In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', planeswalkers were massively depowered following "the Mending" of the Time Spiral block. Most of the post-Mending planeswalkers don't even know what they've lost; but Nicol Bolas, the oldest remaining planeswalker, remembers the power and longs to regain it. |
| 342 | --> '''Nicol Bolas''': We were gods, once. |
| 343 | * Pick a ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}[=/=]TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' backstory. The galaxy-spanning [[TheEmpire Empire of Mankind]]? Broken, with [[CrystalDragonJesus the Messiah on life support]]. Glory days of the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarfs]]? Now just another page in the Book of Grudges. The era of the [[OurElvesAreDifferent High Elves]] being the greatest race in the Old World or lording it over the void of space as [[SpaceElves the Eldar]]? [[StartOfDarkness Enjoy your fall from grace,]] shattering your empire into fragments as a dying race as well as [[NiceJobBreakingItHero creating a]] [[EldritchAbomination God of]] {{Squick}}. And the [[{{Precursors}} Old Ones,]] creator race of possibly the entire universe and practically godlike in power? [[{{Gotterdammerung}} Either dead, hiding, or moved on]]. But do remember the [[CrapsackWorld universe/world we're talking about here]]. |
| 344 | * ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': There was once a Kami, "Bujin Emperor - Susanoo", who once dwelled in the heavenly realm of Takama-ga-hara, alongside many other Kami. He possessed incredible power, power so great that many began to plot and scheme against him. This cast suspicion on him, causing him to ultimately incur the wrath of the Supreme Kami. He was banished to the surface and his [[PowerLimiter power was sealed inside the five "Bujin Relics"]]. |
| 345 | [[/folder]] |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 348 | * One of the most prevalent themes in Greek tragedy; it'd be easier to list the exceptions, which are very few indeed. |
| 349 | * ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'' is an especially good version of this. Over the course of the play, he goes from King of Thebes to a blind beggar who everyone knows killed his father and slept with his mother. |
| 350 | -->"Men of Thebes, look upon Oedipus\ |
| 351 | the king who solved the famous riddle\ |
| 352 | and towered up, most powerful of men.\ |
| 353 | No mortal eye but looked on him with envy,\ |
| 354 | yet in the end ruin swept over him." |
| 355 | * The song "King of the World" from the musical ''Theatre/SongsForANewWorld'' is about this -- the singer used to be very powerful and is now in prison. (Beyond this, the details are open to interpretation.) |
| 356 | * In the musical ''Theatre/TheProducers'', Max Bialystock reminisces about once being "the king of all Broadway" rather than, as now, a producer of serial flops. (But then the chorus responds with "We'll believe you - thousands wouldn't.") |
| 357 | * Grizabella's story in ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'' ("Grizabella the Glamour Cat") gives this vibe. Former celebrity, now a common, old stray shunned by the Jellicle tribe. |
| 358 | [[/folder]] |
| 359 | |
| 360 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 361 | * ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'': |
| 362 | ** In their prime, [[StageMagician Troupe Gramarye]] was an incredibly popular and famous magician troupe, becoming a staple of many TV shows and theater stages, even getting a special commemorative stamp commissioned in their honor. Sadly, it was not meant to last. Several scandals rocked the group: the ousting of a member under mysterious circumstances, the disappearance of the sole female of the group, also under mysterious circumstances, the murder of the founder of group Magnifi Gramarye with the two remaining members accused of the crime and finally culminating with one of said members, Zak Gramarye, being found guilty of the crime and for him to also disappear without a trace from the courtroom just before the judge could read the verdict. By the time the events of the first chapter take place, the troupe is all but forgotten. Prosecutor Klavier Gavin says that if one were to ask anyone about the troupe nowadays, they'd be lucky to get more than just blank stares. Though their rebirth has a long seed placed in by their last daughter Trucy who's set to inherit all their tricks and carry on their legacy. |
| 363 | ** Phoenix Wright used to be a well-respected attorney who won the case against the notorious Manfred von Karma in the very first game, and only lost once in the second game [[spoiler: only because the defendant was actually guilty]]. But in the backstory of Apollo Justice, Wright got disbarred after being falsely convicted of forging evidence. By the time the game starts, Wright resorted to gambling and resembles a hobo. He eventually gets his prestige back by the end of the game after the truth behind the backstory case is revealed, reclaiming his lawyer's badge in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies''. |
| 364 | * ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'': As revealed in ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins Origins]]'', Black Mask was once one of Gotham's top crime lords, having most of Gotham under his thumb and most of the [[DirtyCop GCPD]] on his payroll. This all came to a crashing halt for him when [[EvilerThanThou the Joker]] came to town, usurped his position, and stole his identity and operation, and from that point on, Sionis is little more than the Arkhamverse's ButtMonkey; Aaron Cash even mentions in ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Knight]]'' that Black Mask never managed to recover from the events of that night. And then, in ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Knight]]'' DLC, Red Hood murders him and destroys his gang. |
| 365 | * ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}:'' This is a major recurring trope in this series. |
| 366 | ** This is how ''Destiny'' starts, with humanity being brought low AfterTheEnd. Centuries prior to the start of the game, humanity, after being given the Light by the Traveler, entered a Golden Age and colonized planets across the Sol System. Then, the Darkness came and caused the Collapse. Now, all of humanity lives in a single walled City, the very last place the Traveler was able to protect from the encroaching Darkness. The once glorious colonies humans once lived in have been overrun by hostile alien races, and much of the technology and secrets from the Golden Age are gone. |
| 367 | *** ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' made things ''even worse'' for humanity with the invasion of the Red Legion, an elite Cabal army that manages to take over the City, destroy the Tower, and capture the Traveler, stripping the Guardians of their Light. The initial storyline for ''Destiny 2'' is about the war to reclaim the City. |
| 368 | ** The Eliksni, or as they’re called by many, the Fallen, as the name suggests, hit this big time. Long ago, they were one of the races the Traveler had granted the power of the Light. Like humanity, they had Guardians of their own, and built a civilization much more prosperous and grand than Earth’s. Then, the Traveler abandoned them, causing the Whirlwind, a cataclysm that destroyed their civilization. Fleeing their homeworld, the Eliksni gradually devolved into the scavenging SpacePirates they are today. Throughout the story, several particular Eliksni characters only get hit with trope even more. |
| 369 | *** The House of Wolves, at first, had it somewhat better than the other Fallen Houses. After their Kell, Skolas, was imprisoned by the Awoken, they were absorbed into the Reef’s government, pledging servitude to the Awoken Queen, Mara Sov. By all indications, they were treated decently. Then, in the “House of Wolves” DLC, Skolas is freed from his imprisonment and inspires the Wolves to rebel against the Queen. They quickly gain power as a threat, with Skolas even managing to gain control of Vex technology, threatening to pull the House of Wolves ''[[TimeMaster through time]]'' to conquer the Sol System. Then, Skolas is defeated, re-imprisoned in the Prison of Elders, and finally killed by the Guardians who subdued him. As for his House, they end up becoming just like the other Fallen Houses in the game, a disheveled, glorified raiding party. They make an attempt to regroup in the "Taken King" storyline, only for that to be foiled by the Guardians too. |
| 370 | *** Variks. In the first game, he was actually the ''only'' member left from his own Eliksni House, the House of Judgment. He served the Awoken Queen Mara Sov and was the Warden of the Prison of Elders, which held many of the nastiest criminals and monsters in the Sol System. [[spoiler: Then, in the "Forsaken" DLC, he was convinced by the Scorn Barons to start the prison break that led to the death of Cayde-6 and the Reef falling into absolute chaos. Variks himself disappeared, only to show up once more in “Beyond Light”. Now, he’s hiding out on Europa, alone. He’s trying to atone for his actions by aiding the fledgling House of Light, but carries deep regret over his mistakes. Then Eramis comes along and twists the knife even worse by destroying his mechanical arm.]] |
| 371 | *** The Spider, [[spoiler: real name Rakis,]] had found a comfortable niche for himself as a [[TheDon crime boss,]] thriving in the lawless Tangled Shore. He survived by being [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]] and making deals and allegiances with those he needed to, in comparison to the other Fallen Houses who refuse any kind of support from others due to their {{Pride}}. [[spoiler: “Beyond Light” began a ''major'' [[HumiliationConga downfall]] for him. First, many of the soldiers under his command defected to join Eramis. Then, in “Season of the Hunt”, Xivu Arath unleashed the Cryptoliths to corrupt herself an army in the Sol System, [[FromBadToWorse brainwashing much of Spider’s remaining men.]] After that, it soon became revealed that he’d be willing to abandon his crew [[ItsAllAboutMe if it meant saving himself.]] Consequently, all of Spider’s remaining soldiers abandon him, and ''on top of all that,'' Mara Sov wants to take him into custody. Fleeing the Tangled Shore, he doesn’t appear again until the “Season of Plunder”, cowering alone in a stasis pod until [[PlayerCharacter the Guardian]] rescues him. After that, he ends up moving in with the House of Light in the City, where Mithrax makes it clear that he holds no power or sway over ''anyone.'']] |
| 372 | *** Eramis was the main antagonist of the “Beyond Light” storyline. Gaining the power of [[AnIcePerson Stasis]] from the Darkness, she organized the “House of Salvation”, recruiting many powerful Fallen into her ranks. Then, the Guardians begin mastering Stasis as well, and use the power to dismantle Eramis’ organization before finally defeating her, causing her to be sealed in ice. [[spoiler: In “Season of Plunder”, she’s freed by the [[GreaterScopeVillain Witness,]] who recruits her to collect the relics of Nezarec. She fails, and the Witness punishes her in “Season of the Seraph” by resurrecting many of her deceased warriors as zombified Scorn, one of them being one of her closest friends, Phylaks. By the end of that Season, it’s made very clear that, like Variks, Eramis herself has become completely ashamed of how far she’s sunk, but she feels that [[IveComeTooFar she’s too far gone to ever change.]]]] |
| 373 | ** The Awoken once created a kingdom of their own in the ruined Sol System, spread across the asteroid belt, now called the Reef. They kept power via unique abilities and secrets no other race possessed, existing as a [[YinYangBomb strange “middle ground” between the Light and Darkness.]] Then, in the “Taken King” storyline, their army, as well as their Queen, were killed. [[spoiler: Then, in “Forsaken”, the Awoken Prince, Uldren Sov, was driven mad by [[EldritchAbomination Riven, the last Ahamkara,]] resulting in him leading the new Scorn threat to devastate the Reef. Twisting the knife even further, the Dreaming City, the land where the Awoken originated from, is Taken and cursed by Riven in accordance with Savathun’s greater plan.]] |
| 374 | ** Gradually, this ends up occurring for the Hive, specifically, for Oryx’s broods. After the Collapse, Crota, Oryx’s son, led the Hive to conquer the Moon, creating the Hellmouth. Then, centuries later, the Guardians, rallying together, managed to kill Crota. When this happened, Oryx arrived in the Solar System [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge personally to exact vengeance.]] He, as well as his Court, which consisted of his daughters and strongest warriors, were later eliminated by the Guardians too. [[spoiler: The “Shadowkeep” storyline shows the result of all this. The Hidden Swarm, the Hive sect that Crota commanded, ended up cloistering away in the Hellmouth, slaughtering each other [[EvilPowerVacuum to determine who should be the next one to lead them.]] Crota’s daughter, Hashladun, bitterly remarks on how ridiculous they’ve become, as their infighting would make little difference since the Guardians already killed off all their best soldiers. Savathun then comes along and manipulates them into unleashing the Nightmares, luring the Guardians to them to destroy the remainder of Oryx’s bloodline.]] |
| 375 | ** Calus was once the Emperor of the Cabal Empire, becoming very popular amongst its people. Then he’s betrayed and exiled aboard the ruined Leviathan starship by Dominus Ghaul [[spoiler: with the aid of his daughter, Caital.]] After this, Calus plunges into despair, but he bounces back after seeing the supposed end state of the universe, which inspires him to begin preparing to retake his glory. [[spoiler: To that end, he becomes a servant of the Witness, and despite the new army under his command, it’s made clear that Calus has become little more than the Witness’ lackey. He finally dies a lonely death at the hands of the Guardians during the “Lightfall” storyline.]] |
| 376 | ** The Cabal in general end up receiving this. They were once recognized as a massive, galaxy-spanning empire known for destroying planets and stars just for being in their way. [[spoiler: Then, the Hive, led by Xivu Arath, invade and destroy their homeworld, Torobatl. In “Season of the Chosen”, the “New Cabal Empire”, led by Empress Caital, arrive in the Sol System, their people ''drastically'' reduced in number and Caital's fleet being all that's left of them. Their situation's so dire that Caital attempts to make peace with humanity for survival, or rather, to convince humanity to bow to her and join her army.]] |
| 377 | * ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'': The promising future of mechanical augmentation which was a major win in the [[VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution previous game]] is reduced to this due to the fallout of the Aug Incident. Sarif Industries, the pioneer of human augmentation with a multi-billion dollar empire across the globe and on the verge of a major breakthrough, collapses and is bought out by Tai Yong Medical, [[spoiler: a company of the Illuminati]] within weeks of the Aug Incident, with a similar fall of David Sarif, its [=CEO=]. Cities boasting massive Aug-friendly locales are either destroyed (Dubai) or segregated (Prague), and these are implied to be the tip of the iceberg. And it's stated to get worse in the future, by [[VideoGame/DeusEx the original game]], nano-augmentation is about to become the go-to method for enhancement, a death knell for mechanical augmentation. |
| 378 | * Valvatorez was one of the most feared and powerful demons in his Netherworld. By the time ''VideoGame/Disgaea4'' rolls around he's a shadow of his former self, serving as an instructor to lowly Prinnies. Valvatorez doesn't mind and carries himself with the same humility and honor he had as the Tyrant. |
| 379 | ** Killia of ''VideoGame/Disgaea5'' exhibits this as well, known across the Netherworlds as "Tyrant Overlord Killadia" before the events of the story. In the present, he's a drifter without an Overload ability. |
| 380 | * ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'' has a minor case in Zet the Arc Warden. In his backstory, he was part of the primordial mind that existed before all else until it splintered into three fragments. Zet was one of them, almighty until he expended much of his power to seal the two other fragments away in a prison, which they escaped from. With that said, he's still powerful enough that he can casually grant [[BroughtDownToBadass Zeus]] a piece of his godhood back. |
| 381 | * Pre-incident, the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' is (arguably) the best skier in the world, with a clear shot at an Olympic gold medal. Post-incident, he spends months shut away in his room, and when he comes out, he’s not nearly as serious about training as he was before. At the end of the main story, [[spoiler:he loses his Olympic spot to Rachel, who has less natural ability but more discipline]]. |
| 382 | * ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': |
| 383 | ** This is a common theme in the Human and Dwarf Noble origin stories, both of which begin with the player character as a scion of a very powerful family (either that of the in-universe equivalent of a duke or that of the King of Orzammar). Both end with the player on the run and forced to join the Grey Wardens to escape. You do rise to prominence again at the end, but that is to be expected. |
| 384 | ** This happened to the Dalish ''long'' before the story started. [[spoiler:Granted, the initial falling was their fault. The subsequent centuries of oppression by humans didn't help matters, though.]] |
| 385 | ** The Tevinter Imperium used to rule most of Thedas, but now it's a [[VestigialEmpire crumbling remnant]] of its former glory with its one remaining claim to Bad Assness being that the [[ProudWarriorRace Qunari]] are trying to destroy it, and yet it's still managing to continue existing. |
| 386 | * ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'' has Nappa. An elite Saiyan warrior and serious threat when he appeared in ''Z'', but by the time the game takes place, SoLastSeason has set in ''hard''. No one, not even his victims among the Z-Fighters, is afraid of him anymore, and Yamcha can pay him back in a Dramatic Finish by turning his memetic Death-by-Saibaman back on Nappa, and everyone mocks him for being the only Saiyan in the game unable to turn Super Saiyan (even ''Bardock'', who died before the original ''Dragon Ball'', can do it), despite there being, to quote Cell, "A bit of a [[UniquenessDecay bargain sale]] for Super Saiyans going on." Goku can't even remember his name, and calls him 'Nappy'. |
| 387 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' |
| 388 | ** The Dark Brotherhood, an illegal [[MurderInc organization of assassins]] whose membership mostly takes a [[PsychoForHire sadistic glee]] in killing and who practice a ReligionOfEvil, once had a near-monopoly on the assassin-for-hire market with agents and sanctuaries throughout Tamriel. Come the time of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' however, they're down to [[TheRemnant one remote sanctuary]] and have lost contact with the [[OneBadMother Night Mother]], their unholy leader. As such, they're forced to get their contracts through rumors about the Black Sacrament being performed rather than from the Night Mother herself. It's up to you in ''Skyrim'' whether they recover, or get completely wiped out. |
| 389 | ** Similarly, the Skyrim branch of the ThievesGuild has fallen on very hard times. Their influence is limited to one city ([[WretchedHive Riften]]) and they've had to drop many of their [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]] to get by. As it turns out, this is the result of [[spoiler:Guildmaster Mercer Frey's stealing of the SkeletonKey, leading to the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] Nocturnal cursing the Guild with bad luck]]. It's up to you to help them rebound or leave them to their fate. |
| 390 | ** [[OurElvesAreDifferent Dunmeri]] [[TheClan Great House]] [[ProudMerchantRace Hlaalu]] was once the most powerful of the Great Houses. House Hlaalu had the closest ties to TheEmpire and, as a result, were the most powerful and wealthy Great House during Morrowind's time in the Third Empire. During ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', both the King of Morrowind and Duke of Vvardenfell hail from House Hlaalu. Following the events of the [[ColonyDrop Red]] [[ChekhovsVolcano Year]] and the withdraw of Imperial influence from Morrowind, they were reduced to becoming the weakest House and lost their seat on the council by the time of ''Skyrim'''s ''Dragonborn'' DLC. |
| 391 | * The line is used in ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' as [[TheDragon Pious]] kills [[PhysicalGod Mantorok]] in the second chapter. Considering [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu he just punched out that story's equivalent of Cthulhu]] and consigned it to a slow and inevitable death, it is probably fitting. |
| 392 | * ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': |
| 393 | ** The [[StealthyMook Nightkin]] were once the [[EliteMooks best and brightest]] of the [[TheMaster Master's]] army but a century after his death they have it worse than the regular super mutants as the use of [[CloakingDevice stealth boys]] has altered their brains and driven them insane. Now they roam the lands looking for more stealth boys or just trying to [[DontLookAtMe avoid being seen]]. |
| 394 | ** The west coast Brotherhood of Steel was once the most powerful and technologically advanced society in the wasteland but the world [[ApocalypseNot rebuilt]] [[TechnologyMarchesOn around them]] while they [[MotiveDecay became more insular and xenophobic]]. Eventually, they went to war with the [[TheFederation New California Republic]] and were reduced to a few surviving cells. |
| 395 | ** [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica The Enclave]] were the descendants of America's [[CorruptPolitician political]], [[MegaCorp corporate]] and [[ArmiesAreEvil military]] leaders who hid out on an offshore oil rig while the mainland [[NukeEm got blasted]] and had [[TechnologicallyAdvancedFoe technology]] that put the Brotherhood to shame, [[VideoGame/Fallout2 that is]] until [[TheProtagonist some tribal savage]] fixed up an old tanker and sabotaged their reactor forcing the survivors to flee. These survivors went to [[VideoGame/Fallout3 the Capital Wasteland]] and while they were not what they used to be, they still had an edge over everyone else until [[TheHero an exiled vault dweller]] and the [[RenegadeSplinterFaction east coast Brotherhood of Steel]] destroyed their [[BaseOnWheels Base Crawler]] with their own KillSat. They've since been reduced to scattered survivors trying to eke out a living and keep their heads down but there have been [[SequelHook rumors of a base in Chicago]]. |
| 396 | * [[BigBad Lahabrea]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' is an Ascian who aims to destroy Eorzea in order to cause a Rejoining. He's incredibly smug, arrogant, and sees mortals as nothing more than mere playthings that cannot comprehend his greatness. He remains defiant until his death in the ''Heavensward'' scenario, which his comrades later on describe him as a colossal idiot that screwed up royally and they think very little of him. The ''Shadowbringers'' expansion reveals that [[spoiler: Lahabrea was once a highly esteemed and well-respected scholar whose creation magicks were the best of the best. After the Ascian's homeworld was sundered, Lahabrea did not take it well and he fell from grace since that event.]] |
| 397 | ** And then, there's the Garlean Empire. A mighty empire built from the ground up to survive the frozen wastes of Ilsabard, their fearsome {{Magitek}} and warmachina brought fear to the Eorzeans as their military might took over the lands of Doma and Ala Mhigo, nearly taking Eorzea itself were it not for the fall of Dalamud and Bahamut's rampage. As ''A Realm Reborn'' makes way for the other expansions, we see the empire slowly fall apart: [[spoiler:the original Emperor, Solus zos Galus, dies of old age (but not really, as he's an Ascian), plunging the empire into a brief civil war until his grandson Varis takes the throne. In ''Stormblood'', the Scions are able to bring about the liberation of Doma and Ala Mhigo, leading to the death of Varis' son, Zenos. However, Zenos is able to come back to life and ruin both the Ascians and Varis' plans to defeat our heroes, killing Varis in the process. However, he refuses the throne, preferring his fight with the Warrior of Light. This plunges the empire into a second civil war that ultimately leads to the empire's complete and utter downfall as one last Ascian uses it to fuel his mad TakingYouWithMe plot]]. |
| 398 | * The Kingdom of Daein is shown to have an impressive military might in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''. King Ashnard launches an unprovoked attack on neighboring country Crimea, killing the royal family and forcing Princess Elincia into exile. For a whole year, Crimea remains conquered. It seemed no one in the continent of Tellius could challenge Daein. But Elincia slowly gathered allies in Gallia, Phoenicis, and the Begnion Empire. Her army counter-invaded Daein while King Ashnard was sitting on Crimea's throne, and then the princess marched on her homeland to finally slay Ashnard and get back her country. Due to a lack of resources, she leaves Daein's future in Begnion's hands. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Three years later]], Daein is being oppressed with an iron fist by Begnion's occupation army: the denizens are constantly attacked, watched, and mocked by Begnion for being a beaten country. The surviving soldiers were sent to work camps. Daein's might was no more. [[ZigZaggingTrope However, a resistance group manages to drive out the occupation army and regain Daein's independence. The country still has a decent-sized army after all of that, but nowhere on the scale of Ashnard's war. It is further decimated in another war with Crimea, Gallia, and Phoenicis, but not completely.]] |
| 399 | * A recurring theme in Creator/FromSoftware games. Mighty rulers are reduced to pathetic husks of their former selves and lose everything because of their obsessions: |
| 400 | ** King Allant of ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''. [[spoiler:Once a proud king of a great kingdom, his obsession with the power of souls eventually turns him into a helpless blob feebly clinging to his sword wishing for nothing but his own death. Meanwhile, the demonic doppelganger he left behind to rule in his stead leads his kingdom to ruin and his only son is DrivenToSuicide unable to bear the truth.]] |
| 401 | ** Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''. He was once a lightning-wielding GodEmperor who ushered in a new age by defeating the Everlasting Dragons. [[spoiler:In a desperate attempt to prolong the Age of Fire when the First Flame started to flicker and die, he split his own soul apart and made himself kindling for the First Flame. This turned him into a Hollow shell of his former self bereft of his former powers. In the end, Gwyn was nothing more than a crazed and lonely old man afraid of change.]] |
| 402 | ** King Vendrick of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII''. The backstory builds him up as a powerful ruler who built the kingdom of Drangleic over the corpses of an army of Giants. He is constantly hyped up as the ultimate challenge the player character must overcome. [[spoiler:His attempts to stave off the Undead Curse led him to be afflicted with it himself. His own beloved queen manipulated his downfall and the ruin of his kingdom. When he is finally met in person, he's a giant naked Hollow wandering aimlessly in his tomb.]] |
| 403 | ** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' turns the whole trope on its head by focusing on and deconstructing the Chosen Undead, the character you created and played during the first 3 games in the series. Unlike the previous games, it's the once-mighty Chosen Undead who are hunted and killed, because at some point they didn't want to complete their obligation of rekindling the flame. It comes to a head [[spoiler: when you fight Soul of Cinder, who is a combination of all the Chosen Undead that ever existed beginning with Gwyn. In an ironic twist, this trope applies to the player as well. Many have spent hundreds of hours building up their characters in previous games, only to kill them all off in the final game in the Soul's trilogy.]] |
| 404 | ** ''Videogame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' continues this trend with the fate of the Ashina Clan. When Isshin Ashina was in his prime, he was able to take back his ancestral lands and made them prosperous. But not even two generations later, it's all falling apart. Isshin himself is a sickly old man (though still very skilled with the sword), the Interior Ministry's armies are invading and clearly outmatch Ashina's forces, and the current leader of the Ashina Clan, Isshin's adoptive grandson Genichiro, is going down a dark path out of desperation to save Ashina. What's even sadder is that Isshin himself has more or less made peace with this downfall and very much doesn't want Genichiro to damn himself this way, but cannot stop him. [[spoiler:Though in a way he's better off than the others before him. Isshin never loses his sanity or his humanity even as everything falls apart around him.]] |
| 405 | * [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned The Lost MC]]]] in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. Once a [[spoiler:feared group of {{Badass Biker}}s]], V reduces them to strung out, aimless, desert-dwelling meth addicts, [[spoiler:who get massacred by Trevor]]. |
| 406 | * Joseph "Swing King" Clarence in ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney.'' According to his obituary, the Swing King was once a much-beloved local personality: rich, successful, handsome, and witty, no social event was complete without him making an appearance. By the time 47 catches up with him, Swing King has been reduced to a flabby, neurotic, washed-up recluse. |
| 407 | * In ''VideoGame/HotDogBush'', former U.S. President George W. Bush gets expelled from the White House as punishment for failing his duties and desperate for money, he sinks down to street vending hot dogs and burgers. |
| 408 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' has Ventus, who in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' is revealed to have once been [[spoiler:one of the five leaders of the Keyblade wielders in the time immediately after the ancient Keyblade War almost destroyed the world]]. Some unclear events and a spell of LaserGuidedAmnesia later, his world shrunk down to just the Land of Departure and its three other inhabitants, all of who are considered better-trained and more powerful than him. [[spoiler:Though the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' suggests he might be starting to remember.]] |
| 409 | * ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'': The Dojima Family in general, and Sohei Dojima in particular. In [[VideoGame/Yakuza0 the '80s]], the Dojima Family under Sohei's leadership was a driving force behind the Tojo Clan's rise to prominence among the yakuza of Kanto. However, by the time [[VideoGame/Yakuza1 the first game]] rolls around, the Dojima Family has been reduced to a shred of its former self, leaving Sohei a broken man capable of little more than yapping about the GloryDays. Ironically, his son Daigo eventually becomes [[TheDon Chairman]] of the Tojo Clan, though [[TheAllegedBoss his rule can be considered unstable at best]]. |
| 410 | ** The first three games follow the rise and fall of the Nishikiyama family. In the first game, Akira Nishikiyama manages to build the family up from nothing into a powerhouse that threatens to upend the status quo within the Tojo clan. In [[VideoGame/Yakuza2 the second game]], Nishikiyama is no longer a patriarch, replaced by his lieutenant [[SmugSnake Koji Shindo]], and while the family is still large, it is lagging behind financially, and Shindo's blithering incompetence and self-serving nature do nothing to alleviate its problems. In [[VideoGame/Yakuza3 the third game]], the power vacuum left by Shindo's removal left an even more unsuitable leader in place, and the family reduced to providing muscle for better-led outfits. In [[VideoGame/Yakuza4 the fourth game]], it is all but stated that the Nishikiyama family is defunct and the Majima family has absorbed the remnants. |
| 411 | ** ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' shows that eventually this finally caught up to the Tojo Clan in 2019. The constant wars that they've had both outside with the Omi Alliance as well as infighting, along with Kazuma Kiryu [[spoiler:faking his death]] in ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' means the police were not only able to squash a lot of Tojo businesses, but the Omi finally took over Kamurocho. Subverted by the end as it's revealed [[spoiler:Daigo and Watase, the Chairman of the Omi, form a pact to dissolve their respective Yakuza clans. This ends up making it so the police can no longer use either clan to do their dirty work and leave a much more difficult to control power vacuum in the Japanese crime scene. All the while, Daigo and Watase jointly form a legitimate security firm using their network of contacts and resources they accrued.]] |
| 412 | * ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. |
| 413 | ** Overwatch itself. Once a shining beacon of good around the world. In the present time, it's banned by the government, 3 of its most legendary figures (Ana, Soldier:76, and Reaper) are presumed dead by the public, and its agents are scattered around the globe. |
| 414 | ** The Shimada Clan. At one point in the past, they were one of the fiercest {{Yakuza}} clans in Japan. Then they forced Hanzo to (supposedly) kill Genji. After doing such a horrible thing, Hanzo ditched them. With both heirs gone and no leadership, the Shimada Clan of the game's present time is a barely functioning shell of what it once was. |
| 415 | * From ''Videogame/{{Portal 2}}'': |
| 416 | ** The middle chapters take the player on an exploration of the old Aperture Science Innovators test facilities, far beneath the more modern chambers that you start the game in. You get to see what Aperture was like when its eccentric founder, Cave Johnson, was in his heyday, full of money and enthusiasm and with "astronauts, Olympians, and war heroes" jumping at the chance to test his products. Then you get to see it as a company struggling to survive and hiring bums off the street due to Congressional inquiries over the "[[InferredHolocaust missing astronauts]]". Lastly, you get to hear Cave's final recordings as a bitter, bankrupt old man dying of moon dust poisoning and trying desperately to preserve some kind of legacy. Aperture may have recovered and gone on without him, but he's gone, his memories buried along with the empire he built. |
| 417 | *** Appropriately, the chapter where you're first introduced to the crumbling remains of Old Aperture is called "The Fall". |
| 418 | ** [[spoiler:[=GLaDOS=] when Wheatley takes over her body and uploads her consciousness into a potato battery.]] Though she gets back up again. |
| 419 | * ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' has this happen to [[spoiler:DJ Octavio. He's gone from TheGeneralissimo and master of the Octarian regime to a lone villain desperately trying to refight a war that's been over for decades. His Octobot King mech is a broken down shell of itself, and most of the Octolings he used to control have abandoned him for a new life in Splatsville.]] |
| 420 | * This applies to [[TheSociopath Penelope Mouse]] in the ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series. At the end of [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves the third game]], she's in a happy relationship with Bentley, with the two of them planning on a bright future in technology advancement. When the [[VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime fourth game]] rolls, she and Bentley are [[ArchEnemy arch enemies]] after a nasty break-up, and Penelope is disgraced in the criminal underworld, [[HatedByAll has no friends]], homeless, living in poverty, and hunted down by Interpol for countless crimes. [[AssholeVictim She had it coming]] for [[TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil betraying the Cooper Gang]] out of [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]] and [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]]. |
| 421 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft II}}'', after spending almost the entire series as the dominant race, [[spoiler:the Zerg]] are decimated and scattered [[spoiler:at the end of the Terran campaign]], and you spend the entire next campaign [[spoiler:helping them recover from the disaster]]. |
| 422 | * ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'': Lara's father, Richard Croft, as revealed in ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider''. He was once a well-known and respected archaeologist, but his [[ImmortalitySeeker obsession with researching immortality]] eventually destroyed his reputation and turned him into a laughingstock. Eventually, he was DrivenToSuicide. |
| 423 | * This is where [[spoiler:Starscream]] ends up by the end of ''VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron''. His Decepticon faction is almost wiped out and the few survivors abandon him once Megatron returns. |
| 424 | ** The whole point of the game and its relations, really. The Cybertronians have gone from nigh-immortal lords of technology to rats fleeing a sinking ship. Except rats know better than to fight when they should run. |
| 425 | [[/folder]] |
| 426 | |
| 427 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 428 | * ''WebAnimation/MinilifeTV'': Goshua reigns supreme as Legondo's god, but after [[spoiler:showing Chris and Ian their true purpose in "Parting Rose", the other deities punish him by stripping him of his godly powers and banishing him to Legondo in "Life with Death", forcing him to temporarily stay with his GrimReaper, Gregory]]. |
| 429 | * ''WebAnimation/PaleoARK'': Barbatos the Yutyrannus, ruled over the deserts of Ragnarok, terrorizing the inhabitants like a tyrannical king. He then fell from power, being tamed by a human tribe with a Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Paraceratherium. |
| 430 | * ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': General Ironwood starts out as a powerful, respected, larger-than-life leader, but as the series progresses and tragedy mounts, he's reduced to a paranoid, bitter shell of his former self. [[spoiler:By the end of Volume 8, his allies have all turned on him, [[BigBad Salem]] and [[TheHeavy Cinder]] barely acknowledge his existence and deem him NotWorthKilling, and he's left to die unmourned and alone under the debris of the kingdom he sacrificed everything and everyone to save.]] |
| 431 | [[/folder]] |
| 432 | |
| 433 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 434 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': On the heroes' side, The Earth Kingdom, the only world power to even come close to rivalling [[TheEmpire Fire Nation]], is overrun by the latter at the end of the second season. On the villain's side, [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]] and [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Princess Azula]] start off as the GodEmperor and TheChessmaster, respectively. By the end of the series, Ozai [[spoiler:[[{{Depower}} loses his firebending]], is mocked by children for being the "Loser Lord," and is thrown in prison at the mercy of his hated son aka the new Fire Lord. Meanwhile, Azula [[DrivenToMadness loses her mind]] after being chained up by Katara, and has to be sent to a mental hospital in the tie-in comics. At least Azula gained some of her power and faculties back after fighting Zuko and Team Avatar; Ozai doesn't get that, hopefully not for the foreseeable future]]. |
| 435 | * Subverted by [[spoiler:[[Characters/Ben10Vilgax Vilgax]]]] in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. Ben mocks his old foe's fall, but [[spoiler:Vilgax has every intention of regaining everything he lost and more. In fact, he turns out even ''more'' dangerous than he used to be with his empire, as he is smart enough to take over a cult of ''human'' followers, and eventually manipulate ''[[DidYouJustScamCthulhu Dagon]]'', [[HijackingCthulhu making its power his own]]]]. |
| 436 | * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': At the height of her power, Magica De Spell was a powerful sorceress and considered to be one of the most dangerous members of Scrooge's RoguesGallery. She loses everything in the season one finale, ending up homeless and performing for children's birthday parties at the local SuckECheeses in order to make ends meet. Her niece Lena [[NotAfraidOfYouAnymore loses all fear of her]] after seeing just how pathetic she's become. |
| 437 | ** Mark Beaks used to be TheRival for Scrooge's businesses as a more modern billionaire seeking influence and attention. He would command grand showrooms and devious schemes for technology. But by his last season, his cost cutting lead to his company slowly losing its value, dooming him to obscurity. |
| 438 | * ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'': The Lord Commander. All through season 1, he is the BigBad with a huge army and various PsychicPowers. Come season 2, and (following a huge battle in the season 1 finale) he has lost all his forces and is himself on the brink of death since his powers are CastFromLifespan. He can't even put up a fight anymore when Nightfall comes to finish him off. |
| 439 | * Azul Falcone of ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'' is introduced as partner at the law firm. He's more successful and popular than Harvey, despite being a much less competent lawyer. However, after his first appearance, he slides down the firm's pecking order until he is a mere bathroom attendant. |
| 440 | ** This trope seems to inform both this series and its sister series ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast''. Hanna-Barbera stars long past their respective heydays trying to survive post-fame. |
| 441 | * This happened to Mandarin in the second season of ''WesternAnimation/IronManTheAnimatedSeries''. After losing the Ten Rings of Power in the first season finale, Mandarin was reduced to working as a laborer, whipped daily by a cruel overseer. Then he notices the overseer's ring... [[spoiler:and after regaining his power, he falls ''even harder'' in the series finale. Half of his rings are destroyed, his memories are gone, and he loses the other five rings when lowly mountain bandits ''chop off his hand'']]. |
| 442 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/HotWheelsBattleForce5 Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5]]'': In the first season, the Vandals and the Sark were the 2 biggest threats in the Multiverse, each owning their own homeworld plus one of the twin Sentient planets, and each having a large, strong army and grand designs. ''All of that'' is thrown out the window in Season 2, “Fused”, with the introduction of the [[spoiler: Red Sentients.]] |
| 443 | ** Zemerik suffers the worst of it; not long after [[spoiler: Krytus (his original creator)]] leaves him for dead and manages to [[spoiler: free his first ally, Kytren,]] [[spoiler: Krytus]] heads to Zemerik’s homeworld. [[spoiler: Krytus]] then quickly conquers it by [[spoiler: turning the Sark army there into Red Sark that are loyal to him. He]] then proceeds to do the same to the Sark army stationed on the Blue Sentient homeworld, effectively gaining control of ''all of the Sark'' robots, minus Zemerik and Zug. For much of Season 2, Zemerik and Zug are forced to live as fugitives on their own homeworld, scavenging parts to survive and continually running from the [[spoiler: Red Sark.]] Then, in “Get Zemerik”, Zemerik is targeted directly by the Battle Force 5, who intend to use him to create an anti-Sark virus, and the [[spoiler: Red Sentient Force,]] who seek to prevent that from happening. In the end, however, [[spoiler: Zemerik is brainwashed by the Alpha Code, turned into an enslaved Green Sark before being seemingly finally destroyed. Except he wasn’t. He appears again in the epilogue movie “Full Revolution”, still enslaved and used as a soldier for the Karmordials, the antagonists of the movie. At the end of the movie, after Zemerik’s enslavers are defeated, Zemerik is finally set free, and he manages to find and rebuild Zug. The series ends with Zemerik and Zug still at large, and while Zemerik says that they still have much work ahead of them, they’re still without an army and empire, so it’s safe to say that they won’t get far.]] |
| 444 | ** The Vandals don’t fare much better. First, [[spoiler: the Red Sentients]] wrest control of the Blue Sentient homeworld from the Vandals, using their [[spoiler: Red Sark army]] to destroy all the Vandals stationed there. Then, the Battle Force 5 discover the true secret of the Vandals' strength: [[spoiler: a race of enslaved super-scientist aliens called the Kharamanos. After the Vandals devastated the Blue Sentient homeworld, they forced the Kharamanos to salvage tech from the Sentients and combine it with their own to create the Vandals’ vehicles and the technological side of their arsenal. As Season 2 proceeds, the Battle Force 5 gradually liberate the Kharamanos aliens from the Vandals and return them to their homeworld. Without their slaves, the Vandals, who are hopeless with technology, see their vehicles falling into disrepair, and the Vandal tribes slowly begin losing faith in their warlord, Kalus. To make matters worse, a new ambitious Vandal leader, Grimian, who’s secretly working for Krytus, emerges to challenge Kalus’ position. It all comes to a head in “Rumble In The Jungle”, when the Battle Force and the Red Sentient Force converge on Planet Vandal, each intending to end the threat the Vandals pose once and for all, with Kalus and his Vandals caught in an all-out war against Grimian’s faction and the Red Sark army. The episode ends with ''all'' of the Vandals’ technology destroyed for good, effectively trapping them on their homeworld with no means to travel to other worlds, let alone conquer them. While Kalus does end up taking control of the Vandals for good, presumably killing Grimian in the process, it proves to be a PyrrhicVictory. The Vandals’ final appearance is in a single scene in the epilogue movie “Full Revolution”. In it, it’s shown that they’ve been reduced to having horses ferry their vehicles around, as if they were chariots from Ancient Rome, with the Vandals looking ''completely'' dejected.]] |
| 445 | * Valmont from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' goes from a major villain in the first two seasons to a homeless petty criminal in the third. By the fifth season, he's resorted to becoming a ''bus driver'' with a small cameo in the last episode. |
| 446 | * ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' villain Dark Vegan started out as an alien warlord, but after his second appearance, he ends up stuck on Earth and another member of Johnny's HarmlessVillain RoguesGallery. He even lampshades this; "I used to be ruler of my planet, but now I'm an unemployable loser!" |
| 447 | * ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' has [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugChloeBourgeois Chloé Bourgeois]], who started as an [[{{Jerkass}} obnoxious]], [[BrattyTeenageDaughter bratty]], and [[SpoiledBrat incredibly spoiled]] AlphaBitch who [[TeensAreMonsters mercilessly bullies her classmates]] (especially [[AllLovingHero Marinette]]), [[AbhorrentAdmirer is obsessed]] with her childhood friend Adrien, and treats her other friend, Sabrina, like a slave. The worst part is that she often manages to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections get away with her nasty attitude because her dad is the mayor]]. Her fall from grace starts in the season three finale when Ladybug strips her of her possession of the Bee Miraculous ''permanently'' after betraying her and Cat Noir for siding with [[BigBad Hawk Moth]]. Chloé gets [[TookALevelInJerkass even worse]] since then, especially after the heroes gave the Bee Miraculous a new holder (her half-sister, Zoe) and teaming up with Lila Rossi due to their hatred of both Marinette and Ladybug. Come [[Recap/MiraculousLadybugS05E23Revolution "Revolution"]] as her actions cause the mother of all downfalls after taking Andre’s place as mayor: she gets stripped of her position within only a few days and is [[HatedByAll despised by the entirety of Paris]]. Not to mention that Adrien and Sabrina have cut ties with her for good after putting up with her awful behavior for too long, her allies (Lila, Gabriel, and Tomoe) have abandoned her in order to pursue their plans without anyone else knowing, and her father, [[ExtremeDoormat who has spoiled her rotten for most of her life]], [[GrewASpine decides that enough is enough]] and exiles her to London with her mother, who blames her for the ruin of their family name and reputation. The true cherry on top is when Chloé calls Marinette to taunt her one last time over Adrien moving to London. But her once favorite target, [[TheDogBitesBack finally fed up with the endless bullying she had endured for years]], interrupts her and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech gives her a verbal beatdown]] on how she’s lost power over everything ''and'' everyone and tells her that she’s the [[BorrowedCatchphrase "utterly ridiculous"]] one. This made Chloé break down in tears over the fact that she truly has no one but herself to blame for what she’s done. |
| 448 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyAdventuresWithSuperman'': Dr. Anthony Ivo's character arc in a nutshell. In his first appearance, he starts off as the CEO of a successful company, [=AmazoTech=], which has revolutionized various fields thanks to Ivo's inventions; then, in a gala Ivo hosting, it is revealed that the company has been losing money recently, The Board of Directors plans on voting Anthony Ivo off as CEO, and he is personally broke. Ivo hopes that his presentation will save his place in his company; it is heavily implied that he's just deluding himself and would've still been voted off if he was successful. His presentation failed in the worst way imaginable when he presented his parasite suit; he went insane and attacked the people at the gala and had to be taken down by Superman during the struggle, but when the Parasite armor malfunctions and drains his energy, it leaves him as a disheveled husk of his former self. A later episode revealed that [=AmazoTech=] became bankrupt and closed down, showing that Anthony Ivo lost his position as CEO and destroyed his company. [[spoiler: Anthony Ivo's is captured and conscripted into Task Force X. As the series progresses, his sanity decays as his desire for vengeance against Superman grows until by Episode 9, he's little more than a raging monster both literally and figuratively.]] |
| 449 | * Blossom in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' episode "A Very Special Blossom". She steals a set of golf clubs to give the Professor for Father's Day then tries to frame Mojo Jojo for it. When the jig is up, we see her in an orange prison suit performing community service. |
| 450 | * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': Jack's father was once the emperor of Japan and the one who originally defeated Aku. When Aku later returned, he made sure to abduct the aged emperor before he could retrieve his sword again, allowing Aku to TakeOverTheWorld. By the time Jack returns, his father has been reduced to an old, emaciated slave, thoroughly weakened in both body and spirit. |
| 451 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 452 | ** In "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", Homer reunites with his long-lost half-brother Herb. Herb was a SelfMadeMan and the wealthy head of a major auto corporation until he foolishly trusted Homer to design a car for "the average American". The end result was such a farce it drove Herb's already-troubled company out of business. By the time we see Herb again in "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", he's living as a hobo. |
| 453 | ** In "The Old Man and the Lisa", [[Characters/TheSimpsonsCharlesMontgomeryBurns Mr. Burns]] lost his fortune and the Power Plant, and Lisa helped him get it back, much to her regret. |
| 454 | * [[Characters/StarWarsDarthMaul Darth Maul]] throws this in [[Characters/StarWarsObiWanKenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi's]] face when they face each other for the final time in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''. Kenobi's fallen from Jedi Master and hero of the Clone Wars to forgotten hermit, hiding on a backwater world from the government he used to serve. For his part, Obi-Wan turns this right back on him, a former Lord of the Sith reduced to a half-crazy drifter abandoned by his former master and galaxy at large. |
| 455 | -->'''Maul:''' Look what has become of you; a rat in the desert.\ |
| 456 | '''Obi-Wan:''' Look what I have risen above.\ |
| 457 | '''Maul:''' I have come to kill you, [[NotWorthKilling but perhaps it's]] ''[[NotWorthKilling worse]]'' [[NotWorthKilling to leave you here]], festering in your squalor.\ |
| 458 | '''Obi-Wan:''' [[BloodKnight If you define yourself by your power to take life]], [[ItsAllAboutMe your desire to dominate, to possess]], [[WasItReallyWorthIt then you have nothing.]] ''[[[BerserkButton Maul growls angrily]]]'' |
| 459 | * Invoked by Slithe in ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}} [=ThunderCats (2011)=]]]'' |
| 460 | -->"How quickly things change for the cats. From top predator to endangered species... in a single day!" |
| 461 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': By the time of Season 3 opening five-parter, the leaderless Decepticons have lost control of Cybertron and are hiding out on a barren rock of a planet called Chaar, fighting each other for the few bits of energy they can find. [[TheDragon Cyclonus]] calls them out on this, and later [[AlasPoorVillain Rodimus even starts to feel bad for the 'Cons when he sees what a sorry state they're all in]]. |
| 462 | * Many, many characters and institutions in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', but Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture is perhaps the best example. Formerly, a famous and successful boy adventurer and heir to the prodigious Venture Industries, he is now a bitter, unsuccessful CEO of a floundering science firm. |
| 463 | * In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Orm, younger brother of ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, was Prince of Atlantis, and, in his guise of Ocean-Master, held a high-ranking position with [[LegionOfDoom The Light]]. However, after being discovered, disgraced, and [[PutOnABus left to rot in an Atlantean prison for six years]], he [[TheBusCameBack returned in the third season]]; impoverished, physically ragged, and emotionally deranged. [[spoiler:[[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade At least he didn't have to stay that way for long]], before he could prematurely carry out The Light's [[WouldHurtAChild Nuclear Option]].]] |
| 464 | [[/folder]] |
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