| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1340765953044240100 |
| 2 | %% Please do not change or remove the image without first gaining consensus from another IP thread. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:204:[[Webcomic/BobAndGeorge https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nothing-can-stop-us_bob-and-george_9624.png]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:204:"See, George? This is why I don't use [[LampshadeHanging that kind of language]]. [[BigDamnHeroes It attracts heroes.]]"]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->'''Evil Blah:''' I have defeated Super Blah! Now nothing can stop me! I will take over the world! I am invincible! Ahahahahahaha... I can, umm...\ |
| 8 | ''[view zooms out such that Zeeky H. Bomb is visible]''\ |
| 9 | '''Evil Blah:''' ... what the hell are you doing here?\ |
| 10 | '''Zeeky H. Bomb:''' Zeeky boogy doog!\ |
| 11 | ''[cut to crudely drawn explosion]'' |
| 12 | -->-- ''WebAnimation/TheDementedCartoonMovie'' |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The famous last words of any villain at the height of their power, just before the tide begins to turn in favor of the heroes and everything starts to go wrong for the villain, who can then only scream "[[BigNo Noooo!]] [[ThisCannotBe This can't be happening!]]" |
| 15 | |
| 16 | It's usually followed by the BigDamnHeroes suddenly making their presence known, with a wry statement that says in so many words, "Oh yeah?" just before the climactic battle begins. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | No phrase on Earth is as powerful as this one when it comes to invoking FinaglesLaw, with the possible exception of "[[RockBottom At least things can't get any worse]]". |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Heroes, on the other hand, should avoid saying anything like "WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong" |
| 21 | |
| 22 | A form of TemptingFate. Compare EvilGloating, NothingCanSaveUsNow, {{Retirony}}, WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong. Also see NearVillainVictory and the DarkestHour, the point at which the villain is most likely to say this. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples: |
| 26 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 27 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 28 | * ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Lelouch has this happen to him on an almost episodic basis; whenever one of his 'flawless' plans nears completion, Lelouch gloats to himself that, "All the conditions have been cleared." Within seconds, something goes terribly wrong, commonly due to something that Lelouch couldn't have possibly known about beforehand. He gets more savvy about it as time goes on thankfully. |
| 29 | * ''Anime/CombattlerV'': It is ''disturbingly'' frequently used by [[TheDragon Prince Garuda]]. When he [[spoiler:blew [[TheHero Hyoma's]] arms off]], when he blackmailed the Japanese Government in blowing up the Nanbara Connection -the HQ of the heroes-, when he deceived the Japanese police to get the Combattler team under arrest... Some would think he would learn NOT tempting fate after the first time. |
| 30 | * ''Manga/DeathNote'': Episode 36, the one before the series finale, ends with [[Characters/DeathNoteLightYagami Light Yagami]] (who is actually the series' [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]]) saying "It looks like I win," and by that [[spoiler:revealing himself as Kira, while thinking the SPK members are going to be killed by Mikami's Death Note]]. However, when [[spoiler:Near and the other SPK members don't die]], it becomes clear that Light has been {{out gambit}}ted. |
| 31 | * ''Eikou no Napoleon: Eroica'': |
| 32 | ** Done by both Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon before Austerlitz, Alexander because he believes the might of the combined Austro-Russian army and the skills of the generals he put in place of the old and senile commanders he inherited from his grandmother's reign will be too much for Napoleon, and Napoleon, who had been worried until a moment before, because he has just learned that the enemy force is not led by the old but experienced and supremely skilled Kutuzov (who would in fact proceed to read through Napoleon's plan and put himself on the Pratzen Heights, exactly where he was needed to foil it) but by Weyrother (who Napoleon had already defeated once. Weyrother would proceed to fall for Napoleon's trap and have the Tsar order Kutuzov away from the heights). Napoleon would proceed to crush the enemy army, with the Russian army only escaping back to Russia in one piece thanks to the skills of the "old and senile" Kutuzov. |
| 33 | ** Napoleon would do the same in 1813 upon learning that Kutuzov, who had foiled his invasion of Russia the previous year, had died of old age, believing the Sixth Coalition had no general of the same stature available. [[SubvertedTrope He was right]], and proved it by inflicting a series of defeats on his enemy... [[DoubleSubversion Except Clausewitz and other young but experienced officers have learned how to outfight him on a strategic level, making his previous victories meaningless and setting up the stage for his defeat at Leipzig and the invasion of France]]. |
| 34 | * ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'': [[SmugSnake Quattro]], after managing to keep the [[KillSat Saint's Cradle]] running despite the destroyed engine, triumphantly announces "We're not finished yet!". Then Nanoha spots her. Cue OhCrap moment. |
| 35 | * ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Curiously, [[TheDragon Baron Ashura]] tends to utters that sentence in two types of situation: when BigBad Dr. Hell is showing another of his {{Robeast}}s to [[{{TwoFaced}} him/her/it]] (cue Mazinger Z obliterating the Mechanical Beast twenty minutes later); or when one of his/her/its schemes succeeds or is close to succeeding. Examples of the second use are when a Mechanical Beast has utterly trashed Mazinger Z, when he managed to steal a sample of Alloy Z... |
| 36 | ** On the other hand, [[TheDragon Great Marshall of Hell]] from ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' was more careful about using it. Seemingly he learnt his lesson [[spoiler:since he was a resurrected Dr. Hell]]. |
| 37 | * ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'': Tsubarov's demise, where Tsubarov is laughing and claiming that his mobile dolls couldn't possibly be defeated. His last words were "I am invincible." The difference is that his mobile dolls had just been destroyed by Wufei Chang and the room he was in was crumbling and ''clearly about to blow up'' due to Wufei's berserk attack on the base. |
| 38 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Inverted with [[spoiler:Asuka]] in ''End of Evangelion''. [[spoiler:After waking from her coma and discovering about the connection between her EVA and her mother, this trope is in play. Asuka was fighting very well but three factors would ensure her defeat: the [[TimedMission cut power supply]], the [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose Mass Produced EVAs]], and the DiabolusExMachina. Cue HeroicRROD at [[FinaglesLaw THE worst possible moment]].]] |
| 39 | * ''Anime/{{Noir}}'': You would almost think it was deliberate that they were writing off the "Daughter of Corsica" while she was driving a jeep towards them with a handgun on the passenger seat. Especially since they repeated the claim while she was entering their base. |
| 40 | * ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions'': Grings Kodai finally [[spoiler:absorbs the Time Ripple he's been searching for after his EvilPlan seems to go off flawlessly]]. Having a massive ego, he just can't help going into one of these rants in front of Ash, telling him that he'll get away with it and there's nothing anyone can do. [[spoiler:Turns out [[SpannerInTheWorks Zorua destroyed his illusion canceler]], something [[MasterOfIllusion Zoroark]] took full advantage of, and the Time Ripple he just absorbed was a fake and [[EngineeredPublicConfession Karl caught his entire gloating session on tape and plays it to the entire town the next morning, including the cops]].]] While Kodai would've been defeated even if he hadn't gone into his speech, it was the final nail in the coffin, [[spoiler:as it had him admit to causing a massive disaster 20 years ago and being perfectly willing to do it again]], ensuring his arrest. |
| 41 | * ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': [[FatBastard Idol Rabier]] frees a T-rex-like monster that had been sealed by past heroes, and declares he's now unstoppable. The monster promptly stomps on him. |
| 42 | * ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': [[BigBad Berg Katse]] or one of his captains speaks this line every few episodes. Generally shortly before a kaboom aimed at or in the mecha/base of the week. |
| 43 | [[/folder]] |
| 44 | |
| 45 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 46 | * ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': [[http://comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/44/28341_20060209135243_large.jpg This Hulk cover]]. |
| 47 | * The villain at the end of Terry Moore's run on ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' reached the conclusion of his villainous plot, monologued about being unstoppable after having grabbed Nico's Staff Of One (in direct violation of [[EvilOverlordList Evil Overlord rule 89]]), and ''immediately'' gets eaten by a [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere giant dragon that pops out of the staff]]. |
| 48 | * ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': |
| 49 | ** In ''ComicBook/KryptonNoMore'' super-villain Radion traps Superman in an energy globe, explains his plan and brags that no-one can stop him and his ally Protector, not even Superman. Bad idea. Superman shatters his energy cell, tracks both villains down and beats them. |
| 50 | --->'''Radion:''' We can't be stopped -- Not even by you, Superman! |
| 51 | ** ''ComicBook/TwoForTheDeathOfOne'': When Syrene steals untold magic power, Lord Satanis possesses Superman's body to even the odds, and declares that nothing can stop him now. Shortly after he is asking Superman help because Syrene is about to kill him. |
| 52 | --->'''Satanis:''' Well, my wife, your plan to destroy me has failed! I not only have my own sorcerous powers, but Superman's invulnerability as well! Nothing can stop me now!\ |
| 53 | '''Syrene:''' We shall have to see about that, Satanis! |
| 54 | * ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'': "There's no stopping us now!" on [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1f/d5/3a/1fd53a7a32a86ac8b9850283210f7b98.jpg an old Prog cover]] is probably one of the ''least'' [[EvilIsHammy hammy lines]] quoted by the [[ComicBook/JudgeDredd Dark Judges]]. |
| 55 | [[/folder]] |
| 56 | |
| 57 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 58 | * An election storyline in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' has Lucy say this. [[https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1964/10/21 Then...]] |
| 59 | -->'''Linus''': [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption I want to talk to you this morning about the "Great Pumpkin".]]\ |
| 60 | '''Charlie Brown and Lucy''': [[OhCrap AAAUGHH!!]] |
| 61 | [[/folder]] |
| 62 | |
| 63 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 64 | * ''Fanfic/EnemyOfMyEnemy'': Brute Chieftain Malwreckus adopts this attitude, laughing triumphantly as his [[HumongousMecha Scarab]] busts through Horizon's defensive wall... [[spoiler:and wanders right into point-blank range of some artillery cannons. Bang.]] |
| 65 | * ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'': This is said in the climax by [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis right after her Changelings have [[DeathByWomanScorned killed the traitorous Jewelius]] and she prepares to take down the exhausted heroes. She's proven wrong when Shining Armor and Cadance blast them out of Equestria]]. |
| 66 | -->[[spoiler:'''Queen Chrysalis''']]: Now with that [[spoiler:slimy, double-crossing usurper]] out of the picture and the heroes weakened, NOPONY CAN STOP US NOW! |
| 67 | [[/folder]] |
| 68 | |
| 69 | [[folder:Films — Animation]] |
| 70 | * Near the end of ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'', Jafar has Aladdin and his friends at his mercy hanging over a lava pit. "Give it up, boy. You can never have my lamp, and there is no-one here to save you this time." Cue [[HeelFaceTurn Iago's arrival.]] |
| 71 | -->'''Iago:''' HEY, JAFAR -- '''''[[BigShutUp SHUT UUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPP!!!]]''''' |
| 72 | * Uttered by Professor Z, TheDragon of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2''. Cue Finn [=McMissile=]'s arrival. |
| 73 | * It's the ''good guys'' who say this ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance''. Their on-stage song of "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" turns into a big dance routine at the movie's climax, and though the EnfantTerrible BigBad makes the obligatory over-the-top attempt to put the lie to their lyrics, [[SpringtimeForHitler she succeeds only in playing right into their hands]]. |
| 74 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheManCalledFlintstone''. When the Green Goose learns that the good guys' anti-missile missile isn't operational yet, he orders that his missile be prepared to fire and says "Nobody can stop me now!" |
| 75 | * ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'' has a lot of these. |
| 76 | ** Immediately after the BigBad says "That force field is impenetrable." Ginormica rips through it and punches him in the face. |
| 77 | ** In the chase scene that followed this, Ginormica easily rammed through several blast doors without even slowing down. |
| 78 | ** "You can't crush a cockroach!" |
| 79 | ** The [[spoiler:AI system of the Alien's ship has a security system that functions just like ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'']]. After the AI declares her security code unbreakable, [[spoiler:Dr. Cockroach busts out the moves and unlocks the system]]. |
| 80 | * In the final battle of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' the three sirens are using their song to control the audience: "''Now you need us / Come and heed us / Nothing can stop us now!''" Cue the Rainbooms breaking into the song with their counter-spell. |
| 81 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986'': Perhaps one of the most iconic examples... "Nothing can stop the Smooze!" [[spoiler:Hydia was lying- the Flutter Ponies can and do stop it.]] |
| 82 | * ''WesternAnimation/OperationZero'': Grandfather proclaims this after finally obtaining the [[HopeBringer Book of KND]], proclaiming that no one will defeat him once he destroys it... mere seconds before he notices [[ColonyDrop the KND Moonbase dropping right on top of him]]. Though to his credit, he ''survives'' that; he's still done in after finding out he's in the base's [[LaserGuidedAmnesia Decommissioning Chamber]]. |
| 83 | * A non-villain example in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie''. The titular girls, having discovered they can use their superpowers to fight, triumphantly defeat Mojo Jojo's primate army and storm his lair to save the Professor (their dad). Unfortunately, they end up tempting fate by saying this line... |
| 84 | -->'''Buttercup:''' ''[charging head-on]'' We can take this chump chimp down easy!\ |
| 85 | '''Blossom:''' Nothing he can do can stop us!\ |
| 86 | '''Mojo:''' ''[twists the Professor's neck enough to make him cry out in pain]''\ |
| 87 | '''All Three Girls:''' ''[immediately stop with gasps]'' |
| 88 | * Near the end of ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMeetsTheBooBrothers'', Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy confront the Skull Ghost at the location of the treasure. The Skull Ghost then pulls a gun on them, snarling, "Stand back! Nothin's going to stop me now!" |
| 89 | * In the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', Bowser claims the Super Star, and gloats, "I finally have it...'''''NOW NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!'''''" Cut to the Mario Bros. KitschyLocalCommercial. |
| 90 | * Used by Plankton ''twice'' in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', first when the Chum Bucket is finally successful after he finally stole the Krabby Patty formula, with Karen mentioning that [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are going after Neptune's crown, but Plankton sends a hitman after them. Then later, when all of Bikini Bottom's citizens are under his control and Squidward, the only one onto his plan has been captured, Planktons victoriously cries "Who can stop me now?! ''(EvilLaugh)'' '''''WHO?!'''''". It then cuts to [[AnswerCut SpongeBob and Patrick]]. |
| 91 | [[/folder]] |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 94 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle''. Fearless Leader make comments to this effect ''twice'' on the night of the broadcast. Both times, he's wrong. |
| 95 | * ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' (1966). Catwoman says it to the Penguin after the United Underworld captures the United World delegates, just before they learn that Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Robin}} are pursuing the submarine in which the villains are escaping. |
| 96 | * Subverted in ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'': it is a ''Nazi'' officer who says in horror "Nothing can stop them now", the 'them' being the Allied tanks crossing the bridge he has just failed to blow up. As it happens, they are in fact stopped later and we get a {{downer ending}}. |
| 97 | ** Most of the Allies have this attitude early on, believing that the Wehrmacht is now a spent force so the operation will be incredibly easy. When General Browning declares that "Only the weather can stop us now." the astounded [[OnlySaneMan General Sosabowski]] retorts that the ''Germans'' still have a say in the matter, but is brushed off. |
| 98 | * ''Film/{{Bullshot}}''. After they've successfully kidnapped Professor Fenton, the villainous Count Otto von Bruno brags: "No-one can stop us now!" Scene cut to our hero Bullshot Crummond striding into view, his LanternJawOfJustice out-thrust. |
| 99 | * ''Film/DemolitionMan'': In the Creator/SylvesterStallone movie, Wesley Snipes' BigBad Simon Phoenix has John Spartan at his mercy. Before he kills him with a pole he utters the line "This... is the best day of my life!" Unfortunately for him Spartan has a container of a substance that instantly freezes whatever it touches, which he smashes against the ground and grabs onto a crane to avoid. Phoenix gets frozen and then has his head kicked off when Spartan swings back around on the crane. |
| 100 | * A classic cinematic example occurs at the end of ''Film/DirtyMaryCrazyLarry''. [[spoiler:As their car speeds away, Larry declares, "Ain't nothing gonna stop us!" The car then broadsides a freight train and explodes.]] |
| 101 | * From ''Film/ErnestScaredStupid'', we have the infamous "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Not even milk can stop me now]]". |
| 102 | * ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'': Ming The Merciless gloats, "Pathetic Earthlings! Who will save you now?" (Three guesses what the answer is.) |
| 103 | * ''Film/JamesBond'' movies: |
| 104 | ** ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice''. Blofeld is unperturbed when Tanaka's ninja army blast a hole in the roof of his VolcanoLair and fast-rope inside. He orders the [[LockDown control room sealed with armored shutters]], saying: "We are now impregnable. Interception will take place in eight minutes. Nothing can prevent that." |
| 105 | ** ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'': Blofeld says this as the warhead is being sent to the target. |
| 106 | ** The best use of "I am in''vin''cible!" is delivered by Boris Grishenko (Creator/AlanCumming) in ''Film/{{GoldenEye}}'', who has it as his catchphrase. When he survives the [[CollapsingLair destruction of Trevelyan's base]] after the second [[KillSat Goldeneye satellite]] smacked into the atmosphere, he utters the line, and immediately gets frozen to death when some tanks of liquid nitrogen explode right behind him. Also a ChekhovsGun, as the liquid nitrogen tanks had obviously been there the whole time (it served as coolant for the computers). |
| 107 | * ''Film/TheLastStarfighter''. Xur, the resident BigBad, receives an incomplete transmission from Earth saying simply "The last Starfighter...". He automatically completes the sentence himself: "...is dead. The last Starfighter is dead. Nothing Can Stop Us Now!" No prizes for guessing how that worked out for him. |
| 108 | * ''Film/TheLoveBug'' features Thorndyke's henchman, Havershaw, telling him "You can't lose, sir! You can't possibly lo...", trailing off as he sees that Herbie ([[ItMakesSenseInContext half of him anyway]]) is passing them right before the finish line. Later, Thorndyke tells him "Couldn't lose, I think you said." |
| 109 | * ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:'' |
| 110 | ** ''Film/{{Thor}}:'' Before the FinalBattle with Thor, Loki declares that there is no stopping him. Thor proves him wrong [[spoiler:by defeating him and destroying the Rainbow Bridge]] shortly after. |
| 111 | --->'''Loki:''' You can't stop it. The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart. |
| 112 | ** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}:'' Loki gives one of these to Tony Stark just before the Chitauri invasion. True to form, Tony never loses his cool. [[spoiler:It ends with the KeystoneArmy destroyed and Loki beaten to a pulp by the Hulk.]] |
| 113 | --->'''Loki:''' The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?\ |
| 114 | '''Tony Stark:''' The Avengers. That's what we call ourselves; we're sort of like a team. |
| 115 | ** ''Film/ThorRagnarok:'' In the third act, Hela does it twice in quick succession: |
| 116 | --->'''Hela:''' You see? No one's going anywhere. I'll get that sword, even if I have to kill every single one of them to do it. [just before [[spoiler:Loki arrives with his RagtagBunchOfMisfits to save the Asgardians]]]\ |
| 117 | '''Hela:''' (a few moments later) Whatever game you're playing, it won't work. You can't defeat me. [just before [[spoiler:Surtur rises to defeat her]]]. |
| 118 | * In ''Film/TheMonsterSquad'' Dracula (prematurely) boasts "Soon the creatures of the night will rule the world...and there is NO ONE TO STOP US!" |
| 119 | * In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'': [[TheDragon Mercer]] thinks Cutler Beckett is worrying overmuch about what the pirates are planning, and says, "There's nothing that can stand against the armada, not with the ''Flying Dutchman'' at the lead." Beckett quickly replies: "Nothing we ''know'' of." And Beckett is right, they did not know of [[spoiler:Calypso]]. Nor did they know [[spoiler:that the ''Dutchman'' would be turned against them]]. |
| 120 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': |
| 121 | ** ''Film/ANewHope''. |
| 122 | *** Though it takes a little longer (probably because it's in a secure conference room) for the full backlash, [[SmugSnake admiral Motti]] announces that the Death Star "[[TemptingFate is now the ultimate power in the universe!]]" He is nearly choked by Vader moments later, for scoffing at the power of the Force. |
| 123 | *** Proving that karma often works faster in movies than it does in real life, the Death Star's destruction is heralded by Grand Moff Tarkin's refusal to abandon the station in their "moment of triumph". |
| 124 | *** Before that, we get the following line from Darth Vader himself: "This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi; it will soon see the end of the Rebellion." |
| 125 | *** Interestingly, Vader says the trope name word-for-word at the end of the Imperial campaign in [[VideoGame/EmpireAtWar Empire at War]], but by that point, [[SubvertedTrope he's not wrong.]] |
| 126 | ** In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the Emperor says how secure the shield base is on Endor, guarded by a full legion of his best stormtroopers. They're subsequently outwitted by Ewoks. |
| 127 | * One of the Spartan soldiers in ''Film/ThreeHundred'' shouts "There's nothing that can stop us now!" after their first night of battle. |
| 128 | * A heroic version occurs twice in ''Film/{{Tremors}}''. |
| 129 | ** As Val and Earl are leaving Perfection for Bixby: |
| 130 | --->'''Val:''' Now there's nothing, and I mean nothing, between us and Bixby.\ |
| 131 | ''[they encounter two dead bodies -- the first warning of the Graboid threat]'' |
| 132 | ** After returning to warn Perfection about the murders, they head for Bixby again to get the police: |
| 133 | --->'''Earl:''' There's sure as hell nothing to stop us now. Everybody we know between here and Bixby is already dead.\ |
| 134 | ''[when they get to where a crew was doing roadwork, they find an avalanche blocking passage; the road crew tells them it could be a few days before it's cleared]'' |
| 135 | * ''Film/{{Westworld}}'': Welcome to Westworld, [[TemptingFate where nothing can go wrong]]... go wrong... go wrong... |
| 136 | [[/folder]] |
| 137 | |
| 138 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 139 | * In ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfStrongVanya'', Grand Duke Dimitri gloats that nothing can stop him from taking over the throne, since the time for some claimant appearing and bringing the Armor of the Tsar Ivan Vasilievich is up tomorrow. Several hours later, he is informed by one of his spies that one man clad in the Armor is coming. |
| 140 | -->'''Grand Duke Dimitri:''' I counted exactly. The seven years and seven times seven weeks are up tomorrow. And nothing in the world will prevent me from taking you as my wife the day after tomorrow! |
| 141 | * ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'': In ''The Arctic Incident'', the main villain Briar Cudgeon states "And nobody can get in here to stop me." the narration remarks [[LampshadeHanging "Of course, you should never say something like that, especially when you're an arch villain. It's just asking for trouble."]] Predictably, the author is correct; shortly thereafter Artemis's BattleButler shoulders his way through a supposedly secure door; then the other archvillain learns that Cudgeon has betrayed her and kills him with plasma that he himself had activated. |
| 142 | * ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'': |
| 143 | ** Spore says something to this effect while chasing Tash through an AsteroidThicket. It taunts her with a twisted version of a WeCanRuleTogether speech, saying she's not nearly strong enough to stop it. [[spoiler:Then the [[WronskiFeint giant space slugs]] show up.]] |
| 144 | ** The very second book, ''City of the Dead'', has the BigBad monologing to himself about how soon his control over the galaxy will begin, nothing can stop him. ''Immediately'' after that, an alarm sounds and he finds out that his first experiment has suddenly gone offline. |
| 145 | * In ''Literature/TheLorax'' and its adaptations, the Once-Ler, fed up with the Lorax's complaints and warnings, tells him flat-out that nothing will stop him from cutting down truffula trees and making thneeds. Unfortunately, that's when the last chop is heard... |
| 146 | -->'''[[WesternAnimation/TheLorax2012 Lorax:]]''' That's it. The very last one. That may stop you. |
| 147 | * In ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'', the Humbug, Milo and Tock are instantly transported to the Island of Conclusions for making over-optimistic comments, e.g. "Nothing can possibly go wrong now." The island is more bleak and desolate than it appears from a distance, and the journey back is much more arduous and unpleasant than getting there. |
| 148 | * ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible'' (note the title): Doctor Impossible has defeated the heroes and his nemesis and his DoomsdayDevice is working perfectly... |
| 149 | -->''It feels so good, I just have to say it:\ |
| 150 | So much for [=CoreFire=]. And so much for those wretched Champions!\ |
| 151 | Then, right behind me, someone clears their throat, and I freeze.\ |
| 152 | Well, almost.'' |
| 153 | [[/folder]] |
| 154 | |
| 155 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 156 | * ''Series/{{Ahsoka}}:'' In the finale, Morgan Elspeth says there's "very little" Ahsoka and her allies can do to stop Thrawn at that point. Thrawn, who has spent the last twenty years in exile thanks to his previous underestimation of what Jedi can do, shoots her a look like she's an idiot and tells her he's taking no chances. [[spoiler:Thrawn successfully gets away, but it's a near thing.]] |
| 157 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': |
| 158 | ** "Two To Go", in the finale the following occurs: |
| 159 | --->'''Dark Willow:''' There's no-one in the world with the power to stop me now!\ |
| 160 | '''Giles:''' ''[appears behind her]'' I'd like to test that theory. |
| 161 | *** This turns out to be a DoubleSubversion: Willow beats Giles fairly soundly and steals the magical power he was using, but Giles' defeat was part of ThePlan to get Willow to stop herself. |
| 162 | ** The above exchange is repeated in an issue of the Buffy Season 8 comic, with a nice twist: |
| 163 | --->'''[[spoiler:Amy]]:''' A hundred slayers and there's not one person here who can take me on.\ |
| 164 | '''Willow:''' As a friend of mine once said... I'd like to test that theory. |
| 165 | ** An example of this presumed causation working its way into the text: the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Spiral". Dawn reassures Buffy that things can't get worse. Immediately, an arrow flies into their RV. Buffy tells Dawn, "This is your fault for saying that!" |
| 166 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 167 | ** A SoBadItsGood example from the original series. Outrageously accented MadScientist Professor Zaroff from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E5TheUnderwaterMenace "The Underwater Menace"]] cackling [[FunetikAksent "Nuzzink in ze vorld can shtop me now!!!"]] |
| 168 | ** Or the Rani's "I have the Loyhargil! Nothing can stop me now!" from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani "Time and the Rani"]]. |
| 169 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]]: |
| 170 | --->'''Dalek Emperor:''' I will not die! I CANNOT DIE!! |
| 171 | ** Lampshaded in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E9TheSatanPit The Satan Pit]]": |
| 172 | --->'''The Doctor:''' "No turning back"? That's as bad as "Nothing can possibly go wrong"! |
| 173 | ** The Doctor's "I'm the Doctor" speech from "[[Recap/DoctorWho2007CSVoyageOfTheDamned Voyage of the Damned]]" falls under this trope, given how spectacularly he fails. Except for the bit where he manages to save all six billion people on Earth. |
| 174 | ** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd Journey's End]]": To be fair, he DID stop every backup plan, which is impressive for a villain. |
| 175 | --->'''[[spoiler:Davros]]:''' Nothing can stop the detonation! [[LargeHam NOTHING... AND NO-ONE]]!!!! |
| 176 | ** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars The Waters of Mars]]": |
| 177 | --->'''The Doctor:''' There are laws of time. Once upon a time there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It's taken me all these years to realise the laws of time are mine! '''And they will obey me'''! |
| 178 | ** An, ultimately, ZigZaggingTrope depending on whom you think The Doctor's talking to in the cliffhanger for Episode 3 of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani The Caves of Androzani]]". The Doctor is in a ship that is crashing back to the surface of Androzani Minor, on a suicide mission to rescue Peri from both the clutches of Jerrek Zek and the Spectrox Toxemia that threatens to kill them both. As the ship hurtles closer and closer to the planet, the Doctor yells out "I'm not going to let you stop me now!" as the sting note plays. If he was talking to the pilot who was trying to kill him or addressing the villains of the episode in general, it's subverted as he does carry the day. However, there is a fan theory that he was saying it to ''himself'', as there were very subtle implications that he was already beginning to regenerate and he was only hanging on by sheer willpower, a battle he would in the end [[TheNthDoctor lose]]. |
| 179 | * ''Series/LazyTown'': "Defeeted": Robbie considers Sportacus out of the picture after expelling him from the stage and later after he's stuck kicking uncontrollably on his back, unable to get up. |
| 180 | * In an episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', Kelly is offered a lucrative contract if she becomes [[SexSells the spokesmodel for a new beer that's coming into the market]]. When Kelly grows a goatee and goes bald thanks to a pimple home remedy made by one of Peggy's relatives, she's fired because of of how ugly she is. When [[StrawFeminist Marcy]], who's at the studio to protest the beer's sexist marketing campaign, hears this, she threatens to sue the company, saying Kelly's being discriminated for her looks. Sometime later, Kelly's commercial airs and Al says that he'll be rich once she lands an even better contract, [[TemptingFate Bud tells Al no to be so certain]], to which Al responds "Al Bundy can never lose!" Kelly comes in and announces she was fired (because she's beautiful now) and Al responds "... or win either." |
| 181 | * ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'': |
| 182 | ** In the episode "Two For One", the Red Dragon Thunderzord is getting its skidplate handed to it by Lipsyncher, to the point where it can no longer stand. Lord Zedd proclaims, "Victory is mine." Cut to the other Rangers arriving on the scene and summoning their own Thunderzords to back up the Red Dragon. |
| 183 | ** In "Hogday Afternoon Part II", after defeating the Shogun Megazord, Hydro Hog proclaims, "Nothing can stop me now!" only to have the Falconzord show up, shoot him up and make him drop his sword, and link up with the Shogunzords to form the Shogun Megafalconzord, which blasts him into oblivion. |
| 184 | * In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Zod says this when [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Kal]] finds a map of [[spoiler:Chloe]]'s kryptonite weapons and they are ready to destroy them all. |
| 185 | * Near the beginning of the sixth season of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', [[Characters/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineGulDukat Gul Dukat]] has a particularly good one just before Sisko gets the wormhole aliens to destroy the Jem'Hadar fleet. This is followed by a very bad villainous BSOD, worsened when [[spoiler:his close adjutant Damar shoots his daughter Ziyal for betraying the Cardassian-Dominion alliance by breaking a group of terrorists out of prison]]. At the end, Dukat, having gone over the course of the episode from the effective leader of the Cardassian empire and one of the three most powerful beings in the Alpha Quadrant to a war criminal in a prison cell, has obviously cracked and is huddled up in the corner of the prison talking to Ziyal. |
| 186 | * In the British automotive series ''Series/TopGear'', the team of presenters is frequently given an automotive related challenge of some kind (e.g., each one is to purchase a used vehicle, convert it to be amphibious, and then sail it across the English Channel). Usually, on being given the task, presenter Jeremy Clarkson launches into it asking the enthusiastic rhetorical question, "How hard can it be?" Answer: usually very (e.g., ''both'' times the ''Top Gear'' presenters were challenged to convert vehicles into car-boats, Richard Hammond's conversion sank). |
| 187 | ** This has been {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in several episodes. In the first episode of the series' 9th season, (the episode in which Hammond returned after recovering from a serious brain injury sustained in a dragster crash), Clarkson ended his introduction to a challenge with the fateful words |
| 188 | --->'''Jeremy Clarkson:''' ... How hard can it be?\ |
| 189 | '''Richard Hammond:''' ''[dramatically]'' Oh, how I've missed the pang of dread every time you say the words "''How hard can it be?''" |
| 190 | ** And in another episode later that season... |
| 191 | --->'''Jeremy Clarkson:''' How hard can it be?\ |
| 192 | '''Richard Hammond:''' ''Don't'' say that! |
| 193 | [[/folder]] |
| 194 | |
| 195 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 196 | * M?e Brennan's ''Against The Wind'': |
| 197 | -->Defying their leaders\ |
| 198 | Holding out for free will\ |
| 199 | The strong dare to echo\ |
| 200 | Nothing can stop\ |
| 201 | Nothing can stop us now |
| 202 | * [=McFadden=] and Whitehead's disco song "Ain't No Stopping us Now", of course. |
| 203 | * Laibach's ''B Mashina'': |
| 204 | -->Millions of machines on nitroglycerin\ |
| 205 | Thunder in us\ |
| 206 | There is no force no money and no power\ |
| 207 | To stop us now and change our fate\ |
| 208 | Before we rise |
| 209 | * Music/NineInchNails album ''Music/TheDownwardSpiral'' uses the line 'Nothing can stop me now' in the songs "Piggy", "Ruiner" and "Big Man With A Gun". Fitting into the trope is that the concept album ends with the character's suicide. |
| 210 | ** Both instances of the line also mark the two distinctive stages of the character's descent into insanity: the ending of "Piggy" marks the beginning of his God-complex, and "Ruiner" marks the beginning of his purely nihilistic side taking control. Adding even more irony to the situation is the fact that the line is cut short at the end of "Ruiner". |
| 211 | ** The recurrence of this phrase spills over in the next Album, ''The Fragile''. The penultimate track on the first disc, "La Mer" contains the phrase, but this time in Creole French. ''Rien peut m'arr?r maintenant.'' |
| 212 | ** ''The Fragile'' has "We're In This Together Now" , which also features the phrase "None of them can stop us now". |
| 213 | ** And then "nothing can stop us now" showed up on the back of Trent Reznor's ''wedding invitations'' (much to the horror/amusement of the fanbase). |
| 214 | ** The exact phrase "Nothing Can Stop Us Now" can also be found in the song "Sunspots", from ''With Teeth''. |
| 215 | * Starship's ''Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now''. |
| 216 | * Quoth Music/{{Moby}}: ''People they come together/People they fall apart/No one can stop us now/'Cause we are all made of stars''. |
| 217 | * In ''Music/TheProtomen'', Act I, Track 5 (''Vengeance''), VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}} taunts the enemy with the words "Send your armies, there's no man or machine who can stop me!" As a matter of fact, [[spoiler:he's absolutely right, but the trauma of having to kill his [[HeelFaceTurn turncoat]] brother Protoman while [[HoldingOutForAHero the crowd does nothing]] triggers a HeroicBSOD that ends with him turning his back on all of humanity and allowing the remnants of the robot army to slaughter the crowd]]. |
| 218 | [[/folder]] |
| 219 | |
| 220 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 221 | * After the Wrestling/{{CZW}} invaders successfully breached Wrestling/RingOfHonor during the main event of ROH's Fourth Anniversary show, Wrestling/ChrisHero proclaimed nothing could stop him. Cue Wrestling/SamoaJoe. |
| 222 | * Invoked by the commentators during the 2007 Wrestling/RoyalRumble match, when Wrestling/TheGreatKhali entered late in the match and basically took it over, eliminating several Superstars in succession and beating the rest into submission. The commentators became convinced that Khali was going to win the whole thing; and even as the clock ticked down the final 10 seconds before the 30th - and final - participant was to make his entrance, they emphasized that ''no one'' could stop Khali. Just then the clock ran out, and...[[Wrestling/TheUndertaker cue gong]]. |
| 223 | * After a [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE World Heavyweight Title]] match on Smackdown between Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}} and the late Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, heel manager Wrestling/PaulHeyman shows up, and after delivering a bigoted speech to both Eddie and Mysterio in which he expresses his desire to see the two of them and their families deported, he rants on about his "vision" for Smackdown, and ends the speech with "...and there's not a ''man alive'' who's going to stand in my way!" [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker Guess who shows up seconds later]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KfOIr1HGtc to kick Heyman's ass.]] |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 227 | * A rare non-villain example is found in ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', where Rosie says to herself, "Oh, Rosie, nothing can stop you now!" Cue her fiancé's mom walking onto the stage. Probably one of the funniest moments in the play. |
| 228 | [[/folder]] |
| 229 | |
| 230 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 231 | * Doctor Octopus does an interesting variation of this line in ''Ride/TheAmazingAdventuresOfSpiderMan'' at Ride/UniversalStudios, saying, "With my anti-gravity cannon, even Spider-Man won't be able to stop me!" Electro quickly corrects him, saying, "You mean ''us''." To which Ock replies, "Yes, of course...", giving a brief implication that he's going to betray the other Syndicate members later on. |
| 232 | * In ''It's Tough to Be a Bug'' at the Ride/DisneyThemeParks, Hopper proudly proclaims this after launching a bug-assault on the audience, only for a chameleon to show up seconds later and attempt to devour him, which promptly scares him away. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 236 | * In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'', after defeating the Mafic Dragon, just when the hero is about to collect the Chaos Focus Gem and accept it into the Supreme Arcane Staff, Ledgermayne snatches the gem and crushes it into pieces, afterwards telling the hero to go back to the Tower of Magic and await Lore's demise. It even says "There is nothing on Lore that can stop us now," before teleporting back to the para-elemental plane of magic. However, Ledgermayne made one mistake -- it didn't check to make sure there were no shards left from the Gem, so, being the optimistic fellow he/she is, the hero accepts the shards left behind into the staff itself. |
| 237 | -->'''Hero:''' I'm not just going to lay down and die, Ledgermayne. This will ''have'' to be enough to stop you. |
| 238 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': Stated word-for-word by Micolash when you encounter him. Given that Micolash is a SquishyWizard who has to spend most of your "fight" against him [[GetBackHereBoss running away,]] on top of being a BigBadWannabe who's far less important and relevant than he imagines himself to be, and that he's going up against a OneManArmy HunterOfMonsters who, at this point in the game, has likely laid a couple of [[EldritchAbomination Great Ones]] to rest, he ''really'' should've known better than to tickle fate's fancy. |
| 239 | * ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'': After Kane captures Umagon and is about to launch his world-altering missile, this exchange follows: |
| 240 | -->'''Kane:''' I can't wait forever, [[PlayerCharacter McNeil]], if I must take the fight to you-- |
| 241 | -->'''Umagon:''' It's a fight you will lose! |
| 242 | -->'''Kane:''' ''I've already won the fight.'' |
| 243 | * Count Waltz from ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'' in the first battle against him, but only in the original Platform/Xbox360 version (in which it also happens to be the only battle against him.) |
| 244 | * ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'': A line from Lightside!Starkiller's NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech: |
| 245 | -->'''Starkiller:''' Vader can't stop me now. ''[more quietly]'' Vader can't stop me now. Nobody can. |
| 246 | * ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': |
| 247 | ** In ''VideoGame/Halo2'' after Tartarus had brought him the Index, the Prophet of Truth proclaims that nothing, not even the Flood, can stop them. Appropriately, a Spartan-II materializes right in front of him and the Arbiter starts wrecking things on Halo's surface. And for extra goodness, both appearances are orchestrated by the Flood. |
| 248 | ** In ''VideoGame/Halo3'', after Truth's plans to cause galactic omnicide are stopped, Gravemind chimes in that his own are still on track: |
| 249 | --->'''Gravemind:''' Now the gate has been unlatched, headstones pushed aside;\ |
| 250 | corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide! |
| 251 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': The only person who can stop Agahnim is the Hero of legend. Agahnim seems to think not even the Hero can stop him and his tribe. |
| 252 | -->'''Agahnim:''' "After all, the legendary Hero cannot defeat us, the tribe of evil, when we are armed with the Power of Gold." |
| 253 | * Used in ''VideoGame/LordsOfMagic'' when a faction is eliminated from the game. Balkoth summons the dark god Golgoth and they gloat about how a certain nation's lord is now dead, and how nothing can stop them. |
| 254 | * ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'': This is the [[IncomingHam first line]] spoken by VillainProtagonist Zetta as he effortlessly slaughters his way through guardians of a forbidden library, burning it down around him as he does. Zetta then proceeds to prove the trope right when he causes the netherworld he's standing on and everything on it, himself included, to get CriticalExistenceFailure in a spectacularly stupid attempt to ScrewDestiny. |
| 255 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': |
| 256 | -->'''Liquid Snake:''' Nothing will be able to stop Metal Gear nooow.. |
| 257 | * Dr. Eggman makes the mistake of invoking this phrase in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', even if he ''is'' aware of it. |
| 258 | -->'''Eggman:''' ...and then ''nothing'' will stop me! I know, I say that every time -- but this time, ''really'', nothing will stop me!\ |
| 259 | ''[enter you-know-who]''\ |
| 260 | '''Sonic:''' Who are you callin' "nothing"?! |
| 261 | * ''VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect'': Done for laughs using {{time travel}} by the BigBad (referring to himself and his past self): "It's too late! You can't stop me now! Er- us! Well- me!" He isn't foiled ''immediately'' afterwards, however. |
| 262 | [[/folder]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 265 | * Featured in ''WebAnimation/TheDementedCartoonMovie'', as per the page quote. Another example, earlier in the film, had the heroes say something akin to this when they were trying to find out why saying Zeeky Boogy D--er, [[TheScottishTrope the "Zeeky words"]] resulted in a nucular[[note]][[RunningGag It's pronounced "nuclear"!]][[/note]] explosion. Naturally, something ''did'' stop them. [[NegativeContinuity On that take, anyway.]] |
| 266 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': At the end of Issue 8 of ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'', Cheerleader brags from offscreen "Everybody died 'cept me!" A chomping noise and an "Aw, crap!" from Cheerleader indicate that she was eaten by a shark. |
| 267 | * When Roman sics a Geist Grimm on the heroes in ''WebAnimation/RWBYChibi'', he drops this line when it possesses a stack of pancakes. Naturally, someone ''does'' stop him a few seconds later... |
| 268 | -->'''Roman:''' ''[[EvilIsHammy Finally, victory is mine]]''!! Nothing can stop me now!\ |
| 269 | ''Nora jumps into shot.''\ |
| 270 | '''Nora:''' ''(In a deep voice)'' '''[[BigEater I'M SO HUNGRY!]]'''\ |
| 271 | ''She eats all of the pancakes AND the Geist Grimm in one hit, much to the villains' collective surprise.''\ |
| 272 | '''Ruby:''' Nora! You saved us from the Grimm!\ |
| 273 | '''Nora:''' [[HowDidYouKnowIDidnt What Grimm]]? |
| 274 | [[/folder]] |
| 275 | |
| 276 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 277 | * ''Webcomic/TheBMovieComic'': |
| 278 | ** In [[http://www.bmoviecomic.com/?cid=283 this strip]], Professor Dr. and Father Captain [=McKenzie=] [[TemptingFate tempt fate]] ''[[ForScience scientifically]]''. |
| 279 | ** As does Mopey [[http://www.bmoviecomic.com/?cid=585 here]]. |
| 280 | * Heroic, nonlethal [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/001127c example]] in ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge''. Protoman wants to unmask the mysterious stranger, when the AuthorAvatar tells him to stop because revealing his identity too soon would ruin the suspense. Protoman persists and demands to know what the Author can possibly do to stop him. So the Author blacks out the last panel. |
| 281 | * In ''Webcomic/CaptainSNES'', the simple fact of saying "I'm Invincible!" leads to an instant defeat, to the point that ''[[InvokedTrope tricking the opponent into saying it]]'' (such as saying "I'm Invisible" and waiting for them to correct) is a valid battle tactic. |
| 282 | [[/folder]] |
| 283 | |
| 284 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 285 | * Used in ''WebVideo/KateModern: Precious Blood'', where it illustrates the villain's [[VillainousBreakdown insanity]], since his plan consists of blowing up the building and [[TakingYouWithMe everyone in it]]. |
| 286 | -->'''Steve:''' It's not going to happen like this, [[spoiler:Terrence]]!\ |
| 287 | '''[[spoiler:Terrence]]:''' See, that's where you're wrong, Steven. This is exactly how it's gonna happen. Nothing can stop me now. I'm invincible, Steven, you hear me? |
| 288 | * From the EvilOverlordList: |
| 289 | -->24. I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I am invincible!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.). |
| 290 | [[/folder]] |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 293 | * ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'': In the episode "Rubberman" after Meatwad takes off the magic helmet that made Rubberman come to life, he and Shake feel bad for him and [[IdiotBall put it back on]]: |
| 294 | -->''''Rubberman:''' Fools! No one will stop Rubberman! ''([[KillItWithFire Frylock blasts him with a flamethrower]])'' Oh no! [[ManOnfire Someone is stopping Rubberman!]] |
| 295 | * Another rare non-villain moment: during the ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' episode "Catch the Butterfly", Pablo, Tyrone and Uniqua sing a song called "How Hard Can It Be?" [[spoiler:as the coach, currently floating on a river, falls into pieces.]] Lampshaded during the song: |
| 296 | -->'''Tyrone:''' ''Maybe we should stop this song?''\ |
| 297 | '''Uniqua:''' ''Let's do just one more verse!'' |
| 298 | * A non-villain example occurs on ''WesternAnimation/BlazeAndTheMonsterMachines'' [[RunningGag at least]] OncePerEpisode. Blaze or one of his friends would say this word-per-word, right before they encounter an obstacle which they must get past first. Crusher also plays this straight by saying this just before Blaze overtakes him and wins. |
| 299 | * In ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'', when [[SmugSnake Looten Plunder]] makes his first villainous appearance poaching elephants [[DarkestAfrica somewhere in Africa]], he [[EvilGloating boasts]] of [[ObviouslyEvil how he's going to hunt them to extermination]]. "And no one can stop me! [[EvilLaugh Bwahahahah!]]" Guess who shows up to prove him wrong? |
| 300 | * When he decides to partner up with Siskle and Ebert, Jay Sherman [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0IX0srz0w8 sings]] on ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic''. |
| 301 | * ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'' has this exchange: |
| 302 | -->'''Greenback:''' Only one thing can stop me now!\ |
| 303 | '''Stiletto:''' And what is that, Baroni?\ |
| 304 | '''Greenback:''' That idiot narrator saying--\ |
| 305 | '''Narrator:''' And tune in next time for the next exciting installment of "The Invasion of Colonel K"! |
| 306 | * ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' combines this with ChekhovsGag: King K Rool is setting up a trap in the middle of the jungle with a barrel suspended on a vine, and he instructs Krusha to drop the barrel when he says "Now!" He then proceeds to get the barrel dropped on himself several times due to not being careful what he says, and eventually gives up. Later in the episode, he gets his hands on the Crystal Coconut, and is running through the jungle with it at breakneck speed, gloating to himself. |
| 307 | -->'''K Rool:''' NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW!!!\ |
| 308 | ''[the barrel falls on him]''\ |
| 309 | '''Krusha:''' He definitely said now this time. I heard him. He said "now." |
| 310 | * Was turned into a running gag on ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether''. Every time Spanky says "Nothing can possibly go wrong!", something inevitably does. |
| 311 | %%* Goes double for humor of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' |
| 312 | * ''WesternAnimation/FantasticVoyage'' episode "The Menace from Space". As two astronauts are traveling back to Earth, one of them says "Nothing can stop us now! We're going home!" Seconds later some crystals that absorb oxygen from living creatures enter the space ship and attack them. |
| 313 | * While Grunkle Stan of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' hasn't been established as a villain [[AmbiguouslyEvil yet]], he says this about [[spoiler:whatever he's doing with the Universe Portal built underneath the Mystery Shack]]. |
| 314 | -->'''Stan:''' I've come this far. Who could possibly catch me now? |
| 315 | * WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch stage a show in their cave where they coax Mr. Peevly into doing impersonations of the zoo superintendent, not knowing that the super is watching on a closed circuit TV monitor. Botch tries to stop Peevly. |
| 316 | -->'''Peevly:''' Can't you see, Botch? I'm going all the way to the top! Nothing's gonna stop me!\ |
| 317 | '''Superintendent:''' (''angrily storming in'') Well, ''I'm'' gonna stop you!! |
| 318 | * ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': Zim's supposedly impervious Voot Runner was reduced to a pile of flaming rubble by a [[ButterflyOfDoom bee]]. After a fairly risky rescue operation to get it out of the hands of the Saucer Morons, Zim comments to GIR: |
| 319 | -->'''Zim:''' [[TemptingFate Everything's back on track! Nothing can possibly go wrong!]] |
| 320 | * ''WesternAnimation/JemAndTheHolograms'': |
| 321 | ** In "Totally Outrageous: Part 1 - The Beginning" -- Pizzazz of the Misfits says that "they [The Misfits] got it made." Before the Eric could announce the Misfits as the winner of the rigged Battle of the Bands, the Holograms start playing "Only The Beginning" |
| 322 | ** Used straight by Eric when he's dealing with mob in "Intrigue At Indy 500", just after saying that, the host of the party announces that driver the mob was afraid of--got a new sponsor, Starlight Music. |
| 323 | ** Used straight again by Eric when talking to the Misfits in "Glitter N' Gold"--thought he doesn't get screwed right after saying that. |
| 324 | ** The Stingers in the team-up song, "Now", sings "Now, (now,) nobody can beat us". |
| 325 | * Dr. Drakken in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' is prone to this, to the point that his sidekick Shego will try to stop him saying it. |
| 326 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 327 | ** Discord states that harmony is officially dead in Equestria after the [[spoiler:Elements of Harmony fizzle out when the heroes try to use them on him]] and pretty much declares victory. Unfortunately for him, [[spoiler:[[HesBack the heroes manage to turn things around]] and this very mentality is what causes his downfall]]. |
| 328 | ** And Nightmare Moon even gives a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X3Rj2uLPgk speech]] on that. |
| 329 | ** Queen Chrysalis gives a similar speech during the second season finale when she manages to [[spoiler:defeat the Mane Six and Celestia]] and is posed to take over all of Equestria. [[spoiler:Minutes later, she's defeated by the same [[ThePowerOfLove Power of Love]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard she's been siphoning for the last two episodes]].]] |
| 330 | ** Starlight Glimmer gives a brief one in the fifth season finale when Twilight Sparkle's initial attempts to stop her from disrupting the Sonic Rainboom fail. [[spoiler:Starlight doesn't take into account that Twilight hadn't tried everything yet, and she doesn't know that her actions have devastating consequences.]] |
| 331 | %% Equestria Girls Rainbow Rock is already in Films -- Animation. |
| 332 | * The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/NatureCat'' says this in some episodes right before disaster always strikes. |
| 333 | -->'''Nature Cat:''' I've gotta stop saying that! |
| 334 | * In the ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' movie, Jack Frost says this ''right'' before his snowman army betrays him. |
| 335 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 336 | ** Parodied in "$pringfield", in which Mr. Burns and Mayor Quimby build a casino. Burns - who has become extremely germophobic - remarks "Nothing can stop me now... except microscopic germs. But we won't let that happen, will we Smithers?!" It doesn't: even after Homer wrecks the casino, Burns returns to the power plant because he misses it. |
| 337 | ** "Team Homer" has this exchange: |
| 338 | --->'''Homer:''' ''(Talking with Moe on the phone)'' I gotta go. My damn wiener kids are listening.\ |
| 339 | '''Lisa:''' We are not wieners.\ |
| 340 | '''Homer:''' Then what are you dressed like that for?\ |
| 341 | '''Bart and Lisa:''' They made us.\ |
| 342 | '''Homer:''' Oh. "They made us." That's loser talk. You gotta start acting more like me and my team... the future league champions of the world. Nothing's gonna stop us now.\ |
| 343 | '''Mr. Burns:''' ''[[GilliganCut (In his office)]]'' Stop everything! I don't remember writing a check for bowling. |
| 344 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' 1973/74 episode "The Androids". Dr. Rebos and his assistant Loco are in their laboratory toasting their mission to stop the U.S. space program. Dr. Rebos says "To me and my mission! No one can stop it!" He then does a SpitTake as he looks up and sees the Super Friends, who have just entered the room. |
| 345 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': After the Brotherhood of Evil captures several Teen Titans, [[BigBad the Brain]] taunts [[TheCaptain Robin]] by asking who among them could possibly stop him now. The answer would be [[BewareTheNiceOnes Beast Boy]]. |
| 346 | * Somewhat used in the original ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': The CombiningMecha Devastator always claimed to be unstoppable upon forming. Over the course of the series, he was defeated by everything from the Autobots to ''two of the cassettes''. () |
| 347 | * In a variation of this, ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' had one character die a couple episodes after discovering his own PlotArmor. Though technically speaking [[spoiler:it was his friend that said they were immortal, the one that actually died wasn't nearly as arrogant, and even called him out for TemptingFate]]. |
| 348 | * ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': In "The Good Bad Guy", Lord Hater has taken over enough planets to get ninth place at the galactic villain leaderboard and proclaims that "nothing can stop me now". That's the cue for Hater's former evil idol Major Threat to show up and try to reform him. When instead Hater seems to have made Major Threat revert back to Patrick his evil ways, the latter takes over Hater's position at the leaderboard and also proclaims that nothing can stop him now. This is the cue for Hater to show up [[ItMakesSenseInContext dressed as Wander to try to "re-wanderize" Major Threat]]. [[spoiler:Then it turns out Major Threat was just pretending to become evil again as part of a plan to reform Hater]]. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 352 | * [[UsefulNotes/TurksWithTroops Mehmed II]] upon hearing the death of his ArchEnemy, the UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}n [[WarriorPrince warlord]] UsefulNotes/{{Skanderbeg}}, is alleged to have said: "At last Europe and Asia are mine! Woe to Christendom! It has lost its sword and its shield." |
| 353 | * There have been several ships named ''HMS Invincible''. Of these, one was wrecked off the coast of Norfolk, another sank during a storm, and another blew up when exchanging fire with a German warship during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Subverted with the most recent ship to bear the name, which served 25 years as the flagship of the Royal Navy and was never even damaged prior to its retirement. It should also be pointed out that it belonged to the Invincible Class of Ships, which all made it to their retirements. |
| 354 | * There was an indie band called Repliforce. Their motto was "No one can stop us" (this and their name are references to ''VideoGame/MegaManX4''). They lasted about two or three years. The real TearJerker was that their final album was actually called "No One Can Stop Us". |
| 355 | * UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte: |
| 356 | ** Napoleon declared that a certain decisive battle was as good as won. Said battle being Austerlitz, [[SubvertedTrope he was right]], and made that statement when he had been told that general Kutuzov, the experienced and capable commander of the Russian army, had been replaced by the Austrian general Weyrother (much less experienced and excessively aggressive, and already trounced once by the French, specifically Moreau) as commander of the Russo-Austrian army (Kutuzov saw through Napoleon's plan and placed his troops exactly where Napoleon needed to place his artillery, but Weyrother and the Tzar fell for it and made him move, allowing for what was being an hard struggle to become an utter CurbStompBattle). |
| 357 | ** During the Russian campaign, he had proclaimed victory after conquering Moscow, only for the Russians to burn down the town to deprive his army from shelter and Kutuzov (the same one who had seen through his plan at Austerlitz) blocking the only way to food, forcing him to retreat. The following year, Napoleon declared he had practically won the War of the Sixth Coalition upon hearing that Kutuzov had died of old age, and the trope seemed subverted as Napoleon was winning... Cue the Sixth Coalition to summon [[TheStrategist Von Clausewitz and Radetzky]], who found the weakness of Napoleon's armies and put in place the strategy that allowed for Napoleon's decisive defeat at Lutzen. |
| 358 | ** He had the following proclamation to the Belgians and the inhabitants of the (German) left bank of the Rhine printed after crossing the French border in 1815. The entire print run was captured by the pursuing allies after the battle of Waterloo (which took place on June 18 several miles ''south'' of Brussels and Laeken): |
| 359 | --->The ephemeral successes of my enemies have detached you for a moment from my empire. In my exile on a rock in the sea I heard you pleas: the god of battles has decided the fate of your fair provinces.\ |
| 360 | Napoleon is in your midst: you are worthy to be French.\ |
| 361 | Rise up in masses, join my invincible ranks to exterminate the remnants of these barbarians who are your enemies and mine; they are fleeing with rage and despair in their hearts.\ |
| 362 | --In the imperial palace of Laeken, June 17, 1815. Napoleon. |
| 363 | * UsefulNotes/WorldWarI: "[[TemptingFate It'll all be]] [[HomeByChristmas over by Christmas]]". |
| 364 | * Pericles, in his famous [[Creator/{{Thucydides}} Funeral Orientation speech]] said that UsefulNotes/{{Athens}} was totally invincible and that, no matter the obstacles it faced, it would rise again. And, as we all know, it lost UsefulNotes/ThePeloponnesianWar. |
| 365 | * UsefulNotes/TheHindenburg was frequently billed as "Uncrashable". It burned. And then its burning hulk crashed. |
| 366 | * [[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic The Titanic]] was frequently billed as "Unsinkable". Its hull was popped open by an iceberg. And then it broke in half. And then its broken halves sank. And then the stern half ''exploded'' when it hit the seafloor. |
| 367 | * UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: |
| 368 | ** The initial duration of Operation Barbarossa was planned to be about three months. |
| 369 | ** Two weeks after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Goebbels]] wrote "We hardly find it necessary today to rely on a belief in our national invincibility to predict that victory is certain and inevitable." Then came [[ShockingDefeatLegacy Midway, Stalingard, and El Alamein.]] |
| 370 | ** The Allies wanted to end the war quickly after the Normandy landings. Then old UsefulNotes/BernardLawMontgomery came up with the overly-ambitious offensive into Holland dubbed "Operation Market Garden", and claimed it would end the war by Christmas. It didn't. |
| 371 | ** Herman Goering, Air Marshall of the ''Luftwaffe'', was heard to boast that the ''Luftwaffe'' would easily brush aside the British Royal Air Force and ensure uncontested German supremacy of the skies for a German invasion of Britain. Turns out, the RAF had other ideas. |
| 372 | ** Every Japanese officer not named Yamamoto thought they would roll over the Americans after Pearl Harbor. Six months later, America proved them wrong at Midway. |
| 373 | [[/folder]] |
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