Line #16 Main/WalkThePlank


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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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7	%% Illustration by Pyle Howard (1853 – 1911)
8	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=nvdtspyys03u4ymoycoqexi4
9	%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
10	[[quoteright:335:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/walk_the_plank.png]]
11	[[caption-width-right:335:[-[[Series/MostExtremeEliminationChallenge I've been to Hell and Back, and this time I'm gonna jump!]]-]]]
12
13	->'''The Doctor:''' A plank?\
14	'''The Captain:''' The theory is very simple. You walk along it. At the end, you fall off.
15	-->-- ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E2ThePiratePlanet "The Pirate Planet"]]
16
17	[[StockPhrases Standard]] {{Pirate}} [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment punishment]]: extending a wooden board or similar object over the side of a ship, and forcing the intended victim to step off the far end and presumably drown or [[SharkPool be eaten by sharks or crocodiles]].
18
19	This is a good scene for building suspense, if taken slowly. It is also an excellent opportunity for [[DefiantToTheEnd last-ditch-bravado]] and summing up antagonistic relationships. The plankee often tells the villain exactly what he [[FacingTheBulletsOneLiner thinks of him]], and vice versa.
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21	The victim is usually bound. An occasional twist is for an unbound victim to grab the plank on the way down or otherwise use it as a springboard into combat.
22
23	RealLife pirates very rarely if ever executed people this way: as with TheMafia and their alleged fondness for CementShoes, they usually preferred to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just shoot 'em]] and then dump the body overboard. Considering that in the sail-ship era most sailors couldn't swim, even that much effort could be excessive compared to simply tossing the victim overboard; blinding, binding, weighting them, or giving them a plank, would only mean wasting a perfectly good planking or rope that could be used to maintain the ship.
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25	Binding was traditionally used in one case only: as a punishment for murder. In that case, the body of the murdered sailor would be bound together with the killer. A related punishment is Keelhauling, where the victim is thrown overboard with a rope tied to them, then hauled across (or if they're really unlucky, ''along'') the ship's keel and pulled up the other side. This wasn't necessarily fatal, but the barnacles that are usually found attached to the bottom of any ship made this a painfully unpleasant experience.
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27	The ''[[NotTheIntendedUse intended]]'' function of a ship's plank was to allow the crew to sail up to and walk onto another ship, in case you were wondering. One possible interpretation of the myth was the pirates' habit of using the crew of the captured ship to drag valuables (which were, well, the purpose of the attack) to their own ship, walking the planks that formed a "bridge" between the two vessels. When the pirate ship departed, if the attackers did not really feel like shooting the crewmen dead and/or taking them as captives, they could just make the survivors jump from those planks into the water in a desperate attempt to reach their own ship. Not that it added a lot of chances of survival (considering the ship in question could be set on fire), but made the pirates' departure more, ahem, entertaining.
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29	Since SpaceIsAnOcean, SpacePirates have a parallel punishment with a similar dramatic role: the victims are ThrownOutTheAirlock. SkyPirates seem to prefer the more old-fashioned plank--not surprising, since the airship's altitude would make it especially dangerous to the hero.
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31	See OrderedToDie for other forms of, well, ordering people to die.
32
33	----
34	!!Examples:
35
36	[[foldercontrol]]
37
38	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
39	* ''Literature/AmagiBrilliantPark'':
40	** When real pirates show up and take over the theme park, they force a few people to walk the swimming pool's high dive board... after filling the pool with some tentacle monsters. The monsters molest but don't harm the victims; it's just for the pirates' amusement. Moffle has an IndulgentFantasySegue where he epically breaks free and defeats the pirates, but when he actually tries it he slips and falls into the water.
41	** Also, one of the other, less scrupulous mascots, Tiramie, temporarily pulls a FaceHeelTurn, forcing some of the heroes onto the plank. He tries to do this to his SitcomArchnemesis Isuzu Sento...but the DeathGlare and [[KillingIntent killing aura]] scares him and ''he'' takes steps back on the plank.
42	* ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'': When Lana refuses to do Lepka's bidding, he forces her to stand on a narrow metal beam as it extends off the Triangle Tower. Despite having her hand tied, she manages to stand on said plank for quite a while and ''fall over unconscious'' without plunging off the beam.
43	* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', Episode 291: During a flashback to [[PirateGirl Mutsu's]] early years, she and Sakamoto were captured by pirates and were nearly executed this way. [[spoiler: Fortunately, the slaves that Mustsu had freed earlier come to their rescue.]]
44	* In episode 24 of ''Anime/MacrossDelta'', Hayate, Freyja, and Mirage are sentenced to be executed by way of walking off a few narrow beams over a high cliff. Bogue demands that Freyja go first, but Hayate offers to go first as a last request. Thankfully, Arad uses a remote controlled Valkyrie to give the three a chance to escape.
45	* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', Chapter 268. This was how [[spoiler:Queen Arika]] was supposed to be executed, walking off a plank settled over a huge canyon full of monsters. [[spoiler:Luckily for her, Ala Alba (commanded by Nagi, who is able to catch her and drag her out ''[[BroughtDownToBadass without his powers]]'') is there to save her.]]
46	* In the anime movie of ''Literature/TheMagicTreeHouse'' [[KidHero Annie]] has her hands tied behind her back and blindfolded and forced to go through this classic execution after being captured by pirates while going through a pirate book. [[WithMyHandsTied Doesn’t stop her from tackling the pirates]] [[PluckyGirl to prevent them from shooting]] [[LittleSisterInstinct her brother]]
47	* Surprisingly averted in the pirate manga ''Manga/OnePiece''. It is especially noteworthy with how One Piece has a lot of so-called "Devil Fruit users" - people who have been granted superpowers by eating magical fruits but [[PowerAtAPrice paid for the powers]] by [[SuperDrowningSkills losing their ability to swim]] - so making them walk the plank would be quite the effective tactic against them.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
51	* Used, along with just about every other pirate trope, in the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio adventure ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho043DoctorWhoAndThePirates Doctor Who and the Pirates]]''.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Comic Books]]
55	* In ''[[ComicBook/ActionComics Action Comics #54]]'', Lois Lane is made to walk the plank by the pirate Captain Ironfist. She falls into the sea but, as always, Superman rescues her, cutting her ropes and bringing her to the surface.
56	* In the {{Elseworlds}} story in ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Detective Comics Annual]]'' #7, the Laughing Man (ComicBook/TheJoker) has Capitana Felina (ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}) walk the plank as part of their plan to trap Leatherwing (Batman).
57	* In ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'' #2, Indy and GirlOfTheWeek Edith Dunne are forced to walk the plank by the treacherous Mr. Black. This saves their lives when Black's freighter is [[VillainousRescue torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat]]: Indy and Edith are flung into the ocean rather than going down with the ship.
58	* In ''ComicBook/KidColt, Outlaw''#109, pirate captain Barracuda attempts to make Colt walk the plank after he catches him stowing away on his ship.
59	* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' Captain Plunder makes Tails Walk the Plank into a pit in issue 23; however, Sonic reminds Tails he can fly. In another story, Captain Plunder makes Proctor Speckle Walk The Plank for eating his Old Caribbean chocolate bars; however, Speckle changes into Mr Fry.
60	* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Capt. Storm and his pirate crew are shown forcing an injured prisoner to walk the plank in #48.
61	** In #73, Wonder Woman herself is forced to walk the plank from a pirate ship several feet in the air. As she dives off of the plank, she grabs the ship's anchor and pulls it back to Earth.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
65	* Played with in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''.
66	-->'''Calvin:''' Run up the skull and crossbones! Prepare the plank!\
67	'''Hobbes:''' Our ship IS a plank.\
68	'''Calvin:''' And you're going to walk it, wise guy!
69	* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'':
70	** A pirate seems to be whistling and dancing off the plank, only for the captain to grab him by the ear and say "Oh no, you'll ''walk'' the plank like everyone else!"
71	** After a victim takes the plunge, a line of pirates [[HoldUpYourScore hold up number cards]] as with a diving competition.
72	%%* Happens in an issue of ''[[ComicStrip/LittleNemo Little Nemo in Slumberland]]''.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Fan Works]]
76	* [[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/868d0dd8-2bde-4906-b6ae-b218b2e41047/d7e5mpp-57c5d009-e3db-4f59-97f2-1789dfa3580b.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzg2OGQwZGQ4LTJiZGUtNDkwNi1iNmFlLWIyMThiMmU0MTA0N1wvZDdlNW1wcC01N2M1ZDAwOS1lM2RiLTRmNTktOTdmMi0xNzg5ZGZhMzU4MGIucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.Ryx5yivdAjF9XXHkXXAp62k5XdJ2vdh2VoSbXeWHG0c This fan-art]] of ''WebAnimation/BrawlOfTheObjects'' has the characters as pirates on a ship, and Shieldy is forcing Controlly to walk the plank. Avast me hearty, ye need to walk th' plank! Arrrrrg!
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Film — Animation]]
80	* ''WesternAnimation/BillyAndMandysBigBoogeyAdventure'': Billy is forced to do this by (undead) pirates at one point. Then, he launches into his "Scary-O" number.
81	* ''Anime/HarlockSpacePirate'' has a variation [[RecycledInSpace as you'd expect]]. Yama and four others climb to the top of a mesa to where the ''Arcadia'' has landed, looking to join its crew. They are made to stand on the edge of the loading ramp on flaps sticking out over the abyss. Those who don't correctly answer the question: "Why do we sail?" have their flap dropped from under them. [[spoiler:When the ''Arcadia'' flies off, the audience is shown the ones who fell survived because they landed in SoftWater.]]
82	* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', [[BigBad Drago Bludvist]] orders his [[YouHaveFailedMe failed minion]] Eret and Hiccup's friends to do this. Since the water is icy, this would undoubtedly kill them. Eret overpowers his guards and frees everybody.
83	* The pirates in ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeContinentalDrift'' intend to get rid of Sid and his granny this way. However they don't succeed.
84	* In the Disney ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' movie, after capturing the Darling kids and the Lost Boys, Captain Hook offers them a choice -- join his crew and become pirates, or walk the plank. Wendy, the oldest of the Darlings, chooses the plank. Peter is able to rescue her before the big splash, confusing Hook and his crew.
85	** One of the prequels, ''Franchise/DisneyFairies'' ''The Pirate Fairy'' averts this. The pirates want to have Zarina walk 'a tiny little plank', but [[spoiler: Captain James Hook]] gives this remark.
86	--> '''[[spoiler: Captain James Hook]]:''' ''[dryly]'' She can fly, you cretins.
87	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'': When the Mane Six are caught by Captain Celaeno's SkyPirates, they're about to be forced to walk the plank, as was the fate of any stowaways by order of the Storm King's rule book. Thankfully, they stopped for a lunch break, during which Rainbow Dash convinces them [[TakeThisJobAndShoveIt to stop following the Storm King's orders]].
88	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' has a non-pirate version. The Quintessons enjoy taunting prisoners by forcing them onto a plank that's hanging over a [[SharkPool Sharkticon pool]] and conducting a mock trial. [[KangarooCourt Regardless of whether the prisoner is found guilty or innocent]], they're dropped into the pool so that the Quintessons can watch them get [[DevouredByTheHorde devoured by the Sharkticons]].
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
92	* Anne makes the British crew she captures at the start of ''Film/AnneOfTheIndies'' walk the plank.
93	* Douglas Fairbanks infiltrates the evil pirates in ''Film/TheBlackPirate'', in order to get his revenge after they killed his father. Unfortunately they catch him betraying them, specifically by letting the beautiful lady hostage go. After a brief court-martial they make him walk the plank. A pirate loyal to Fairbanks surreptitiously cuts the ropes binding his hands, allowing him to survive.
94	* In ''Film/CarryOnJack'', this is Roger's punishment for Albert, Fearless and Walter. In classic ''Carry On'' style, slapstick ensues.
95	* In ''Film/DownPeriscope'', Dodge makes Pascal walk the plank -- into a net suspended above a helpful fishing boat. The fishermen and most of the crew of the ''Stingray'' have a lot of fun with this, playing up the pirate theme. [[spoiler: Pascal not so much, as he's blindfolded and unaware of the fishing boat's presence. So's the audience until the camera angle changes to watch his fall, and reveals the net.]]
96	* Mama Fratelli makes Andi walk the plank off the pirate ship in ''Film/TheGoonies''.
97	* ''Film/{{Hook}}'' -- Peter takes the hike.
98	* ''Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife''. In the ''The Crimson Permanent Assurance'' sketch, clerical workers force a captured executive to Walk The Plank. See it on Website/YouTube here, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecFBcpY9NHI starting at 3:10]].
99	* In ''Film/ThePirateMovie'', Frederic is forced to walk the plank when he leaves the pirates.
100	* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'', Elizabeth and Jack are marooned in this way.
101	* ''Film/StarTrekGenerations''. While on a sailing ship holodeck program, Lt. Worf has to leap from the tip of the plank and grab his commander's cap (suspended overhead) as part of the ceremony marking his promotion. When he does this without falling off, Riker decides to make things more interesting by making the plank disappear. Evidently that was an error. Picard: "Number One, it's ''retract'' the plank, not ''remove'' the plank." (or, judging from Riker's grin, it wasn't.)
102	** Data wonders why everybody else thinks Worf's impromptu dive is hilarious. Beverly Crusher makes the mistake of encouraging him to "get into the spirit", so Data pushes her overboard. Instead of more laughter, Data is met with [[DoubleStandard horrified expressions]].
103	* ''[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Star Wars: Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi]]'' - Jabba the Hutt's minions force Luke Skywalker to walk the plank extended from a hover skiff over the [[AntlionMonster Sarlacc]] pit. Luke spins and grabs the plank as he falls, springboarding back to the skiff to fight while R2-D2 launches his lightsaber to him.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Gamebook]]
107	* In any ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' book with a maritime setting, you can expect this to happen to you.
108	** ''Literature/DemonsOfTheDeep'' is kicked off by one such instance when right in the opening backstory, you get captured alive by pirates who killed your crew. Being the only survivor, you're then told to step off a plank of the pirate's ship, much to the cheering of several pirates. Amazingly enough, instead of drowning, you land in a magic circle in the middle of the ocean, which allows you to breathe underwater, thereby kickstarting your quest.
109	** ''Literature/{{Bloodbones}}'' have you being cornered by pirates led by the evil Captain Bloodbones, and forced to walk the plank to your doom. You DoNotGoGentle however, choosing to fight before leaping off the plank, and in the process remove the hand of Bloodbones' second-in-command, Mirel, who later fights you with a HookHand.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Literature]]
113	* In ''Literature/FortunatelyTheMilk'', the time-traveling protagonist is captured by pirates. He insists on being made to walk the plank, on the grounds that [[GenreSavvy that's when pirates' victims are most often rescued]]. He has to explain the process to the pirates, who are relatively historically accurate and have never done it before (usually if they want to get rid of someone, they just slit their throat).
114	* J.M. Barrie's ''Literature/PeterPan'' was probably the TropeCodifier in the public consciousness.
115	* Appears in Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser's ''Literature/ThePyrates'', of course. [[TheHero Ben Avery]] immediately tells his pirate crew to knock it off, though, on the grounds that (see Real Life below) it's a-historical for [[TheCavalierYears their 17th century setting]]. [[HypocriticalHumor This is the same book that mentions a pirate radio station on Tortuga]].
116	* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}''; Vilu Daskar is fond of this, telling captives [[ExactWords they're free to leave his ship alive]].
117	* In the ''Literature/RichardBolitho'' series by Alexander Kent, Bolitho is reporting to his new captain when he witnesses the bloody mess of a keelhauled sailor being hauled past the windows of the cabin. The captain is furious--not because of the keelhauling, of course.
118	* A poem by Creator/ShelSilverstein has the pirate captain Jim say this to a young boy, who responds, "But Captain Jim, I cannot swim." The pirate captain tries to come up with other suitable punishments for the boy until he decides to make him a captain.
119	* In ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons Captain Flint'' ([[CoolUncle Uncle Jim]]) is made to walk the plank after his houseboat is captured by the protagonists. [[PlayedForLaughs Or rather his diving board, but blindfolded]].
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
123	* Old-style ''Series/Batman1966'': [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe "By thunder, thee will walk the plank deck."]]
124	* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. In the pilot episode, Alice has Sophie Moore BoundAndGagged on the end of a plank sticking out from a construction site building, balanced by a barrel of water on the other end. When Batwoman turns up she throws a knife into the barrel, [[RaceAgainstTheClock causing the plank to flip once enough water has leaked out]].
125	* The "Enigma" challenge in ''Series/BoyardLand''. Here, Captain Fouras asks a riddle while the candidates are on slowly retreating planks above water... with a few crocodiles in it.
126	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
127	** In the appropriately named story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E2ThePiratePlanet "The Pirate Planet"]], the Captain gives this description: "The theory is very simple. You walk along it. At the end, you fall off. Drop one thousand feet. Dead." Atypically, the plank is over a cliff, not the ocean (the Captain's ship is the entire planet of Zanak, and his base is in a mountain).
128	** Also seen in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E5Enlightenment "Enlightenment"]], with the Eternals vanishing the moment they go over the side (the human bodies they inhabit, of course, would not be so unaffected).
129	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E6TheVampiresOfVenice "The Vampires of Venice"]]: The House of Calvierri, who are not pirates but FishPeople masquerading as Venetian nobles, execute people this way. In this case, the threat isn't from the short drop into the water but the creatures ''in'' the water.
130	** The [[TheNthDoctor Eleventh]] Doctor almost does this in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E3TheCurseOfTheBlackSpot "The Curse of the Black Spot"]].
131	* ''Series/{{Krypton}}'' opens with Val-El being forced to leave the protection of Kandor due to his heretic belief in life beyond Krypton. He's made to walk a plank at the edge of the dome, which is then dropped from beneath him to send him plummeting to the icy depths.
132	* A "fantasy" episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' was a pirate epic. Three lovely wenches were offered a choice: sleep with Bud, or walk the plank. Poor Bud can't get laid in a fantasy episode.
133	* On ''Series/OnceUponATime'', when Captain Hook retakes the ''Jolly Roger'' from Blackbeard, he forces Blackbeard to walk the plank and offers the rest of the crew two choices: accept him as the new captain or follow the old one. Ariel also walks the plank, but voluntarily. (She re-assumes her natural mermaid form upon entering the water, so she's alright.)
134	* In ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' episode "May the Force Be With You", Del's school rival and police officer Roy Slater complains that he was always the one who had to walk the plank when they played pirates in the local park pond as kids. Del points out that they did let him play Bluebeard once. Slater responds that was the day that Bluebeard had to walk the plank.
135	** This was referenced in the pilot episode of the ''Series/RockAndChips'' trilogy when after being told by the school gym teacher to buzz off, Del and his gang suggest heading to the park, and Slater protests that he doesn't want to walk the plank again. Del assures him that grown-ups don't play pirates. However, when the gang are seen hanging out in the Ritz Cinema (where Del's mother Joan works), Slater is soaking wet.
136	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Barge of the Dead", B'Elanna Torres finds herself on the AfterlifeExpress to the Klingon hell. As the road to Hell is [[FireAndBrimstoneHell paved with hot coals]], B'Elanna is shoved off a plank lowered from the Barge.
137	* In an episode of ''Music/TheWiggles'', Captain Feathersword tries to teach Wags the Dog how to do this. Wags claims he already knows how, and shows him by tying a rope to the plank and walking it like a dog. Captain Feathersword is not amused.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Music]]
141	* Music/{{Alestorm}}, being a pirate metal band, features this in at least some of their songs, such as "Captain Morgan's Revenge" and "Keelhauled."
142	* Cosmo Jarvis' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dysG12QCdTA Gay Pirates]] features this as the ultimate punishment (though in the video, at least, it seems [[UnexplainedRecovery they get better]].)
143	* The music video for "Karma Chameleon" by Music/CultureClub ends with the thief forced off the paddleboat in this manner.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Pinballs]]
147	* One VideoMode in ''Pinball/BlackRose'' has a crewmate doing this, then trying to outswim a ThreateningShark.
148	* In ''Pinball/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanStern'', one of the exits from the upper level is "Walk the Plank", which drops balls directly onto the main playfield.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Theatre]]
152	* This is Growltiger's final fate in ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'', forced to walk the plank by Genghis and his crew of Siamese cats.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Video Games]]
156	* ''VideoGame/AmongUs'': Whenever the Imposter or a Crew member is voted off on the Polus stage, they're forced to walk a metal board into a lava pool and drop in.
157	* ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', Guybrush is forced to walk the plank, but there's a dinghy directly underneath it, which he jumps into. When the pirates complain that they didn't hear a splash, Guybrush shouts "Splash!" to satisfy them. Later you have to saw off the plank in order to force the pirates to find an alternate means of torture. They promptly tar and feather you.
158	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Dizzy}} Bubble Dizzy]]'' begins with Dizzy being forced to walk the plank off a pirate ship. He catches the edge of the plank, but falls in after a pirate jumps on his hand a few times.
159	* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFuckboys'': This is one of Foxy's attacks. Its low damage is compensated for by its high chance to inflict paralysis, making it a GameBreaker and a life-saver against most bosses (since ContractualBossImmunity is rare in this series). The absurdity of making someone walk the plank in a SuckECheeses is lampshaded in the move's description.
160	* ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'': At the start of the Toppat Civil Warfare route in ''Henry Stickmin -- Completing the Mission'', [[spoiler:Ellie]] snuck aboard to the airship and exposed how Henry left her after helping him escape from the prison complex, this causes the other Toppats to turn on Henry and force him to walk the plank for his denouncement.
161	* ''VideoGame/{{Hook}}'': Your fate in the game over screen, courtesy of Captain Hook. If you continue, Tinkerbell rescues you just before you drown.
162	* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'': Captain Hook and his crew force Sora and his friends to do this. Fortunately, Sora discovers his happy thought and flies, turning the tables on them.
163	* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIII'': One possible death sequence. If Alexander gets caught by the pirates while trying to explore the ship, they'll make him walk the plank, where he will he attacked by a shark (the description claims the pirates are rooting for it). A twist on this trope is that the pirates make him walk from the aft end of the ship rather than from the sides as in most depictions.
164	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroTheEternalNight'': Parodied. After being defeated, the SkyPirate captain Skabb staggers backwards and onto a wooden plank jutting off of the platform that he's fought on, eventually stepping off its edge and falling to his doom into the sea far below.
165	* ''VideoGame/PuzzlePirates'': You can use the /plank command to eject other players from your ship (or any ship that you are, by virtue of your rank in a crew, authorized to command). If the pirate made to walk the plank is a jobber (that is, hired help rather than a member of the crew) then their employment with the crew is also automatically terminated so they can't just hop back on. Hilariously, a captain can inflict this on himself.
166	* ''VideoGame/RichiesPlankExperience'' is a VirtualReality demo that lets you walk a plank on a very high building, with all the vertigo but none of the consequences of a mistep.
167	* ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'': Captain [=LeFwee=] and his crew force Sly to walk the plank during the "Operation: Reverse Double-Cross". Sly even chews out [=LeFwee=] for making him walk the plank. Fortunately, Murray was waiting for him right underneath.
168	* ''VideoGame/WarpForce'': Referenced when Jayson, a {{space pirate\|s}}, threatens to make the PlayerCharacter and Vogenvuld "walk the plank into the fusion coolant".
169	[[/folder]]
170
171	[[folder:Webcomics]]
172	* ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'':
173	** After Walter [[TheMutiny takes over]] Barry's ship, he makes the former captain do this while the ship [[PokeThePoodle is beached]].
174	** Walter also has a policy of keelhauling enemies [[ModernMajorGeneral until]] he looks up the word in the dictionary. Once [[ValleyGirl Mary]] becomes the [[PaperThinDisguise mole]], the crew asks him to [[ColdBloodedTorture reinstitute]] the policy.
175	* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', fitting with her PirateGirl theme [[KillerDM Vriska Serket]] forced [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]] via MindControl she captured to [[https://www.homestuck.com/story/2460 walk the plank]]... Into the mouth of her [[GiantSpider spider]] [[AbusiveAlienParents lusus]] to make sure she stayed [[HorrorHunger sated]].
176	* After Greenbeard captures Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle while they are vacationing on a yacht in ''Webcomic/LilGotham'', he makes Bruce walk the plank.
177	* Happens three times in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''.
178	** The first time is in an early arc where Bun-Bun decides to "play" pirate in North Virginia. He makes a rich, elderly couple walk the plank off their own yacht. Fortunately for them they were in the shallows, and for that bit of bad navigation Bun-Bun makes Kiki walk the plank as well, telling her to "roll those two lardasses into the deep end" when she gets down there.
179	** The second time is during the "Oceans Unmoving" story arc, where Calix and Honest Stu are forced to walk the plank by the pirates and leaf people combined. This is considered the worst fate possible in Timeless Space.
180	** The third time is during the sea voyage to Africa. The captain agrees to allow Riff to build one on his ship, after he learns that all the carrot cakes have been stolen. Of course, Riff adds explosives, which go off when a seagull lands on the plank, damaging the ship. The captain quickly creates a plank out of a folding deck chair and makes Riff walk it.
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Western Animation]]
184	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' plays this trope straight in "Pirate Treasure" and "Fly Girl", but surprisingly averts it in "Pirate Camp".
185	* ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'': GhostPirate [[CaptainColorbeard Captain Spitbeard]] tries to make [=McGee=] walk the plank (off a flying ship) in "Pirates of Ickygloomy". He ends up going off the plank himself.
186	* Said in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' by a pi-rat.
187	* WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor: In the episode ''Operation P.I.R.A.T.E.'', Captain Stickybeard makes Numbuh Five walk the plank after she refused to join his crew. The second she falls off, Numbuh 2 and the others come just in time to save her and take the fight back to the pirates.
188	* ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'' and Penfold find themselves aboard a pirate ship in "The Hickory Dickory Dock Dilemma." The pirate king ("Cor...last time I picks up a crew in Penzance!") makes them walk the plank.
189	* Like the Woody Woodpecker example below, the ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' "Magnificent Muttley" segment "Muttley On The Bounty" has the snickering canine forced to walk the plank of the H.M.S. Bounty after biting Captain Bligh's (Dastardly's) hand when attempting to take a medal from him. Muttley walks to the edge then under the plank. When Blight wonders what went wrong and run onto the plank's edge, Muttley is on the deck sawing the plank off.
190	* Captain Skurvy's VillainSong in ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' references this:
191	--> "I'll make you swab the deck, and then I'll throw you in the brig! / I swear I'll make you walk the plank to right the wrong you did!..."
192	* Featured in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' where the Kanker Sisters dressed as pirates force Jimmy and Johnny to walk the Plank. Yes, ''that'' [[CompanionCube Plank]].
193	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': In one of the ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' shorts, Cosmo does this to Timmy while they're playing pirate.
194	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futz}}'': This happens to Futz in "High Seas Futz". He gets out of it by jumping up over the pirate's head, and hitting the mask face-first.
195	* This is the result of a "Plankable Offense" in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'' episode "On the Air and Out to Sea".
196	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
197	** In ''WesternAnimation/HighDivingHare'', Yosemite Sam forces Bugs Bunny to do a high-diving act, and Bugs [[NoPeekingRequest asks him to look away]] so he can put on his bathing suit. However, this was actually so he can flip the diving board around and trick Sam into thinking he's diving, leading Sam to walk off the board and into the water.
198	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': In "Liar, Liar, You For Hire?", Captain Johnny makes K'nuckles walk the plank into a SharkPool.
199	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': In "Guitar Villain", the eponymous villain attempts to make an annoying pop star walk the plank...off the top of ''the Eiffel Tower''!
200	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop''. The Hooded Claw attempts to force Penelope to walk the plank in the episode "Arabian Desert Danger". And, yes, the incongruity of forcing someone to walk the plank in the desert was {{Lampshaded}}. The cannonballs were an interesting addition, though.
201	* In the DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/PeterPanAndThePirates'', Hook is GenreSavvy enough to strap a weight to Wendy's foot before trying this on her to ensure she drowns (she's still rescued).
202	* In ''WesternAnimation/PocketDragonAdventures'' a group of sky pirates make the dragons walk the plank -- but don't know they're supposed to walk off it, so they end up walking up and down it.
203	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' cartoon "Spooky Swabs", a bunch of ghosts blindfold Olive Oyl and try to send her off the plank into the ocean. Luckily, Popeye lifts the plank over to the deck of the ship so she lands in a bucket of water.
204	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991'' has the babies fantasizing as pirates and Angelica puts Tommy on the plank.
205	* This was constantly threatened in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooPiratesAhoy'' probably because the pirates really can't do anything violent on Scooby Doo.
206	** Original series episode "Go Away, Ghost Ship" had Shaggy and Scooby aboard Redbeard's ship, hiding under a wooden washtub. They slide around the deck, actually unable to see ahead of them. They wander onto the plank and eventually tumble off.
207	* A pirate captain does this to Gargamel when he chases after a group of Smurfs sailing the seas in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "The Last Smurfberry."
208	* The ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' episode, "The Return of Hydro-Man, Part 1", opens with Mary Jane Watson having a nightmare which ends with her walking the plank from a pirate ship into a dark abyss.
209	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' episode "Raphael Meets His Match", piratical villain Captain Filch holds the yacht crew hostage and force them to walk the plank (that goes for April) unless his ransom is received.
210	* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/TimeWarpTrio''. Some pirates hear them mention it and think it's a good idea. Later on, some British guy hears this and tells another British guy to write it down, as it's "a splendid idea".
211	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'' episode, "WOOHP-ahoy", a hi-tech WOOHP ship is captured by pirates who aim to use a heat-ray to heat up the Sun and melt the ice caps. Sam and Alex are captured and made to walk the plank into the boiling sea, but they manage to turn the ship around, thus turning the ray away from the Sun and cooling the ocean (also they never fall).
212	* A WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker cartoon had Woody being forced to walk the plank several times by a pirate dog. Each time he did it, Woody would walk over the edge of the plank, upside-down along the underside of it and would then somehow come up behind the dog and jab him in the rear, causing ''him'' to jump into the water.
213	[[/folder]]
214
215	[[folder:Real Life]]
216	* OlderThanRadio example from Website/ThatOtherWiki: "The earliest known use of the phrase is the latter half of the 18th century... the phrase 'walking the plank' is recorded in Francis Grose's 'Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue', which was published in 1788... In 1769, mutineer George Wood confessed to his chaplain at Newgate Prison that he and his fellow mutineers had sent their officers to walk the plank."
217	* In 1822, William Smith, captain of the sloop ''Blessing'', was forced to walk the plank by the pirate crew of the schooner ''Emanuel''.
218	* In 1829, pirates intercepted the Dutch brig ''Vhan Fredericka'' in the Leeward Passage between the Virgin Islands, and murdered most of the crew by making them walk the plank with cannonballs tied to their feet.
219	* Averted in the actual Golden Age of Piracy, when superfluous captives who got dropped in the drink would simply be tossed overboard bodily, often with a slit throat. FridgeLogic supports this, as wooden planks on shipboard have better uses than cheap drama, and rigging up an impromptu diving board risks breakage to valuable hull-mending materials. Stede Bonnet the Gentleman Pirate in particular is one of the few pirates of the time said to do this, but even then there's no definitive evidence.
220	** Usually, pirates didn't do that - they usually just marooned them, instead.
221	** Another punishment that was much more gruesome and popular would be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keelhauling keelhauling.]]
222	[[/folder]]

Context Main / WalkThePlank