Line #32 Main/WhenEldersAttack


1	%%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1317654234000980100
2	%%Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
3	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/violent_old_lady.png]]]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350:''When you find yourself in danger,''\
5	''then you're threatening a stranger...'']]
6
7	->'''Chief:''' ''[[[TheCoatsAreOff takes his coat off]]]'' I've been waiting for this since Nixon!\
8	'''Vice-President:''' I got a new pacemaker, I can go all day!
9	-->-- ''Film/GetSmart''
10
11	An elderly person attacks someone or something, from a teenager to a monster, often with an object like a [[CaneFu cane]] or a [[HandbagOfHurt purse]]. Effectiveness of attack varies from annoying and harmless to actually taking down the target. A typical justification for this is that they're a RetiredBadass.
12
13	See also: NeverMessWithGranny, EvilOldFolks, OldMaster, ScrewPolitenessImASenior, ImprobableWeaponUser. Not to be confused with RacistGrandma, though it can overlap. Someone who fights back, or worse throws the first punch, WouldHarmASenior.
14
15	Also not to be confused with [[WhenTreesAttack When Alders Attack]]. ([[LamePunReaction Sorry.]])
16
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Comic Books]]
22	* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Alfred is usually portrayed as very elderly, but can still protect himself or his boss on occasion. In the ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'' comics, he even beat up ''Superman''! (Granted, [[WorfHadTheFlu Superman Had The Flu]], but still.)
23	* In the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse, ''Scrooge [=McDuck=]'' often uses his [[CaneFu cane as a weapon]] (he certainly doesn't need it for walking).
24	* Kidney Lady, basically Comicbook/HowardTheDuck's only unbeatable enemy. He wields a mean cane against anyone who smokes or sends off harmful fast-food fumes. Clearly nuts, but can be tricky; will use magic in a pinch.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Fan Works]]
28	* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/dungeon-keeper-ami-sailor-moon-dungeon-keeper-story-only-thread.30066/page-8#post-7953410 Cornering The Duke]]:
29	-->Only an elderly witch, her wrinkly face distorted in rage, swung her staff at the fast-moving blur that was Ami’s form.\
30	…\
31	Undeterred, the old woman proceeded to whack her on the head with her staff over and over again, cursing her with language so coarse her cheeks grew hot.
32	* ''Fanfic/WitchesWizardsShadowsAndSouls'': Malik and Bakura get chased out of Knockturn Alley by a bunch of angry hags who heard the owner of Borgin and Burkes yell at them. Instead of trying to fend them off they opt for running like hell.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Films — Animated]]
36	* ''Animation/BoBoiBoyTheMovie'': In a [[HotPursuit high-speed chase]], the robbers run over an old lady's groceries. Then she rides her scooter towards the robbers while angrily wielding a rolling pin, sped along by [=BoBoiBoy=] Cyclone on his hoverboard from behind. The elementals stop the robbers with their powers while the old lady gets the last attack of [[EarAche twisting their boss' ear]].
37	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': Rafiki, the wise old Baboon, pulls a BigDamnHeroes entry, smacking down a couple of hyenas with his stick during the final battle.
38	* ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'': Nana, the [[OneSceneWonder little old lady]] from the first movie returned in the sequel, ''Escape 2 Africa'', through sheer PopularityPower. Not only did she beat up a full-grown lion (''three times!''), but she showed a lot of skill as a survivalist and delivered a RousingSpeech to her fellow [[BigApplesauce New Yorkers]] after the Penguins jacked their tour jeeps.
39	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' had the crazy old woman who tried to shoot the rats with a shotgun [[spoiler:then gas her house with poison gas]], but completely and utterly failed to be badass.
40	* Carl attacks a worker manhandling his mailbox with his cane at the start of ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''. Unusually for the trope, he gets into serious trouble as a result. Another example is found in the limited-animation short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF5KWMX3u4Y Geroge and AJ]] has mobs of senior citizens taking off with their houses in more and more insane ways, completely tormenting the titular two guys from the retirement home.
41	* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime The Land Before Time sequels]]'', during the rare moments when Littlefoot's Grandparents are protecting him and the other kids from any Sharp Teeth. More or less a combination of BattleCouple, NeverMessWithGranny, and this trope all in one, often with MamaBear and PapaWolf added into the mix, since their daughter's death left them as Littlefoot's primary caretakers.
42	* In the first Toys/{{Bionicle}} movie, ''Mask of Light'', during the scene while Ta-Koro is under attack by the Rahkshi, there's a brief scene where Turaga Vakama pulls out his staff and starts beating one of the invaders over the head with it. The only reason it seems to be remotely effective is because said Rahkshi [[YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe is too stupefied by the attempt to retaliate.]]
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
46	* ''Film/BlueBeetle2023'': The protagonist's grandmother is revealed to be a former revolutionary and joins the final battle, strategizing an attack on the enemy base and carrying a huge minigun.
47	* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Yoda beats R2 with his cane when the droid attempts to grab the flashlight he has taken from Luke's storage crate.
48	* ''Film/EveryWhichWayButLoose''. Despite claiming to be a helpless old lady, Ma drives off an entire outlaw biker gang with a shotgun almost as tall as she is. When the bikers later encounter another elderly person, they're wary of causing trouble.
49	* The page quote comes from ''Film/GetSmart'', where Chief has enough of the Vice-President's disparaging remarks towards [=CONTROL=] and beats the stuffing out of him in an apparently long-standing rivalry. The President wasn't present, but later gets sent a video of the fight and finds it hilarious.
50	* In ''Film/{{Grandma}}'', when Cam threatens Elle with a hockey stick, she promptly snatches it out of his hand and takes him out.
51	* In ''Film/TheKid1921'', the old nanny beating up the Tramp for trying to drop the baby into her carriage.
52	* The title character of the ''Madea'' series... especially in ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'' and ''Film/MadeaGoesToJail'' where a school bully in the former and the police in the latter found out.
53	* ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum''. [[spoiler:It turns out the three old workers are the villains and they kick Larry's ass a few times.]]
54	* ''Film/LadyWithASword'' has the heroine successfully arresting the main villain (who's around her age) and ready to deliver him to the local magistrate. But alas, the villain's mother, who's in ''her sixties'' and a capable fighter on her own, isn't willing to let her take the villain away, and quickly tries attacking the heroine in an intense SwordFight.
55	* ''Film/RabidGrannies'', a horror flick from Troma Entertainment, is a bit of a subversion, since the titular grannies ''are'' the monsters.
56	* In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', although she is the DamselInDistress at that point, this doesn't stop Aunt May from helping Spider-Man in fighting Dr. Octopus by giving the mad scientist a good whack with her umbrella.
57	* In ''Film/{{Targets}}'', the protagonist [[Creator/BorisKarloff Boris Kar..]] er, Byron Orlock ends the younger villain's psychopathic shooting spree by knocking the punk's gun away with his cane and then slapping him.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Literature]]
61	* In both ''Literature/AdrianMole'' and its TV adaptation, the thirteen-and-three-quarter year old Adrian confides in his beloved granny that he is being bullied at school. His tiny granny promptly goes out and [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomps]] the bully into a whining pleading-for-mercy pulp.
62	* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Kiterature/ForwardTheFoundation'': During "Wanda Seldon", the 70-year-old Professor Hari Seldon is forced to defend himself several times. However, because he consistently does so effectively enough to be unharmed, he's [[WoundedGazelleGambit blamed for the fights]]. He and his grand-daughter, Wanda, are convicted for assault and battery.
63	* ''Literature/TheBazaarOfBadDreams'': In "Batman and Robin Have an Altercation," main character Sanderson, who's in his sixties, brings his Alzheimer's-ridden father "Pop" to their weekly Applebee's lunch, only to get into a traffic accident with a tough truck driver on the way back to Pop's assisted living home. When the truck driver (who [[NeverMyFault refuses to admit he caused the accident]]) starts beating Sanderson up, Pop [[PapaWolf springs into action]] and stabs him in the neck with a steak knife he stole from the restaurant. It also overlaps with HandicappedBadass, as Pop's mind is slipping fast, but he retains enough lucidity to both use the knife properly and protect his son.
64	%%* The elderly superheroes of Literature/{{Bigtime}}.
65	* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': Geezer Powers -- ACTIVATE!! Only within the ShowWithinAShow, though, [[spoiler:until the grandparents accidentally get superpowers.]]
66	* In the ''{{Literature/Discworld}}'' novels:
67	** Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde are, indeed, very old, but they are very old {{Barbarian Hero}}es. As pointed out in ''Literature/InterestingTimes'', they have survived a very long time in a deadly profession. Suffice it to say, ''Badass'' is an understatement.
68	** The Ankh-Morpork "Seamstresses' Guild" is guarded by TheDreaded Agony Aunts Dotsy and Sadie, who deliver, if not ''swift'' justice, slow, inexorable, [[ToThePain exceedingly injurious]] justice to anyone who abuses a Guild prostitute. They've been active for at least 30 years and were both very old and very infamous even then, so there's some question of [[AmbiguouslyHuman whether they're human or not]].
69	* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Shiro, a tiny ancient Japanese guy with poor eyesight beats the crap out of a Denarian in the shape of a six-legged {{bear\|sAreBadNews}} with a {{cane\|Fu}}. On the other hand, this cane turns out to be the sheath for Fidelacchius, one of the Swords of the Cross.
70	* ''Literature/StarWarsKenobi'': The 75-year-old Wyle Ulbreck isn't afraid to get in a shootout with Tusken Raiders or Jabba the Hutt's thugs. Admittedly, Ben [[FakeUltimateHero makes him look more badass than he is]] by giving him the credit for killing most of the raiding party in Dannar's Claim.
71	-->'''Wyle:''' ''[after shooting Jorrk]'' I killed me a room full of Tuskens. I ain't gonna let you people push me around!
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
75	* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E18BasicGenealogy "Basic Genealogy"]], Troy's grandmother attacks Britta with a switch.
76	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]], the menace of the week is a smallish crowd of senior citizens, which is frankly hilarious, except when the old people turn out to be possessed by aliens that kill people with lethal bad breath. Amy has no compunction in running them over. Turns out in the end that [[spoiler:it's all a dream created by the Doctor's evil side]]. He chose "alien-possessed old people" as something the Doctor and his companions would believe, which probably tells you something about the common MonsterOfTheWeek tropes this show uses.
77	%%* ''Series/FatherTed'' and the episode, "Attack of the Nearly Dead". Grannies make for intense fan girls...
78	* Crane Tolliver, Lila Quartermaine's first husband on ''Series/GeneralHospital'' shoots Susan Moore (Jason "Holy Hitman" Morgan's mother) when she tries to double-cross him in a blackmail scheme.
79	* ''Series/Foundation2021'': In the Season 1 finale, the elderly [[EvilOldFolks Brother Dusk/Cleon XII]] doesn't hesitate to get in [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Brother Day/Cleon XIII's]] face and bitchslap him when the two disagree over what to do about [[spoiler: the fact that Brother Dawn/Cleon XIV is an [[CloneDegeneration imperfect clone]]]].
80	* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Parker's mentor, Archie Leach[[note]]not ''that'' [[Creator/CaryGrant Archie Leach]][[/note]] (played by Creator/RichardChamberlain), carries two canes, one concealing a taser and the other a sword. He claims to get the two mixed up when he threatens Chaos with harm after Chaos leers at Parker. Eventually, he does tase the guy for it.
81	* ''Series/MadMen'' provides a disturbing example when Layne Pryce's father Richard, who [[spoiler:hits his grown son upside the head with a cane and threatens to break his fingers--all because Layne doesn't want to go back to England and has started dating a black woman.]] The [[DeliberateValuesDissonance attitudes are right for the generation]], but even then, it comes off as pretty harsh. It's enough to make it somewhat surprising that Pryce turned out as as stable and sympathetic as he did given his upbringing, instead of totally screwed up, given the series' norms (on the other hand, [[StiffUpperLip perhaps not]]...).
82	* The 'Nanageddon' episode of ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'', unsurprisingly. Although little old ladies are considerably more dangerous with knitting needles when said little old ladies have been summoned from the pits of Hell.
83	* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': The "Hell's Grannies" sketch, which begins with the premise of a gang of old ladies inflicting random acts of violence on "fit, defenceless young men."
84	* ''Series/MurdochMysteries'': In "Convalescence", Murdoch's elderly landlady Mrs. Kitchen has been imprisoned for several days while criminals search her house. When a weakened Murdoch passes out while fighting one of the criminals, Mrs. Kitchen picks up Murdoch's crutch and whacks the crook over the head with it, knocking her out.
85	* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Mrs. Davis beats up a gym teacher in "Angela's Wedding". [[SeriousBusiness He insulted the deviled eggs she prepared.]]
86	* ''Series/PerpetualGraceLTD'': Pastor Brown, played by the 75-year-old Creator/BenKingsley, demonstrates his "old man strength" by besting the young former firefighter James in an arm wrestling contest. Later, when confronted by a cartel gangster who threatens his wife, the old man beats the gangster to death with a shoe. This is when we learn that the pastor is a life-long career criminal.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Other]]
90	* In one bit, comedian Creator/PattonOswalt says that, if you can live to be 100, you should be allowed to legally murder anyone you want, provided you kill them with your bare hands. He then says, "Would any of you come to the rescue if you heard, 'Help, a 100 year old woman is beating me to death!'?"
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
94	* In old-style British wrestling, such as that featured on ''World Of Sport'', a section of the audience with the power to ''terrify'' some of the largest, hardest, men to stalk the ring were.... the grannies. Little old ladies who let it all out on a Saturday afternoon at the wrestling. Special bile was reserved for whoever was playing the Evil Wrestler part. The old ladies were capable of seriously foul swearing, throwing things including handfuls of drawing pins or even nails. If anyone was unlucky enough to fall or be thrown out of the ring... ouch. Being belaboured with walking sticks was only the beginning of it. Some dedicated wrestler-baiters did things like sharpen the ferrule of an umbrella to a vicious point, and stab with it. Cigarettes would be stubbed out into bare flesh. Hatpins would be inserted where it hurt most. Imagine a ringside of wrestling grannies claiming vengeance on the baddie who'd just apparently beaten the golden boy to a pulp... the blows in the ring might still sting, but at least they were agreed and roughly scripted. In the ring the wrestler had an idea of what was coming. ''Outside'' the ring was a different matter.
95	* Wrestling/{{Chikara}}'s Melvin Snodgrass and Darkness Crabtree, the Senior Assault Team. They hold victories over the likes of the Wildcards (Wrestling/EddieKingston and Blackjack Marciano)
96	* Wrestling/RoddyPiper, Wrestling/JimmySnuka, and Wrestling/RickySteamboat vs Wrestling/ChrisJericho at ''Wrestling/{{Wrestlemania}} XXV'', when they collectively become tired of Jericho's never ending rating about the fans because they cheer Wrestling/ShawnMichaels more than him. Jericho won, but the legends ([[StillGotIt Steamboat in particular]]) made sure he knew he'd been in a fight.
97	* Just to hammer in how much Wrestling/{{TNA}} did not care for the {{tag team}} known as No Limit, it uncovered them from their shallow graves so they could be {{squash\| match}}ed down to fit into deeper ones by the completely grey headed Wrestling/KevinNash.
98	* Wrestling/KevinSullivan and his army of darkness ([[TheRemnant or what was left of it]]) ambushing Ring Warriors Grand Champion Bruce Santee to prove they were still relevant.
99	* Before a match with Matt Cross at Absolute Intense Wrestling's ''Hell On Earth XII'', Wrestling/ColtCabana had to first be saved from Cross's irate grandmother.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Video Games]]
103	* ''VideoGame/CoffeeCrisis'', a game where aliens have invaded earth and possessed most of the population, have elderly mooks attacking you at various points, namely old men with walking sticks and old women who use their walking frames to smash you up.
104	* The Flash game ''VideoGame/{{Disorderly}}'' is ''made'' of this trope. You're an [[OrderliesAreCreeps orderly]] in a nursing home assigned by your boss to curb the overpopulation by "taking care" of the seniors, and you practically spend the entire game beating the snot out of old folks, many of them who ''will'' put up a fight before going down by hitting you with their canes or walking frames.
105	* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'', when you visit Cranky's Cabin, Cranky will occasionally hit the player character with his cane.
106	* Tellah does this to Edward in a scripted ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' battle, hitting him with his cane and calling him a SpoonyBard. It barely even hurts him, and this is [[QuirkyBard Edward]] we are talking about.
107	* ''VideoGame/PaperMario'': ELDER POWER ACTIVATE!! [[spoiler: The Puni Elder's [[CrackOhMyBack back acts up]] before it can even do anything]]
108	* One of the [[WeirdnessMagnet Wild Wasteland]] encounters of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has The Courier being ambushed by a trio of old biddies armed with rolling pins and knives, as a ShoutOut to the ''Hell's Grannies'' above. They're about as threatening as they sound, especially since the player character should be pretty well-armed by this point.
109	* In ''VideoGame/TheSims'' games, Mrs. Crumplebottom is an NPC who visits community lots. If two Sims kiss on the lot, she'll come over and hit one of them with her purse.
110	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': Yangus's Golden Oldies attack summons the diminutive King Trode, which leads a ''horde'' of old men, running over whatever enemy it is aimed at.
111	* One of the missions in ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'' has you fighting your way through a retirement center filled with pissed off old people after they recognize you as the local vigilante and think you're there to take their Percocet.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Western Animation]]
115	* In the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "The Golden Years", Drakken's army of seniors attacks Kim.
116	* In a ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode, an old lady does this from the roof of an episode to a Franchise/{{Godzilla}}-like monster, who promptly eats her.
117	** In another episode, Mojo Jojo gets body swapped with an old lady. It does not seem to affect his fighting prowess.
118	** One time the girls are called in to take down a group of senior citizens robbing a bank, but Blossom insists they leave them be since they have to respect their elders. Instead her idea is to bring a geriatric superhero out of retirement to take down the elderly bad guys.
119	* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', treat your elders with respect..... ''or else.'' Case in point: "Grey Dawn". In a parody of ''Film/RedDawn1984'', the town's seniors, organized by the American Association of Retired Persons, orchestrate a takeover of the town when the state of Colorado decides to revoke the driver's license of any person over 70. [[spoiler:They are thwarted when the boys lock the doors of the Country Kitchen Buffet (based on a real restaurant chain, the Old Country Buffet, and it gets a lot of business from seniors), where all the seniors had been eating, and thus cutting off their food supply.]]
120	** Another episode features Butters' grandma being even more abusive then his parents.
121	%%* Stinkmeaner and the Hateocracy from ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks''.
122	* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': the Senior Citizen Squad and TheHorde of Senior Citezombies lead by the borderline-EldritchAbomination Grandfather.
123	* Bruce Wayne fits this trope occasionally in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. Given that this is Batman as a senior citizen, he is much more effective than average.
124	%%* Shows up in the opening credits for the old cartoon ''[[WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle Superchicken]]'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-3QAiVDL-A at :04 in]]).
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Real Life]]
128	* More than once a mugger has targeted an elderly man they thought would be an easy mark, only to discover said elderly man is an ex-special forces or combat sports champion-type RetiredBadass.
129	* It has been proven that elderly victims of muggings and armed robbery are twice as likely to retaliate against an attacker, compared to younger victims. The reason basically being that a younger victim would believe he or she had more to lose.
130	* UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson did this to a guy who tried to kill him, chasing him with his cane after both of the would-be assassin's pistols failed to fire. Jackson, 67 at the time and reportedly having respiratory problems, had to be pulled off his target by his aides after administering a highly justified beatdown.
131	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySBxMMidbEg Ann Timson]] (71-years-old at the time) fought off armed robbers that were breaking into a jewellery shop. The [[HandbagOfHurt purse she was using as a weapon]] was filled with pound coins, making it quite heavy.
132	[[/folder]]
133

Context Main / WhenEldersAttack