Line #20 PlayingWith/YouCantThwartStageOne


1	'''Basic Trope''': The heroes can't stop an evil plan until the final stage.
2	* '''Straight''': Emperor Evulz is attempting to gather the components of the ForgottenSuperweapon so he can TakeOverTheWorld. Try as they might, Hiro and his friends can't stop him from gaining the components.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': Emperor Evulz has a complicated 100-stage plan, and Hiro and company fail at thwarting steps 1 through 99.
4	* '''Downplayed''': Hiro can defeat Evulz roughly 3/4 into the main story progress, and there's an appropriate game ending if you do so. However, you can only get the {{True Ending}}s if you defeat him in the final stage.
5	** Hiro didn't entirely thwart Evulz's plan in Stage One, but he did complicate it and make it a lot harder for him to pull off.
6	* '''Justified''':
7	** The Emperor's plan has failsafes... until the last stage, that is.
8	** The plan is complicated and rather solid, so it isn't until Hiro gets information on what the plan actually is that he knows how to stop it.
9	** Stage one being completed is how Hiro ''learns'' of Emperor Evulz's plan.
10	** The early stages of Emperor Evulz's plan are performed under DiplomaticImpunity.
11	** Consistent victories on Evulz's part has lead to him coming to the conclusion that NothingCanStopMeNow, [[TemptingFate to his own chagrin]].
12	* '''Inverted''': Hiro's gang wins the day by stopping the Emperor from gaining the weapon's components, but he revealed he had a backup plan - they're [[PyrrhicVictory unable to stop him]] from [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over the world]].
13	* '''Subverted''': Hiro's team has no problem thwarting stage one...
14	** The 'success' of Emperor Evulz's was due to the ForgottenSuperweapon being a fake deliberately engineered by Hiro. Allowing him to act removed all possible doubts to his guilt and to add insult to injury would only [[HoistByHisOwnPetard kill them when they tried to use it.]]
15	* '''Double Subverted''': ...but the Emperor reveals a second half to stage one, which they can't thwart.
16	* '''Parodied''': The good guys just sit back and let the Emperor get the components, knowing they won't be able to do anything about it. [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Bonus points if this is the reason they can't do so in the first place]].
17	* '''Zig Zagged''': Hiro stops Emperor Evulz during the first phase of his plan. Unfortunately, it was just a XanatosGambit and Evulz was [[PlayalongPrisoner hoping to get captured and taken to Hiro's base]], so he can take the next step of his plan.
18	* '''Averted''': Hiro and his crew thwart stage one, and the Emperor is defeated.
19	* '''Enforced''': A writer needs to set up some drama for the second and third acts. Besides, the story would be really short, otherwise.
20	* '''Lampshaded''':
21	** "You fools! You dare oppose me? It's still early in the game - I'm supposed to be winning!"
22	** "It would be pretty boring if we stopped Evulz before he unveils his most powerful weapon."
23	* '''Invoked''': Evulz knows Hiro will fail during the first phase of his plan, so he tries to conserve his energy until the final phases, in which Hiro will surely come back with more determination than ever.
24	* '''Exploited''': Hiro stops his team from fighting Evulz during the first phase, [[BatmanGambit knowing that Evulz will be overconfident and stupid throughout the rest of his plan]], setting himself up for defeat.
25	* '''Defied''': "Forget this. I'm gonna kill him right here and now."
26	* '''Discussed''': "Y'know, just once I'd like to stop the bad guys in the early stages of their plans instead of the final hour."
27	* '''Conversed''': "I'd say this is when the Emperor falls, but... it's still only episode eight."
28	----
29	Damn! We weren't able to successfully stop Emperor Evulz from creating this Playing With page - we have to go back to the [[YouCantThwartStageOne main page]] to stop him there!

Context PlayingWith / YouCantThwartStageOne