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Handy the hand puppet: Even now, he sulks in his tree house like Achilles in his tent! Everyone else: (blank stares) Handy the hand puppet: ...Achilles?... The Iliad?... It's Homer?... READ A BOOK!
The Human Ton: Your Tick won't come. He's sulking in his tent like a guy from Chile! Arthur: ...Don't you mean 'Achilles'? Handy the hand puppet: *To the Human Ton* You're making us look like jerks! I told you already, READ A BOOK!
— The Tick — "The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account"
A member of a team (often The Lancer) gets into a fight with everybody else and quits, vowing to never, ever return to the people whom they now hate so much. A threat then comes that is precisely suited to the missing member's talents. The other team members beg the quitter to come back, but with no success. The team head out without their ex-member, and are about to all be killed horribly.
Then the ex-member, seeing them about to die, realizes that he still cares about them after all. He leaps in with a Foe Tossing Charge, saves everybody, and all are reconciled. An Aesop about friendship and teamwork ensues.
When done well, this is tied directly into the Story Arc. The bad guys know about the quitter, and send a specialized threat precisely because the quitter is missing. When done badly, the Monster Of The Week just happens, by an amazing coincidence, to match the quitter's talents — and next episode, everybody will forget that the whole thing ever happened.
Sometimes, the quitter is a character who doesn't seem necessary or even desirable. The episode is thus about giving them some character development and showing both the audience and the characters why this person was on the team. Common with What Kind Of Lame Power Is Heart Anyway characters, but has the danger of falling into an Eigen Plot.
This goes all the way back to Achilles sulking in his tent in Homer's Iliad (whence the trope name), making it Older Than Dirt. Although notably, he wouldn't come out until his best friend was actually killed trying to take his place.
Contrast Ten Minute Retirement, We Want Our Jerk Back. Often followed by a He's Back moment.
Compare with Just Fine Without You and Holding Out For A Hero.
If the villain does this, it's Orcus On His Throne.
Examples
Anime and Manga
- Samurai Pizza Cats had an episode like this (No Talent Guido). Speedy and Polly get contracts for a singing career, leaving Guido feeling left out. The Monster Of The Week attacks Little Tokyo while Speedy and Polly are recording a song. Guido refuses to fight, saying that maybe he had better things to do, too. Francine sends the rescue team to fight the monster. They do well until the Rude Noise engage them. Guido finally snaps out of it, when he sees the rescue team get blown away. Just as Speedy gets his ass kicked and Polly is reduced to Damsel In Distress Guido makes his grand entrance, dispatches the ninja crows in a cooly excecuted Foe Tossing Charge and finishes off the monster in what is considered to be his Crowning Moment Of Awesome. This also served to give Guido some actual Character Development, showing him grow from simply a Handsome Lech to a Jerk With A Heart Of Gold.
- This happened between Agumon and Masaru/Marcus in Digimon Savers. After they fell out, Masaru tried to fight alone. He managed to beat up some jerk ass baseball hooligans, but when the Monster Of The Week shows up (a Black Garurumon) that's when he runs into trouble. Kutamon even lampshades this by saying how Geogreymon would have been perfect to battle him.
- Shinji does this in Neon Genesis Evangelion, after his Eva is forced to try to kill one of his best friends. His return in the following episode becomes his Crowning Moment Of Awesome.
- Subverted, as with damned near everything else in Evangelion, when Shinji gets his ass kicked anyways, and mommy has to come to the rescue again, in a scene which is oddly mirrored in reverse in the movie with Asuka.
- It's not stated outright but based on Shinji's Sync Ratio shooting up to an 'impossible' 400%, plus the next episode revealing that Shinji's body has vanished and his soul has been absorbed by the Eva in essentially the same way as his mother's was, it seems it really was Shinji's will driving the Eva this time.
- Ken (also known as Mark) of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman / Battle Of The Planets fame made a positive habit of quitting in a snit or going awol for his own reasons at the worst possible times.
- An inversion of this trope happens in a sports shounen manga, Fight no Akatsuki (Akatsuki's Fight), in that the leave-taking is actually an admirable and sensible thing. Two best friends, Akatsuki and Kiyo, are on opposite teams. The coach of the Opposing Sports Team orders his players to injure Akatsuki so bad that he can't play anymore. Kiyo hurls a basketball at the jerk's head, says nuts to that, and sits the game out rather than be a part of that. After they fail to stop Akatsuki, Kiyo returns to the game to play against his best friend fairly.
- Wu Fei spends an entire episode of Gundam Wing doing this after failing to kill Treize; it takes words of encouragement from future Team Mom Sally, and the deaths of her mercenary friends, to snap him out of his funk.
- One Piece had a somewhat subverted version of this trope play out over an entire two-year long story arc. Usopp protests when the crew decide to junk their broken-down old ship in favor of a shiny new one. Told to get over it by Luffy (in a rare scene where he actually issues an order as captain) Usopp chooses to leave the crew instead. Later, our heroes find themselves in huge trouble, so Usopp returns to help out, but, unwilling to face his former comrades, he shows up in an incredibly obvious disguise (which still manages to fool two of the more gullible crewmembers.) Despite helping save the day, he is still not asked back on the crew, (even though everyone really wanted him back) since he went against a direct order from his captain. Only when he apologizes without provocation (and, as it happened, does so very loudly) do our heroes welcome him back. Moral: Friendship is awesome, but respect the chain of command!
- I think he was also apologizing for doubting his friends. His other reason for leaving the crew was because he was afraid he was useless, and thought they might ditch him like they ditched the ship.
- In Code Geass, Lelouch has a few moments like this after his various Trauma Conga Lines. The most unfortunately timed one is in R2 episode 19, where because he's in his chambers and not responding to calls, Schneizel is able to completely demolish Lelouch's already-tenuous credibility as Zero and reveal his secret identity and mind control power.
- Sailor Mercury is prone to the more benevolent versions of the standard plot: Mercury, who starts as the only Senshi without offensive abilities, is too nice to storm off. Instead, she's offered a chance to study abroad and further her goals of becoming a doctor, which will remove her from the Senshi. She's about to take it, but changed her mind at the last moment so returns in time to get her mid-season power upgrade (which finally makes her more action-geared) and rescue the rest of the team from a monster only weak to ice, and she returns to the fold. Later in the season, she's attacked by a monster that causes paranoia and self doubt, and she hallucinates that everything everyone says to her is derisive and mean. Eventually, her faith that her friends would never say such horrible things allows her to break the spell and come back to everyone.
- In Yu Yu Hakusho's Chapter Black Saga, Hiei, whose helping the heroes had until this point been reluctant, refuses to help them after hearing about the plan to open a portal to the Demon World, which would enable him, a B+ class demon to return there. He returns to help Yusuke against Kaname "Sniper" Hagiri, and is persuaded to help after being offered the Chapter Black tape.
- Brad/Ballad in Zoids does this in one of the beginning episodes, refusing to fight the Backdraft Group because he won't get paid for it. Of course, he comes in at the last minute and saves everyone... because Dr. Toros offered him Bit's next few paychecks.
ComicBooks
- In Watchmen, the godlike Dr. Manhattan teleports to Mars when he "finds out" (though he already knew due to his prescience) that many of the people he was close to and/or came into contact with (including his ex-girlfriend) have contracted cancer. With the U.S.'s walking arsenal on another planet, the Soviets launch an invasion of Afghanistan, bringing the world on the brink of nuclear war. It turns out it was actually Ozymandias who gave them all cancer in order to get him to leave, allowing him to bring his plan to save the world into action.
- Well, not really, as Dr. Manhattan IS the whole team, not just one member.
- The Fantastic Four was notorious for this happening, particularly with the Thing.
- Again in Marvel, Namor was rejected by the Atlanteans and later he rejected them. It took the god Neptune giving Namor his trident to change Namor's mind.
- Subverted in Justice League Elite by Major Disaster who suffers a breakdown after his Alcoholism gets a teammate killed. When the call comes for him to return he refuses in an attempt to stay away from the things that drove him to drink in the first place.
Film
- Troy.
- "You're all clear, kid! Let's blow this thing and go home!"
- Then he does it again at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. However, he barely gets to spend two minutes in his tent this time before he discovers that Luke has gone missing and he pops back out again.
- Well, he didn't so much sulk in is tent the second time as have a desire to keep bounty hunters from killing him. As the rest of Empire shows, that probably would've been a good idea.
- Parodied somewhat in Team America World Police, where Gary is accused of this despite the fact that his abilities would have been obviously useless. He still plays the end of the trope straight, though.
- They were attacked, and without an actor they were dead in the water.
- Lancelot becomes a partially insane vagrant in the movie Excalibur who blames the king for bringing a pestilence upon the land. At the climatic battle, he returns to fight by the king's side.
Literature
- Named for the famous incident in The Iliad, which fits the formula almost perfectly, with an added touch. Agammemnon tries to coax Achilles back by meeting the demands he originally made before the new threat, but Achilles now refuses them, making it a Pound Of Flesh. Also, in stark contrast to modern TV examples, Achilles does not learn An Aesop about teamwork or friendship. He re-enters battle out of pure blood rage, after his
best friend cousin Patroclus kicks the bucket, and winds up forming an Odd Friendship with the enemy king instead of with Agammemnon.
- Although, he kind of had it coming when he went crying to his mother to convince the rest of the gods to let the Trojans start winning.
- The Achilles situation is exactly mirrored in the final book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: Clarisse, daughter of Ares, refuses to let any of her siblings join the fight because they won a prize in battle that got taken away. Even after they get it back, she won't fight in the war. Eventually Clarisse's new best friend, Silena, daughter of Aphrodite, steals her armor, leads the rest of Ares's children into battle, and gets killed in the fight. Clarisse then rejoins the war, just like Achilles.
- Well, given that the entire series is a big Shout Out to Greek Mythology, and just about every event is some modernized version of an ancient Greek myth, you knew this one had to turn up sooner or later. Percy even gets the same powers as Achilles in said book by bathing in the river Styx. And Achilles' shade makes an appearance to try to talk him out of it.
- And I don't think any Harry Potter-savvy reader could forget Ron's storming out in the seventh book.
- To be fair, Ron wanted to come back immediately, but was unable to. Afterwards, he became even less able to go back and when he finally did return, it wasn't to solve a task only he could solve. He just happened to be the only one around to do it (if you don't count the hiding Snape).
- This trope is played with in Tad Williams' Otherland series. In a memorable sequence, the protagonists find themselves in a computer simulated version of the actual Trojan War, filling the shoes of many of that story's heroes. Orlando is Achilles, but in a subversion, the reason he can't come out to fight is because he's genuinely too ill. The NPCs still treat him according to the story line, though, forcing Sam (as Patroclus) to don Achilles' armor and confront Hector. In trying to rescue her, the protagonists inadvertently trigger the same sequence of events as in the story.
Live Action TV
- A rare non-combat example: the 1980s children's puppet show Letter People. In an early episode, Miss A gets into a fight with the other letters and quits. Since Miss A was the only vowel in the cast at this point, nobody can form a word without her and they have to beg her to come back. (Since she was also the only female letter introduced at this point, this may have been a sly way to teach feminism to the target audience.)
- In Angel, Wesley left after Season 3 and his mistake with Connor, followed by about a season of intermittent contact with the team, during which they sometimes sorely missed his talent. He just sort of drifted back in about mid-season 4 with the whole Cordy crisis.
- Dudes, how did we miss Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and the premiere of Season 2? In When She Was Bad Buffy comes back from her summer in L.A. still steaming with issues from being killed for a minute in the Season One finale. When the Master's men steal the Master's bones with the intent to resurrect him, Buffy explodes at Giles and blows off the the Scooby Gang's attempts at consoling her. This lasts until Willow, Giles, Cordelia, and Miss Calender are captured by the vampires for the resurrection ritual.
- Also happened in an episode of Parker Lewis Cant Lose, involving Larry Kubiac and the football team.
- This trope pretty much defines Sting's character in WCW through the entire year of 1997. Hell, we might as well call this trope Sting In The Rafters.
- Not quite an example, but certainly an honorable mention: In Star Trek The Next Generation episode "Peak Performance", Data loses a game of strategy that he expected to win. Because of it, he loses confidence in his abilities and stays in his quarters, trying to determine what is wrong with his programming. Several crewmembers try to get him out of it and back on the bridge, one comparing his behavior to "sulking like Achilles In His Tent". He's convinced that he's not unreliable and takes his place on the bridge in time to assist in a sudden crisis and formulate the plan to save the crew.
- In Robin Hood: Robin overpowers Guy and ties him to a tree after realising that he is man behind the attempted assassination of King Richard. He gets so wound up that he nearly resorts to torture and refuses to listen to his men who feel that it's more important to stage a rescue mission to save a fellow team-mate that's been captured. After several failed attempts, during which Robin just sits under a tree, the outlaws return unvictorious and it takes Marian to snap Robin out of it and suggest a hostage trade.
- In season 5 of Babylon Five, Garibaldi is assigned to monitor intelligence reports and coordinate the peacekeeping forces to prevent a war from flaring up. While he's busy drowing his sorrows, the war escalates and the peacekeeping forces are unable to regain control before Centauri Prime is bombarded from orbit.
Video Games
- Happens in the Pandemonium segment of Final Fantasy IX, where Zidane Tribal, the main character, becomes depressed and alienated upon realizing himself to be a Genome and not "normal." Zidane goes off on his own, the party follows him, and eventually arrives in battle to rescue him.
- That may've been more of a Heroic BSOD than a sulking in the tent, especially since Zidane attacks the party at one point.
Western Animation
- One of the very first Thomas The Tank Engine episodes written featured Henry trying this in The Sad Story of Henry. In this case the episode ended with Henry being locked in the "tent" he sulks in for "Always and Always and Always." and it wasn't until the following episode that Henry got to make up for his wrong-doings and save the day.
- In Trouble in the Shed Henry tries it again, along with Gordon and James and once again, it backfires. The Fat Controller shuts them up and gets Thomas and Edward to run the line.
- Kim Possible: Ron quits when he thinks Kim is jealous of his new success at Bueno Nacho. Kim thinks she can do without the goofy sidekick, but it turns out he's vital. Him or his naked mole rat?.
- Teen Titans: Cyborg quits after a fight with Robin, returns just in time to save everybody with the Foe Tossing Charge.
- A couple of times in Theodore Tugboat. In Guysborough's Garbage the eponymus Guysborough refuses to collect garbage, resulting in the Big Harbour becomming a big mess. A visiting ship, to whom cleanliness is Serious Business insists on leaving the harbour.
- There was also one time when Hank, feeling that no one respected him because of his short name, changed his name to Henry. After a big mix up, a large barge goes out of control and speeds through the harbour. Hank is the only one fast enough to catch the barge but he ignores their pleas for help until Theodore addresses him as Henry.
- W.I.T.C.H.: Cornelia quits when the team fails to protect her best friend, Elyon Brown, from the bad guys. Without the full team, everybody else's powers are weakened (which strangely didn't happen the last time the girls had to send a partial team), and new monsters attack who Cornelia's powers would have been perfect for. She inevitably snaps out of her funk in time to save everybody. This turned out to be a turning point, giving Cornelia real Character Development for the first time.
- A variation of this is show in Transformers: Beast Wars, where Tigatron does this after he accidentally kills a (non-Transformer)
tiger friend his mate in a firefight, and only returns after he realizes the bad guys aren't going to stop destroying if he does nothing. Somewhat unique in the fact that the teammate that attempts to coerce him back into the fray is a battle-hungry warrior who attempts to strongarm him under threat of death, which certainly didn't help matters any.
- About What Kind Of Lame Power Is Heart Anyway... Uh, yeah, Captain Planet had at least two episodes with Ma-Ti angsting, trying to quit the team and having to come back to save the day.
- Hell, Kwami, whose power was Earth, tried to quit once in the middle of an Heroic BSOD, and he was the de facto leader of the team.
- There was also a two-parter episode where Wheeler tries to quit, only to travel forward in time and discover the world was destroyed by global warming because everyone was DOOMED without him.
- Considering the fact that they were all inevitably useless, it's a wonder they didn't just call up the Cap any time something even minorly eco-unfriendly occurred. Or set their rings to automatic. Or something that would not require their actual involvement.
- Actually, this was example of Set Right What Once Went Wrong, where Wheeler tried to change past nad never become Planetarian.
- As the page quote reveals, this happened in The Tick to the titular character.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I think more than once, maybe even with more than one turtle. I would add details if I could remember them.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but the entire TMNT movie could be a variation on this theme. Leonardo has stayed in South America for a year after his training was supposed to be over, for reasons that remain vague (I still have to watch the two original movies). While he's gone, Raphael develops some serious anger issues with his older brother, and sort of does the inverted Achilles In His Tent as the team falls apart: he goes out and fights crime solo as the Nightwatcher while his two younger brothers work menial jobs, watch television, and play video games. When Leo comes back, Raph is way too angry to reconcile with him, and keeps up his Nightwatcher act until Leo - literally - "unmasks" him. Leo and Raph duel, and Raph almost wins, but backs off when he realizes he's become angry enough to actually hurt (kill?) his own brother. As Raphael runs away, he hears Leo scream as the Big Bad and his Five Bad Band capture him. He tries to go after Leo, but the bad guys get away. Raphael returns home, where Splinter gives him some Epiphany Therapy, after which he leads the other turtles (with some help) to storm the bad guys' tower and rescue Leo.
- Leonardo and Raphael are the worst at this. Raphael pulls his angry loner shtick and wanders off, and Leonardo, well, he's kinda a more responsible version of Raphael, in some respects.
Real Life
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