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alt title(s): Worf Effect
The master at work.

"If those things took down Wolverine in less than two minutes, what chance do we have?"
X-Men

"I have never seen The Undertaker manhandled like that!"
Michael Cole, WWE Smackdown!, several times

"He's the guy who's here to act tough so new characters can wreck him when they're introduced thus proving to the rest of us how amazing they are! Like Wolverine or Worf."

When the Monster-of-the-Week or the Big Bad shows up, it invariably picks up the toughest character among the heroes and hurls him across the room (or otherwise takes him out in one blow) in order to demonstrate just how Big and Bad it really is.

Named for the tendency in Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine for hostile creatures to do that very thing to Worf.

When this sort of thing keeps happening to the same allegedly "bad-ass" character in episode after episode, to the point that more of their fights end with them in a crumbled heap than not, it deflates their reputation for badassery. Especially if, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the series still presents the character as a credible opponent, rendering things downright farcical. However, the Worf in question usually builds up his reputation again by mowing down countless armies of Red Shirts and Mooks.

Also known as "jobbing" in certain circles, although jobbing usually refers to a character who loses many fights in order to make the hero appear stronger by contrast (See: Renji Abarai, Vegeta, or the Washington Generals). It usually affects whatever team member is brash and headstrong.

When this gets done too many times on an Action Girl, the result is often a Faux Action Girl.

When done by an already known villain, it may be used to try to counter-act Villain Decay and/or cause You Look Pretty Stupid To Me.

See also Worf Had The Flu, The Worf Barrage, and Hero Killer who exists solely to invoke this trope at all times.

Compare Curb Stomp Battle, Deus Exit Machina, Badass In Distress and Red Shirt. Rarely ever happens to the Crouching Scholar Hidden Badass.

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