A Stock Phrase that is typically uttered by the Big Bad after being told that the protagonist is there to stop them. This almost always leads directly to the Fight Scene. Typically used to show the arrogance of the Big Bad in thinking he can't be stopped by anyone. If he loses, expect him to have a Villainous Breakdown that invariably includes This Cannot Be!.
Alternatively, the hero will be saying this to the Big Bad, typically in response to the Big Bad's taunts that "You're too late to stop me", "I AM INVINCIBLE!!!!", "You Have No Chance to Survive", etc. Less patient heroes will say it while the Big Bad is still taunting them.
Examples:
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Anime
Comic Books
- Subverted in Watchmen. Ozymandias executed his master plan before the heroes even arrived.
Film
- After Jafar usurps power, Aladdin says this and whips out the lamp... or not.
- Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones says this when Mace Windu's Jedi strike team (and few minutes later a massive clone army) appear to rescue Obi Wan and Anakin.
Dooku: Brave, but foolish, my old Jedi friend: You're impossibly outnumbered.
Mace: *scoffs* I don't think so.
Dooku: We'll see. *cue the heavy footsteps of the super-battle droids* - In The Boss Baby, Tim discovers an "invasion" of babies in his home. His Mom says that it's a playdate. The Boss Baby tells him that it's a meeting and he won't be attending. Tim's response?
Tim: (determined) We'll see about that.
- Invoked in Charlie Wilson's War as Gust Avrotakos attempts to impart upon Rep. Wilson the principle of Ontological Inertia using an old Zen story centered on this phrase, in this case as a metaphorical forewarning for what the consequences of Wilson's dealings in Afghanistan may turn out to be:
Gust: There's a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse, and everybody in the village says, "How wonderful. The boy got a horse" And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Two years later, the boy falls off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "How terrible." And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Then, a war breaks out and all the young men have to go off and fight, except the boy can't 'cause his leg's all messed up. and everybody in the village says, "How wonderful."
Wilson: Now the Zen master says, "We'll see..." - At the beginning of Kung Fu Panda 2, upon meeting for the first time in decades, Lord Shen and the Soothsayer exchange this line with each other.
Shen: Ah, there you are, Soothsayer. It seems your fortune-telling skills are not as good as you thought.
The Soothsayer: We shall see, Shen.
Shen: No, you shall see, old goat... - John Dillinger says this in Public Enemies, after being taunted that he'll never leave his jail cell until being removed for his execution.
- The Secret Garden: Mary's reply in the 1987 movie when Martha says that Colin is going to "scream and scream until he brings the house down" is... you guessed it... "We'll see about that."
Literature
- In Star Wars: Millennium Falcon after a droid comes aboard to aid in the hijacking of the Falcon, C-3PO asks what it's doing and the droid says that it's "borrowing" it. C-3PO's response? "Borrowing it? We'll just see about that."
- And in Matt Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith:
"Anakin knew exactly what the Jedi master was thinking, the same thing he was always thinking: 'He still has much to learn.' Anakin's smile thinned to a grim, straight line as enemy starfighters swarmed around him and he thought the same thing he always thought: 'We'll see about that.' He gave himself to the battle and the starfighter whirled and his cannons hammered and droids on all sides began to burst into clouds of debris and superheated gas. This was how he relaxed."
- And in Matt Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith:
Live-Action TV
- Slight variation in Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
Dark!Willow: There's no one in the world who has the power to stop me now.
Giles: I'd like to test that theory. - This is the response of an F.B.I. agent in the fifth season premiere of The Mentalist, "The Crimson Ticket" when Patrick Jane insists that Lorelei is the C.B.I.'s suspect.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sisko and Dukat have a video call shortly after the allied fleet narrowly avoids the Bajoran sun being supernova'd right in front of them. Dukat taunts that they might have survived today, but tomorrow...
Sisko: We'll see about tomorrow.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation:
- In "Q Who", Picard tells Q that his help is not required. Q declares that "We'll just have to see how ready you are", snaps his fingers, and sends the Enterprise to its encounter with the Borg.
- In "Sins of the Father," similar to the Buffy example above...
Duras: Then you must be ready to fight — something Starfleet does not teach you.
Picard: You may test that assumption at your convenience.
Music
- The Protomen, while Light and Wily are debating the appropriate use to put their robots to:
Wily: You are a fool!
Light: You underestimate the character of man.
Wily: They are weaker than you think!
Light: You think that they'll surrender if you bind their working hands. But they are strong!
Wily: Just wait and see.
Video Games
- Assassin's Creed: These are Al Mualim's last words to Altair before dying. Altair said that he would destroy the Piece of Eden that Al Mualim had used. Al Mualim laughed and responded with this trope before dying. He was right. Altair couldn't bring himself to try.
- Grunty says this in the intro cutscene of Banjo-Kazooie, the only point in the game where she doesn’t talk in rhyme.
- Played straight in Dragon Age: Inquisition: in the finale of Act 1, at the fall of Haven, Corypheus concludes his Evil Overlord monologue
Corypheus: And you. I will not brook even an unwitting rival. You must die.
Herald: You expect me to fight, but that's not why I kept you talking. Enjoy your victory; here's your prize!
(releases trebuchet which strikes the snowy mountainside, triggering an avalanche which buries the village and forces Corypheus and his dragon to beat a hasty retreat). - This is Zidane's response in Final Fantasy IX when the Earth Guardian tells him that it's futile for the split group to try conquering all four of the elemental shrines at once.
- The G-Man says this with a bone-chilling hint of anger in Half-Life 2: Episode One when the Vortigaunts free Gordon from his control.
- Kingdom Hearts
Sora: My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!
Riku: Really... Well, we'll just see about that! - In Ratchet: Deadlocked, Ratchet says a shortened variation in the cutscene proceeding the game's first non-tutorial mission:
Dallas: Well don't bother getting up for drinks, folks. This guy won't last two rounds!
Ratchet: We'll see. - In Tomb Raider III, Lara says this to Sophia Leigh after not-too-subtly demonstrating her knowledge of Sophia's human experiments and possession of the meteorite artifact.
Lara: All I want is the artefact.
Sophia Leigh: Ha...in your next life!
Lara: (draws pistols) We'll see about that. - World of Warcraft: In the Culling Of Stratholme there is a part of the dungeon where a Boss from the Infinite Dragonflight emerges to say he's there to stop Arthas from purging Stratholme. Arthas replies that nothing can stop him, in response the boss utters this phrase.
Western Animation
- In "Buster's Secret Admirer" on Arthur Buster suggests that his secret admirer could be Fern— that this shy girl doesn't want anyone to know that she's fallen for the most popular guy in the school. Arthur tells him that he thinks all of those chocolates (that his secret admirer sent him) have gotten to his brain. Buster's response? "We'll see about that."
- And in "Sue Ellen Vegges Out," Muffy insists "We'll just see about that" when the other kids say that she won't last at being a vegetarian. She lasts less than a day, but she was only doing it anyway because it was the latest fad, and there was a new fad that day.
- In "Brain's Biggest Blunder," Brain is assigned to be part of a team for a math contest with Binky and Buster. Prunella thinks that this is her and her team's opportunity to win, and Brain comments "That Prunella thinks she's got this contest in the bag. Well, we'll just see about that!"
- In one episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, where the ring is done up to resemble a court, referee Mills Lane scolds Judge Judy for killing her opponent Susan Lucci before he can officially start the fight.
Mills: This is my court, and I'll start the proceedings here!
Judy: I'll be the judge of that, AND of this courtroom! - A lighter and softer example. In Code Lyoko, Yumi and Ulrich race each other to the elevator in "The Trap", Yumi boasts that she will beat Ulrich to the elevator. His response?
Ulrich: We'll see.
- Happens in the Animated Adaptation of Franklin in "Franklin and the Trading Cards" when Fox says that Franklin is his friend and will give him the extra card.
Beaver: We'll just see about that!
Fox: Yeah, I guess we will! - This is Nana's reaction in "But I Like Mud!" on Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs when Harry tells her that he's never going to take a bath again and just stay dirty forever. She then runs after him with a hose.
- From the Watchtower battle in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Batman: Careful, Aquaman — they're stronger than you are!
Aquaman: That remains to be seen. (sends his opponent staggering)- Another version from earlier in the battle:
Superwoman: Stay down. You're outnumbered.
Batman: Count again.
(Batman activates the teleport to bring in reinforcements)
- Another version from earlier in the battle:
- Said by Rainbow Dash in "A Dog and Pony Show" on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Discord uses it on her in "The Return of Harmony, Part 1" after she declares that she'll always be loyal to Princess Celestia.
- In The Simpsons episode "Homer Badman", Homer delivers this line:
Homer: Like one time, they were having this race with the stupid old tiny bicycle with the big wheel in front, so I figure, "We'll see about that!" So I get this big chunk of cinderblock, and — (cut short)
- In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Pranks a Lot" SpongeBob and Patrick have made themselves invisible and are terrorizing Bikini Bottom pretending to be ghosts. When reading a newspaper on their success, this is SpongeBob's response to Patrick reading that Mr. Krabs isn't afraid of ghosts.
- Anakin Skywalker to a slaver in "Kidnapped" from Star Wars: The Clone Wars after he says that his queen will bring back the slave trade.
- On WordGirl, Mrs. Botsford says this to Dr. Two-Brains when he says that he and his henchmen will win the soccer game in "Bend it Like Becky."
- Chuck also uses it on WordGirl in "Chuck With a Side of Brent" when she tells him "It's over!"
- And T.J. uses it in "Dinner or Consequences" when Becky wants to use a family trial to prove her innocence and get out of being "mega-grounded."
