What the Hell Are You? - Television Tropes & Idioms

Carmine Falcone: [frantically loading his shotgun] What the hell are you?

Batman: [breaks open the limo's sunroof and pulls Falcone out] I'm Batman!

— Batman Begins

What does it take to kill this guy, he's only human, right? Right?

Assumptions are dangerous. You assume that your foe is mortal and limited, that there are certain things he cannot do or survive. When these assumptions break down, in their panic many heroes or villains will ask, "What the hell are you?"

This panic can be triggered by the character having an unusual appearance or abilities, stunning the person who assumed he was normal and could be easily beaten.

See also Who Are You? and Mugging the Monster.

Examples:

Anime and Manga

In Naruto, this is an equivalent of Oh Crap, usually uttered when the speaker realises he has just attacked a demonhost.
Said (in the English dub at least) by Luke Valentine to Alucard in Hellsing.
Luke Valentine: What are you? WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU?!
Said once in InuYasha, but surprisingly enough said to Kagome by Yura of the Hair. Her confusion came from the fact that every time she swung a sword at Kagome, it bounced off of Inuyasha's kimono rather than slicing off her limbs.
"What are you? Why don't you bleed?"
In "Bleach", Orihime's humanity is brought into question on a few occasions. Loly calls her a monster due too her powers. Moe Shishigawara says she is to beautiful to be human. She as well gets referred to as the sun at least on one occasion by Aizen, possibly another time by Ulquiorra when he said "The sun has set in our hands" The panel shows Orihime with her Sōten Kisshun up possible resembling a setting sun. POSSIPLE (easily not) foreshadowing by Tite Kubo.

Comicbooks

Amazing Spider-Man #328 parodies Batman's use of this line:
Terrorist: What are you?
Spider-Man: I'm Bat— *ahem* I'm Spider-Man.

Film

Batman Begins: Falcone meets Batman, violence ensues (see page quote)
Men in Black: Agent J saw the Cephalopoid climb up a wall and has now cornered him at the edge of the roof.
Cephalopoid: [blinks his eye gills]
Jay: What the hell are you?
Jack Frost (1997) (the horror film): The title character is a serial killer transformed into a snowman.
Tommy: What the hell are you?
Jack Frost: The world's most pissed-off snow cone!
Maniac Cop
Mugger 2: [to the title character] What the hell ARE you?
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator, after he's seen the titular character with his mask off.

Live-Action TV

Smallville has at least two examples:
- Episode "Arctic": Brainiac thinks Chloe Sullivan is a normal human. When he pierces her head with his finger tendrils, she unleashes her healing powers in defense, weakening him.
  Brainiac: What the hell are you?
- Episode "Phantom". Bizarro [a Clark Kent lookalike] has just been rejuvenated from kryptonite instead of harmed, and knocks Lionel Luthor against a wall.
  Clark Kent: What the hell are you?
  Bizarro: I'm you, only a little more bizarre.
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven episode "Solitude's Revenge"
Kessler: What the hell are you?
The Crow: Death without parole.

Video Games

Tomb Raider: Underworld
Lara Croft: Tell me this: what the hell are you?
Lara's Doppelganger: I am you with the flaws removed!
Batman: Arkham Asylum: Scarecrow asks this of batman after he has had ten times the normal dose of fear gas and is still alive and sane.
From StarCraft, Zeratul to Duran: "Who... What are you?"
Cave Story: After the second fight against Balrog, as Balrog is retreating:
Balrog: What ARE you?
Player character: ...
Devil May Cry: This exchange in DMC 3, after Dante beats Cerberus (paraphrased from memory):
Cerberus: You're not human, are you?
Dante: Who knows? To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure myself!
- And again in DMC 4:
  Berial: Your arm... you're not human!
  Nero: Don't ask. Damn thing drives me crazy, though.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy: Firion to Sephiroth at the start of a fight.
Firion: You make me shiver... What are you!?
In Heroes of Might and Magic V, Nicolai asks this of Agrael when the demon lord resists the power of Nicolai's Amulet that has the power to send demons back to Sheogh. This is the first hint that Agrael isn't actually a demon. He's really a Dark Elf.

Webcomics

Unsounded:
- Chapter 4, page 10.
  Lawman: And Elka isn't crazy... you do have a mule's tail! Twin's mercy, and those teeth! What are you?
  Sette: Awesome.
- In Chapter 5, Ephsephin gets a glimpse of what's under Duane's hood.
  Ephsephin: Gods, you— W-what the fuck are you under this?!