Misused: Bruce Wayne Held Hostage

Basically, this is the way the trope has been for a long time but but the reality is there are two tropes being used:

• Bruce Wayne Held Hostage: As per the description this is when the Secret Identity of someone is used as bait to attract the attention of the hero. Thus the "normal person" has to figure a way out of the situation and the bad guys are wondering why the hero isn't showing up.
• Wrong Hostage To Take: The hero just happens to be the Right Man in the Wrong Place, being among a group of hostages and the only reason they don't go full spec-ops on the hostage takers is because the other hostages might be killed in the crossfire. Thus this prevents a full blown "Die Hard" on an X.

Best I can figure is that more than half of the examples have nothing to do with baiting the superhero, it's just them being caught up in the situation. While there is a good deal of overlap (the situation and restraints placed on the hero are more or less the same) the irony of baiting the hero with themselves does make for a much different idea. I imagine splitting the trope would be the best course of action, one with the current definition and another with what it is more often used for.

Wow, I've only seen it for the second definition. It really seems a good name for that. Trope transplant?

that works

or just broaden to fit examples.

edited 25th Jun '12 8:15:24 AM by abk0100

I think I've seen that first situation, but if so it wasn't very many times.

Let Me Get This Straight...: Case 1 is when the villains specifically go after the Secret Identity unaware that it is a, well, Secret Identity of the person they're after?

In essence, the Image is spot on, but the description is overly broad.

I'd say that Case 1 is, by itself, Too Rare To Trope, and, thus, should be an Internal Subtrope of Case 2. (Which I understand to be any case where the Hero-Secret Identity pair is not Invoked by the villains. If it's invoked by the Police or Media, it's not enough to be Case 1.)

EDIT: Rewording your Case 2 for a Rename: Took The Wrong Hostage

edited 26th Jun '12 8:05:48 AM by DonaldthePotholer

I'm not sure about the Too Rare To Trope card on case number one, but it may need tweaking — number one is much more about the villains wondering why the hero isn't showing up. They do not have to be specifically trying to bait/trap the hero, they just have to (unknowingly, of course) take his Secret Identity hostage.

I also pose that the second case is quite distinct because it doesn't involve a Secret Identity. Remember that when the Secret Identity is held hostage, he can't use his superpowers but this is less for sake of the others with him and more because it would spoil his secret identity to everyone in the process (what did we rename that to, Cover-Blowing Superpower?)

edited 26th Jun '12 9:03:39 AM by Stratadrake

"Took the wrong hostage" sounds like they were trying to get a specific person and screwed up ("you idiots, you captured their stunt doubles!"). And the description is very precise, it's that the name makes it sound like the Secret Identity is just caught up in a bad situation and that's why the examples have followed suit.

As for how closely related they are, the only difference in the basic story idea I see is that the bad guys are getting antsy about why the hero they are baiting hasn't shown up yet. Otherwise it is basically the same, the character has to seem just as helpless as anyone else and manages to undermine the bad guys plan from right under their noses (for example, sending out a signal for their team to help in some way without being seen/caught).

edited 26th Jun '12 7:08:13 PM by KJMackley

Perhaps rename to "Batman needs to rescue Bruce Wayne". Or, more generally, Hero Needs To Rescue Secret Identity.

Oh, and example cleanup too. Though I'm not so sure that Cover Blowing Superpower is always appropriate for the expanded situation. I mean, what if it's just a standard FBI agent who was just going about normal business and had nothing to do with the villains previously? EDIT: Would this merely be a case of Obfuscating Normality/Muggleness? Or could that be Right Man in the Wrong Place?

EDIT: Trope in Sum:

1. Villains attack location to draw out The Hero and either take hostages directly or just plain put the place Under Siege.
2. Villains wonder why The Hero doesn't show up
3. The Hero is already there, in his Secret Identity, as a hostage / in an area with many bystanders and no privacy.

EDIT 2: Added this Note to the description:

Note that the hostages being bait to draw Captain Hero must be part of the villain's plot to qualify as this trope. (Ultimatum optional.) If the villains don't specifically intend to draw out Captain Hero, or known associates thereof, then he is merely the Right Man in the Wrong Place.

EDIT 3: Some of the misuse also has elements of Mugging the Monster.

edited 2nd Jul '12 10:45:32 PM by DonaldthePotholer

Clocking due to lack of activity.

Locking.