History Main / AesopEnforcer

* In the episode [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E85ShowdownWithRanceMcGrew "Showdown With Rance [=McGrew=]"]] of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', the title character, [[SmallNameBigEgo an arrogant primadonna]], meets up with Jesse James; James threatens [=McGrew=] to the point that [=McGrew=] shows his true colors as a DirtyCoward. Unlike other examples of this trope though, James doesn't go away after [=McGrew=] learns his lesson; he becomes TheKidWithTheLeash by returning as [=McGrew=]'s new agent to make sure he behaves himself.

* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''. Clarence the GuardianAngel grants George Bailey's unintentional wish, showing him an AlternateUniverse in which George never been born. After seeing [[CrapsackWorld tragedy after tragedy]] due to him [[ForWantOfANail not being alive]], George recants his wish, wanting to live. He is returned to his own world, filled with a renewed vigor for life.

* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': The Wolf, ultimately revealed to be [[spoiler: Death itself, [[NotHyperbole not metaphorically, rhetorically, poetically, or theoretically]],]] acts as this for Puss. Puss used his nine lives up in an incredibly frivolous and reckless manner, not learning anything after each death and treating it [[YetAnotherStupidDeath as one big joke]]. By the time of Puss reaches his final life, [[spoiler: Death is so sick of him having no value for life or death that he decides to just kill him for good, and putting the fear of death in Puss.]] While initially overwhelmed by the sudden realisation of his mortality, even trying to wish his lives back, ultimately Puss accepts his life and standing to fight the wolf, [[spoiler: even though he knows he can't beat Death. While he's frustrated that Puss ruined his fun, he's satisfied that Puss finally put some value to his life and leaves him to live his life [[DontFearTheReaper until they meet again.]]]]

* WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish: The Wolf, ultimately revealed to be [[spoiler: Death itself, [[NotHyperbole not metaphorically, rhetorically, poetically, or theoretically]],]] acts as this for Puss. Puss used his nine lives up in an incredibly frivolous and reckless manner, not learning anything after each death and treating it [[YetAnotherStupidDeath as one big joke]]. By the time of Puss reaches his final life, [[spoiler: Death is so sick of him having no value for life or death that he decides to just kill him for good, and putting the fear of death in Puss.]] While initially overwhelmed by the sudden realisation of his mortality, even trying to wish his lives back, ultimately Puss accepts his life and standing to fight the wolf, [[spoiler: even though he knows he can't beat Death. While he's frustrated that Puss ruined his fun, he's satisfied that Puss finally put some value to his life and leaves him to live his life [[DontFearTheReaper until they meet again.]]]]

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* In the episode "Showdown with Rance [=McGrew=]" of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', the title character, [[SmallNameBigEgo an arrogant primadonna]], meets up with Jesse James; James threatens [=McGrew=] to the point that [=McGrew=] shows his true colors as a DirtyCoward. Unlike other examples of this trope though, James doesn't go away after [=McGrew=] learns his lesson; he becomes TheKidWithTheLeash by returning as [=McGrew=]'s new agent to make sure he behaves himself.

* In ''Theatre/IdentityV Stage Episode 1: What to Draw'', this was used on... [[NamesTheSame Aesop]]. By Joseph, his enemy, of all people. In order to make Aesop, the Embalmer who's fascinated by death, stop ruining the escape games by dying intentionally (because he knows he'll just come back unharmed), Joseph asks the runners of the game to make it so that if you die in the game, you die for real.

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[[quoteright:275:[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b&b_9.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:275:"I don't care [[AesopCollateralDamage who I have to turn into a teapot]], you'll learn the meaning of love!"]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear''. Sitka, the main character Kenai's brother. Kenai gets Sitka killed due to his obsessive bear hunting, causing Kenai to hunt down the same bear again to kill it in vengeance. Sitka's spirit appears in the form of an eagle, and [[KarmicTransformation transforms Kenai into a bear as punishment.]] [[spoiler:Once Kenai has learned his lesson, Sitka appears again to change him back. Kenai insists on staying a bear to protect Koda, the son of the bear he killed.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''
** The mystical island of Avalon. Anyone who tries to leave is never sent where they [[RandomTransportation want to go]], but where they [[BecauseDestinySaysSo need to be.]]
** [[spoiler:Queen Titania]] in the non-canon third season, showing Goliath a [[ItsAWonderfulPlot world in which he's a human]], not a gargoyle. He is married and has children with Elisa Maza, who is a staunch gargoyle hater. Goliath tries to find his old clan to figure out what's happening, only for them all to be killed before the deception is revealed. At least it was done for a better reason than [[MasterOfIllusion Puck.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''

** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E16TwentyEightPranksLater 28 Pranks Later]] has Rainbow fall victim to another one after getting too relentless and mean spirited in her practical jokes, when it appears one of her pranks had backfired and turned the whole populace into zombies, [[spoiler: in fact another set-up by the others as payback.]] Granted, unlike the previous example, they had at least ''tried'' the more rational approach of just telling Rainbow to be more considerate with her prank-making several times over before resorting to this trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. Cartman starts a crusade against gingers, causing the other boys to use makeup and hair dye on him in his sleep to convince him he's [[KarmicTransformation become a ginger.]] [[spoiler:The plan backfires when Cartman starts a "ginger power" movement due to him refusing to live as a minority, and nearly has the other boys publicly executed for not being ginger. Until Kyle quietly confesses to him that he's not really ginger, leaving him aghast in front of a mob of children he's riled into hating non-gingers.]]

Common examples include a [[BeautyToBeast Beauty being turned into a Beast]] because they refuse to see [[TrueBeautyIsOnTheInside inner beauty]]; TheProtagonist is approaching an [[MoralEventHorizon event]] [[DespairEventHorizon horizon]], when they get a [[ItsAWonderfulPlot Wonderful Plot]] to show why they need to [[StatusQuoIsGod stay the way they are]]; A JerkAss gets a KarmicTransformation, becoming what they hate, or a BalefulPolymorph that puts them at the mercy of their victims. When there's someone behind it all, ensuring that the subject learns their lesson, or suffers for their hubris, then you have an Aesop Enforcer.

* ''Series/OneHundredDeedsForEddieMcdowd''. The Drifter. The titular Eddie [=McDowd=] is [[TheBully a Bully]] and a JerkAss about to pass the MoralEventHorizon whom the Drifter [[BalefulPolymorph turns into a dog.]] [[OnlyOneName The Drifter]] explains that Eddie must perform 100 good deeds in order to be changed back into a human. In the meantime, only one person can understand him -- the last boy he bullied. On top of this, Eddie's [[AesopCollateralDamage entire family vanishes]] from the face of the earth until he can complete his deeds. At the end of most episodes, the Drifter appears to inform Eddie that he's accomplished a good deed and how many he has remaining.