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There comes a time when characters are planning something big. Maybe they're planning to TakeOverTheWorld, or steal someone's boyfriend, or win a contest. Whatever their goal is, someone else threatens to prevent that goal from happening--perhaps TheHero, or the boy's girlfriend, or the contest frontrunner. To ensure their plan goes off without a hitch, this other character needs to be dealt with somehow. While sometimes MurderIsTheBestSolution, softer works or less aggressive characters will instead decide to lock up or restrain their enemy instead, keeping them out of the way, but alive, unable to stop them but also otherwise unharmed--well, usually.

This trope pops up when a character's plan hinges on someone else not interfering. It can be malicious, often with bullies or villains locking the hero away in a room so their evil plan can work. It can also be done with more heroic or neutral intentions, in which case the audience is more likely to root for the victim to stay locked away. However, it's important that the plan isn't ''about'' locking someone up; that's just an important factor, a step toward success, not the end goal in and of itself. Regardless of who is behind it or why, it's just a part of their plan, not ''the'' plan. It is, however, a very ''important'' part of the plan--it won't work if the victim isn't removed from the equation.

Of course, the most common scenario involves the culprit being an antagonist or villain, and this is because the victim is entirely sidelined. While an outsider can easily help them escape, while locked up, the victim is at the complete mercy of whoever locked them in, and in some cases, this very scenario can be incredibly isolating, humiliating, or discrediting. There are also some dark implications for what would happen to the victim if they don't get rescued--which, luckily, they almost always do. So, if a character is pretty nasty, but also pragmatic and not as willing to get their hands dirty, they're more likely to pull this sort of trick than a more heroic character. But heroes can do this as well, and it's ultimately not portrayed as an inherently good or evil act--the morality of the act depends solely on who is doing the locking, and what they hope to gain from it.

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There comes a time when characters are planning something big. Maybe they're planning to TakeOverTheWorld, or steal someone's boyfriend, or win a contest. Whatever their goal is, someone else threatens to prevent that goal from happening--perhaps happening -- perhaps TheHero, or the boy's girlfriend, or the contest frontrunner. To ensure that their plan goes off without a hitch, this other character needs to be dealt with somehow. While sometimes MurderIsTheBestSolution, softer works or less aggressive characters will instead decide to lock up or restrain their enemy instead, keeping them out of the way, but alive, unable to stop them but also otherwise unharmed--well, unharmed -- well, usually.

This trope pops up when a character's plan hinges on someone else not interfering. It can be malicious, often with bullies or villains locking the hero away in a room so their evil plan can work. It can also be done with more heroic or neutral intentions, in which case the audience is more likely to root for the victim to stay locked away. However, it's important that the plan isn't ''about'' locking someone up; that's just an important factor, a step toward success, not the end goal in and of itself. Regardless of who is behind it or why, it's just a part of their plan, not ''the'' plan. It is, however, a very ''important'' part of the plan--it plan -- it won't work if the victim isn't removed from the equation.

Of course, the most common scenario involves the culprit being an antagonist or villain, and this is because the victim is entirely sidelined. While an outsider can easily help them escape, while locked up, the victim is at the complete mercy of whoever locked them in, and in some cases, this very scenario can be incredibly isolating, humiliating, or discrediting. There are also some dark implications for what would happen to the victim if they don't get rescued--which, rescued -- which, luckily, they almost always do. So, if a character is pretty nasty, but also pragmatic and not as willing to get their hands dirty, they're more likely to pull this sort of trick than a more heroic character. But heroes can do this as well, and it's ultimately not portrayed as an inherently good or evil act--the act -- the morality of the act depends solely on who is doing the locking, and what they hope to gain from it.



* PlayedForLaughs in ''Literature/TheBrotherbandChronicles'' when Hal locks Jesper in a storage cupboard to stop him performing the latest instalment of [[RunningGag The Saga Of Hal And The Heron Brotherband]].

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* PlayedForLaughs in ''Literature/TheBrotherbandChronicles'' ''Literature/{{Brotherband}}'' when Hal locks Jesper in a storage cupboard to stop him performing the latest instalment of [[RunningGag The Saga Of Hal And The Heron Brotherband]].
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[[folder: Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'': [[spoiler:Macavity's gambit to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence enter the Heaviside Layer]] is to have his henchmen abduct Old Deuteronomy, then keep him away as Macavity [[CaptureAndReplicate impersonates him to rig the Jellicle choice in his favor]]]].
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* PlayedForLaughs in ''Literature/TheBrotherbandChronicles'' when Hal locks Jesper in a storage cupboard to stop him performing the latest instalment of [[RunningGag The Saga Of Hal And The Heron Brotherband]].
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* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'': In the pilot, [[BigBrotherBully Terrance]] has Mac locked in a closet at their apartment, while in disguise he goes to Foster's and adopts Bloo.
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* ''LightNovel/DateALive'': After [[DealWithTheDevil joining DEM]], [[RevengeBeforeReason Origami]] leaves [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Shido]] tied to a chair in an isolated room to keep him out of the way while she goes after the [[HeWhoFightsMonsters already sealed Spirits]].

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* ''LightNovel/DateALive'': ''Literature/DateALive'': After [[DealWithTheDevil joining DEM]], [[RevengeBeforeReason Origami]] leaves [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Shido]] tied to a chair in an isolated room to keep him out of the way while she goes after the [[HeWhoFightsMonsters already sealed Spirits]].
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* ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}:'' Penthesilea, Wonder Woman's aunt (and one of the chief reasons the Flashpoint universe is so awful), had the witch Circe locked away in an ice cave when she found out Penth was responsible for the war between Atlantis and the Amazons. When Traci Thirteen frees her, Circe's pretty bitter, and figures the Amazons can be left to their fate.
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Compare ThrownDownAWell, which is a similar concept but on a more extreme and isolating level, as well as LockedUpAndLeftBehind, where someone is just trapped and forgotten about. Both concepts might overlap with this one. The character may wind up LockedInTheDungeon.

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Compare ThrownDownAWell, which is a similar concept but on a more extreme and isolating level, as well as LockedUpAndLeftBehind, where someone is just trapped and forgotten about. Both concepts might overlap with this one. The character may wind up LockedInTheDungeon. \n Also see ProtectorBehindBars.
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Further rewrite.


* Princess Leia from ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' gets captured by TheEmpire, and is held prisoner on the Death Star. The Imperial military doesn't want her blabbing to the Senate about their ultimate weapon, and they'd like to extract from her the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance headquarters. However, when {{The Hero}}es jailbreak Leia from her cell, Grand Moff Tarkin devises a BatmanGambit: let the Princess escape. She'll make a bee-line for the rebel base, where "we will then crush the rebellion with one swift stroke."

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* Princess Leia Organa from ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' gets captured by TheEmpire, and is held prisoner on the Death Star. The Imperial military doesn't want her blabbing to the Senate about their ultimate weapon, and they'd like to extract from her the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance headquarters. However, when {{The Hero}}es jailbreak Leia from her cell, Grand Moff Tarkin devises a BatmanGambit: let the Princess escape. She'll make a bee-line for the rebel base, where "we will then crush the rebellion with one swift stroke."



* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': Sibuna tries to pull this off on Victor and Denby in order to stop the eclipse ceremony from taking place. While Fabian kidnaps Corbierre in order to lure and lock Victor in the boys' locker room, KT lures Denby into Anubis House to try and trap her in a room. It backfires; Victor manages to escape through a vent, and Denby winds up locking ''KT'' in the room instead.

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* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': In ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'', Sibuna tries to pull this off on Victor and Denby in order to stop the eclipse ceremony from taking place. While Fabian kidnaps Corbierre in order to lure and lock Victor in the boys' locker room, KT lures Denby into Anubis House to try and trap her in a room. It backfires; Victor manages to escape through a vent, and Denby winds up locking ''KT'' in the room instead.



* In the eighth volume of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', the plan to save the people first requires getting the leadership out of the way before it can be enacted. Phase 1 consists of capture and lock-up before moving on to Phase 2. [[spoiler:James Ironwood is defeated and locked up so the heroes can evacuate the citizens to safety. Although Arthur Watts interferes by releasing Ironwood, it's too late to stop the plan. At this point, he tries killing Winter Schnee for her betrayal.]]

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* In the eighth volume of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', the plan to save rescue the people Atlesians first requires getting the leadership out of the way before it can be enacted. Phase 1 consists of capture and lock-up before moving on to Phase 2. [[spoiler:James Ironwood is defeated and locked up so the heroes can evacuate the citizens to safety. Although Arthur Watts interferes by releasing jailbreaks Ironwood, it's too late to stop the plan. At this point, he Ironwood tries killing Winter Schnee for her betrayal.]]
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Tweaked wording.


* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, the plan to save the people first requires getting the leadership out of the way before it can be enacted. Phase 1 consists of capture and lock-up before moving on to Phase 2. [[spoiler:Ironwood is defeated and locked up to give the heroes time to evacuate the citizens to safety. Although Watts interferes by setting Ironwood free, it's too late to stop the plan. All he can do is try and kill Winter for her betrayal.]]

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* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, the eighth volume of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', the plan to save the people first requires getting the leadership out of the way before it can be enacted. Phase 1 consists of capture and lock-up before moving on to Phase 2. [[spoiler:Ironwood [[spoiler:James Ironwood is defeated and locked up to give so the heroes time to can evacuate the citizens to safety. Although Arthur Watts interferes by setting Ironwood free, releasing Ironwood, it's too late to stop the plan. All At this point, he can do is try and kill tries killing Winter Schnee for her betrayal.]]
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* ''Theatre/CinderellaRodgersAndHammerstein'', in the 1997 version, Cinderella gets locked in the kitchen when the prince arrives in an effort to prevent her from revealing herself to him. However, she manages to meet up with him outside anyway, easily foiling her stepmother's plans despite her efforts.

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* ''Theatre/CinderellaRodgersAndHammerstein'', in the 1997 version, ''Film/Cinderella1997'', Cinderella gets locked in the kitchen when the prince arrives in an effort to prevent her from revealing herself to him. However, she manages to meet up with him outside anyway, easily foiling her stepmother's plans despite her efforts.
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Formatting.


* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':In Volume 8, the plan to save the people first requires getting the leadership out of the way before it can be enacted. Phase 1 consists of capture and lock-up before moving on to Phase 2. [[spoiler:Ironwood is defeated and locked to give the heroes time to evacuate the citizens to safety. Although Watts interferes by setting Ironwood free, it's too late to stop the plan. All he can do is try and kill Winter for her betrayal.]]

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* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, the plan to save the people first requires getting the leadership out of the way before it can be enacted. Phase 1 consists of capture and lock-up before moving on to Phase 2. [[spoiler:Ironwood is defeated and locked up to give the heroes time to evacuate the citizens to safety. Although Watts interferes by setting Ironwood free, it's too late to stop the plan. All he can do is try and kill Winter for her betrayal.]]

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