History Main / Asspull

* ComicBook/TheCloneSaga from ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', where back in 1975, an exact clone of [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] appears, and at the end of that one issue, seemingly dies. Except he didn't die, showed up again in an issue some 20 years later, and mentioned out of absolutely nowhere that ''he'' was the original the whole time and that the Peter Parker the comics had been following for the past two decades was really the clone; some DNA testing confirmed it. This caused considerable uproar within the fandom, and was a big part of the whole saga being a DorkAge. When the writers finally decided to end it, there was a new revelation that Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin, who died in 1972, [[VoodooShark was also actually alive the whole time]] and had masterminded everything. Among other things, he had rigged the DNA tests, despite it being previously shown that Peter and the clone did all the testing by themselves, so there shouldn't have been any opportunity for Norman to rig things in the first place.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' describes this {{trope}} as the source of his company's documented process:
-->''...and our documented process was pulled out of someone's lower torso.''
** Also this:
--->''Next week, a doctor with a flashlight shows us where sales predictions come from.''
** [[http://www.dilbert.com/strips/2013-10-21/ And again.]]

* There's an InUniverse example in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''. Snoopy is writing a story. The story goes like this: "ItWasADarkAndStormyNight. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly a pirate ship appeared on the horizon!" With an AsideGlance and a grin after writing this last part, Snoopy thinks "This twist in the plot will baffle my readers..."

A truly great PlotTwist is one of the hardest things to pull off in fiction writing. Optimally, the writer will want to reveal the twist in a way where as much as the audience as possible is caught off-guard by it, but also make it a satisfying experience for any audience members who decide to [[RewatchBonus go through the story again to be able to see the subtle hints towards the twist]], and realize that the twist was an integrated part of the story from the beginning and the writer really was building up to it all along. [[WellThisIsNotThatTrope This page, however, is all about when that fails to happen, for whatever reason.]]

* ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Per WordofGod, Creator/PeterDavid wrote himself into a corner in ''The Incredible Hulk'' #375 where Rick Jones is trapped on a crashing Skrull ship with no way to escape, so after the ship crashes he shows up parachuting down to safety. He explains that he always carries a hidden parachute '''just in case''' he is ever trapped on a crashing Skrull ship and needs to escape. Bruce doesn't buy it. "Why not? I needed to, didn't I?" This one scene changed the entire character of Rick Jones from a hanger-on to Batman-level CrazyPrepared with MediumAwareness.

* ''Fanfic/CitadelOfTheHeart'': The author was going through a mental breakdown while writing [[WhamEpisode Chapter 16]] of ''Digimon Re: Tamers''. While he wasn't public about it initially, he admits the only reason he made Chapter 16 to begin with was to attempt to TorchTheFranchiseAndRun should his own sanity decline to a point where he could no longer write anything coherently. Thankfully, he recovered, and thus it was obvious with how Chapter 16 [[EveryoneDiesEnding ended]] that it was going to be rendered null and void by revealing the whole ordeal to be a simulation and proceeding to continue the story from there. The author considers it a sort of NecessaryWeasel with the existence of the fic because of the massive CreatorBreakdown and RealitySubtext Chapter 16 was filled to the brim with, thus why he doesn't regret having rendered Chapter 16 almost effectively all but non-canon.

* ComicBook/TheCloneSaga from ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', where back in 1975, an exact clone of [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] appears, and at the end of that one issue, seemingly dies. Except he didn't die, showed up again in an issue some 20 years later, and mentioned out of absolutely nowhere that ''he'' was the original the whole time and that the Peter Parker the comics had been following for the past two decades was really the clone. Fans were so angry at this revelation that they essentially just said that the clone was lying and was created by the Green Goblin, who died in 1972, [[VoodooShark but to pull this off]], was also actually alive the whole time.

* The ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica once went up against Despero (an alien with vast mental powers, at the time recently powered-up to be almost as strong and invulnerable as Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}) with a mostly C-List team. How to beat him? With an innate Martian power that the ComicBook/MartianManhunter had never before mentioned that he had, because using it was so stressful that any given Martian can only do it [[ItOnlyWorksOnce once]] in their life. Despite that, it was still a fairly well-received story. Another weird power of his was the ability to see through the flow of time. This somehow resulted in him being immune to the powers of an opponent who completely rewrote reality. Pulling never before seen powers out of his ass is the ComicBook/MartianManhunter's shtick. And then getting lit on fire the next time said power would have been useful.

** The revelation of most of the Hunters' Levels, as they receive so little focus, their growth rate not being shown due to the First Person Narrative, and they aren't thrown in as many specificly dangerous situations as Jaune has throughout the story, that their Levels once revealed come off as mostly made up on the spot.

* Franchise/{{Batman}} does this frequently, often in the form of {{exaggerat|edTrope}}ing his CrazyPrepared tendencies. A lot of his weirder or more “specialized” gadgets (such as the infamous [[Series/Batman1966 Shark Repellent spray]] or [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Bat-Credit card]]) are often either the result of various writers having written themselves into a corner for one reason or another and desperately needing Batman to do something miraculous to pull himself out of a situation that should logically be unwinnable under normal circumstances, or because [[CreatorsPet the writer loves]] [[RunningTheAsylum Batman and wants to make him look as cool as possible]] by making him do something seemingly impossible, no matter how little sense it makes.

* ''Comicbook/AvengersDisassembled'' and ''ComicBook/HouseOfM''. The Comicbook/ScarletWitch spontaneously becomes [[RealityWarper nigh-omnipotent]] with no explanation. On a scale where she can annihilate the entire ''omniverse'' without really trying. Marvel attempted an AuthorsSavingThrow explanation in ''Comicbook/AvengersTheChildrensCrusade'', where it was established that Scarlet Witch had been [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by an elemental entity called the Life Force. Her subsequent [[AxCrazy killing spree]] was then stated to have been due to ComicBook/DoctorDoom's manipulations.
* Creator/JuddWinick's first issue of ''[[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]]'' introduces us to ComicBook/BlackLightning's daughter Anissa, who ends up becoming the heroine Thunder. [[RememberTheNewGuy His 20-something-year-old daughter who had never been seen or mentioned in any prior series featuring Black Lightning, despite his wife being a fairly prominent figure in many stories]]. Creator/GeoffJohns then took this even further in his [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]] run by introducing us to ''another'' previously-unseen daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer had been foreshadowed in the BadFuture story ComicBook/KingdomCome; this still qualifies as an ass pull by virtue of Black Lightning having no references to children just a short time before this, and his age in [[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]] comics previously being about Batman's age at the oldest. [[ComicBookTime He'd have already had to father these women by the time of his introduction.]]
* ComicBook/TheBeano: In one of the modern issues, Dennis the Menace's strip has some great examples of arsepulls. First Walter and his friends get struck by lightning and possessed by Viking ghosts, then it turns out there's an unexploded missile at the bottom of the lake, along with a WWII submarine. Then the editor rightfully asks why it's there in the first place, breaking the 4th wall. The writer's excuse? There's a "secret tunnel" connecting it to the sea, and the Germans were stupid enough to go into it during the Second World War.
** This is probably inspired by the TV ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'' episode "Castle De'Ath", which also inspired the ''Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD'' story "Dark Moon Rise, Hell Hound Kill" — and was in its own turn inspired by a Tommy Hambledon short story by "Manning Coles" — which was later rewritten to change the U-boat full of escaped Nazis to a Russian sub full of spies...
* ComicBook/TheCloneSaga from ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', where back in 1975, an exact clone of Franchise/SpiderMan appears, and at the end of that one issue, seemingly dies. Except he didn't die, showed up again in an issue some 20 years later, and mentioned out of absolutely nowhere that ''he'' was the original the whole time and that the Peter Parker the comics had been following for the past two decades was really the clone. Fans were so angry at this revelation that they essentially just said that the clone was lying and was created by the Green Goblin, who died in 1972, [[VoodooShark but to pull this off]], was also actually alive the whole time.

* ''ComicBook/TheFlashRebirth'' has the revelation that Eobard Thawne caused several out of character moments for the Flash Family throughout the DC Rebirth era. Things like Barry and Wally butting heads, Wallace going along with Damian Wayne's dark methods, Bart ignoring the Flash Family in favour of Young Justice and Wally covering up his accidental murders at Sanctuary are all the result of Eobard Thawne using superspeed and time-travel in conjunction with an until now unmentioned Negative Speed Force hypnosis power to make the characters do these things. This ability has not once been foreshadowed and has no relation to any other power any speedster has ''ever'' demonstrated, and Eobard could have used it any number of times before this, so it truly does come out of nowhere. However, it exists as an AuthorsSavingThrow for disliked moments in the era, and readers generally accept it as a very, ''very'' clumsy way of salvaging the characters.

* The Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica once went up against Despero (an alien with vast mental powers, at the time recently powered-up to be almost as strong and invulnerable as Franchise/{{Superman}}) with a mostly C-List team. How to beat him? With an innate Martian power that the ComicBook/MartianManhunter had never before mentioned that he had, because using it was so stressful that any given Martian can only do it [[ItOnlyWorksOnce once]] in their life. Despite that, it was still a fairly well-received story. Another weird power of his was the ability to see through the flow of time. This somehow resulted in him being immune to the powers of an opponent who completely rewrote reality. Pulling never before seen powers out of his ass is the ComicBook/MartianManhunter's shtick. And then getting lit on fire the next time said power would have been useful.
* In an arc of ''The Mighty Thor'', Jane Foster found herself separated from Mjolnir and with her back to the wall, surrounded by her enemies. Because she was separated from Mjolnir for so long, she transformed out of her Thor form and back into Jane Foster. The villains see her civilian form, seemingly destroying her SecretIdentity... nope! Mjolnir randomly developed the ability to cast illusions off-panel and casts one of Thor holding Mjolnir, allowing Jane to escape and leaving the villains unaware of Thor's secret identity.

* Silver Age Franchise/{{Superman}} stories were notorious for coming up with convenient new powers for the main character all the time. For example super-ventriloquism. It was inverted when they simply dropped one power used regularly in the Golden Age, the ability to change his face and hair to look exactly like someone else. Would this be an Ass-Shove?
* In an old issue of ''Franchise/{{Superman}} Family'', Comicbook/{{Lois|Lane}} decides to help out two Russian ballet dancers who want to defect while they're in Metropolis to perform ''Theatre/SwanLake''. In order to save the male lead, she [[MuggedForDisguise ties up and gags the actress playing Odette and steals her costume]]. Despite being ''a reporter'', Lois is able to keep up the charade and hold her own alongside highly-trained professionals, which she chalks up to having had "years of ballet lessons" when she was a kid.
* ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Per WordOfGod, Creator/PeterDavid wrote himself into a corner in ''The Incredible Hulk'' #375 where Rick Jones is trapped on a crashing Skrull ship with no way to escape, so after the ship crashes he shows up parachuting down to safety. He explains that he always carries a hidden parachute '''just in case''' he is ever trapped on a crashing Skrull ship and needs to escape. Bruce doesn't buy it. "Why not? I needed to, didn't I?" This one scene changed the entire character of Rick Jones from a hanger-on to Batman-level CrazyPrepared with MediumAwareness.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

** In the [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Post-Crisis]] continuity the previously malleable powers of Diana's Lasso of Truth became much clearer and more set, which caused fan backlash when the thing didn't work properly at all in her confrontation with Max Lord--being wrapped in the lasso did not free Superman from illusions, despite the thing being able to free people from ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s mental control and the Anti-Life Equation, and the lasso was unable to make Max think twice about his diabolical plot even though it had previously permanently altered ''Ares''' outlook on life and humanity through showing him his plot would be his downfall just as it showed Max--forcing her to kill him with no explanation as to why the lasso's powers had been significantly altered for the tale beyond the writers needing it to malfunction to facilitate her killing Max Lord.

* In ''Fanfic/RelicOfTheFuture'', Pyrrha's father Alexander Nikos is established early (and regularly) to be a massive {{Jerkass}} who's only ever cared about the family name, to the point of trying to sue Jaune over his daughter beating Pyrrha in a tournament, and is implied to have connections to organized crime. It's also established that both his children despise the man and want nothing to do with him. Then in chapter 92, Pyrrha's older sister Helena starts insisting Alexander was a caring and loving father until Pyrrha's fame went to his head and that before Pyrrha became famous, the Nikos name meant nothing despite lifelong efforts by Alexander.

* Played for laughs with ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' where Yzma and Kronk fall off a cliff during the race back to the palace and still manage to beat Kuzco and Pacha. Even Yzma and Kronk wonder how they pulled it off for a moment before going back to business.

* The song School for Monsters in ''Theatre/AvenueQ'' has Trekkie Monster donate $10 million to fund Kate's monster school. There's literally no foreshadowing that Trekkie would have this kind of money and this moment solely exists [[DeusExMachina so that Kate's dreams can come true]], [[BrokenAesop contradicting the main point of the musical]]. [[FridgeLogic Why he's still living in a crappy apartment is anyone's guess.]] Also a ArtisticLicenseEconomics, as porn is not actually a stable investment at all in America during the show's run, as free sites like Pornhub have driven most pornographic production companies to near bankruptcy.

* Done purposedly in ''Machinima/EverySimsMachinimaEverParody'' to go with the parody nature of the video. The story ends with a [[TeenPregnancy pregnant]] Ella being shot by Madylynne for [[MurderTheHypotenuse having slept with her boyfriend]] Brandon. It wasn't even ''implied'' that Madylynne and Brandon were dating.

* [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batman]] does this frequently, often in the form of [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerating]] his CrazyPrepared tendencies. A lot of his weirder or more “specialized” gadgets (such as the infamous [[Series/Batman1966 Shark Repellent spray]] or [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Bat-Credit card]]) are often either the result of various writers having written themselves into a corner for one reason or another and desperately needing Batman to do something miraculous to pull himself out of a situation that should logically be unwinnable under normal circumstances, or because [[CreatorsPet the writer loves]] [[RunningTheAsylum Batman and wants to make him look as cool as possible]] by making him do something seemingly impossible, no matter how little sense it makes.

** The Rings of [[PowerOfTheVoid Void]] and Life seem to be ass pulls. Before Act 6 there were minimal references to them despite playing a more and more significant role. They are then revealed to have abilities unlike the previous rings seen in the comic, like being used by players (it's a hard rule that the "regular" rings only transform Prospitians or Dersites) and the ability to be transported to and from Dream Bubbles. They seem to directly parallel Life and Void players Jane and Roxy. When one goes missing, the other is miraculously discovered.
%%** The Rings of Void and Life are like this. There are no hints to their existences prior to Act 6 despite their increasing role in the story. They are able to be used by players, for some reason, while prototyping rings are only usable by carapacians, and the implied connections to the session are iffy. Specifically, and possibly, session without any prototyping = "void" session = a "void" ring that also has powers related to the [[PowerOfTheVoid Void aspect.]] The only indication that the other ring was a Life-related ring and not some other aspect or not just another void ring was some parallels between Life and Void players Jane and Roxy, specifically their browser/denizen icons looking similar. In addition, the Ring of Life at least has the ability to transport to and from [[EldritchLocation Dream Bubbles]] by way of dream projections by people holding the ring, which makes even less sense and is an ability shared by nothing seen in the comic before.

Generally speaking, an Ass Pull is more likely used to resolve a conflict instead of create one. Strange coincidences and details aligning in just such a way to cause conflict usually doesn't break the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief on the part of the audience, especially if it's done early in the story. But the later in the story that the Ass Pull is used, the more likely the audience is to cry foul and have their disbelief broken.

An Ass Pull used to resolve an unwinnable situation for the protagonists is a DeusExMachina. An Ass Pull used in the same way for the villains is a DiabolusExMachina. An Ass Pull doesn't necessarily have to resolve or derail a situation, though — many times, an Ass Pull is just used without any greater {{plot}} implication and PlayedForLaughs. Alternatively, they could come up so as to prevent your characters using a MundaneSolution and shortening your 20 minute episode into 20 seconds. Please limit examples on this page to ones that don't fit in either of the other two.

* During Creator/WarrenEllis' brief ''[[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Thor]]'' run from the 90's, the title character was depowered as part of a BroughtDownToBadass plot. When Creator/PeterDavid wanted to have Thor fight the Hulk in his ''Comicbook/IncredibleHulk'' run, he realized Thor would need to be at full strength. To that end, he wrote a scene where Thor banged Mjolnir on the ground while reminiscing about the good old days, which somehow magically restored his powers. The closest thing to an explanation given was "Even a god may believe in miracles," which still isn't much of an answer.

* Per WordOfGod, Creator/PeterDavid wrote himself into a corner in an issue of ''Comicbook/IncredibleHulk'' where Rick Jones is trapped on a crashing Skrull ship with no way to escape, so after the ship crashes he shows up parachuting down to safety. He explains that he always carries a hidden parachute '''just in case''' he is ever trapped on a crashing Skrull ship and needs to escape. Bruce doesn't buy it. "Why not? I needed to, didn't I?" This one scene changed the entire character of Rick Jones from a hanger-on to Batman-level CrazyPrepared with MediumAwareness.

* ''Fanfic/CitadelOfTheHeart'': The author was going through a mental breakdown while writing [[WhamEpisode Chapter 16]] of ''Digimon Re: Tamers''. While he wasn't public about it initially, he admits the only reason he made Chapter 16 to begin with was to attempt to TorchTheFranchiseAndRun should his own sanity decline to a point where he could no longer write anything coherently. Thankfully, he recovered, and thus it was obvious with how Chapter 16 [[KillEmAll ended]] that it was going to be rendered null and void by revealing the whole ordeal to be a simulation and proceeding to continue the story from there. The author considers it a sort of NecessaryWeasel with the existence of the fic because of the massive CreatorBreakdown and RealitySubtext Chapter 16 was filled to the brim with, thus why he doesn't regret having rendered Chapter 16 almost effectively all but non-canon.

* ''Comicbook/AvengersDisassembled'' and ''ComicBook/HouseOfM''. The Comicbook/ScarletWitch spontaneously becomes [[RealityWarper nigh-omnipotent]] with no explanation. On a scale where she can annihilate the entire ''omniverse'' without really trying. Marvel attempted an AuthorsSavingThrow explanation in ''Comicbook/TheChildrensCrusade'', where it was established that Scarlet Witch had been [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by an elemental entity called the Life Force. Her subsequent [[AxCrazy killing spree]] was then stated to have been due to ComicBook/DoctorDoom's manipulations.

* The song School for Monsters in ''Theatre/AvenueQ'' has Trekkie Monster donate $10 million to fund Kate's monster school. There's literally no foreshadowing that Trekkie would have this kind of money and this moment solely exists [[DeusExMachina so that Kate's dreams can come true]], [[BrokenAesop contradicting the main point of the musical]]. [[FridgeLogic Why he's still living in a crappy apartment is anyone's guess.]] Also a CriticalResearchFailure, as porn is not actually a stable investment at all in America during the show's run, as free sites like Pornhub have driven most pornographic production companies to near bankruptcy.

* Webanimation/StupidKids: {{Lampshaded}} InUniverse in ''[=SziaFalva=] háborúja'' (''War of [=HiVille=]''). [[spoiler:The [[ArtifactOfPower golden necklace]] goes override and opens a portal to an AnotherDimension]].
->'''Bazsi''': [[FourthWallBreaking Sounds like the writers are running out of ideas]].

** ''AssPull/AmongUsLogic''

* ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJonathanHickman:'' During the ''Time Runs Out'' arc, the Cabal are stranded on another Earth as it's about to be blown up, with no possible means of survival... and then a completely unprecedented double incursion happens, allowing them to escape to the other Earth with no-one in the regular universe the wiser. Exactly why there's two incursions happening simultaneously is not explained, and the Cabal are never shown pondering why it might have happened.

* ''ComicBook/JonathanHickmansAvengers:'' During the ''Time Runs Out'' arc, the Cabal are stranded on another Earth as it's about to be blown up, with no possible means of survival... and then a completely unprecedented double incursion happens, allowing them to escape to the other Earth with no-one in the regular universe the wiser. Exactly why there's two incursions happening simultaneously is not explained, and the Cabal are never shown pondering why it might have happened.

* At the end of ''FanFic/LatiasJourney'', it turns out Mewgle had stuffed everyone, including the PhysicalGod BigBad and BigGood, into a giant virtual-reality simulation so he could take over the multiverse. And then Leo the Squirtle comes out of nowhere and beats the crap out of him. The Author tacked on this ending years later when they [[OldShame decided the original one was too pretentious]], and realized that when including the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters that Squirtle was forgotten about. Notably, the new ending's events were first discussed in the sequel, and backported later.

* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'': [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/23/episode-1120-reading-material/ Writers have just been]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/04/30/episode-1123-endgame/ reading the book]]!

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Blog/HowToWriteBadlyWell: [[http://writebadlywell.blogspot.com/2010/01/end-with-twist-no-reader-could.html End with a twist no reader could have reasonably foreseen.]]
[[/folder]]

* [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batman]] does this frequently, often in the form of his CrazyPrepared tendencies being taken UpToEleven. A lot of his weirder or more “specialized” gadgets (such as the infamous [[Series/Batman1966 Shark Repellent spray]] or [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Bat-Credit card]]) are often either the result of various writers having written themselves into a corner for one reason or another and desperately needing Batman to do something miraculous to pull himself out of a situation that should logically be unwinnable under normal circumstances, or because [[CreatorsPet the writer loves]] [[RunningTheAsylum Batman and wants to make him look as cool as possible]] by making him do something seemingly impossible, no matter how little sense it makes.

A truly great PlotTwist is one of the hardest things to pull off in fiction writing. Optimally, the writer will want to reveal the twist in a way where as much as the audience as possible is caught off-guard by it, but also make it a satisfying experience for any audience members who decide to go through the story again to be able to see the subtle hints towards the twist and realize that the twist was an integrated part of the story from the beginning and the writer really was building up to it all along. [[WellThisIsNotThatTrope This page, however, is all about when that, for whatever reason, fails to happen.]]

An Ass Pull is a moment when the writers pull something out of thin air in a less-than-graceful narrative development, violating the LawOfConservationOfDetail by dropping a {{plot}}-critical detail in the middle, or near the end of their narrative without {{Foreshadowing}} or dropping a ChekhovsGun earlier on.

** ''AssPull/StarWars''

** Parodied with Vaarsuvius's familiar Blackwing the raven, who actually is supposed to be there and visible all the time. Its popping in and out of existence makes fun of how familiars (and horses, or any living or bulky possessions) are often treated in D&D sessions: Only there when they are needed, never when it would be inconvenient or difficult to bring them along.