History Main / BlackmailBackfire

* In ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'', Yajima {{invoke|dTrope}}s this when [[DirtyCoward Kowase]] threatens to expose her shoplifting and sex videos after he becomes convinced that she hacked his phone ([[MisplacedRetribution which in fact was Maria's doing]]). Having grown sick of his [[BullyBrutality constant abuse]] by this point, [[GrewASpine Yajima practically dares him to go ahead and do it]], since [[TakingYouWithMe she'll just tell everyone about all the shit he's been putting her through]].

* * Otto von Bismarck's strategy to ultimately force the prussian king's and later german emperor's hand was to declare, if he did not get his will, he would resign. This worked out multiple times under Wilhelm I. Two emperors later, the german parliament refused to extend his antisocialist laws. He offered the new emperor Wilhelm II. the choice to either hold reelections until he had a majority or to step down as chancelor. To his shock, the Kaiser chose to accept his resignation.

* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': When Fizzerolli [[IQuit decides to quit working]] for [[BadBoss Mammon]], the latter retaliates by threatening to reveal his secret relationship with Asmodeous (the shameful part being that they're in a ''loving'' relationship, something that Asmodeus, as the embodiment of Lust, denounces as his party line). However, Ozzie decides at that point that enough is enough decides to publicly out himself on stage to all of Hell.

--->'''Fox:''' LetMeGetThisStraight. You think that your client, one of the [[{{Fiction 500}} wealthiest, most powerful men on the planet]], is secretly [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands]]. [[BullyingADragon And your plan is to blackmail this person?]] ... Good luck.\\

# The blackmailer doesn't have much (if any) leverage.
## The victim has no problem with the information being made public -- he doesn't really care very much, feels that there is NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity, or [[ThreatBackfire even considers the "blackmail material" something worth boasting about,]] or maybe the blackmailer was oblivious to the fact that the information [[EverybodyKnewAlready was already public knowledge.]]
## [[LesserOfTwoEvils The victim decides that the blackmailer's terms are worse than having the information publicized]], and may even reveal the information themselves.
### The consequences the victim will face if this information becomes public aren't as bad as the consequences the ''blackmailer'' will face if the victim reveals that the blackmailer is blackmailing him.
### The means by which the blackmailer got the information [[ShamefulSourceOfKnowledge is worse than the information itself]].
### Paying the blackmailer will just establish that the victim is desperate to make something go away, and [[MovingTheGoalposts the blackmailer will just make more demands in the future]].
## The information isn't as secret as the blackmailer originally presumed it to be. The blackmailee's wife/girlfriend/other-individual-of-importance is already well aware.
## Whatever the blackmailer held over the blackmailee ceases to have any importance.
### The person the blackmailer would have revealed it to dies (or is killed).
## The blackmailee makes it clear that if the blackmailer tries to push him around, he will [[TakingYouWithMe destroy the blackmailer even if that means his own ruin.]]
## The blackmailer is blackmailing the wrong person (because of MistakenIdentity or some other issue). The blackmailee really couldn't give a damn.
## Turns out that EveryoneHasStandards: the blackmailer has enough lack of scruples to look for dirt and then ''threaten'' someone with blackmail, but doesn't have the guts (or lack of heart, in more heartwarming/humanizing examples) [[WhatYouAreInTheDark to actually follow through and ruin someone's life]].
# The blackmailee is CrazyPrepared and [[OutGambitted the blackmailer has bitten off more than he or she can chew.]]
# The scheme doesn't just go wrong for the blackmailer; it [[GoneHorriblyWrong goes horribly wrong]], and the blackmailer is ''screwed''.
## The blackmailer made the unwise choice of [[MuggingTheMonster blackmailing someone who has no qualms about murder]] (or in the best-case scenarios, either unleashes all of [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections his power and influence]] and destroys the blackmailer socially and/or financially before he can do any damage or is so violent that a significant amount of the blackmailer's money is probably going to go into paying the eventual hospital stay).
## The victim has [[TraumaCongaLine been]] [[DespairEventHorizon so]] [[RageBreakingPoint ruined]] by their life experience that [[TheUnfettered he or she has nothing left to lose]] and only wants one thing: {{Revenge}} (or at least to stop the blackmailer in his/her tracks).
## The blackmailee asks "HaveYouToldAnyoneElse" and the blackmailer hasn't, so MurderIsTheBestSolution.
## The victim is already being blackmailed (or protected) by a different criminal, and in the ensuing war of CollidingCriminalConspiracies, the blackmailer is the one with insufficient firepower.
## The victim obtains blackmail-worthy information on ''the blackmailer'' (which, for the sake of LaserGuidedKarma, will probably be even worse than what the blackmailer has on him) and either makes clear that if the blackmail continues MutuallyAssuredDestruction will ensue or will use it to force the blackmailer to suffer an equal or worse indignity.
## The blackmailer is blackmailing someone over a murder they ''[[BullyingADragon know]]'' that person has committed, [[DidntThinkThisThrough not stopping to consider that if a target has already killed his/her way out of a previous dilemma, they're unlikely to have any problem with doing it again]].

* ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable]]'' has Hayato threatening to expose [[SerialKiller Yoshikage Kira]] while the latter is [[DeadPersonImpersonation posing as Hayato's father, Kosaku Kawajiri]]. It first backfires on Hayato when Kira is incensed at the thought of being threatened [[spoiler:and kills him]]. Then it backfires on Kira when he realizes [[spoiler:[[DidntThinkThisThrough he has no possible way to hide Hayato's death from his mother]]]], made even worse when [[DotingParent Kira's]] [[OurGhostsAreDifferent father]] reveals that [[SpottingTheThread Rohan Kishibe is onto him]] and will be coming the next day to investigate him along with Jotaro, Josuke and their friends. Then it backfires on just about everyone else when [[spoiler:Kira's determination to say in Morioh and continue his serial killer lifestyle no matter what makes the Stand arrow awaken [[GroundhogDayLoop Bites the Dust]], a new ability for Kira's Stand [[HavingABlast Killer Queen]].]]

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** The crux of ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'' (and the ''"Lies"'' arc that preceded it) is ComicBook/LoisLane exposing Franchise/{{Superman}}'s secret identity in order to try to trigger this from an unknown blackmailer... and the drama that ensues because the blackmailer remains unknown and the lives of Clark Kent and everybody he knows goes to hell in a hand basket, souring Superman to everybody (including his lover Franchise/WonderWoman... and ''especially'' Lois). The discussion between Kal-El and a still somewhat-unapologetic Lois is that Lois thinks the removal of the threat was a good idea, but Superman insists that the threat was his (and ''only'' his) to bear, and Lois seemed to him a bit ''too'' eager to try to cut the knot.
** ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'' provides a funny, light-hearted example. [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce]] jokingly says he'll tell Gotham about the Batcave if ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} isn't nice to him. She replies that his disappearance has been duly scheduled.

* "Advertising/VictoryByComputer": Lex Luthor plans to imprison ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} in a secret location to blackmail ComicBook/{{Superman}} into breaking out of hail. However, Supergirl finds a way to escape before Superman realizes that his cousin has been kidnapped. Luthor's reaction when Superman and Supergirl visit him in his cell to tell him firsthand that his scheme has failed is priceless.

* Predicted in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', when Griffith hires a group of thugs to kidnap [[spoiler:Elise, the young daughter of Minister Foss]]. The thugs plan to blackmail Griffith with the kidnapping to ensure he keeps paying them, but Griffith preempts this by having Guts kill them all after the job is done.

* ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow'' centers around Major William Cage, a sleazy PR man who's been covering the recent victory over [[AlienInvasion the Mimics]] from the safety of the home front. When Genral Brigham assigns him to the front lines to cover what he deems to be [[FinalBattle the final victory]] over the Mimics, [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord Cage tries to weasel his way out by threatening to release some unsavory information about the general.]] The general responds by demoting Cage to private, labels him a traitor and deserter, and sentences him to fight in the first wave of the attack.

* ''ComicBook/TheGoodAsian'' is set in 1936, and a blackmailer with a grudge discovers that Terrence Chang, the golden boy lawyer of San Francisco's Chinatown, is gay. Should that be revealed, considering the morals of the time, Chang will be ruined, as will all the work he has done guiding investments into Chinatown and legal work trying to win greater rights and recognition for Chinese-Americans. To prevent that from happening, several of Chang's associates pay the blackmailer to stay silent, but the ambitious blackmailer keeps increasing the amount demanded until eventually the brothers paying the blackmail try to kill him at one of their meetings instead of continuing the payments.

* In ''Film/LongShot'': Charlotte gets blackmailed to drop her environmental agenda, with [[spoiler: President Chamber threatening to withdraw his presidential endorsement]], and his ally [[spoiler: Parker Wembley threatening to release a video of Charlotte's boyfriend Fred [[ADateWithRosiePalms masturbating to one of her speeches and ejaculating over his face]]]]. In the end, she decides to brave the consequences and denounces them. When they do [[spoiler:release the video]] in retaliation, it just comes across as verifying her claims of being blackmailed and stirs up a lot of public sympathy for her.