History Main / CorneredRattlesnake

** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', the gangs of Gotham are forced to hire the Joker as the police and Batman are overwhelming their gangs. This leads to Joker blowing up many buildings and threatening or massacring dozens of people.

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' plays this straight with Hantengu, [[TheHeavy Upper Moon Four]] and one of the most powerful demons in the setting. Hantengu himself was a frail, old thief and treacherous murderer before he was turned into a demon, and despite his great power he is shown to retain his snivelling, cowardly disposition well after transformation. His [[BloodMagic Blood Demon Art]] evolved specifically to counteract this - when faced with danger, Hantengu [[DoppelgangerAttack creates multiple, progressively younger clones of himself]], based around the primary emotions - Anger, Joy, Pleasure and Sorrow, while his primary body (now representing his Fear) shrinks and hides as far away from the fighting as it can. If the four initial clones are fought off, Fear can combine them into Hatred, who has access to [[AllYourPowersCombined all their powers combined]]. As a last resort, Fear can create a final, massive body representing Resentment, which is only used in cases of emergency due to protect Fear directly.
** This occurs in the previous arc with the Demon Slayers. Almost defeated by the sibling Upper Six duo of Daki and Gyutaro, Uzui, Zenitsu, Inosuke and Tanjiro are all badly beaten by the siblings and are all about to be killed when Gyutaro misjudges Tanjiro's desire to retain his humanity and his care for Nezuko, at which he accidentally gives them all an opening, leading to Uzui and Tanjiro fighting Gyutaro and Zenitsu and Inosuke overwhelming Daki, all in a desperate effort to use this last chance to kill the Demons. They barely succeed with Zenitsu developing his new form and Tanjiro unlocking his Demon Slayer Mark.
* ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' has this come up regularly for Gohan throughout his childhood. His power spiked when his anger was peaked, and his training usually takes this into account. Piccolo's DieOrFly training entailed putting him into situations that would kill most others, while Goku nominating Gohan to fight Cell was meant as a means to set up conditions for him to go beyond Super Saiyan. In these cases, his life being imperiled by a seemingly insurmountable foe leads to him overcoming his limitations.

** Early on, when approached by a thug, Yuu would beg them to just leave him alone, only for said thug to push him and try to attack... At which point he'd fight back with surprising power. He eventually outgrows this after his rampage following Shin's NoHoldsBarredBeatdown… Mostly, as when Yagi threatens Mai he starts feeling again in this situation... And goes on a new rampage. This is the whole reason Yuu became strong: in middle school, he was bullied to the point he quit school and even [[DrivenToSuicide came very close to killing himself]], and unable to live with himself, he taught himself basic boxing and started training.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has its main character, Shinji Ikari. Usually weak, spineless, and far too kind for his own good, he's still capable of enough berserk rage to slaughter Shamshel and Zeruel on his own. [[spoiler:Or cause a world-ending apocalypse with a little help from Mom.]]
* In ''Literature/RebuildWorld'', Akira is (in his own words) a coward. He can't rest well until everything threatening him as a bullet in its head. Because of this, he's extremely trigger-happy when threatened, taking life with a frightening level of ease. Even when backed into a corner, he's so determined to survive that he'll never give up so long as his chance of winning isn't zero.

* ''Fanfic/AGameOfCatAndCat'': Namedropped when Soma, Kazuya, Mina, and Julius find themselves surrounded by government agents, and Soma realizes that Kazuya, who is the most agressive and paranoid of them, is completely terrified. Instead of sitting around and letting Kazuya attack them, he grabs him and runs away, threatening him not to do anything stupid.

* ''WesternAnimation/GuillermoDelTorosPinocchio'': [[spoiler:Spazzatura is abused by Count Volpe, but never fights back. When Count Volpe tries to burn Pinocchio, Spazzatura defies Volpe to save him. Volpe becomes furious, and draws his sword against Spazzatura, backing him and Pinocchio up against a cliff edge and declaring, "You will betray me ''no more!''" Driven to a point where it's come to either standing up against Volpe or dying, Spazzatura stops cowering, his expression shifts to of one of hostility, and he launches himself at Volpe, attacking and overpowering him.]]
* Scar from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' prefers to scheme, let his hyena minions do the dirty work, beg and snivel his way out of fights. When he realizes he's about to lose the throne he's desired all his life to his nephew Simba and [[FateWorseThanDeath be banished into exile forever]] in ridicule, [[CombatPragmatist that reluctance is thrown completely out the window]] as [[TheSoCalledCoward he attacks Simba with every trick he has and nearly wins]]. [[spoiler:Even as he's being attacked and eaten by his own hyenas en masse, watching the shadows closely reveals that he goes down fighting.]]

* A rare villainous version in ''Literature/BeastTamer''. The extremely entitled Edgar Fromage has spent his whole life accustomed to getting what he wants when he wants, and being able to inflict violence on those who don't comply with immunity until he gets it. Then he runs into protagonist Rein Shroud and demands the two girls Sora and Runa, ''who look like pre-teen children'', with no on-screen indication that he knows they aren't, and this is the first time in his life violence '''fails.''' This puts him on Rein's radar and the protagonist retaliates with extreme prejudice, taking apart Edgar's entire corrupt knight order and coming for him in force. Trapped in his own mansion, Edgar grabs a magic ring with a powerful curse on it and hurls an instant death attack at Rein. When '''that''' fails, he turns himself into a demon to try and even the odds.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Peter Pettigrew, aka Wormtail, is usually underestimated by everyone due to [[DirtyCoward cowardly nature]], but shows to be surprisingly cunning when backed into a corner. Case in point, when Sirius caught up to him to avenge James and Lily's deaths, he started screaming so everyone around would think Sirius was the one who betrayed his friends, cut off his own finger to leave a trail, and blasted a wall to escape into the sewers in his rat form.

* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': Edmund Blackadder becomes this in "Money" when his enormous debt to the Black Bank comes due. With the [[EatsBabies Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells]] breathing down his neck and the Queen stealing what little cash he's able to scrape together Edmund slumps on the floor and asks [[BumblingSidekick Baldrick]] if people will miss him when he's gone. Baldrick replies that everyone hates him so much, [[AssholeVictim they'll be glad to see the back of him]]. This enrages Edmund so much he leaps to his feet and comes up with a plan to blackmail the Bishop just to show people not to mess with him.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': If Cersei's back is to the wall, she will do things that — while not safe for her in the long run — will make her enemies regret pushing her, as shown in the season 6 finale. Cersei is facing judgement for her crimes and all of her plans to escape that justice thwarted by the Faith Militant. Left with no other option, [[spoiler:she uses the fantasy equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction to bomb the court where she would have been tried with all her enemies inside it, despite the fact that this victory will almost certainly be short-lived once the full ramifications kick in]].

** Harry in ''Broken Things''. Kept in a position similar, although seemingly even crueler, to Rose, he [[spoiler:eventually gains enough power to overcome his captors and goes on a rampage throughout the facility. When his rescuers show up, they find him killing the nurses and doctors that tortured him.]]

** Director Goredolf is the type toe become more competent the more pressure he's under. As he gets used to what is everyday life for Chaldea, the more of his skills and positive qualities come to light. Compare his Prologue to the Lostbelts self where he's begging for anyone to help him to the Tokugawa Labyrinth event where he punches Beast III/L.

* The famed engagement between Task Force 77.3 (AKA "Taffy 3"), a small American force of escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts, and Admiral Kurita's Center Force, a large force of battleships and cruisers, during the Battle off Samar in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. What should have been one of the most brutal {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s in modern naval history (Taffy 3's carriers did not even carry armor-piercing bombs or torpedos for use against capital ships) actually ended in a Japanese retreat despite heavy American losses. Essentially, the small force fought back so aggressively, with destroyers closing to point-blank range to launch torpedos and try to cause ''some'' damage to the enemy ships with their guns, and fighters and bombers harassing the ship's gunners with fragmentation bombs and strafing runs that the Japanese assumed that they were merely delaying Center Force while reinforcements rushed to the scene. In reality, this was merely a case of the American task force commanders finding themselves backed into a wall.

* The early months of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI were like the traditional wars of old with cavalry charges and infantry charges as the norm, cavalry and infantry charging into battle accompanied by a military band, and a rapidly changing battle line. This began to change with the First Battle Of The Aisne, in September 1914 when the Germans, who had been soundly beaten at the Marne and sent into disarray by the British and French cavalry charges. The Germans merely dug trenches at the Aisne just hoping to hold off as long as possible, believing they would face inevitable crushing defeat, but the fact that the Allies couldn't finish them off set the tone for the rest of the war. The Allies tried to flank them and surround them which led to the Race To The Sea. After early 1915, traditional style cavalry and infantry battles became increasingly rare and what started out as cornered and fearful Germans just trying to delay the inevitable ended up turning the western front into the infamous four-year meat grinder it's known for today. Most victories gained by charge attacks would end up being a PyrrhicVictory in some form, either through high casualties or it being short-lived before reinforcements showed up.

** Black widow and brown recluse spiders, though famous for the deadliness of their venom, will seek to hide from large animals and humans, and usually will only bite when either actively provoked, or unknowingly pressed against the skin. And even ''then'', many of those bites are dry.

This isn't BullyingADragon, as the cornered rattlesnake appears, at first, to be physically weaker or a huge coward and only reacts in self-defense. However, it's a defining trait of a PaperTiger. Compare MuggingTheMonster and TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening, where the would-be victim shows no outward sign of the threat they pose (in the latter case, they ''didn't'' pose a threat ''until'' they were attacked). Also compare BurningTheShips, which is intentionally putting ''your own side'' in this position. If the 'rattlesnake' knows they will die for retaliating and doesn't care, that's DoNotGoGentle. If the rattlesnake is a town, it may be the UndefeatableLittleVillage. If there is a species or several generations of cornered rattlesnakes whose strength is defined by their survival and experience, they HadToBeSharp.

** Fluttershy protects her friends by [[StaringDownCthulhu staring down a cockatrice]] and defends them from a giant dragon, which normally she is terrified of.
** A similar thing happens with a dragon in another episode. Back Fluttershy against a wall [[CowardlyLion and her courage will shine through.]]

** In ''Brightly Burning'', one reason [[TerrorHero Lavan]] kills enemy soldiers (which at the outset of the war he was quite against) is because they've shown by now that nothing but the most horrific shock and terror will convince their masters to retreat from a victory they were so certain they would get. The other reason is that he's a shellshocked kid who's [[DrivenToMadness not in his right mind]].

* In ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' when attacked armies typically have the option of retreating, but if pursued and attacked again in the same turn must fight and will be completed wiped out if defeated. Under these circumstances the Skaven lord Tretch Craventail grants his army a hefty bonus to their melee attack to represent their viciousness in desperation. It also provides a [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration gameplay incentive to do what's in character]] for [[DirtyCoward Tretch]] when faced with a strong opponent - run away.

* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Zant has become so reliant on [[spoiler:Ganondorf’s power]] that he breaks down in fear whenever a sufficiently powerful foe approaches, such as the Hero's Shade or Link. In the end, he manages to pull off a CurbStompCushion against Link.

* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Zant has become so reliant on [[spoiler:Ganondorf’s power]] that he breaks down in fear whenever a sufficiently powerful foe approaches, such as the Hero’s Shade or Link. In the end, he manages to pull off a CurbStompCushion against Link.

[[index]]
* CorneredRattlesnake/AnimeAndManga
* CorneredRattlesnake/FanWorks
* CorneredRattlesnake/{{Literature}}
* CorneredRattlesnake/VideoGames
[[/index]]

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' plays this straight with Hantengu, [[TheHeavy Upper Moon Four]] and one of the most powerful demons in the setting. Hantengu himself was a frail, old thief and treacherous murderer before he was turned into a demon, and despite his great power he is shown to retain his snivelling, cowardly disposition well after transformation. His [[BloodMagic Blood Demon Art]] evolved specifically to counteract this - when faced with danger, Hantengu [[MesACrowd creates multiple, progressively younger clones of himself]], based around the primary emotions - Anger, Joy, Pleasure and Sorrow, while his primary body (now representing his Fear) shrinks and hides as far away from the fighting as it can. If the four initial clones are fought off, Fear can combine them into Hatred, who has access to [[AllYourPowersCombined all their powers combined]]. As a last resort, Fear can create a final, massive body representing Resentment, which is only used in cases of emergency due to protect Fear directly.

* In ''Film/AHistoryOfViolence'', Jack repeatedly gets harassed by bullies at school, but always manages to {{turn the other cheek}} and walk away. Jack presumes that fighting back will just lead to trouble, and his dad Tom always made sure to instill a non-violent approach in Jack. However, once two of the bullies physically prevent Jack from leaving school by shoving him, Jack snaps and beats the hell out of them in a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, sending both of the bullies to the hospital with severe injuries. Jack also turns out to be right about the fight leading to trouble when SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome occurs: he gets suspended from school for fighting, and the parents of the bullies are considering criminal charges. It's part of the movie's CentralTheme about the realistic consequences of violent behavior.

* A rare villainous version in ''Literature/BeastTamer''. The extremely entitled Edgar Fromage has spent his whole life accustomed to getting what he wants when he wants, and being able to inflict violence on those who don't comply with immunity until he gets it. Then he runs into protagonist Rein Shroud and demands the two girls Sora and Runa, ''who look like pre-teen children'', with no on-screen indication that he knows they aren't, and this is the first time in his life violence '''fails.''' This puts him on Rein's radar and the protagonist retaliates with extreme prejudice, taking apart Edgar's entire corrupt knight order and coming for him in force. Trapped in his own mansion, Edgar grabs a magic ring with a powerful curse on it and hurls an instant death attack at Rein. When '''that''' fails, he turns himself into a demon to try and even the odds.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': After getting marked for death by [[spoiler: his former boss]], Walt is about to flee with his family when he finds out [[spoiler: his wife, not knowing the trouble they are in, gave the money they needed to flee to [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Ted Beneke]].]] With no option left but to fight, Walt resorts to an utterly ruthless assassination plan that involves [[spoiler: (non-fatally) poisoning a child and using a crippled man as a (willing) suicide bomber. The plan works. Gus might have survived if he had left Walt a way out.]]