History Main / CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot

* ''Film/BlackPanther2018'': [[spoiler:The entire conflict could be blamed on T'Chaka. Had T'Chaka brought his orphaned nephew N'Jadaka back home instead of abandoning him in the slums of Oakland to preserve Wakanda's secrecy, N'Jadaka wouldn't have turned into the super-terrorist Killmonger and the Wakandan civil war would never have happened. Needless to say, his son T'Challa angrily calls him out on his poor judgement in the spirit realm]].

** Episode 11 reveals that Kayaba locked the players in ''SAO'' to cover up a ''glitch'' that accidentally killed people, in order to make it look [[IMeantToDoThat nefarious but at least intentional]]. ''That'' part was justified by ExhaustionInducedIdiocy, as he had been awake for several weeks due to the launch-crunch. However, Asuna immediately [[StatingTheSimpleSolution States The Simple Solution.]]
--->'''Asuna:''' Why didn't you just blame it on some hacker group ''pretending'' to be you? It would've made more sense than the truth, and it's not like you had any kind of motive.\\

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'': The boys sneak into an R-Rated movie to watch Terrance and Philip movie and learn fowl language. They got in trouble in school. The parents should have simply deal with their kids' bad behavior and teaching them that swearing is wrong instead of going to war on Canada because the boys got in trouble in school.

--> -- '''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''', ''Webcomic/GhostsOfTheFuture'', Issue 6: "Old Flames, Act III"

--->'''Phoenix''': ...[[LampshadeHanging You could have told me this earlier]]. Like, [[TimeSkip seven years]] earlier.

-->'''Tedd:''' Why, father, what is this "device" you speak of? I have no such thing!
-->'''Grace:''' No, Tedd, don't you remember? It's next to the washing machine.

-->'''Tara''': [[RememberedTooLate Whoops.]]
-->'''Elliot and Nanase''': ''[[WhatTheHellHero "Whoops"?!]]''

-->'''Roy Greenhilt''': You've met Durkon! I'm pretty sure if you'd told him it would help innocent people, [[SelfImposedExile he'd break his leg trying to boot his own ass out the door!]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'': The boys sneak into an R-Rated movie to watch Terrance and Philip movie and learn fowl language. They got in trouble in school. The parents should have simply deal with their kids' bad behavior instead of going to war on Canada because the boys got in trouble in school.

* ''WesternAnimation/South Park:Bigger,Longer&Uncut '':

* ''WesternAnimation/South Park: Bigger,Longer&Uncut '':

* ''Film/NotOkay'': When Harper confronts Danni with the evidence of her lies, Danni tries to justify herself by stating that she had no idea the terrorist attack would happen. Harper [[ArmorPiercingResponse retorts with questioning why]] Danni would find it better to uphold the lie rather than admit she faked the trip to Paris the second the terrorist attack happened.

** ''Film/Godzilla2014'': Ford questions why Monarch, who had access to the male MUTO's cocoon for fifteen years while studying it, didn't just kill it while they had the chance before it hatched (which if successful, would've probably also stopped [[spoiler:the female's awakening without the male calling out to its formerly-dormant egg]]). Graham states that they didn't know what the cocoon was doing with all the radiation it absorbed and they feared killing it could've had Chernobyl-level global consequences. Nevertheless, the look on Serizawa's face suggests it was partly JustThinkOfThePotential (type 2) and that he now regrets it. However, later films reveal another possible motive: that Monarch didn’t want to kill the MUTO without knowing its place in the Titan ecosystem or the effects its extermination would have, given the Monstervers kaijus’ FisherKing effects, FertileFeet, and other ClimateChangeAllegory-related abilities.

** ''Film/Godzilla2014'': Ford questions why Monarch, who had access to the male MUTO's cocoon for fifteen years while studying it, didn't just kill it while they had the chance before it hatched (which if successful, would've probably also stopped [[spoiler:the female's awakening without the male calling out to its formerly-dormant egg]]). Graham states that they didn't know what the cocoon was doing with all the radiation it absorbed and they feared killing it could've had Chernobyl-level global consequences. Nevertheless, the look on Serizawa's face suggests it was partly JustThinkOfThePotential (type 2) and that he now regrets it. However, later films reveal another possible motive: that Monarch didn’t want to kill the MUTO without knowing it’s place in the Titan ecosystem or the effects it’s extermination would have, given the Monstervers kaijus’ FisherKing effects, FertileFeet, and other ClimateChangeAllegory-related abilities.

** ''Film/Godzilla2014'': Ford questions why Monarch, who had access to the male MUTO's cocoon for fifteen years while studying it, didn't just kill it while they had the chance before it hatched (which if successful, would've probably also stopped [[spoiler:the female's awakening without the male calling out to its formerly-dormant egg]]). Graham states that they didn't know what the cocoon was doing with all the radiation it absorbed and they feared killing it could've had Chernobyl-level global consequences. Nevertheless, the look on Serizawa's face suggests it was partly JustThinkOfThePotential and that he now regrets it.

** The "Sister" arc starts with Tedd testing the TF gun loaded with the experimental Female Variant #1 by zapping himself with it. After a long series of shenanigans involving [[spoiler:the creation of Ellen]], Ted's father Edward Verres mentions that they have a device that can test [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2003-01-24 what a blast from the gun would do if used on someone]].

* In the ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' storyline "So A Date At The Mall", Tara the gryphon attacks Elliot because an Immortal has told her that he's responsible for her wife Andrea not returning, and she believes Immortals can't lie since this is the case in her plane of reality where they're called Ancients. After this has been resolved and they find Andrea, she says she ''told'' Tara about the difference between Immortals and Ancients, and Tara remembers [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=2174 a conversation she wasn't really listening to]]. Elliot and Nanase are not amused that Tara almost killed Elliot over a misconception that she was ''told otherwise about''.

Please remember this trope allows '''Administrivia/InUniverseExamplesOnly''', and do not confuse with events unfolding according to the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality.

Compare DidntThinkThisThrough, where a plan proves to have crippling flaws after its execution, and StatingTheSimpleSolution, when a character points out that a plan is impractical and offers a much easier one ''before'' carrying it out. Can overlap with ShaggyDogStory. Contrast SimpleSolutionWontWork, when it's shown or explained why it couldn't be avoided that way.

It may serve as AnAesop if doing the moral/ethical thing from the start would've improved everything. If the drama happened because a character or more behaved in an uncharacteristically dumb or aggressive way, then the IdiotBall or the ConflictBall was used, respectively. If ''everybody'' involved was being stupid, you may have an IdiotPlot or PlotInducedStupidity.

Compare DidntThinkThisThrough, where a plan proves to have crippling flaws after its execution, and StatingTheSimpleSolution, when a character points out that a plan is impractical and offers a much easier one ''before'' carrying it out. Can overlap with ShaggyDogStory. Please remember this trope allows '''Administrivia/InUniverseExamplesOnly''', and do not confuse with events unfolding according to the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality.

* In ''Before Sunset'', the sequel to ''Film/BeforeSunrise'', Jesse and Celine's plan made at the end of ''Before Sunrise'' to meet each other again in six months is revealed to have failed because Celine's grandmother died close to their agreed-on date and she had no way to contact Jesse to tell him. The two of them acknowledge that if they had just exchanged phone numbers before parting instead of being romantic fools who thought they could just magically reunite with no problems, they wouldn't have had to wait ''nine years'' to find each other again.

* All of the mayhem in ''Film/FirstBlood'' wouldn't have gone on had a small-town sheriff allowed a Vietnam War veteran to eat at a restaurant within town limits, instead of arresting him on trumped-up charges of "vagrancy" (i.e. being homeless) among others and letting his deputies rough him up. The veteran's former commander has to show up to lend his aid in getting him to surrender, and the first time they talk, the veteran explains himself in part:

* In the DVDcommentary of ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', Rutt and Tuke note most of the plot wouldn't have happened if Kenai had made a proper knot to keep the fish basket hanging out of a bear's reach.

* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'': Verne tells RJ that he only needed to tell them he needed food to placate an angry bear, because they'd adopted him as a member of the family and would have helped him without question. He then admitted PoorCommunicationKills is a part of being in a family, too.

* ''Film/HoneymoonInVegas'': The movie starts with Jack, a private eye, telling the audience, via voice over, that he has an amazing story to tell, and it begins with him stringing along his girlfriend, Betsy, because he promised his dying mother he would never marry anyone. When she threatens to break up with him due to his fear of commitment issues, he decides to take her to Las Vegas to get married in a chapel and have a nice honeymoon at the same time. He tells the audience he could have taken to city hall, but the story would have ended right there.

** ''Film/GodzillaVSKong'': As it turns out, the reason Godzilla seemingly turns feral is actually because [[spoiler:Apex Cybernetics was trying to create Mechagodzilla to replace him as the new Alpha. Worse, they use one of the heads of Godzilla's archnemesis King Ghidorah to do it. [[LampshadeHanging Madison even calls Walter Simmons out on this]] later in the movie, saying that Godzilla was on neutral terms with humanity until Apex tried to give him a challenger. The entire conflict, and indeed even Godzilla's feud with Kong, could have been avoided if Mechagodzilla was never created]].

* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'': The main plot starts when M.I.T. rejects Peter, Ned, and MJ's applications because of the controversy over [[BrokenMasquerade Peter's secret identity being exposed]], and Peter's reaction is to ask Doctor Strange to cast a spell [[LaserGuidedAmnesia to make everyone forget he's Spider-Man]]. After Peter then screws up the spell by continuing to add more people he wants to be exempt from it, thereby beginning the process of bringing people from across TheMultiverse to the MCU, Strange brings up how Peter could have just appealed the admissions board's decision, [[WhatTheHellHero and is enraged when he realizes that Peter never even considered that, instead jumping right to trying to use magic to fix his problems]].

--> '''Jane Hudson:''' "You mean all this time, we could have been friends?"

** Phoenix notes in ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]'' that both Tahrust's death and Maya's trial could have been completely avoided if Tahrust had [[spoiler:asked Phoenix to defend his wife of murder accusations for Puhray Zeh'lot's death, which was simply on self-defense because Zeh'lot was trying to kill her. Instead, Tahrust, knowing that his wife would likely be sentenced to death for being a rebel and that any lawyer who defended her would share her fate, hid Zehlot's body under snow to hide the time of death and killed himself in order to frame Maya for his and Zeh'lot's deaths. As a result, Maya(and by extension, Phoenix) is convicted for killing Tahrust, and is nearly convicted for killing Zeh'lot before Phoenix uncovers the truth. Tahrust admits this, but says that he didn't trust lawyers that much]].
* ''VisualNovel/ALittleLilyPrincess'': Mariette's route causes this to happen with a ContrivedCoincidence that is present in the plot regardless of player choices. Focusing on Mariette during Act 2 results in her [[spoiler:turning out to still be in London and eventually getting hired by Mr. Carrisford as he's preparing to move to France to follow one of his leads in searching for Sara]]. At the end of the story, Mariette realizes that paying more attention to the reasons for [[spoiler:the eventual move to France]] could have potentially allowed her to [[spoiler:tell Mr. Carrisford where Sara was much earlier]]. Sara points out that there were plenty of other missed opportunities to set things staight, such as [[spoiler:Sara and Ram Dass forgetting to tell each other their respective names]], which is an event common to all routes.

* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': Forced to undertake MentalTimeTravel, Washington tries to discover where Carolina was hiding when she [[FakingTheDead faked her death]]. His problem is that the Freelancers he used to work with, especially Carolina, don't respect him enough to want to listen to him. At his wits end, he vents his troubles to the three worst Freelancers. It's the most mentally-challenged Freelancer in the entire program who points out that Wash could just travel to a point in time where he and Carolina are friends and ask her directly. When Wash does that and discovers Carolina is indeed receptive to his question, he [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d3e4pkew0aia8szjpg_large.jpg can't hold back his frustration]] at having missed such an easy solution.

* ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'' mixes this with an ArmorPiercingResponse. The original objective was to stop the BigBad from collecting all the [[ArtifactOfDoom Disaster Stones]], which would allow her to summon the [[PhysicalGod Nightmare Knight]]. However, she eventually ''does'' get all the stones and resurrect the Knight. When Cucumber's sister Almond tries to shame him for his attempts at talking things out with one of the antagonists and he tries to defend himself, she tries to taunt him by asking if he thinks everything is her fault then. He bluntly says yes; the world wouldn't even ''need'' saving if Almond hadn't treated their quest as a game and ''voluntarily given one of the villains the last Disaster Stone'' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero just because she wanted to go on an adventure]].

** Of course, the 'irony' of this particular example is mitigated somewhat due to the later revelation that [[spoiler: the sage Sarda -- beyond simply being a general jerk -- actually holds a bitterly vitriolic, personal grudge against most of the members of the Light Warriors and actively desires to see them suffer, making this seem less like an accidental oversight on Sarda's part and more like a contemptuously purposeful snub..]].
* In the ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' storyline "So A Date At The Mall", Tara the gryphon attacks Elliot because an Immortal has told her that he's responsible for her wife Andrea not returning, and she believes Immortals can't lie, since this is the case in her plane of reality where they're called Ancients. After this has been resolved and they find Andrea, she says she ''told'' Tara about the difference between Immortals and Ancients, and Tara remembers [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=2174 a conversation she wasn't really listening to]]. Elliot and Nanase are not amused that Tara almost killed Elliot over a misconception that she was ''told otherwise about''.

* The plot of ''Webcomic/TheMansionOfE'' is kickstarted by two of the main characters going down the Basement to retrieve some siege equipment. Said equipment is stored much closer, in the barracks, as the third main character tells them by the end of the day, some 3500 strips later. By this time their actions have irreversibly changed lives of hundreds of the Basement dwellers.
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', dwarven cleric Durkon Thundershield was exiled from his homeland because of a prophecy that his next return would bring disaster to his people. Except that this prophecy was never told to Durkon himself, and this led to a buried resentment for his seemingly inexplicable exile developing over the years. [[spoiler:When his adventuring career ends due to his being turned into a vampire, the evil spirit that takes over his body as part of that is fueled by this resentment, giving it an edge in controlling him.]] And by that point, he'd actually successfully petitioned for permission to return, which was granted because nobody outside of a small circle knew about the prophecy. That not ''telling'' the LawfulGood dwarf about the reason he was exiled was a bad idea is pointed out in universe in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1096.html comic #1096]]:

--> '''Girl:''' I can't believe she's dead. How many more people is this thing going to kill?\\

* Considering that DuelsDecideEverything and many of the characters (usually the antagonists) tend to have ComplexityAddiction[=s=], this trope frequently occurs in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''. One example would be Yami ranting to [[ArcVillain Pegasus]] about all the unnecessary death, expense and pointless angst he caused by setting up the Duelist Kingdom tournament just to try and cheat Yugi out of the Millennium Puzzle.

* ''Film/TheMenu'': An unnerving and rage-inducing example. [[spoiler:Tyler knew beforehand that Chef Julian was planning to commit murder-suicide, but he was such a ''huge'' fan of Julian that he kept the knowledge to himself and didn't alert anyone just so he could bask in the presence of his favorite chef, human lives be damned]].

%% * Played with in the Creator/{{Netflix}} original ''Film/{{Naked}}'': Rob Anderson [[GroundhogDayLoop keeps reliving the same hour]] in which wakes up on his wedding day naked and trapped in an elevator. It turns out all he had to do was [[spoiler:just tell hotel security the truth and they would realize he was the victim of a crime and had done nothing wrong]]. However, if he had done that to begin with, he wouldn't have discovered the identity of his abductor or that [[spoiler:his fiancée Megan's ex Cody was planning a hostile takeover of her father's company]]. He had to experience the loop until he had enough information to [[EarnYourHappyEnding make sure everything was right]].

* Most of the events of ''Film/{{Umma}}'' would have been mitigated or outright avoided if Amanda had sought therapy for Umma's abuse, which left her with PTSD triggered by the mere presence of electricity. Or if she at least had been honest with her daughter Chrissy about her past and the reason for the near-Amish lifestyle she chose.

* ''Webcomic/{{Trapped}}'': If only Chae-ah hadn’t mentioned seeing Yunsu with a woman to the people at church… a woman who turned out to be one of his [[VampiricDraining victims.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Huey makes a valid point right after collecting all of the [[{{MacGuffin}} Big Paint Stars]].]]