History Main / DamageControl

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* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Appropriately enough]], a comic series called ''ComicBook/DamageControl'' centered around a group of people tasked with cleaning up after the destructive fights between superheroes and villains in the MarvelComics universe.

* A villainous example in ''IronEagle'', due to Chappie and Doug hitting the airfield first, and [[ColonelBadass Colonel Nakesh]] gives his men one hour to reopen the airfield.

* In ''Film/TheAvengers'', Film/IronMan and Film/{{Captain America|the First Avenger}} have to do repairs on the AirborneAircraftCarrier at 30,000 feet after [[spoiler:Hawkeye attacks and blows up one of its engines]].

* ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaClassic'' episode "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_Space Fire in Space]]". Cylon raiders ram the Galactica in suicide attacks, causing fires to break out throughout the ship. Several of the crew are trapped and Commander Adama is injured.
* ''Series/BattleStarGalacticaReimagined'' had this on more than one occassion, as the ''[[BattleStar Galactica]]'' often came under attack by the Cylons. The [[PilotMovie miniseries]] had many of the damage control personnel get ThrownOutTheAirlock when the Galactica officers were forced to vent the atmosphere from part of the ship in order to put the fires out before it was too late.

* The card game ''Red November'' is nothing but damage control on a submarine prey to fires, flooded compartments, and the looming threat of a Kraken attack.

* Seen, too, in ''Film/{{DasBoot}}'',when the U-96 is in the depths of Gibraltar Strait.

* Seen in ''Film/{{U-571}}'' as they try to get a damaged submarine under control before they get too deep.

* In Film/TheAvengers, IronMan and CaptainAmerica have to do repairs on the AirborneAircraftCarrier at 30,000 feet after [[spoiler:Hawkeye attacks and blows up one of its engines]].

** The space battle in ''StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' has Scotty doing his usual thing while the ''Enterprise'' is pummeled by torpedoes.

** In ''StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'', the ''Enterprise'' is [[GenreBlind taken by surprise]] in the initial attack, but [[GuileHero Kirk and Spock]] are able to turn the tables and deal some swift damage to ''Reliant''. Both ships are forced to withdraw and effect repairs before they can fight again. In the final battle, both ships are again crippled, and it is only a HeroicSacrifice by [[spoiler: Mr. Spock]] that allows them to survive.
** In ''StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'' when Kirk asks when they can get their captured Bird-of-Prey under way, Scotty quips, "Damage control is easy; reading Klingon, that's hard."

* ''RedStormRising'' had a number of instances, notably the damaged ''USS Nimitz'' limping back into port after being struck by missiles, a soviet freighter carrying troops and equipment having to fight fires after being strafed by F-15s, the seawater used to put them out inadvertently ruining a lot of missiles that had planned to install in their new base. It isn't seen, but it's obvious that this is what's going on aboard the [[spoiler: ill-fated ''USS Providence'']]. Finally, the Soviets manage to take over a USAF base in Iceland, and when the Americans attack trying to render it useless, cratering the runways, the Soviets use the repair materials the Americans themselves had left in the event of such an occasion and have them back in use before nightfall.
* Happens fairly often in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, particularly in the books that center on one or two ships. Books which focus on fleet actions will mention the damage control in passing, rather than focusing on it in depth.
** ''On Baselisk Station'' shows some of the issues that a crew of a ship in battle have to deal with. When the missile launchers on one side of the ship are damaged, along with the automated systems for transferring missiles from one magazine to another, crewmembers have to move the missiles by hand with the assistance of anti-gravity rigs, which make the missile weightless, but do not eliminate its inertia, causing one crewmember to be crushed (nonfatally) against the wall when the ship takes a hit.

* The ''[[CoolAirship Argo II]]'' in ''[[TheHeroesOfOlympus The Mark of Athena]]'' takes frequent damage through the course of the book, but since they are attacked almost every time they set down they have to do a lot of repairs on the fly, in one case their means of escape does almost as much damage as the attack, meaning Leo has to do some fast work just to keep the ship from flying apart. Another time after being attacked by a sea monster Leo got washed overboard so the others, under Annabeth's direction, had to do enough repairs to keep them from sinking.

** Again, during the battle in ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', Geordi [=LaForge=] is seen ordering his repair teams around, [[spoiler: although it ultimately turns out to be futile]].

The first order of the day, aside possibly from dealing with the ''cause'' of the damage, is putting out the fires, tending to the wounded, and repairing the damage so everything can go back to normal. Expect all this to be going on even as the driving crisis that caused everything is still ongoing. The main characters will often be split apart and unable to communicate with each other or rely upon each other directly. Expect at least one character to reach down inside himself and [[TookALevelInBadass find the resolve and resourcefulness]] he needs to solve a major problem without the team mates he normally relies on. TheEngineer and the OldSoldier will be at their best here, leading leading their men in the dangerous and critical work of getting everything operational again.

** Again, during the battle in ''StarTrekGenerations'', Geordi [=LaForge=] is seen ordering his repair teams around, [[spoiler: although it ultimately turns out to be futile]].
** In ''StarTrekInsurrection'' the ''Enterprise'' gets into another space fight. It's not really seen, but right before it starts, [=LaForge=] leaves the bridge for Engineering, knowing what he's going to be doing in short order.

* In ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' the sub takes damage in a fight with another sub and has to be repaired.

* Happens fairly often in the ''HonorHarrington'' series, particularly in the books that center on one or two ships. Books which focus on fleet actions will mention the damage control in passing, rather than focusing on it in depth.

* ''BattlestarGalactica'' (1978) episode "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_Space Fire in Space]]". Cylon raiders ram the Galactica in suicide attacks, causing fires to break out throughout the ship. Several of the crew are trapped and Commander Adama is injured.
* ''BattleStarGalacticaReimagined'' had this on more than one occassion, as the ''[[BattleStar Galactica]]'' often came under attack by the Cylons. The [[PilotMovie miniseries]] had many of the damage control personnel get ThrownOutTheAirlock when the Galactica officers were forced to vent the atmosphere from part of the ship in order to put the fires out before it was too late.

** Notable in ''StarTrekVoyager'' where they had to do many repairs themselves.
** ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': The episode "Disaster" has the ''Enterprise'' adrift after being hit be a rare energy wave, and an inexperienced [[GoodTroiEpisode Counselor Troi]] in charge of managing repair efforts.
* ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'':

* Another first episode, this time for ''SeaQuestDSV'', had the titular sub taking a direct from a torpedo. Afterwards, the first officer is talking about the repairs being made. Later a more extensive effort is shown tryign to root out a virus that's been screwing up their computer systems.

* Appropriately enough, a comic series called DamageControl centered around a group of people tasked with cleaning up after the destructive fights between superheroes and villains in the MarvelComics universe.

[[redirect:ComicBook/DamageControl]]

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''Damage Control'' is a comic (in both senses) series published in intermittent bursts by MarvelComics. Created by {{Dwayne McDuffie}}, it offers a lighthearted look at the MarvelUniverse through the lens of a company specializing in rebuilding areas devastated by superhero-supervillain throw-downs. HilarityEnsues when abandoned bits of AppliedPhlebotinum are picked up, superweapons are accidentally activated, and super-villains won't pay their bills.

The core characters are:
* Ann-Marie Hoag: Founder, first director, and current owner.
* Robin Chapel: Former Traffic Manager, current CEO. Her highly competent and businesslike exterior hides a friendly interior. Romantically linked to John Porter.
* John Porter: Account Executive. Has the knack for finding creative and practical solutions to complicated problems. Had a rivalry with Robin at first, and is friends with the Wrecking Crew villain Thunderball.
* Albert Cleary: Comptroller. Albert appears perpetually cool and unflappable, no matter how intimidating the situation. Possesses the ability to never wrinkle his suit.
* Eugene "Gene" Strausser: Chief Technician and supervisor of Damage Control's salvaged super-gadgets. Briefly became an armored villain when he was fired by the new board of directors.
* Lenny Balinger: Chief Foreman and head of the Search-and-Rescue division. Has a gruff, no-nonsense attitude, and stands by his crew through thick and thin.
* Henry Ackerdson: Head of Marketing. His ideas tend toward the outlandish and gimmicky, barely tolerated by the rest of the staff.

Given the unusual situations they face, the regulars at Damage Control often need to be a bit... ''creative'' in how they resolve problems.

----
!!This series provides examples, straight or parodied, of:

* AdaptationDecay: One story arc involved a Hollywood producer who wanted to make [[TheMovie a movie]] about Damage Control. The results were less than faithful.
* BadassNormal: Most of the staff are regular Joes and Janes struggling with cleaning up toppled buildings and retrieving villains' destroyed giant mecha.
** Lampshaded in the character profiles, which solemnly reported that the characters' strength level was that of a normal human of their age, height, and build who engaged in moderate regular exercise.
* BlackAndNerdy: Albert Cleary is cut from the "Highly competent professional who happens to be black" mold.
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Happens to Albert in the movie. Played by [[GoodTimes Jimmy "J.J." Walker]]. Albert was not thrilled either way.
* BrokenTreasure: One issue features a group of DoctorDoom's minions destroying their laboratory while researching new weapons, and hiring Damage Control to rebuild it exactly the same as it was before Doom finds out. It might have worked out if they hadn't then tried to stiff Damage Control on the bill, because surely they wouldn't dare try to collect from Doom in person...
* BunnyEarsLawyer: John Porter, more than any of the other employees.
* ButtMonkey: Henry Ackerdson.
* TheCameo: Every major Marvel character - hero and villain - shows up at some point. It's because they either need a service or to pick up their weapons from "Lost And Found".
* CelebrityEndorsement: One of Henry's proposed advertising campaigns was to center around [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Joe Fixit]], with the tag line "We Clean Up The Hulk's Messes, We Can Clean Up Yours". Needless to say, he wasn't pleased...
* CigarChomper: Lenny Balinger.
* CleanupCrew: Averted throughout. Despite being (at various times) co-owned by The Kingpin and a CorruptCorporateExecutive, Damage Control has never willingly dealt in criminal activities. They do provide some ''legitimate'' services to villains, as long as the villains can pay their bills.
* ComesGreatResponsibility: During one of Ackerdson's hair-brained schemes to brand the company, he gets the staff to dress up in spandex uniforms complete with capes. When one part of the scheme creates an underground flood, Porter and Gene are stuck when the elevator gets packed with regular crewmen. When Porter asks why he and Gene have to endure the flooding, the foreman exclaims "''You're'' the ones in the capes!"
-->'''John Porter:''' "He's got a point..."
* CoolOldLady: Mrs. Anne-Marie Hoag, who hobnobs with [[IronMan Tony Stark]], stands up to [[{{Characters/Spider-Man}} The Kingpin]], beats the living hell out of muggers, has survived multiple hostile takeovers and is best friends (and perhaps more) with NickFury.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: After Walter Declun took over Damage Control, he decided to generate more business by giving mutant growth hormone to supervillains to increase their powers and cause more damage as a result. This indirectly led to the Stamford incident, which in turn led to the infamous ''CivilWar'' story arc.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Done when Edifice Rex decides to use his powers to clean up the universe, reverse the Big Bang, force everything back into the cosmic egg, and then maybe put the egg on a tasteful pedestal. While the other cosmic beings consider how to stop him, Robin Chapel [[spoiler:realizes he's just doing his job... and fires him.]]
* FriendlyEnemy: In the first issue, John Porter helps the villain Thunderball cut through Damage Control's Lost & Found department. Later, when several employees are trapped with the Wrecking Crew, Thunderball recognizes John among them; he tells the Wrecking Crew to leave them alone [[EngineeredHeroics because John has superpowers]].
-->'''John:''' "LIGHTS OUT!"
-->(Lights go out, Thunderball hits the Wrecking Crew in the heads) ''*Bonk!* *Bang!* *Blam!*''
* GeniusLoci: The Chrysler Building, which became sentient and mobile after ''WorldWarHulk'' and wants to see the world. John Porter negotiates a deal where it can go on vacations in August, since no one visits Manhattan then.
* GenreSavvy: From the first issue, when a crewman foolishly picks up a glowing artifact that turns him into a cosmic power: "Yeah, can you send Legal over to the site? One of my guys just had an [[SuperheroOrigin Origin]]."
-->'''Lenny:''' "We lose more employees this way..."
* HeroInsurance: Explored rather than simply implied.
* HilaritySues
* InferredHolocaust: {{Lampshade}}d after ''WorldWarHulk'':
-->'''John:''' "We've never found a casualty at a Hulk site before, so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised."
-->'''Robin:''' "[[NoEndorHolocaust No deaths]]? Incredible."
-->'''John:''' "[[MST3KMantra I've always felt it's best not to dwell on these things.]]"
* InnocentBystanderSeries
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: One story had the company hired to repair damage to [[{{Comicbook/X-Men}} Xavier's School For Gifted Children]] from a super-battle. After the repairs were completed and the crew paid, Professor Xavier used his telepathic powers to erase their memories of the school's location and students.
* LovableNerd: "Gene" Strausser, who's essentially a big kid playing with Damage Control's collection of super-powered toys.
* MediumAwareness: Played with when SheHulk was a featured guest-star; the comic made fun of her [[FourthWallObserver fourth-wall savvyness]] at the time by repeatedly [[{{Lampshade}} Lampshading]] it... culminating when She-Hulk has a building collapse around her:
-->'''Lenny:''' "I always tell them -- when you [[BreakingTheFourthWall break the fourth wall]], the whole structure collapses."
* MyNameIsNotDurwood: After the new Black Goliath joins the company, he's called the wrong name by everyone he meets. "Black Buck", "Big Brother", "Big Black"... He curtails this by changing it to simply "Goliath".
* NervesOfSteel: Albert Cleary, who serves overdue bills to ''Dr. Doom'' without showing any outward signs of distress. ("Outward signs" being the important bit here. On the inside, he's imagining himself in the morgue and praying for divine intervention.)
* NotSoStoic: Albert's normally-unflappable demeanor drops after he's been turned into an UncleTomfoolery caricature in the movie.
* OffscreenRebuilding
* OnlySaneEmployee: Robin Chapel.
* PunchClockHero: Done literally with the superheroes who work for Damage Control; these include Speedball (as an intern in his civilian identity), Hercules (community service), [[strike:Black]] Goliath, Monstro, and Visioneer.
* RidiculouslyFastConstruction: A company trademark, as featured in [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/Doop/marvelyearinreview/marvel_1989_the_year_in_review_p01.jpg this advertisement.]] [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that Damage Control often uses the super-powered gadgets, battle robots, and AppliedPhlebotinum they scavenge during their cleanups to expedite repairs.
-->The City of New York tried to fix the George Washington bridge for 7 months. Then they called us.
-->We fixed it in one day. Before lunch.
* RuleOfFunny
* SecretIdentityChangeTrick
* SexySecretary
* SuperOCD: Edifice Rex, a cosmically-powered crewman, declares his newfound duty was to clean ''the entire planet.''
-->"A world where garbage bags have built in handles. Where zip-lock stripes turn green, to assure proper sealage. Where spray cleaner comes in a bottle with setting both spray and stream. So many gifts they have, so untidy they are. Rejected though I am, I will leave them with this gift: a world of perpetual neatness. With a place for everything -- and everything in its place!"
* TitleTheAdaptation: ''Damage Control: The Movie''
* UncleTomfoolery: Happens to prim-and-proper Comptroller Albert in the movie adaptation. He files a lawsuit while the film is still screening.
* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: From the Damage Control scrap pile, run by Eugene "Gene" Strausser.

* TheWonka: John Porter, more than any of the other employees.