History Main / DamselInDistress

Not to be confused with the 2012 comedy film ''Film/DamselsInDistress''.

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[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mario-DamselInDistress_2325.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[SaveThePrincess Just another Wednesday for]] [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Princess Peach.]]]]

* {{Reconstruction Reconstructed}} in the ''Film/ScoobyDoo'' movie. They point out that while, yes, Daphne did get kidnapped a lot, she never let that discourage her from joining the gang in their latest mystery. She's also [[TookALevelInBadass studied martial arts]] so that she is eventually able to look after herself.

* [[Reconstruction Reconstructed]] in the ''Film/ScoobyDoo'' movie. They point out that while, yes, Daphne did get kidnapped a lot, she never let that discourage her from joining the gang in their latest mystery. She's also [[TookALevelInBadass studied martial arts]] so that she is eventually able to look after herself.

* [[ReconstructedTrope Reconstructed]] in the ''Film/ScoobyDoo'' movie. They point out that while, yes, Daphne did get kidnapped a lot, she never let that discourage her from joining the gang in their latest mystery. She's also [[TookALevelInBadass studied martial arts]] so that she is eventually able to look after herself.

For the GenderFlip, see DistressedDude. See also TheDulcineaEffect, DistressBall, StandardFemaleGrabArea, DeterminedWidow, IHaveYourWife, SaveThePrincess, HostageMacGuffin. If the girl is actually ''faking'' this for her own benefits, depending on her purposes she's either a DeliberatelyDistressedDamsel or a DecoyDamsel. A damsel who rescues herself is a DamselOutOfDistress who probably used an ImprovisedWeapon. If she has a strong spirit despite captivity then he/she is a DefiantCaptive. If the hero leaves the damsel in distress (for the moment), that's DelayingTheRescue. If the hero tries to rescue them even though they don't need rescuing, then TheVictimMustBeConfused. See also TheCaptivityNarrative for a plot based on this.

** [[spoiler: ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' : Long John Silver the cyborg kidnaps Captain Amelia and threatens to kill her as an ultimatum if Jim Hawkins refused to open the map after finally retrieving it from the ship.]]

** [[spoiler: TreasurePlanet : Long John Silver the cyborg kidnaps Captain Amelia and threatens to kill her as an ultimatum if Jim Hawkins refused to open the map after finally retrieving it from the ship.]]

** To Deirdre's credit, she was in distress that the [[AbhorrentAdmirer aging King Conchobhar]] wanted her as his wife and for her eloping with Naoise, his best warrior (and, in some versions of the story, his nephew), was a means to escape a man that disgusted her. For all the unwanted attention that she gets from men, she remains determined to live her life.

* In Celtic mythology (''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}''), Branwen finds herself in this position. Subverted with [[TheExileOfTheSonsOfUisnech Deirdre]], who voluntarily put herself in the situation which was considered as distress by her fiancé.

* In Celtic mythology (''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}''), Branwen finds herself in this position. Subverted with Deirdre, who voluntarily put herself in the situation which was considered as distress by her fiancé.

* In Celtic mythology (''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}''), Branwen finds herself in this position. Subverted with Deirdre, who voluntarily put herself in the situation which was considered as distress by her fiancé. Although, to Deirdre's credit, she was in distress that the [[AbhorrentAdmirerer aging King Conchobhar]] wanted her as his wife and eloping with Naoise, his best warrior, was a means for her to escape.

* In Celtic mythology (''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}''), Branwen finds herself in this position. Subverted with Deirdre, who voluntarily put herself in the situation which was considered as distress by her fiancé.

* At SHINE 15, Valkyrie used a beaten up Solo Darling to lure Wrestling/AmazingKong away from their leader, The Radiant Rain.

* ''Film/MissMeadows'': Miss Meadows is kidnapped and held captive near the end.

[[folder:Pinball]]
* Mary Jane Watson from Creator/{{Stern}}'s ''[[Pinball/SpiderManStern Spider-Man]]'' pinball.
* Appropriately enough, Princess Peach from Creator/{{Gottlieb}}'s ''Pinball/SuperMarioBros''.
* ''Pinball/MedievalMadness'' has five princesses that must be rescued from fire-breathing dragons.
* The queen in ''Pinball/BigGuns''.
* The girl in the aptly-named "Save the Girl" VideoMode in ''Pinball/JunkYard''.
* April O'Neal, unsurprisingly, serves this role in ''Pinball/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''.
* Unsurprisingly, the only party member in ''Pinball/DungeonsAndDragons'' captured by the fire-breathing dragon is the Valkyrie.
* The ultimate goal of ''Pinball/PopeyeSavesTheEarth'' is to rescue Olive Oyl from Bluto -- after saving the Earth, of course.
* Nell is this in ''Pinball/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkleAndFriends'', awaiting rescue from Dudley Do-Right.
* Miss Polly in ''Pinball/CactusCanyon'', who not only regularly gets into trouble, but also gets an entire mode ("Polly Peril") where she is ChainedToARailway.
* There's a captured princess in the "Dragon's Keep" table of ''VideoGame/FullTiltPinball''
* The backbox translite for ''Pinball/BoneBusters'' shows one of the female team members being grabbed by an [[DemBones animated skeleton.]]
* Christine Dae from ''Pinball/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''
* ''Pinball/StrangeScience'' has Jodi, a teenager who's been kidnapped by a MadScientist as part of his FreakyFridayFlip experiment.
* Princess Ball in ''VideoGame/PinballQuest''
* The princess from ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights''
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** ''Anime/LupinIIITheColumbusFiles'' shows an example of Fujiko being a DamselInDistress ''and'' a ActionHeroine, but without being a BadassInDistress. During the opening, she loses her memory, and her entire personality changes. She's terrified of nearly everything, and everyone is a stranger to her. When she contributed to part of her rescue via pure Muscle Memory, that also terrifies her.

** Eurydice is in a classic DamselInDistress situation. Unfortunately, Orpheus does not come up to expectations.

** Syrena the mermaid from [[PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides On Stranger Tides]] is saved more times than cartoon Little Mermaid.

** They tried to play it less straight in ''Film/SpiderMan2''. After Spidey gets knocked down in the climax, [[RescueReversal M.J. picks up a steel beam and tries to sneak up on Doctor Octopus]] (Doc Ock, [[TaughtBy Experience learning from his earlier encounter with Aunt May]], [[OffhandBackhand brushes her aside]]).

*** If Jabba has her as his slave girl, in the end ''she's'' the one who kills him.

** Done again in the sequel, when Happy Hogan insists on accompanying S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Romanov on her mission and fights a bad guy when they enter the building. By the time he has won the fight, he sees that she's taken down every other bad guy there is.
*** And shown again with Miss Romanov in the beginning of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. She's held captive by a group of Russian mobsters who are ready to kill her until Agent Coulson calls her, ready to bring her back in. She easily frees herself and drops everyone she was dealing with in no time flat. With Coulson listening in on the whole thing, showing all the concern warranted by being put on hold.
** ''Film/IronMan3'' has Pepper taken prisoner again, [[spoiler: but ultimately saves Tony using part of one of his armors while under the influence of [[SuperSerum Extremis]].]] Worth noting, the same film also had [[TheLancer Rhodie]] and the President of the United States needing rescue at various points.

* In ''Film/{{Annie|2014}}'', [[spoiler:Annie is kidnapped by her fake parents and sent on a car chase with them during the climax]].

** ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'': Cinderella is locked in her room by Lady Tremaine in the third act and the mice bring up the key needed to unlock the door.
** ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'': Aurora falls into an enchanted sleep after pricking her finger on the spinning wheel while hypnotized by Maleficent, and Phillip's final battle (with assistance from the Three Good Fairies) against Maleficent is to save her.
** ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'': Ariel is trapped by Ursula at the bottom of a vortex in the climax before Eric plows into Ursula with a ship.

* Princess Patma's sole purpose in ''Film/AgainstAllOdds'' is to be rescued: repeatedly.