History Main / DamselInDistress

** ''Film/IT2017'' [[[[spoiler:Beverly just after knocking her [[PervertDad awful father]] is captured by Pennywise and is taken to the sewer ensuring the rest of the boys to chase to come to her rescue. Some fans were pissed Beverly is seemly relegated to damsel in distress, when in the books and the original TV Miniseries she never is put in that position. But this opinion false as it's revealed to be a subversion in the 2017 version, as Pennywise ''only'' takes Beverly as bait to lure Bill and the others. Plus he can't even eat her since [[ImNotAfraidOfYou she's not afraid of him]] really Bev is far more physically competent than her book and 1990 counterpart since she is the first one to actually damage Pennywise]].

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.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', Andy purposely has Bo Peep play this role, so Woody could save her. [[SickeninglySweethearts Not that she minds]]...

*** [[[[spoiler:This could serve as a foreshadowing of that trope being inverted at the end when the princesses take advantage of the crossover by saving Ralph from [[DistressedDude falling to his doom.]]]]

** [[[[spoiler:Kida]] from 2001's ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', who spends the last third of the film crystallized by the villain and her boyfriend and his teammates actually have to rescue her and change her back.]]
** [[[[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:Kida]] from 2001's ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', who spends the last third of the film crystallized by the villain and her boyfriend and his teammates actually have to rescue her and change her back.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/23368747/chapters/55991638 hear the sirens calling/and the bombs are falling in the streets (we're all screwed)]]'', [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Starscream]] (who is a human female in the story) is kidnapped and held hostage by MECH.

** [[spoiler: Kida]] from 2001's ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', who spends the last third of the film crystallized by the villain and her boyfriend and his teammates actually have to rescue her and change her back.
** [[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: This could serve as a foreshadowing of that trope being inverted at the end when the princesses take advantage of the crossover by saving Ralph from [[DistressedDude falling to his doom.]]]]

* ''Film/LiveFreeOrDieHard'' attempts to make this one more feminist-friendly by having Lucy [=McClane=] [[DefiedTrope reject this role at every turn.]] She is still helpless to physically resist, being an unarmed college student, but when the villain [[IHaveYourWife puts her on the phone with her dad]], she simply [[DefiantCaptive tells him how many bad guys are left.]] John [[spoiler: kills the villain Gabriel by shooting his own shoulder to hit Gabriel's heart, which frees Lucy and now that she is traumatized by John shooting his own shoulder on purpose just to save her, she becomes caring to her dad just like in the original Die Hard and her rebellious personality towards John now faded to dust]].

** Played straight and then subverted as said damsel [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] over the course of the movies. It gets [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack when he refers to her as "a certain damsel in distress... Or should I say distressing damsel." after [[spoiler: her ShootTheDog moment of leaving Jack to die]]. By the climax of the third film, the same young woman who had previously been kidnapped and held prisoner by Captain Barbossa's crew has become [[spoiler: The Pirate King, thanks in no small part to [[BatmanGambit Jack's gaming the system]] of pirate politics.]]

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Film/InTheCut''. [[spoiler: Frannie manages to kill the murderer and "rescues" Malloy]].

** ''Film/IT2017'' [[spoiler: Beverly just after knocking her [[PervertDad awful father]] is captured by Pennywise and is taken to the sewer ensuring the rest of the boys to chase to come to her rescue. Some fans were pissed Beverly is seemly relegated to damsel in distress, when in the books and the original TV Miniseries she never is put in that position. But this opinion false as it's revealed to be a subversion in the 2017 version, as Pennywise ''only'' takes Beverly as bait to lure Bill and the others. Plus he can't even eat her since [[ImNotAfraidOfYou she's not afraid of him]] really Bev is far more physically competent than her book and 1990 counterpart since she is the first one to actually damage Pennywise]].
* Aversion: In ''Film/TheProposition'', this role is occupied by the retarded younger brother. Obviously, there is no RescueRomance. At the end, however, [[spoiler: Charlie still has to rescue the police captain's wife from being raped and killed, although the captain himself - despite being Ray Winstone - is also being threatened, though not with rape.]]

** ''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 Rhodey]] and the President of the United States needing rescue at various points.

* Subverted with [[spoiler: Kelly]] in ''Film/MysteryTeam''. Yes, she DOES get kidnapped... [[spoiler: but it's not like the Mystery Team were much help in saving her]].

* ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' has Daisy Domergue. John Ruth captures her for the Dead or Alive bounty on her head, and believes that a KnightInShiningArmor of sorts is going to try to rescue her. [[spoiler: Turns out ''four'' such knights mostly wiped out most of Minnie's Haberdashery of innocents to do just that.]]

** ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'': Maid Marian is a lovely ProperLady but almost completely helpless, even when her love is about to be executed right before her eyes. However, she manages to convince Prince John to spare Robin through ThePowerOfLove (with some jhelp from a knife-wielding Little John), and hits a guard aiming for Robin with a pie, which just goes to show how helpful she can be when she tries.

* [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] is probably the most famous damsel in distress, and in almost all versions (comics, cartoon, films) needs to be saved frequently by Franchise/{{Superman}}.

* In Anime/KingsglaiveFinalFantasyXV, Luna is kidnapped by [[spoiler:Glauca]], though to her credit she doesn't stand by and let her rescuer do all the work.
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' when [[PluckyGirl Kayley]] tells her mother Julianna she wants to be a knight and rescue damsels in distress... then immediately asks what is a "damsel, anyway?" Ironic because both Julianna and Kayley play the roles of the DID in the movie, Julianna throughout the plot after being captured by Ruber and Kayley initially when she escapes into the [[TheLostWoods Forbidden Forest]] and having to be rescued/babysat by Garrett before she [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass to recover Excalibur and save Camelot]].
* Throne of Elves - Princess Liya, being a Princess Classic, is attacked by the villain of the film and has to be protected by her romantic interest. She has no agency of her own, and the only thing she does is swoon and fawn over the hero who saved her. She even cried when she thought he had died.

** ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'': Maid Marian is a lovely ProperLady but almost completely helpless, even when her love is about to be executed right before her eyes. However, she manages to convince Prince John to spare Robin through ThePowerOfLove and hits a guard aiming for Robin with a pie, which just goes to show how helpful she can be when she tries.

** ''WesternAnimation/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.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': Ariel is trapped by Ursula at the bottom of a vortex in the climax before Eric plows into Ursula with a ship.
** ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'': Wendy is almost always attacked by Tinker Bell, who almost murdered her, most notably when Tink made the Lost Boys attempt to bludgeon her to death. Then she and her brothers are held hostage by Hook.

* Odette from ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' gets kidnapped by Rothbart in the first movie and Zelda in the second one. but she also turns down Rothbart's marriage proposals without a hint of remorse or fear even though she knows he's a powerful sorcerer and he ''killed'' her father. Also, she doesn't exactly wait for Derek to show up and does everything she can to try and let him know where she is and what he has to do.

* ''Film/{{Kimi}}'': Angela escapes the thugs after some other people come to her help twice.

This is a type of LivingMacGuffin. ChainedToARock is an ancient form; GirlInTheTower and HypnotizeThePrincess came later. Damsels may also be BoundAndGagged or put into UnwillingSuspension, especially when it satisfies AuthorAppeal.

** ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'': Maid Marian is a lovely [[ProperLady]] but almost completely helpless, even when her love is about to be executed right before her eyes. However, she manages to convince Prince John to spare Robin through The [[PowerofLove]] and hits a guard aiming for Robin with a pie, which just goes to show how helpful she can be when she tries.

*** [[spoiler: This could serve as a foreshadowing of that trope being eventually flipped on its head at the end when the princesses take advantage of that crossover by saving Ralph from [[DistressedDude falling to his doom.]]]]

*** [[spoiler: This could serve as a foreshadowing of that trope being eventually flipped on its head at the end when the princesses take advantage of that crossover by saving Ralph from [[DistressedDude falling to his doom]].

*** [[spoiler: This could serve as a foreshadowing of that trope being eventually flipped on its head at the end when the princesses take advantage of that crossover by saving Ralph from [[DistressedDude falling to his doom.]]