History Main / EngineeredHeroics

* ''EncyclopediaBrown'' - Encyclopedia catches a guy in the act when he notices that [[spoiler: his glasses emerge unscathed]] despite putting them in a place that supposedly took a lot of punches.

* A variation occurs in ''{{Tangled}}'': [[spoiler: in her pursuit of Rapunzel, Mother Gothel strikes up an alliance with the Stabbington Brothers. She tricks them into thinking they'll get Rapunzel, whom they plan to sell to the highest bidder, and when they advance on the girl, she knocks them both unconscious, making it look like an impromptu rescue.]]

The inverse of a WoundedGazelleGambit. Compare MakeItLookLikeAStruggle.

* On ''StargateAtlantis'', Lucius Lavin goes into the EngineeredHeroics business after his MindControl empire falls through. When the protagonists show up, the hired villains, as their sworn enemies, perform some actual villainy.

* In ''TheSimpsons'' episode "Homer Goes To College", Homer plans to get his nerd friends unexpelled by having them save the Dean from being hit by Homers car... unfortunately the nerds distract themselves considering the impact of wind resistance on their calculation and miss their cue, leaving the Dean to get run down.
* In the ''AmericanDad'' pilot, Stan stages a purse-snatching at the mall so that his son can save the day and be more attractive to the ladies. He unfortunately goes overboard, completely forgetting to let Steve catch him.

* In the ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "The Best Night Ever", Rainbow Dash does this to get the attention of the Wonderbolts at a crowded party, bucking a guest and then rushing in to "rescue" him. It doesn't work.

* In the ''AmericanDad'' pilot, Stan stages a purse-snatching at the mall so that his son can save the say and be more attractive to the ladies. He unfortunately goes overboard, completely forgetting to let Steve catch him.

->''Huh, err, sir, you don't understand. I'm a professional beach bully. I pretend to steal your girl, you punch me, I go down, she swoons, you slip me 50 bucks.''\\

Basically, this trope is for when a character sets up a situation that seems like a spontaneous feat of derring-do, but is actually a deliberately concocted situation. Usually involves the use of a friend as an aggressor, though this runs the risk of [[MistakenForAnImposter an actual aggressor showing up]].

* {{Scrubs}} deconstructs a version of this, where J.D. pays a hobo to fake a heart attack in front of his new girlfriend so he can rescue him. The Hobo then proceeds to demand more money when J.D. tries it again and again.

* Scrubs deconstructs a version of this, where J.D. pays a hobo to fake a heart attack in front of his new girlfriend so he can rescue him. The Hobo then proceeds to demand more money when J.D. tries it again and again.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* A variation occurs in ''{{Tangled}}'': [[spoiler: in her pursuit of Rapunzel, Mother Gothel strikes up an alliance with the Stabbington Brothers. She tricks them into thinking they'll get Rapunzel, whom they plan to sell to the highest bidder, and when they advance on the girl, she knocks them both unconscious, making it look like an impromptu rescue.]]

->Huh, err, sir, you don't understand. I'm a professional beach bully. I pretend to steal your girl, you punch me, I go down, she swoons, you slip me 50 bucks.\\

''Monk'': Played straight and subverted in episode [[spoiler:Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger]].

Basically, this trope is for when a character sets up a situation that seems like a spontaneous feat of derring-do, but is actually a deliberately concocted situation. Usually involves the use of a friend as an aggressor, though this runs the risk of [[MistakenForImposter an actual aggressor showing up]].