History Main / EvilIsNotAToy

** Invoked in the penultimate episode of the show: Lex Luthor attempts to revive Brainiac from his last known gravesite so he can team up with him again. To do this, he uses the {{Evil Sorcere|r}}ss Tala as a conduit to revive him, a process which will kill her. Unfortunately for Lex, said area was also the gravesite of PhysicalGod and GalacticConqueror [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], and you get no points for guessing which one of the two [[DyingCurse Tala ends up reviving as a final 'gift' to the man who killed her.]]

EatTheSummoner is a SubTrope. See also ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil. If Bob created the evil in the first place, it's a case of TurnedAgainstTheirMasters. When the evil actually ''is'' a toy, it may coincide with MyLittlePanzer, KillerRabbit, or SealedEvilInATeddyBear. Should the Evil be an ArtifactOfDoom, then it may be an example of ArtifactDomination. And if the Evil in question is a GreaterScopeVillain, expect the lesson to be particularly painful. Contrast HolyIsNotSafe, where concentrated goodness is similarly threatening, HijackingCthulhu, where the "lesser" evil really does make a toy of the "greater" one, and WithMyDyingBreathISummonYou, where the summoner dies before the evil does anything to him.

* This is one of his main reasons as to why Ethan Hunt wants to destroy the Entity in ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne''. He believes it has become too powerful and dangerous for humanity to control, and therefore, it must be destroyed at all costs.

* In the Season 1 finale of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'', BigBad Pythor P. Chumsworth awakes [[SealedEvilInACan an ancient, giant beast known as the Great Devourer]] thinking he could control her, the first thing she does after awakening is devouring Pythor and Wu alive, [[spoiler: both survive after the Devourer's destruction by Lord Garmadon, but Pythor's skin and voice become affected by the Devourer's venom, and he seeks revenge against the Ninja for this un later seasons]].

* In ''ComicBook/AthenaVoltaire and the Immortal Power'', Major Klimt and Herr Faust (a MeaningfulName, that) ''really'' don't know what they're doing, and Athena thinks the smart response would be to just sit back and watch the fireworks.

* In the ''ComicBook/DaredevilChipZdarsky'' storyline ''ComicBook/DevilsReign'', we find out that [[TheManBehindTheMan the ones that got]] Wilson Fisk into power as New York's mayor are Uma and Quinn Stromwynd. In the final issue, [[spoiler:Fisk's other son Butch takes the disgraced mayor to the Stromwynds to clear his name of killing Matt Murdock (but not really him) and set him up to run for President]]. Fisk's response: break them to prove a point.
* ComicBook/DoctorStrange used the power of the demonic entity Zom to bolster his magics on at least two occasions. Both times the power used him far more than he used it, and after the second time he renounced both it and the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. He didn't get his title back until years later, once he'd demonstrated that he could use dark magic without letting it get out of his control and without hurting anyone else.

* In ''ComicBook/HackSlash'', a company named Ceutotech captures various [[SerialKiller Sla]][[RevenantZombie shers]] and tries studying them, with the intent to replicate their HealingFactor and adapt it for cosmetic purposes. Predictably, the Slashers end up escaping, wreaking havoc in the facility and Ceutotech's head Emily Christie gets turned into a Slasher herself for her trouble.

* A lot of ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'s enemies seem to think that they can use the Right Hand of Doom and [[EldritchAbomination Ogdru Jahad]] for their own ends (even Hell), while it is implied that they would merely destroy all of reality. It's a recurring theme among others who don't try to use the Ogdru Jahad. Sorcerers and witches who traffic with demons die painful deaths and are sucked down to Hell. TheFairFolk and witches revive a mad [[Myth/TheLadyOfTheLake Nimue]] to wage war on humanity. The results are far more horrifying than anyone expected.

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': One storyline has Mordu, an enemy of the Legion of Superheroes, summon the Justice League and Justice Society to the 30th century so they can recover three artifacts a set of demons were sealed in, previously held on the Justice League's satellite base until it was destroyed (which hasn't happened for the JLA yet). They do so, and he summons the demons... who immediately tell Mordu to piss off and blast him, leaving the JLA, JSA, and Legion to deal with three insanely powerful demons.
* In ''ComicBook/JLAALeagueOfOne'', a bunch of goblins, who have become peaceful and complacent, find the sealed tomb of their mistress, the colossal dragon Drakul Karfang, and wake her up in a bid to regain their importance. First thing she does upon waking up is to taint them into mindless monsters and send them off to assault the towns above.
* In ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueVsSuicideSquad'', [[spoiler:Max Lord obtains the Heart of Darkness, takes possession of the powered members of the Justice League, then proceeds to take over the United States. When he brings in Amanda Waller to show her the fruits of his labor, he boasts that he has everything under control, even using a tattoo to protect him from the gem's owner. However, when Waller shows Max that he's sent the world into chaos, Max is horrified. Then Eclipso takes over his body]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' loves this trope:

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' opens with Dream being torn out of his realm and imprisoned by a group of magisters who thought they could summon Death as a neat trick.
* ''ComicBook/SatansHollow'' revolves around a Satanic cult trying to open a portal to hell through HumanSacrifice. In the backstory, their previous leader messed up the ritual when his last victim escaped, and was turned into a LivingShadow by the Devil as punishment for his failure. [[spoiler:The epilogue shows that the same fate has befallen his partner-in-crime.]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] realize just how badly they underestimated Characters/TheSentry/Void's power and evil.

* A group of devil worshippers happened to be present when ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' comes back from hell. They stupidly ask him if the devil sent him, and he ignores them. Later, Spawn's foe Violator seems to have eaten them all.
* In ''New ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' #1, Amanda Waller loses full control of the team of supervillains and has to share it with Victor Sage. Unlike Waller, however, Sage treats the Squad (sorry, Task Force X) like his personal fantasy league, introducing stupid changes like renaming the team Task Force XL, hiring [[OnlyInItForTheMoney the extremely mercenary]] Characters/{{Deathstroke}} ''without the requisite ExplosiveLeash'' and putting together Characters/{{Harley Quinn|TheCharacter}} (who recently gave up on the Joker for good) and LoonyFan Duela Dent (the self-proclaimed "Joker's Daughter"), [[TooDumbToLive in a bid to draw the Joker out of hiding so that they can put him on the team]]. Deathstroke betrays the team five minutes in, Harley brutally beats up Duela, and due to Sage's incompetence, Deadshot's aim is crippled. Waller chews him out for his colossal ego and absolute lack of foresight.

* In ''ComicBook/TexWiller'', [[EvilSorceror Mefisto]] is careful not to ask too much from his demonic allies lest they demand too great a price or straight out kill him and won't make an explicit DealWithTheDevil because he fears the consequences of failing to hold his side of the deal (implicit ones for small things, on the other hand, are fair game). He warns his son Yama against making an explicit deal, but Yama doesn't listen... And while the first time he has the sense to do his part ''before'' demanding a new power, the second time he offers the soul of one of his followers in exchange for his temple becoming hell on Earth and fails to deliver, immediately proving his father had been correct and gets his soul ripped off and driven to insanity.

** "ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga": Mastermind mind-raped Jean Grey into letting her dark side out, never expecting her to become Dark Phoenix and mind-rape him.
* ''ComicBook/XMenRed2022:'' As the series begins, Abigail Brand decides to use Vulcan as a part of her plans. However, Vulcan's MaskOfSanity is starting to slip so badly that even a scrub of a telepath like Mentallo can see it. He tries warning her, but it's not clear if Brand's actually listening.

* Inverted in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1048901/42/Stygian-Solace Stygian Solace]]''. Due [[ForWantOfANail Riku's unavailability as a host]], [[BigBad Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]] gets the next best person [[spoiler: Kairi]]. However, this results in the creation of Yami as Ansem's heartless is slowly purified [[spoiler: by Kairi's pure heart]].

EatTheSummoner is a SubTrope. See also ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil. If Bob created the evil in the first place, it's a case of TurnedAgainstTheirMasters. When the evil actually ''is'' a toy, it may coincide with MyLittlePanzer, KillerRabbit, or SealedEvilInATeddyBear. If the Evil in question is a GreaterScopeVillain, expect the lesson to be particularly painful. Contrast HolyIsNotSafe, where concentrated goodness is similarly threatening, HijackingCthulhu, where the "lesser" evil really does make a toy of the "greater" one, and WithMyDyingBreathISummonYou, where the summoner dies before the evil does anything to him.

* Happens more than once in the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' franchise. Creating monsters almost never works in the creator's favor, and neither does blindly trusting genocidal aliens. For example, MadScientist Doctor Mafune's mad scheme to aid the Black Hole Aliens and control Titanosaurus in ''Film/TerrorOfMechagodzilla'' ended badly. The aliens betray him in the clima, one of them using him as a HumanShield before he dies.

* The Phoenix Force is the big topic of ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen''. ComicBook/TheAvengers are on this side of the trope thanks to Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}}, while [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] believes that the Force will bring back mutantkind, which has been largely depowered. When five mutants gain control of the Phoenix Force, the Avengers grab hold of the IdiotBall as they continue to espouse this trope.

* ''Fanfic/MischiefMHA'': Much like Hank Pym before him, [[spoiler:David Shield attempted to use Ultron as a means to preserve the world's peace once All Might is gone. As soon as the scientist activates it to save him and his friends from the Brotherhood mercenaries attacking I-Expo, the malevolent A.I. immediately betrays his resurrector and sets in motion his plan for the extinction of humankind.]]

** ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': The mob finally turns to [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] to take down their ever-growing nemesis Franchise/{{Batman}}. [[ForTheEvulz However, they don't fully understand what drives the Joker...]]. He ends up burning all of the mob's money and (directly or indirectly) leading to the deaths of the most powerful mob bosses in Gotham. His machinations cripple the mob in a way Batman could have never dreamed of.
** ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'': Characters/{{Ba|tmanBane}}ne is hired by Daggett to commit a robbery on the Stock Exchange and bankrupt Bruce Wayne. As it turns out, Bane was [[DragonWithAnAgenda using Daggett all along]], with Bane ultimately [[spoiler: betraying and killing him]].

* In the film version of ''Film/TheWave1981'', a teacher [[PuttingOnTheReich starts a youth movement]] to make his [[EnforcedMethodActing lessons about autocracies more immersive]]. While the students initially [[JustFollowingOrders play along]] just to humor him, the Wave soon [[CycleOfRevenge spreads beyond his control]]. [[HeelRealization Realizing]] that [[BecomingTheMask he also got into his leader role a bit too much]], he summons the class together to call the whole thing off and [[ShamingTheMob show what they have become]]. [[PsychoSupporter The class outcast]] refuses to believe it and whips out a loaded gun.

The Sealed Evil in a Can will inevitably turn on the one who freed it — sometimes sooner, sometimes later. After all, once Bob has freed the evil, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he's already done the one thing it needed him for]]. In many cases, it turns out to have no [[EvilCannotComprehendGood understanding of loyalty or gratitude at all]]. Bob may end up being killed on the spot, or he may be [[DemonicPossession enslaved]] by the sealed evil — bonus points if the one who freed it sought to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard enslave the evil themselves]]. The sealed evil may make a bargain that it has no intention of honoring (or it may [[FalseReassurance promise Bob he will be rewarded "as he deserves"]]... [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves guess what he deserves?]]). Or it may simply refuse to obey him. If he's ''very'' lucky, Bob may merely be [[DemotedToDragon forced to become the newly-unsealed evil's minion]] on pain of death. In any case, if Bob was the BigBad before, he was really just a DiscOneFinalBoss; the formerly-sealed evil is the true BigBad. In the event that Bob survives, this is a leading cause of EnemyMine twists, since Bob now must seek any allies he can find to deal with the evil that he unleashed.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanfic ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', Clockwork lampshades Vlad's many attempts to gain power beyond his control in his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to him. Vlad is currently trying to steal Clockwork's power over time. Subverted in this instance because Clockwork beats him instantly before Vlad can do any damage.
--> '''Clockwork''': "Vortex…the Infi-Map…Pariah Dark. Time and again, you've tried to seize control of powers beyond your meager understanding and time and again, you've met with failure. And now you come into my domain with all the forethought of a teenager looking to steal a car for a joyride and brazenly declare that you will take MY power from ME?"

[[folder:Films — Animated]]
* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'', Abis Mal gets pressed into servitude after accidentally summoning the genie Jafar. Jafar accomplishes this by constantly threatening violence against Abis. (The hapless thief is aware that in his world, genies [[ThouShaltNotKill cannot kill]], but Jafar keeps repeating ominously, "You'd be surprised what you can live through.") Also, Jafar is the epitome of the JackassGenie, so it's not like he can make his wishes and be on his way.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

"In their laboratories, they built a child’s toy prototype for ultimate evil—a toddler’s first ultimate evil, as it were. The final product would have had safeties, seals, restrictions."
-->Susan sees the direction of this speech.
-->"But not," she says, "the prototype?"

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 6, the heroes discovered a farm full of dead bodies. According to journals left by the previous owner, the head of the farm Bartleby tried to reduced costs for Huntsmen by catching a type of Grimm called Apathy, which drains the will to live, to suppress emotion and avoid attracting Grimm. The rest of the pack follow them back to the farm, and everyone in the farm becomes too listless to get out of bed, dying where they sleep.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 6, the heroes discovered a farm full of dead bodies. According to journals left by the previous owner, the head of the farm Bartleby tried to reduced costs for Huntsmen by catching a type of Grimm called Apathy, which drains the will to live, to suppress emotion and avoid attracting Grimm. The rest of the pack following them back to the farm, and everyone in the farm becomes too listless to get out of bed, dying where they sleep.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** In Volume 6, the heroes discovered a farm full of dead bodies. According to journals left by the previous owner, the head of the farm Bartleby tried to reduced costs for Huntsmen by catching a type of Grimm called Apathy, which suppresses motivation, which in theory would keep aggression down and not drawn in more vicious Grimm. Instead, it attracted more Apathy, which made the farmers so tired and listless that they died in their beds.
** In Volume 8, when Penny[[note]]Who became the Winter Maiden in Volume 7[[/note]] disagrees with [[GeneralFailure Ironwood's]] decision to raise Atlas and abandon Mantle to the Grimm and joins the heroes, Ironwood decides to force her compliance by having [[EvilGenius Dr. Watts]] hack the RobotGirl...at gunpoint. Instead of acting openly, Watts does his job and then steals Ironwood's scroll to notify Salem. Aware of what Ironwood's up to, Salem attacks Atlas directly.

* In the five-part ''WesternAnimation/{{Centurions}}'' episode "Man or Machine", MadScientist Doc Terror recreates an alien MasterComputer on Earth because they share the same goal--ridding the world of organic lifeforms. Terror assumes that as a {{cyborg}}, he'll be spared. He's wrong.

** [[NebulousEvilOrganisation F.O.W.L.]] decides to find Taurus Bullba (the villain from the pilot and [[KnightOfCerebus one of the only non-goofy villain of the series]]) and [[WeCanRebuildHim rebuild him]] as a {{cyborg}}. He was pissed. His voice is dripping with bitter sarcasm when he says, "So what if I have to drink motor-oil cocktails for the rest of my LIFE?"
** In [[ComicBook/DarkwingDuck the comics]], F.O.W.L. high command decided to revive Duckthulu. [[SarcasmMode Surprisingly,]] Duckthulu thanked them by disposing of them and then continuing to destroy all of reality.

** In the Season 3 finale, Shendu (now a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent spirit]]) pulls this on [[EvilSorcerer Daolon Wong]], who offered to [[BackFromTheDead resurrect him]] in exchange for giving Wong the [[PlayingWithFire Dragon Talisman power]] that Shendu's body will attract[[note]] The physical Talismans that housed the powers were destroyed, releasing the magical powers into the world. Each power would seek out and imbue "the most noble" member of that species with the power (Dog Talisman sought out a dog, Pig Talisman sought out a pig, etc.) Since dragons were extinct, that power had no body to go into to. Resurrecting Shendu would put a dragon back on the Earth, and as the sole dragon he was automatically the most noble one ensuring the power would come to him.[[/note]]. To the surprise of absolutely no one ([[GenreBlindness except for Wong. of course]]), Shendu takes both the Dragon power and the other two Talisman powers ([[EyeBeams Pig]] and [[MindOverMatter Rooster]]) that Wong had acquired earlier.
** One case unrelated to Shendu: In the Season 4 premiere, Daolon Wong prepared a potion that allows him to recreate the seal of the [[EliteMooks Shadowkhan]], with the intent of summoning them so that they can break him and the Enforcers out of Section 13's prison. However, he actually ends up freeing the Shadowkhan's true master Tarakudo, who breaks out the Enforcers and leaves ''him'' there.

* Defied by OP in the ''WebOriginal/ElfslayerChronicles''. The DM tosses the Eye of Blight, a sentient magical artifact, in his way, and he promptly buries it and has nothing more to do with it for the rest of the campaign. He's smart enough to know that a sentient evil artifact called the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Eye of Blight]] is something that cannot be good news for anyone, ''especially'' the wielder.

* ''Manhwa/{{Priest}}'' uses this in the climax of its several-volume-long flashback; a corrupt order of priests have succeeded in opening the Domas Porada, the "can" (and it does rather resemble one) containing the fallen angel Temozerela, believing him to be their savior. Unfortunately, Temozerela isn't too fond of humans... he kills almost the entire order with a single breath (he breathes at them and their heads explode), mocks the leader a bit, and then kills him by making demon faces sprout out all over the leader's body and bite him to death.

** Phenex: Don't listen to his song; in fact, interrupt it as soon as possible (the text doesn't say ''why'', but there's an implication that the conjuror risks becoming ''Phenex's'' errand boy...at best).

* In ''Literature/TheBible'' UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} said that anyone with sufficient faith in Him could [[DemonicPossession cast out demons in the same manner]], but He did caution against attempting this unless you were devout enough to earn the authority to do so. In the ''Literature/ActsOfTheApostles'' the sons of a rabbi try to corner a possessed man and exorcise him in the name of Jesus and Saint Paul. The demon then gives the PreAsskickingOneLiner "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?" before leaving them bloody and somehow naked.

The Sealed Evil in a Can will inevitably turn on the one who freed it — sometimes sooner, sometimes later. After all, once Bob has freed it ,he's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness expendable]]. In many cases, it turns out to have no [[EvilCannotComprehendGood understanding of loyalty or gratitude at all]]. Bob may end up being killed on the spot, or he may be [[DemonicPossession enslaved]] by the sealed evil — bonus points if the one who freed it sought to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard enslave the evil themselves]]. The sealed evil may make a bargain that it has no intention of honoring (or it may [[FalseReassurance promise Bob he will be rewarded "as he deserves"]]... [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves guess what he deserves?]]). Or it may simply refuse to obey him. If he's ''very'' lucky, Bob may merely be [[DemotedToDragon forced to become the newly-unsealed evil's minion]] on pain of death. In any case, if Bob was the BigBad before, he was really just a DiscOneFinalBoss; the formerly-sealed evil is the true BigBad. In the event that Bob survives, this is a leading cause of EnemyMine twists, since Bob now must seek any allies he can find to deal with the evil that he unleashed.

* In ''Literature/TheBible'' UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} said that anyone with sufficient faith in Him could [[DemonicPossession cast out demons in the same manner]], but He did caution against attempting this unless you were devout enough to earn the authority to do so. In the ''Literature/ActsOfTheApostles'' the sons of a rabbi try to corner a possessed man and exorcise him in the name of Jesus and Saint Paul. The demon then gives the PreAsskickingOneLiner "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" before leaving them bloody and somehow naked.

** There is an entire ApocalypseCult dedicated to K'Z'K, filled with mortals willing to destroy the world in return for power. Needless to say, they rarely benefit from it, usually ending up as CannonFodder for their leaders' plans, and it is unlikely K'Z'K would spare them from his extinction event either.