History Main / GlassyPrison

* In ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode, "The Silence", a chatty fellow lives in a glass cell in the middle of a [[SmokyGentlemensClub Gentlemen's Club]] so he can prove he's keeping his wager to stay silent for an entire year.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': At the end of the game [[spoiler:Regime Superman]] appears to have been placed in one of these. One of the stages in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' takes place in front of it, with [[spoiler:Regime Superman]] pacing back and forth and watching the fight.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': At the end of the game [[spoiler:Regime Superman]] appears to have been placed in one of these.

* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': The SHIELD Helicarrier contains one as a TailorMadePrison for the Hulk but they are using it to hold Loki that can be dropped 30,000-odd feet out of the bottom of the ship at the push of a button.

Being imprisoned in such a manner, functionally [[PeopleZoo on exhibit]] for the captors, may be a demeaning moment, or an opportunity to show how self assured the character is. Possibly a result of the character falling victim to TheCollector. Overlaps with HumanPopsicle if the character is rendered immobile.

This trope comes into action when a character is deliberately placed within a transparent cage to hold them. This transparent material can be glass, another material, or SomeSortOfForceField. If only one wall is transparent, then it's a ForceFieldDoor or a material version thereof.

So a character has been busted, [[BoobyTrap caught]], kidnapped, jailed ... whatever. It's not uncommon for characters to be captured, in fact it's par for the course for most villains. But the situation does call for a character to be contained somewhere, and what better choice than a transparent cell where your captors can trace your every move and expression? Maybe if they're feeling generous, a little conversation wouldn't go amiss.

Being imprisoned in such a manner, where you are displayed in the same style as [[PeopleZoo an exhibit]], can either be a riveting or a demeaning moment for our characters. Possibly could be a side effect if the character falls victim to TheCollector, or could overlap into HumanPopsicle stage if taken to a sinister extreme.

This trope comes into action when a character is deliberately placed within a transparent cage to hold them akin to a prison cell. This transparent material can stretch past glass such as plastic, ice, water, resin or any material where the captor can visually see the captive.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': The Water Prison Technique fits this trope perfectly. Once trapped within one, the target is unable to move due to the sheer heaviness of water.
* Snow of ''Manga/{{MAR}}'' interestingly averts this trope, as she encases herself in ice when she first appears though its made quite clear that she can only stay in her ice prison for a couple of hours before she freezes to death.

* ''Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica'': The Pleiades Saints, Kazumi's teammates, are horrifically doing this to [[spoiler: other magical girls after harvesting their soul gems]] effectively turning them into [[HumanPopsicle human popsciles]].
* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'': [[spoiler:R!]]Sakura and [[spoiler:R!]]Syaoran voluntarily enter one of these, where they are separated from each other for a long period of time as their [[spoiler:price for one of Yuuko's wishes]].

* The blue canine-like alien Stitch, of ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'' is firstly introduced to the audience in a holding cell of this variety. He's not happy to be in one to put it lightly.
* ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' features Cale Tucker being held in the brig of the Drej mothership. The door to his cell is a transparent energy barrier.

* [[spoiler: Raoul Silva]] in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' is taken captive by Bond and is incarcerated in a glass cell before being interogated by M. Due to the visable nature of him within the cell, this makes his [[spoiler: escape]] all the more chilling.

* ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'': The BigBad, John Harrison (Cumberbatch), looks quite smug from within his cell.
* ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'': Hannibal Lecter's cell at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane is the only one in the unit to have a glass wall facing the hallway whereas the others have normal bars, as he's by far the most dangerous inmate there.
* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': The SHIELD Helicarrier contains one as a TailorMadePrison for the Hulk but they are using it to hold Loki that can be dropped 30,000-odd feet out of the bottom of the ship at the push of a button. [[spoiler:He escapes (surprise, surprise) and traps Thor in it, who escapes by smashing his hammer through the glass.]]
* ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'': Loki ends up in one of these again in Asgard's dungeons, with energy fields instead of glass.

** ''Film/XMen1'': Although not made out of glass, [[spoiler:Magneto]] is imprisoned within a plastic, transparent prison at the end.

* In ''Film/{{Clockstoppers}}'', the corporation responsible for creating the hypertime watch keep an accomplice who attempted to escape earlier in a prison cell made of glass in the center of the lab floor. He was in hyper-time, meaning that the onlookers couldn't see him, but he wrote disdainful messages on the walls of his cell that could be seen after spending a week in hypertime and aging prematurely.
* In ''Film/AustinPowers'' ''Goldmember'', Dr. Evil was imprisoned in transparent prison where everyone can see his every move, even when he takes a wizz.

* In ''Literature/TheButterflyGarden'', the Garden consists of corridors of glass-walled cells, heavy walls lower when the gardening staff arrives to hide the kidnapped girls. Then there are the display cases along the hallways; [[YourDaysAreNumbered when a Butterfly turns twenty-one]] the Gardener murders her and preserves her body in a glass cell filled with resin, the butterfly tattooed on her back facing out.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', when the protagonist Chell is [[spoiler:tricked into GLaDOS's trap]], she is contained in a glass cell, similar to the cell at the start of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''.

* The US military lock Carl Creel in one in the AgentsOfSHIELD episode [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E1Shadows "Shadows"]].

* The US military lock Carl Creel in one in the AgentsOfSHIELD episode "Shadows".

* ''Film/XMen'':
** Although not made out of glass, [[spoiler: Magneto]] is imprisoned within a plastic, transparent prison at the end of ''Film/XMen1''.
** In ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', large panes of glass form the ceiling of Magneto's cell underneath the Pentagon.

* ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'': Hannibal Lecter's cell at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane is the only one in the unit to have a glass wall facing the hallway whereas the other have normal bars, as he's by far the most dangerous inmate there.

* ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'': Hannibal Lecter goes through a number of glass cages, from a glass-fronted cell in the beginning to a glass-on-all-sides enclosure he eventually escapes from.

* ''Film/TheAvengers'': The SHIELD Helicarrier contains one as a TailorMadePrison for the Hulk but they are using it to hold Loki that can be dropped 30,000-odd feet out of the bottom of the ship at the push of a button. [[spoiler:He escapes (surprise, surprise) and traps Thor in it, who escapes by smashing his hammer through the glass.]]

* In ''Film/AustinPowers'' ''Goldmember'', Dr Evil was imprisoned in transparent prison where everyone can see his every move, even when he takes a wizz.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': At the end of the game [[spoiler:evil]] superman appears to have been placed in one of these.

* ''Film/{{Species}}'': The young Sil is held inside a confinement area with glass walls. When the project director decides to kill her with poison gas, she [[SoftGlass: breaks through the glass]] and [[EscapedFromTheLab escapes the laboratory]].

* ''Film/{{Species}}'': The young Sil is held inside a confinement area with glass walls. When the project director decides to kill her with poison gas, she [[SoftGlass: breaks through the glass]] and escapes the laboratory.

* ''Film/{{Species}}'': The young Sil is held inside a confinement area with glass walls. When the project director decides to kill her with poison gas, she breaks through the glass and escapes the laboratory.

* ''Film/TheAvengers'': The SHIELD Helicarrier contains one as a TailorMadePrison for the Hulk but they are using it to hold SelfDemonstrating/{{Loki}} that can be dropped 30,000-odd feet out of the bottom of the ship at the push of a button. [[spoiler:He escapes (surprise, surprise) and traps Thor in it, who escapes by smashing his hammer through the glass.]]

* ''TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'' has Alex and her family trapped in one of these.