History Main / HesBack

* In ''WesternAnimation/XMen97', [[spoiler:After Storm is {{Depower}}ed by a weapon made by the X-Cutioner, she runs off in depression. When the demonic entity known as the Adversary attempts to feed on her fear and self-loathing, Storm is able to realize that a device Forge used to repower her ''did'' work, it was her fear of her powers that was holding her back. She defiantly rejects the Adversary and gives an amazing BringIt speech as her powers kick back in]].

* Music/JohnLennon's "He's Back (or "They're Back" if you appreciate Yoko Ono's work as well) was cut short by his murder. After five years of retirement, they'd recorded and released ''Double Fantasy'' in the fall of 1980. They had [[WhatMightHaveBeen a lot more work planned]] and demo-recorded, much of it now available.

** Yang spends the TimeSkip between Volumes 3 and 4 in a HeroicBSOD following the events of Volume 3 before she's able to pull herself back together. [[spoiler:Her disastrous defeat at the hands of Adam Taurus during the fall of Beacon leaves her struggling to find a road to recovery throughout Volume 4, while her sister Ruby travels the world trying to find out who was responsible for the destruction of Beacon. She begins to take the first steps only when she realises her father had to choose which of his two daughters to protect because he can't be in two places at once. By the end of the volume, she's mastered the cybernetic arm General Ironwood commissioned for her, color-coded it to suit her style, and is racing through the wilds of Anima on her motorcycle to reunite with Ruby.]]
** When Ozpin's [[AwfulTruth secret]] is revealed in Volume 6, all of the heroes [[BrokenPedestal lose their trust]] in him; when even [[UndyingLoyalty Qrow]] turns on him, [[BigGood Ozpin]] tearfully accepts their recriminations and [[HeroicBSOD abandons the fight]] against [[BigBad Salem]]. It takes him some time to pull himself back together and return. [[spoiler:He seals himself so deeply inside Oscar's mind, even [[LegacyCharacter Oscar]] cannot reach him. However, [[GenieInABottle Jinn]] stated in her vision that, no matter what happens or how crushing his burden becomes, Oz [[{{Determinator}} always returns]] to the responsibilities the Gods have given him. When Ironwood [[KickTheMoralityPet shoots Oscar]] off a ledge in Atlas' Vault, shattering his Aura in the process, Oscar resigns himself to death. Ozpin's voice calling him is accompanied by his [[SupernaturalGoldEyes eyes flashing gold]] the way they do when Ozpin takes control before returning to their normal colour. Oscar then reaches for his cane and activates it, allowing him to summon powerful magic and survive falling all the way from [[FloatingContinent Atlas]] to Mantle's surface. Upon landing, Oscar realises that the [[MagicKnight power]] and [[PastLifeMemories memories]] he now has are proof that Ozpin truly has returned. He then asks Ozpin to help him save Atlas.]]
** After being traumatized and mauled in the volume 3 finale, Cinder Fall loses a great deal of the cunning and manipulative prowess that made her so dangerous in the first place, focusing instead on trying to brute force her way through everything. Her plan to topple Haven fails and she's beaten and nearly killed by Raven Branwen, manages to be a SpannerInTheWorks in volume 7 but fails to claim the Maiden powers she was after, and in Volume 8 she foolishly races off after the Maiden power even when Salem told her to stay put and gets humiliated. After Arthur Watts gives her a vicious TheReasonYouSuckSpeech on her motives and how poorly her plans have turned out as of late, she takes it to heart [[spoiler: and proceeds to wrap him and her EnigmaticMinion around her finger, counter the heroes' plans near perfectly, net herself two Relics, destroy both Atlas and Mantle, and kill Watts and Penny while tossing ''all'' of Team RWBY into a void with only her lack of knowledge of how the void worked preventing her from [[HeroKiller killing all the protagonists]] in one fell swoop.]] After four volumes of increasingly trying and failing to maintain her menace, she creates the single biggest victory yet for Salem, who welcomes her back with open arms.
** Ruby gets one herself with Volume 9. Since Volume 3, Ruby's optimism and cheerfulness is constantly smashed in its face with various reveals and situations, culminating in the events mentioned in Cinder's entry above. She, unwittingly, finds herself manipulated by both [[spoiler:the Curious Cat, who wants to perform a GrandTheftMe on her, and Neo, who wants revenge on Ruby for Torchwick's death. When Neo breaks Ruby, she ends up performing an ascension, intending on being someone new. However, she ultimately learns that she doesn't need to be anyone new, just BeYourself, and she comes back fully rejuvenated and full of optimism once more, kicking the Curious Cat's ass for its actions, though showing remorse for Neo as she decides to ascend herself, realizing she was just as broken as she was]].

** Aang from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' makes a [[BigDamnHeroes triumphant reappearance]] in the finale, [[spoiler:destroying Ozai's airship as it enters the Earth Kingdom]].

** In the sequel series ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', his successor Korra follows suit at the beginning of Book 4 after [[spoiler:being tortured, traumatized, and poisoned by the Red Lotus]] at the end of Book 3. Notably, it took a 3-year {{Timeskip}} and 4 episodes to do it. Unusually for this trope, Korra has to come back multiple times on different levels. First she has to physically remove the poison from her body, and then she has to emotionally confront the root of her trauma.
* An excellent moment occurs in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "I Am the Night." Already wondering if his crusade is doing any good at all, Batman snaps when Commissioner Jim Gordon is wounded after he's late helping Gotham Police during a bust, due the the Dark Knight visiting the site of his parent's death as it happens to be the anniversary. He's so broken by this, he considers hanging up the mantle of the bat even when Dick Grayson comes by to give him some moral support. Later on, word gets out that the man who put Gordon in the hospital is now looking to finish what he started. Dick attempts to rally Bruce to the scene, but he is unresponsive, and in the end Dick heads out as Robin to guard Gordon himself. And then just when Robin's getting ready to leave the the Bat Cave, he's stopped by Bruce, decked out once again in his Batman costume.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'': In "[[Recap/FuturamaS2E11HowHermesRequisitionedHisGrooveBack How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back]]", there were two examples. Bender's personality chip was removed by Morgan Proctor and hidden in the Augean files of the Central Bureaucracy, leaving Bender unable to say anything other than "I am Bender; please insert girder" in an emotionless monotone. It was explained that, in order to find it in time would require an atomic powered sorting machine, at which point Hermes calls out from the balcony "You rang?", his confidence having been restored. Then, when Bender's personality is successfully restored, he declares "I am Bender, baby! Please insert liquor!"

** A rare HeelFaceTurn version in WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks. After the first movie, former-AlphaBitch Sunset Shimmer spends the entire sequel trying to find acceptance and atone for her cruelty, but has trouble with this when everyone outside the Humane Six look at her with contempt, and is no better than an outsider to our heroines. Even when she tries to stand up to the [[BigBad Dazzlings]], she gets knocked down a few pegs for her troubles, and everything that follows only serves to try and break her even more. And yet, despite everything she faced, when [[BigGood Twilight Sparkle]] calls out for her help, she only has a second of hesitation [[JumpedAtTheCall before she turns to face the Dazzlings down and fight alongside her friends]]. And her reward for her ordeal? [[spoiler:[[TransformationSequence She unlocks her own magic]] and [[SixthRanger transforms into her pony form alongside the Rainbooms]]. That moment when she poses with a hand on her hip and a cocky smirk? That's when you know [[HesBack she's back]]]].

** After spending the first half of the final season battling with depression, WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack is reminded by [[spoiler:a {{Heel Face Turn}}ed Ashi]] just how much good he's done. It works -- he regains his HeroicResolve [[spoiler:just when he was on the edge of committing {{Seppuku}}]]. This is followed up in in the next episode, as he undergoes a VisionQuest wherein he finally vanquishes the inner rage and despair that have been haunting him all season, finally earning the right to [[spoiler: have his sword returned to him]], which fully restores him to how he was in the previous seasons.
** After spending most of the final season battling his own depression and refusing to even ''spy'' on Jack out of perceived uselessness, [[BigBad Aku]] himself finds his fire rekindled when his [[LosingYourHead damaged]] minion Scaramouche finally arrives at his fortress after his battle with Jack in the first episode to tell him [[spoiler:Jack has lost his magic sword and thus the only way to kill him]]. Aku is so elated he restores Scaramouche and heads off to confront Jack [[spoiler:only to find Scaramouche was too late with the information and [[YouHaveFailedMe kills the robot]]. However, this act lets him figure out [[LukeIAmYourFather Ashi's relationship to him as his daughter]] and [[IHaveYourWife at last disarm and have his greatest opponent at his mercy]]]]. Thus, Aku is fully restored to how he was in the previous seasons as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Adora spends most of the episode "Beast Island" wrestling with her self-doubt, her guilt over her damaged friendship with Glimmer, and the depression-inducing Signal that pervades the island -- and it doesn't help that the Sword of Protection isn't working. When she, Bow, Swift Wind, and [[spoiler:Micah]] are all succumbing to the Signal, their eyes dulling, creepy vines wrapping around them, Adora gets a montage of memories of Glimmer, starting with their time at loggerheads but gradually being overtaken by memories of happier times. Then, [[PowerGlows her eyes start glowing]], and her TransformationSequence begins…
* An interesting inversion comes in the middle of the 15th season of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. Stan turns ten, and suddenly begins to view everything around him in a much more… erm… crappy light. At the end of the two-episode long arc, he's back… but only with [[DrowningMySorrows a bit of help]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'': In the episode, "Pickles", Spongebob has his confidence shaken after failing to provide the exact order Bubble Bass wanted. So much so, that he completely forgets how to make a Krabby Patty and takes a temporary leave from the Krusty Krab. Soon after though, he returns to confront Bubble Bass once again to thunderous applause, this time exposing the fact that he had a pickle under his tongue the entire time and restoring his honor as a fry cook.

* In 'Fanfic/APrizeForThreeEmpires'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]] quits ComicBook/TheAvengers and tries to lead a normal life until she sees a villain beating Iron Man down on TV.

** This happens to the main characters in the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 The Return of Harmony, Part 2]] of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' after being [[BreakTheCutie emotionally broken]] and brainwashed by [[BigBad Discord]].

* In "[[Recap/FuturamaS2E11HowHermesRequisitionedHisGrooveBack How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back]]" an episode of ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'', there were two examples. Bender's personality chip was removed by Morgan Proctor and hidden in the Augean files of the Central Bureaucracy, leaving Bender unable to say anything other than "I am Bender; please insert girder" in an emotionless monotone. It was explained that, in order to find it in time would require an atomic powered sorting machine, at which point Hermes calls out from the balcony "You rang?", his confidence having been restored. Then, when Bender's personality is successfully restored, he declares "I am Bender, baby! Please insert liquor!"

The distinguishing mark between TenMinuteRetirement and PassingTheTorch. The [[StatusQuoIsGod 'good' ending]] of WeUsedToBeFriends. It is also sister to BackInTheSaddle which is about a person who is physically out of the fight, either retired, promotion, or some physical injury inhibiting the person, where as this is about a HeroicBSOD. See ConscienceMakesYouGoBack and ChangedMyMindKid. See also TheCavalry and BigDamnHeroes, which can overlap with this. If the character needs to gather a couple of things before they can make a full comeback, than this will either precede or coincide with a JourneyOfReclamation.

The distinguishing mark between TenMinuteRetirement and PassingTheTorch. The [[StatusQuoIsGod 'good' ending]] of WeUsedToBeFriends. It is also sister to BackInTheSaddle which is about a person who is physically out of the fight, either retired, promotion, or some physical injury inhibiting the person, where as this is about a HeroicBSOD. See ConscienceMakesYouGoBack and ChangedMyMindKid. See also TheCavalry and BigDamnHeroes, which can overlap with this. If the character needs to gather a couple of things before they can make a full comeback, than this will either precede or coincide with a JourneyOfReclamtion.

The distinguishing mark between TenMinuteRetirement and PassingTheTorch. The [[StatusQuoIsGod 'good' ending]] of WeUsedToBeFriends. It is also sister to BackInTheSaddle which is about a person who is physically out of the fight, either retired, promotion, or some physical injury inhibiting the person, where as this is about a HeroicBSOD. See ConscienceMakesYouGoBack and ChangedMyMindKid. See also TheCavalry and BigDamnHeroes, which can overlap with this.

** A rare HeelFaceTurn version in WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks. After the first movie, former-AlphaBitch Sunset Shimmer spends the entire sequel trying to find acceptance and atone for her cruelty, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome but has trouble with this when everyone outside the Humane Six look at her with contempt]], and is no better than an outsider to our heroines. Even when she tries to stand up to the [[BigBad Dazzlings]], she gets knocked down a few pegs for her troubles, and everything that follows only serves to try and break her even more. And yet, despite everything she faced, when [[BigGood Twilight Sparkle]] calls out for her help, she only has a second of hesitation [[JumpedAtTheCall before she turns to face the Dazzlings down and fight alongside her friends]]. And her reward for her ordeal? [[spoiler:[[TransformationSequence She unlocks her own magic]] and [[SixthRanger transforms into her pony form alongside the Rainbooms]]. That moment when she poses with a hand on her hip and a cocky smirk? That's when you know [[HesBack she's back]]]].

* In 'Fanfic/APrizeForThreeEmpires'', ComicBook/CarolDanvers quits ComicBook/TheAvengers and tries to lead a normal life until she sees a villain beating Iron Man down on TV.

---->[[spoiler:'''Optimus''': "Megatron (deploys battle mask, camera cut's to Megatron's OhCrap face, cut's back to Optimus pulling his fist back), be gone!"]]

---->[[spoiler:'''Optimus''': "Megatron, be gone!"]]

* The American fast food chain Advertising/JackInTheBox began an ad campaign named "Jack's Back" in 1994, where they brought out a man with a head made of the clown toy the franchise was known for until 1980. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-rgqDhnLoU During the first commercial]] of the campaign, he sets off a bomb that blows up the company's Boardroom, giving them ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine. This references [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgdUHBRZ-4Q an infamous 1980 commercial]] that ended with a Jack in the Box drive thru radio being blown up, and has been accused by some fans of heralding a DorkAge for the company punctuated by a food contamination scandal and a poorly-received, quickly-reversed rebranding attempt.

* The American fast food chain Jack in the Box began an ad campaign named "Jack's Back" in 1994, where they brought out a man with a head made of the clown toy the franchise was known for until 1980. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-rgqDhnLoU During the first commercial]] of the campaign, he sets off a bomb that blows up the company's Boardroom, giving them ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine. This references [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgdUHBRZ-4Q an infamous 1980 commercial]] that ended with a Jack in the Box drive thru radio being blown up, and has been accused by some fans of heralding a DorkAge for the company punctuated by a food contamination scandal and a poorly-received, quickly-reversed rebranding attempt.

* The American fast food chain Jack in the Box began an ad campaign named "Jack's Back" in 1994, where they brought out a man with a head made of the clown toy the franchise was known for until 1980. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-rgqDhnLoU During the first commercial]] of the campaign, he sets off a bomb that blows up the company's Boardroom, giving them ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine. This references [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgdUHBRZ-4Q an infamous 1980 commercial]] that ended with a Jack in the Box drive thru radio being blown up, and has been accused by some fans of heralding a DorkAge for the company punctuated by a food contamination scandal and a poorly-received rebranding attempt.