History Main / MidasTouch

** According to one of her two origin stories, the spell was first found by her parents and uncles in an incomplete form, though the book also declared it would make a charm and thus bypass the usual downside. Not being as skilled as Magica, her parents were blown up in the attempt to complete the spell, later leading to Magica's obsession as a way to honor them by completing their work.

* In the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse, the reason Magica De Spell is after Scrooge's NumberOneDime is that it's the final ingredient for a spell to obtain it. Magica being far smarter than most people on this list, the Touch would be the effect of a removable charm, neatly bypassing the usual downside-that, upon believing she had found an adequate substitute, she tried to ''weaponize'' in ''The Treasury of Croesus'' by shaking hands with Donald as soon as she had completed and put on the charm.

* The comic series ''The Midas Flesh'' carries this to an extreme level. Not only does anything Midas touch turn to gold, but anything that touches something he is touching turns to gold as well. This causes him to suffocate when the air in his lungs turns to gold, and eventually the entire planet changes as well, but his body continues to affect everything, slowly turning even the atmosphere into gold. Then a few thousand years later, aliens show up, figure out how the "touch" works, and try to use parts of his body as a weapon.

Subtrope of TheMagicTouch and BlessedWithSuck. Compare to TouchOfDeath.

[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheGoldenTouch https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tgt_4039.jpg]]]] [[caption-width-right:300:[[FridgeLogic Wait, how is he able to hold up a solid gold turkey with one hand]]?]]

[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheGoldenTouch https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tgt_4039.jpg]]]] [[caption-width-right:300:[[FridgeLogic Wait how is he able to hold up a solid gold turkey with one hand]]?]]

[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheGoldenTouch https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tgt_4039.jpg]]]]

** If the Midas touch transforms individual atoms into gold, [[EarthShatteringKaboom Earth would explode]].
** If the Midas touch rearranges atoms into gold without adding any mass, then Earth would implode with enough speed to splatter its inhabitants across its surface, then the resulting shockwave would boil everyone's remains into plasma.
** If the Midas touch completely replaces Earth with a solid gold replica, then surface gravity would grow 3.5 times stronger, and compression of the atmosphere would raise the air temperature. Anyone who doesn't get crushed would bake to death.

A character is given a [[TheMagicTouch special ability so that everything they touch]] turns into a certain substance of superficial value to the character that gets it, such as gold or candy. However, that character soon finds out that this ability is actually undesirable. Often something [[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes Horribly Wrong]] with this new ability and they have to reverse it. [[AnAesop The lesson]] is often that {{Greed}} is bad.

* ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'': "Hercules and the Golden Touch" is a parody of Franchise/JamesBond movies, in which Hercules must stop King Midas from using this ability and sandals stolen from Hermes to turn the entire world into gold. Rather, Midas manipulated Hercules into trying to stop him and held him hostage so that Hermes would deliver the sandals to keep his nephew alive. Marigold (the king's daughter) ultimately helps free Hercules and foil the plan, but Midas vows he'll just try again. When Marigold tries to reason with him, he thoughtlessly clasps her mouth shut and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizes too late what he's just done to her]]. At the suggestion of Hercules, a reformed Midas sincerely begs [[AncientGrome Bacchus]] to remove the Golden Touch and restore everything to normal, and Bacchus grants this request.

* ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' adapted this episode, but turned Midas into an AdaptationalNiceGuy by realizing what he did after accidentally turning a servant into gold when the latter was trying to feed him grapes. He starts praying to the gods, but it's not until his wife and daughter are turned as well that the gods take mercy and give him a solution.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresFromTheBookOfVirtue'': One episode adapted this story when Zack got into a fight with his mother when she refused to buy him a game he wanted. In Plato the bison's version, Midas quickly realizes he made a mistake on seeing that he made his daughter Marigold cry on turning her flowers into gold. (He also left a caterpillar in AndIMustScream mode.) When he accidentally changes her, he runs to the gods and begs them to remove the curse, to save his daughter. Once he gets the water that is the curse, he changes the flowers and Marigold back, apologizing to her. Plato explains that he learned about the little things to appreciate, like a sunny day, roses to smell, and playtime with the one person you love.

* ''Literature/TheChocolateTouch'' is a story about a boy who loves chocolate more than anything, and receives an enchantment so that everything which touches his lips or mouth turns to chocolate. He quickly becomes sick of chocolate, then sick in general. Things get worse when he kisses his mother...

* ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'': "Hercules and the Golden Touch" is a parody of Franchise/JamesBond movies, in which Hercules must stop King Midas from using this ability and sandals stolen from Hermes to turn the entire world into gold. Marigold (the king's daughter) ultimately helps Hercules foil the plan, but Midas vows he'll just try again. When Marigold tries to reason with him, he thoughtlessly clasps her mouth shut and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizes too late what he's just done to her]]. At the suggestion of Hercules, a reformed Midas sincerely begs [[AncientGrome Bacchus]] to remove the Golden Touch and restore everything to normal, and Bacchus grants this request.

** If the Midas touch completely replaced Earth with a solid gold replica, then surface gravity would grow 3.5 times stronger, and compression of the atmosphere would raise the air temperature. Anyone who doesn't get crushed would bake to death.

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': "Operation C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E." features Henrietta von Marzipan, who after falling into chocolate lava got turned into a chocolate monster that turns everything she touches into chocolate. This turned out bad for her when she got sick of chocolate and wanted a cheeseburger.

** A Deleted Scene for the "Live Action" ''[[Film/Aladdin2019 Aladdin]]'' has Genie explain that one of his previous mastrs wished for this. Unfortunately, in their excitment, they rub their hands together, [[HoistedByHisOwnPetard causing them to turn to gold themselves]]!

* The Myth/{{Greek myth|ology}} of King Midas is the TropeCodifier. Midas is obsessed with gold and so Dionysus, the god of wine, grants him the ability to turn everything he touches into gold. However, he finds eating and drinking is nearly impossible with this ability (in another version [[AesopCollateralDamage he turns his daughter into gold after hugging her]]). Dionysus instructs Midas to wash his hands in the river to reverse it.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0WBiME_fM One commercial]] for Skittles candy involved a man whose touch turned objects into piles of the rainbow candy. Like most commercials, it is PlayedForLaughs, although the man himself appears to view it as BlessedWithSuck.

The [[Myth/ClassicalMythology myth]] of King Midas is the TropeCodifier. It tells of a king who [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor wished everything he touches would turns to gold]]. The Greek god of wine Dionysus gives him this ability, which he [[BlessedWithSuck enjoys at first but finds it has its drawbacks]], such as when he can't really eat anything and [[TakenForGranite turns his daughter into gold]] by hugging her.

A character is given a [[TheMagicTouch special ability so that everything they touch]] turns into a certain substance of superficial value to the character that gets it, such as gold or candy. However, that character soon finds out that this ability is actually undesirable. Often something [[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes Horribly Wrong]] with this new ability and they have to reverse it. [[AnAesop The lesson]] is often that {{Greed}} [[CapitalismIsBad is bad]].

* ''VideoGame/WracraftIII'':