History Main / SabotageToDiscredit

[[folder:Film - Animation]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Video Game]]

* In "The Deception," a book in the Literature/Animorphs series, the BigBad has a ray that forces people in morph to revert to their natural form. Since this would mean revealing the so-called "Andalite bandits" as human children, it's decided that Tobias--whose base form is a red-tailed hawk--would go in instead. When the ray fails to "revert" Tobias from hawk to Andalite form, Visser Three decides the ray doesn't work and [[YouHaveFailedMe takes it out on the scientists who created it]].

* The villains in ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' sabotage a race to promote Alinol, a non-petroleum fuel, by firing a ray that causes Alinol to explode, thus discrediting all alternative fuel. [[spoiler:It turns out Alinol was just modified gasoline and that its alleged inventor and promoter of the race was the BigBad all along.]]

[[folder:Film]]

* In one ''Series/HogansHeroes'' episode, the gang steals a German prototype of a silent airplane engine, examines it to send information back to the Allies, and then damages it so that it will make a hellacious racket during [[DisastrousDemonstration its trial run]].

* ''Series/{{Dracula}}'': After Jonathan Harker's relationship with his then-boss Dracula sours over their LoveTriangle, he falls in with the Order of the Dragon AncientConspiracy and agrees to sabotage Dracula's public demonstration of wireless electricity. {{Disastrous|Demonstration}} is an understatement: it causes a deadly explosion, so Harker immediately decides that his actions [[NeverMyFault are Dracula's fault somehow]].

* The villains in ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} 2'' sabotage a race to promote Alinol, a non-petroleum fuel, by firing a ray that causes Alinol to explode, thus discrediting all alternative fuel. [[spoiler:It turns out Alinol was just modified gasoline and that its alleged inventor and promoter of the race was the BigBad all along.]]

A plot revolving around an attempt to sway the public (or just TheGovernment's) opinion against a new technology or invention by sabotaging it, preferably during its initial presentation to show that NewTechnologyIsEvil. Often an invoked example of DisastrousDemonstration.

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} is introduced as an ecoterrorist trying stop a sonic weapon being developed by [=LuthorCorp=] from entering production. [[spoiler:In the end he and Clark sabotage it so it blows up during a demonstration, and the contract is summarily canceled.]]

* A variation (directed to one specific use rather than the device in general) appears in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne". Hugo Strange learns Batman's secret identity with his memory-reading machine. When he tries to [[AuctionOfEvil sell the secret]] to some of Batman's other enemies, Batman switches the tape that reveals his identity for one that shows Strange telling his henchmen about his plan to auction off a fake tape for which "those fools will pay a fortune". Enraged, the other villains refuse to listen to Strange even when he tries to tell them Batman's identity free of charge - which Batman then reinforces by putting Robin in a LatexPerfection Bruce Wayne suit so that Batman and Bruce Wayne can be seen at the same time.

* A variation (directed to one specific use rather than the device in general) appears in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne". Hugo Strange learns Batman's secret identity with his memory-reading machine. When he tries to [[AuctionOfEvil sell the secret]] to some of Batman's other enemies, Batman switches the tape that reveals his identity for one that shows Strange telling his henchmen about his plan to auction off a fake tape for which "those fools will pay a fortune". Enraged, the other villains refuse to listen to Strange even when he tries to tell them Batman's identity free of charge.