History Main / TheWorseningCurseMark

* A far worse one appears in ''Manga/BorutoNarutoNextGenerations''. Members of the Ōtsutsuki clan have the ability to plant a seal called a Kama on a person's body that slowly converts the victim into a clone of that Ōtsutsuki member so that they can reincarnate into the victim's body if they are ever killed. Momoshiki cursed Boruto with one of these during his dying moments.

* Invoked in the short-lived children's series ''WesternAnimation/SagwaTheChineseSiameseCat''. In one episode, Sheegwa, Sagwa's younger sister, is discovered to have a star-shaped marking on her fur that is "the mark of the princess", indicating that Sheegwa is actually a princess. Unfortunately, the mark turns out to be dirt.

* In ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'', once Ryan the Titanium Ranger [[HeelFaceTurn joins the good guys]], Diabolico inflicts him with a snake tattoo; every time he morphs it'll climb up his back until it reaches his neck and kills him.

* In ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'' Darien has a tattoo on the inside of his wrist which gradually shifts from green to red as he gets closer to Quicksilver Madness.
* PlayedForComedy in ''Series/NewsRadio''. An impostor once performed an appendectomy on Max. When the imposter shows up at the station, Max proclaims the scar "knows he's near."
-->'''Max:''' The scar! I can still feel it throbbing!
* In ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'', once Ryan the Titanium Ranger [[HeelFaceTurn joins the good guys]], Diabolico inflicts him with a snake tattoo; every time he morphs it'll climb up his back until it reaches his neck and kills him.
* In an episode of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', Hoshi Sato is worried that the transporter altered her structural integrity on a molecular level. She cites a mole that moved an inch lower on her face after her transportation as proof. Oh, and she ends up being right.

* The titular Mark from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterDeathMark'' is a bite-shaped tattoo that a VengefulGhost curses its pray with. Over the night it becomes red and starts draining the victim's memories and stamina so they would panic and become more "delicious" before the spirit attacks them in person. The protagonist's Mark is unique, in that it syncs up with other Mark-bearers nearby and instead of disappearing with a spirit's purification it resets to stage 1. [[spoiler:The BigBad who created his Mark reveals they have control over its speed and places [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill six of them]] on him after they decide they've stalled enough.]]

* Possibly inspired by the ''Power Rangers'' example below, ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'' has Hakase get cursed with a scorpion tattoo that crawls closer to her neck every time the Akibarangers transform, and if it reaches her neck it will cause her to lose her voice. [[spoiler: This plot thread gets aborted when the characters find out that they are actually characters in a TV show]]. The tattoo returns in the second season, but instead of taking her voice, it ends up doing something arguably much worse.

* ''Manga/TheCaseStudyOfVanitas'': The titular Vanitas was marked by the vampire of the blue moon, allowing him to use the vampire's cursed grimoire. The more he uses the power of the book, the mark on Vanitas' right forearm gradually spreads as a reminder that his very existence is being "rewritten" and that's obviously not a good thing.

* In ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'' Darien has a tattoo on the inside of his wrist which gradually shifts from green to red as he gets closer to Quicksilver Madness.

* The titular Mark from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterDeathMark'' is a bite-shaped tattoo that a VengefulGhost curses its pray with. Over the night it becomes red and starts draining the victim's memories and stamina so they would panic and become more "delicious" before the spirit attacks them in person. The protagonist's Mark is unique, in that it syncs up with other Mark-bearers nearby and instead of disappearing with a spirit's purification it resets to stage 1. [[spoiler:The BigBad who created his Mark reveals they have control over its speed and places [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill six of them]] on him after they decide they've stalled enough.]]

* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden 3'': At the end of the first mission, Ryu is cursed with the Grip of Murder, which forces him to endure all the pain of those killed by his Dragon Sword, and will eventually kill him. It initially manifests as a literal RedRightHand, but as the game progresses, it spreads until, by the final mission, it's covered his entire right arm, part of his face, and [[RedEyesTakeWarning one eye]].

* In ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'', Sonic is scarred with an arrow of flame. It shrinks with his lifespan; the smaller the flame is, the less time he has to finish [[MacGuffinDeliveryService gathering MacGuffins]]. Right before the final boss, the camera has to zoom in for you to even ''see'' it. [[spoiler: When Shahra [[TakingtheBullet Takes The Bullet]], this thing gets subverted all the way to Jahannam; [[EleventhHourSuperpower Darkspine Sonic]] has his [[Franchise/FantasticFour flame on]], and [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge he is]] '''''[[ExtremeMeleeRevenge not]]''''' [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge scared of using it]]. ]]

* In ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', people who make illegal contracts with [[EldritchAbomination Chains]] have the Incuse mark with a clock hand on their chests. The clock hand signifies twelve times a contractor can duse their Chain's power, and rotates every time to indicate such. When the Incuse reaches its 12th rotation, the illegal contractor is immediately dragged down into the Abyss.

* The titular Mark from ''VisualNovel/DeathMark'' is a bite-shaped tattoo that a VengefulGhost curses its pray with. Over the night it becomes red and starts draining the victim's memories and stamina so they would panic and become more "delicious" before the spirit attacks them in person. The protagonist's Mark is unique, in that it syncs up with other Mark-bearers nearby and instead of disappearing with a spirit's purification it resets to stage 1. [[spoiler:The BigBad who created his Mark reveals they have control over its speed and places [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill six of them]] on him after they decide they've stalled enough.]]

* Possibly inspired by the ''Power Rangers'' example below, ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'' has Hakase get cursed with a scorpion tattoo that crawls closer to her neck every time the Akibarangers transform, and if it reaches her neck it will cause her to lose her voice. [[spoiler: This plot thread gets aborted when the characters find out that they are actually characters in a TV show, but it ends up coming back in season two.]]

* In the ''WebAnimation/DingoDoodles'' "Fool's Gold" campaign the [[UpliftedAnimal Awakened monkey]] Sips had his right hand replaced with a cursed crocodile claw. When his magic goes wild there's a chance for the curse to spread further up his limb, turning more of his body into a monkey-crocodile hybrid and shifting his alignment towards Chaotic Evil. Worse yet, when his curse mark grows so does the chance of his magic going wild.

* Literature/HarryPotter's scar counts; not only is his scar an indication that he survived the Killing Curse but [[AcheyScars it twinges]] whenever Voldemort is feeling something particularly strong. The connection to Voldemort becomes stronger as the series continues.

* The Zombie Tattoo from''Manga/{{MAR}}'' is a curse, or blessing as some see it, that slowly spreads over a victim's body. When it finishes spreading the victim becomes an immortal zombie. [[TheDragon Phantom]] was the first person to receive it and spread it to several other people as gifts.

* The curse mark on Alan in ''Manga/{{MAR}}''. If it goes all the way up his neck, he becomes a zombie slave.

* Possibly inspired by above example, ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'' has Hakase get cursed with a scorpion tattoo that crawls closer to her neck every time the Akibarangers transform, and if it reaches her neck it will cause her to lose her voice. [[spoiler: This plot thread gets aborted when the characters find out that they are actually characters in a TV show, but it ends up coming back in season two.]]

* Skin cancer. If one of your {{Beauty Mark}}s turns color, gets bigger, or otherwise starts looking wonky, see an oncologist pronto!

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trollhunters_worsening_curse_mark_jim.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I'd get that looked at...]]

* [[spoiler: Tomoe]] from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has them appear all over his body thanks to a DealWithTheDevil.

* ''Manga/TheCaseStudyOfVanitas'': The titular Vanitas was marked by the vampire of the blue moon, allowing him to use the vampire's cursed grimoire. The more he uses the power of the book, the mark on Vanitas' arm gradually spreads as a reminder that his very existence is being "rewritten" and that's obviously not a good thing.

* In ''[[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Azure Bonds]]'' the eponymous pseudo-tattoo, among other functions, linked Alias to her bosses via their symbols, and there was a reason behind one empty place in their pattern. These vanished one by one when those masters were removed from the scene permanently, and later a mark of the goddess looking after Alias appeared. So when in the third book an old symbol returned...
* Artek "the Knife" Ar'talen in ''[[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Escape from Undermountain]]'' was given a magical tattoo after he was "[[RecruitingTheCriminal employed]]" via set-up escape by a noble. It mirrored the sun and moon position in the sky and was set to release a killing spell at the pre-set time -- as an incentive to complete his mission and return for removal before the [[IncrediblyLamePun deadline]].
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles,'' a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Red Court vampire]] doesn't fully turn the moment they're infected, but the first time they kill through feeding; they can even use some vampire powers and drink blood to heal and "recharge" without losing their human selves and becoming evil. The Fellowship of St. Giles, a group of these half-vampires, have tattoos that help control their bloodlust. By default, they're invisible, turn black when the half-vampire's using their enhanced abilities and getting hungry, and bright red when those urges are getting out of their control.

* Fuses in ''Literature/TheCandyShopWar''. Unlike most engineered apprentices, who only have a single power, Fuses have a suite of abilities rivaling those of a true wizard. However, every time a Fuse uses their powers, the mark on their body grows to cover more of their skin. When it covers their entire body, they die.

* In an episode of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', Hoshi Sato is worried that the transporter altered her structural integrity on a molecular level. She cites a mole that moved an inch lower on her face after her transportation as proof. Oh, and she ends up being right.
* In ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'', once Ryan the Titanium Ranger [[HeelFaceTurn joins the good guys]], Diabolico inflicts him with a snake tattoo; every time he morphs it'll climb up his back until it reaches his neck and kills him.

* In ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'', Sonic is scarred with an arrow of flame. It shrinks with his lifespan; the smaller the flame is, the less time he has to finish [[MacGuffinDeliveryService gathering MacGuffins]]. Right before the final boss, the camera has to zoom in for you to even ''see'' it. [[spoiler: When Shahra [[TakingtheBullet Takes The Bullet]], this thing gets subverted all the way to Jahannam; [[EleventhHourSuperpower Darkspine Sonic]] has his [[Franchise/FantasticFour flame on]], and [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge he is]] '''''[[ExtremeMeleeRevenge not]]''''' [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge scared of using it]]. ]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': In the Trespasser DLC the [[spoiler: Anchor]] has become unstable and could potential kill its wielder. It also apparently ''hurts''.

* When Moon Butterfly from ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' used Eclipsa's destruction spell to blast off Toffee's finger and frighten away his armies, blackened veins appear on her arms, forcing her to wear gloves the rest of the time. This grows steadily worse over time, the process speeding up exponentially after [[spoiler:Moon is overcome with grief and anger when she thinks Star dies.]] Eclipsa's hand is also dyed black, possibly due to her extensive practice in the dark arts.
* Rayla's wrist binding from ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' tightens gradually [[spoiler:the longer she goes without killing Prince Ezran]], cutting off circulation and causing her hand to turn slowly dark purple as a result. It's painful, it's a problem, and as it gets worse, it threatens to take off her hand entirely...

* The curse mark on Alan in ''Manga/{{MAR}}''. If it goes all the way up his neck, he becomes a zombie slave.
* In ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'', the Blue Wings "tattoo" appears somewhere on the body of a person infected with Eclipse and grows larger as the infection progresses.
* [[spoiler: Tomoe]] from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has them appear all over his body thanks to a DealWithTheDevil.
* Oga from ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' gets a red mark along his arm that shows his connection with Baby Beel. It is a plot point in early episodes that he must live a peaceful life to remove the mark and go back to his old life. [[StatusQuoIsGod It]] [[RunningGag doesn't]] [[BloodKnight take]].

* ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice'': Early in her journey, one of Senua's arms starts turning black. You're told that every death she suffers will cause the darkness to spread and will eventually kill her permanently if it reaches her head. [[spoiler:The game is lying to you; the game does not actually feature perma-death but threatens you with it to increase the tension]].

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': In the Trespasser DLC the [[spoiler: Anchor]] has become unstable and could potential kill its wielder.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Every {{magical girl}} has a unique PowerTattoo called a sigil, which appears somewhere on her body when she first awakens her powers. When she {{transform|ationSequence}}s into her magical girl form, the sigil glows, and its symbol is usually incorporated into the girl's costume. If a magical girl [[DePower burns out her power prematurely]], on the other hand, her sigil becomes a scar burned into her skin.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Every {{magical girl}} has a unique PowerTattoo called a Sigil, which appears somewhere on her body when she first awakens her powers. When she {{transform|ationSequence}}s into her magical girl form, the Sigil glows, and its symbol is usually incorporated into the girl's costume. If a magical girl [[DePower burns out her power prematurely]], on the other hand, her Sigil becomes a scar burned into her skin.

* ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice'': Early in her journey, one of Senua's arms starts turning black. You're told that every death she suffers will cause the darkness to spread and will eventually kill her permanently if it reaches her heart. [[spoiler:The game is lying to you; the game does not actually feature perma-death but threatens you with it to increase the tension]].

See also PowerTattoo for marks that grant their bearers some abilities, MarkedChange for ones that merely indicate the current status (like SuperMode), and MarkOfTheBeast for EvilMakeover variety.