History Main / UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject

* {{Discussed}} in Creator/RobertLudlum's book ''The Ambler Warning'' by a Taiwanese presidential candidate during a campaign speech, prior to [[spoiler:being assassinated]].

Some people try to claim that the unstoppable force would just bounce off and continue moving, albeit in a different direction (according to Newton's third law of motion, and conservation of energy and momentum... you know: science). For this reason, the question is sometimes phrased using the term "irresistible force" instead.

* ''Webcomic/TwoGuysAndGuy'' references it too, but [[http://www.twogag.com/archives/2718 only]] for TheUnreveal.

** Elsewhere, the first meeting between trainee Witch [[MotherRussiaMakesyouStrong Alexandra Mumorovka]] and trsainee Assassin [[TykeBomb Famke Smith-Rhodes-Stibbons]] is likened to this, by an older
witch who is present. Neither wants to give an inch to the other. But Lexi's LawfulNeutral meets Famke's ChaoticNeutral and both, unwillingly and without admitting it, begin to learn from the other.

* In the ''Series/{{Monkey}}'' episode "Monkey Swallows The Universe", the narrator states: "When what is indestructible meets what is irresistible, the female all to often wins."

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', During their duel in Episode 3, [[spoiler:Virgilia]] attacks Beatrice with the Divine Spear, and Beatrice deflects it with the Divine Shield. Ronove helpfully notes that this only worked because the irresistable force must never meet the immovable object.

* A [[Fanfic/ConnectingTheDots Naruto-Justice League crossover]] had Sasuke's sword of {{Kusanagi}} vs. Franchise/WonderWoman and her gauntlets. The sword dented the gauntlets, shocking them both--Sasuke because it didn't cut through, Wonder Woman because it dented them at all.

-->'''The Joker:''' Oh, you. [[PungeonMaster You just couldn't let me go]], could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. [[IncorruptiblePurePureness You are truly incorruptible, aren't you?]] Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. [[ItAmusedMe And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun.]] I think [[JokerImmunity you and I are destined to do this forever]].[[note]]He's proven dead wrong; Bane is even stronger and angrier than both men combined, and manages to corrupt Batman by turning Gotham into an anarchic hellhole. Which causes Batman to become even stronger and defeat him, even going so far as to kill his blood sister. And Joker is presumed to die offscreen.[[/note]]

** From a ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' tie-in: What happens when [[EmotionControl the Medusa Mask]] is used against a [[TheHeartless Black Lantern]] possessed Kal-L? Well if you guessed "the resulting RealityBreakingParadox would destroy booth of them", you were right.
** ''ComicBook/XMen'': When Chuck Austen was asked in a interview; what would happen if the unstoppable ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} runs into the immovable Blob? He replied...

* ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': There's a train taking Nick Fury, and Colossus gets in the railroad to stop it. But he does it under protest: there's a chance he may stop it, right, but also that the train would squash him like a bug.

* From a ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' tie-in: What happens when [[EmotionControl the Medusa Mask]] is used against a [[TheHeartless Black Lantern]] possessed Kal-L? Well if you guessed "the resulting RealityBreakingParadox would destroy booth of them", you were right.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': When Chuck Austen was asked in a interview; what would happen if the unstoppable ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} runs into the immovable Blob? He replied...

* An interesting variation occurs in ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' with Elusive Target Mark Faba, a.k.a. The Undying, Agent 47’s newest target who had managed to come back from being supposedly “killed” dozens of times. The mission essentially poses the question: what happens when a man who can kill anyone meets a man who cannot be killed? Considering that the mission repeats itself later with The Undying Returns, the answer is also interesting in that they both win: the man who can kill anyone does succeed in killing his target, and the man who cannot be killed comes back later anyway.

* ''Website/SFDebris'': In his review of ''WesternAnimation/AllStarSuperman'', during the scene with the Ultra-Sphinx (see 'Comic Books' above), Chuck states that he'd have to put his money on the unstoppable force, arguing that, depending on what type of force it is, the immovable object would either be melted, sublimated, sheared (in the case of kinetic force), or captured (gravitational force). In the last one, there's the possibility of the object becoming massive enough to equal the force, but Chucks considers [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becoming what you're opposing]] an automatic loss.

* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'':

* In ''LightNovel/{{Katanagatari}}'', the first of the Twelve Deviant Blades Zettou Kanna was supposed to be unbreakable. The second sword Zantou Namakura was supposed to be able to cut anything. When Shichika wondered what would happen if the swords clashed, Togame guessed that Zantou Namakura would prevail since it was forged later. [[spoiler:Confirmed in the end, when Shichika's Kyotouryuu, the final perfected Deviant Blade, easily shatters Zettou Kanna.]]

* {{Discussed}} in ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': right before their duel, Motoyasu pointed out to Naofumi that, as the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero respectively, they were comparable to them... Before adding that Motoyasu's greater level (about twice Naofumi) and the Shield's lack of offensive abilities gave him the advantage. [[spoiler:Motoyasu wins... By unknowingly cheating: Naofumi had made the same reasoning and carried a number of Orange Balloons (the most basic monster mooks) on himself because they couldn't harm ''him'' but could cause at least some harm to Motoyasu, and thanks to that and a number of creative uses of the Shield's abilities (including a ''counterattack'' one) gained the upper hand until [[ManipulativeBitch Malty]] shot Naofumi with a wind spell in the back, allowing Motoyasu to pin Naofumi down and claim victory without realizing he had been helped]].

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': In issue #272, the Hulk and [=Sasquatch=] ram {{Wendigo}} [[http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f188/A_Flight5/TheIncredibleHulkv2-272-21.jpg using downed trees, with Wendigo in the middle]].
-->The Wendigo becomes the immovable force between two irresistable objects.

* Invoked directly in the second ''Franchise/{{Superman}}''/''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' crossover, when Superman calmed down The Hulk by planting himself on the ground and letting the Hulk hit him, thinking that when he decided to become the Immovable Object, no Unstoppable Force could move him. He also hinted that he didn't want the Hulk to get any angrier, or he'd become more than even ''he'' could handle.
* Grant Morrison's ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' has Superman being asked this question. His solution? "They surrender." [[note]]Since neither is immovable or irresistible anymore.[[/note]] [[spoiler:Ironically enough, he seems to have gotten this from the back of a newspaper he read only a few moments before in the animated adaptation.]]
-->'''Ultra-Sphinx:''' [[AC:Answer. Acceptable.]]
* When former ComicBook/XMen writer Chuck Austen was asked in a interview; what would happen if the unstoppable ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} runs into the immovable Blob? He replied...

* Back in the Silver Age, ComicBook/{{Superman}} and Superboy tried to test this out by flying into each other. They wound up with memory loss and ripped the Time Stream a new one.

* There are a number of abilities in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' that are absolute and flat out break the laws of physics. For example, the Siberian is utterly invulnerable and [[TheJuggernaut cannot be impeded by any obstacle]], while another character can freeze objects in time, rendering them completely impervious to any force. Their collision is referenced by this trope, and results in [[spoiler:both powers being canceled out, with the frozen objects reverting to normal and the Siberian vanishing, as she is actually [[FightingAShadow a projection]].]]

A similar concept appears in Japanese and Chinese media: the term [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%9F%9B%E7%9B%BE 矛盾]], meaning "contradiction", is formed from the characters for "spear" and "shield." This is taken from a 3rd-century text that included a parable about a merchant who sold a spear that could pierce any shield, and a shield that could resist any spear; a customer pointed out the obvious contradiction, to which the merchant had no answer.

A similar concept appears in Japanese and Chinese media: the term [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%9F%9B%E7%9B%BE 矛盾]], meaning "contradiction," is formed from the characters for "spear" and "shield." This is taken from a 3rd-century text that included a parable about a merchant who sold a spear that could pierce any shield, and a shield that could resist any spear; a customer pointed out the obvious contradiction, to which the merchant had no answer.

* ''Manga/DrStone'': When Senku shows off his paper shield design to his companions, Kinro expresses his doubt that a shield made from paper can block anything, using his spear to take down a tree with little effort. Senko decides to humor Kinro and tells him to strike the shield with everything he had. Kinro does just that... and the still holds. As it turns out, he glued molten plastic to each sheet to give it enough elasticity to absorb most of the impact.

''[and later, when [[spoiler:Heck has decided to leave Rachel because he knows that she's in love with Luce]''\\

'''Heck''': [[spoiler: [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy I want you to be happy.]] More than anything else, I wanted to be the cause of happiness in you. But if I'm not, then I can't stand in the way. Do you see? Because what you're feeling now, [[spoiler:Rachel]], is the unstoppable force... which means that I've got to move.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Referenced in ''Webcomic/RealLifeComics'' [[http://www.reallifecomics.com/comic.php?comic=title-2766 here]]. The result in this case: [[spoiler: the immovable object wins.]]
* ''Webcomic/TwoGuysAndGuy'' references it too, but [[http://www.twogag.com/archives/2718 only]] for TheUnreveal.
* In ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'', a villain shows up [[http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1331 declaring that his "skin is impenetrable and [his] claws can cut through anything"]]. Turns out the former isn't quite so true.

* ''Webcomic/{{Swords}}'': In [[https://swordscomic.com/comic/CDVIII/ "Spill",]] a cart is carrying a barrel of "Unstoppable Attack Swords" and another of "Immovable Defense Swords". The carriage bumps over a rock, spilling its shipment, and when the swords mix it results in a massive explosion.
* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'': In "Teumessian Fox" (NSFW), two warrior-women do battle, both wielding swords that make them unbeatable in battle. The trope question is presented, and the answer here turns out to be: [[spoiler:They fuck]].

* One of the many things the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' keeps track of is [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-225 SCP-225]]: an immovable[[labelnote:*]]well, technically it's moving, it just stays in exactly the same place relative to the Earth at all times[[/labelnote]] object, and an unstoppable object that roughly traces the Earth's orbit and occasionally collides with it or the Moon. They ''really'' do not want to find out what would happen if these two objects ever collided. They're drawing up planetary evacuation plans just in case. By their own admission, that might not be enough.
-->Since all tests thus far have shown that neither SCP-225-1 nor SCP-225-2 can be damaged or moved by any means known, the possibility also exists that neither object would be annihilated, halted, or altered from their course even by contact with the other. If this is true, then a collision between SCP-225-1 and SCP-225-2 has the potential to [[[ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow DATA EXPUNGED]]].
** According to the author, SCP-225 is a naturally occurring phenomenon that all objects in the universe above a certain amount of mass have. While they do not state what would actually happen if SCP-225-1 and SCP-225-2 collided, they confirm that something very bad would happen, but it would not destroy the universe, as there already have been SCP-225 collisions elsewhere in the universe.

* The "small robots" Twitter feed introduced two succesive robots called [[https://twitter.com/smolrobots/status/1034704529273573376 Immoveablebot]] and [[https://twitter.com/smolrobots/status/1034757453185994754 Unstoppablebot]]. And then spent a while explaining firstly that yes, the logical dichotomy was the point, and secondly that it wasn't going to be solved in the replies to a funny robot account.

* This was examined by [=MinutePhysics=] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eKc5kgPVrA this video.]] Their answer? An "immovable" object really refers to an object that will not accelerate, since the concept of moving depends on the frame of reference of the observer. And an unstoppable "force" refers to an object that is moving, but cannot be accelerated (so they are really the same thing). Although they would require infinite mass, and thus, infinite energy, if these objects ''truly'' could not be accelerated, then [[spoiler:both objects would pass right through each other and continue moving. For an unstoppable force and an immovable object to exist, they must both be intangible.]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWoqfr-_cE Will Super Glue Stick To A Non-Stick Pan?]] tests to see if [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Super Glue (and other sticky substances like T-Rex Tape, Contact Cement, etc.) can stick to a Non-Stick Pan]]. [[spoiler:None of them do, but T-Rex Tape holds out the longest]].

* Political pundits invoked this phrase more than once during the 2016 presidential election. The election was marked by a deep dissatisfaction with the establishment, resulting in the Republican nomination of businessman Donald Trump and a much better than expected showing from socialist Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries. This being said, Hillary Clinton was widely favored to win the general election on November 8, effectively preserving the status quo of the Obama years. Almost fittingly, the final election result reflected both of these political zeitgeists simultaneously...Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote while Donald Trump won the electoral college and the presidency.
* Scientifically speaking, an unstoppable force and an immovable object are basically the same thing - objects that no outside force can have an effect on, at least in terms of changing their movement. So if two such objects ''were'' to intersect with each other, they would both be unable to affect the other's momentum, or lack thereof, and would pass through each other. See [[https://deakincomsci2016.wordpress.com/2016/05/15/physics-gone-wild-immovable-object-vs-unstoppable-force/ here]] for a slightly more in-depth explanation of the hypothetical physics involved. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eKc5kgPVrA Or this]] three and a half minutes long video by ''WebVideo/MinutePhysics''.