History Main / WhosLaughingNow

* Heroic example: Ash in ''Film/EvilDead2'' makes good use of this trope during a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw rampage]], which includes cutting off his own possessed hand.

* Creator/JoshGad applied for a job as a Ride/JungleCruise Skipper at Walt Disney World when he was a teenager, only to be rejected by the Disney Cast Member in charge of hiring. Years later when Gad gave his UsefulNotes/DisneyLegends acceptance speech, he asked the Cast Member to update his resume to include the achievement. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Hxkxw_3Is Disney would later give Gad the chance to finally perform the role]].

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': "Mr. Monk Is On The Air" deals with an obnoxious radio host named Max Hudson. Hudson is the prime suspect in the death of his wife Jeannette and has humiliated Monk twice on his show, even going as far as mocking the death of Monk's late wife the second time. When Hudson is arrested after Monk proves he did indeed kill his Jennette, we get this exchange:

* In ''ComicBook/TheSavageDragon'', there was a boy routinely bullied and abused by his parents until he woke up one day with superpowers that actually made him the most powerful being on Earth. One RoaringRampageOfRevenge later, and after sweeping aside most of the other heroes, The Dragon manages to talk him down and convince him not to make himself a thing to be feared by the world. Ironically, one of many instances when the character realistically acts like a cop first, and a super-powered bruiser second.

* Syndrome from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' is a glaring example. Being a total screwup of an unwanted sidekick leads him to be rejected by his idol, which leads him to try and kill off all the world's superheroes and rub it in his idol's face. In a twist, his actions as a BigBad result in him becoming the ButtMonkey again and again, because while he is a legitimate threat, he has no idea how to work under pressure. Once things don't go the way he planned, he ends up scrambling to rerail the scenario until it blows up in his face. Even more ironically, the first thing Mr Incredible done upon meeting him again was actually apologise for his earlier treatment, though Syndrome assumed it was only because of his ill-sighted revenge scheme.

A specific variant of FaceHeelTurn and/or HeWhoFightsMonsters, and a form of FreudianExcuse. Compare StartOfDarkness, BewareTheNiceOnes, BreakTheCutie, WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, KickTheDog, NotSoHarmlessVillain, TheyCalledMeMad, and ThenLetMeBeEvil. Also compare TheDogBitesBack which is when this is a ''villain's'' reason for changing his ways.

* In ''Fandic/OriginStory'', this trope was basically Alex Harris's reaction to Tony Stark wanting to be nice and conciliatory ''after'' Alex put most of the Avengers and about a hundred SHIELD agents in the hospital.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': "Mr. Monk Is On The Air" deals with an obnoxious radio host named Max Hudson who has humiliated Monk twice on his show, even going as far as mocking the death of Monk's late wife the second time. When Hudson is arrested after Monk proves he did indeed kill his own wife, we get this exchange:

* [[Music/GeorgeGershwin George]] and IraGershwin's song "They All Laughed" lists instances throughout history of great minds who were mocked in their time (from Christopher Columbus supposedly proving that the earth is round to Milton Hershey's incredible ability to sell chocolate to people who want to eat chocolate), comparing these instances to how the singer was mocked for his love for "you."

* One ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Joker's Asylum]]'' comic highlights this as the Penguin's MO. At one point, it shows how the Penguin subtly uses his influence to drive a man to suicide, simply because the ''man was laughing, and happened to look in the Penguin's direction.''

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'', the Spot wants to be Miles' [[ArchEnemy nemesis]] but because of his dorkish personality and lack of control over his powers, he ends up feeling ridiculed and called a [[MonsterOfTheWeek villian of the week]] by him and many other Spider-People. Enraged by the lack of respect despite being [[CreateYourOwnHero partially responsible for Miles becoming Spider-Man]] and in turn [[CreateYourOwnVillain indirectly making him who he is now]], [[spoiler: The Spot proceed to improve his powers to the point he becomes a destructive threat to the multiverse in order to make Miles reconsider his opinion of him.]]

* A song written by Parry Gripp is entitled "Who's Laughing Now?"
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq3hP9Sd1sM "Waking the Demon" by Bullet For My Valentine]] is about a bullying victim who takes revenge.

* "Superhero" by the band Trocadero (best known for the ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' CD) includes the line "Your days calling me freak are numbered / Don't bother with surrender."
* "Teenagers" by Music/MyChemicalRomance has: "The boys and girls in the clique / The awful names that they stick / You're never gonna fit in much, kid / But if you're troubled and hurt / What you got under your shirt / Will make them pay for the things that they did"

* "''Goin' Down''" by Music/ThreeDaysGrace

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppr5_QTWc24&list=FLM2CFpnQLwo2DUJ6zebbNmA&index=63 Meet The Monster]]" by Music/FiveFingerDeathPunch.

* "The Kinslayer" by Music/{{Nightwish|Band}} invokes the trope.
* "Getting Scared" by Music/ImogenHeap is from the point of view of a victim who's completely snapped and taking their nasty revenge.
-->Yeah you're getting scared now, [[Film/{{Deliverance}} piggy,]]\\
[[Film/{{Deliverance}} Go ahead and squeal]]\\
It sounds so nice from where I'm standing
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRFJoUBP54o Lunchbox]]" by Music/MarilynManson which is about a bullying victim who uses his metal lunchbox as a weapon on the playground:
-->''The big bully try to stick his finger in my chest\\
Try to tell me, tell me he's the best\\
But I don't really give a good goddamn cause\\
I got my lunchbox and I'm armed real well''
* Music/MichaelJackson's "Bad" also seems worth mentioning. (Most likely sequencing "Beat It")
* [[Music/GeorgeGershwin George]] and IraGershwin's song "They All Laughed" lists instances throughout history of great minds who were mocked in their time (from Christopher Columbus supposedly proving that the earth is round to Milton Hershey's incredible ability to sell chocolate to people who want to eat chocolate), comparing these instances to how the singer was mocked for his love for "you."
* Music/JessieJ's ''Who's Laughing Now'' was written in response to those who bullied or put her down when she was younger, and now wanted to know her after she became famous. Part of the bridge features these lyrics:
-->''Oh, so you think you know me now\\
Have you forgotten how\\
You would make me feel\\
When you dragged my spirit down?''
* "Self Inflicted" by Music/{{Filter}}, written from the point of view of a serial killer who thinks "society made me do this."
-->Now who's listening?!\\
That's what I thought!''
* The song “Who’s Laughing Now” from Ava Max's debut album ''Heaven & Hell''. The chorus speaks for itself.
-->''Don't ya know that I'm stronger?''
-->''Don't ya see me in all black\\
Don't ya cry like a baby\\
Ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha\\
Who's laughing now?''
-->''Know that it's over\\
Don't ya know I won't call back\\
Don't ya cry like a baby\\
Ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha\\
Who's laughing now?''
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPN0qhSyWy8 It Just Works]]'', ''Music/TheChalkeaters''' five-minute-long musical TakeThat aimed at Creator/{{Bethesda}} and Creator/ToddHoward, ends on the phrase "So, who's laughing now?" as its final lyric.

* As mentioned in the Web Original's section, WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjK387DVX7I Brand New Day]]'' song.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2FZvPLWf_M Over and Under]]'' by Egypt Central is certainly this. "The joke is over And I'll do all the laughing" indeed.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': The Primordial War is Autochthon's one huge Who's Laughing Now? moment. After aeons of being the ButtMonkey amongst "fellow" titans, he eventually had enough and made the Exaltation to massacre the gigantic dicks. Moral of the story: don't piss off the shy genius.
* This is the main reason why the Gruul Clans from ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' are so violent. The guild was originally created to protect the environment of [[CityPlanet Ravnica]], but after it was destroyed save for a few pockets of wild for the sake of city expansion, the members of the guild were no longer treated like citizens and instead [[SlaveRace are treated as slaves]]. This made the Gruul Clans vengeful towards anything that has to do with Ravnican civilization and more than willing to raid and destroy the city to reclaim land for the wild and themselves.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{BattleTech}}'', the Urbanmech has long been considered to be one of, if not the worst canon Battlemech ever made. In one book, it was given a variant that mounted an Arrow IV Missile Artillery variant that, it was immediately pointed out, was capable of carrying ''multiple'' [[NukeEm nuclear warheads]].

* Daria Cohens WebAnimation/TheVampair Series starts with Missi sneaking into the mansion of Duke, a powerful vampire, and being subjected to a game of cat and mouse. By the third video Missi has [[spoiler:learned how to effectively use Duke’s cane, and uses it to assume control of his mansion, even resurrecting the guy just to deny him the joys of living in the underworld.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Vexxarr}}'', after the titular character manages to convince the vegetable-based AI that's been trying to kill him that he's their supreme leader, he gets some [[http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=050109 incredibly creative revenge]].
-->'''Mahakalosian:''' So, what is that ''noise''?
-->'''Spoorflix:''' It's... hard to describe. It's like a musical review... with ''cudgels''.

** Also [[spoiler: Jack Noir]] to the [[spoiler: Black Queen.]] Also crosses with KnightOfCerebus and TheStarscream.

* In ''Webcomic/FarOut'', [[http://kimiq.com/farout/en/2012/09/26/farout-page-06/ the amnesiac robot is taunted with his not laughing now.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'', Helen notes that one of the things which causes the actual 'breakout' stage of [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Walton's Disorder]] is 'the laughter of fools'. Usually, [[YouFool those fools]] at the institute. [[spoiler: Madblood laughs at Dave right before the story's climax, and in the filename story, Mr. Winter laughs at Helen before ''her'' breakdown.]]

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', this is subverted by Taylor, whose descent into villainy the local heroes are largely responsible for, due to a combination of neglect, arrogance, and [[spoiler:covering for the crimes of Shadow Stalker in her civilian identity]]. In spite of this, Taylor considers her career as a villain to be mostly her own doing:
-->'''Skitter:''' I’d say you have nobody to blame but yourselves for the fact that you have ''me'' to deal with, but I’m willing to admit I’m largely at fault for the decisions I made. You guys… you just greased the wheels, I suppose.
* Lee Phillips from ''WebVideo/KateModern'' is constantly bullied by Gavin and Tariq, which is played for laughs. However, Gavin goes too far in "Subservient Lee", and Lee runs off with the software Gavin and Tariq were developing in the following video, "The Leak". Lee only becomes an enemy of Gavin and Tariq, on whom he wants revenge; he remains amiable enough towards the other characters and is portrayed largely [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain sympathetically]] from then on.
* The character codenamed Aries at the SuperHeroSchool Whateley Academy, in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. He was bullied as a chubby kid who wasn't one of the townies. Then he got superpowers and went to Whateley, where he was bullied there for being a farm kid. However, his superpowers made him tall and handsome, as well as super-strong and super-fast (for the Whateley Universe). After he stomped a group of bullies by himself, the BigBad drafted him as the new bully. He's really enjoying it, as far as we can tell.
** Recently, [[spoiler: He's been mistreated by the bullies, causing him to ponder taking another route...Plus, he keeps getting recruited to aid the heroes.]]

* [[spoiler: Matsuda]] in ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'': '''''"WHO'S STUPID NOW, STUPID!"'''''
* On ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'', both Dan Avidan and Ross O'Donovan have such stories about being taunted in school, by ''teachers'' no less, about wanting to follow their dreams. With Dan it was a music teacher who used to treat him badly for wanting to be a professional musician, earning the man a ''savage'' "Fuck you [[Music/NinjaSexParty I did it!]]" on an episode of the show, while Ross tells of a story during work experience where they were condescending toward him for saying he wanted to be an animator and told him it would never happen, eliciting a [[https://www.youtube.com/user/RubberNinja hearty]] [[https://rubberninja.newgrounds.com/ laugh]] from him and Arin on an episode of ''WebVideo/SteamTrain''.

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1502390397095803000
%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest a new image.

->'''Mr. Incredible:''' I was wrong to treat you that way. I'm sorry.\\
'''Syndrome:''' See?! ''Now'' you respect me, because I'm a ''threat!'' That's the way it works. Turns out there are a lot of people, ''whole countries'' who want respect, and they will ''pay through the nose'' to get it!
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1''

%% Only one quote is necessary. Extras can go one the quotes tab.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan, in the crossover novel series ''Time's Arrow'', muses on the phenomenon of CutLexLuthorACheck (and, indeed, the tendency of good people with powers to become vigilantes rather than making millions), and realizes it's not about the money--it's about showing up everyone who ever laughed at them.
** In another issue, Peter Parker is at his old high school, trying to secure a teaching job when suddenly, someone comes in and starts shooting up the place. Peter changes into Spider-Man and takes the shooter out only to realize that he's just a kid who was sick and tired of being bullied by the other kids at the school. As he's hauled off to jail, Peter grimly reflects that he could have easily turned out the same way.
** In the ''Skin Deep'' story arc, Peter's former classmate, who was mercilessly bullied at school, gets superpowers and after he sees two of his former tormentors mocking him on TV, he goes and kills them. In the end, Spider-Man got him frozen, probably for the rest of his life. [[AndIMustScream And he is conscious]].
** In ''Comicbook/UltimateSpiderMan'', Peter often mocks the even-more-pathetic-than-he-is-in-main-continuity Ultimate Shocker before beating him up with almost no effort. When Shocker gets lucky and knocks Peter out, he ties him up in a warehouse and tortures him slowly, as payback for all the times he was mocked. Interestingly, even though the guy is trying to kill him, Peter genuinely apologizes for being such a jerk after hearing Shocker's surprisingly sad BreakingLecture.
* In ''ComicBook/TheSavageDragon'', there was a boy routinely bullied and abused by his parents until he woke up one day with superpowers that actually made him the most powerful being on Earth. One RoaringRampageOfRevenge later, and after sweeping aside most of the other heroes, The Dragon manages to talk him down and convince him not to make himself a thing to be feared by the world. Ironically, one of many instances when the character realistically acts like a cop first, and a super-powered bruiser second.
* The early 1990s Marvel series ''ComicBook/{{Sleepwalker}}'' featured a nerdy psychology student who was regularly made fun of by his JerkJock enemy, who teased him about being a "dateless bookworm." When he gains superhuman powers after an accident involving Sleepwalker, he immediately gets revenge on the Jerk Jock by conjuring a gang of murderous warriors from his book on Myth/ClassicalMythology to kill him. Ticking time bomb, anyone?

* Emiri, who had spent the whole of ''FanFic/YouGotHaruhiRolled'' as the ButtMonkey, [[spoiler:suddenly joins the Anti-SOS Brigade and kills every other character except for Kyon and his family]] at the end of [[ADayInTheLimelight her character arc]]. [[SnapBack Things go back to normal in the next one.]]
* Combined with ThenLetMeBeEvil, this is very much the case with [[Literature/HarryPotter Harry]] in the AU fic ''Fanfic/{{Heir}}''. After putting up with the Dursleys' abuse (which is ''NOT'' PlayedForLaughs), and with a little goading from the voice of the Tom Riddle Horcrux in his mind, Harry decides to ''really'' give them all a legitimate reason to fear his powers.
* The ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'' has several examples:
** [[EvilOverlord Film Critique]] from Patch's Gaiden Story chose some of his victims because they had laughed at him before he had found the Shard of Laughter and went FromNobodyToNightmare. Of course, a lot of them were just innocent ponies he decided to bend to his will.
** [[spoiler:[[IHaveManyNames Nightmare Eclipse/Paradox]], the true BigBad of [[BadFuture Dark World]] and Twilight's [[FutureMeScaresMe potential future]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare self]], did this to Discord. He spent a thousand years using her as his personal plaything until she finally broke free and [[StartOfDarkness invoked the Nightmare transformation to become Nightmare Purgatory]] so she could PayEvilUntoEvil. She then became [[HeWhoFightsMonsters She Who Fights Monsters]], trapped him in a GroundhogDayLoop IronicHell, and reduced him to little more than her tortured puppet, just like he'd done to her.]]
--> [[spoiler:'''Nightmare Eclipse''']]: [[spoiler:(Enjoy this big spoonful of your own medicine. [[AndIMustScream Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Forever, never to end.]] As I watch you squirm for my entertainment. Just like I had to suffer for your amusement with no end in sight!)]]
* Set up to be the case in the ongoing ''Series/LostGirl'' story ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9376844/1/Change-of-State Change of State.]]'' After being abused and mistreated by the Light Fae for at least 7 years, Lauren is taken in by the Morrigan. She treats Lauren politely and has another Fae slightly alter Lauren's memories/mind. This Fae (without ever outright lying) reminds Lauren of every time [[HumansAreBastards humans were needlessly cruel]] or [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful]], how the Light Fae mistreated her (while reminding Lauren the Dark Fae haven't mistreated her), Dyson and Kenzi endlessly mocked and insulted her, and Bo constantly failed her. As a result, Lauren is just as brilliant but is now a TortureTechnician SocialDarwinist. At one point, she quite cheerfully comments to the Morrigan that she is capable of committing genocide.
** This other Fae actually warns the Morrigan about this, saying Lauren won't take any abuse lying down. Which isn't to say Lauren is above having fun with it. After the Morrigan refers to Lauren as a dog once too often, she awakens the next morning restrained with a golden retriever (named Lauren Jr.) in her room, and peanut butter on her nether regions.

* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', this trope was basically Alex Harris's reaction to Tony Stark wanting to be nice and conciliatory ''after'' Alex put most of the Avengers and about a hundred SHIELD agents in the hospital.

* In ''Fanfic/TheDarkSideOfTheMirrorVerse'', the [[MirrorUniverse Mirror Mane Six]] are largely {{Harmless Villain}}s and losers, but [[spoiler:Mirror Twilight]] in particular feels like she's been disrespected and wronged her entire life [[spoiler:and her family became a laughing stock and disgraced when her older brother eloped with Empress Cadenza.]] She also [[spoiler:feels the School for Gifted Unicorns wronged her by kicking her out instead of teaching her the focus to handle her power after her mana surge, which even Mirror Trixie admits is true.]] Ultimately, she accidentally [[spoiler: overloads her [[ManaDrain Mana Collector]], and the resulting explosion combined with her bitterness and envy over this fact turns her into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Spotlight]], who goes full on this trope. She plans to publicly humiliate and take revenge on everypony who she believes did her wrong, and nearly destroys Canterlot in the process.]] She outright admits [[spoiler:after she's defeated and purified, that everything she did as Spotlight was basically her power fantasies brought to life]]. She even ended up giving a version of the Syndrome page quote.

* Yuuri Katsuki of the ''FanFic/RivalsSeries'' started as a ridiculed fan and then was ridiculed for his desire to defeat Viktor. Then, not only does he beat Viktor at the Olympics but takes the gold medal several separate times. The effect is mitigated, however, by the fact that Viktor does not mind as nearly as much as Yuuri thinks he does, a fact that Yuuri does not subconsciously realize until later.
* In ''Fanfic/ConversationsWithACryptid'' All for One was originally a vigilante who was trying to protect his family and working alongside his brother, the First One for All wielder. But then unauthorized Quirk use was deemed illegal and out of hundreds of vigilantes, only seven were permitted to become the first pro-heroes. While All for One didn't make the cut, his brother did. In protest, All for One gathered his fellow vigilantes and formed the League of Villains. From then on, All for One terrorized Japan, for two hundred years and become the most feared supervillain.
* A small part of Izuku's motivation in ''FanFic/HeroClassCivilWarfare'' is that he completely allowed to get some revenge on Bakugou for a decade of bullying using all the knowledge Izuku has gathered on him over the years. Heck, the more detailed and thorough he was in curb-stomping Bakugou, the better his grade was!
* ''Fanfic/ApotheosisMHA'': Izuku spent years [[FantasticAbleism abused and put down by society for being quirkless]]. After his dreams of being a hero are crushed by All Might, he finally snaps and goes down the road of villainy, eventually culminating in him building an ''[[ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet Infinity Gauntlet]]'' and becoming Japan's worst supervillain, arguably surpassing even All for One himself. After that, many people, including the aforementioned All Might, are suddenly wishing they had treated him ''much'' better pre-FaceHeelTurn.

* Syndrome from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' is a glaring example. Being a total screwup of an unwanted sidekick leads him to be rejected by his idol, which leads him to try and kill off all the world's superheroes and rub it in his idol's face. In a twist, his actions as a BigBad result in him becoming the ButtMonkey again and again, because while he is a legitimate threat, he has no idea how to work under pressure. Once things don't go the way he planned, he ends up scrambling to rerail the scenario until it blows up in his face. Even more ironically, the first thing Mr Incredible done upon meeting him again was actually apologise for his earlier treatment, though Syndrome assumed it was only because of his ill-sighted revenge scheme.

-->'''Genie:''' ''[bold, heroic]'' HAHAHAHAHA, who's laughing now?!
-->'''Jafar:''' [[EvilLaugh Mmmuhahahahahahahahahahahaha!]] Why, I believe it's ''me''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' [[spoiler: this is the primary motivation of Puss's most dangerous and frightening adversary... [[TheGrimReaper Death himself.]] Sick and tired of Puss throwing away his lives on reckless stunts and his constant mockery of him by claiming to "laugh in the face of death", Death deems the "arrogant little legend" unworthy to live his ninth and final life, and manifests into the mortal plane in the form of a fearsome wolf to personally claim Puss's last life. Death even throws Puss' claim of laughing in the face of death back in his face when he confronts him in the Cave of Lost Souls to clue him in on his true identity. Naturally, Puss is terrified when he realizes that he is now literally face to face with the very thing he once laughed at, and even more scared that said thing is ''NOT'' happy about being laughed at.]]

** Subverted, however with Romeo's dad, who instantly sees the kind of guy that Morrell really is and immediately takes the piss out of him in their first meeting. Morell threatens to go 'dark' on him. [[spoiler: Morell doesn't get the chance; later, when he's about to make good on his earlier threats against Gavin's family, Romeo's dad charges straight in, gives Morell a hiding he won't soon forget, and then sends Morrell (who is by this point crying like a toddler) away with his tail between his legs and the promise that if he ever shows his face around there again, then Romeo's dad really ''will'' kill him.]]
* ''Film/KungFuHustle'' plays with this using the main character Sing. When he was a child, he tried to save a girl from bullies, only to be badly beaten up. As an adult, he intentionally becomes a thief and "tough guy" in an attempt to ''invoke'' this trope. Problem is, he's a horrible thief and everyone around him are Kung-Fu Masters, so he ends up as the ButtMonkey. [[spoiler: When Sing manifests super-mega-Kung-Fu might, however, the film subverts this. Rather than take revenge on everyone who laughed at him, as he claimed he was going to do throughout the film, he decides to be the good person he wanted to be as a child and becomes a gentle and forgiving man.]]
** This is, in itself, the best revenge of all by dint of rising above the trope to live well.
* ''Film/{{Bound 1996}}'': Caesar both plays the trope straight and says the tagline almost verbatim. He also gets... [[EvilFeelsGood rather]] [[MadnessMantra animated]] while doing so.
-->'''Caesar:''' I'm a dead man, Johnnie? I'm a fucking dead man? Guess again, Johnnie. Who's the dead man? Who? Who's dead, fuckface? Who? Who? I can't hear you, Johnnie. Guess again. Take another guess, Johnnie. Take another fucking guess!"

* A heroic example in ''Film/RockyBalboa'', used by the title character's son to motivate him before the third round:
-->'''Robert''': Hey, stay on him! Everybody thought this was a joke, including me! Now, nobody's laughing! Stay on him!
* The horror film ''Film/TheFinal'' is all about this: The bullying victims rounded up everyone who had bullied them and put them through varying degrees of torture. Note that how poorly they were mistreated is open to interpretation. Emily, for example, hated the popular girls because they rebuffed her attempts at being friends. (And made some admittedly cruel jokes.)
** I'm pretty sure Emily hated the popular kids more for how they outright abused her friends than how they treated her (with her hatred of the popular girls being a 'you could help so much more than you hurt if you only gave a damn'
** Watching the end of the movie gives the impression that at least Emily and the guy in the Scarecrow costume were in it to commit suicide more than anything

* The ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' novel ''Literature/CallingAllCreeps'' features protagonist Ricky Beamer who is picked on by everyone in school just ForTheEvulz and is even kicked out of the newspaper ''twice'' for something that wasn't even his fault. He decides to get even with the editor of the paper, Tasha, by sending her message to the editor, only to discover that it's backfired on him, [[spoiler: and now Ricky receives calls from the four Creeps that venerate him as their commander. In the end, however, [[FaceHeelTurn Ricky decides not to warn the class about the seeds in the cookies and gets the opportunity to enslave everyone who picked on him in the beginning]].]]

* Another heroic example occurs in ''Flora's Dare''. After having been through a series of harrowing misadventures, Flora learns that [[spoiler: she had been played as an UnwittingPawn by Lord Axacaya the whole time]]. What really sets her off though is when she gets bushwhacked by Springheel Jack, who intends to do [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty all sorts of "fabulous things"]] to her.

* Luduschka the Ogre in Sukhinov's ''Emerald City'' tales. As a child, he was clumsy, lazy, and dumb. Now he is using this image to trap people. He even gets back at Corina later on.
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': Professor Poopypants became a supervillain because he was sick of people making fun of his name.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Walder Frey claims this is his motivation for [[spoiler: the Red Wedding, which results in the deaths of King Robb Stark, his mother Catelyn, and most of their bannermen]] because everyone was always looking down on him, such as Hoster Tully calling him "The Late Lord Frey" after he showed up late to the Battle of the Trident and various people mocking him for [[TheBluebeard his succession of wives]], but the most recent slight was Robb marrying someone else when he had promised to wed one of Walder's daughters in exchange for their alliance. The [[Series/GameOfThrones TV series]] makes this especially obvious.
-->The 'Late Walder Frey,' old Tully called me, because I didn't get my men to the Trident in time for the battle. He thought he was witty. Look at us now, Tully! You're dead. [[spoiler:Your daughter's dead. Your grandson's dead. Your son spent his wedding night in a dungeon... And I'm lord of Riverrun. Heh heh heh]].
** Arguably this could be Littlefinger's entire motivation for [[spoiler: starting the devastating War of the Five Kings]] as a form of revenge for certain humiliating and traumatic events that took place during his childhood at Riverrun.
* Raistlin Majere from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' has this as part of his initial motivation to gain power, having been born sickly and not expected to survive and always feeling that he stood in the shadow of his [[CainAndAble twin brother]] [[PolarOppositeTwins Caramon]]. Early on in the first book, he launches into a rant against his friend Tanis about this that Tanis' narration notes he's done so many times that he's just used to it. This also foreshadows his eventual FaceHeelTurn where he takes the black robes of an evil wizard. He then outgrows these feelings and moves on to far greater plans and [[KillTheGod far bigger targets]].
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Caffour spent his life kowtowing to the mortal powers that be and hated it. Once he is granted necrocraft, he announces his plan to overthrow them and finally gain respect.
* The ''Literature/FrannyKStein'' book ''The Fran That Time Forgot'' had Franny time-travel back to the day she was born in order to change her EmbarrassingMiddleName. Before returning to her proper time, she also decides to visit the future, where she finds to her horror that changing her middle name from Kissypie to Kaboom still got her laughed at, plus her lecture to her infant self that there is nothing worse than being laughed at has worsened Franny's anger at her peers laughing at her middle name, resulting in her teenage self planning to get back at everyone who laughed at her by creating an army of elephant monsters.
* ''Literature/FireAndBlood:'' Androw Farman spent years on Dragonstone being mocked or ignored by his wife and her companions, thanks to his general uselessness. [[spoiler:Eventually he snaps and poisons all of Rhaena's friends and companions out of spite.]]

-->'''Monk''': You're not laughing now, are you?
-->'''Hudson''': No. I'm not laughing.
-->'''Monk'''(''coldly''): Join the club.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': A number of [[MonsterOfTheWeek Meteor Freaks]], especially in the first season, are kids who were abused or hurt by others and use their newly obtained powers to get revenge on their tormentors.
* ''Series/{{Suits}}'': When [[BigBad Hardman]] makes Louis a Senior Partner, Jessica and Harvey try to woo him to their side. Instead, he lashes out at both of them for the past five years when he received only the most limited recognition of his accomplishments while the favored Harvey rose to Senior Partner first. When Hardman takes control of the firm, Louis becomes his attack dog and nearly gets Harvey fired.
* ''Series/TeenWolf'': ZigZaggingTrope with Isaac and Erica. They don't seem to channel their anger at those who tormented them once they turn to werewolves. Then they reveal they DO have grievance they want to rectify but only act on them opportunistically.
* In the ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' episode where Peggy and Al attend their high school reunion, Al and the other former {{jerk jock}}s are stunned to see that the nerdy boys they bullied are now filthy rich and have numerous gorgeous women fawning all over them.
--> '''Nerd''': Should have done your ''own'' homework, guys! ''(laughs smugly)''

--->'''Murphy:''' If you told me 30 years ago that I’d be this boring stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail... [[SelfDeprecation even I would have took that bet]]! (''imitates Cosby'') Who's America's dad now?!

* In ''Series/TheFlash2014,'' upon discovering that [[TheHero Barry]] is responsible for the messed-up Flashpoint timeline they're living in, his ArchEnemy Eobard Thawne gleefully declares: [[LargeHam "Who's the villain now, Flash? Who's the villain now!"]] (Answer: Still Thawne).

* A song written by Parry Gripp is entitled Who's Laughing Now?

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''

* Syndrome from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' is a glaring example. Being a total screwup of an unwanted sidekick leads him to be rejected by his idol, which leads him to try and kill off all the world's superheroes and rub it in his idol's face. In a twist, his actions as a BigBad result in him becoming the ButtMonkey again and again, because while he is a legitimate threat, he has no idea how to work under pressure. Once things don't go the way he planned, he ends up scrambling to rerail the scenario until it blows up in his face. Even more ironically, the first thing Mr Incredible done upon meeting him again was actually apologise for his earlier treatment, though Syndrome assumed it was only because of his ill-sighted revenge scheme.

** After Brexit, the UK will issue new passports that look like the pre-EU ones... made by a French company. Guess which side of the Channel had newspapers responding with this trope.

* Syndrome from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' is a glaring example. Being a total screwup of an unwanted sidekick leads him to be rejected by his idol, which leads him to try and kill off all the world's superheroes and rub it in his idol's face. In a twist, his actions as a BigBad result in him becoming the ButtMonkey again and again, because while he is a legitimate threat, he has no idea how to work under pressure. Once things don't go the way he planned, he ends up scrambling to rerail the scenario until it blows up in his face.