Line #45 Main/HissBeforeFleeing


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2	%%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1639766451094809100&page=1
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6	[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jl_hiss_and_flee.png]]]]
7	[[caption-width-right:300:Jeez, no need to be so [[{{Pun}} catty]] about it.]]
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9
10	The heroes have fought the monster, given it some good licks, but the monster isn't done yet. It pauses for a moment to hiss or screech loudly with its [[FangsAreEvil fangs out]], its arms outstretched and claws extended, before leaping offscreen. Perhaps it just wanted to get the last word in. Time for the heroes to pursue.
11
12	Maybe it wants to frighten the heroes away, or just wants to vent some rage at being beaten up by mere humans. Whatever the case, it's VillainExitStageLeft! Mostly, it's animal monsters that do this, though vampires and aliens are also fond of hissing before fleeing. Occasionally, anything that cause a burning reaction or GlamourFailure is sure to make the creature hiss before fleeing.
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14	The exit counterpart to RoarBeforeBeating. It seems like while monsters roar to say hello, they hiss to say goodbye. This is a very common trope, possibly an UndeadHorseTrope. It appears to be based on the idea that [[AllAnimalsAreDogs all animals are cats]].
15
16	Variants for more humanoid villains include scowling or [[AngryFistShake shaking a fist]], often while spewing "Curse you!" or some other {{Badbutt}} insult.
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18	----
19	!!Examples:
20
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
24	* ''Anime/{{Hellsing}}''. Episode 7, ''Duel'' has the scene where Vatican priests tell Integra that their paladin is about to ambush their soldiers in the subway, right when Integra and Alucard were about to kill said priests in a museum. Integra doesn't actually ''hiss'', but she does make a similar noise, give one hell of a mean glare, and promptly spins around and walks away (retreating) defiantly, followed by Alucard who does something very similar. Subversion seeing as they're the good guys.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Comic Books]]
28	* A rat creature in ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'' does this after an unsuccessful face-down with the Red Dragon.
29	* One of the turned babysitters in ''[[ComicBook/{{Peculia}} Peculia and the Goon Grove Vampires]]'' tries this when a gypsy starts firing stakes at them. She get the hissing part down, the running... not so much.
30	* In ''Victorioan Undead 2: Sherlock Holmes'', when the hunters raid one of Dracula's crypts, they find a turned Lucy Westenra leading Dracula's brides ready to ambush them. However the hunters uses crosses and flares to beat them back, killing two of the brides. Lucy claims to be more "enlightened" due to being a vampire turned in modern day and that faith is needed on both sides for the crosses to be effective, granting her some resistance against them. Regardless she can't fully resist the cross's holy influence and, seeing that she's outnumbered, ultimately bargains for her life, killing the last bride for the hunters before fleeing out the roof of the building.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Fan Works]]
34	* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': When the manager of Spender's Gifts tries to capture the lost Mittens and collect the reward for her return in "The Mall," the cat hisses at him as she frantically backpedals away. Luckily, she crashes into Bolt, who [[AngryGuardDog scares the man off]].
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
38	* Toothless in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2010'' takes a moment to screech in Hiccup's face before fleeing, soon after Hiccup almost plunges a dagger into his heart.
39	* One of the raptors does this in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeXIInvasionOfTheTinysauruses'' after being chased away by the herd of herbivorous dinosaurs.
40	* Gríma Wormtongue does this in Creator/RalphBakshi's ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'', an action taken directly from the book.
41	* Played for laughs in ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', where Mole the eccentric geologist hisses and flees at the sight of soap.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
45	* ''Film/{{Alien}}'', possibly the TropeCodifier.
46	* Parodied by Pee Wee Herman in ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'': He is stalking down the street on a rainy night, slowly going insane from the theft of his bicycle. A group of gang members walk up and [[MuggingTheMonster threaten him]] - and Pee-Wee frightens them off with a feral hiss.
47	* Things in Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/TheThing1982'' scream a lot.
48	* Very common in vampire films.
49	** See ''Film/Underworld2003'' for a good example or two.
50	** In ''Film/HorrorOfDracula'', Lucy hisses as Helsing thrusts a cross at her before scalding her with it, leaving a nasty mark on her forehead. To which she flees back into her crypt.
51	** ''Film/TheBridesOfDracula'': The Baron does this when Helsing first confronts him and gets warded off by his cross, ultimately rushing out of his chateau and escaping via a coach. Later, after Gina is drained, turns and revives in the horse stables where Marianne unwittingly has come to pay her last respects. She hisses when Helsing arrives and interrupts her attempt to have Marianne join her to go see the Baron, fleeing when Helsing focuses on catching a fainted Marianne.
52	** ''Film/CountYorga'': Inverted, in the climax of the movie, Micheal is confronted by his now vamped friend, Erica, as well as a nameless red-headed bride. He manages to ward them off with the red-head running away leaving Erica still standing there at Micheal's mercy. After he can't bring himself to stake her, he heads off back upstairs with Erica hissing at him as he goes.
53	** ''Film/BramStokersDracula'': Lucy again this time in the crypt. Once again Helsing thrusts a cross at her to force her back into her coffin. She hisses all the way, only stopping when she ''vomits blood at him''.
54	* ''{{Film/Avatar}}'': Appears to be an instinctive gesture of contempt used by the Na'vi - and often as not is [[RoarBeforeBeating Hiss Before Righteous Ass-Kicking]] instead.
55	* [[spoiler: Frank Butterman]] of ''Film/HotFuzz'' at the end of the bar scene in the movie's climax, though that was more of a growl than a hiss. Specifically, a lion's growl.
56	* ''Film/MadMax'':
57	** ''Film/MadMax1'': Toecutter, the leader of the biker gang, does this after Max shoots TheDragon dead. He then jumps on his bike and roars off, but Max soon chases after him.
58	** Wez does this in ''Film/TheRoadWarrior'', just after leaping out of the oil drillers' compound.
59	** Immortan Joe does this in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', identically to how Toecutter did his, as an ActorAllusion: both Toecutter and Immortan Joe were played by Hugh Keays-Byrne.
60	* The ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' tend to hiss at their attackers before they flee a scene.
61	* Shelob does something very like this trope after Sam cuts her a good one in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'', although her "voice" is pretty much nothing but hissing in any case.
62	* A non-horrific (and funnier) variant occurs at the end of ''Film/BigDaddy'' when Vanessa realizes that Sonny and all his friends have just found she fell on hard times and had to become [[BadJobWorseUniform a scantily-clad Hooters girl]]...after having taunted Sonny back when they were a couple that she would go on to have a successful career and he'd always be lazy and worthless (oh, and to make the scenario even more humiliating, Sonny's a ''lawyer'' by this point, and is dressed the part). Vanessa is too proud to betray any mortification, so she just shoots Sonny a DeathGlare (pretty much the nonverbal equivalent of this trope) and then runs off.
63	* The 1966 ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' has a "Hiss ''Instead'' of Fleeing" from Catwoman. Attempting to escape from the Penguin's submarine after the Penguin, the Joker, and the Riddler and their henchmen have already been captured, she is caught and hisses at Robin as Batman orders him to handcuff her.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Literature]]
67	* When confronted by Van Helsing and company and beginning to feed on a small boy, the newly turned Lucy in ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'' throws the child to the ground, "growling over it as a dog growls over a bone." Shortly afterwards, the vampiric Lucy is driven back by Van Helsing's crucifix. She isn't described as hissing at this point, but does have a mouth grown "to an open square, as in the passion masks of the Greeks and Japanese."
68	%%* The gwanna ''Literature/{{Ketrin}}'' [[http://www.p-synd.com/ketrin/ketrin10.htm lpart ten]].
69	* As above, Gríma Wormtongue does this in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' as he leaves Théoden's service.
70	* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': ''Syl,'' of all people, actually reacts like this when Kaladin asks her if she recognizes the name Odium.
71	* ''Literature/SalemsLot'': Happens a few time as the protagonists protect themselves to ward off the rising vampire threat. One of the more notable ones is the encounter with Marijorie Glick after she dies from blood loss and is taken to the morgue, with Ben and Bill waiting to see if she would revive. Sure enough, she does and nearly attacks them but the two manage to drive her back with a cross to which hisses at them before using her powers to merge into the shadows and flee.
72	* Happens at the end of several battles in the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, naturally.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
76	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' and ''Series/{{Buffy\|the Vampire Slayer}}'' both did this in their earlier episodes, though both waned shortly into their respective runs.
77	* Though he's too old to flee, Gormogon's mentor on ''Series/{{Bones}}'' hisses viciously at Brennen and Booth when they confront him at a nursing home, then "retreats" into sullen (feigned?) senility.
78	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E6TheVampiresOfVenice "The Vampires of Venice"]], if you're lucky, the vampires flee after they hiss. If not, you will.
79	* Vampires in ''Series/ForeverKnight'' always hiss when they expose their fangs. More than a few times, this has been immediately before a withdrawal.
80	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Ser Barristan meets Daenerys Targaryen in Astapor in Slaver's Bay and saves her from an assassination attempt by a member of the Warlocks of Qarth, preventing a venomous manticore from harming her. The Warlock, disguised as a child, hisses at them and runs away.
81	* ''Series/Siren2018'': Ryn does this often before she learns how to speak English. She doesn't want to deal with all the weird looks humans give her for her obviously inhuman behavior, so a good hiss gets them off her back.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Video Games]]
85	* Seen early on in with a Spider Splicer in ''VideoGame/{{BioShock\|1}}.''
86	* The Wraith from ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' does this in the end of the Stalker trailer.
87	* Alma does it in the second ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'' game, after you fight off her rape attempts.
88	* Mileena in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' does this when she is tagged out in a two-on-two match.
89	* ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' and ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' does this when you "activate" an alien pod by coming within sight range of it - a brief cinematic will play of the aliens reacting to your presence before they get a free move to duck into cover ([[RoarBeforeBeating or not]], in the case of [[SmashMook Muton Berserkers]] or [[InsectoidAliens Chryssalids]]). This is particularly appropriate in the case of [[NoodlePeople Thin Men]], which are SnakePeople genetically-engineered to look [[HughMann somewhat]] human, and tend to properly hiss when revealed.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Web Comics]]
93	* In ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'', when [[BatPeople Sanguine]] taunts One ear over how she tore off his ear some time ago, after she catches him trying to steal her "food", she invites him to come come closer so she can take the other ear. He cuts her off by angrily hisses before flying away.
94	* ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' example: when Robin gets into a CatFight with Sarah Palin, the latter does this when confronted by reporters, because free press burns her. Moments later, Robin similarly flees when Amber reminds her that it's her turn to clean the toilet.
95	* In ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', when going through the events of the third ''Mega Man'' game, when Mega Man comes across Shadow Man, he makes his eyes bright like headlights while looking at Shadow Man, who had/is accustomed to seeing in the dark. Shadow Man hisses and throws a Shadow Blade in Mega Man's eyes, breaking his high beams and allowing him to flee.
96	* ''Webcomic/DraculaRulerOfTheNight'': In the climax, the hunters find out that Dracula had taken over the manor of a fellow friend of the Westernas after losing Carfax Abby and invade it for a final showdown. No sooner than they get in, said friend and initial owner of the manor, Mrs. Petri whom not surprisingly has been turned and made into one of Dracula's newest vampire bride, tries an attempted ambush and fails when the crosses they wield ward her back. She hisses at them and retreats via flipping back a few times like a gymnast before jumping to a wall and wall crawling out of sight, much to the disturbance of the hunters.
97	* ''Fanfic/TotalUndeadDrama'': A turned Sadie and Sugar try to ambush Trent and Izzy when they explore a cellar of Storm's manor. The latter two manage to ward them back and Sadie settles into into making small talk with the pair while keeping her distance from their stakes. Sugar however doesn't bother to stick around, having already died once from being fed on, and leaves.
98	--> '''Sugar''': ''(Hisses)'' Ah didn't become chow to the fairy tale princess [[note]]Referring to Ella, the one who drained and turned her[[/note]] and become a walking corpse just so ya'll can bore me with ya'lls yapping. Nor do ah want a hole stuck in me like a shish-kabob. Ah've got enough of them on mah neck, thanks! Now if ya'll don't mind, ah got this newfound monstrous hunger for blood that needs filling, so ah'm gonna get me one of the other intruders wandering around here. Didn't wanna share with the valley ditz here anyway! Hmph! ''(She flies out a nearby window)''.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Web Videos]]
102	* For [[RuleOfFunny some reason]], WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd of all people does this to WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic in the early stages of their FinalBattle. Uh, that is, their ''second'' FinalBattle.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Western Animation]]
106	* Played for laughs in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' in the episode where Butters thought he'd turned into a vampire. He does this because he thinks it sounds menacing. It was actually hilarious, which made it even funnier when people were genuinely shocked by it.
107	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
108	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E4BartSellsHisSoul Bart Sells His Soul]]", Bart does this when he is caught trying to buy Ralph Wiggum's soul. For bonus points, he disappears into smoke like a supernatural being and his eyes are briefly reptillian-slitted.
109	** Another Simpsons example is [[EvilTwin Hugo]] in one of the Halloween specials.
110	** Still another example has bunch of comic convention nerds scrounging in a trash can, who look up with red eyes and hiss when a flashlight beam falls on them, causing them to run away.
111	* Momo from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' when Aang and Sokka reach out to him. The former wants Momo as a pet and the latter wants him for lunch.
112	* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' ChristmasEpisode 'Comfort and Joy', ComicBook/MartianManhunter has been invited to [[Franchise/{{Superman}} the Kents']] for Christmas. J'onn is given [[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]]'s room to sleep in. (She's off skiing with her friend [[Comicbook/{{Batgirl2011}} Barbara]]). While taking in the ''incredibly'' different décor, he's approached by a cat, which he attempts to greet warmly. "Kitty." The cat does this trope, clearly unused to martians.
113	* Corey did this after being Frightened by Trina when they were younger (as shown in one of her Flashbacks) in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'' episode "In-D Road Rager".
114	* Finn of all people does this in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' after Princess Bubblegum [[ItMakesSenseInContext accidentally on purpose cuts his cheek]] when he tries to steal her crown [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext with a pair of scissors she was using to cut the limbs off of miniature candy people.]]
115	** In another episode, Peppermint Butler does this when he comes into the room and sees a very ill Princess Bubblegum [[spoiler:who has actually been possessed by the Lich]].
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Real Life]]
119	* Many species of animal (including cats, snakes, and toads) will puff up their bodies and hiss loudly to look more intimidating before simply running away.
120	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HissBeforeFleeing