Basic Trope: Someone who launches an attack suddenly needs to retreat.
- Straight: Commander Carl calls, "Charge!" only to realize the enemy is too strong. He immediately calls, "Retreat!"
- Exaggerated: Commander Carl sounds a charge for his battalion, only to realize the enemy's forces all standing next to each other fill up a space that's around the size of Texas, so Carl and his troops all run the entire way straight home and start farming instead.
- Downplayed: Commander Carl orders the attack. After a brief skirmish, he orders his troops to withdraw to a nearby defensible position and prepares a new plan of action.
- Justified:
- Commander Carl and his army are fast, lightly-armored units designated for Hit-and-Run Tactics.
- The attack consisted of throwing sticky bombs with a large blast radius onto the enemy. Now Carl's army has to run for cover.
- Right after ordering an attack, Commander Carl realized...
- the enemy was orchestrating a Defensive Feint Trap.
- the enemy had a Superweapon Surprise.
- his army attacked something that turned out to be far more dangerous than it looked.
- Carl's superior officer is antsy and pressuring Carl with a demotion if he delays in attacking any more while having just threatened Carl that losing too many men in his next battle will result in a termination of his position, so Carl felt attacking was necessary and realized retreating was needed once he saw what his troops were up against.
- Commander Carl's attack was part of a Delaying Action for another element of a larger plan. Once that part has been executed, Carl needs to get his troops to safety.
- Commander Carl's attack and subsequent retreat was meant to bait the enemy into following his troops into a massive ambush that General Douglas had set up.
- Commander Carl's attack and subsequent retreat was meant to lure the enemy away from a valuable asset they were protecting; once the enemy has left the area, Major Franklin and his men slip in and capture said asset.
- Inverted: Commander Carl spots the enemy, retreats with his army, then orders an attack.
- Subverted: Commander Carl orders an attack, the enemy shrugs it off and Carl calls, "Hold your ground, men!"
- Double Subverted: KABOOM! ..."Never mind, RETREAT!"
- Parodied: Commander Carl calls a retreat even though he's winning. His soldiers groan and grumble.
- Zig Zagged:
- See Pendulum War
- Commander Carl leads his troops in an attack, but when the enemy proves much more powerful, he orders a retreat. The enemy then gives chase — which is what Carl wants, as he's leading them into an ambush.
- Averted:
- Commander Carl and his army Curb Stomp the enemy the first time they attack.
- Commander Carl doesn't give the order to attack.
- The enemy retreats.
- The enemy wasn't there in the first place.
- Enforced:
- The creator originally wrote a realistic battle scene trying to avert Pendulum War. Unfortunately for all the creator's hard work, Executive Meddling couldn't follow along with the narrative and/or decided the scene ate up too much time in the movie, so Executive Meddling ordered a simplification of what happened. The creator distilled the battle down to this trope, since that option out of all the others generated the least troublesome Plot Hole.
- Today's lesson: why even armies need to look before they leap.
- Lampshaded: "Make up your mind, Commander Carl!"
- Invoked:
- The enemy hires a bunch of harmless-looking mercenaries with hidden One-Winged Angel forms.
- The enemy secretly prepares a Superweapon Surprise for Commander Carl.
- Exploited: While Commander Carl's army charges, the enemy's backup troops sneak up behind, park themselves in the escape route, and wait for Carl's army to retreat right into them.
- Defied:
- Instead of retreating, Commander Carl stands his ground and calls for backup.
- The enemy quickly surrounds Commander Carl's army, making retreat impossible before Commander Carl can give the order.note
- Discussed: When Commander Carl gives the order to attack, Soldiers Alice and Bob grumble.Soldier Alice: "This Is Gonna Suck. We're outmatched."
Soldier Bob: "I hope he sees that and calls a retreat soon." - Conversed: "Well, that's what Carl gets for being a Leeroy Jenkins!"
- Implied: Commander Carl and his subordinates are seen Peeling Potatoes, scrubbing the floor with their toothbrushes, and doing other Punishment Detail tasks while Carl's superior officer chews them all out for strategically unsound use of Hit-and-Run Tactics.
- Deconstructed: Commander Carl does this one too many times and gains a reputation as the Leeroy Jenkins.
- Reconstructed: Commander Carl learns from his mistakes and stops underestimating the enemy.
- Played For Laughs: Commander Carl gives the order to attack in a baritone. When the enemy lands a Groin Attack, he Screams Like a Little Girl, does a Pain-Powered Leap and calls for a retreat in an Instant Soprano.
- Played For Drama: Commander Carl loses too many soldiers in the retreat. His superior officer chews him out and reminds Carl that Evil Only Has to Win Once.
Attack! Attack! Attack! Oh, Crap! RUN BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE!
