Marvel Mystery Comics, which started in 1939, operates approximately half on this trope.Cloud in the Seventies, and Jezebel Jet in the modern age. Julie Madison and Vicki Vale in The Golden Age of Comic Books Silver St. Batman sometimes has a Distressed Damsel love interest.(Unsurprisingly, people who Love someone's alter ego often suffer from this trope.) Comic book heroes seem to spend about half their time rescuing some girl they've been dating on-and-off for about seventy years from something each issue, from Olive Oyl to Lois Lane.Not to be confused with the 2012 comedy film Damsels in Distress or the P. See also The Captivity Narrative for a plot based on this.
If the hero tries to rescue them even though they don't need rescuing, then The Victim Must Be Confused. If the hero leaves the damsel in distress (for the moment), that's Delaying the Rescue. If she has a strong spirit despite captivity then he/she is a Defiant Captive. A damsel who rescues herself is a Damsel out of Distress who probably used an Improvised Weapon. If the girl is actually faking this for her own benefits, depending on her purposes she's either a Deliberately Distressed Damsel or a Decoy Damsel. See also The Dulcinea Effect, Distress Ball, Standard Female Grab Area, Determined Widow, I Have Your Wife, Save the Princess, Hostage MacGuffin. For the straight Spear Counterpart, see Distressed Dude. Common for a Caged Bird Metaphor to be used.įor obvious reasons this trope is Always Female, unless a Crossdresser plays the role if such a damsel is still the Love Interest for the protagonist, as the female version often is, "she" is probably Camp Gay (and the whole thing becomes more likely to be Played for Laughs). Compare with Disposable Woman, where a barely-developed character is killed off for Emotional Torque, but forgotten not long afterwards. If the character does not become a Damsel Scrappy but still is constantly captured, they are a Designated Victim. If the kidnapper in question is particularly nasty, expect an I Have You Now, My Pretty situation to occur. Damsels may also be Bound and Gagged or put into Unwilling Suspension, especially when it satisfies Author Appeal.
Chained to a Rock is an ancient form Girl in the Tower and Hypnotize the Captive came later. Generally expected to give The Hero a Smooch of Victory when he rescues her. On the other hand, anyone can have a bad day perhaps she just had a moment of Badass in Distress after being thrown a Distress Ball. This is particularly dangerous for the resident Action Heroine who will seem suddenly weak and helpless if her stint as a damsel isn't properly justified if the moment is bad enough, she can be demoted to Faux Action Girl. Some damsels are so annoying that the audience wouldn't mind seeing them dead others end up in trouble in a way that just screams Character Derailment. This set-up is plausible if the damsel in distress is a beloved character, but can be very jarring if the audience fails to see what's so valuable about the damsel and why the rest of the cast should drop everything to go to her rescue. If the abuser is her husband, she may be rescued by a Wife-Basher Basher. In other cases, the damsel's distress is due to someone in her own family, such as her husband, her Archnemesis Dad, or a Wicked Stepmother. She may also be lost or stranded in a hostile area, trapped, or suffering any number of terrible fates where she needs help to survive. The classic damsel has been kidnapped or captured and is locked away, awaiting rescue and afraid for her life and virtue. Her plight unites the cast, causing them to put aside their differences and work together to save her or provide the premise for The Quest and is considered Older Than Dirt. A female character is put into immediate danger in order to put the cast in motion.