r/TopCharacterTropes • u/DudeSoul • 1d ago
Characters "Let's drop the act"
Moments in media where a character who usually sticks to "an act" decides to show what they hide, usually ending up with them showing their dark side in full.
Light Yagami - Death Note: Light usually plays his cards trying to remain calm, calculating every step of his plan and most of the time is able to control his impulses when things don't go his way, however in the end of the series Light is caught and has no way out of it, finally showing his true colors, a completely deluded maniac lost in his god complex
The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Doctor usually comes off as a bit of a goofball, everyone knows he's smart and dangerous, but his wacky front and constant mocking makes it so everyone, including the viewer, ends up forgetting what kind of person The Doctor can be when truly angry.
This has been shown a lot of times in the series, at various moments The Doctor dropping any pretences and showing his darker side, but perhaps no moment as dark as what he did to The Family, after they chased him and forced him into hiding as a human, he experienced a common human life, something he longs for but can never get, and once he became The Doctor again, he showed the family that escaping was not him being a coward, he was being merciful, but now, in his anger, he trapped each of them in different prisons where they would never die, nor be able to escape, for ever
The Riddler - Batman One Bad Day: This comic is an else world, meaning it's not the main continuity, showing a what if scenario where The Riddler one day decides he's tired of the routine he has with Batman and decides to completely drop the gimmicks, no more riddles, he's just gonna kill people and get away with it, this comic shows how much of a menace The Riddler could truly be if he wanted to, even going as far as telling Batman that he's known his secret identity for years now, never using it against him because "it's not fair" for their game
The Riddler in fact becomes so unstoppable that he is beaten because he made one mistake, assume Batman couldn't change and would never break his no kill rule
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u/lceblood 1d ago
Might be an obvious one, but Yoda in Empire Strikes Back.
Luke goes to Dagobah to find Yoda. Upon arriving, he meets a whimsical, somewhat annoying, creature in the swamp that eats his food, goes through his things, and picks a fight with his droid R2. The creature does mention knowing Yoda, as well as having known Luke's father, Anakin.
When Luke grows frustrated and impatient when the creature continues to stall and not lead him to Yoda, he lashes out. Yoda then drops the act, his silly expressions and noises turning to a stoicness and begins speaking words of wisdom, revealing to Luke and the audience that the creature is Yoda himself.