History BerserkButton / Film

[[]]

* In 1944, both ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' and ''Creator/AbbottAndCostello'' made use of an even older vaudeville routine called "The Stranger with a Kind Face" (allegedly created by Joey Faye) in which the words "UsefulNotes/NiagaraFalls" serve as a trigger for a violent outburst by one of the characters. A variation of the same routine (the keyword was "Martha"[[note]][[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!?]][[/note]]) showed up in an episode of ''Series/ILoveLucy'', too.

[[/folder]]

** Pumbaa is called a pig by Banzai, prompting him to say "[[YouTalkinToMe Are you talking to me]]?! [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs They call me MISTER PIG]]!" [[PreAssKickingOneLiner before attacking]]. However he doesn't mind when Timon or Simba call him one; it's just strangers and Banzai wasn’t just a stranger, was an enemy.

** Pumbaa is called a pig, prompting him to say "[[YouTalkinToMe Are you talking to me]]?! [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs They call me MISTER PIG]]!" [[PreAssKickingOneLiner before attacking]]. However he doesn't mind when Timon or Simba call him one; it's just strangers.

* ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'' has Peter, during their first big ghost job at the hotel, call Slimer, the ghost they're sent to take down, an "ugly little spud". This turns out to be a bad idea, as Slimer promptly goes after him and, well, slimes him.

** Pai Mei is practically one big walking berserk button; even the slightest perceived offense, intentional or not, can result in him inflicting grievous bodily harm on you, if you're lucky. Three of his biggest just so happen to be women, Caucasians, and anything to do with the Japanese. Cue Beatrix, katana and all, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck showing up on his doorstep]] to be [[TrainingFromHell trained by him]].

** When the group gets dropped into insect trench, there are two examples of this: the first is Lumpy, the chef, whose HeterosexualLifePartner Choy (who he was defending the whole film) dies from the fall. When the worms start coming from the mud, he's cut off from what other survivors there are, and surrounded by nightmarish creatures, they make the horrific mistake of trying to eat Choy's body. Lumpy proceeds to go AxCrazy with a machete, killing several of them even while one of them is eating his leg. He only gets killed when they've disabled one of his legs, an arm, and then got a hold of his head. And even then he's not screaming in terror: he's still swinging the machete while howling in anger.
** The other is Carl, the director. It's debatable whether or not he genuinely valued the footage on the camera more than his crew, but it's indisputable that he was protecting it with his life, and the fall broke the camera, and ruined the film. He's got tears in his eyes and a look of utter despair... then he throws an off-screen elbow at something clawing at his side. Broken carapace flies around, and he promptly turns into Shaolin monk with a bo-staff as he smashes through the small bugs and cold-cocks a massive centipede-thing with one of the camera's tripod legs.

*** Even the tiniest inconvenience will send Hades off, such as when his minions failed to tell him that the Fates have arrived.

** Outshining Astrid will make her ''pissed''.

%%** On the heroic side of things, don't mess with Miss Calloway's hat!

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney'': When Quasimodo tells Frollo that he helped Esmerelda escape [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe because she was kind to him]], Frollo becomes completely enraged. He smashes Quasi's wooden model of Notre Dame, shouts "YOU IDIOT!" and goes off on a racist rant that claims as a gypsy, she is [[AlwaysChaoticEvil incapable of real love]] and was just cynically using him. Knowing that Frollo is [[{{Yandere}} quite literally]] [[DirtyOldMan crazy for Esmerelda]] himself, it's probably stemming from [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]].

*** Don't touch Peter Quill/Star-Lord's Walkman, or you will be in for a world of pain. Initially PlayedForLaughs, it later turns out that this is because [[spoiler:it's one of the only things he has left to remember his mother by]].

--->'''[[{{jerkass}} Mitchell Carson]]:''' If only you had protected Janet with such ferocity, Dr. Pym...\\

** ''Film/AntMan'': Mentioning [[TheLostLenore Janet van Dyne]] is a sure-fire to make Hank Pym lose his temper, however briefly.

* ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'': After Tauriel accuses Thranduil of being heartless, he is utterly ''furious'', dismissing her romantic feelings for Kíli as a crush compared to what he shared with his late wife, and he threatens to kill her while pointing his sword at her heart.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'', Pavitr Prabhakar goes from happily describing his daily life to flying into a rant when Miles calls chai "chai tea" [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment because of the redundancy]].

* ''Film/{{Serenity}}'':

* The ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' films: Buford Tannen, who was berserk to begin with, completely loses it when called by his nickname "Mad Dog", which he earned due to his viciousness and tendency to drool.
** Marty [=McFly=] goes off when his courage is called into question, declaring "NobodyCallsMeChicken". While this initially works well, pushing Marty's Berserk Button and allowing him to outmaneuver several future bullies, we also see past, present and future scenarios where this proud attitude causes very bad portents for him, with risk of job loss, crippling physical injury, and death all as possible results. This is a ShoutOut to ''Film/RebelWithoutACause''.
*** Of course, this is subverted after two movies' worth of CharacterDevelopment when Marty chooses not to get in a street race with some punks who try to provoke him with this, thereby averting the BadFuture we see in the second movie.

-->'''Walter Sobchak''': Has the whole world gone [[SuddenlyShouting CRAZY!?!?!?]] [[SeriousBusiness AM I THE ONLY ONE AROUND HERE WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE RULES?!?!?! MARK IT ZERO!!!]]

* ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'':
%%** Being the proud narcissist that he is, Smaug does not take kindly to those who question or insult his magnificence. The dwarves use this to their advantage, taunting and insulting him to distract him.
** In the first film, the Goblin King is textbook FauxAffablyEvil... That is, until he sees [[CoolSword Orcrist]]...
--->'''The Goblin King''': I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks! SLASH THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!!

* ''Film/HocusPocus'': The generally practical Winnifred Sanderson only fully unleashes her wrath on anyone who dares to call her "ugly", and tortures or pursues the offenders single-mindedly. This eventually leads to her own demise, and that of her sisters.

* ''Film/{{Hulk}}''/''Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008'': It's pretty much a given you won't like Dr. Bruce Banner when he's angry. Tormenting him is bad enough. Just look at Betty Ross the wrong way, however, and.... HULK SMASH!!!

%%* In ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'', "Don't mess with Mother Earth, Mother Nature, or the Mother-freakin' Ukrainians!"

-->'''O-Ren Ishii''': ''[[TranquilFury (calmly and sincerely)]]'' As your leader…I encourage you from time to time, and always in a respectful manner, to question my logic. If you're unconvinced that a particular plan of action I've decided is the wisest, tell me so, but allow me to convince you, and I promise you right here and now, no subject will ever be taboo. Except, of course, the subject that was just under discussion. ''[[SuppressedRage (less calmly)]]'' The price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is... I collect your fucking head. ([[DecapitationPresentation shows Tanaka's head]]) Just like this fucker here. [[SuddenlyShouting Now, if any of you sons of bitches got]] '''''[[SuddenlyShouting anything else to say, NOW'S THE FUCKING TIME!]]'''''

* ''Film/KingKong2005''. When the group gets dropped into insect trench, there are two examples of this: the first is Lumpy, the chef, whose HeterosexualLifePartner Choy (who he was defending the whole film) dies from the fall. When the worms start coming from the mud, he's cut off from what other survivors there are, and surrounded by nightmarish creatures, they make the horrific mistake of trying to eat Choy's body. Lumpy proceeds to go AxCrazy with a machete, killing several of them even while one of them is eating his leg. He only gets killed when they've disabled one of his legs, an arm, and then got a hold of his head. And even then he's not screaming in terror: he's still swinging the machete while howling in anger.

* Professor Marcus, of ''Film/TheLadykillers1955'', tends to flip when called 'crazy'. This is usually accompanied by an over-the-top crescendo of epic proportions from the score, and tell-tale looks of expectant horror on the faces of the gang. Luckily, something usually happens to interrupt Marcus.
%%** Don't call One-Round stupid.Or threaten Mrs Wilberforce.

* In ''Film/MaidToOrder1987'', if you value your job with him, do ''not'' bring up Stan Starkey's bandage.

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':

** While we're on the subject of ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', several of the heroes, Dr. Banner aside, seem to have a button-pushing issue at some point.
%%*** Tony Stark doesn't like other people taking his things.

*** Clint Barton/Hawkeye does ''not'' take kindly to learning he was Loki's unwitting pawn and as such, responsible for several deaths and nearly killing Black Widow.
*** As a corollary, he detests any further attempts to [[MindRape mind control]] him, as Wanda finds out the hard way.
*** ''Don't tell Thor to put his hammer down''. As Cap found out, he'll put it down...'''on your ''head''.'''

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'':

--->'''Ultron:''' It's just I don't understand - ''[[MoodSwinger DON'T COMPARE ME WITH STARK!]]''

-->'''Annie''': You dirty bird... How could you? She ''can't'' be dead! Misery Chastain cannot be dead!
-->'''Paul''': Annie, in 1871 women often died in childbirth, but her spirit is the important thing, and Misery's spirit is still alive.
-->'''Annie''': ''(violently slamming the injured Paul's bed, hurting him)'' I DON'T WANT HER SPIRIT!! I WANT HER!! AND YOU MURDERED HER!

* In ''Film/Monsters2010'', fighter jets flying overhead send the giant aliens into a killing rampage, presumably because they've come to associate the sound with DeathFromAbove.
* ''Franchise/MonsterVerse'':
** Overall, Ghidorah is one of the few things that ''truly'' pisses Godzilla off. In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', Godzilla is abnormally agitated when patrolling Antarctica before Ghidorah awakens, and the look on Godzilla's face when he and a reawakened Ghidorah first see each-other again makes it clear they mutually ''despise'' each-other. In ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', [[spoiler:the entire reason why Godzilla's on a global rampage is because he can sense Mechagodzilla's signal and identifies it as a rival to his dominance, with the {{novelization}} confirming that Godzilla recognizes that the Mecha signal's source is part-Ghidorah]].

** Besides Godzilla, a couple of the other three big hitter kaiju in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' demonstrate their own respective Berserk Buttons. Mothra, arguably the most benevolent Titan yet encountered, is aggravated when Monarch activates a containment field around her which has a bug-zapper effect on some of the normal-sized insects in her temple. Downplayed in that while this puts her on edge, she doesn’t actually start attacking until one of the soldiers present [[ShootingSuperman panics and opens fire on her]]. Ghidorah goes berserk whenever he hears the ORCA's signal, stopping whatever he's doing to hunt down the signal's source and make it stop, usually with ''extreme prejudice''; this is prominent after Ghidorah usurps Godzilla's dominance of the other Titans, with Ghidorah at one point notably abandoning the chance to kill a downed Godzilla when he hears the ORCA's signal again.
*** In the same film, and in its tie-in graphic novel prequel ''Godzilla Aftershock'', Emma Russell tends to crack and lose her composure when someone brings up her daughter or dead son and questions her sanity in tandem.
** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', Big G's mere presence is a Berserk Button for both of the [=MUTOs=], driving them to get up and fight him off due to him being a natural enemy of their kind.

* ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace''. Ed.
-->'''Ed:''' STOP LAUGHING AT ME!
* ''Film/TheMuppets2011:'' Animal's trigger word is drums. Not a good thing for a drummer. By the time the film begins, he's in court-ordered therapy over his rage issues, with Creator/JackBlack informing the other Muppets not to use the d-word. Problem is, it's also ''Jack's'' trigger word too. As is "Tuesday", which quickly leads to a huge brawl breaking out in the therapy group.

--> '''[[Creator/JasonStatham Turkish]]''': For every action, there is a reaction. And a pikey reaction... is quite a fucking thing.

-->'''Crease''' (in an extraordinarily quiet and controlled voice): Did I ever tell you ''why'' I left the CIA?
-->'''Mother''': Umm... no.
-->'''Crease''' (still in the same very quiet voice): My temper.

-->'''Princess Vespa:''' My hair! He shot my hair! Son of a bitch!

-->'''Dark Helmet:''' What!? ''You went over my helmet!?''

* ''Film/StarTrek2009'':

** Captain Nero seems in command of his emotions until you get on the subject of [[spoiler:the destruction of Romulus. Which he saw happen]]. Nero will get very angry if anyone suggests to him that [[spoiler:it didn't get destroyed in this timeline]]. And bad things tend to happen to...well, the universe when Nero gets pissed off.

** Spock when [[spoiler: Kirk dies from radiation poisoning from having to enter the energy core to manually fix the Enterprise after Khan shot it. Beating Khan to death, considering Spock was all originally for a fair trial for Khan, until Uhura tells him to stop is some serious berserk button issues.]]

*** Also, lest you wish to face the wrath of [[spoiler: the Klingons]] and Lieutenant Uhura, do not [[spoiler: interrupt Uhura while she's negotiating with the Klingons]].
** Threatening [[spoiler: Khan's]] crew or implying that they're dead is a ''seriously'' bad idea. [[spoiler: Admiral Marcus]] found that one out the hard way.

** Taunt Hux's [[YourMom mother]] at your own peril.

** Threatening Han tends to be a bad idea. If the Wookiee doesn't beat you to death with your own fists, you'll have to deal with Leia. And Leia takes the whole "threaten my loved ones" thing as well as Anakin does, as Jabba found out when he imprisoned Han and then put her in a [[GoGoEnslavement humiliating outfit.]] She ''choked'' the overgrown slug to death in said outfit tapping into Dark Side fueled rage.
* Subverted in ''Film/StrawDogs1971'': Creator/DustinHoffman does go [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass completely homicidal]] when the lads try to break into his house, but he remains [[TranquilFury entirely calm throughout]].

-->'''Mullet Bully''': Fucking pigs! ''(Mullet Bully spits, Officer Slater gets splashed. Slater immediately points his nightstick at the punk.)''\\
'''Mullet Bully''': [[OhCrap Oh, shit.]] ''(Officer Slater swings his baton, knocking the spitting idiot out.)''\\
'''Officer Slater''': [[BondOneLiner Nice mullet, asshole.]]

* ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956'':

-->''"NIAGARA FALLS!!'' Sloooooooooowly I turned....."
--->Step by step... inch by inch...

--->'''Professor X''': Logan, my tolerance for your smoking in the mansion notwithstanding, continue smoking that in here, and [[BrainwashedAndCrazy you'll spend the rest of your days under the belief that you're a six-year-old girl.]] I'd have Jean braid your hair.

--->'''Logan:''' C'mon, bub. For old times' sake!
--->'''Dukes:''' ...Did you just call me... ''[[UnstoppableRage BLOB]]??''

-->'''Pavitr:''' "''Chai tea''"?! Chai means tea, bro! You're saying "tea tea"! Would I ask you for a coffee coffee with room for cream cream?

-->'''Pavitr:''' ''"Chai tea"?!'' Chai ''means'' tea, bro! You're saying "tea tea"! Would I ask you for a coffee coffe with room for cream cream?

-->'''Pavitr:''' ''"Chai tea"?!'' Chai ''means'' tea, bro! You're saying "tea-tea"! Would I ask you for a coffee-coffe with room for cream-cream?

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPriscillaQueenOfTheDesert'': Do not call Bernadette by her birth name, [[DoNotCallMePaul Ralph]]. This very much TruthInTelevision, as calling any UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} person by their birth name (or "deadname" as it's often called) is definitely a bad move. Not only will you piss them off, you may well be putting them in danger.

* In ''WesternAnimationSpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'', Pavitr Prabhakar goes from happily describing his daily life to flying into a rant when Miles calls chai "chai tea" [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment because of the redundancy]].

* In ''WesternAnimationSpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'', Pavitr Prabhakar goes from happily describing his daily life to flying into a rant when Miles calls chai "chai tea" [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment because of the redundancy]].
-->'''Pavitr:''' ''"Chai tea"?!'' Chai ''means'' tea, bro! You're saying "tea-tea"! Would I ask you for a coffee-coffe with room for cream-cream?