History Main / AgonyBeam

Along with its big brother the DeathRay, the Agony Beam is a staple in the armoury/spellbook of every EvilOverlord and EvilSorcerer worth their salt. It is the Swiss Army Knife of a villain's arsenal: at low levels it enforces obedience when defiant prisoners are ordered to KneelBeforeZod, it [[VillainousDemotivator serves as punishment]] for [[SurroundedByIdiots incompetent minions]] in place of [[YouHaveFailedMe more lethal measures]], and prolonged use or higher settings work as a (bloodless) [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] method, and when in excessive use or high power settings it can drive one mad or outright kill the victim. Usually it's depicted as a beam that emanates either from a gemmed ring, a staff, a ray gun, or even a miniature lightning storm. This last one works wonderfully as part of the lightshow when the villain gets DrunkOnTheDarkSide. When the victim is a major character, the Agony Beam is usually accompanied by EvilGloating.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Force Lightning (first seen being used by [[TheEmperor Emperor Palpatine]] on Luke Skywalker in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'') is a very effective means of torture, which made it a favored technique for the Sith and [[ShockAndAwe despite its appearance]] may well have been the ''only'' thing Creator/GeorgeLucas intended it to be; its use as a viable combat technique that even light-side force wielders had access to was introduced later on and by different writers because [[RuleOfCool it just looked so freaking cool]]. One nonlethal variant called "Electric Judgement" was used by Jedi Master Plo Koon which apparently functioned more like a taser, though anyone who's been on the receiving end of a taser can tell you that it's a pretty unpleasant experience.

** In ''{{Literature/Dune}}'', the Reverend Mother tests Paul Atreides's humanity with a box that directly stimulates the pain receptors in Paul's hand. She also holds a poisoned needle that will kill him if he withdraws the hand from the box. The logic is that a lesser creature will simply react to the pain and die from the poison, while an intelligent one will be able to override the instinct and save itself. Paul does not know this until he is told to withdraw his hand from the box, however, and what he ''thinks'' is happening to his hand is described in gory, most definitely not PG-rated detail. The miniseries adaptation shows us (either as an illusion to make it even more of a test, or that's just what Paul thinks is happening, like in the book is left up to the viewer) his hand being StrippedToTheBone.

* In the movie adaptation of ''Film/TheCrow'', Eric defeats the Big Bad with this trope by [[spoiler:Agony Beaming his fiancée's experience of being gang raped, beaten and dying from her injuries over 30 hours later into the Big Bad, rendering the Big Bad incapacitated and vulnerable to the final death-dealing blow.]]

* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfGynoStar'', one of Gyno-Star's power is an energy beam that inflicts the pain of childbirth on her enemies.

* The Franchise/{{Care Bear|s}} [[CareBearStare Stare]]. Well, at least [[EvilCannotComprehendGood to the]] TheHeartless.

* PlayedForLaughs in a Platform/TikTok pphttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/CPMhcYwfsiA skit]] where a man and his fiance are at the hospital to deliver their child. The doctor informs them of a new device that can transfer the pain of childbirth over to the father, which he consents to. The doctor starts the machine at twenty percent, and the mother is slightly relieved, but the father says that he doesn't feel anything different. He has the doctor turn the machine up to forty percent, and still nothing. Suddenly, the father's phone rings. On the other end of the line, his best friend groans, "Oh, man, I feel like I'm passing a kidney stone the size of a watermelon!" The father urges the friend to go to a doctor to see what's up and advises the doctor in the hospital to turn the machine up to sixty percent. At that, his friend cries out, "Oh, God, it's getting worse!", through a barely-stifled howl of pain. The father's about to respond to him but stops. A look of mortified realization creeps across his face, as he glances back to his wife, and after a moment to put two and two together, he says, "[[spoiler:Turn it to a hundred, doc.]]"

* PlayedForLaughs in a Platform/TikTok skit where a man and his fiance are at the hospital to deliver their child. The doctor informs them of a new device that can transfer the pain of childbirth over to the father, which he consents to. The doctor starts the machine at twenty percent, and the mother is slightly relieved, but the father says that he doesn't feel anything different. He has the doctor turn the machine up to forty percent, and still nothing. Suddenly, the father's phone rings. On the other end of the line, his best friend groans, "Oh, man, I feel like I'm passing a kidney stone the size of a watermelon!" The father urges the friend to go to a doctor to see what's up and advises the doctor in the hospital to turn the machine up to sixty percent. At that, his friend cries out, "Oh, God, it's getting worse!", through a barely-stifled howl of pain. The father's about to respond to him but stops. A look of mortified realization creeps across his face, as he glances back to his wife, and after a moment to put two and two together, he says, "[[spoiler:Turn it to a hundred, doc.]]"

* In ''Webcomic/StarImpact'', the [[EveryoneHasASpecialMove special ability]] of [[BloodKnight Etna]]'s [[NamedWeapons Happy Teeth]] [[PowerFist gloves]] is to set the opponent's nerves on fire with every punch that connects, something that [[TheLancer Phoebe]] derides as being downright sadistic.

* PlayedForLaughs in a Website/TikTok skit where a man and his fiance are at the hospital to deliver their child. The doctor informs them of a new device that can transfer the pain of childbirth over to the father, which he consents to. The doctor starts the machine at twenty percent, and the mother is slightly relieved, but the father says that he doesn't feel anything different. He has the doctor turn the machine up to forty percent, and still nothing. Suddenly, the father's phone rings. On the other end of the line, his best friend groans, "Oh, man, I feel like I'm passing a kidney stone the size of a watermelon!" The father urges the friend to go to a doctor to see what's up and advises the doctor in the hospital to turn the machine up to sixty percent. At that, his friend cries out, "Oh, God, it's getting worse!", through a barely-stifled howl of pain. The father's about to respond to him but stops. A look of mortified realization creeps across his face, as he glances back to his wife, and after a moment to put two and two together, he says, "[[spoiler:Turn it to a hundred, doc.]]"

* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': The suldam (the Seanchan women in control of enslaved channelers called damane) can cause them pain using their gauntlet, which is used for breaking them. Further, damane attempting to remove the a'dam collars that control them or harming suldam causes them great pain too.

* ''ShatterTheSky'': Faris has the power to remake the pain from any old wound a person has suffered and so torture them by inflicting this once again.