History Main / BitingTheHandHumor

* In the first ''ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers'', Comicbook/SquirrelGirl and Grasshopper appear in an offstage prologue. Grasshopper says "The only people reading comics now are [[TakeThatAudience overweight thirty-year-olds]] [[BasementDweller living in their mother's basement]]." Comicbook/SquirrelGirl's sidekick replies in an inset: "Hey, fanboys, don't take that lying down! Write angry letters to Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} today!"

* Creator/{{Marvel}} relaunched nearly all of their running books with ''ComicBook/MarvelNow'', changing the status quos drastically in sometimes controversial ways with the expressed purpose of strengthening their comic line. In the parody "Marvel: NOW What?!", the writer uses the High Evolutionary to explain all these changes in a satirical manner. The High Evolutionary is a ''villain'' with the goal of [[EvilutionaryBiologist forcibly evolving humanity]] against their will to make them stronger, and is opposed by heroes trying to save mankind from the inevitable chaos this would cause. [[DontExplainTheJoke The point, of course]], is that just like the High Evolutionary, the changes made by Marvel Now and its successors will place Marvel on unstable footing rather than make it stronger, as the fans will likewise be unable to deal with the sudden changes.

* Comicbook/{{New 52}} ''Comicbook/HarleyQuinn'' #8 features Dan [=DiDio=] suggesting a new DC relaunch, with all the heroes turned into antelopes and wildebeests by magic, which they'll call the [[{{Pun}} Gnu 52]]. [[ItMakesSenseInContext The DC offices promptly get hit with bags of pet poop catapulted from Harley's building.]]

* Lampshaded in issue #5 of the first ComicBook/SheHulk ongoing, where She-Hulk and several neighbors get TrappedInTVLand. One of the shows they visit is a parody of ''WesternAnimation/RobocopTheAnimatedSeries'', and the TagalongKid, who's seen [[Film/Robocop1987 the original movie]], starts complaining about how wimpy the cartoon is, only for She-Hulk to slap a hand over his mouth.

* In the [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Uncle Scrooge]] story ''The Universal Solvent'', Gyro demonstrates said solvent by showing it can eat through some of the most impervious substances in the world: lead, iron, steel - and a Disney contract. Creator/DonRosa was not a happy camper.
* In ''Comicbook/TheGreenLantern: Blackstars'', Earth in the universe where the Blackstars replaced the Lanterns is a rather barbed parody of some of the excesses of the then-recent DCU: Batman's villains have given up actual crime in favour of lining up to break him, as a result of which he gets replaced on a regular basis, but still insists he doesn't need help; Wonder Woman is a BloodKnight with zero interest in diplomacy; Superman ... is still Superman, but his discomfort with this world makes him come across as ineffectual and half-hearted; and the rest of the League has largely abandoned reality in favour of fighting {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s in conceptual realms (yeah, Creator/GrantMorrison is making fun of ''[[SelfParody that]]''). Even the Batman Who Laughs and the Dark Multiverse get a more-extreme pastiche as the Depressoverse, home to the murderous cult-leader Batmanson. Morrison calls it "a celebrity roast of modern superhero comics".

* In [[Ride/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyMissionBreakout Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!]] at the end of the ride, All the guardians thank the audience for their help, Leading to Drax saying "Why are you thanking them they did nothing, You should be thanking me". Mocking the illusion of an audience participation on interactive amusement park rides.

-->'''Violet:''' Sure, slap our names on an old ride!

* For a time, Wrestling/WWESmackDownaired on Creator/MyNetworkTV, a programming service run by Creator/{{Fox}} to provide a set of programming for stations that would otherwise have to deal with the syndication market. This led Wrestling/JohnCena to once quip "I’ll be honest with you, I didn't realize I even had a network!"

* For a time, WWE [[Wrestling/WWESmackDown Friday Night SmackDown!]] aired on Creator/MyNetworkTV, a programming service run by Creator/{{Fox}} to provide a set of programming for stations that would otherwise have to deal with the syndication market. This led Wrestling/JohnCena to once quip that "To be honest, I didn't even know I had a network!"

[[folder:Networks]]
* Creator/{{Freeform}}:
** Freeform has aired ContentWarnings prior to ''The 700 Club'' explaining that the network does not condone its views since its days as ABC Family. This is because [[TheArtifact the network only airs the show due to contractual obligations from when Pat Robertson ran it as a Christian network]], and its religious and political content is quite controversial. Following the YoungerAndHipper Freeform rebrand, the content warnings became even snarkier.
--> "If you're looking for us, we'll be over at Freeform On Demand or the Freeform App for a little while."
--> "The people at Freeform would like you to know we did not make the next program. We haven't even seen it."
--> "Freeform is not responsible for what you're about to see on your screen. Watch it or don't. We're okay either way."
--> "Freeform has to step away from the channel for an hour. Try not to [[KillItWithFire burn the place down]] while we're gone."
-->"What you are about to see is not Freeform. We can't tell you not to watch. But have you tried literally anything else?"
-->"Freeform's taking a short vacay. Join us at a beautiful little spot called Creator/{{Hulu}}[[note]]the also-Disney-owned streaming service with the rights to Freeform programming[[/note]]. Leave the sun-block."
::: The disclaimer following ''The 700 Club'' has morphed into an excited "And we're back!!! This is Freeform." suggesting that ''The 700 Club'' shouldn't be considered a Freeform show at all.
*** The day before the obligatory 24-hour ''700 Club'' telethon, Freeform aired disclaimers saying that the channel wouldn't be airing tomorrow, with [[https://excitethemind.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/img_3120.jpg?w=1024 one disclaimer]] noting, "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Unrelated advice]]: Have a lawyer look over any contract before you sign it."
** They've also created snarky warnings for ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', which airs newer episodes following Disney's purchase of Fox:
--> "This show is about a family but super awkward to watch with your family."
--> "Kids might not get the jokes. But they will have questions."
--> "When it comes to watching ''Family Guy'', we ''know'' you have options."
--> "Not all cartoons are for kids."
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4cWzzqqTi8&t=187s The Worldwide Day of Play notice]] for The N (now known as [=TeenNick=]) was full of this. Compare the eager messages to play outside from the other channels to The N's more realistic approach:
-->"We'll give you three hours - so enjoy some fresh mall air."
-->"Three full hours of play time. [[PhoneaholicTeenager We suggest starting the largest game of phone tag]]."
[[/folder]]

* WWE itself has spent the past two decades greenlighting stories in which Chairman Vince [=McMahon=] and various other authority figures are bitterly criticized, mocked, and made to look like fools - usually with those authority figures' full complicity. This arguably reached its peak with the "pipebomb" of the summer of 2011, when Wrestling/CMPunk was made to appear to have gone off-script with his live TV rant, even though he really hadn't.

** [[BitingTheHandHumor/FoxAnimatedShows Animated shows that aired on Fox]]
*** ''BitingTheHandHumor/FamilyGuy''
*** ''BitingTheHandHumor/TheSimpsons''

* [[BitingTheHandHumor/LiveActionFilms Films -- Live-Action]]