History Main / BrainwashResidue

[[folder:Films - Animated]]

[[folder:Films - Live Action]]
* In ''Film/GIJoe'', the Baroness is kept under supervision because they can't remove the mind-controlling nanomites just yet. Prior to that, she is shown to have retained some of her "training" by being able to operate a gun pod.

* ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. After Quaid breaks Melina out of the constraints of one of the Recall machines, it seems just a bit of the Housewife programming made it through but not by much.
-->'''Quaid''': Are you all right? Are you still you?
-->'''Melina''': I'm not sure, dear.

* Happens in ''Series/{{Warehouse13}}'' after [[spoiler:Leena]] is saved from being brainwashed by [=McPhearson=].
* In an episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Lt. Barclay got a brain upgrade by some aliens, which went away after it was no longer needed. Later, he and Troi were in Ten-Forward and he saw a chess game, moved a piece, and said "Checkmate in three moves."
-->'''Troi:''' "Reg, I didn't know you play chess."
-->'''Barclay:''' "I don't."

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "The War Games", the Doctor and his companions turn up in what appears to be World War One and get [[TimeTravelersAreSpies arrested under suspicion of being German spies]] by a British officer. Turns out they're not even on Earth and aliens are using brainwashed humans to train an army. While DressingAsTheEnemy, the Doctor sees the British officer being brainwashed again with apparent success...except he suddenly accuses the Doctor of being a German spy again. Fortunately the Doctor then uses this to convince the brainwashing expert that he has to [[NiceJobFixingItVillain completely wipe the brainwashing first before starting over again...]]

* Grouchy Smurf in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs1981'' owes his grumpiness to this: In ''[[Recap/TheSmurfsBook1Story1TheBlackSmurfs The Black Smurfs]]'' he was the first Black Smurf, who are notoriously belligerent, and because he was a Black Smurf the longest he remained grumpy after being cured. This isn't the case for [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981 the animated version]], though.

When somebody is {{Brainwashed}} and gets better, but somehow part of the programming sticks and it shows by the character acquiring new personality traits, tics and/or quirks. For example, Alice is a mind controller who casts a spell on Bob to make him fall in love with her. Bob somehow breaks the spell, but whenever he looks at Alice now, he [[CrushBlush blushes]] and can't quite explain why. Maybe he's falling in love for real, but who knows for sure.

* In the manga of ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', Miu, a kind-hearted and talented martial artist girl, [[spoiler:gets captured by the BloodKnight EvilMentor Silkwat Junazard and gets a combination of amnesia and brainwashing that conditions her into extreme aggression and bloodlust. Even upon being rescued and her memory restored, her bloodlust and aggression still lies subconsciously, often triggering when her emotions run high or when exerting significant effort in martial arts, even during a simple and safe training exercise.]] Part of this is because [[spoiler:the bloodlust and aggression had always been a part of Miu. It's the main reason Junazard wanted her to be his disciple in the first place. Miu's grandfather trained her from an early age specifically to help her control it.]]

* This was the reason Bronze Tiger always declined to lead the ''Comicbook/SuicideSquad:'' he was afraid the brainwashing he received at the hands of the League of Assassins could kick in any time. Much later, Rick Flag consulted him on how to prevent the brainwashing he suspected he'd been subjected to from kicking in. As a result, some time later Wade Eiling's gambit against Amanda Waller fails and he finds himself missing half a brain.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': After Judge Kraken is captured following his participation in the [[CloneArmy Judda incursion]], he undergoes an extensive deprogramming to counter the brainwashing used by Morton Judd. However, some traces of his Judda past still remain, which is later used by the Sisters of Death to bring Kraken under their own control.

* [[WebAnimation/RedVsBlue O'Malley]] boasts of his canon ability to do this to a therapist while possessing [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie]] in ''Fanfic/IAgainstIMeAgainstYou.'' [[spoiler:Caboose later shows Pinkie how to weaponize it like he does during the final battle against The Meta.]]

* ''Webcomic/FiveYearsLater'' uses this as the explanation for the characterization of Franchise/Ben10 villain Eon. While a Chronian as told in the movie ''Film/Ben10RaceAgainstTime'', he ended up taking over the bodies of so many alternate Ben Tennysons as he traveled the multiverse and burned out his body that when he was encountered in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' he believed himself to be an alternate Ben Tennyson. By the events of Five Years Later he's regained his sense of who he actually is and is planning accordingly.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': Buzz gets his mind changed several times over the course of the movie, first by being reset to [[BrainwashedAndCrazy demo mode]], then to Spanish mode and finally back to normal for the climax. However, even after being snapped out of Spanish mode, a scene during the credits montage reveals Buzz still involuntarily dances when exposed to Spanish music, much to his confusion. Jessie tells him to "[[ShipTease go with it]]".

* ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. After Quaid breaks Melina out of the constraints one of the Recall machines, it seems just a bit of the Housewife programming made it though, but not by much.
--> '''Quaid''': Are you all right? Are you still you?
--> '''Melina''': I'm not sure, dear.

* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' has Olivia retaining the expert (as in Olympic medal winning) marksmanship of the person she was brainwashed into believing she was even after she regains her own memories.

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in with their memories rewritten retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language were improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Case in point Leo Fitz, who emerged with a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor: his sadistic alter-ego in the Framework.

* In ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' although Natasha was largely deprogrammed by Clint and S.H.E.I.L.D. the climax reveals that [[spoiler: she's physically unable to attack the BigBad as long as she can smell him]].

* Grouchy Smurf in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' owes his grumpiness to this: In ''[[Recap/TheSmurfsBook1Story1TheBlackSmurfs The Black Smurfs]]'' he was the first Black Smurf, who are notoriously belligerent, and because he was a Black Smurf the longest he remained grumpy after being cured. This isn't the case for [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs the animated version]], though.

* This is a side-effect of [[AIIsACrapshoot O'Malley's]] infection in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue''. Anyone who has him in their head (except the Red Team, who he only infected for a few minutes at most) keeps some of his personality after he leaves: he was originally implanted into Agent Texas to make her meaner and she continues to be something of a {{Jerkass}} after he leaves her head, his possession of [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Caboose]] left the latter with the ability to enter a berserk state where he shouts mean-spirited {{Badass Boast}}s like "My name is Michael J. Caboose and I hate babies!" or "I will eat your unhappiness!", and [[NewAgeRetroHippie Doc]] (who he possessed for the longest on-screen time) became more comfortable with Blood Gulch's typical amount of violence and swearing [[spoiler:and eventually manifested a SplitPersonality identical to O'Malley]].

* [[Machinima/RedVsBlue O'Malley]] boasts of his canon ability to do this to a therapist while possessing [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie]] in ''Fanfic/IAgainstIMeAgainstYou.'' [[spoiler:Caboose later shows Pinkie how to weaponize it like he does during the final battle against The Meta.]]

* In the original ''Series/{{V 1983}}'' miniseries, Diana has attempted to brainwash Julie Parish into being her slave. She fights off the brainwashing, mostly successfully, but occasionally catches herself using the wrong hand. In ''V: The Final Battle'', Diana telepathically commands Julie and she has flashbacks to the brainwashing. Julie doesn't quite give in, but the internal struggle gives Diana a chance to escape.

* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters}XIII'', [[spoiler:Ash sacrifices his existence to prevent the entire Ash Saga from happening.]] None of the other characters remember him, except for Elisabeth, due to having his TragicKeepsake.

* In ''{{Franchise/The King Of Fighters}}XIII'', [[spoiler:Ash sacrifices his existence to prevent the entire Ash Saga from happening.]] None of the other characters remember him, except for Elizabeth, due to having his TragicKeepsake.

* A variant in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''--in one episode, [[TheBigGuy Broadway]] and [[AffirmativeActionGirl Angela]] are [[WillingChanneler willingly possessed]] by the ghostly lovers "Othello" and "Desdemona"; not long after, the two become an OfficialCouple. WordOfGod notes that it's open to interpretation that the possession might have kick-started their attraction to each other.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': Buzz gets his mind changed several times over the course of the movie, first by being reset to [[BrainwashedAndCrazy demo mode]], then to Spanish mode and finally back to normal for the climax.
However, even after being snapped out of Spanish mode, a scene during the credits montage reveals Buzz still involuntarily dances when exposed to Spanish music, much to his confusion. Jessie tells him to "[[ShipTease go with it]]".

[[folder:Film]]

** Or perhaps she just got a better understanding of [[FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo Yomiko Readman]] and books in general.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' has Stella, an Earth Alliance Extended who is brainwashed so she freezes up whenever anyone says "die" and absolutely trusts anyone who says "protect". Due to her memories not being properly wiped between missions, her programming leads her to associate Shinn with [[DeclarationOfProtection protection]], thus allowing her to remember who he is.

* The shapeshifting flavor happens in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', although it isn't involuntary, and Granny Weatherwax only ''"Borrows"'' an animal's body for some purpose, sharing it with the real animal for a short time. But after she's exited the animal's body, she still retains impulses from whatever shape she borrowed. For example, she stopped using owls to see at night because ''"You ends up for days trying to twist your head right round,"'' and after she's borrowed an entire beehive, she declares, ''"I wantzzz a bunzzch of flowerzz, a pot of honey, and someone to szzzting."''

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' season two HalloweenEpisode, Xander was [[BecomingTheCostume turned into the soldier that he was dressed as]] for Halloween, complete with military training. Afterwards, Xander still retains some of that knowledge, which comes in handy in later episodes (such as when he sneaks into a military base to steal a rocket launcher).

* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIII'', [[spoiler:Ash sacrifices his existence to prevent the entire Ash Saga from happening.]] None of the other characters remember him, except for Elizabeth, due to having his TragicKeepsake.

* Funnily enough ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' plays with some brainwash residue. When Mason escapes from the Soviet Union and gets back to the US, he experiences flashes, seeing and hearing numbers, [[spoiler: seeing a hallucination of Reznov despite him being dead]] and even what looks like scenes of drawing a gun on the president, really the brainwashing hasn't worn off yet.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', Tim Drake still has aftereffects of his last encounter with The Joker (of the 'uncontrollable shaking and bad dreams' kind) after 40 years. Given what The Joker put him through, that's really not that surprising.
** Albeit some of that can be clarified as [[spoiler: the Joker's mind chip on him]]. For example, his disdain and regret for being Robin was a result of [[spoiler: the Joker's chip beginning to affect him. Once it's gone,]] so is any disdain toward his past. He actually didn't blame Bruce or Barbara and did enjoy being Robin.

* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', [[spoiler:Ash sacrifices his existence to prevent the entire Ash Saga from happening.]] None of the other characters remember him, except for Elizabeth, due to having his TragicKeepsake.

* In ''[[{{Film/BlackWidow}} Black Widow]]'' although Natasha was largely deprogrammed by Clint and S.H.E.I.L.D. the climax reveals that [[spoiler: she's physically unable to attack the BigBad as long as she can smell him]].

%% Commented out: is this the film or the comics? * In ''Franchise/StarWars'', this happens to Mara Jade when Palpatine dies. Moments prior to Darth Vader killing him in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the Emperor sent a [[UnreliableNarrator modified version of his death]] to Mara, along with the compulsion YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER. She was already loyal to Palpatine, but this event leaves her unwilling to disappear into the galaxy at large. However, she is able to overcome the compulsion by killing [[ExactWords an evil clone of Luke]].

* This is a side-effect of [[AIIsACrapshoot O'Malley's]] infection in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue''. Anyone who has him in his head (except the Red Team, who he only infected for a few minutes at most) keeps some of his personality after he leaves: he was originally implanted into Agent Texas to make her meaner and she continues to be something of a {{Jerkass}} after he leaves her head, his possession of [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Caboose]] left the latter with the ability to enter a berserk state where he shouts mean-spirited {{Badass Boast}}s like "My name is Michael J. Caboose and I hate babies!" or "I will eat your unhappiness!", and [[NewAgeRetroHippie Doc]] (who he possessed for the longest on-screen time) became more comfortable with Blood Gulch's typical amount of violence and swearing [[spoiler:and eventually manifested a SplitPersonality identical to O'Malley]].

* This is a side-effect of [[AIIsACrapshoot O'Malley's]] infection in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue:'' Anyone who has him in his head keeps some of his personality after he leaves: he was originally implanted into Agent Texas to make her meaner and she continues to be something of a {{Jerkass}} after he leaves her head, his possession of [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Caboose]] left the latter with the ability to enter a berserk state where he shouts mean-spirited {{Badass Boast}}s like "My name is Michael J. Caboose and I hate babies!" or "I will eat your unhappiness!", and [[NewAgeRetroHippie Doc]] (who he possessed for the longest on-screen time) became more comfortable with Blood Gulch's typical amount of violence and swearing [[spoiler:and eventually manifested a SplitPersonality identical to O'Malley]].

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in with their memories rewritten retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language were improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Case in point Leo Fitz, who emerged from the Framework with a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor: his sadistic alter-ego in the Framework.

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in with their memories rewritten retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language was improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Case in point Leo Fitz, who emerged from the Framework with a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor: his sadistic alter-ego in the Framework.

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in with their memories rewritten retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language was improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Case in point Leo Fitz, who emerged from the Framework with a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor, his sadistic alter-ego in the Framework.

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in with their memories rewritten retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language was improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Case in point Leo Fitz, who emerged from the Framework with a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor.

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in with their memories rewritten retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language was improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Chase in point Leo Fitz, who emerged from the Framework with a newfound sense of cruelty and a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor.

* After Team Coulson escapes the Framework in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', the agents who were plugged in retained knowledge from their previous lives. Phil Coulson gained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history due to being a history teacher, and Mack's skills in the Spanish language was improved from helping his virtual daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better. Chase in point Leo Fitz, who emerged from the Framework with a newfound sense of cruelty and a full-on split personality in the form of the Doctor.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'': [[spoiler:Due to CartesianKarma,]] the Avengers are essentially the only people who aren't afraid of the Winter Soldier after the events of [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier the previous movie]]. [[spoiler:And if they were right not to be, they might not have torn themselves in half, but it turns out the reason Bucky's been in hiding ever since is that he knows he has brainwash residue. The BigBad finds out the TriggerPhrase and uses it ([[TearJerker over Bucky pleading with him to stop]]) to send him on a rampage, turning the Avengers' divisive but previously only philosophical argument over the Sokovia Accords into an active crisis.]]