History Main / BrandishmentBluff

Sometimes, it turns out that the bluff isn't that much of a bluff: see ThisBananaIsArmed, ImprovisedWeapon and ImprobableWeaponUser.

* In a classic Creator/StanLee / Creator/JackKirby [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Human Torch]] story, the Wizard confronted the Torch with photos of him in his civilian guise of Johnny Storm (early in his career, the Human Torch briefly tried to keep a SecretIdentity, but it didn't stick). The Torch countered by using his previously unrevealed "telekentic powers" to retrieve the photos from the Wizard's hands. Turns out it was just his sister The Invisible Girl taking the photos while invisible.
* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': When the Dalton's brothers want to escape and their [[TunnelKing usual way]] is out, Averell shows Joe a perfectly accurate replica of a revolver carved in soap and says that with some shoe polish it will be perfect. When Joe compliment him on how realistic the gun looks Averell says that he had a model to work on that a guard forgot on a table which he snatched a while ago (it's even loaded). Joe makes him eat his soap gun.

Also note that doing this trope in real life is a felony offense: Threatening with a weapon, even a non-existent one, is considered Aggravated Assault. DoNotTryThisAtHome.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://web.archive.org/web/20070620110654/http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2445 Squigley tries to use a hash pipe.]]
* In the ''WebComic/TeamFortress2'' Comic [[http://www.teamfortress.com/tf06_thenakedandthedead/#f=231 "The Naked And The Dead"]], Medic prevents the Classic Heavy, [[spoiler:who has a life-extender attached to his side, from killing the Modern Heavy by tricking him into thinking that the pen he was holding had been turned into an inductor for the baboon uterus that he'd put in Classic Heavy's body three comics earlier. Medic's actual goal was to distract him long enough for Modern Heavy to tear off the life extender]]. The trope is also subverted in that Medic actually ''did'' [[spoiler:put a baboon uterus inside the Classic Heavy three comics earlier]], he just couldn't get to the actual inductor in time.

See also FingerGun, HesGotAWeapon and ShootHimHeHasAWallet.

* In ''Film/[[{{K9|1989}} K-9]]'', Dooley threatens the bad guys with what he claims is a beeping remote detonator to the charges he says he planted. Just as he's getting what he wants, the "detonator" plays an electronic jingle, revealing it to be a handheld game.

* In ''Film/{{K-9|1989}}'', Dooley threatens the bad guys with what he claims is a beeping remote detonator to the charges he says he planted. Just as he's getting what he wants, the "detonator" plays an electronic jingle, revealing it to be a handheld game.

** Corbomite was apparently a popular choice for Kirk. In a later episode, he successfully bluffs an attacking Romulan fleet into withdrawing by sending a transmission home in [[ChekovsGun a code the Romulans had already broken]], detailing the effects of the detonation of the ship's corbomite device for them in the guise of a warning to Starfleet.

** Corbomite was apparently a popular choice for Kirk. In a later episode, he successfully bluffs an attacking Romulan fleet into withdrawing by sending a transmission home in a code the Romulans had already broken, detailing the effects of the detonation of the ship's corbomite device for them in the guise of a warning to Starfleet.

* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': When the Dalton's brothers want to escape and their [[TunnelKing usual way]] is out, Averell shows Joe a perfectly accurate replica of a revolver carved in soap and says that with some shoe polish it will be perfect. When Joe compliment him on how realistic the gun looks Averell says that he [[WhatAnIdiot had a model to work on]] that a guard forgot on a table which he snatched a while ago (it's even loaded). Joe makes him eat his soap gun.

* ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'': One flashback show Earl and Randy robbing a bank with pistols, then Randy sneezes and accidentally pulls the trigger causing his "gun" to squirt water on the teller.

* In ''Film/TheChase'', Jack (Creator/CharlieSheen) takes a heiress (Kristy Swanson) hostage in a convenience store and sticks something in her back to force the officers confronting him to drop their guns. Once Jack and his hostage hop in her car, though, he holds up the Butterfinger he used to fool her.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Vash the Stampede does this in an episode of ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''. He'd didn't have his gun with him, and so he stuck his finger in his jacket pocket and extended it to make the bad guy of the week think he had a gun. Amusingly, we later find out his "[[ArtificialLimbs arm]]" really ''is'' [[ArmCannon a gun]].

* In ''ComicBook/PowerGirl'', Starrware employee Nicholas Cho confronts Karen Starr about her secret identity. In order to force a confession, he levels a device that looks very much like a ray gun at her and counts to three. During the count of three, Karen grabs the gun from him and changes into her costume. She then notices that he was wielding a handheld vacuum cleaner.
* In a classic Creator/StanLee / Creator/JackKirby [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Human Torch]] story, the Wizard confronted the Torch with photos of him in his civilian guise of Johnny Storm (early in his career, the Human Torch briefly tried to keep a SecretIdentity, but it didn't stick). The Torch countered by using his previously unrevealed "telekentic powers" to retrieve the photos from the Wizard's hands. Turns out it was just his sister The Invisible Girl taking the photos while invisible.
* In the Silver Age of comics, Magneto faced off against the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' and Mr. Fantastic wound up threatening him with a gun even ''his'' magnetic powers couldn't influence. Magneto surrendered, and we all learned it was a gun made of cardboard. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2pOaNcbRlw This was animated as well.]]
* ComicBook/SpiderMan combined this trope with LargeHam in one scene, by pretending to have powers he didn't have when a bank robber takes a hostage.
-->'''Spider-Man''': I'm summoning the spiders...I'm Spider-Man. And you're making me mad. I'm summoning the spiders. They will come to my call. Hundreds of them. Thousands. And all at my command. ''[{{Beat}}]'' Because I'm SPIDER-MAN!\\
'''Thug''': I give, dude! I give!
* During the '80s, a recurring ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' character named Joe Potato worked as a private detective in Gotham. Occasionally he would threaten suspects with his [[ICallHerVera Potato Peeler]], a six-inch knife with a narrow hole along the blade. Batman once saw him brandishing the Potato Peeler and angrily confronted him. Joe then revealed that the knife was rubber and that he only used it for intimidation.
* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': When the Dalton's brothers want to escape and their [[TunnelKing usual way]] is out, Averell shows Joe a perfectly accurate replica of a revolver carved in soap and says that with some shoe polish it will be perfect. When Joe compliment him on how realistic the gun looks Averell says that he [[WhatAnIdiot had a model to work on]] that a guard forgot on a table which he snatched a while ago (it's even loaded). Joe makes him eat his soap gun.

* ''Film/FieldOfDreams'': Ray, out of desperation, tries to kidnap Terence with a finger in his jacket. Terence isn't fooled for a second.
* In ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925'', when Erik is cornered by the mob, he appears to hold something in the air and brandishes it to hold them back, even turning to make those behind him retreat, then he laughs and shows an empty hand, prompting the mob to move in for the kill.
* In ''Film/SeeNoEvilHearNoEvil'', Dave breaks into the hotel room of the woman trying to kill him and rifles through her bag, only to find her showering, and blinded by the soap. When he accidentally makes a noise that makes her run out, he sticks his hand in his pocket and pretends that his ''erection'' [[OrAreYouJustHappyToSeeMe is a gun]] in order to escape.
* Used by Film/TheThreeStooges in the short "Dizzy Detectives." and revealed by Moe poking his finger through a hole in his pocket.
* ''Film/TrueLies'': Creator/JamieLeeCurtis' character brandishes a lipstick holder to the head of a wannabee spy, [[BringMyBrownPants making him pee all over himself]].

* In ''{{Film/Armor of God}}: Operation Condor'', a pair of goons approach Jackie with one pointing what looks like his finger through the pocket of his coat. An unfazed Jackie rolls his eyes and returns the threat, claiming to also have a piece. Of course, the goon isn't bluffing. Whoops.
* ''Film/{{Sunset}}'' features a scene in which a Hollywood actor standing in the shadows cradling some kind of pipe in his arms manages to convince two mobsters that his mop is a shotgun long enough for their hostage to take the only real gun in the room.

* In ''Film/{{The 39 Steps|1935}}'', a tobacco pipe in a coat pocket gets a woman to play along.
* Both played straight and subverted in the Burt Reynold's movie ''Malone'' (1987). The villains suspect Malone is a ProfessionalKiller after he beats up local thug Dan Bollard, so to find out they fill up his brother Calvin with beer, give him a gun and sic him on Malone to see what will happen. Malone is having his hair cut, and claims he's got a gun under the barber's gown. Calvin says it's just his finger, but when Malone dares him to find out the hard way, Calvin flees. Malone then reveals to the others in the barber shop that it is his finger after all. Outside the man who gave Calvin the gun taunts him for being a coward, so he charges back inside, gun blazing. Malone however has gotten to his coat that's hanging behind the door and removed the [[{{BFG}} .44 Automag]] from his shoulder holster which he promptly uses to kill Calvin. The incident becomes a BrickJoke at the end of the movie. Malone has [[OneManArmy single-handedly destroyed the villains]] when he comes across a corrupt sheriff, who cowers away in fear when Malone makes a threatening move, only to reveal he's holding a FingerGun.

* In ''Film/{{Vabank}}'', two crooks are robbing stores by threatening their assistants with a silencer, alleging they also have a gun (they don't). Kwinto instantly sees through this and counter-"threatens" them with a (detached) nozzle from his trumpet, making it look like a gun muzzle, revealing the bluff when this works to show he's not interested in working with them.
* ''Film/ThePunisher2004'' has a variant of this, as the titular vigilante interrogating a criminal by using a blowtorch... on a side of meat while jabbing him with an iceepop, telling him that damage an intense flame causes to nerves can feel ice cold.

* In ''Film/ThirtyMinutesOrLess'', Nick gets Dwayne and Travis to surrender by claiming he hired a sniper, then a LaserSight appears on the two. It's really Nick's friend Chet hidden and using a laser pointer.
* ''Film/TheBargain'': Jim the Wild West bandit knows where the stage will go, through the mountain pass. He rigs up three dummies with pipes that look like rifle barrels, puts hats on them, and stages them on the rocks. Then when he flags down the stage, he robs it while his three dummy "partners" hold the stage at "gunpoint."
* ''Film/BringMeTheHeadOfTheMachineGunWoman'': Santiago attempts to bluff Panguinao by jamming his airsoft pistol against the base of his skull. The bluff fails almost immediately when he accidentally fires and a hard plastic pellet hits Panguinao in the back of the neck.
* In ''Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924'', the thief gets the drop on the Mongol slave by holding a knife to her back. He then walks her into a corner, and braces the knife against her back with a pillow to make her think he's still there as he makes his escape.
* Averted in ''Assault on a Queen'' (1966). SubmarinePirates fire a dummy warhead at the ''Queen Mary'' and threaten to follow it up with live warheads if they don't hand over a cargo of gold bullion. The ships' officers think they're bluffing but can't take the chance. However when a Coast Guard cutter intervenes it turns out the submarine really is carrying live torpedoes, contrary to what their captain assured his crew, and a fight breaks out as they try to stop him firing them.
* ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': Tim realizes there is an intruder in his apartment, so he holds up a stapler and pretends it is a gun. The intruder reveals himself as Pikachu, and is not fooled for a second.
* In ''Film/ScavengerHunt1979'', Jenkins holds up a shopkeeper by jabbing a carrot in his back and claiming its a gun.

* In ''Film/{{Bean}}'', when Series/MrBean first arrives in America, he sees open-carry guns for the first time at the airport. He then play-acts pulling a FingerGun from his jacket, and when a guard spots him he hastily puts the "gun" back. This leads to every DEA agent in the airport chasing him, leading to the hilarious scene of them surrounding him and ordering him to put his gun on the ground, and their WTF expressions when he complies with his hand.

* Played with in an episode of the Australian anthology series ''Twisted Tales'', in which the presenter Bryan Brown also guest stars as Jack Jackson, a liquor store owner who prides himself on being able to talk his way out of anything. When a knife-wielding junkie tries to rob his store, he grabs a cordless drill and tries to convince the junkie that it's a gun. His employees back him up, but then a man walks in off the street and the junkie asks him what Jackson is holding. After a long beat, the man tells the junkie that it is indeed a gun. After the cops arrive and cuff the junkie, Jackson says to him "just so you don't go out of your mind..." and pulls the trigger. The next thing he knows, he's staring in disbelief at the junkie, who lies dead with a hole in his head. "I thought it was a cordless drill!"

* ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'''s intel sub-plot has a moment where Sadie and Mike break into a police station to reactivate the Superintendent AI (specifically, its Vergil subroutine) after [[CorruptCop Kinsler]] had it shut-down, and end trying to hold up a desk officer with a stapler. The desk officer knows immediately that it's really a stapler, but plays along because the "hold-up" gives her a plausible excuse to do the right thing and reactivate Vergil.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://web.archive.org/web/20070620110654/http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2445 Squigley tries to use a hash pipe.]]

* In the ''WebComic/TeamFortress2'' Comic [[http://www.teamfortress.com/tf06_thenakedandthedead/#f=231 "The Naked And The Dead"]], Medic prevents the Classic Heavy, [[spoiler:who has a life-extender attached to his side, from killing the Modern Heavy by tricking him into thinking that the pen he was holding had been turned into an inductor for the baboon uterus that he'd put in Classic Heavy's body three comics earlier. Medic's actual goal was to distract him long enough for Modern Heavy to tear off the life extender]]. The trope is also subverted in that Medic actually ''did'' [[spoiler:put a baboon uterus inside the Classic Heavy three comics earlier]], he just couldn't get to the actual inductor in time.

* Jonny Quest pulls this off in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'', convincing a Mook that he had him covered with a gun, allowing [[ActionGirl Jessie Bannon]] to disarm him. When Jonny reveals that he was [[DoesNotLikeGuns wielding a fire extinguisher]], the Mook turns to attack him, only to find that Jessie is now holding his own gun on him, and that she "doesn't have a problem with them."
* Played with in the ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' episode "Badlands": Rex, Noah and Bobo are given the task of transporting a small container of valuable and unstable [[{{Nanomachines}} nanites]], which they are told will "go off" if they are handled roughly. When the group is attacked by anarchists who want the nanites for their own purposes, Rex grabs a can of soda (which is the same size and shape as the nanite container) and threatens to intentionally make the nanites go off, and kill all of them in the explosion it will cause. This manages to scare the anarchists off, just long enough for Rex and Noah to steal one of their vehicles. It's only later that Rex and Noah find out that [[spoiler:the nanites were ''not'' going to "explode" if they were handled roughly, they were going to "go off," as in ''turn'' off]].