History Main / DelayedReaction

--> '''Sasha''': [[WhamLine I think Marcy's in on it]].
--> '''Anne''': [[SarcasmMode Yeah, yeah!]] [[BlahBlahBlah Blah blah bla]]--[[WaitWhat what?]]
* ''Webcomic/NaruHinaChronicles'': Kei asks Mina if Sai normally goes around feeling breasts like a pervert. Mina explains Sai's behavior, only to be shocked several seconds later when she realizes that Kei allowed him to touch her breasts.

* ''Comicbook/TheEyeOfMongombo'': Boswick is so [[TheDitz slow,]] it takes him roughly 10 seconds or more before he reacts or answers someone.

* From ''Broom-Hilda'', the title witch is in a rage, complete with moons, stars, swirls, pound signs, and everything else used to cover up [[{{Bowdlerise}} what she's really saying]]. Another character chides her, saying that "swearing is a childish way to assert one's masculinity". It doesn't occur to her until the next panel what the word "masculinity" means.
* Boswick from ''Comicbook/TheEyeOfMongombo'' is so [[TheDitz slow,]] it takes him roughly 10 seconds or more before he reacts or answers someone.
* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'': According to the narration of one issue, it took Katma Tui several days to realize she'd heard one of the Guardians of the Universe actually make a joke. At which point she dropped the lunch she was carrying.

* Joker does this when talking on the phone with Harley Quinn in "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE21MadLove Mad Love]]", also done in the animated adaptation.
-->'''Joker:''' Harley? Oh, where the heck have you been, hmm? Mm-hmm? Yeah, yeah... Batman, eh? You don't say... [[SuddenlyShouting YOU HAVE WHO TIED UP WHERE?!?]]

* In an issue of ''ComicBook/XFactor'', Jamie Madrox is talking to Val Cooper, wearing a shirt with [[WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy Ren]] and one of his duplicates wearing a shirt with Stimpy on it. When Val demands she only wants to talk to one Jamie, he merges with the dupe which causes the shirt to change to a full Ren & Stimpy shirt. After Jamie leaves, Alex and Val spend a few minutes arguing on another subject.

* Boswick from ‘’Comicbook/TheEyeOfMongombo’’ is so [[TheDitz slow,]] it takes him roughly 10 seconds or more before he reacts or answers someone.

* In the {{Novelization}} of ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei takes a minute to notice that the giant red panda she sees in the bathroom mirror is herself even after noting that its eyes looked like hers and that it mirrored her facial expressions. It's only when she notices that it mirrors her gestures that it dawns on her.

--->'''Burgermeister:''' Ah, a perfect day! Everybody is glum! Ah, see? All the little children are playing with their toys. ({{beat}}) PLAYING WITH THEIR TOYS?!?! STOP, IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!\\

* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'': When Alice first sees the White Rabbit, she [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight doesn't find it very remarkable]] that he's dressed in human clothes and talking, but when he takes a watch out of his waistcoat pocket to look at the time, she suddenly realizes what a strange sight this is. ([[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland The Disney version ] includes this delayed reaction too.)

* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', during their fight, Dante taunts [[spoiler:Vergil]] about [[spoiler:his abusive parenting]] and how the latter tore Nero's arm off. [[spoiler:Vergil]]'s response was "[[spoiler:My son]] ... means nothing to me!" which was very cold-hearted, even for [[spoiler:Vergil]]. But the following cutscene after finishing the fight, is [[spoiler:Vergil]] asking in disbelief, "[[spoiler:... Nero is my son]]?", [[ImpliedTrope implying]] that they were so caught up in their determination to kill Dante that they reflexively countered Dante's insult without realizing what it means, and it was only afterwards that they caught on to the revelation.

TruthInTelevision, obviously. People with slower reaction times tend to take longer to realize things. Also often tends to happen when people [[NotListeningToMeAreYou aren't really paying attention to things they should be]] before [[DoubleTake suddenly realizing the importance of what they just witnessed]].

--->'''Burgermeister:''' Ah, a perfect day! Everybody is glum! Ah, see? All the little children are playing with their toys. ({{beat}}) Playing with their toys?!?!.\\

* In ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'', this is how Alice first encounters the White Rabbit. When her cat Dina sees him and starts meowing frantically, Alice treats it as an UnusuallyUninterestingSight...before she realizes exactly what she's saying.
-->'''Alice:''' ''(Nonchalantly)'' Oh, Dina, it's just a rabbit with a waistcoat ''(with realization)'' and a watch?!

* In ''Literature/KonoSuba'', after choosing to reincarnate in a new world, Kazuma is deciding what he should bring with him after the goddess Aqua offers to send him there with one item of his choice. Out of sheer spite, and to get back at her for mocking the circumstances in which he died, Kazuma picks Aqua herself. She finishes munching on her snacks, prepares to teleport him to the new world... and then registers what he just choose.

** Also a semi-recurring gag where Chris hears some surprising news, talks nonchalantly about it and then goes, "Whaaaaaaaaa?!" This was done with Meg, with obvious less success, and many seasons later, Peter.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode "Francine's Flashback", Stan is fishing with his boss and colleagues until midnight, claiming he's purposefully staying away from home as it's the anniversary of a terrible fight he had with his wife Francine. When Jackson asks what it was about he says "Oh, I [[ForgottenAnniversary forgot our anniversary]]. Ha, I'm never gonna do ''that'' again!". It takes him a few seconds to [[OhCrap realize what he's just said]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode "Francine's Flashback", Stan is fishing with his boss and colleagues until midnight, claiming he's purposefully staying away from home as it's the anniversary of a terrible fight he had with his wife Francine. When Jackson asks what it was about he says "Oh, I [[ForgottenAnniversary forgot our anniversary]]. I'm never gonna do that again!". It takes him a few seconds to [[OhCrap realize what he's just said]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode "Francine's Flashback", Stan is fishing with his boss Bullock until midnight, claiming he's purposefully staying away from home because, as he puts it, that day was the anniversary of a terrible fight he had with his wife Francine after he [[ForgottenAnniversary forgot their anniversary]]. It takes him a few seconds to elaborate what he's just said and rush home to a pissed Francine.

[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/PixieAndBrutus https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/senza_titolo_31_20231125122918.png]]]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/ElGoonishShive https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/delayed_reaction.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:350:She took that better than expected.]]

** Exaggerated in "Secrets of a Successful Marriage". Homer is playing cards with his work friends at Lenny's. Lenny calls him "a little slow". The camera then zooms in on Homer's head as his InternalMonologue processes this statement. When he finally realizes it's an insult, he shouts "How dare you call me that!" as the camera zooms back out to reveal that everyone else has gone home and Lenny is now in his pajamas.

** In one episode, Homer is playing cards with his work friends at Lenny's house. Lenny calls him "a little slow". The camera then zooms in on Homer's head as his InternalMonologue processes this statement. When he says, "I am ''not'' slow!" the camera zooms back out to reveal that everyone went home and Lenny is now in his pajamas.

*** In the "WhatIf the Griffins were British?" segment, Brian and Stewie's roles are reversed.

See subtrope LateToThePunchline when Alice makes a joke, StealthPun or StealthInsult on the expense of Bob and he doesn't get the true meaning right away. See also PostWakeUpRealization when Alice wakes up not knowing the situation around her until she fully opens her eyes. Compare ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne and ComebackTomorrow. Compare DelayedOhCrap and ExplainExplainOhCrap. See YouAreAlreadyDead for the combat version. See RepeatedCueTardyResponse when trying to set up a cue with someone but they missed the cue and they have to repeat it until they get it. Often follows a {{Beat}}. Someone else watching may say "ThreeTwoOne" as the delay unfolds.

** Another in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbMissionMarvel'', a {{Crossover}} with the characters from the WesternAnimation/MarvelUniverseDisneyXD.