History Main / DistressedDude

* Many [[Franchise/{{Cars}} Cars]] fanfics involve Lightning Mcqueen being put in some form of danger with either Sally, Mater, someone from the Radiator Springs gang, or even Chick Hicks having to save him.
** In the fic ''Fanfic/ThreeDays'', Lightning and the King are kidnapped in the very first chapter, and spend a majority of the fic as hostages (although they do [[DefiantCaptive try to escape and give their captors a little snark when they can]]).

Compared to the DamselInDistress, the Distressed Dude is somewhat more likely to save himself in the end or to be saved by someone of the same sex. If he is saved by a woman, she is likely to use her [[WomenAreWiser traditional, feminine strengths]] rather than a [[ActionGirl more direct approach]]. When the Distressed Dude ''is'' rescued by an ActionGirl, it's not uncommon for him (or for another character) to describe this as an injury to his masculinity. If he's in a [[ActionGirlfriend relationship]] with the ActionGirl, he may be a UselessBoyfriend. This may be PlayedForLaughs, though sometimes the Distressed Dude will learn AnAesop instead.

* In their effort to take over TNA, Wrestling/AcesAndEights once loaded Wrestling/KurtAngle unto the back of a pickup truck, though he got away on his own.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6060732/1/West-of-the-Moon-East-of-the-Sun West of the Moon, East of the Sun]]'' (a loose adaptation of both the famous Norwegian fairytale and the Greek myth ''Cupid and Psyche'') Spike is captured by the BigBad and held captive in another dimension. Buffy has to go and rescue him.

* In ''Webcomic/AmericanBarbarian'', [[http://www.ambarb.com/?p=180 even Rick needs some help sometimes.]]

* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/010902 Bob]] and [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/010919 Mike]]
** And George [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/020114 here]], [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/020517 not quite escaping here]], and [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/020601 back]].
** [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/021211c Blues]], with a LampShade on the dangers of UnwillingSuspension, plus [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/021214c joined by Rock Man]]
** [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/031201c Mega Man]] and [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/031207c George again]] for a FateWorseThanDeath.
** But [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000909c first of all of them -- the author.]]

* ''Webcomic/LastRes0rt'' hits this right at the start of the second chapter (first if you don't read through the ArtEvolution) with Slick Giovanni in a fairly intricate "prison harness", and then later on with Slick attempting to seduce Jigsaw while he's chained to the wall. No wonder he also doubles as TheChick (even though at least half the cast is female).

* Seth Rollins once put retired wrestler Wrestling/{{Edge}} atop cinder blocks on Wrestling/WWERaw and threatened to kill him unless Wrestling/TheAuthority were reinstated.[[/folder]]

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13925152/1/Space-Jam-2-Across-The-Serververse]]'': [[spoiler: Elmer Fudd]], unconscious, is trapped in a glass box hanging from a ceiling, as part of Al-G’s incentive for the other Tunes to [[spoiler: participate in his series of three challenges in Chapter 24]].

* "The Brothers As Birds": the heroine's brothers have been [[BalefulPolymorph turned into birds]], and she must rescue them. This can range from [[TheQuest a quest]] to making magical shirts to disenchant them, remaining silent the whole time.

** "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/aulnoy/1892/princessbelleetoile.html Princess Belle-Etoile]]"

* Happens to ''Webcomic/{{Terinu}}'' fairly often, so far being captured and stripped half-naked to a WaveMotionGun, stripped completely and tossed into a cell in a biological testing facility, and now basically being treated as the pampered pet of the BigBad.

* {{Discussed|Trope}} in WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's review of ''{{Film/Supergirl}}:'' it was an incoherent mess that eventually turned into a LoveTriangle over a pathetic schlub, but the one thing that the Chick liked was that the ActionGirl/male "damsel" aspect was PlayedStraight rather than [[PlayedForLaughs For Laughs]].

--> ''(Narrating)'' Now, I’m a pretty forward-thinking guy. By some ways of measuring it, it would not be at all inaccurate to call me the most modern man in the entire kingdom. [[HypocriticalHumor But even so,]] there’s just something viscerally humiliating, and maybe even a little bit emasculating, about realizing that you’ve just been rescued from a dungeon… by the Princess.

Sometimes this trope is regarded as a product of twentieth-century feminism, but it's OlderThanTheyThink. When classifying fairy tales according to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne–Thompson–Uther_Index ATU Index]], one distinguishing mark of several types of tales is that a man (or men) is rescued -- generally by the heroine. While ''he'' is generally her {{Love Interest|s}}, ''they'' are generally her brothers.

Sometimes this trope is regarded as a product of twentieth-century feminism, but it's OlderThanTheyThink. When classifying fairy tales according to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne%E2%80%93Thompson%E2%80%93Uther_Index ATU Index]], one distinguishing mark of several types of tales is that a man (or men) is rescued -- generally by the heroine. While ''he'' is generally her {{Love Interest|s}}, ''they'' are generally her brothers.

Sometimes this trope is regarded as a product of twentieth-century feminism, but it's OlderThanTheyThink. When classifying fairy tales according to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne–Thompson–Uther_Index ATU Index]], one distinguishing mark of several types of tales is that a man (or men) is rescued -- generally by the heroine. While ''he'' is generally her {{Love Interest|s}}, ''they'' are generally her brothers.

* In ''Webcomic/BlueYonder'', [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1280031/blue-yonder-chapter-1-page-25/ Jared is familiar with the process, even though it's reversed at the moment.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Knifestone}}'': [[http://knifestone.net/comic/page019/ Isn't getting kidnapped kinda a girl thing?]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Memoria}}'': [[http://memoria.valice.net/?p=436 Matty, here]]

* In ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'', [[http://www.rhjunior.com/QQSR/00085.html Quentyn himself gets launched into space in an emergency evac suit, and no communicator with enough range to reach help.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Roza}}'', [[http://www.junglestudio.com/roza/?date=2007-05-04 she goes to rescue the horse-prince.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4268 a trike feminist rescues Squidley from the prison.]]

** Taken UpToEleven in the animated series. He's still a badass, but Rapunzel has also TakenALevelInBadass. Notably there's never any insulting of his masculinity; he usually just swoons and/ or brags about his badass girlfriend before getting back in the action.

* Beating up on Luke and Han is popular in ''{{Franchise/StarWars'' has been popular long before Disney took over. Add in newer characters like Finn and Poe and the pile gets bigger.