History Main / FakeDangerGambit

!!Examples

* Inverted in the ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Great Expectations" to make the protagonist look ''less'' heroic. After Mitch Goodman is [[ActorRoleConfusion mistaken for a real superhero]] and endangered as a result, [[spoiler:his friends stage an "attack" where [[CurbStompBattle he is badly humiliated]]]]. The public quickly loses interest, allowing Mitch to return to a life of peace and safety.

* ''ComicBook/TheTick'': There is a professional service that sets up engineered fights so fledgling superheroes can build up their reputation. The Tick stumbles into one of these fights and tries to help, never realizing that the villain is just an actor.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* ''Fanfic/InfinityCrisis'': In ''Justice Like Lightning'', [[spoiler:Mysterio creates the "Elements of Doom" to attack Los Angeles so the Thunderbolts can make a bit splash fighting them. The T-Bolts themselves are unaware this is all a scam]]. ''Generation Gaps'' makes an offhand reference to the fact that more such threats have been engineered for [[spoiler:the Thunderbolts]] to fight since then.
* ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': A variation when the Iron Fleet is spotted off Dragonstone while Daenerys is still AWOL: The Wolf is known to be RunningBothSides and participates in the defensive planning, but then the fleet sails away without explanation. As he explains later, he set up the threat of the fleet to ensure Daenerys' armies wouldn't disperse in her absence but stay to defend the city (and had the fleet disobeyed him and actually attacked, he would have joined in without hesitation).
* ''Fanfic/SideStoryOfSupport:'' When his party encounters a group of Jioral Kingdom soldiers who kidnapped a group of ice wolf demi-humans, Vega's initial plan is to disguise himself as Princess Flare to force the soldiers to free the ice wolves. When this plan falls through, he then has Setsuna attack one of the soldiers and [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wipes their memories with Neuralize]] to convince them that it was a wild animal that attacked them and that it was the ice wolves who came to their rescue, forcing the two opposing factions to peace.

* Downplayed in ''Animation/TownMusiciansOfBremen''. The musicians disguise themselves as robbers and capture the King, only for the Troubadour as himself to free him and pretend to defeat the robbers afterwards, so that the King allows the Troubadour to marry the Princess. However, before setting the whole thing up, the musicians frighten off real outlaws who have been planning a real attack on the King.

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}} -Visser'': During the trial of Visser Three and Visser One, Visser Three executes a scheme where he has his officers secretly release wild animals in the courtroom, so he can kill them all and make a show of having seemingly defeated the Animorphs. However, Visser One notices some of the animals attacked each other, and covertly contacts the Animorphs to attack the courtroom for real, exposing Visser Three's deception.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture'': This is how the time-traveling Marty [=McFly=] tries to get his parents to fall in love. Marty will drive Lorraine to the school dance, then [[AutoErotica start to make out with her in the parked car]], then George [=McFly=] will arrive to "punch" Marty and "rescue" Lorraine from his unwanted advances. It goes wrong twice: first, [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl Lorraine is far more eager to make out]] than Marty anticipated. Second, Lorraine's first "rescuer" is actually the bully Biff Tannen, who intends to take advantage of Lorraine for real. And in spite of these complications, the plan works better than intended: blissfully unaware, George arrives right on cue, and the sight of Lorraine in genuine danger gives him the strength to punch out Biff for real, and Lorraine immediately falls for him.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': One side quest has you investigate a shady guy who's been selling his services as a bodyguard in Freeside. If you hire Orris, you get attacked by four thugs that he quickly puts down, but you will notice that he's a fraud based on one of a number of different options depending on your skills: a high Perception lets you realize that he only fired three times, for example, and you can report your findings back to The King. Some methods of discovering the fraud (e.g. attacking the dead bodies) causes the thugs and Orris to become hostile and attack, as does having to hire him a second time for the escort.

Basically, this trope is for when a character sets up a situation that seems like a spontaneous feat of derring-do, but is actually a deliberately concocted circumstance, possibly with friends taking the role of a fake "aggressor". The situation can go horribly wrong if the situation becomes one of [[AndYouThoughtItWasAGame real rather than simulated danger]], such as [[MistakenForAnImposter a genuine aggressor showing up]].

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': Deconstructed in episode [[Recap/CSINYS06E05 "Battle Scars"]] where the VictimOfTheWeek and his buddy set up a mugging similar to one that happened several months beforehand to impress his girlfriend only for the plan to [[GoneHorriblyWrong collapse in on itself]]. First, [[spoiler:the victim's gun was loaded with simulation rounds intended only to be shot at targets that he had stolen from a firing range. When the two 'struggled' for the gun it went off and the bullet struck the victim, disintegrating on contact but still causing a lethal wound.]] Second is the biggest problem with this plan -- failing to properly predict what the [[DistressedDamsel patsy will do]]. [[spoiler:She attacked the mugger and ripped his mask off, forcing him to strike her over the head and nearly killing her]]. Third is what happens when the scheme is exposed. [[spoiler:She is angry and upset that her boyfriend would do something so stupid. Had he survived, she probably would have broken up with him.]]

This is the inverse of a WoundedGazelleGambit. Compare FramedForHeroism and MakeItLookLikeAStruggle. SubTrope of PublicityStunt. It's a perennial favorite of the FakeUltimateHero. Related to RiggedSpectacleFight.

* ''WesternAnimation/KidCosmic'': Kid's fight with the robots in Episode 4 is revealed to have been set up by Papa G without Kid's knowledge. The reason he did this was because he saw Kid was depressed by everyone else having a win except him, so he tried to give him one. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Kid finds out in the next episode, and doesn't take this very well.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'': One episode features Martha, Helen, and Truman trying to help Courageous Collie Carlo get back his fans after they tease him for being afraid of flowers. In their scenario, Helen pretends to be scared of Truman in a bear costume so Carlo can rescue her. No one falls for the act though. When a ''real'' bear shows up, Martha tells off the bear for chasing her friends, but decides to have him pretend to be chased away by Carlo so everyone can see him as a hero again.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': The villain Volpina uses her [[MasterOfIllusion illusion powers]] to stage herself stopping a [[ColonyDrop falling meteor]] in order to gain Ladybug and Cat Noir's trust so that she can manipulate them.

* ''WesternAnumation/MiraculousLadybug'': The villain Volpina uses her [[MasterOfIllusion illusion powers]] to stage herself stopping a [[ColonyDrop falling meteor]] in order to gain Ladybug and Cat Noir's trust so that she can manipulate them.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Fanfic/InfinityCrisis'': In ''Justice Like Lightning'', [[spoiler: Mysterio creates the "Elements of Doom" to attack Los Angeles so the Thunderbolts can make a bit splash fighting them. The T-Bolts themselves are unaware this is all a scam]]. ''Generation Gaps'' makes an offhand reference to the fact that more such threats have been engineered for [[spoiler: the Thunderbolts]] to fight since then.

* In the children's book ''Literature/TheGruffalo'', the GuileHero mouse plays this trope brilliantly, fending off various predators by pretending that he's going to hang out with a [[BigBad bigger and more dangerous predator than them]], which he's invented, and which he says preys on each of them. When he then, to his surprise, meets said Big Bad and realises that Big Bad wants to eat him, he succeeds in persuading it to follow him through the forest, in the course of which he meets all the predators he earlier scared off, and they are duly convinced that he really is the Big Bad's friend. [[spoiler: The mouse having thus demonstrated that he's the scariest creature in the forest, the Big Bad runs off in terror.]]

* ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'': In episode #17, Recently-dumped civilian Makoto enlists the help of Tsubasa (Inu Brother of the season's team) to help him impress his girlfriend into taking him back, who dumped him [[spoiler: after he ran off on her during a monster attack in an earlier episode]]. Tsubasa commissions an off-screen friend to create an over-the-top villain costume for him to "attack" said girl so Makoto can "save her." SixthRanger Jiro stumbles onto Tsubasa before he can enact the plot and, [[PoorCommunicationKills mistaking him for an actual villain]], suplexes him into submission before it can go anywhere.
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': Deconstructed in episode [[Recap/CSINYS06E05 "Battle Scars"]] where the VictimOfTheWeek and his buddy set up a mugging similar to one that happened several months beforehand to impress his girlfriend only for the plan to [[GoneHorriblyWrong collapse in on itself]]. First, [[spoiler: the victim's gun was loaded with simulation rounds intended only to be shot at targets that he had stolen from a firing range. When the two 'struggled' for the gun it went off and the bullet struck the victim, disintegrating on contact but still causing a lethal wound.]] Second is the biggest problem with this plan - failing to properly predict what the [[DistressedDamsel patsy will do]]. [[spoiler: She attacked the mugger and ripped his mask off, forcing him to strike her over the head and nearly killing her]]. Third is what happens when the scheme is exposed. [[spoiler: She is angry and upset that her boyfriend would do something so stupid. Had he survived, she probably would have broken up with him.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'': One episode features Martha, Helen, and Truman trying to Courageous Colly Carlo get back his fans after they tease him for being afraid of flowers. In their scenario, Helen pretends to be scared of Truman in a bear costume so Carlo can rescue her. No one falls for the act though. When a ''real'' bear shows up, Martha tells off the bear for chasing her friends, but decides to have him pretend to be chased away by Carlo so everyone can see him as a hero again.

* ''VideoGame/FallOutNewVegas'': One side quest has you investigate a shady guy who's been selling his services as a body guard in Freeside. If you hire him, you get attacked by four thugs that he quickly puts down, but you will notice that he's a fraud based on one of a number of different options depending on your skills: a high Perception lets you realize that he only fired three times, for example. After being made, he and his pals will attack you but they all turn out to be quite weak and little threat to an experienced survivor like the player character.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': After Applejack saves Spike's life in [[ecap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E10SpikeAtYourService "Spike At Your Service"]], Spike swears to help her out due to his Dragon Code. However, his help is a lot more troublesome, so to put a stop to his less-than-helpful service, Applejack and the others stage an "attack" by fake timberwolves for Spike to save her so he can stop. Unfortunately, the staged attack turns into a real attack by real timberwolves, but Spike does save Applejack all the same.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': After Applejack saves Spike's life in "Spike At Your Service", Spike swears to help her out due to his Dragon Code. However, his help is a lot more troublesome, so to put a stop to his less-than-helpful service, Applejack and the others stage an "attack" by fake timberwolves for Spike to save her so he can stop. Unfortunately, the staged attack turns into a real attack by real timberwolves, but Spike does save Applejack all the same.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In the episode "When Aliens Attack", Fry and Leela are on the beach when a muscular, handsome man flirts with Leela. He explains to Fry that he's a ''professional'' beach bully who steals the girlfriend of some weak guy, then [[ThrowingTheFight goes down in one punch]] to make the weak guy look good in front of his girl, for a price. Fry says that Leela isn't his girlfriend so the bully is free to date her if he wants, but he says [[SorryImGay he's actually gay]] and walks away.

** Sandy has Patrick dress as a gorilla and pretend to attack her in a ploy to get [=SpongeBob=] out of his house. [=SpongeBob=] sees through the ruse, but then a real gorilla appears (in a subversion of MistakenForAnImposter, the gorilla comes dressed as Patrick, while the real Patrick has on the gorilla costume), and [=SpongeBob=] has to come save them.
** In another episode, the "weenie" [=SpongeBob=], wanting to get into the [[BadGuyBar Salty Spitoon]], stages a fight with Patrick in front of the bouncer. Patrick somehow manages to telekinetically ''beat up himself''. The bouncer is duly impressed.

* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheNobleDead'': The main characters of are a pair of con artists who stage fake vampire hunts, he plays the vampire and she dramatically "slays" him, to scam people out of money. The plot is kicked off when they accidentally blunder into the lair of an ''actual'' vampire clan and have to become hunters for real.

* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' features an arson case where a building is burned down with a girl sleeping inside, while the rest of her friends went outside. Ran and Conan save the girl, and it is revealed that the culprit is one of the guys in her group, who deliberately caused the fire so that he can save her and win her heart.

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Bumblebee's first appearance has her pretending to be a villain so Mal Duncan could impress the Titans. They eventually find out, but aren't too upset with either of them.

* ''Film/MrDeeds'': Tabloid journalist Babe Bennett pretends to be a DamselInDistress, getting mugged in order to meet Deeds and dig up dirt on him. Deeds, quite unaware that he's being tricked into a staged RescueRomance, chases Babe's attacker down the sidewalk, shoves him over a trashcan and then uses it as a bludgeoning weapon. Babe cringes sympathetically before settling on punching him about a dozen times.

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}} -Visser'': During the trial of Visser Three and Visser One, Visser Three executes a scheme where he has his officers secretly release wild animals in the courtroom, so he can kill them all and make a show of having seemingly defeated the Animorphs. However, Visser One notices some of the animals attacked each other, and covertly contacts the Animorphs to attack the courtroom for real, exposing Visser Three?s deception.
* ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'': Book 2, chapter 6 ("The Case of the Two-Fisted Poet") has a snooty newcomer to the neighborhood tries to romance the detective's Action Girl sidekick Sally. To impress her, the newcomer fights with a bully who is rude to them on a date, putting his glasses away in his chest pocket before getting into a long, drawn out fight where the bully lands many punches on his chest. When he pulls out his glasses after the fight and they are fine, Encyclopedia points out to Sally that if the fight were real the glasses should have been broken considering all the punches the bully was landing in the chest area. She promptly lays out the would-be boyfriend herself.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': Deconstructed in episode [[Recap/CSINYS06E05 "Battle Scars"]] where the VictimOfTheWeek and his buddy set up a mugging similar to one that happened several months beforehand to impress his girlfriend only for the plan to [[GoneHorriblyWrong collapse in on itself]]. First, [[spoiler: the victim's gun was loaded with simulation rounds intended only to be shot at targets which he had stolen from a firing range. When the two 'struggled' for the gun it went off and the bullet struck the victim, disintegrating on contact but still causing a lethal wound.]] Second is the biggest problem with this plan - failing to properly predict what the [[DistressedDamsel patsy will do]]. [[spoiler: She attacked the mugger and ripped his mask off, forcing him to strike her over the head and nearly killing her]]. Third is what happens when the scheme is exposed. [[spoiler: She is angry and upset that her boyfriend would do something so stupid. Had he survived, she probably would have broken up with him.]]

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': Dennis created a whole system called the "D.E.N.N.I.S. System" which he uses as a way to sleep with women and then emotionally manipulate them. First he '''D'''emonstrates value so he can '''E'''ngage them physically (hit on her then have sex), then he '''N'''urtures dependence by doing this, which for his example, he prank calls his date pretending to be a creepy stalker so she goes to Dennis for emotional support. Then he proceeds to by '''N'''eglect her emotionally by continuing to make prank calls but not answer her back, then '''I'''nspire hope by coming back to her at her lowest point so they can have SexForSolace. After that, he '''S'''eprates entirely and never speaks the girl again, before starting again with a different girl.
* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' had an episode of Peg saving Al from a robber, and worse, having it caught on the news, which as you can imagine is a major embarrassment to him. Jefferson tries to help by having Al take Peg to a seedy bar, where a contact would insult Peg, Al would knock him out and Bud would get it on film. Unfortunately, when it comes time to deal the blow, Peg punches out the man herself just as Bud takes the photo. However, the end of the ep has Al successfully pulling this off using one of Kelly's dates.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': A villain exploits this in "[[Recap/MonkS1E6MrMonkAndTheBillionaireMugger Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger]]." Back in college a guy had gotten his friend to pose as a mugger so he could play the hero in front of his then-girlfriend. Years later, the friend is having an affair with the man's wife and suggests to him that they recreate the event, only trading places. The man agrees...not knowing [[ADeadlyAffair the friend is planning to shoot him for real to get him out of the picture]].

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': In the episode [[Recap/PhineasAndFerbTheBullyCode "The Bully Code"]]. Buford accidentally chokes on a hotdog, but Baljeet was there and managed to save his life. Buford's "bully code" means that thanks to Baljeet saving him, Buford is now Baljeet's slave for life. Phineas and Ferb agree to help Baljeet engineer a situation so that Buford can save his life to no longer owe Baljeet and serve him, but decide not to. In the end it is unnecessary, because Buford saves Baljeet from being crushed by a giant wiener, at which point Buford declares that they're even and returns to bullying Baljeet as usual.

[[/folder]]

* I''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'': A little capuchin monkey complains to George that the other monkeys bully him because he's a runt. In the next scene, the monkeys are attacked by a large lion; Little Monkey steps forward, [[PrimalChestPound pounds his chest]] and yells at the lion, fending it off and earning the other monkeys' respect. The lion, hiding in the bushes, winks at George, implying that it was him arranging the whole scene.