History Main / GlamourFailure

* Physical defect (usually for {{Shapeshifter}}s, [[CloningBlues Clones]], [[ReplicantSnatching Body Snatchers]], or {{Chest Monster}}s). See RedRightHand, ShapeshiftingFailure, and MorphicResonance.

* Komodo from ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative'' must maintain some level of consciousness to keep her transformation, otherwise she reverts back to her true form. She does exactly this in one issue when she accidentally falls asleep in front of her teammate Hardball. Inverted in that she's an attractive young woman in her true form, while transformed she's a lizard...thing. But played straight in that [[spoiler:in her human form, she has no legs]].

* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'':
** Kurt's image inducer. Given that it really only needs the settings "off" and "on" was there really the need to give it so many options and make the off button so incredibly easy to press by accident? As the image inducer only makes him LOOK human, anyone who touches him can still feel his fur. In the comics, he uses it at least once to trick a villain. It could've been a set-up for future writers that just never got used.
** Quicksilver has his moments too. It's implied that being super-fast is his natural state and that it takes an effort to slow down to human pace, and, as such, he speaks slightly faster than any other character and often can't restrain his powers over small distances; for example, in his first appearance, when he zooms around Evan in the locker room ''before'' revealing himself more dramatically later on.

* The memory-manipulating parasites in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' are difficult to pick out, since they manufacture entire lifetimes-worth of memories into people, so you won't question why that nice uncle or Frankenstein Monster or Photography Velociraptor is staying at your place. This breaks down when Morty realizes that they can only manufacture ''good'' memories; he and his family can tell real friends and family from the wacky fantastical parasitic characters infesting the house because the family have all inflicted horrible experiences upon one another. Except [[spoiler Mr. Poopy Butthole]].

* Sunlight burns/weakens/[[Literature/{{Twilight}} makes them]] [[BishieSparkle sparkle]] (not restricted to vampires, any strongly evil or supernatural creature will react to sunlight like a marshmallow in an oven).

* In ''Fanfic/TangledInTime'', there is a variant with actual glamour. Mr. Dragmire [[note]] actually Ganondorf [[/note]] sets a glamour on Link so the latter would look like a young version of himself so he would pass as his son. Only for the spell to take Mr. Dragmire literally and make Link look how he truly looks under the Dragmire disguise.

** In a similar story, a mortal midwife is summoned to deliver a fairy baby. The midwife is taken to a palace where a fairy woman lies in labor upon a golden bed. The midwife is given a green salve, with which she is told to anoint the infant's eyes, but while wiping the sweat from her brow, she accidentally rubs the salve in her eye. Suddenly she is able to see through ''that'' eye that the palace is nothing but a grimy cave and the golden bed a pile of leaves, while other eye continues to see the palace. Later, she happens to spot the fairy mother in the village and inquires how the baby's doing. The fairy asks the midwife which eye she sees her through. When the midwife tells her, the fairy picks up a sharp stick and [[EyeScream gouges the eye out.]][[note]]There IS a happier version of this story in which the clever midwife, realizing her mistake, states that she sees the fairy "through the eye in the back of my head"--an eye that doesn't exist and can't be removed, in other words--to which the angry but powerless fairy then warns that if the midwife had named any other eye, it would have been blinded.[[/note]]

* Many of the Glamour Failures in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'' are exactly what one would expect from a series were AllMythsAreTrue: silver repels even human-form werewolves, and so on. The series' most unique form of [[CameBackWrong revenant]], the Harrowed, bear most extensive discussion: they carry the [[EvilSmellsBad smell of death]] everywhere they go, have a distinctly pale complexion, keep a [[RedRightHand scar from their cause of death]], can potentially [[InhumanHuman be rotting and decayed]], and are prone to [[EvilDetectingDog setting off nearby wildlife]]. If a lot of their giveaways make them sound like evil incarnate, it's worth remembering that even the [[AntiHero nice ones]] have a JekyllAndHyde complex.
* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' universe, mages have to learn and cast a more difficult (reflected in drain rating) version of illusions if they wish them to fool electronic sensors too. (Cybereyes don't count because they are bought by the owner's essence.)
* ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'':
** For the weirder Powers, Afflictions that reveal something about your supernatural status fall under this category. You get Miracle Points whenever, say, your reflection burning like a phoenix or your shadow running off to buy USB drives or whatever it is causes serious problems for you. Also, Lord Entropy's RedRightHand -- his palms constantly dripping with blood -- remains constant no matter what form he takes.
** The [[HumanoidAbomination Excrucians]] also have a universal one other than their [[InhumanlyBeautifulRace utter beauty]]-their eyes [[BlackEyesOfEvil are like windows to the night sky]], and the stars are falling.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Dark Eldar use strange technology to appear youthful and [[EvilIsSexy sexy]] to the majority of beings, but it doesn't work on [[PsychicPowers psykers]] and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent daemons]]. To them, the Dark Eldar appear in their true forms, as hideous, rotting corpse-like monsters.
* Many of the Neverborn in ''TabletopGame/{{Malifaux}}'' appear human, and while some have eyes or skin that are somehow "off," others only have their true nature revealed when someone tries to draw or photograph them.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', you find a girl trapped in one of the dungeons who asks you to lead her out, but if you do so she tells you not to go out that way. You have to lead the "girl" into a room with bright sunlight coming in, which reveals her to be the boss Blind. Which makes it very odd that, when you first rescued her from the dungeon, she asked "Please, take me outside."
* In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'', in the Seabed area, there are robot enemies that are usually invisible. However, you can see their reflections in the water and reflective surfaces that are usually common throughout the area, making it possible to attack them. Also, using a lightning spell will short out the invisibility for some time.
* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, the screen tends to fill with TV static when [[spoiler: artificially-made memories start to fail]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsBartVsTheSpaceMutants'', Bart Simpson can see through the aliens' disguises with X-ray specs.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', the fake residents of Seaside Town look sort of like real mushroom people, except they have metallic colors and don't move like a normal mushroom person should.
** ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'':
*** Providing the page image is the Koopa Bros.' attempts to block off the Toad Town gate via apparently magical Toad disguises, which fails, thanks to Merlin, because their hats are black and they pretty much try to be conspicuous.
*** The game also had an instance where Peach magically disguised herself as one of Bowser's {{Mook}}s in order to sneak around the castle. The reason [[TheDragon Kammy Koopa]] was able to figure out the deception? Peach ''[[TheNoseKnows smelled too nice]]''.
*** There are two moments in the Crystal Palace in which four Duplighosts turn into a party member and you must hit all of them (but not the real party member) with your hammer to avoid a fight. The first time is with Bombette, but all of the Duplighosts speak in a different manner than she does. The second time takes this to a whole new level, in which the Duplighosts pretend to be Kooper and insist that they are him... however, they take the forms of, and act like, Goompa, Professor Kolorado, Koopa Koot, and Luigi.
* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', when Dante and Vergil's father Sparda took human form, his shadow remained shaped like a demon.

* Spies in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' have both an invisibility watch and a disguise kit. The invisibility will flicker if the spy is shot or if someone runs into them, and the disguise will fail if they use their gun or knife. If an enemy pyro lights a spy on fire, the disguise and cloak are maintained, but they are completely worthless as friendly players cannot be lit on fire, and the player is clearly a spy once they're on fire. Plus, ya know, the whole "burning to death" thing.
** The cloak will actually fizzle out if a Spy gets covered in Jarate (the Sniper drinks way too much coffee) or Mad Milk (whatever is in that jar the Scout's holding, it isn't milk). A disguise won't vanish, but since Jarate and Mad Milk don't affect allies unless they're on fire, and since they'll [[UrineTrouble cry out when they get hit]]...
* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', when [[spoiler: Captain Hazama ]]makes his appearance at the end of the game, he becomes so animated and overjoyed about his victory, that he reveals himself to be [[spoiler: Yuuki Terumi, an immortal, nigh-unkillable psychopath]]. Perhaps the only example of a Villain's glamour failing due to sheer enthusiasm.

** In [[VideoGame/BlazblueChronophantasma Chronophantasma]], when Relius uses his Astral Heat on Terumi, Relius has him bound to a chair with a mirror behind him, revealing Terumi's true form.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ganryu}} 2'' has a shapeshifting {{oni}} who tries turning into your LoveInterest to trick you, but you manage to see through her disguise and force her to reveal herself, as a haggard, hideous-looking monster.
* Next time you fight a {{demon|icSpiders}} in ''VideoGame/GodHand'', take a look at the other {{mook}}s around you. They all gain GlowingEyesOfDoom.
* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'', the [[EvilChancellor vizier's]] pet [[OurGeniesAreDifferent genie]] can take various forms, but all of them have glinting golden eyes.
* In TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', Samus' ship refuses to let her back in because the ToxicPhlebotinum has overwritten her DNA to the point that she isn't even classifiable as a HalfHumanHybrid anymore.
* There's a point in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' where you must encounter a creepy old couple. Pull them into the moonlight and their shadows reveal that they're demons. Though due to their creepy and somewhat disturbing demeanor, it's not that much of a surprise when they reveal themselves. In fact, it makes more sense.
* Scotia in ''VideoGame/LandsOfLore: The Throne of Chaos'' possesses a magical ring that allows her to take any form she wants. The only thing she can't disguise is her eyes, which are always yellow. On several occasions, she uses this ability to try and trick the player.
* In ''VideoGame/HeroinesQuest'', you can find out that [[spoiler:the villager Regin]] is a svartalf, because his eyes are inhuman.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', Zorua and Zoroark can be sent out disguised as another Pokemon. However, it cannot use moves other than its own, so you can often tell it's a fake[[note]]although unusual moves could alternatively be explained by hacking, or on occasion, selective breeding[[/note]]. Its type also doesn't change to match its disguise, and neither does its ability - both of these facts can give it away when it, for instance, is disguised as a Flying-type and turns out ''not'' to be immune to Spikes (which Flying-types are immune to), displays an immunity to Psychic moves while disguised as something which should be hit by them, or is disguised as Kyogre and doesn't cause rain upon entering battle (which Kyogre always does, thanks to its ability). Also, it reverts if it takes a hit.
* In the original ''VideoGame/PokemonSnap'', transformed Dittos can be distinguished from their real counterparts by their non-transformed, dot-like eyes. A smoke ball reveals the true nature of Ditto. If you take a photo of the transformed thing and show it to Prof. Oak, he will remark that there is something off with this Pokémon, though he cannot really say what it is.
* Surprisingly an InvertedTrope in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. On a NewGamePlus, Link's Grandmother, instead of giving him the iconic green hero's clothes, gives him what's either invisible clothes or absolutely nothing. Link wears them over his normal clothes, with absolutely no difference. It seems at first that she's just playing a joke on him, but looking at Link's shadow and the outline of the Magic Armor reveals the indistinctive shape of his floppy hat. According to his grandma, they're magical clothes that are only visible to honest people, and a few characters ''do'' comment on them like the Great Deku Tree. ''"What's the matter? You see them, don't you?"''
* ''VideoGame/TheDarknessII'': The asylum intermissions are so painstakingly detailed, you'll have a hard time wondering if (A) the Darkness is screwing with Jackie into unwittingly giving up his soul or (B) the video game version of Jackie really is a demented lunatic who thinks he's Jackie Escacado from reading too many The Darkness comic books. Then you find out that the asylum is ''showing Lovecraft movies as relaxation therapy''. Hilariously stupid, aren't they?
* Glamour spells are a plot point in VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs, starting with episode 2 because [[spoiler: they're expensive and constantly in demand so Aunty Greenleaf is selling cheap knockoffs that are prone to showing an increasingly imperfect disguise and failing.]]
** Played with. GL's version of a glamour capsule is more "different" than a failure; there are a lot of "tells" in this version, but it never fails until the capsule is opened. [[spoiler:Until the easily portable glamour capsule is ripped apart, nobody realizes that the dead Snow White body double is a giant, fat troll! The body double WHOSE HEAD WAS RIPPED OFF.]] In fact, it's so good that [[spoiler:Bigby suddenly realizes that there is a possibility that either A)Faith is alive and Nerissa is dead or B)Nerissa used a glamour to look like Faith when they first met - while Bigby and Woody were throwing sinks]]. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, sure, that just screams failure doesn't it]]?
** The [[AllThereInTheManual Book of Fables]] makes it very clear why knockoffs are bad compared to the more effective, legitimate versions sold by the Witches of the 13th Floor - interacting with other Fables won't put stress on the spell but [[{{Muggles}} Mundies]] would. It would show Glamour Failures more often, leading to Mundies to question the nature of those under it before the Glamour is broken completely. All glamours have this flaw which is why Fables don't interact with them much but GL's glamours, being Mass-Produced and with less quality, are far more prone to failure than anyone else's.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', you can [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise yourself as the Silver and Black Knight]] to fool the PVP invaders. The problems are, not only you are not as tall as the real ones, the way how you wield their weapons is different from the real counterparts. The dead giveaway, however, is that invaders can lock onto you.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'': [[ProfessionalKiller Maldron The Assassin]] poses as your friend in your second encounter (the first encounter had him being outright hostile). The problem is, while he looked like a White Phantom, there is no message of Phantom summoning because he is now a non-phantom enemy. And you can target him just like other enemies. It doesn't stop the PVP invaders from using him as a TokenEvilTeammate and pull a DopplegangerAttack together, however.
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', you can repeat this feat and disguise yourself as Fire Witches, Lothric Knights and all kind of armored humanoid enemies. You can even disguise yourself as a hollow. However, unlike the two previous installments, not only your character name is not shown in the phantom name list for the host, your name is ''highlighted in red'' from a distance if you are a Dark Spirit. It doesn't even take any effort to dig you out from a crowd of enemies.

* The protagonist of ''[[http://www.magickitsune.com Fox Tails]]'', Keen Kotaru, possesses a so-far unexplained ability to see through the Glamours of the various animal-spirits that are otherwise maintaining a {{Masquerade}} in our world. His ability to thus notice the remaining animal features of transformed spirits is what drives the plot, and allows him to effectively fight the evil spirits...
* In ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'', the Elven Rangers who move around the world of men in search of 'Errants' (half-elves who frequently become psychotic) often uses glamours to disguise their elven nature. At one point, however, a young child can see through it, though [[NotNowKiddo her mother dismisses it]]...
* In ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', the Cubi all possess powerful shape-shifting abilities, which obviously comes in handy [[SuccubiAndIncubi for many things]]. However, they all have a single "marking" on them that they cannot change -- and which also shows what clan they belong to. If you manage to spot such a mark and happen to know what they mean, you'll both know that you're actually facing a Cubi -- and ''usually'' whether it's the kind that feasts on pain, terror, and suffering, or the kind that feeds on lust, joy, and happiness. Very handy for determining what your next response should be, really. Although make-up or clothing can conceal them, but only real clothing, not clothing made by shapeshifting.
* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', certain individuals are living Glamour Failure, who unconsciously dispel illusions by their very presence. Antimony is one such person, as her encounter with the ghost in the hospital showed. Ironically, this can work against her. During the trip to the afterlife bureaucracy in [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1296 chapter 46]], Kat has such a logical perspective that everything she sees looks like a Halloween house, while Antimony and Mort can see the afterlife in all its magnificent glory. Regardless of who has the "real" perspective, Kat's perspective allows her to flip off an old man in a horror costume, while Antimony and Mort see said old man as a [[EldritchAbomination GIANT PERSONIFICATION OF RAINBOW SKELETAL CENTIPEDE DEATH]]. He even leaves his room because Kat ordered him to!
* ''Webcomic/LastRes0rt'' uses the "Dead Eyes" of the Djinn-si as a quick tell-tale for identifying most Dead Inside, and it's also the only part of Alice's body that can't be changed by shapeshifting. For [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampire Djinn-si]], though, it's just part of their GameFace (though if you piss one off enough, you can still cause an AccidentalReveal).
* ''Webcomic/LovelyLovecraft'': [[spoiler:Noyes']] hand [[https://www.deviantart.com/malakialagatta/art/LL-Evil-Forces-Pag-21-470224236 oozes green goo]] when he touches a medallion decorated with the Elder Sign, nearly betraying his inhuman identity.

* [[http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20060622.html A very subtle one]] in ''Webcomic/HeadTrip''. Look at the teacher's shadow on the chalkboard.
* In ''Webcomic/TalesOfTheQuestor'', the illusions of the Fae can be pierced by someone born with "the second Sight..." or by someone with the latent ability who daubs their eyes with elderflower balm or drinks elderberry wine.
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' any Greater [[HybridMonster Chimera]] has antennae that [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-07-27 normally remain in all their forms]]. Until one uses a [[TransformationTrinket Cosmetic Morph Device]] mass-produced by their common parent species. Though in human form these look like [[PrehensileHair prehensile thick locks]] easily disguised [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-03-03 in long normal hair]] -- unless they happen to grow on a hairless part of the head, but that's a rare anomaly.
* In ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'', Mimic's lips are always visible, regardless of his form.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Erstwhile}}'', [[http://www.erstwhiletales.com/brothersister-24/#.UI84NGdHGuI the stepsister in "Brother and Sister" is missing an eye, and not even her mother's magic can hide that.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Godslave}}'', Sobek's crocodile teeth start to show when he gets emotional, and sometimes his reflection is of his true form rather than that of the man he pretends to be.
* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'': Any Zone presents AFormYouAreComfortableWith for beings within, even ones as distantly removed as a human and a fungus, to interact; enough of a shock causes the façade to crack.

* In ''Webcomic/LeagueOfSuperRedundantHeroes'', an alien infiltrator attempts to blend in with a PerceptionFilter making it appear like an elementary school girl... but [[http://superredundant.com/?comic=756-secret-invasion still leaves the tracks of a creature the size and weight of a bipedal rhino]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': Perceptive Glamours are an AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder effect that work by applying a subjective trait, like "normalcy", to the target, so they don't work on people who are suspicious of what they're seeing. Duane's [[TheGenericGuy Generic Guy]] glamour doesn't affect people who know he's undead, and [[spoiler:Bastion]]'s "traveling doctor" disguise fails when people nearby realize they're each seeing him as a different race.
* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', Copycat always [[MorphicResonance retains his purple eyes]] when copying another person's appearance. Mao [[https://yokokasquest.com/comic/chapter-5-page-20/ recognized who Copycat was]] from his purple eyes, and [[https://yokokasquest.com/comic/chapter-5-page-42/ identified that someone wasn't Copycat]] (who Copycat [[VoluntaryShapeshifting had previously mimicked]]) from his lack of purple eyes.
* ''Webcomic/HeroOhHero'': [[spoiler:Natasha]] is a MasterOfIllusion but can't imitate the aura of others. This is how [[spoiler:Noah]] was able to see through her disguise, as he viewed her with AuraVision and noticed her aura was all wrong.

-->'''OMAR:''' “How did you make those noises?”\\
'''CLARA:''' “Does this mean she’s not the real Bonnie?”\\
'''BONNIE?:''' “What, ████?”\\
'''CLARA:''' “Yes! That! That weird, really ''loud'', inhuman noise!”

* If the serpentmen from ''WesternAnimation/ConanTheAdventurer'' get too close to anything containing star-metal, the illusion that makes them look human is dispelled until they can move away. This also applies to [[TheDragon Rath-Amon]], despite him [[spoiler: not actually being a serpentman.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', anything Aku transforms into has the same black/green/red color scheme he does, and his true form shows up in reflections. He managed to disguise himself as a beautiful woman and fooled Jack in one episode, after which Jack stayed alert; a second attempt at masquerade led to Aku being totally outmaneuvered.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', [=XANAfied=] people and Polymorphic Specters can be recognized by their [[MindControlEyes pupils turning]] into [[HellishPupils "Eye of XANA" symbols]], or by their tendency of getting blurry with "static" from time to time. They can usually suppress this long enough to force a SpotTheImposter Check, though.
* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'':
** Kurt's image inducer. Given that it really only needs the settings "off" and "on" was there really the need to give it so many options and make the off button so incredibly easy to press by accident? As the image inducer only makes him LOOK human, anyone who touches him can still feel his fur. In the comics, he uses it at least once to trick a villain. It could've been a set-up for future writers that just never got used.
** Quicksilver has his moments too. It's implied that being super-fast is his natural state and that it takes an effort to slow down to human pace, and, as such, he speaks slightly faster than any other character and often can't restrain his powers over small distances; for example, in his first appearance, when he zooms around Evan in the locker room ''before'' revealing himself more dramatically later on.

* The Christmas special "The Story of the Leprechaun's Gold" had a situation where banshees could take human form, but were always identifiable by their banshee tears, which they could not hide.

* The memory-manipulating parasites in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' are difficult to pick out, since they manufacture entire lifetimes-worth of memories into people, so you won't question why that nice uncle or Frankenstein Monster or Photography Velociraptor is staying at your place. This breaks down when Morty realizes that they can only manufacture ''good'' memories; he and his family can tell real friends and family from the wacky fantastical parasitic characters infesting the house because the family have all inflicted horrible experiences upon one another. Except [[spoiler: Mr. Poopy Butthole.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "To Where and Back Again", Chrysalis sees a brief reflection in Starlight Glimmer's eyes that tells her she's really Thorax in disguise. Nobody notices it but in Chrysalis's first appearance where she is disguised as Cadance, her horn glows the wrong color when using magic and just before she imprisons Twilight underground her eyes glow green.

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* In ''Fanfic/TangledInTime'', there is a variant with actual glamour. Mr. Dragmire [[note]] actually Ganondorf [[/note]] sets a glamour on Link so the latter would look like a young version of himself so he would pass as his son. Only for the spell to take Mr. Dragmire literally and make Link look how he truly looks under the Dragmire disguise.

* In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'', during the climax of the Shining Armor Arc, when [[BigBad Makarov]] has a VillainousBreakdown, he CharmPerson abilities momentarily fail, allowing everyone on the battlefield to briefly see and sense his [[EldritchAbomination true self]].

* Changelings in ''Fanfic/BadFutureCrusaders'' can be identified by touch, as their bodies feel cool and lifeless. Diamond Dogs, and for some reason [[CloudCuckooLander Ms. Daydream]] (possibly) are able to detect them merely by looking at them.
* In ''FanFic/IronKissed'', Fae lose their glamours when touched by iron. Cat Noir, being "Iron Kissed", is the exception to this rule, and abuses that fact to maintain his cover.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'', Violet can make herself invisible, but when hiding in a river, a rather clever Mook throws some sand upstream of her last known position, allowing the distorted flow to reveal her.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', when Coraline begins to rebel, the Other Mother shifts to a tall, skeletal, more exaggerated form. She remains in this form for the rest of the film before the climax (where she takes on her [[OneWingedAngel Final Form]]). What makes this especially creepy is that despite her inhuman appearance, she [[FauxAffablyEvil continues to act like a doting, caring mother]].

* Both adaptations of Stephen King's IT subject the titular character to this trope, what with IT being an EldritchAbomination trying to pass himself off as a NonIronicClown. In ''Film/It1990'', Pennywise's face is squirted with acid, causing it to melt, and while he was always unnerving to some extent, Pennywise in the ''Film/It2017'' adaptation at least had a somewhat cute and rabbity face at the beginning of the movie, but becomes increasingly decrepid and distorted as the movie progresses.
* In Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/TheyLive'' (1988), aliens use a mind-controlling satellite signal to appear human, cloaking themselves from the eyes of Mankind while they take over governments and corporations. A resistance movement forms when someone creates [[CoolShades special sunglasses]] that can filter out the signal before it reaches the brain and allows the wearer to see the aliens as they truly are. [[spoiler:The film ends with the resistance dying but not before destroying the signal's ground station, [[TheUnmasquedWorld breaking the Masquerade]].]]
* ''Film/TheShadow'' (1994) with Creator/AlecBaldwin as Lamont Cranston a.k.a. the mysterious Shadow, the titular character of this movie screen comic book adaption. His powers of deception, mind control and telekinesis are clearly {{psychic|Powers}}, the result of a TrainingFromHell by an ancient mysterious Asian mentor. Only two people can see through his hypnotic deception: his arch-enemy who has similar mental powers (and who can hide whole buildings from the eyes of passers-by), and the [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter professor's blonde daughter]] who is a latent psychic herself and who catches a glimpse of The Shadow when she meets Cranston.
** Cranston also lands himself in hot water twice when the villains circumvent his ability to cloud mens' minds. The first time happens in Dr. Lane's lab when one of Shiwan's men begins shining a flashlight around the room, discovering him when the light falls on him and makes him cast a shadow. The second time happens when he tracks down Farley Claymore to a pressure testing chamber, thinking he's been brainwashed into helping Shiwan; the latter starts filling the tank with water and spots Cranston by looking for signs of water flowing around a person's legs. He ends up getting shot on both occasions. The third time they try this on him, he's discovered a counter: He makes his enemy think that he sees his shadow in multiple places, causing Claymore to waste all his ammunition firing at illusory shadows.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** ''Film/XMen1''
*** Mystique's shapeshifting isn't quite perfect. Her eyes flare yellow if she loses her concentration, and she can't quite mimic the scent of others (making her particularly vulnerable to Wolverine's sense of smell).
*** After "Bobby Drake" convinces Rogue that she should leave the school, his eyes turn yellow, revealing that it was Mystique in disguise. This occurs again with a Statue of Liberty sculpture and [[spoiler:Senator Kelly at the end of the movie.]]
** ''Film/X2XMenUnited'': Mystique can't seem to hide the scars Wolverine left behind on her. Likewise, Stryker isn't fooled when she masquerades as Wolverine. One thing he knows better than anyone is his own work.
** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': Mystique's irises briefly become yellow when she assumes the identity of a Secret Service agent and [[spoiler:Major Stryker]]. Moreover, when she duplicates [[spoiler:Bolivar Trask]], she doesn't get his face quite right.
* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}''
** Early Terminators (mentioned in ''Film/TheTerminator'') could be recognized easily due to their rubber skin. Because of that the T-800 has an organic coating, but can still be recognized by [[EvilDetectingDog man's best friend]].
** The T-1000 in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' could imitate anything it touched, within certain limitations. However, when it's too hot, its mimicking technology got a bit... twitchy. Beyond that, your only clues are his precise movements and a BluffTheImpostor moment when he's imitating John's foster mother. The dog trick works on the T-1000 as well. Probably because it can imitate shape but not smell.
* In ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'', Swan's lackeys always make sure that he's never photographed or filmed. It's revealed that [[spoiler:years ago he made a DealWithTheDevil that allows him to never age; part of the price is that this trope applies to any pictures/film taken of him since the pact was originally made (and videotaped -- the tape is his SoulJar).]]

* In ''Film/{{Thor}}'', [[spoiler:Loki]]'s true nature as a [[spoiler:half-Frost Giant]] is revealed whenever he touches another member of his race or is exposed to their technology. Played with in that [[TomatoInTheMirror HE didn't even know his true form]] until the first time this happened.

* In the second and third ''Franchise/DieHard'' films, the first clue that the bad guys are, well ''bad guys'' is they are wearing combat boots with casual or business dress. In the second one [=McClane=] picks up on this and follows them into the luggage room (and goes on to expose their entire plan), the the third it's [[TooDumbToLive noticed by a cop who completely shrugs it off]].
* In ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'', Thranduil, the elf king of Mirkwood, appears quite normal and handsome if somewhat [[TheFairFolk inhuman]]... until he starts angrily ranting about a previous encounter with a dragon. Suddenly [[TwoFaced about half his face melts away]] and one of his eyes turns milky white as if it has been blinded. This lasts for several seconds until he regains control of himself and the illusion snaps back into place.
* In ''Film/{{Oculus}}'', the illusions created by the mirror don't show up on camera. This means the characters can beat the illusions with a modern cellphone (not that being yelled at by ghosts freaks them out any less)

* ''Film/KullTheConqueror'': Queen Akivasha looks like a smoking hot witch for most of the film, but when the time to replenish her strength in the hellfire nears, her hand already turns into a demonic claw when she gets angry at General Taligaro.
* ''Film/{{Halloweentown}}'' had Halloweentown High where the human students turn out to be [[spoiler: monsters such as a WolfMan, a cute fairy girl, a [[CuteMonsterGirl cute troll girl]] and an ogre]].
* ''Film/TheHauntedMansion2003'' had [[spoiler:Emma being a ghost when she started floating and becoming [[MonochromeApparition blue]] and the rest of the "humans" are still ghosts]].
* In ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'', [[spoiler: Ms. Norman's CoolShades are to hide her Ditto eyes. She also has pink-tinted hair in a wavy style suggesting a Ditto's [[BlobMonster natural shape]].]]

--> '''Meryl:''' Why don't you let me fix you some of this new Mococoa drink. All natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicuragua, no artificial sweeteners.
--> '''Truman:''' What the hell are you talking about?! (Looks around) Who are you talking to?!
--> '''Meryl:''' I've tasted other cocoas. This is the best!

* ''Literature/JohnDiesAtTheEnd'' tells the story of two college dropouts who discover and fight an otherworldly invasion after a chance run-in with a supernatural drug changes their perceptions forever. As a result, they see a lot of freaky stuff [[InvisibleToNormals invisible to everyone else]], but they also gain a lot of experience identifying subtle clues that ordinary people could notice if they paid attention. They learn mirrors can be used to circumvent certain illusions, religious symbols can be used to flush out and ward off evil, and household pets can be used to detect and identify paranormal beings.
** The first case of this shown onscreen is when John and Dave both think the woman who's hired them is hot, but each describes her individual features completely differently.
* In Breaking Dawn of the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' series, when [[spoiler: the vampiric Bella meets Charlie for the first time after having been turned]] Alice tells her that [[spoiler: she should wear contact lenses so Charlie doesn't notice the difference in her eye colour, but the lenses would only work for a few hours before the venom in her eyes disintegrated them, after which she'd have to change lenses.]]
** Edward and the vampires in the books [[spoiler: do not burn or get harmed in the sunlight but instead sparkle]].
* In the ''Literature/ModernFaerieTales'' one of the characters in ''Valiant'', Ravus (a troll) explains that no glamor is perfect and some trait of the faerie remains, e.g cloven hooves or tails or backwards feet. (In his case, he still has black and gold eyes.) In ''Tithe'', Kaye sees her true, unglamoured reflection in a mirror briefly, later explained when Roiben says glamour could be seen through out of the corner of your eye.

* In "{{Literature/Feathertop}}", the title character is a scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head who, due to a witch's spell, is made to appear as an elegant nobleman. When he first goes into public, adults are praising him, but it's mentioned that a small child "keeps babbling about a pumpkin" (and a dog cringes and howls). Later, Feathertop sees himself in a mirror and realizes he's not human and can no longer live with himself.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'', no shapeshifter can change [[RedRightHand their eyes, which may be highly unnatural in color.]] On that basis, occasional Glamour Failure is not that surprising.
* In Creator/RobertBloch's Franchise/CthulhuMythos story "Shadow from the Steeple", the protagonist confronts the man he believes to be possessed by the god Nyarlathotep, noting that his skin has turned darker. The man explains this has been caused by exposure to radiation (he was a nuclear physicist), but when the protagonist doesn't believe him, he turns off the lights, causing his body to glow with unnatural light, and causing the protagonist to die of a heart attack.
* A variation of this shows up in Mike Resnick's science fiction novel ''Literature/SantiagoAMythOfTheFarFuture'', although that is more due to a lack of knowledge on the villain's part. In order to kill the bounty hunter Sebastian Nightingale "Songbird" Cain, the assassin Altair of Altair somehow makes him hallucinate that he is back on his home planet of Sylaria being asked by someone he cared about to help her across a brook (as a lure to get Cain close enough to Altair for her to stab him). At the last moment, he shoots her and tells her corpse, "There aren't any brooks on Sylaria."
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** In this universe, daemonhosts (a daemon [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in the body of a human]] by means of occult rituals and symbols) generally resemble the person whose body they're possessing, but with distinct physical changes that identify them for what they are. For example, in the final ''Literature/{{Eisenhorn}}'' novel ''Hereticus'', Inquisitor Eisenhorn notes that while the daemon Cherubael has made all the usual physical alterations to its host body -- small horns, glossy golden skin, blank eyes, and claws -- the daemonhost still bears a chilling resemblance to [[spoiler:his old friend Godwyn Fischig]].
** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/BrothersOfTheSnake'', a squad of marines finds themselves fighting foes that can ''only'' be seen with the naked eye; all their equipment will not recognize them. They remove their helmets and win, though several die because of the vulnerability. Later, a Chaos daemon infiltrates a Chapter House. After one Marine recognizes it and kills its host, it escapes, but a second one manages to recognize it. (It also manages to make the rest of the House believe that the first Marine was raving in his cell, but the second one manages to see that in fact, the man is sitting there quietly, and talks with him.) In this case, the daemon has a distinct, repulsive smell, which uniquely can only be scented with a nose full of blood — the first Marine had taken a rockslide to the face, and the second Marine had broken his nose in a sparring accident.
** In the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novel ''Ghostmaker'', [[spoiler:an Eldar Farseer is manipulating the memories and perceptions of the Tanith First and Only, making them believe that they are back on their doomed homeworld, fighting for its survival]]. The illusion isn't perfect, however, as several characters get the sense that something is wrong, and eventually the glamour fails when [[spoiler: mildly psychic teenager Brin Milo looks at a disguised Eldar warrior through the appropriately-named "Mad" Larkin's [[SeeThruSpecs sniper scope]], revealing that the tall, thin "Tanith" with white and red hair is, in fact, a [[SuperSoldier Dire Avenger Aspect Warrior]]]].
** Literature/CiaphasCain's NumberTwo Jurgen is a blank, a psychic null that severely disturbs psykers and daemons alike. One story has Cain and Jurgen hunt down Nurgle cultists into a private girls' school, the students throwing themselves onto their rescuers, and would have sacrificed all of them if Jurgen hadn't been there to block the glamour. Another had an entire squad ready to murder each other (Cain included) for talking to the love of their life, then Jurgen came along, dispelling the glamour to reveal a rather unattractive Slaaneshi madam, who was promptly shot by Cain.
--> Impersonating an Inquisitor is a capital offense.
* In Creator/StephenKing's story ''The Ten O'Clock People'' (found in ''Literature/NightmaresAndDreamscapes''), only very light smokers can see the "bat people" who are steadily taking over. Non-smokers and heavier smokers alike simply see humans where the titular group sees the monsters.
* Although in ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'', TheFairFolk are TheBeautifulElite, in some tales from the story collection set in the same universe ''The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories'', they and the other creatures they consort with are shown as actually being monstrous and their fabulous palaces are similarly an illusion hiding squalor.
** There are subtle hints in the few descriptions of Lost-hope in ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'', for example, there are tapestries made of skin. It's never commented on and is probably quickly forgotten by the average reader.
* Several stories in C.B. Colby's ''Strangely Enough'' feature animals detecting the unusual and supernatural. "Black Knight of Canterbury" has a dog detecting the passing of a ghostly knight, and in "The Frightened Dog" the title animal detects the approach of a weird threat before the humans he's with do.
-->'''Colby:''' Perhaps it is true that dogs can see what we cannot.
* Creator/RodSerling's ''Franchise/TheTwilightZone'' anthology, story "The Avenging Ghost". A Great Dane named Duke is able to detect and see the ghost of his dead master before the humans with him can.
* In Carrie Vaughn's ''Literature/KittyNorville'' series, dogs can detect lycanthropes. Said dogs are not of the [[EvilDetectingDog evil detecting variety]] since they go berserk [[DarkIsNotEvil even in the presence of the titular heroine]].
* The main character of ''Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte ("Peter Schlemihl's Remarkable Story")'' [[DealWithTheDevil sells his shadow]] in exchange for great wealth, but is shunned by the rest of society for not having a shadow.
* Rather inverted in ''[[Literature/TheObsidianTrilogy The Outstretched Shadow]]'' by Creator/MercedesLackey and James Mallory. In their true form the demonic creatures known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Endarkened]] possess red skin, horns, and [[AnimalEyes catlike yellow eyes]]. Neither the Endarkened or their works[=/=]creatures[=/=]spells can withstand the touch of a Unicorn even were one [[VirginPower chaste and celibate]] enough for a unicorn to let touch it without trying to kill them. So when a woman with red skin, horns, and catlike yellow eyes is cowering away from you ''against a unicorn you personally know'' (who is sitting there rather calmly and looks more annoyed with you than her) then it is clear that Something Strange Is Going On.
* In ''Literature/TheMoorchild'', one can see through the FairFolk's glamour by applying Folkish ointment to the eyes.
* While her whole glamour was probably much more extensive than that, Lena in ''Literature/NightWatcher'' is outed as a vampire when her lover notices that she reeks of blood as soon as her mind control fades.
* In the ''Literature/TwelveHouses'' series, moonstones burn the skin of and temporarily take powers away from (most) mages, such as showing a shapeshifter in his/her true form. This is a problem where mages aren't liked very much and get the heroes in big trouble on occasion. Senneth is powerful enough that she actually wears moonstones, though she ''is'' weakened by them.
* Mac from the ''Literature/FeverSeries'' can see through any Fae's glamour. It's just one of the reasons they're so eager to kill her.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/TheScarletCitadel", Pelias scares away a giant snake by letting it look at him. Conan is very afraid that it was an [[EvilDetectingDog evil-detecting snake]].
-->''"The scaled people see what escapes the mortal eye," answered Pelias, cryptically. "You see my fleshly guise; he saw my naked soul."''
* An auditory example: in the third novel of ''Literature/SentouYouseiYukikaze'', JAM prevented humans from perceiving machines. Rei realized this when he heard the noise cancellation system emitting anti-phase engine noise.
* ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'': Ols can be identified by the mark of the Shadow Lord somewhere on their bodies, and by their form wavering once every three days. Inverted for Grade 3 Ols, whose shapeshifting is perfect enough that they even die like humans.
* At least once in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', an arrived Andalite is easily identified by the heroes due to her uncontrollable reaction to the food she's devouring while in human morph.
** In the [[Series/{{Animorphs}} TV series]], controllers would often be betrayed by their habit of ear-scratching, but this did not appear in the books.
** Also, when Marco morphs the wolf spider, he can see through the Chee hologram due to the spider's ultraviolet-capable vision. Before this, they key in on Erek because their dog morphs smell absolutely no scent at all on him.
** Controllers can often be picked out by the revulsion and hatred in their voices and actions when they or someone else says "Andalite!" The kids can't reveal that they know what an Andalite ''is,'' so this is never used as a means of picking bad guys out of a crowd. In fact, a Controller once says "Andalite" to see if one of the kids was an Andalite infiltrator (the Controllers think they're looking for Andalites and not humans. The heroes would ''very much'' like to keep it that way.) but she seamlessly replies that yes, more lighting would be good.
* In ''Literature/{{Paranormalcy}}'', Evie's main ability is that she can see underneath paranormal creatures' glamours. She sees both their glamour and their real self.
* The Creator/DeanKoontz novel "Twilight Eyes" features a protagonist whose psychic talent is to see the true nature of the shapeshifting creatures who live among humans. Interestingly, he had this ability from birth, so it took him many years to realize that hairy, wolf-pig people weren't just another ethnic group.
* The antagonist of the ''Literature/ChantersOfTremaris'' series uses high-pitched MagicMusic to cast spells of illusion to confuse or incapacitate those who hear it. This makes TheSmartGuy, Trout, very useful, as he is partially deaf and can't hear high noises, so the spells [[DisabilityImmunity fail to affect him]].

* In Creator/JohnMilton's ''Literature/ParadiseLost'', the mere touch of Ithuriel's spear and its celestial temper, forces {{Satan}} back into his true shape.
* In ''[[Literature/SmokeAndShadows Smoke and Mirrors]]'' by Creator/TanyaHuff, Tony, being a wizard, can see through Stephen and Cassie's glamour once he views them through a mirror.
* In ''Literature/DoctrineOfLabyrinths'', Eusebian wizards can disguise themselves with magic, but [[TheMole Lieutenant Vulpes]]'s glamour slips at a soiree, leading to TheReveal that he's really [[spoiler: Isaac Garamond]].
* Invisibility in ''[[Literature/ZeusIsDead Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure]]'' works pretty well when used against humans, but gods can still spot other invisible gods if they concentrate.
** It's not just invisibility, either. Hermes spots Apollo, despite his appearing in disguise, because Apollo apparently has a habit of re-using faces.
* In ''Literature/TheNekropolisArchives'', vampires look human, but cast no [[MissingReflection reflection]] or [[CastsNoShadow shadow]]. Demons can change their form to disguise themselves, but they can't alter their kaleidoscopic eyes.
* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' a Glamour is one of many tricks that can be used by magicians. Get snared by a Glamour and you'll be sitting slack-jawed staring at something you believe to be a delicious feast as the magician closes in on you and takes you as a helpless captive. And if you so much as touch any of the supposed feast, then you're done. However, a spirit of decent quality can resist the effects of a Glamour and can direct the magician controlling them on how to shake off its effects as well.
* MissingReflection is inverted in Sergey Lukyanenko's ''[[Literature/NightWatchSeries World of Watches]]''. Vampires can glamour the minds of humans to hide themselves from sight. This does not work on Others, who can easily see through these mind tricks. The only way for a human to see a hidden vampire is to look at a reflection, as glamour only works in direct line-of-sight. Video cameras work fine as well.
* Water nymph Lila in ''Literature/{{Below}}'' looks like a pretty, lost young woman, but her disguise falters as she's discomfited by Brenish's increasingly shrewd suspicions—he's a better liar and has enough book knowledge to figure out what she is. Her voice goes feral for a moment; once she accidentally shows her nictitating third eyelids; and after suffering a burn to her hidden stinging tail, its perfect camouflage partially breaks down. When unconscious she slowly fades back to her natural appearance.

* In ''Literature/NeedfulThings'', the evil shopkeeper sells precious items in exchange for souls, but sometimes the glamour wears off. A rare mint-condition Sandy Koufax baseball card is actually a poorly-preserved card of a no-name player, and an authentic piece of Noah's Ark is just a rotting chunk of wood.
* In ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'', the Kandra are [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]] who can perfectly replicate any creature of comparable size that they [[CannibalismSuperpower eat]], except for the hair, which they have to transfer over from the corpse one follicle at a time. Wayne suggests that they find a Kandra who infiltrated an event in a rush by looking for someone without any hair on their... [[LastSecondWordSwap arms]].

* Rin of ''Manga/BlueExorcist'', the [[HalfHumanHybrid offspring of Satan and a normal human]], would look like an average guy... If he didn't have PointyEars, a tail, a tendency to burst into [[TechnicolorFire blue fire]] whenever he got angry, and an [[HolyBurnsEvil 'allergy' to holy water]]. He's able to hide the tail, the TechnicolorFire, and the aversion to holy water, and [[WeirdnessCensor nobody suspects anything]].
** His classmates' apparent obliviousness is eventually explained: [[spoiler:people with some form of demonic heritage aren't uncommon at all, even in the world of exorcists. The big issue with Rin isn't that he's the son of a demon -- it's that he's the son of ''Satan''.]] Everyone else is justified by the fact that only someone with a [[InvisibleToNormals Masho (demon wound)]] can see demons. That, and his hair is long enough that his pointed ears could go unnoticed...not to mention not many people are going to be staring at someone's ''teeth''.
* An invisible {{Robeast}} in ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' is betrayed by the fact that it leaves giant footprints, turns visible when struck by an attack, and inexplicably starts casting a shadow towards the end of the episode.
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'': Once she gains control of it, Sailor Neptune can break illusions with her Submarine Mirror.
* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': Since her disguise spell takes concentration to maintain, Filia Ul Copt will start dropping aspects of her disguise (such as revealing her tail) when she's emotionally strained.
* Creator/JunjiIto's Manga/{{Tomie}} shows up on film with extra eyes, mouths, or faces in strange places. She also directly manifests these defects when under sufficient stress -- suggesting that she's diseased or a monster seems enough to trigger her physical instability.
* ''Manga/TamamoChansAFox''
** The titular Tamamo is a fox spirit who goes to a human school to learn more about things. Occasionally she is visited by her sisters. Their glamours' failing is dependent on what one sees them through. Tamamo, her sisters, and the goddess they serve are ignorant to the frequent failures of the glamour. When seen through normal human eyes, Tamamo's disguise of appearing as a normal human girl, albeit one who is stunningly beautiful, works on every adult or adult-minded person like the girl in the Public Morals Committee. Those who are students, or young at heart like a resident SenseiChan, see her as a humanoid fox.
** When Tamamo's sister masquerades as Tamamo when Tamamo is ill, those who can see through the glamour see a different fox woman than Tamamo; those who only see the glamour see Tamamo's "usual" appearance.
** Every camera, whether still picture or video, always captures the glamour form and never Tamamo's true form, much to the Photography Club's frustrations.
** A weasel and raccoon (not a {{Tanuki}}) spirit who appear in volume 2 are better at glamours than Tamano, but they slip a bit while trying to scare Tamano off (and getting frustrated at her non-reaction). In the next volume the human students start using traditional Japanese methods of seeing through illusions such as [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/myrawildmist/35921506202 the fox's window]].
* Ilulu from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' is established as having very poor transformation skills, which results in her having a somewhat lopsided appearance when she takes human form (PointedEars, huge boobs, the height of a child despite being the equivalent of a teenager, and an inability to properly form [[FingerlessHands hands]] or [[TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter clothing]]), though she does improve as the series goes on. And even dragons that are far better than her at disguising themselves aren't able to hide their [[AnimalEyes reptilian pupils]].
* In ''Anime/FateGrandOrderAbsoluteDemonicFrontBabylonia'', the goddess Ereshkigal takes over the goddess Ishtar's body at night. She pretends to be Ishtar to learn about the main character. However, when she sneezes her true appearance can be temporarily seen.

* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, there have been various ways over the years to detect the shapeshifting Skrulls, including superhuman senses, telepathy, magic, and various devices. Also, [[ThisWasHisTrueForm death]]. However, as of the ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' storyline, the Skrulls have figured out ways to trick telepaths, magic users, and super-senses, leaving technology (e.g. 3-D Man's special goggles) and improvised tactics (e.g. ComicBook/MsMarvel shooting a whole crowd with a low-level energy blast strong enough to knock down the humans and leave the Skrulls standing). And then Reed figures out a way to reveal the Skrulls ''anyway''. Guess he's not so [[ReedRichardsIsUseless useless]] after all.

* Beast Boy/Changeling of ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' can take the form of any animal and occasionally an alien creature too. The problem? He can't change his skin color and a bright green creature tends to stand out.
-->'''Darkseid''': By the way...since when are my parademons colored a bright emerald green?"
* An interesting example is Mrs. Vashti, a.k.a. "Spell Syrin", one of the teachers of ''ComicBook/PS238'', and a former superhero. Rather than bother with official clothes, she just walks around in her spandex-tastic superhero outfit all the time and uses Glamers to appear demurely dressed to others. The reader, however, usually sees her as she really is, and a couple of mystically talented students have also demonstrated the ability to see through it. More interestingly, when mirrors appear, they show us what she appears like to others, in a direct inversion of the classic "The mirror tells the truth" cases above.
* In that vein, Girl (Varied Number) from the ''ComicBook/TopTen'' comic book series uses her color control over her android body to fake clothing. Too bad her commanding officer, a sentient dog, is colorblind. Punching ensues.
* In ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'', this is the manner in which every disguised supernatural creature is revealed. Stan Sakai grounds much of his work in the actual mythology and history of Japan (see below).
* Claudine Renko (a.k.a. Ms. Sinister) has some shape-shifting abilities (as does Nathaniel Essex himself). After capturing ComicBook/{{X 23}} and Gambit in the "Songs of the Orphan Child" arc of Laura's solo series, she tries to put the moves on Gambit by taking Laura's form. She completely fails to match Laura's mannerisms and speaking patterns. Gambit isn't fooled for a second.

** The most epic of all: an inventor ''created a device to detect Diabolik's masks''. Of course, Diabolik killed the inventor, destroyed the device and stole the plans in the same story of the debut.

* ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'':
** ''ComicBook/NemesisTheWarlock'': Nemesis has a spell to disguise himself as a human when he needs to be incognito. During a trip to the past, the historical Torquemada (who is receiving messages from his future incarnation) can briefly catch a glimpse of Nemesis's true demonic form.
** ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': The Sisters of Death, the two witches responsible for the creation of the Dark Judges, originally appeared like two young women, but they only used this to hide their ghostly carcass forms. Sister Psiren can actually see them for what they are due to her psychic abilities.
* ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': Played for laughs when the hell-lord Pazuzu transforms himself and his demonic minions into an elf prince and his entourage so they can infiltrate a castle. One of the (male) demons who has been transformed into a noblewoman is rather transparent with his boorish body language unbecoming a high lady of the court. His boss incinerates him as a lesson to the others to remember to act their parts.

* ''ComicBook/TheMythologyClass'': Nicole's adopted dog starts howling during a sunset—because he's actually an aswang. All the other aswangs exhibit the same behaviour.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Violet can make herself invisible, but when hiding in a river, a rather clever Mook throws some sand upstream of her last known position, allowing the distorted flow to reveal her.

* ''Film/TheHauntedMansion'' had [[spoiler:Emma being a ghost when she started floating and becoming [[MonochromeApparition blue]] and the rest of the "humans" are still ghosts]].

* Ilulu from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' is established as having very poor transformation skills, which results in her having a somewhat lopsided appearance when she takes human form (PointedEars, GagBoobs, the height of a child despite being the equivalent of a teenager, and an inability to properly form [[FingerlessHands hands]] or [[TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter clothing]]), though she does improve as the series goes on. And even dragons that are far better than her at disguising themselves aren't able to hide their [[AnimalEyes reptilian pupils]].

* Many of the Glamour Failures in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'' are exactly what one would expect from a series were AllMythsAreTrue: silver repels even human-form werewolves, and so on. The series' most unique form of [[CameBackWrong revenant]], the Harrowed, bear most extensive discussion: they carry the [[EvilSmellsBad smell of death]] everywhere they go, have a distinctly pale complexion, keep a [[RedRightHand scar from their cause of death]], can potentially [[InhumanHuman be rotting and decayed]], and are prone to [[EvilDetectingDog setting off nearby wildlife]]. If a lot of their giveaways make them sound like evil incarnate, it's worth remembering that even the [[AntiHero nice]] [[HeroicWillpower ones]] have a JekyllAndHyde complex.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', [=XANAfied=] people and Polymorphic Specters can be recognized by their [[MindControlEyes pupils turning into]] [[HellishPupils "Eye of XANA" symbols]], or by their tendency of getting blurry with "static" from time to time. They can usually suppress this long enough to force a SpotTheImposter Check, though.

** "The Invisible Mouse" has a variation; when Jerry renders himself invisible with invisible ink, Tom at one point is able to locate him when he sees his shadow. [[FridgeLogic How an invisible body casts a shadow]] [[RuleOfFunny is never explained.]]

** The T-1000 in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' could imitate anything it touched, within certain limitations. However, when it's too hot, its mimicking technology got a bit... twitchy. Beyond that, your only clues are his precise movements from the UncannyValley Acting School and a BluffTheImpostor moment when he's imitating John's foster mother. The dog trick works on the T-1000 as well. Probably because it can imitate shape but not smell.

* In ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'', Thranduil, the elf king of Mirkwood, appears quite normal and handsome if [[UncannyValley somewhat]] [[TheFairFolk inhuman]]... until he starts angrily ranting about a previous encounter with a dragon. Suddenly [[TwoFaced about half his face melts away]] and one of his eyes turns milky white as if it has been blinded. This lasts for several seconds until he regains control of himself and the illusion snaps back into place.

* Midway through ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Touma suddenly finds himself in a bizarre world where everyone's appearance has been swapped without anyone else noticing, leaving him the OnlySaneMan for much of the time. However, photographs are ''not'' changed from Touma's perspective (though even television broadcasts are). He identifies the spellcaster responsible by how their appearance in person is the same as in a photo.

* Since her disguise spell takes concentration to maintain, [[{{LightNovel/Slayers}} Filia Ul Copt]] will start dropping aspects of her disguise (such as revealing her tail) when she's emotionally strained.

** In ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'', the Koopa Bros. attempts to block off the Toad Town gate via apparently magical Toad disguise fails because their hats are black and they pretty much try to be conspicuous.
** ''Paper Mario'' also had an instance where Peach magically disguised herself as one of Bowser's {{Mook}}s in order to sneak around the castle. The reason [[TheDragon Kammy Koopa]] was able to figure out the deception? Peach ''[[TheNoseKnows smelled too nice]]''.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', [[ProfessionalKiller Maldron The Assassin]] poses a HeelFaceMole to fool you in your second encounter (The first encounter had him being outright hostile). The problem is, while he looked like a White Phantom, there is no message of Phantom summoning because he is now a non-phantom enemy. And you can target him just like other enemies. It doesn't stop the PVP invaders from using him as a TokenEvilTeammate and pull a DopplegangerAttack together, however.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'':

* In ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', the Cubi all possess powerful shape-shifting abilities, which obviously comes in handy [[HornyDevils for many things]]. However, they all have a single "marking" on them that they cannot change -- and which also shows what clan they belong to. If you manage to spot such a mark and happen to know what they mean, you'll both know that you're actually facing a Cubi -- and ''usually'' whether it's the kind that feasts on pain, terror, and suffering, or the kind that feeds on lust, joy, and happiness. Very handy for determining what your next response should be, really. Although make-up or clothing can conceal them, but only real clothing, not clothing made by shapeshifting.

* Anything made of silver burns vampires in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''.
** Seras Victoria burns herself when handling silver bullets in the second episode of the anime. Later in the same episode, she jokes about burning herself with silverware. It's not clear if this is the case in the manga as well since she always handles her silver bullets while wearing gloves.

* The wolves in ''Anime/WolfsRain'' use some kind of glamour to appear human, but humans can occasionally see through it, depending on their mental condition (for example, Quent sees through the glamour when he's drunk, and Cher saw through it late in the series while in a highly-stressed state). There's also the matter of the wolf tracks they leave behind. There are also a couple of instances where the wolves look human but cast wolf shadows, though this only happens when humans aren't looking.
* Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo in ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'' appears blurry and out-of-focus in photographs, and his voice cannot be heard in audio recordings. While he's generally assumed to be an alien by most people due to his blue skin and pointed ears, which isn't considered unusual due to the futuristic setting, these are still indications that something is very untrustworthy about him.
* Nanami Jinnai in ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'' gains the ability to see through illusions. However, she sees ''completely'' through, meaning she doesn't notice there is an illusion in the first place: She simply [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat assumes everybody sees what she's seeing]] until she blurts out something that tips them off.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** The character Duplica has an inexperienced Ditto that can transform but retains its own facial features, (such as they were). Her next appearance has a second, undersized Ditto, named Mini-Dit. This one could transform, matching everything but ''size''. This led to appearances by the likes of mini-Onix and mini-Ursaring.
** In ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions'', [[CunningLikeAFox Zorua]] could disguise itself as a human, but its tail would always remain visible and it would hold its hands up in an odd position.
* Medusa in ''Manga/SoulEater'' has a tendency to form slit-like pupils when feeling particularly sinister, often accompanied with a SlasherSmile.
** And one of those 'snakes' of hers forming a forked tongue on one occasion. The above is all the more disturbing when she [[GrandTheftMe possesses]] a little girl.
* Midway through ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Touma suddenly finds himself in a bizarre world where everyone's appearance has been swapped without anyone else noticing, leaving him the OnlySaneMan for much of the time. However, photographs are ''not'' changed from Touma's perspective (though even television broadcasts are). He identifies the spellcaster responsible by how their appearance in person is the same as in a photo.

* ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'':
** Maguro, Agitaro and Furiyo's Humanization Transformations are incomplete, leaving them with [[{{Gonk}} literal]] [[http://screenshots.fansub.tv/1014/19/23.jpg fish faces.]]
** Octopus Nakajima reverts back to his true form at random.
** Maki's Humanization Transformation is also imperfect, rendering her mouse-sized. Late in the manga, however, she [[MakeMyMonsterGrow perfects it]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': Whenever Derek Powers gets angry, which is frequently, his powers flare up and start to burn through his artificial skin, revealing that of the [[ILoveNuclearPower radioactive]], [[PowerGlows glowing]] villain Blight. Actively using his powers for even a few seconds will completely shatter it, requiring him to have new skin grafted on. His inability to keep his skin on through the events of any given workday actually makes him a case of BlessedWithSuck. This worsens as he undergoes a [[VillainousBreakdown figurative meltdown]], followed by a [[SuperpowerMeltdown literal meltdown]] which left him dead for good.