History Main / NobodyCallsMeChicken

* In the ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' story arc ''Comicbook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}} taunts Supergirl, stating that she's afraid to cut loose. In reaction, Kara goes ballistic and delivers a brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to him.

->'''Griff Tannen''': What's wrong, [=McFly=], chicken?\\

[[folder:Web Originals]]

* Calling [[Literature/HarryPotter Snape]] a coward is an... ill-advised move, to put it lightly.

* Rumy of ''Webcomic/{{Fans}}'' challenges the General to one-on-one combat. The General is savvy enough to say "No" and order her {{Mooks}} to open fire instead, but after Rumy rips into her [[AGodAmI divine image]] with accusations of cowardice, she gives in rather than cause [[{{Cult}} her side]] to doubt her.

** [[OldMaster Cologne]] exploits this trait in her first duel with Ranma for the sake of HustlingTheMark: when it seems the young martial artist is whipping the floor with the [[MiniatureSeniorCitizens little old lady]], the latter challenges Ranma formally and gets him to agree to marry Shampoo if she wins. Ranma, high on his near-certain victory, agrees, and Cologne [[OldMaster immediately beats him into paste]].

* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' makes a running gag out of Gob's bizarre chicken impression when he tries to invoke this trope. Eventually others get in on it. People tend to be more annoyed by the terrible impression than the insult.
-->'''Buster''': That's not how a chicken sounds! CHICKENS DON'T ''CLAP''!
-->--
-->'''Michael''': Has anyone in this family ever ''seen'' a chicken?

*** Marty seemed to have learned his lesson in the third movie but he still fell victim to the trope in [[WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture the animated series]].

* In ''Film/ConfessionsOfAPsychoCat'', Virginia is able to goad Rocco out of hiding to come and fighter by calling him a coward and insulting his manhood.

* On ''Disney/PeterPan'', Captain Hook calls Peter a coward for flying away instead of fighting him man to man. Peter says "No one calls Pan a coward and lives" and gives his word to fight Hook without flying.

* This was very nearly the undoing of Second World War flying ace and [[TropesAreNotBad rare positive example]] of InspirationallyDisabled Douglas Bader. Someone dared him to perform [[DoABarrelRoll an aileron roll]] at low level over the airfield, which he wasn't especially keen to do for the very good reason that it's bloody dangerous... but then they implied that this was down to cowardice on Bader's part. So he tried it, and it went horribly wrong and cost him both his legs.

This can also become a verbal form of GetAHoldOfYourselfMan if it is directed at someone specifically for the purpose of [[DareToBeBadass inspiring them to action]], or to shake a normally-badass person out of a HeroicBSOD

'''Marty:''' [''chuckles nervously''] ...chicken.

* [[TropeNamer This trope is named]] for the line in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' and ''[[Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII Part III]]'', where Marty is shown to be easily provoked whenever someone challenges his courage. While this initially works well, pushing Marty's BerserkButton and allowing him to outmaneuver several future bullies, we also see past, present and future scenarios where this proud attitude causes very bad portents for him, with risk of job loss, crippling physical injury, and death all as possible results.

*** Then again, Marty could have always had this trait -- nobody actually CALLED him a coward/"chicken" in the first movie.
** The novelization took the point a bit further; as Needles peels out and Marty backs away, Jennifer ask him what;s going on. Marty replies, "He's nobody," referring to Needles.

* Tommy Wiseau in Film/TheRoom invokes this.[[Film/TheRoom You're just a chicken! Cheeeeeeep cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep...]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* ''ComicBook/New52'': [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] and ComicBook/BlackAdam battle, but are too evenly matched. Marvel gets an idea and proposes they fight equally as mortals. He says Shazam to turn back into little Billy Batson. Black Adam calls him a fool and prepares to kill him, but Billy calls him a coward for not taking his challenge. Enraged, Black Adam says Shazam to depower himself, which is what Billy was counting on. Since Black Adam was kept alive for centuries by his powers, [[NoImmortalInertia he rapidly ages into dust]].
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel

** The trope was deliberately invoked by [[OldMaster Cologne]] in her first duel with Ranma: when it seems the young martial artist is whipping the floor with the [[MiniatureSeniorCitizens little old lady]], the latter challenges Ranma formally and gets him to agree to marry Shampoo if she wins. Ranma, high on his near-certain victory, agrees, and Cologne [[OldMaster immediately beats him into paste]].