History Main / OutsideGenreFoe

* ''Film/{{Predators}}'' opens like a late-80s ''Film/DirtyHarry''-style crime-action film, with rival gangs shooting up the streets of Los Angeles and the LAPD struggling to handle them. Then an alien hunter shows up and becomes a bigger problem.

* ''Manga/DragonBall'' has Goku and company dealing primarily with science fiction threats, like evil empires, aliens, and robots, or powerful martial artists. Even the "Demon King Piccolo" winds up being an alien, albeit with some mystic elements involved. The final threat, Majin Buu, is an EldritchAbomination, and nobody knows where it came from.

** When you say, "Space adventure about a magical force," you (impassively or fondly) think of ''Franchise/StarWars''. When you say, "religiously sadomasochistic alien zealots," you blank out. When you add "that are immune to TheForce", you get the Yuuzhan Vong. Extremely unusual addition or not, those guys dominated a large portion of the post-Palpatine era. A subversion might come into play, since there are [[EpilepticTrees theories]] that Palpatine, having foreseen the invasion through the Force, orchestrated the Clone War and the Galactic Civil War specifically to prepare the Galaxy.

* The adult fan fic ''Wandering Pilot'' gives the feminist world of ''Anime/QueensBlade'' the main protagonist of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Because of how he's from a world different from their own (HumongousMecha with [[DysfunctionJunction phsycological horror]] for the best examples) in addition to being [[FragileFlower a very unusual kind of boy]], every {{Badass}} woman has her eyes toward him. Of course, this is more than just a mere harem fic as he's only interested in helping people, yet his insertion and [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands new unique powers he himself can't comprehend]] causes changes and problems for everyone.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dino_v_alamo_zombified_raptor_resize_350x287.jpg]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

Subtrope of OutsideContextProblem.

* Giratina's appearance in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokémon Platinum]]'', [[SpoilerOpening aside from it being the box mascot]]. Prior to it lunging out of Spear Pillar to attack Cyrus and drag him into the [[EldritchLocation Distortion World]], there is ''no mention of it whatsoever'' in the storyline, explained by Cynthia as it having been wiped from the ancient legends [[SpeakOfTheDevil for fear of it returning]].

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'':
** The Titans are {{Humanoid Abomination}}s that legend states literally appeared out of nowhere one day, and began to devour humanity to the brink of extinction. In the centuries since, humanity has learned only a few precious bits of information about them and that merely increases the mystery around them. The massive, 50m walls that surround humanity's last stronghold protected them for a century -- and then one day, a 60m Titan appeared [[StealthHiBye out of thin air]] and kicked a hole in the wall, allowing the normal-sized Titans to enter. Attempting to learn their origins [[spoiler: and why certain humans like Eren can ''transform'' into Titans]] is one of the driving goals of the series.
** Even among the Titans, the Beast Titan is inexplicable. It's a 17 meter horror that bears a striking resemblance to [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot]], and displays uncanny levels of not only sentience, but ''intelligence'' and the ability to speak fluently to humans. It also commands the Titans accompanying it, and at least one of the major factions is interested in obtaining it -- probably because [[spoiler: it has some means to transform humans into Titans]].

* The [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Vord]] in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' come as a nasty shock to the Alerans, who thought all they had to deal with was the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Marat]], the [[WolfMan Canim]], the Icemen, and [[CivilWar each other]]. The only information about them the Alerans have is bits of nearly-forgotten Marat folklore from the ''last'' time they almost ate the planet. Furthermore, they're almost literally from outside the genre. While the other races, while unique, are all what you would expect to find in a fantasy series. The Vord are based on the Zerg from {{Franchise/Starcraft}}.

* The [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Vord]] in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' come as a nasty shock to the Alerans, who thought all they had to deal with was the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Marat]], the [[WolfMan Canim]], the Icemen, and [[CivilWar each other]]. The only information about them the Alerans have is bits of nearly-forgotten Marat folklore from the ''last'' time they almost ate the planet.

* Tatanga from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' is a space alien that kidnaps Princess Daisy. Who's defeated by Mario's own Outside Context Fighter Airplane which hasn't been seen before or since. And then the sequel implies that Tatanga was ''[[TheManBehindTheMan working for]] [[EvilCounterpart Wario]]'' to [[KansasCityShuffle distract Mario]]. DangerouslyGenreSavvy!

* The adult fan fic ''Wandering Pilot'' gives the feminist world of ''Anime/QueensBlade'' the main protagonist of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Because of how he's from a world different from their own (HumongousMecha with [[DysfunctionJunction phsycological horror]] for the best examples) in addition to being [[FragileFlower a very unusual kind of boy]], every {{Badass}} woman has her eyes toward him. Of course, this is more than just a mere harem fic as he's only interested in helping people, yet his insertion and [[NewPowersAsPlotDemands new powers he can't comprehend]] causes changes and problems for everyone.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Deadpool himself becomes this in ''ComicBook/DeadpoolKillsTheMarvelUniverse'', as his MediumAwareness gets a boost into DangerouslyGenreSavvy, letting him subject the whole of the Marvel Universe to a JustShootHim scenario, where PlotArmor no longer applies.

* In IDW's [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMegaseries Transformers works]], neither side was expecting the forces of the Dead Universe to appear, as shown by their curb-stomping any Autobot and Decepticon they encounter in the process of gathering up [[MadScientist Jhiaxus']] stuff for their own ends. The fact that they had been missing, presumed dead for several million years helped.

* ComicBook/AtomicRobo is an expert in insane superscience and regularly deals with stuff like Nazi mad scientists, vampires from another dimension, military superweapons and {{kaiju}}. But in ''Atomic Robo and the Shadow from Beyond Time'', he's up against an EldritchAbomination that exists outside of linear time. He spends several decades between its attacks researching it and trying to figure out the context.

[[folder:Film]]

* Simon Phoenix in ''Film/DemolitionMan'', a HumanPopsicle from the 20th century awoken in a future of PerfectPacifistPeople; to counter this threat, they unfreeze an old-school cop familar with violence. [[spoiler:OK, [[ManBehindTheMan Dr. Cocteau]] probably ''did'' expect him, just not that he would find a way around his RestrainingBolt and [[DragonInChief take over.]]]]

* In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Loki is, as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanova (aka ComicBook/BlackWidow) puts it, "nothing we were trained for"- most of the eponymous superteam are used to terrorists with fancy weapons, not mad {{physical god}}s from {{another dimension}}. Fortunately, Loki's elder brother Thor has dealt with his crap before and joins the human heroes.

* When you say, "Space adventure about a magical force," you (impassively or fondly) think of ''Franchise/StarWars''. When you say, "religiously sadomasochistic alien zealots," you blank out. When you add "that are immune to TheForce", you get the [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Yuuzhan Vong]]. Extremely unusual addition or not, those guys dominated a large portion of the post-Palpatine era. A subversion might come into play, since there are [[EpilepticTrees theories]] that Palpatine, having foreseen the invasion through the Force, orchestrated the Clone War and the Galactic Civil War specifically to prepare the Galaxy.
** Abeloth also comes to mind. Really, an EldritchAbomination as the BigBad for a ''Franchise/StarWars'' book? And meta too: You know you're in the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse when LighterAndSofter is Lovecraft [-[[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE!]]-] And it's no joke about this being Lighter and Softer than ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce''.

* In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', Coin the Sourcerer walks into Unseen University and starts altering the whole world with limitless magical power, the first sourcerer to show up in centuries. Discworld's wizards normally have to work within [[MagicAIsMagicA fairly consistent rules and limits]], largely because they can only draw upon and channel natural background magic that already exists in the environment; sourcerers can ''generate'' magic -- or at least draw it in from Somewhere Else where it's functionally infinite -- completely at will, meaning that they can [[RealityWarper brute-force reality itself by sheer power]] until the only explanation for what they do is [[AWizardDidIt A Sourcerer Did It.]] This is highlighted by the fact that even ''[[MagnificentBastard Lord Vetinari]]'' is caught completely off guard and spends most of the book as a small lizard. His credentials as a schemer and anticipator [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness have not yet been established at this point in the series]], but even if they had, there's no reason he would ever have anticipated this.

* [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson]] was not able to defeat the Son of Sobek because it comes from Egyptian mythology rather than Greek, so he needed [[Literature/TheKaneChronicles Carter Kane's]] help dealing with it. Likewise, Annabeth, with all her knowledge of Greek monsters has no idea what to make of the head of the staff of Serapis when she sees it, particularly since it's incomplete at the time. After she meets Sadie and finds out about the Egyptian side she's able to start making connections, and even figures out who the staff belongs to, but still Serapis, a god born of the melding of Greek and Egyptian legends, makes her feel as though he turns her entire world inside out simply by existing. And then she finds out that he was set loose by Setne, a master of a form of magic she's never encountered before. The outside context is mitigated somewhat by the presence of the Kanes, who ''are'' familiar with the Egyptian side, and help bring Percy and Annabeth up to speed.
* Happens in ''Literature/TheElricSaga'', Elric's main foes are various evil wizards and the gods who are embodiments of chaos. In the novel Sailor on the Seas of Fate, he is suddenly summoned to join a host of other warriors to combat an enemy that threatens the entire universe, a pair of alien sorcerers from another universe that popped in from a science experiment from billions of years in the future and aren't bound by the laws of Elric's cosmos. He himself is an out of context solution, as he's revealed to be an incarnation of the cosmic Eternal Champion and he's to merge with 3 other Eternal Champion incarnations to fight the alien sorcerers on their own terms, the other warriors were simply recruited to be cannon-fodder. Nowhere before was it ever indicated that Elric was anything other than a med-dependent, bookish albino prince and later in other novels outside a few ancient immortals, almost no one on Earth is shown to have any knowledge of the Eternal Champion.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Season 2 of ''{{Series/Arrow}}'' introduces Mirakuru, a SuperSerum used by a cult to create [[PsychoSerum insane and violent]] {{Super Soldier}}s. Up until now, the protagonists had only fought ordinary criminals and corrupt businessmen. This is their first encounter with genuine superhumans.

* In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', a young Barry Allen watches his mother being murdered by what appears to be a fast-moving man shrouded in lightning. Barry's unbelievable story results in his father being imprisoned for the murder. Fourteen years later, a particle accelerator explodes, [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent creating other "metahumans" with similar powers.]] However, that doesn't explain how a metahuman could exist ''before'' the particle accelerator explosion.
** Fans of the comics know that the murderer's origin is even more out of context: [[spoiler:He's a time-traveller.]]

** The video for "Bun Dem" has a similar plot: a corrupt police officer fraudulently evicting low-income households is thwarted by a MagicalNativeAmerican boy who summons ''[[VisualEffectsOfAwesome a Thunder Bird made of lasers]]'' when the cop tries to pull a gun on him.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

* ''TabletopGame/AllFleshMustBeEaten'': One of the expansion books, ''A Fistful O' Zombies'', features a mini-setting, ''Singing Cowboys'', in which (in-setting but "[[AnimatedActors off-screen]]"), the director of TheWestern BMovie that the [[PlayerCharacter Player Characters]] are part of decided to cash in on both the sci-fi movie craze ''and'' the Creator/RoyRogers-style "[[TitleDrop singing cowboy]]" craze of TheFifties and added a ZombieApocalypse sub-plot into the film with nobody the wiser. As such, the rules enforce LighterAndSofter play [[NeverSayDie proper to the "film's" time period]]... [[OhCrap except when]] [[AnyoneCanDie the players encounter zombies]].

* The Covenant were this for the UNSC in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''. The UNSC is busy dealing with preventing a devastating civil war with their outer colonies, when suddenly a collective of alien races shows up, burns one of their planets to glass, and declares their intent to do the same to the rest of humanity. Despite this, the UNSC (while far from being on the winning side) adapts pretty quickly and lasts far longer than expected.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' mod "Devil In A Blue Dress" eventually reveals that the one behind the space pirates was none other than Morgaine Le Fey, straight out of Arthurian legend.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Klaus Wulfenbach seemed to have inadvertently summoned one when [[spoiler: he stops time]] in Mechanicsburg to contain the Heterodyne. [[spoiler: ''Something'' with a different perception of time noticed that something is amiss... and it is coming to investigate.]] The Other does not quite qualify, because even though it did not play by the "rules" of the Long War between the MadScientist Sparks, it/she mostly just seems better at established practices. Extradimensional aliens have nothing to do with mad scientists.

* ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' had "Curse of the Lion Men", which had...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Lion Men invading the world and turning other people into Lion Men]] ''with eye beams''. Another episode also had a genie.

** Supernatural phenomena are slowly being introduced into this iteration so this label probably becomes less applicable over time. The Turtles venture into a spirit world in the 3rd season as part their training and to overcome their mental weaknesses, while Splinter communicates with them as a vision. ''The Deadly Venom'' introduces HealingHands from Splinter and we later see Leo show promise in it.

[[/folder]]

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Klaus Wulfenbach seemed to have inadvertently summoned one when [[spoiler: he stops time]] in Mechanicsburg to contain the Heterodyne. [[spoiler: ''Something'' with a different perception of time noticed that something is amiss...and it is coming to investigate.]]

Subtrope of OutsideContextProblem. Contrast with OutsideContextHero.
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Subtrope of OutsideContextProblem.

* In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', Space Hotel USA is invaded by Vermicious Knids, carnivorous aliens who have decimated several planets' populations but cannot invade Earth itself (they burn up in its atmosphere). Humanity is ''almost'' completely unaware of their existence, and the crew and guests of the hotel can only run for their lives when they attack. Luckily, an exception to humanity's unawareness is up there with them -- Willy Wonka, who knows all about the creatures and whose Great Glass Elevator is actually Knidproof. Although it takes some doing, he manages to rescue the remaining crew and guests, making him an Outside Context Villain to the Knids.

* Simon Phoenix in ''Film/DemolitionMan'', a HumanPopsicle from the 20th century awoken in a future of PerfectPacifistPeople; to counter this threat, they unfreeze an old-school cop familar with violence. [[spoiler:OK, [[ManBehindTheMan Dr. Cocteau]] probably ''did'' [[DragonInChief expect him.]]]]

* In ''MajinTanteiNougamiNeuro'', you'd expect the next major villain to be a demon, since Neuro is a demon and all. [[spoiler:Only one other demon is ever shown in the series and Neuro easily controls him.]] Instead, the series goes in a completely unexpected direction by making the first truly major arc follow [[spoiler:a super powerful AI that can turn people into criminals and slaves via {{brainwashing}}]]. How do they top that? [[spoiler:Six humans who are really, ''really'' evil. [[EvilEvolves That evil is where they get their superpowers, in fact.]]]] A series about a demon detective never once goes the supernatural route.

* [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson]] was not able to defeat the Son of Sobek because it comes from Egyptian mythology rather than Greek, so he needed [[Literature/TheKaneChronicles Carter Kane's]] help dealing with it. Likewise, Annabeth, with all her knowledge of Greek monsters has no idea what to make of the head of the staff of Serapis when she sees it, particularly since it's incomplete at the time. After she meets Sadie and finds out about the Egyptian side she's able to start making connections, and even figures out who the staff belongs to, but still Serapis, a god born of the melding of Greek and Egyptian legends, makes her feel as though he turns her entire world inside out simply by existing. And then she finds out that he was set loose by Setne, a master of a form of magic she's never encountered before. The outside context is mitigated somewhat by the presence of the Kanes, who ''are'' familiar with the Egyptian side, and help bring Percyand Annabeth up to speed.

* The Flood, really. A collection of {{Rudo}}s from across time and space, including Wrestling/KaijuBigBattel, is out there enough already but they were led by Wrestling/JimmyJacobs, who has never been of any real significance in Wrestling/{{Chikara}} and was seemingly tied down in a war against Wrestling/RingOfHonor at the time? [[spoiler: As it turns out, he wasn't the leader, for those very reasons]].

* In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', Coin the Sourcerer walks into Unseen University and starts altering the whole world with limitless magical power, the first sourcerer to show up in centuries. Discworld's wizards normally have to work within [[MagicAIsMagicA fairly consistent rules and limits]], largely because they can only draw upon and channel natural background magic that already exists in the environment; sourcerers can ''generate'' magic -- or at least draw it in from Somewhere Else where it's functionally infinite -- completely at will, meaning that they can [[RealityWarper brute-force reality itself by sheer power]] until the only explanation for what they do is [[AWizardDidIt A Sourcerer Did It.]] This is highlighted by the fact that even ''[[MagnificentBastard Lord Vetinari]]'' is caught completely off guard and spends most of the book as a small lizard. His credentials as a schemer and anticipator have not yet been established at this point in the series, but even if they had, there's no reason he would ever have anticipated this.