History Main / PhlebotinumMuncher

* The energon in all incarnations of ''{{Transformers}}''.
** Although, to be fair, in most they can synthesize it from any available source of energy, so it isn't exactly ''rare'' phlebtonium, except for all those poor stupid fleshlings who don't know how.

* A common [[ConspiracyTheorist accusation]] is that drug companies will never cure cancer/AIDS/etc. because cures would eliminate demand for expensive treatments. A [[UpToEleven related accusation]] is that drug companies are in fact ''spreading'' those same diseases to make [[TakeOverTheWorld the entire world dependent on treatments.]] They technically come about because of unrealistic expectations. For example; Cancer is in fact not ''a'' disease, but ''many'', and a cure for one type would not likely have an effect on any other type. Quite a lot of research is also done by non-profit organisations who can only really "make" money in the form of further funding (although this isn't their goal anyway) by coming up with results and would have very little reason to keep it to themselves. Similarly, even a "for profit" company would have to sell a cure or risk their competitors discovering it and doing so anyway.

* [[RodentsOfUnusualSize Skaven]] [[EvilAlbino Grey Seers]] or {{Warlock}}s from Clan Skyre can munch down [[GreenRocks Warpstone]] in order to fuel their spells. Can turn them into [[BodyHorror Chaos Spawn]] though.

* LarryNiven's ''Literature/TheMagicGoesAway'' stories had dragons, mermaids, were-creatures, gods and such that metabolized {{Mana}}. This was a kind of [[GreenAesop environmental metaphor]]; when human wizards started using up the mana faster than it could regenerate, all the fantastic creatures went *poof*.

* The black mages and many other monsters in ''FinalFantasyIX'' are spawned from concentrated Mist, which is a decidedly evil fog composed of [[spoiler: souls of the dead that have been blocked from going to the afterlife]].

* The Scrin in the CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries are the aliens who created [[GreenRocks Tiberium]], and their entire race is completely and hopelessly [[DrugsAreBad addicted to it.]]

* Long term alcohol addicts might find that withdrawing cold turkey can kill them through shock. A theoretical possibility of death also exists with benzodiazepines and barbiturates, because withdrawal from them can cause seizures, but alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal syndrome to have actually killed anyone.

This trope is when a creature likes to consume whatever AppliedPhlebotinum is being used in the story -- maybe it even needs to do so to survive, often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that snacks on GreenRocks, to a monster called into being by the protagonists' use of {{Aesoptinum}}. It overlaps with PhlebotinumDependence when the creature ''has'' to consume the Phlebotinum, although Phlebotinum's main plot purpose must be something ''other'' than keeping the PhlebotinumMuncher alive.

'''Examples'''

* In the Disney/{{Aladdin}} series, the resident PhlebotinumMuncher is a one-eyed creature called the thirdak, which eats magic. It tried to eat Genie and managed to eat half of Carpet.

Basically a creature which needs whatever {{Phlebotinum}} is being used in the story to survive. Often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that eats GreenRocks to a monster called into being by {{Aesoptinum}}. The inversion of this trope is PhlebotinumDependence -- the character [[ShapedLikeItself despises their dependency on Phlebotinum]].

* The main character, splicers and little sisters in ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock}}''.

* Do the Zerg in ''StarCraft'' count? The way they use minerals and vespene gas as resources almost makes it look like they eat the stuff...
** It does - they ''metabolize'' it.

* Homunculi in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' are addicted to the Red Stone and munch on the stuff for extra 'lives'. Red Stones are created by sacrificing human lives and are needed to create the phlebotinous Philosopher Stone, which basically enhances the magical powers of alchemy. In the original manga, the Red Stones simply don't exist. The Homunculi rely directly on Philosopher's Stones (yes, ''plural'') to provide their limited immortality.

* The main character, splicers and little sisters in {{Bioshock}}.

* A common [[ConspiracyTheorist accusation]] is that drug companies will never cure cancer/AIDS/etc. because cures would eliminate demand for expensive treatments. A [[UpToEleven related accusation]] is that drug companies are in fact ''spreading'' those same diseases to make [[TakeOverTheWorld the entire world dependent on treatments.]] They technically come about because of unrealistic expectations. For example; Cancer is in fact not ''a'' disease, but ''many'', and a cure for one type would not likely have an effect on any other type. Quite a lot of research is also done by non-profit organisations who can only really "make" money in the form of further funding (although this isn't their goal anyway) by coming up with results and would have very little reason to keep it to themselves. Similarly, even a "for profit" company would have to sell a cure or risk their copetitors discovering it and doing so anyway.

Basically a creature which needs whatever {{Phlebotinum}} is being used in the story to survive. Often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that eats GreenRocks to a monster called into being by {{Aesoptinum}}. The inversion of this trope is PhlebotinumDependence - the character [[ShapedLikeItself despises their dependency on Phlebotinum]].

* The Adephagos of ''TalesOfVesperia'' gets summoned into the world by an overflow of Aer, [[GreenAesop a magical substance that all the machines in the world consume to function.]]

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* ''{{Discworld}}''. Dragons eat magic, and salamanders absorb the magical [[FictionalColor octarine frequency of light]].

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* There was one Superman story where he arrived at a moon of Krypton (long story short, it drifted away hundreds of years ago) and had to use kryptonite to prevent its Uranium core from exploding. On his search for enough kryptonite he came across a (space)monster that fed on it. He managed to save the planet, but since it was now made of kryptonite, he could never go there again.

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* ''{{Shadowrun}}''. Strain III bacteria eats magic and lives in astral space. It can drain magic out of an Awakened creature, causing it to weaken and die.

* The black mages and many other monsters in ''FinalFantasyIX'' are spawned from concentrated Mist, which is a decidedly evil fog composed of [[spoiler: souls of the dead that have been blocked from going to the afterlife]].

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* What would you need with a ''complex organic molecule'', ''acidic hydroxide'' and an ''oxidiser''? Why, you must eat ''sugar'', drink ''water'' and breathe ''oxygen'' to live.
* Long term alcohol addicts might find that withdrawing cold turkey can kill them through shock. A theoretical possibility of death also exists with benzodiazepines and barbiturates, because withdrawal from them can cause seizures, but alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal syndrome to have actually killed anyone.

* ''DirtyPair: [[TheMovie Project EDEN]]'' had this as a major plot point; the Sadinga monsters fed on Vizorium ore (warp drive fuel), and the fossils they were revived from were being mined for said ore until the EvilutionaryBiologist came along.

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*** Only at first: long term use (enough to drive you mad, possibly [[BodyHorror semi-randomly mutate you]] and get you to the point you're referred to as a "splicer") gets you psychologically dependent on it; keep going, and you need fresh intake of Adam and the occasional plasmid just to keep your body from [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel completely breaking down into a puddle of goo.]] Fortunately, THAT pleasant experience doesn't show up anywhere in the games.

* A common [[ConspiracyTheorist accusation]] is that drug companies will never cure cancer/AIDS/etc. because cures would eliminate demand for expensive treatments. A [[UpToEleven related accusation]] is that drug companies are in fact ''spreading'' those same diseases to make [[TakeOverTheWorld the entire world dependent on treatments.]] No gunfights yet.
** Those ''are'' common accusations, but they reflect unrealistic expectations. Cancer is in fact not ''a'' disease, but ''many'', and a cure for one type would not likely have an effect on any other type. Seriously, Pharms seem to be good enough at creating "cures" for such relative non-problems as erectile dysfunction that curing a real disease would not bankrupt them. Least of all, a cure as pricey as a cancer cure would likely be.
*** There ''isn't'' a cure for erectile dysfunction--there's a ''treatment'', which totally ''supports'' the argument that Big Pharma is stringing us along. Still, I don't think many people or companies could resist the acclaim that would accompany discovering a cure for any disease.