History Main / ThrowingOffTheDisability

* ''VisualNovel/IWaniHugThatGator'': Downplayed in the fourth "dance" ending. [[spoiler: After a short "dance" between Inco and Olivia, she reveals that she's been "practicing," and asks Inco to trust her. After a short moment of suspense, Olivia surprises Inco, and all the other characters, by ''rising from her chair,'' using her tail for support, and the duo dance for a while. While her newfound ambulatory capabilities don't last past the scene, since her tail is tired, the two share an embrace, and a joyful laugh, as Damien and Inco help her back down.]]

* Website/FimfictionDotNet has an entire folder dedicated to stories involving Scootaloo [[https://www.fimfiction.net/group/473/folder/4723/taking-flight gaining the ability to fly]]. Some of them involve [[Main/ArtificialLimbs prosthetic wings]] or other assistive technology, but most of them have her flying naturally (or at least working towards that goal with the implication that she may one day achieve it), more in line with the spirit of this trope. Justified in that it was never explicitly established in-universe that Scootaloo was not expected to ever be able to fly.[[note]]"Growing Up is Hard to Do" and "The Last Problem" showed her adult body with child-size wings, but even that is up for interpretation as Bulk Biceps can fly despite having much smaller wings on a much larger frame. Even the [[Main/WordOfGod social media post]] confirming the [[https://derpicdn.net/img/2019/10/1/2157535/full.png obvious intent]] behind her adult form stated "But fans are welcome to interpret things how they like." Presumably that translates into "We know you all are comparing her to Bulk Biceps, but we can't think of a decent explanation as to why he can fly and she can't".[[/note]]

** When Bruce Banner was in control of the Hulk during the original ''Comicbook/SecretWars1984'' he got his leg broken by Ultron. He was put into a brace by his friends, and returned to Earth he was still wearing it. When the Savage Hulk persona [[StatusQuoIsGod eventually reasserted itself]] the first thing it did was throw away the crutch Banner had been using, tear off the brace, and then proceed [[HesBack to total the Abomination as easily as he always had]].

[[folder: Fan Works]]

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsProffesorX Professor X]], who routinely goes from paraplegic to perfectly healed [[StatusQuoIsGod and back again]].

* In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', Ralph Dibny thinks that Dr. Milo is just pretending to be crippled in order to smuggle a magical artifact into the asylum in which he is incarcerated. Said artifact is one of the wheels on Dr. Milo's wheelchair. [[spoiler:Horribly subverted when it turns out Milo ''really is crippled and has no legs''. Ralph [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone only realizes this]] ''after he had already removed the wheel'' and Milo was left helpless and crawling on the floor.]]

* In ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'', [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Nico Minoru]] had her left arm blown off in an attack. For about [[ComicBook/AvengersUndercover two]] [[ComicBook/AForce years]] afterwards, she used a prosthetic arm as a replacement. When ''ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell'' opened, she suddenly had her left arm back. It was later revealed that the Staff of One had regenerated it sometime before the new series started.
* Over the years, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} has regained his sight several times, such as in the ''ComicBook/SuperiorIronMan'' miniseries. It never lasts long.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'', Batman's eventually healed of his paralysis at the hands of Bane through the usage of his doctor, Sondra Kinsolving, who ended up having a healing ability. On the downside, though, the time he spent paralyzed meant he had to go through a crash course training session to regain his physical prowess.
* In DC's ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' reboot, Barbara Gordon returned to the role of ComicBook/{{Batgirl| 2011}} after decades as the paraplegic ComicBook/{{Oracle}}. In-universe, it's been {{retconned}} that she was only paralyzed for three years (of ComicBookTime), and she and her family found some "miracle" doctors in Africa who healed her via a surgical implant that allowed her to walk. The cavalier glossing over of the lengthy recovery process that this would logically require did ''not'' please the fanbase, and [[AuthorsSavingThrow it was hastily revealed]] that she hasn't thrown off the psychological effects, getting nasty flashbacks every time she sees a wheelchair ramp and dealing with a good deal of SurvivorGuilt. Several stories have also featured the implant getting damaged, temporarily leaving Barbara unable to walk like before. The Heroes In Crisis crossover also revealed that she attends a type of superhero therapy for the psychological scars. During ''ComicBook/TheJokerWar'', Babs was forced to temporarily disable the implants to stop the Joker from controlling her. As a result, she has gone into semi-retirement as Batgirl, returning to her role as Oracle and giving the mantle to both Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain as any further damage would return her to the chair for good.

* For a character who was just pretending, there's ComicBook/RichardDragon, a comic book character created by Denny O'Neil. He reveals in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheQuestion'' that he actually can walk, and the wheelchair was just to screw with people.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Professor Xavier, who routinely goes from paraplegic to perfectly healed [[StatusQuoIsGod and back again]].

* In ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', Jake Sully is able to walk again[[note]]there is a surgical procedure that would repair the nerve damage to his human body, but it's implied to be expensive and that prospective patients need to be well-connected to even be considered[[/note]] after having his consciousness transferred to an alien body.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': [[spoiler:Gherman]] does this in the final cutscene, standing up after spending the rest of the game in a wheelchair.

* In ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', the main character is able to walk again[[note]]there is a surgical procedure that would repair the nerve damage to his human body, but it's implied to be expensive and that prospective patients need to be well-connected to even be considered[[/note]] after having his consciousness transferred to an alien body.

* Subverted and then played straight in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''. Similar to the Kill Bill example detailed above, Snake's years-long coma gives him muscle atrophy. Despite the doctors apparently trying to maintain his muscle mass, when the hospital he's in is attacked, he can't move and needs to be given drugs to help him recover - however, they don't kick in immediately, and he has to crawl on the floor before they do. However, once Snake is safely out of the hospital, there's a time skip of a week and then he's back to his usual self, having completely recovered from the atrophy (though it's stated he's spent that whole time in ''constant physical training.'' Still not realistic, but at least an effort at explanation was made).

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series:
** ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'': Makoto has trauma-induced psychogenic blindness. When she's reunited with [[spoiler:her estranged brother, Tachibana, after he's been tortured to death by the Dojima Family]], her desire to see his face is so strong that she actually regains her sight. Downplayed in that her recovery happens gradually instead of all at once; at first she can only see shadows and vague outlines, and in the epilogue, she still hasn't fully recovered.
** In the prologue sequence of ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' set 18 years prior to the actual start of the game, Masato Arakawa (who is a wheelchair user due to getting hypothermia as an infant) uses a foreign-made ephedrine to allow himself to walk temporarily for his birthday. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he underestimates how long it works and his legs give out while making his way home. In the modern-day, after changing his identity to "Ryo Aoki" he was able to attain a lung transplant in America that gave him the ability to walk permanently]].

* ''Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety'' has type 3. The BigBad, Mr. Ledroptha Curtain, usually travels around in a souped-up wheelchair, even though he is perfectly capable of walking. The wheelchair, as well as the sunglasses he typically wears, are used to hide that he has narcolepsy and falls asleep upon becoming very angry. (This, and he just enjoys it as a fast means of getting around.) The members of the Society are all very shocked when he rises from his chair after they confront him, but are able to get him to fall asleep by angering him. Later, in the sequel ''The Perious Journey'', when the members of the Society are researching his movements, they learn that he visited a museum and attempted to steal papers from it, pretending be his twin brother, Mr. Benedict. They contacted the police, but when they got there, Mr. Curtain unexpected leapt from his wheelchair and used a device to shock them.

* FanFic/{{Dangerverse}}: Danger's werewolf taming powers makes Wolfsbane unnecessary and he eventually is completely cured of his lycanthropy. This allows all other werewolves to be cured too, if they choose.
** Ron's blindness is healed to an extent. And the Longbottoms regain their sanity after Meghan heals them. If anyone else has suffered the same fate, they are not provided with this option.
** Meghan also heals Dumbledore's cursed hand.

* In episode 12 of ''VisualNovel/WalkureRomanze'', Mirielle, who was wheelchair-bound due to a horse-riding accident, manages to regain the use of her legs after watching her sister Noel fight in the tournament. [[spoiler:While Noel loses the match, she's not too upset about it in light of her sister being able to walk again.]]
* Using the DangerousForbiddenTechnique Mankai in ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'' causes [[MagicalGirlWarrior Heroes]] to lose bodily functions. Yuna loses her ability to taste foods, Fu loses [[spoiler:eyesight in her left eye]], Itsuki loses [[spoiler:her ability to speak]], and Togo loses her ability to hear in one ear. Later in the series, it's revealed [[spoiler:Togo was a Hero who ForgotTheCall, explaining why she is wheelchair-bound.]] In the last two episodes both Karin and Yuna [[spoiler:become seriously disabled, becoming blind-deaf on top of losing ability in their limbs (Yuna even ends up in a catatonic state).]] In the end though [[spoiler:everyone's disabilities are fixed, or rather, the abilities they sacrificed are returned]].

* ''Film/WhenWorldsCollide''. When wheelchair-bound CorruptCorporateExecutive Sydney Stanton sees the rocket taking off without him, he gets out of his wheelchair and staggers towards it in a futile attempt to save himself.

* ''Literature/GuardiansOfTheFlame'': Going into the other world has this effect on James Michael, as he changes from his usual wheelchair-bound self into Ahira, his game character, who's an able-bodied dwarf warrior. This is the main reason he never wants to go back.

* A ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'' book had a character paralyzed after an accident. Subverted in that her paralysis was never intended to be permanent in the first place and that her doctors stated she would walk again after rest and physical therapy. However, she remained wheelchair-bound long past her expected recovery time and it is soon realized that she is subconsciously creating her paralysis so that her boyfriend won't leave her. However, when her babysitting charge falls into the pool, she has to jump in to save him. Turns out the kid is a champion swimmer and did it on purpose to snap her out of it.

* ''Series/SevenDays1998'': Wheelchair-bound Dr. Ballard is given a chip that allows him to walk again. Unfortunately, said chip contains an alien consciousness that makes him homicidal, forcing Parker to back-step to prevent him from receiving the implant, leaving him in the wheelchair.

** Much later on, [[spoiler:Quinn gets in a car accident and the doctors aren't sure whether she'll be permanently wheelchair-bound. She gradually makes a full recovery, but deliberately hides her progress because she thinks she'll get more sympathy votes for prom queen if people think she's permanently disabled. In the end, she decides to rig the election so Rachel wins instead, and reveals that she can stand up with some difficulty.]]

* An episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' ended with an apparently wheelchair-bound woman being pushed into a swimming pool by her angry husband (who the detectives had just made realize had only her word that she was still disabled). [[spoiler:She was indeed faking and the episode ends with the detectives, perhaps a little too smugly, informing her that she'll now be going to jail.]]

** In the prologue sequence of ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' set 18 years prior to the actual start of the game, Masato Arakawa (who is wheelchair-bound due to getting hypothermia as an infant) uses a foreign-made ephedrine to allow himself to walk temporarily for his birthday. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he underestimates how long it works and his legs give out while making his way home. In the modern-day, after changing his identity to "Ryo Aoki" he was able to attain a lung transplant in America that gave him the ability to walk permanently]].

** Bonnie flies to Paris to have an affair, and her wheelchair-bound husband Joe finds out. To save his marriage he pulls the "heroic will" version and walks across the room... or so it appears. [[spoiler:It soon becomes clear that it's actually Quagmire, tied to Joe's back, doing all the walking.]]

* For a time, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'s deafness was cured by Franklin Richards, but he lost his hearing again in 2014 when one of his villains [[EarAche jammed arrows in each of his ears]].

* Downplayed with a FictionalDisability in ''WesternAnimaiton/TheOwlHouse''. [[spoiler:Eda suffers from a curse that periodically turns her into a wild beast, in addition to several side effets like causing her to prematurely age and slowly sapping away her magic (eventually robbing her of the ability to use it altogether). Part way though season 2, she manages to make peace with the beast sealed inside her, and while this doesn't make her condition go away (she still can't use magic and has to continue taking her medication to manage her symptoms), it does significantly improve her quality of life by reducing the risk of transforming to only the most extreme of stressful situations.]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'' duology, [[spoiler:Ciarra]] eventually gains the [[spoiler:ability to talk]]. Justified in that castle Hurog is a very unhealthy place to live in, as it is PoweredByAForsakenChild and EvilTaintedThePlace. Once she's away from there, she gets better. It was probably psychosomagic.
* One ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' book has a hare in a wheelchair suddenly regain her ability to walk and spend every night ''dancing''. It's [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact that the disability was heavily implied to be psychosomatic in the first place.
* Near the end of ''Literature/{{Xenocide}}'', Miro, who had been crippled and unable to talk properly, regains the use of his body as it was before the accident that disabled him. Not actually that miraculous, because what ''really'' happened was he discarded his old body and created a new one due to being instantly teleported Outside in order to... [[MindScrew it's complicated]].

* In the book ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'', Nessarose was born without arms, and cannot walk on her own - she always needs someone to steady her. The Silver Slippers, after Elphaba enchants them, give her the balance for independent locomotion.
* In the ''Literature/LordDarcy mystery'' short "Murder on the Napoli Express", one man has a pronounced limp when walking slowly, and virtually no limp when walking quickly. The limp is a poorly done excuse for carrying a SwordCane.
* A ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'' book had a character paralyzed after an accident. Subverted in that her paralysis was never intended to be permanent in the first place and that her doctors stated she would walk again after rest and physical therapy. However, she remained wheelchair-bound long past her expected recovery time and it is soon realized that she is subconsciously creating her paralysis so that her boyfriend won't leave her. However, when her babysitting charge falls into the pool, she has to jump in to save him. Turns out the kid is a champion swimmer and did it on purpose to snap her out of it.
* In ''Literature/{{Heidi}}'', once Klara's wheelchair is disposed of and other characters help her practice walking, she's soon completely cured.
* ''Literature/TheSecretGarden'':
** It's made clear that Colin was never disabled to begin with, but has been staying in bed out of paranoia and a royal fit of the sulks. ''For ten years.'' Once he's willing to try, he slowly gains strength.
** On the other hand, the same characters are eagerly talking about using willpower to cure Ben's back, which really does have something wrong with it... but he doesn't undergo such a dramatic transformation.
** Averted in the AnimatedAdaptation, where Colin ''is'' genuinely sick and his inability to walk comes from having to stay in bed for said illness.
* In ''Literature/ThePoisonwoodBible'', [[spoiler:Adah, who has walked with a slant and had difficulty talking all her life due to "hemiplegia," finds out she was misdiagnosed, and that her habits were learned in childhood rather than the results of a medical condition]].
* Eragon, of the Literature/InheritanceCycle, has a most egregious one of these, losing the debilitating scar he picked up at the end of the first book. Combines heavily with DeusExMachina, and as we find out in the fourth book, was the actions of [[spoiler:[[ManBehindTheMan the dragon eldunari]] who hid themselves in the ruins of the Riders' city]].

* Corwin in the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfAmber'' is blinded and imprisoned after a failed bid for the throne. He gets better. Corwin ([[spoiler:and the people who blinded him]]) kind of expected that this might happen... his family is all-but-immortal and they tend to heal rather quickly (though in this case, it took years).
* A modern sequel to ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' called ''Literature/MrTimothy'' posits that this eventually happens to Tiny Tim; better nutrition and medical care after Mr Scrooge got some much-needed attitude adjustment have reduced his disability to a barely noticeable limp and twinges in his knee if he has to walk long distances, and he describes with some relish the day when he broke his old crutch up for firewood. It doesn't really come up much for the rest of the book, which has very little to do with its predecessor, except when his bad leg picks the most inconvenient (or rather dramatic) possible moment to start acting up.
* Subverted in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles.'' Midway through the twelfth book, ''Literature/{{Changes}}''. [[spoiler:Harry breaks his back, paralyzing him from the waist down. He makes a [[DealWithTheDevil Deal With the Queen of Air and Darkness]] to fix himself up and gain a level or two in Badass.]] In the fourteenth book, ''Literature/ColdDays,'' [[spoiler:he briefly renounces her terms for the fix and promptly crashes to the floor, revealing that the Winter Mantle didn't heal him, it merely suppressed his injuries.]]
** Played somewhat straighter (albeit temporarily) for [[spoiler:[[ThePaladin Michael]]]]. After almost dying due to wounds sustained in a fight [[spoiler:against the Denarians]] in ''Literature/SmallFavor'', he retired because of the lasting impact of his injuries, needing to walk with a cane. During ''Literature/SkinGame'' however, [[spoiler:he is granted Uriel's angelic grace, allowing for a [[Awesome/SkinGame spectacular]] HesBack moment]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Bigtime}}'' series, Lulu Lo spends the first book in a wheelchair because her back had been broken by an ubervillain, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. In the second book, getting hit by an electrical attack by a different ubervillain revives the dead nerves in her body, allowing her to relearn to walk. She spends the third book alternating between her wheelchair and a walker, and in the fourth book has advanced to using a cane.
* In ''Curtain'' by Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot is in a wheelchair for the entirety of the book. At the end, it is revealed that [[spoiler:he did not require the wheelchair and used it to dispose of the body of the book's murderer, Norton.]]

* In ''Literature/StarlightAndShadows'', Shakti is near-sighted; a significant flaw for a priestess in drow society, which values physical perfection. Eventually, she uses the clerical powers granted to her as dual traitor-priestess of Lolth and Vhaerun to cure her eyes.
* ''Literature/BrotherCadfael'': ''The Pilgrim of Hate'' contains a DivineIntervention example. Rhun is confirmed to be physically lame early in the novel, but during the festival of St. Winifred, he drops his crutches and walks up the steps to her reliquary. He becomes a recurring character in the series and retains the ability to walk whenever he appears.
* ''Literature/GuardiansOfTheFlame'': Going into the other world has this effect on James Michael, as he changes from his usual wheelchair-bound self into Ahira, his game character, who's an able-bodied dwarf warrior. This is the main reason he never wants to go back.
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': Played straight and averted. Morphing is based on DNA alone, so it can heal all kinds of injuries like [[spoiler:Loren's blindness]]. On the other hand, it only works on ''acquired'' disabilities, so conditions present at birth like cerebral palsy or cystic fibrosis will still be there when the person demorphs. And one character is an amputee with a sort of allergy to the morphing technology, which means he can't heal himself that way.
* Actively {{Defied|Trope}} and {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Literature/{{Messenger}}''. Matty offers to heal Kira's deformed leg, but she refuses, claiming that her disability has become too big a part of her to just cast off.
* ''Literature/BlackBat'': Tony was blinded when acid was thrown on his face. A surgery returned his vision and left him with SuperSenses as well.

* In ''Literature/TheSpeedOfDark'', a new treatment is invented that can cure autism in adults, and Lou and his coworkers think about whether to undergo it or not. [[spoiler:Everyone except Chuy ends up taking it. Even Linda, who was the most opposed, takes it years after the others do.]]
* In ''Literature/ThisAlienShore'', Guerans can change aspects of their kaja, or mental disability, if they choose. Masada has programmed his brainware to compensate for the sensory distortions caused by [[UsefulNotes/HighFunctioningAutism his kaja]], while Luis Hsing became completely neurotypical as soon as he was old enough to consent to the procedure. There's no pressure to become cured - a person's kaja is seen as a part of their natural essence, and changing some of it for the sake of their career is slightly frowned upon.
* ''Literature/NjalsSaga'': During the lawsuit against the Burners of Njál and his household, Njál's foster-son Thórhall Ásgrimsson must stay in his booth because he suffers from a large and painful boil on his foot, which forces him to limp and to walk only with a cane. After an intense legal battle, the Burners finally exploit the fact that [[OffOnATechnicality the jury which passed verdict contained more than the allowed number of judges to declare the entire suit invalid]] at the last moment. When Thórhall hears this, he is so furious that he jumps up from his bed, grabs a spear, and drives it through the boil on his foot so that blood and pus pour out "like a brook"; then rushes to the law court without his cane and without limping and "so fast that the messenger could not keep pace with him", and kills the first man of the Burners' party he meets.
* In ''Literature/FracturedStars'', most kids who show signs of autism are normally taken in for normalization surgery. [=McCall=] and her older sister [=McKenzie=] were spared because their maternal grandmother was forcibly given brainwashing surgery that caused her to go insane and eventually commit suicide when their mom was ten, giving her a lifelong fear of hospitals and the empire. [=McKenzie=] eventually got the surgery voluntarily as an adult. [=McCall=] never did.
* ''Literature/TheEpicOfSundiata'': For the majority of his childhood, Sundiata was unable to walk. After his father dies and Dankaran takes the throne, Sundiata miraculously gains the ability to walk and becomes a mighty hunter and warrior.

* ''Series/DowntonAbbey''

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': [[spoiler: Gherman]] does this in the final cutscene, standing up after spending the rest of the game in a wheelchair.

* In ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2013'', when Enra gives [[EvilCripple Orochi Zilla]], Lo Wang's treacherous boss, a portion of his power, it's enough to completely restore function to his legs and grant superhuman strength to him, which he promptly demonstrates by kicking his wheelchair away.

* Played for laughs in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' in the secret ending scene, when [[spoiler:Woods jumps up out of his wheelchair and dismisses a dumbfounded Menendez's confusion with "That shit? Nah, I'm just fuckin' lazy."]]
* A [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games: Joker has Vrolik Syndrome, which makes his bones extremely fragile, reducing him to an awkward limp for a walk. Whenever he runs or fires a gun, [[LetsGetDangerous you know things are serious]], and this happens twice in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''.

* A type 1 example in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' where Ryuji, who lost his edge at running after his leg was broken, (it has since healed, but he's far from his prime) temporarily runs fast enough to secure a lifeboat for the Phantom Thieves and also manages to survive the explosion of the boat they're on. (albeit knocked out).

* ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'' has two examples, the first being [[WheelchairWoobie Tavros]] and the latter being [[spoiler:Terezi]]. For Tavros, it's actually fixed via his legs being sawn off and replaced with robotic versions (Vriska even taunts him with his missing legs). The latter is somewhat of a DeconstructedTrope: [[spoiler:She initially didn't want Aranea to fix her eyes, but during a downward spiral of self-loathing she ultimately agrees to it. This only makes it ''worse'', due to Terezi's regret over the decision. Because of her current self-loathing, she saw her blindness as the "only cool thing about her".]]

* Played for laughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheOldManOfTheMountain'' - an old man (not the title character) with bandaged feet limps around on a pair of crutches, only to get one look at WesternAnimation/BettyBoop's curves, and immediately finds himself reinvigorated, tossing aside the crutches.
* Used a couple of times in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** In "Krazy Kripples", Christopher Reeve regains the ability to walk (among other things) by [[{{Squick}} sucking the stem cells out of an embryo]].
** In "Bloody Mary", attending an AA meeting convinces Randy that he is powerless to overcome his drinking problem, and starts using a wheelchair for some reason. When sprayed with the blood of the eponymous Mary, he triumphantly stands up and throws his drink to the ground. {{Justified|Trope}}, of course, because he was only ever disabled in his hypochondriac mind. When the Vatican claims it wasn't a real miracle, Randy even goes back to acting sick, until the kids have to explain the situation to him.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'' included a computer game reviewer who was in a wheelchair with both her legs in casts. When Fillmore and Ingrid try to bring her in for questioning about a stolen game system, she flees in the chair - then, when the chair gets stuck on uneven ground, she opens the casts, gets up, and attempts to run away. After being caught and questioned, she haughtily points out, "I never said I couldn't walk. I just prefer not to waste the excess energy." Fillmore is unimpressed: "You let people believe you were ''seriously injured''. You don't just fake a double leg break!"
** Also notable in that while she might have been able to run, she had been faking disability for so long that she only made it a few feet before collapsing from exhaustion.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Bonnie flies to Paris to have an affair, and her wheelchair-bound husband Joe finds out. To save his marriage he pulls the "heroic will" version and walks across the room... or so it appears. [[spoiler:It soon becomes clear that it's actually Quagmire, tied to Joe's back, doing all the walking.]]
** One episode taking place during the winter has Joe crash his sled and suddenly regain the ability to walk... and during his celebratory dance, his son Kevin accidentally knocks Joe onto his neck with a sled, crippling him again.
--->'''Kevin''': Sorry, dad!\\
'''Joe''': ''(resigned)'' Just get the chair.
** One episode has Joe revealing that God told him that he could walk one time. He was saving it for his daughter's wedding but used it to escape an uncomfortable conversation, instead.
** Lampshaded in that episode where they rescue Quagmire from a woman who gets a sexual thrill out of torturing him. They confront her and Peter tells Joe that now would be a good time to dramatically get out of his wheelchair.
* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by Professor X in ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009''. The first time you see him in the [[BadFuture future]], he stands up and runs out of the Cerebro chamber. However, it quickly becomes clear that he is wearing robotic leg braces and he is later shown to be unable to use his legs without them.
* {{Subverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow,'' when a disabled classmate named Gordon claims that Rallo and his friends inspired him so much that he's going to learn to walk again. He begins to climb out of his wheelchair, then laughs, because after all, he's actually paralyzed.
-->'''Rallo:''' [[LampshadeHanging You've got kind of a]] [[BlackComedy dark sense of humor]].
* Used several times in ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', all by [[spoiler:Ray]]. The first time, it's revealed that he was actually feigning the disability, as [[spoiler:the hospital let him leave with the wheelchair after being shot in the stomach, and everybody ''assumed'' he was disabled]]. The second time, he ''actually'' gets disabled, but Krieger builds him bionic legs - which he periodically forgets to repair, causing [[spoiler:Ray]] to become disabled again.

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* The manga and second anime of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' feature [[spoiler:Edward]] regaining [[spoiler:his right arm]] in exchange for [[spoiler:Alphonse sacrificing the connection between his soul and the armor and later Edward sacrificing his ability to perform alchemy as payment to drag his brother back from beyond the gate]], and [[spoiler:Roy Mustang]] regaining [[spoiler:his sight]] through a Philosopher's Stone. [[spoiler:Edward]]'s case is [[ZigZaggingTrope zigzagged somewhat]], since [[spoiler:he lost his left leg in the same incident that led to him getting his arm taken away, but he actively decides to keep the leg as a prosthetic instead of getting it back]].

* In the final arc of the seventh part of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', main character Johnny Joestar regains his walking, which he had lost after being shot in the spine. A large part of his character before this moment consisted of him re-learning to ride a horse without the use of his legs.
* This happens to Coco in the finale of ''Anime/{{Basquash}}'', as one of the last shots is her getting out of her wheelchair. Considering everything else in the series, it's very likely this was the phlebotinum version.

* Hayate after ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs''. In her case, it's a combination of versions 2 and 4, with her paralysis being due to the ArtifactOfDoom draining her life, and even after they got rid of the magical source, it still required several years of medical treatment and physical therapy before she was able to walk.

* ''Anime/AldnoahZero'':
** Played with in episode 23. For the last eighteen months, Princess Lemrina has been [[spoiler:impersonating her comatose sister Asseylum to rally the Vers Knights]]. Due to [[WheelchairWoobie her own disability]], she has to pretend [[spoiler:Asseylum had been paralyzed during the events of Episode 12 - not ''completely'' unlikely, since she was shot in the back and it ''could'' have damaged her back and/or spine]]. So when the ''real'' [[spoiler:Asseylum]], having woken up without having lost her mobility, delivers a speech to the Knights that culminates in her stepping right out of her wheelchair, it appears to be this, when really she'd never even pretended to be paralyzed.
** Played with similarly in a previous episode where Lemrina appears to do this, only to [[spoiler:disengage her camouflage and reveal herself to be Asseylum, having just tricked Slaine into revealing his plans to subjugate Earth]].

* A rather dark usage in ''Anime/CrossAnge'': Ange's sister Sylvia injured herself in a horse-riding accident when she was young, and as a result is paraplegic. In the final episodes, however, Ange guesses that the disability isn't physical and that Sylvia's used her injury as an excuse to rely on others, and gets her sister to start walking again to tie into AnAesop about standing on your own. The thing is, she does this by threatening her sister's life, forcing her to walk out of sheer terror that she was about to be killed. Also, it's glossed over how her legs would be capable of supporting her if she hadn't used them in years.
* Subverted in the Izaya Orihara spin-off of ''Literature/{{Durarara}}''. Due to sustained injuries after [[spoiler:his final fight with Shizuo, Izaya's arms are weak and using his legs causes him pain, so for the most part, he is confined to a wheelchair]]. As it turns out, these are psychosomatic injuries and if he took therapy, he could move around how he used to. [[spoiler:Izaya refuses therapy and claims that it is his 'punishment'. However, it is implied PTSD is the cause behind this decision]].
* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'': Ryuuto Asamiya, aka Odin, ends up confined to a wheelchair after using a DangerousForbiddenTechnique against Kenichi. Later on, he recovers just in time to stand up and save Kenichi from his master Ogata.

* For a character who was just pretending, there's ComicBook/RichardDragon, a comic book character created by Denny O'Neil. He reveals in an issue of ComicBook/TheQuestion that he actually can walk, and the wheelchair was just to screw with people.

* For a time, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'s deafness was cured by Franklin Richards, but he lost his hearing again in 2014 when one of his villains [[EarAche jammed arrows in each of his ears]].
* In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' Ralph Dibny thinks that Dr. Milo is just pretending to be crippled in order to smuggle a magical artifact into the asylum in which he is incarcerated. Said artifact is one of the wheels on Dr. Milo's wheelchair. [[spoiler:Horribly subverted when it turns out Milo ''really is crippled and has no legs''. Ralph [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone only realizes this]] ''after he had already removed the wheel'' and Milo was left helpless and crawling on the floor.]]

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Professor Xavier, who routinely goes from paraplegic to perfectly healed [[StatusQuoIsGod and back again]].
* Over the years, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} has regained his sight several times, such as in the ''ComicBook/SuperiorIronMan'' miniseries. It never lasts long.
* In DC's ComicBook/{{New 52}} reboot, Barbara Gordon returned to the role of ComicBook/{{Batgirl| 2011}} after decades as the paraplegic ComicBook/{{Oracle}}. In-universe, it's been {{retconned}} that she was only paralyzed for three years (of ComicBookTime), and she and her family found some "miracle" doctors in Africa who healed her via a surgical implant that allowed her to walk. The cavalier glossing over of the lengthy recovery process that this would logically require did ''not'' please the fanbase, and [[AuthorsSavingThrow it was hastily revealed]] that she hasn't thrown off the psychological effects, getting nasty flashbacks every time she sees a wheelchair ramp and dealing with a good deal of SurvivorGuilt. Several stories have also featured the implant getting damaged, temporarily leaving Barbara unable to walk like before. The Heroes In Crisis crossover also revealed that she attends a type of superhero therapy for the psychological scars. During ''ComicBook/TheJokerWar'', Babs was forced to temporarily disable the implants to stop the Joker from controlling her. As a result, she has gone into semi-retirement as Batgirl, returning to her role as Oracle and giving the mantle to both Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain as any further damage would return her to the chair for good.

* In ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'', [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Nico Minoru]] had her left arm blown off in an attack. For about [[ComicBook/AvengersUndercover two]] [[ComicBook/AForce years]] afterwards, she used a prosthetic arm as a replacement. When ''ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell'' opened, she suddenly had her left arm back. It was later revealed that the Staff of One had regenerated it sometime before the new series started.

* This temporarily occurs to Neolani in ''Fanfic/{{Offspring}}''. She was born blind but [[spoiler:her mother Mipha's spirit]] temporarily gifts her the ability to see. However, Neolani's vision goes away when [[spoiler:Calamity Ganon is defeated and Mipha's spirit moves on]].
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': In chapter 2 of the second sequel ''Diplomacy Through Schooling'', [[spoiler: Tempest's horn is restored to its full length thanks to Discord. However, it's portrayed somewhat realistically in that she still needs training to learn how to use magic normally again, as she immediately displays the inability to lift so much as an eating utensil with her telekinesis. Celestia promptly offers to personally give her that training, which Tempest accepts.]]

* Website/FimfictionDotNet has an entire folder dedicated to stories involving Scootaloo [[https://www.fimfiction.net/group/473/folder/4723/taking-flight gaining the ability to fly.]] Some of them involve [[Main/ArtificialLimbs prosthetic wings]] or other assistive technology, but most of them have her flying naturally (or at least working towards that goal with the implication that she may one day achieve it), more in line with the spirit of this trope. Justified in that it was never explicitly established in-universe that Scootaloo was not expected to ever be able to fly.[[note]]"Growing Up is Hard to Do" and "The Last Problem" showed her adult body with child-size wings, but even that is up for interpretation as Bulk Biceps can fly despite having much smaller wings on a much larger frame. Even the [[Main/WordOfGod social media post]] confirming the [[https://derpicdn.net/img/2019/10/1/2157535/full.png obvious intent]] behind her adult form stated "But fans are welcome to interpret things how they like." Presumably that translates into "We know you all are comparing her to Bulk Biceps, but we can't think of a decent explanation as to why he can fly and she can't".[[/note]]

* ''Film/{{Scrooged}}'': The TV network casts an acrobat as Tiny Tim in their ShowWithinAShow production of ''A Christmas Carol'' who casts off the crutches and does a backflip during the climax. Calvin, the "Tiny Tim" in Frank's [[YetAnotherChristmasCarol personal supernatural holiday guilt trip]], suffers PTSD-induced mutism, [[spoiler: which he shrugs off in order to deliver the famous closing lines.]]
* ''Film/WhenWorldsCollide''. When wheelchair-bound CorruptCorporateExecutive Sydney Stanton sees the rocket taking off without him, he gets out of his wheelchair and staggers towards it in a futile attempt to save himself.

** This also bridged the plot problem between Forrest’s early disability and subsequent events.

* In ''Film/TheEx'', the ex-boyfriend (Chip) reveals he can walk; this ends up being his MoralEventHorizon as he was pretending to be handicapped for ''years''.
* ''Music/{{Tommy}}'', of The Who's album/film of the same name (deaf, dumb & blind, but it was psychosomatic).
* [[ItWasHisSled Famous]] ObfuscatingStupidity example at the [[TheEndingChangesEverything end]] of ''Film/TheUsualSuspects''.
* Parodied in ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' where, after it has been discovered that the title character ([[IAmNotShazam not the protagonist]]) has been a fraud in a number of aspects of his life, Walter suspects that he's faking being a cripple (he's not).
* Parodied in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' when a blind man claims to be healed by Brian ("I was blind and now I can see!") only to immediately walk straight into a deep pit.
* Mikey from ''Film/TheGoonies'' throws away his inhaler at the end, having apparently defeated asthma through life experience. (It ''can'' be aggravated by stress and anxiety, but that's probably a bit much.)
* ''Film/{{Cthulhu}}'' (2007). A disabled man who says he lost the use of his legs and testicles in an accident, offers the protagonist a chance to impregnate his wife. When he turns down the offer (as he's gay) he gets drugged and raped instead. When angrily confronting the wife later, he's surprised when the husband (who's got full use of his legs) attacks him. It turns out the whole thing was a setup by the local cult who needed his offspring for their own dark purposes. Another possibility is that he really was paralyzed -- he implies the Order will give the use of his legs back to him if his wife births a child, which she did and they apparently lived up to their end of the bargain.
* [[spoiler:Mei does this out of ObfuscatingStupidity]] in ''Film/HouseOfFlyingDaggers''. [[spoiler:She played the "role" of a blind girl to throw off the people after her group.]]
* Freddy in ''Film/DirtyRottenScoundrels'' engages in a type three case while pretending it's type one.

* Van Helsing does this in Jesus Franco's 1970 adaptation of Dracula starring Christopher Lee. During the film he suffers a stroke and becomes a wheelchair user, only to rise again shortly after in order to fend off Dracula.
* In ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', the main character is able to walk again[[note]]there is a surgical procedure that would repair the nerve damage to his human body, but it's implied to be expensive and that prospective patients need to be well-connected to even be considered[[/note]] after having his consciousness transferred to an alien body.

* In ''Film/Transylvania65000'', the hunchbacked butler gradually stands up straight while delivering a speech about [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer the indignities he and his family have suffered]]. His wife and son then stand straight as well, revealing that they'd only been stooping because that's what everyone expects of servants in a spooky Transylvanian castle.
* In [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom furry movie]] ''Film/BitterLake'', one of the characters mocks another for leaving his "retarded" brother to run his province while attending peace talks (he gets a mention on the movie's website as "half-witted"), who is then promptly forgotten. He appears at the end of the movie, claiming he never really was retarded, and that his brother only said he was to discredit him. [[spoiler:He's also the villain of the movie]].

--> '''Blinken:''' I can see!
--> ''(runs straight into a tree after one step)''
--> '''Blinken:''' No, I was wrong.
* Parodied in ''Film/WalkHard'', where Dewey Cox loses [[WeaksauceWeakness his sense of smell]] after accidentally killing his brother. It is revealed to be psychosomatic when he recovers his sense of smell after reconciling with his estranged wife.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'': During the climax of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Batman/Bruce Wayne ends up [[GameBreakingInjury injuring his leg]] after falling off of a building with Two-Face; by the time of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' eight years later, the cartilage in his knee has deteriorated to the point that he requires either a cane or a powered leg brace to walk. After being defeated by Bane and [[HesBack reconditioning himself]] in [[HellholePrison the Pit]], however, he is able to walk unassisted once again.
* Happens twice in ''Film/{{Limelight}}'' - first dramatically, then played for laughs. After having failed at suicide with sleeping pills and gas, the female lead believes she has become paralyzed and cannot move her legs anymore. Halfway through the movie, during a RousingSpeech to the male lead, she suddenly notices that she can walk again. Later, during one of her ballet performances, she feels paralyzed, not able to go on with the show. Her love interest is unimpressed and slaps her in the face which immediately sends her out of her paralysis.
* ''Film/ZorroTheGayBlade'': Esteban comes to Don Diego's home, where Diego has a broken foot from when he landed wrong while fighting Esteban's troops as Zorro. Esteban insists that Diego walk for him to prove he isn't Zorro. They end up "walking and jumping and running in place," after which Diego is in obvious pain.

* ''Film/{{Humoresque}}'': Leon the concert violinist spends months despondent, a cripple unable to play his violin due to his arm being damaged in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. When Gina fakes a {{suicide by pills}}, Leon snaps out of it, picking her up with both arms and carrying her to a couch. Afterwards, he can play the violin again. Justified, sort of, when a doctor says Leon can break through the scar tissue in his shoulder with an act of will.
* In ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'', Joey manages to overcome his muteness to scream the BigNo that shatters the mirrors and saves his friends.
* Stella from ''Film/StellaMaris'' has been paralyzed her entire life. Halfway through the film, she is given a surgery so that she can walk. After a three-year TimeSkip, Stella's out of bed for good.

* ''Film/TalesOfTerror'': If being dead can be considered a disability. In "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", Valdemar's soul is trapped in his dead, putrefying body; unable to cause it to act in any fashion. Eventually his outrage grows so great that he is able to rise from bed long enough to extract wreak vengeance on his tormentor.
* Some of the [[AdaptationOverdosed many]] adaptations of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', most notably the [[Film/Scrooge1951 Alastair Sim]] and [[Film/AChristmasCarol1984 George C. Scott]] versions, end with an epilogue depicting Christmas a year or two after Scrooge's redemption, and show a healthy Tiny Tim without his crutch, running to greet his "second father" Scrooge. The original book never says if Tim was able to give up his crutch or not, only that he didn't die.
* ''Film/ListenToYourHeart'': Ariana chooses to get a cochlear implant near the end of the film, over her mother's objections because there's a risk of complications, but it works fine and after this, she can hear.
* In ''Film/Molly1999'', Molly, who is autistic and intellectually impaired, has genetically modified brain cells implanted in her brain, after which her intelligence and social skills both increase dramatically. [[spoiler:At least until FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome sets in.]]
* ''Film/ChangeOfHabit'' has a girl who [[ScienceMarchesOn developed autism from hiding behind a "wall of rage" to cope with]] ParentalAbandonment. She is cured using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_therapy rage reduction]], now known to be an abusive quack therapy, which supposedly allows her to release the anger and interact normally.
* ''{{Film/Thelma}}'': Due to Thelma's powers, [[spoiler:her mother can walk again.]]
* In ''Film/TheDarwinAwards'', Burrows is able to overcome his [[AfraidOfBlood hematophobia]] when the North Side Killer is holding Siri hostage and cuts her: expecting Burrows to faint. Burrows remains conscious and is able to rescue Siri.
* ''Film/{{Mythica}}'': Marek starts out disabled due to a clubfoot, using a walking stick and leg brace. However, she's trained to fight in spite of it and gets quite nimble. [[spoiler:Later, her foot is healed entirely.]]
* In ''Film/FrankensteinAndTheMonsterFromHell'', Sarah -- who has been mute since a childhood trauma -- regains her voice when she sees Simon being attacked by the monster.
* ''Film/TheHazing'': Tim, who is [[WhydidItHaveToBeSnakes afraid of the dark]], cannot raise his voice above a whisper when in the dark. When the possessed Marsha tries to shove Delia through the portal to hell in the darkened cellar, Tim manages to find his voice and scream. This distracts Marsha long enough for Delia to turn the tables and hurl her through the portal.
* ''Film/QuidProQuo'': Isaac finds he can walk (though with difficulty) while wearing certain shoes. He can't understand how that could be at first. [[spoiler:Fiona tells him he's really suffering hysterical paralysis-there's no damage to his spine. By the end of the film, he's begun walking again with a cane full time, proving she's right.]]

[[folder:Films — Animated]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'' duology, [[spoiler:Ciarra]] eventually gains the [[spoiler:ability to talk.]] Justified in that castle Hurog is a very unhealthy place to live in, as it is PoweredByAForsakenChild and EvilStainedTheCarpet. Once she's away from there, she gets better. It was probably psychosomagic.

* In episode 4 of ''Series/{{Class}}'', April [[spoiler: uses the Shadow King's power]] to cure her mother's paralysis. This is short-lived and not much time is spent exploring it, possibly due to the difficulty of filming the scenes with an actress [[DisabledCharacterDisabledActor who really is in a wheelchair]].

* In DC's ComicBook/{{New 52}} reboot, Barbara Gordon returned to the role of ComicBook/{{Batgirl| 2011}} after decades as the paraplegic ComicBook/{{Oracle}}. In-universe, it's been {{retconned}} that she was only paralyzed for three years (of ComicBookTime), and she and her family found some "miracle" doctors in Africa who healed her via a surgical implant that allowed her to walk. The cavalier glossing over of the lengthy recovery process that this would logically require did ''not'' please the fanbase, and [[AuthorsSavingThrow it was hastily revealed]] that she hasn't thrown off the psychological effects, getting nasty flashbacks every time she sees a wheelchair ramp and dealing with a good deal of SurvivorGuilt. Several stories have also featured the implant getting damaged, temporarily leaving Barbara unable to walk like before. The Heroes In Crisis crossover also revealed that she attends a type of superhero therapy for the psychological scars.

* Subverted in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles.'' Midway through the twelfth book, ''Changes,'' [[spoiler:Harry breaks his back, paralyzing him from the waist down. He makes a [[DealWithTheDevil Deal With the Queen of Air and Darkness]] to fix himself up and gain a level or two in Badass.]] In the fourteenth book, ''Cold Days,'' [[spoiler:he briefly renounces her terms for the fix and promptly crashes to the floor, revealing that the Winter Mantle didn't heal him, it merely suppressed his injuries.]]