History Main / WeHaveForgottenThePhlebotinum

[[folder:{{Fanfic}}]]

* [[https://derpibooru.org/223318?scope=scpe942cf6dd6c1eeb5f63e21da07340fe88e651fd35 This Friendship Is Magic fan comic]] gives an explanation on why the Mane Cast didn't take Sombra down within 10 seconds of meeting him.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': The villainous main character has a weapon that would easily defeat his opponent. It's just too bad he left it in the invisible car, and then forgot where he parked.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': Al left Genie's lamp in his room to go looking for Jasmine and before he knew it, the EvilChancellor had taken over and sent him to places that 9th-century Arabs didn't even know existed!
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsMagicalMovieNight'': In "Movie Magic", the human Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were the only members of the group who brought the amulets that allow them to use their powers. As a result, catching a thief is made a bit harder. After this incident, the other girls resolve to wear their amulets more often.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': The villainous main character has a weapon that would easily defeat his opponent... but he left it in the car... which is invisible... and he can't remember where he left it.

* The show ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' frequently uses this. You'd think with 2,000 gadgets the main characters have plenty of things to defeat the enemies with, but as it turns out all the useful things are broken and being repaired.

* ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'': Al left Genie's lamp in his room to go looking for Jasmine and before he knew it, the EvilChancellor had taken over and sent him to places that 9th-century Arabs didn't even know existed!

* Film/{{Deadpool}} has lots of guns, as shown in a LockAndLoadMontage, at the ready for when he's ready to kill Francis and save Vanessa... which he forgets in the cab that he takes to the final confrontation.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' - ''Love's Labours Lost in Space'': Bender forgets to replenish the ship's dark matter fuel. [[spoiler: Luckily it turns out their newly aquired TeamPet Nibbler [[SolidGoldPoop excretes it]].]]

* Barely averted in the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "Avenger 2.0". Felger and Sam go to an alien planet to deliver an antivirus that would solve the problem of the week. At the last minute, Felger's assistant Chloe stops him to remind him to actually ''bring'' the CD that the antivirus was on.

* [[https://derpibooru.org/223318?scope=scpe942cf6dd6c1eeb5f63e21da07340fe88e651fd35 This Friendship Is Magic fan comic]] gives an explanation on the Mane Cast didn't take Sombra down within 10 seconds of meeting him.

Not to be confused with ForgottenPhlebotinum, where the characters seem to have forgotten that it even ''exists''. This trope is for times when the characters remember it, but simply don't have it handy.

* The show ''Doraemon'' frequently uses this. You'd think with 2,000 gadgets the main characters have plenty of things to defeat the enemies with, but as it turns out all the useful things are broken and being repaired.

* Happens twice in fairly close proximity in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': The heroes decide that the best way to deal with the immortal Zamasu is to trap him using the Mafuba (Evil Containment Wave) technique, but when they arrive in the future, Goku Black blasts the time machine...with the jar they need still inside because Goku forgot to bring it with him. Future Trunks manages to repair the jar with superglue and uses the Mafuba, but unfortunately for them, Goku ''also'' forgot the PaperTalisman (this time leaving it at Kame House in the main timeline).

* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' Jerin gets into a situation where he is in danger of being raped, but he did't think that would happen, so he left his ChastityDagger behind.

* ''Anime/Doraemon'' frequently uses this. You'd think with 2,000 gadgets the main characters have plenty of things to defeat the enemies with, but as it turns out all the useful things are broken and being repaired.

* Anime/Doraemon frequently uses this. You'd think with 2,000 gadgets the main characters have plenty of things to defeat the enemies with, but as it turns out all the useful things are broken and being repaired.

* In a classic ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode, the Doctor and Sarah Jane are locked in a prison cell, and are trying to open the door.
-->'''Sarah Jane:''' Just use the sonic screwdriver.\\
'''Doctor:''' It's in the TARDIS.\\
'''Sarah Jane:''' (groans)

* Barely averted in the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode ''Avenger 2.0''. Felger and Sam go to an alien planet to deliver an antivirus that would solve the problem of the week. At the last minute, Felger's assistant Chloe stops him to remind him to actually ''bring'' the CD that the antivirus was on.

** Turns into Forgotten Phlebotinum later on in Stargate Atlantis. They discover an Ancient superweapon that destroys Wraith ships but also causes stargates to explode when someone tries to use them. Using the program that shut down the stargate network is never thought of. Instead we blow up the weapon.

* In the MST3K-ridiculed ''TheGiantSpiderInvasion'', two characters drive on a road close to the spider's location. They then radio a helicopter to drop a bomb on the spider when they signal with a flare gun, and start running towards the spider. When they get there, one of the characters says that ''he's forgotten the flare gun''...
-->'''Tom Servo:''' On the way to shoot the flares I forgot them.
-->'''Crow:''' Bold new storytelling - ''forgetting'' to do a simple errand.

[[folder:Film]]
* WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}} has a weapon that would easily defeat his opponent... but he left it in the car... which is invisible... and he can't remember where he left it.

* Jarringly played in ''TheGiantSpiderInvasion'', where the two [[TheProfessor science types]] come up with a machine to ReverseThePolarity and send the spiders back to their home dimension or something, but on the way to use it against the spiders, they realize they forgot it at the lab and have to go back.

* Disney/{{Aladdin}} left Genie's lamp in his room to go looking for Jasmine and before he knew it, the EvilChancellor had taken over and sent him to places that 9th-century Arabs didn't even know existed!

* Disney/{{Aladdin}} left Genie's lamp in his room to go looking for Jasmine and before he knew it, the EvilChancellor had taken over and sent him to places that 9th-century Arabs didn't even knew existed!