Awesome / Sky High (2005)

• Boomer at full power is loud enough to shake the school to its foundation.
  "Stronghold...SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEKICK!!!!"
  • Made more impressive by the fact that the school doesn't really have foundations as such, since it's more of a Floating Continent.
• The Commander and Jetstream taking out Royal Pain's giant robot early in the film. One hit, and the Commander gleefully takes the robot's eye as a prize while waving to the crowd afterwards.
  • Awesomeness diminished because Royal Pain was counting on this so she could use the eye to spy on them.
    • Awesomeness less diminished because Royal Pain would know that the robot would have to put up a believable fight in order to not arouse the suspicions of the Commander and Jetstream (well, mostly Jetstream).
    • Plus, her counting on them taking the eye as a trophy counts as a villainous Batman Gambit.
• Will during "Save the Citizen".
  • After Speed and Lash keep him and Warren from approaching the dummy, he gets annoyed. Will pounds the court; ^note The Ground Pound is actually a Call-Back to a flashback to the Commander's last fight with Royal Pain, implying that Will is already trying, and mastering his dad's signature moves. the resulting shock vibrations knock Speed and Lash off their feet. He proceeds to tie up Lash and knock him out of the game by default. As a reminder: "Hero Support" teaches a sidekick to think about a situation and how best to react.
  • He saves Arch-Nemesis Warren when Speed tries to asphyxiate him, despite A) Warren having been nothing but a nasty jerk for the entire movie up to this point and B) Warren himself telling Will to go after the "citizen". Will then proceeds to wipe the floor with Speed and then throws Warren to save the "citizen" with only seconds to spare.
• When Royal Pain shoots Jetstream with the Pacifier, Mr. Boy drops his food and catches the de-aged Josie before she hits the ground.
• A minor one, but Will confronting Royal Pain before their big fight scene. He sympathizes with her for how she was treated as a sidekick and apologizes for what Commander and Jetstream did to her "mother". It actually works; Gwen hands off the de-aged Commander to Stitches before resuming her monologuing.
  Will: Look, I’m sorry that my parents destroyed your mom. Now put. My dad. Down.
• During Gwen's Wild Teen Party at Will's house, Will confronts Gwen when he learns she made Layla cry and discovers Gwen's true nature, which also doubles as a Tearjerker:
  Will: What did you say to Layla?
  Gwen: Nothing. I just... told her the truth: you're a hero, she's a sidekick. She's holding you back.
  Will: [In disbelief] What? Why would you do that? Layla's been my best friend since first grade.
  Gwen: Well, you've got new friends now. And I think that you need to figure out whether you want to hang with us or with those losers. Come on. Let's go. [Tries to drag Will with her, only for him to pull his arm away]
  Will: [Backing away] No, forget it. I'm not going anywhere with you. Not now or to Homecoming. Might as well just find yourself a new date, Gwen.
  Gwen: You're dumping me? Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's get something straight, okay? YOU DO NOT DUMP ME! Not the night before the dance!
  Will: Sorry, Gwen. I just did. You're dumped.
  • In other words, Will not giving Gwen a lengthy "reason why I love Layla and not you" speech proves that he’s above her. In fact, the expression on Gwen's face afterwards indicated that he told it like it is about her, and she knew exactly what Will was saying about her.
• No matter what, Layla has two beliefs: she only uses her powers in a situation that demands it, like cheering up a friend after a bad day, and never for violent purposes. Layla has ample opportunity to break either of those rules and never does. She's a Badass Pacifist and Technical Pacifist through and through.
• Layla is confronted in the cafeteria by Penny and her multiples. Her eyes spot vines outside the windows, and she runs towards them while on the pretense of retreating. Penny approaches, and hits her in the face. Layla says, "Big mistake." She summons a truckload of vines to tie them up, routing the conflict before it begins. Penny did not know about Layla's powers, declaring "I thought you were a sidekick!" Layla smiles with Tranquil Fury: "I am a sidekick."
  • Just Layla kicking Penny's ass considering Penny mocked her for being a pacifist makes it more badass, and proving she doesn't need to get violent to be dangerous. Talk about Beware the Nice Ones.
• Ron Wilson, Bus Driver, versus Stitches. Guess which one knows how to throw a punch and knock the other out. As he puts it, "Only Ron Wilson, Bus Driver, is authorized to use these buses. And I'm Ron Wilson - Bus Driver!"
• "Surprised? So am I."
• The Hannibal Lecture at the party is a dark one.
• Ethan giving Warren a big help in taking out Speed, and singlehandedly taking Lash out himself, in contrast to his being bullied by them earlier in the film.
  "Sucks for you!"
• When the Commander gives the kids and Ron Wilson the hero award and actually refers to them as heroes. Made even more awesome with the Well Done, Former Sidekick moment right afterward with Mr. Boy: "Oh, and Jonathan - whatever you're teaching these kids, keep teaching them... it."

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