Marvel Universe
- The Avengers: In The Avengers (Jonathan Hickman), Doctor Doom isn't his usual prideful hammy self when he embarks on his attempt to foil the Beyonders' attempts to wipe out the multiverse. He's serious, surprisingly humble, and all too aware of the stakes.
- Deadpool: Deadpool, the fourth-wall breaking Wild Card to end all wild cards, has his speech bubbles and thought rectangles shaded yellow, to show that he's the one guy in the entire comicverse who knows he's in the comicverse and is perfectly okay with it. On the rare occasions where his speech bubbles go to the normal white shading, meaning he's taking things seriously, you know it's significant. The plot of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe involves the yellow and white voices getting somehow killed... and the red voice replacing it. Let's just say it doesn't go well for the world. Also anytime you don't see the yellow and white voice boxes, and Deadpool is acting calm, you're going to die horribly, because you did something even Deadpool thinks is monstrous, and he's doing this job pro bono.
- Doctor Strange: In The Death of Doctor Strange, after Stephen Strange is killed, a group of investigators- which include a younger version of Strange- eventually trace the Cloak of Levitation and other personal artifacts of the Sorcerer Supreme to Baron Mordo's castle, which seems to make it clear that Mordo killed Strange. However, when Mordo continues to deny his guilt even when held at magical gunpoint by Ghost Strange and his allies, Strange concedes that Mordo must be innocent because his pride and ego mean he would gleefully admit his role in the deed with his last breath rather than continue denying it under these circumstances.
- Fantastic Four:
- In the arc "True Story", when Reed and Sue Richards' daughter Valeria (who loves bedtime stories) loudly declares that she doesn't want a story before bed, Sue is convinced that this is the work of an enemy. The Fantastic Four soon discover that recurring Doctor Strange villain Nightmare has been attacking the Lands of Fiction, causing people to lose interest in stories.
- In the story arc "The Fall and Rise of the Fantastic Four", Sue goes to retrieve Valeria from Doctor Doom after Valeria pulled a Screw This, I'm Outta Here following learning why her family went on a time-traveling family trip. When Valeria refuses, noting that Doom is starting to actually reform and she wants to finish it, Sue flips out and when Doom steps in, she tears him a new one. Doom ends up sensing the entity Malice within Sue, but she ignores him. It's when Valeria throws herself between the two and outright states that she's scared of Sue that Sue ends up backing down.
- Uatu, The Watcher, whose duty is to observe the known universe (and only to observe). Any moment where he actually intervenes could be considered one of these.
- There is also the moment where he converses with Beast about his time-destroying shenanigans. Uatu, usually impartial, tells Hank that he will not break his vow of non-interference for his sake, not only out of principle, but because Hank simply disgusts him.
- Loki: In the first issue of Loki: Agent of Asgard cases of Thor's increasingly rude and sexist behavior from his own book prompt the All-Mother to sent Loki to investigate. Turns out Thor has been infected and slowly corrupted by an evil entity, namely another, older, Loki
- The Punisher: Archie Meets the Punisher ends with the Punisher sparing the villain in an uncharacteristic display of mercy. He reasons that killing him would utterly destroy Riverdale's innocence, and he isn't willing to go that far.
- Spider-Man: Here's a tip if you're a villain in the Marvel Universe. If Spider-Man is fighting you and is not making wisecracks, puns, and derisive comments about your intelligence, looks, or mama, you're not going to have a good day. While the reason he constantly makes jokes depends on the writer note , at the end of the day, you somehow did something to make Spidey very pissed off at you, and you will notice you are fighting a super-strong Big Creepy Crawly in human form who can bench press buildings and rip apart concrete with his bare hands. And if he's in the black costume, you might as well write your will right then and there.
- In Spider-Man/Deadpool, the deadly antics of Itsy Bitsy drive Spidey so up the wall that he resolves to dump his Thou Shall Not Kill promise and dons the second Superior Spider Man costume to do so. Deadpool follows suit by trying to be the voice of reason.
- Subverted in ''Amazing Spider-Man Annual (2014)''
where Spidey is shown silently staring down a group of villains (The Headmen) who were talking about this very trope just minutes prior. All of them question his uncharacteristic silence — except Ruby Thursday, who just says "Uh-oh". The punch-line is that he actually just has laryngitis. - In The Death of Jean DeWolff, Matt Murdock is talking to an old judge friend of his who he's known as a proud and decent man who shows no fear facing down crooks in his courtroom. When the Sin-Eater shows up, Matt has a split second to take him down even though it might jeopardize his secret identity as Daredevil. Before he can act, his judge friend suddenly falls to his knees and starts begging Sin-Eater for mercy. The sight of this dignified and respected friend turning into a blubbering coward jars Matt so much that he can't act before Sin-Eater pulls the trigger.
- Spider-Man gets his own moment in the storyline when he drops the jokes and straight up beats the Sin-Eater unconscious. Daredevil has to stop him from outright killing the man, and Sin-Eater still winds up with a permanent limp from it.
- In Kraven's Last Hunt, Spider-Man realizes something is decisively wrong when Kraven comes at him with a rifle after capturing him with a net.
- In the Marvel vs. DC crossover, there comes a moment when the universe genuinely looks like it's going to end. The sky is bleeding. Spider-Man turns to J. Jonah Jameson, and says,
Spider-Man: You gonna take one last shot at me before the lights go out?
Jonah: ...For what it's worth, I'm sorry.
Spider-Man: ...Oh. - Ultimate Spider-Man: J. Jonah Jameson once snapped at Peter and fired him after Peter called him on his BS. But, after a thorough chewing-out by Aunt May, he shows up later on and apologizes to Peter for his behavior and goes on to explain calmly and sensibly what his problems are with Spider-Man. And then asks Peter never to have his Aunt call him again.
- X-23: Most times, X-23 is The Stoic. Even while slaughtering mooks by the dozens she does it with complete, emotionless, and automatic detachment. If she's ever visibly angry when she comes after you, however, you better run. Fast.
- It's immediately clear just how badly Murderworld and subsequent torture by Purifiers affected her when Laura throws herself in Teen!Cyclops's arms despite how she Hates Being Touched when Stryker shows her footage of herself in a trigger scent-fueled rage.
