Basic Trope: A character's cape snags on something, to the detriment of the wearer.
- Straight: When Captain Hero is in a hand-to-hand fight with Lord Destructo, Captain Hero's cape snags on a stray piece of metal on the wall.
- Exaggerated:
- Captain Hero's cape snags constantly during the fight.
- The cape snag is enough to strip Captain Hero to his underwear, or naked.
- Downplayed: Captain Hero's cape snags abruptly, but it doesn't slow him that much.
- Justified: The cape is made of a material that snags easily and all this fighting causes it to billow around.
- Inverted:
- For some reason, capes are the only things that don't snag. Even black leather suits snag, but not long, flowing capes.
- As he is falling off a cliff, Captain Hero's cape snags on a branch, saving his life.
- Subverted: Captain Hero's cape seems it would have a perfect opportunity to snag but it doesn't.
- Double Subverted: Until it has the best time to snag for dramatic tension.
- Parodied:
- Every cape in story snags on something, be it a toilet seat, a revolving door, the panels of the comic book.
- Super Alice suffered massive Clothing Damage in a fight that destroyed all her clothes except her cape. As she tries to escape, her cape snags and hangs her on a wall for onlookers to gawk at and photograph.
- Zig-Zagged: Captain Hero's cape looks like it would snag, but it doesn't ... until it does, but not so much that Captain Hero can't pull it free.
- Averted: Barely anybody wears capes and if they do, they never snag.
- Enforced: "After that movie, there's no way we can have our heroes wear capes!"
- Lampshaded: "I'm sorry, Des, can we hold off for a minute so I can get my cape free?"
- Invoked: "The best place to fight a hero with a cape is somewhere with a lot of places for it to get caught on!"
- Exploited: Both Superheroes and Supervillains pull and catch the capes of anyone who wears them to gain a brief advantage.
- Defied:
- Both heroes and villains refuse to wear capes for various reasons.
- Alternately, capes are made to make sure that they have a very little chance to snag.
- Discussed: "Instead of having some good reason why Lord Destructo has an advantage over Captain Hero, let's get his cape stuck on something."
- Conversed:
- "Why do you wear a cape when it will snag, Captain Hero?" "Well, old chum, it isn't a question of 'when', but 'if'."
- "If their capes keep snagging, why do Supers wear them?" "The real question is: why don't they wear detachable ones?"
- Implied: Captain Hero is seen struggling with his cape as Lord Destructo escapes.
- Deconstructed:
- Seeing how dangerous a cape can be, everyone refuses to wear capes. Capes become synonymous with bad luck.
- A snagged cape, while not inherently fatal, can be at least embarrassing and at worst a hazard. Newer heroes and villains become very hesitant to wear one (they will only wear them to emulate their idols) and many established ones only wear them because it's a part of their established look. Even then they shorten their capes slightly, lest they have their own "Nomad" incident.
- Reconstructed:
- Many Superheroes and Supervillains learn that while everyone can wear capes, it doesn't mean they should. Those who choose to wear capes make detachable capes made of strong materials so when they do snag, they can come off easily.
- Capes become supers' fancy dress. They fight in costumes without capes but wear their costumes with capes in non-combat situations.
- Played for Laughs:
- Both Captain Hero and Lord Destructo's fight scene takes forever as both characters struggle with their unwieldy capes, both of which actively screw with the wearers.
- Alternatively, Captain Hero, being the drunken dolt that he is after a few pints of the Gargle Blaster, runs at Lord Destructo, completely oblivious to the cape that's about to snag on a nearby piece of rebar. It gets caught, and Captain Hero is sent flying up, his momentum being sent upwards, as he accidentally delivers a MASSIVE kick to Lord Destructo, knocking him out, before his cape wraps around the piece of rebar and Hero falls flat on his face, knocking himself out.
- Played for Drama:
- Lord Destructo takes his momentary advantage and kills Captain Hero.
- Lord Destructo meets a terrible end when his cape snags at the wrong time and dies to his own super-weapon. Captian Hero feels personally responsible for not saving his old rival.
- Played For Horror:
- Lord Destructo manages to grab ahold of Captain Hero's cape, and use it as a makeshift garrot, forcibly strangling Captain Hero as his punches progressively gets weaker and weaker until he loses consciousness, and his eyes slowly turn bloodshot as he gags eerily, struggling until his last breath.
- Captain Hero’s cape is caught in machinery and he is slowly sucked in and crushed while screaming in agony.
I can't go back to Cape Snag. Go without me and don't get your cape stuck!
