Basic Trope: The darkest and edgiest point in a work.
- Straight: Bob and his Five-Man Band are battling against enormous numbers of Mooks, waiting for death or rescue by The Cavalry, which are tied up in a battle against Emperor Evulz and his personal guard.
- Exaggerated: Evulz's plan has already succeeded; most of the population is enslaved, and such a stranglehold is in effect that La Résistance is struggling to get off the ground. Many people are killed, including Bob and his Five-Man Band.
- Downplayed: Evulz provides Bob and his Five-Man Band with the toughest fight of the entire adventure. For a few moments after the activation of Evulz's secret weapon, he appears to be unstoppable.
- Justified: Evulz must prove he is a credible threat at some point — likewise, Bob and his Five-Man Band will have appropriate character flaws or weaknesses that may be taken advantage of.
- Inverted: Evulz has gone into hiding with his mooks. Everyone is getting along and no heroics are needed for a while. This isn't the end of the work, however, so much as a breather amidst the action. In other words, the Brightest Hour.
- Subverted:
- Evulz and the Cavalry stalemate as Bob and his Five-Man Band whittle down the mooks. At this rate, the heroes will be able to win their fight, join with the Cavalry and take out the Big Bad for an easy victory.
- The turning point does not arrive. Turns out that the work is a tragedy instead, resulting Bob and his team dying and Emperor Evulz winning the war.
- Double Subverted: Unfortunately, Evulz has an infinite power source that enables them to keep going, while The Cavalry tire out and begin to get picked off one by one. Bob and his Five-Man Band are not set to offer any help — if anything, they have only managed to kill the most basic mooks while the more powerful ones continue to attack them.
- Parodied: ???
- Zig-Zagged: Mood Whiplash
- Averted: At no time during the work are Bob and his Five-Man Band in especially dire circumstances.
- Enforced: Rule of Drama
- Lampshaded: "We've never been in such a hard battle! How will we get out of this one?"
- Invoked: Evulz has been a strategic mastermind, and has decided to go all out, particularly during the time when the Heroes need to heal.
- Exploited:
- With Bob and his Five-Man Band at their most vulnerable, Evulz puts into effect the last step of their plan, resulting in a victory for him.
- With not much left to lose, Bob and his Five-Man Band begin to bust out their full arsenals.
- The Rival of Bob, Clay, having been mistreated by Evulz for so long, betrays Evulz by being the Big Damn Hero to save Bob and the Five-Man Band's cakes, thus improving their relationship.
- Defied: "This is not the darkest hour. It is not even a bad thing. It may superficially look bad, but it is really a blessing in disguise. We can win this!"
- Discussed: "I think it might actually be over for us..."
- Conversed: "Are they actually going to die?"
- Played for Laughs: The Five-Man Band's darkest hour is Bob losing the TV remote under the couch.
Back to Darkest Hour
