Basic Trope: A scientist performs experiments on themselves.
- Straight: Dr. Bob injects himself with an experimental drug to find out if it cures his disease.
- Exaggerated: Dr. Bob performs surgery on himself and restructures his genetic structure to give himself superhuman abilities.
- Downplayed: Dr. Bob takes a new diet pill along with ten other participants. But only after intense animal testing.
- Justified:
- Dr. Bob is anxious to test his experiment but couldn't find any subjects.
- Dr. Bob's disease is terminal and there are no other available treatments. He figures that even if his experiment kills him, it's better than doing nothing and letting the disease kill him instead. At the very least, the data will help someone else finish what he started.
- Dr. Bob's medicine could be dangerous and he doesn't want to risk anyone else's life but his own.
- Bob considers all forms of testing (whether animal or human) as inhumane.
- Inverted: Dr. Bob was led to believe he was performing "experiments" on himself. It turns out that someone staged the whole thing and Dr. Bob was being watched all along.
- Subverted: Dr. Bob drinks a mysterious potion in his lab, but it turns out to be fruit juice.
- Double Subverted: He then drinks the real stuff.
- Parodied: Dr. Bob performs all sorts of experiments on himself, including but not limited to replacing various body parts with inanimate objects just to see what would happen.
- Zig Zagged: Dr. Bob tests the formula on himself, goes mad, and begins testing variants on other people, only to find that they produce different results, so he goes back and tries a new formula on himself.
- Averted: Dr. Bob follows proper procedure, testing on animals, gathering volunteer test subjects, and never even thinks about testing on himself.
- Enforced:
- The writers needed a scientist to develop super powers.
- The writers needed to show how desperate Dr. Bob's condition is.
- Lampshaded: "I should probably find some other people to experiment on…Or maybe not."
- Invoked: Dr. Bob knows that the experiment will provide excellent results, so insists on trying it on himself first.
- Exploited: The Corrupt Corporate Executive who funds Dr. Bob's research refuses to pay for test subjects knowing that Dr. Bob would use himself if he can't find any.
- Defied: Dr. Bob refuses to experiment on himself, knowing how dangerous it can be.
- Discussed: "You've got a tentacle growing out of your back. Have you been experimenting on yourself again?"
- Conversed: "Dr. Bob is going to get himself killed one of these days."
- Deconstructed:
- Dr. Bob's many experiments have left him in terrible health, as well as discrediting his reputation as a scientist.
- Dr. Bob drinks his newest chemical to see if he can cure his disease. Turns out he made sulfuric acid, and dies instantly.
- Reconstructed: Dr. Bob realizes that his life is in shambles, and performs one final test to see if he can undo his earlier experiments.
- Played For Laughs: Dr. Bob injects himself with a serum, which turns him into a monster, just in time for his important date with Alice. Hilarity Ensues.
- Played For Drama: Dr. Bob injects himself with a serum, which turns him into a monster. Now he must battle with his inner demons or risk destroying everything he's ever loved.
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