Times where somebody refuses the call in Comic Books.
- 100 Bullets: While initially tempted, Lars Nagel chooses to pass up the leadership opportunity presented to him in favor of his twin sister, even after Vasco and Vermeer urge him to step up. Unfortunately, she doesn't know that and Poor Communication Kills.
- Acts of Vengeance: Not every villain goes along with Loki's plan - Apocalypse and Namor because they don't see themselves as villains, Cobra because he sees himself more as a mercenary, and the Mad Thinker because he doesn't think it will work.
- Astro City: Maddie Sullivan is a telekinetic who prefers to work in in the entertainment industry, using her powers to manipulate models and aid in stunt work. She networks with other super-powered normals, and they don't take kindly when would-be villains try to recruit them into their schemes.
- The Authority: In the Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of The Authority mini-series, Jeroen Thornedike's refusal to be the next Doctor is why all the past Doctors think he's perfect for the job. It eventually culminates in Jenny Sparks having to shoot herself in the temple and be revived just for him to answer the Call.
- Avengers vs. X-Men: Inverted. Hope accidentally Missed the Call when she panics at the initial bonding of the Phoenix Force, leading to Iron Man accidentally breaking the Phoenix Force and empowering five X-Men with it. Near the end of the story, Hope confronts one of the last remaining X-Men with it, Cyclops, and tells him she's ready. Instead, Cyclops turns her down, telling her that she had her chance and she blew it. It was his turn now.
- Blaze of Glory: Two-Gun Kid tries to claim he's out of the vigilante life, but quickly gets out of retirement after confronting Clay Riley.
- Dark Crisis: With the Justice League presumed dead, the Jon Kent Superman decides to create a new team knowing the Earth needs protectors. However, most refuse his offer, mostly either because they're busy protecting their homes or refuse to suffer the same fate as the others, leading to Jon effectively building a Ragtag Band of Misfits.
- Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch, the second Ghost Rider, develops this relationship with the Spirit of Vengeance. He doesn't like being the Ghost Rider and will generally only do it when the alternative is far worse.
- Green Lantern: Before Kyle Rayner was chosen as the new Green Lantern after the Corps destruction by Parallax, Ganthet actually came to Guy Gardner first with the new power ring. Gardner had been passed over before as Earth's Green Lantern and he now had a chance to be the Green Lantern. But he refused, still angry at the Corps for originally rejecting him.
- Iron Man: After discovering that he has a brother (a biological one at that), younger brother Tony Stark offered an armor to Arno Stark, but was turned down. He later shows up with brand-spanking new, tank-like Mk. MMXX (that's 2020), saying that he wanted an armor; he just didn't want Tony to make it.
- Nodwick: This
strip really says it all. Yeagar is prone to this sort of behaviour if there's no profit (or attractive ladies) involved. - Spider-Man:
- Many media incarnations center around this trope as part of his origin, and a reason why he embraces the "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" trope. Simply put, he gets asked to stop a thief and literally refuses the call; his uncle is killed by that same thief later.
- He quits a number of times as an ongoing refusal of the Call, only to find out that the Call has unlimited minutes. He's often made to remember why he got the call.
- Star Trek (IDW): Both Red Squad (first seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Section 31 attempt to recruit Sulu to their ranks. He refuses both offers, citing that Red Squad is everything Starfleet fights against (despite their claims that they can destroy his career) and that he's not interested in Section 31's espionage tactics.
- Superman: In Kryptonite Nevermore, Superman loses most of his power and wants to quit being Superman because he is sick and tired of being alone, being burdened with responsibilities and being judged and derided every time he makes one mistake. However a friend talks him out of it.I-Ching: Your attitude is understandable! But I beg you to reconsider... one does not choose responsibility! It is often thrust upon one! To refuse it is to commit the worst act of cowardice! Look around you... See a world burdened with misery... with untold agonies — a world which has need of you — as you were!
- Thunderstrike: Loki is up to his usual tricks, and the situation escalates to the point where Thunderstrike, War Machine, She-Hulk, and Ant-Man (Scott Lang) end up banding together to stop him. The issue was a Whole-Plot Reference to the first issue of The Avengers, with each of the heroes standing in for one of the original members (War Machine for Iron Man, She-Hulk for The Hulk, Thunderstrike for Thor, and Scott Lang for the original Ant-Man), and even ended with Ant-Man suggesting that they could stay together and form a new team of heroes. However, they humorously said no and went their separate ways.
- Ultimate Marvel:
- Ultimate Spider-Man has Peter Parker mimicking his mainstream counterpart and the results thereof. The second Spider-Man, Miles Morales, refused to do anything with his powers; when Peter died, Miles figured that if he'd embraced his powers earlier, he might have brought aid to New York's hero, since their powers were connected. He decides to make up for it by filling the gap Peter left.
- Ultimate Origins: Nick Fury may have the super soldier serum in his veins, but he's not Captain America, and will never be. He thinks that Captain America is meant to be an icon, a symbol of the best American virtues, and he does not consider himself worthy of any of that.
- Ultimate Wolverine: Jimmy's blood has the traces of the original Mothervine, and may help to remake the mutant race. Jimmy wants nothing to do with that.
- Venom: In Venom (2021) #18, Eddie is brought before the Enlightenment, his final incarnation at the end of time, who tells him it is his destiny to be the King in Black. Eddie feels he's not up to the task, and tells Enlightenment that it should go to someone else. They just reply with "Knull said the same thing". Eddie doesn't have a choice, having already started down the path that leads to becoming Enlightenment, nothing he does will prevent it.
- War of Kings: After the event killed off Queen Lilandra, Gladiator refused to take the throne until the threat of civil war forced him to do so. Given that the Shi'ar empire was in ruins, and had just come out of a brutal war with the Kree, you can't really blame him.
- Watchmen: A major character arc for Silk Spectre and Nite Owl. Laurie Jupiter (Spectre) always felt pushed into being a crime-fighting heroine by her mother and is glad for an excuse to give up the role when the Keene Act is passed. Dan Dreiburg (Nite Owl) is less happy, but accepts that the days of masked vigilantes are over. Over the course of events however they remember just how good it was to fight bad guys and rescue people, and by the end have joined up to become a Battle Couple.
- W.I.T.C.H.:
- In Issue 50, the Oracle shows the Guardians an Alternate Universe where Will rejected the Heart of Kandrakar when Yan Lin offered it (something that really freaked out the girls). Inverted later on in that world as that Heart is very persistent...
- Cornelia refused her powers at first, believing it a prank from Yan Lin and only accepting after accidentally using her powers (proving it wasn't a prank) and realizing that her best friend Elyon was in trouble. Later in the series Cornelia is the only one happy when they get temporarily Depowered at the start of the New Power arc (and is downright pissed when the titular power-up shows up, even getting an Oh, Crap! face when she sees the incoming power), staying in only out of her sense of responsibility, and in the final story arc she's the one who wants to quit instead than facing the tasks to stay Guardians and acquire another power up.
- X-Men: Sunfire was originally part of the famed All-New, All-Different X-Men, but quit the team after just one issue. A major part of the later Uncanny Avengers series involves Wolverine getting Sunfire to join The Avengers in order to finally live up to his potential.
- Young Avengers: To the Skrulls, Hulkling is the prophesied savior destined to unite the fragmented Skrull Empire and end their war with the Kree. However, he repeatedly refuses to take up this destiny, as he was raised on Earth. He finally gives in Empyre, being swayed by the need to save the universe from a bigger-picture threat, the Cotati.
- Wonder Girl: While Cassie Sandsmark originally greatly wanted to be a superhero when Zeus tried to make her the guardian of the realm prior to Young Justice (2019) she turned him down due to being sick of others trying to control her and tell her what she should be. Her wishes on the matter end up inconsequential as the call knows where she lives.
