Berserk Button/Comic Books: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
When a nice, normal character suddenly goes into a rage, you've hit his [[Berserk Button]].
* Even [[Superman]] has his berserk button, often accompanied by a [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]], best exemplified in ''[[Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?]]'':
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'''Lightning Lord:''' AAAAA! He burned me! He ''burned'' me!
'''Saturn Queen:''' ''[[Oh Crap|(scared)]]'' His mind... He isn't bluffing... He's prepared to ''kill''! }}
{{quote|'''Mongul:''' Happy birthday, Kryptonian. I give you... oblivion.
'''Superman:''' Burn. }}
* ''[[Gotham Central]]'' reveals what might actually be Two-Face's only Berserk Button. Most things he does, even his most heinous of crimes, are only done after he flips his trusty coin. It is not personal, just the law of averages, chaos and chance. Except for one thing: Do not look at [[The Question|Renee Montoya]]. Seriously. No, I'm completely serious, do not even '''''look''''' at her, Two-Face will blow off your damn head for '''''glancing''''' at her. He will take out his gun and ''shove it down your throat''...and then he will tell Renee about how he has prepared her steak dinner (He's wacky like that). But seriously, ''don't look at her.''
** However, it's probably true that Harvey Dent had one other 'Berserk Button', which got hit with the acid and prompting his turn to Two-Face to begin with. Whether that berserk button was his commitment to justice, latent schizophrenia or just an investment in his own good looks depends on the interpretation.
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** And let's not forget what happened when some jackass mob dude, [[Ax Crazy|Nicky Cavella]], aka. Mr. [[Too Dumb to Live]], dug up the remains of Frank's murdered family and urinated on them on them, successfully [[Incredibly Lame Pun|pissing]] the Punisher off. [[Unstoppable Rage]] doesn't even ''begin'' to describe Frank's response. Lampshaded by a customer in a diner (that Frank is also at, unknown to him) who sees the news report:
{{quote|'''Customer:''' [[The Punisher|That guy]] is gonna go fucking ''berserk.'' ''[next panel shows Frank sitting alone, staring at the TV screen, with a murderous look in his eye]''}}
** In "The Long Dark Night," Barracuda {{spoiler|kidnaps the daughter Frank had with O'Brien.}} Frank proceeds to {{spoiler|clip a car battery to Barracuda's testicles and shock him for an ''hour straight.''}}
*** Actually, that's what happened when he got the upper hand on him. When Frank first realizes that he {{spoiler|has a daughter and that Barracuda is going to torture her to death}}, he blacks out. Frank has to piece the subsequent events back together by examining his injuries while in the hospital. Barracuda didn't come out much better.
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* An [[Archie Comics]] story titled "By Hook or Crook" has Jughead visiting the Chocolate Shoppe when a pair of burglars are robbing it. He initially cowers alongside Pop Tate when the robbers take the money, a painting, and the silverware; but when they're about to take all the hamburger meat in Pop's freezer, that's when he starts throwing punches and taking them down.
** A more well-known example from the same comics would be Moose on ''anyone'' (usually Reggie) who tries to flirt with his girl Midge.
* In ''[[Knights of the Dinner Table]]'', no-one should ever touch Bob's dice, as Nitro, an ex-Marine, discovered to his everlasting humiliation.
** Don't make sexist remarks to Sara (though she usually just grabs the offender by the collar and gives them a chance to recant).
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** He also has a ''very'' dim view of bad things happening to children, as the Sewer King [[Papa Wolf|found out the hard way]].
{{quote|'''Batman:''' I don't pass sentence. That's for the courts to decide. But this time, '''this time''', I am ''sorely'' tempted to do the job myself.}}
{{quote|'''Batman:''' (To Joker) I'll break you in two.}}
{{quote|'''Batman:''' Everything I've done in the past three nights, I've been doing for the wrong little boy.}}
* Don't call ''[[Barb Wire]]'' "babe."
* Hunter Rose and Argent were essentially ''each other's'' Berserk Buttons in ''[[Grendel]]''. Virtually everything and anything either one said or did to the other would set him off.
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** Also, trying to ask about the identity of her son's father will likely get food dumped on your head, as Tony Stark found out. Whatever reason she has to keep it a secret, she is keeping it.
** The recent ''New Avengers'' issue added one more for [[Spider Woman]]: Subject her into mind control or anything like that and she'll gladly put her hand inside your mouth and BLAST it from the inside. In fact, this pissed her off so much that if it wasn't for [[Spider-Man]] stopping her, she would've killed her mind controller.
* Ragdoll of the [[Secret Six
▲* [[Secret Six|Ragdoll]] is hardly a nice guy, but when teamed with killers like Bane and Deadshot, he seems less dangerous and certainly [[Cloudcuckoolander|less focused.]] However, if you threaten Black Alice, he will [[Let's Get Dangerous|kill you]] [[Nightmare Fuel|painfully.]]
** Speaking of the Secret Six, don't bring up Scandal Savage's [[Vandal Savage|dad]] or do anything to remind her of [[Complete Monster|him]]. ''Just don't do it''. You'll be ''very'' lucky to still be in one piece if you make him enter her mind. Actually, that's probably the easiest way to piss Scandal off, given that she is definitely the most [[Ax Crazy]] of the team and has a ridiculously short fuse, not to mention being batshit insane.
** And speaking of Scandal, don't hurt her or even threaten her in front of Bane. Remember what he did to [[Knightfall|good 'ol Bats?]] He'll do that to you. Seriously, don't fuck with Scandal in front of Bane.
** Finally, do not threaten [[Papa Wolf|Catman's]] son. DO. NOT. DO. IT. While the rest of the team will either shoot you, slice you up, cave your head in, or rip you apart if you piss them off, Catman will make it slow. '''''VERY''''' slow. If you're lucky, you'll escape with either [[Eye Scream|part of your face missing]] or four new assholes. You probably won't be lucky, however.
* [[Captain America (comics)|Steve Rogers]] is [[Nice Guy|a wonderful human being]]. He's generous, forgiving, selfless, friendly, kind, and [[Adorkable|actually kind of awkward and dorky]] at times when he's with [[True Companions|his]] [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|family]]. However, he does have a few Berserk Buttons, and God help you if you press them.
** [[Those Wacky Nazis|Nazis]] in general. [[Red Skull]] in particular.
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** Do NOT harm innocents around the Rogues. Especially not if you're part of the team, as Captain Cold will not hesitate to kill you regardless of how loyal you've been to the Rogues.
* Bats in ''[[Mouse Guard]]'' will absolutely ''flip out'' if it's suggested they aren't trustworthy. According to their own version of history, they were rejected by both sides in the war between land animals and birds due to be considered untrustworthy for no better reason than their appearance, and the fact that others continue to distrust them is an ''extreme'' racial sore spot.
* [[Star Wars|Boba Fett]] is the consummate professional: he never makes jobs personal and never allows emotions to enter the mix. Jodo Kast crossed the line by impersonating him and cashing in on his rep, but even then Fett was cold and professional about taking him out. However, when he finally incapacitated the upstart and removed his helmet during the events of ''Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction'', he utterly lost his cool. Why? Because Kast was ''no one.'' He wasn't anyone Fett recognized and he definitely wasn't a Mandalorian--he didn't deserve the armor, he hadn't earned the right to wear it...he just used it because he thought it looked cool. It was a disgusting insult to Fett's heritage, and one of the only times in his adult life where he showed anger.▼
* This dialogue between [[Spider-Man]] and two cops in one story reveals what [[X-Men|The Juggernaut's]] Berserk Button is:
▲* [[Star Wars|Boba Fett]] is the consummate professional: he never makes jobs personal and never allows emotions to enter the mix. Jodo Kast crossed the line by impersonating him and cashing in on his rep, but even then Fett was cold and professional about taking him out. However, when he finally incapacitated the upstart and removed his helmet, he utterly lost his cool. Why? Because Kast was ''no one.'' He wasn't anyone Fett recognized and he definitely wasn't a Mandalorian--he didn't deserve the armor, he hadn't earned the right to wear it...he just used it because he thought it looked cool. It was a disgusting insult to Fett's heritage, and one of the only times in his adult life where he showed anger.
{{quote|'''First cop:''' Spider-Man?? ''You're'' the "big bad guy"?
'''Spidey:''' Uh... You must mean the guy behind me!
'''Second cop:''' Move it, fella, before we run you in!
'''Spidey:''' Okay, but whatever you do, ''don't'' call him stupid!
''(Cops turn around as Spidey webs off.)''
'''First cop:''' Don't call ''who'' stupid?
'''Juggernaut''' ''(from off-panel)'': '''Who you callin' "stupid"?'''
'''Second cop:''' [[This Is Gonna Suck| Oh, cripes]]...}}
* Most [[X-Men]] fans know that [[Storm]]'s [[Weaksauce Weakness]] is [[Claustrophobia]], and a lot of villains know it too. ''But'' any villain who tries to take advantage of this (by say, locking her in a closet or cramped cell) had best make certain the restraints are capable of holding a [[Physical Goddess]] ''and'' have a reliable escape route, because the rage and raw power she has been shown to use on anyone who tries it is comparable to that of [[Dark Phoenix Saga|the Dark Phoenix]], and that is [[Not Hyperbole]].
* ''[[Ghost Rider]]'' villain Lucifer; ''do not'' call him "Mehpisto", got it? "Satan" and "Prince of Darkness" are both okay, but he is ''not'' Mephisto, that is someone else entirely and they are not even distantly related.
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