The Collector: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

One of the characters runs afoul of [[The Collector of the Strange]], who decides to add them to his collection. Usually this is seen in [[Speculative Fiction]]: the collector is an alien, often of the [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|sufficiently advanced]] variety, and the collection is only revealed at the end in a [[Twist Ending]]. But he could just as easily be a slaver or an obsessed lunatic in a present or past setting. He's prone to saying "[[It Must Be Mine]]" and "[[If I Can't Have You]], no one can!"

 

 

A variation sometimes seen in children's shows has the collector stealing the character's unusual/unique pet. Vulnerable to [[Interrogation by Vandalism]]. If they have somewhat altruistic motives, their "collection" will be a comfortable [[Fantastic Nature Reserve]]. Of course, it may just be a [[Gilded Cage]]... Compare [[Living Doll Collector]].

 

Not to be confused with the [[This Is Your Premise on Drugs|bizarre as hell]] [[The Collector (film)|gorn movie]] released in 2009, or the [[The Collector (TV series)|2004-2006 Canadian TV series]], or the 1963 [[Stalker with a Crush]] [[The Collector (novel)|novel]] by John Fowles or the film based on it starring Terence Stamp.

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{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Maburaho]]'' has a collector as a full-time character after her introduction. Her stated goal is to make a certain ghost a part of her collection.

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' has a minor character named Giese Hunt, a self-stylized Duel Spirit hunter after Johan's prized (and - until Episode 130, nonexistent) ''Rainbow Dragon'' Duel Spirit to add to his collection of trophies, even capturing his ''Sapphire Pegasus'' Duel Spirit as bait. Not surprisingly, this fixation stemmed from a childhood trauma where ''he'' was the victim of Duel Spirit theft.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Kate ran into one of these in ''[[Hellboy]]'' while trying to find an alchemical guide that would let them rebuild Roger the Homunculus. He would only give it to them if Abe became his prisoner. Kate ended up freeing the demon The Collector had enslaved and it killed him.

* One issue of Archie's ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' comic had the main cast kidnapped by Car-Heem, an alien collector from the planet Weet ([[Stealth Pun|"Car-Heem of Weet"...get it?]]).

 

== Film ==

** ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]'', "A Zoo Out There" features the Chlorms, who regard every other species as "lesser beings", kidnapping members of the Galactic Senate (and eventually Team Lightyear) to put in their zoo.

* Done in the ''xxxHolic'' film, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when Yuuko gets an invitation stating that her 'collection' is not complete. She brings Watanuki and Doumeki along with her into a mansion where there are several other collectors that collect rare things. It later turns out that the person that invited them there {{spoiler|is a collector that collects collectors who collect unusual things. He keeps both their souls and their collections in individual rooms. He started because someone who was close to him collected something, and asked him to start a collection too.}}

 

== Literature ==

* The likely [[Trope Namer]] is John Fowles' 1963 novel ''[[The Collector (novel)|The Collector]]'', which features a psychologically unstable butterfly collector 'collecting' a young woman he has seen around town, and keeping her in his cellar. It was also adapted into a film.

** It's more of a [[Stalker with a Crush]] kind of situation.

* In the [[Nightside]] novels by [[Simon R. Green]] there is a character who is called "The Collector." He has unique items from the past, the future, and alternate time-lines. He is also fairly paranoid about other collectors stealing from his collection. He once went so far as to store his collection ''on the Moon.'' Didn't stop [[First-Person Smartass|John]] [[Half-Human Hybrid|Taylor]] from accessing it, though.

 

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' has a variation on this in "The Space Museum".

** It also turns up in the [[Expanded Universe]] novel "The Last Dodo" {{spoiler|featuring a museum dedicated to endangered species throughout the universe with a curator ''quite'' interested in a certain [[Last of His Kind]] Time Lord}}.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* The vampire Luthor Harkon in warhammer fantasy battles collects dead sailors (as zombie pirates in his fleet) and [[Mayincatec]] artefacts in a hope to get his magical powers back and is also utterly insane.

* In the Dungeons & Dragons mythos, some Beholders collect [[Taken for Granite|statues of interesting-looking characters]] to decorate their lairs.

 

== Video Games ==

* Admiral ZEX, in ''[[Star Control]] II''.

* The entire plot of ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' revolves around fighting an enemy known as the "Collectors," who are named for their tendency to "collect" samples of unusual and unique biological specimens for genetic experiments. They are abducting human colonies, are actually working with the true villains of the series, [[Eldritch Abomination|the Reapers]], and are {{spoiler|repurposed Protheans from the last time the Reapers invaded}}. In the end {{spoiler|Shepard's own crew is abducted, and the final part of his/her mission is a rescue op to bring them back. Unlike many of the other examples on this page, their goal is not to display their victims, but to ''dissolve them into their genetic components'' and build a new Reaper from human goo.}}

* Conroy Bumpus in ''[[Sam and Max Hit The Road]]'' does a [[Villain Song]] about being one of these.

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Mucha Lucha]]'', "The Collector" features an alien trying to collect masked wrestlers.

* In the ''[[Superman: The Animated Series|Superman]]'' animated series, the two-parter "The Main Man" featured both Superman, the [[Last of His Kind|last surviving]] Kryptonian, and Lobo, the last surviving Czarnian, being captured by an alien called The Preserver.

* Spoofed in the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," where a [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]] is the galaxy's biggest ''[[Star Trek]]'' fan (actually second biggest, after Fry), and kidnaps the cast of the show.

* ''[[Powerpuff Girls]]'', the episode "Collect Her" finds our titular heroines being captured by Lenny Baxter, a comic book geek who has collected every piece of Powerpuff Girls merchandise in existence and, desperate for more, has decided to add the Girls themselves to his collection. He is defeated when some children remove his toys from their original packaging.

* D.N. Amy from ''[[Kim Possible]]'' eventually makes [[Non-Human Sidekick|Rufus]] and Steve Barkin into one giant living cuddlebuddie for her collection.

* One villain from ''[[Bonkers]]'', a toon that collected other toons, was actually called "The Collector". {{spoiler|Only it turns out he wasn't actually a toon. He was a crazy human who ''thought'' he was a toon. He remained in denial even after his mask was torn off, screaming "I'm a toon! I'm a toon!"}}. [[Nightmare Fuel|It was incredibly creepy]].

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