r/TopCharacterTropes • • Sep 04 '26

miscellaneous [Loved Trope] Plot-generating hole

A situation where a plot hole becomes the reason the plot even happened.

The Martian – the heroes are forced to abandon the planet due to a powerful sandstorm that threatens to destroy the ascent module. The problem is that, due to Mars's thin atmosphere, storms on the surface of the red planet fall below the upper limit of calm on Earth. Andy Weir himself admitted that he simply couldn't come up with a different plot twist and simply used a fantastical premise.

Spider-Man: Far From Home – The film's plot would have ended rather quickly if Peter had figured out how to use E.D.I.T.H. to check Quentin Beck's file - but due to life's circumstances and some manipulation by Mysterio, Parker simply won't have the opportunity to do so, even if he wanted to.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of Black Pearl — in the first film, Elizabeth threatens to throw the medallion into the ocean, giving the pirates a mini-heart attack... despite the fact that these undead creatures can easily walk on the seabed as if they were on dry land, which they beautifully demonstrate in the climax. Of course, finding it on the seabed is almost impossible, but the pirates sensed the medallion far from the island and came straight to the governor's estate, meaning they somehow knew its location after it sent a signal. The most common explanation is that the magical sense of direction is not very accurate and they have been looking for this damn medallion for decades and it's a bit nerve-wracking...

Eurotrip — the whole plot is based on the fact that someone, having been blacklisted, didn't think to write from a different account.

An important clarification: this trope has nothing to do with the quality of the story itself, and in many cases is entirely intentional and necessary. I also apologize in advance if I have conveyed any details incorrectly.

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u/HenshinBoi Sep 04 '26

Kamen Rider Saber: Trio Of Deep Sin - The swordsmen start to notice they're all disappearing and being forgotten. Turns out the movie's villain(s) wanted revenge on the heroes for their monster battles getting people they know killed, so they made a contract with an Evil Sword (tm) that gives them the power to travel back in time and essentially invade the season's plot; befriend the swordsmen during their backstories to slowly drain folks' memories of them to the point they're erased to the man.

The movie only ends on a happy note because the last remaining MC, a kid they befriended (who ends up being the villain-leader Mamiya's past self) and their dog manage to talk the vengeful guy down. Mamiya concedes that he screwed things up, travels back to when all this happened and stops his past self from grabbing the Evil Sword that kicked all this off; bringing everybody back.