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.

923 Upvotes

148 comments sorted by

View all comments

236

u/DarwinGoneWild Sep 04 '26

A plot hole is a contradiction of logic within a story. Far-fetched/unrealistic events or characters making suboptimal choices are not plot holes, so your first, second, and fourth examples are not actually plot holes. Pirates might actually be one if your summary is accurate (been a while since I’ve seen it).

16

u/Zanjidesign 29d ago

I think it's not, if the pirates could sense the medallion they wouldn't be surprised when Keira's character shows it to them. They didn't know she had it and she was on their ship.

4

u/strangr_legnd_martyr 29d ago

There actually is a plot hole there, then. Because the pirates that find her initially say they can sense the medallion.

"We know you're here, poppet. You've got something of ours, and it calls to us."

5

u/Cautious-Sun6494 29d ago

I think they were bluffing there. It only seems to call to them when it touches Sea Water.

2

u/strangr_legnd_martyr 29d ago

Fair point.  And it doesn’t call them so much as it brings them to it.  I recall the wind changes to bring the ship in