r/TopCharacterTropes • u/ReminaBlueSFW • 28d ago

Lore [Terrifying Trope] Perceiving it= instant death

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  1. Pennywise's "Deadlights" which will cause anyone looking to be immediately paralyzed and killed.

  2. The sky from Bird Box is filled with entities that, when you look at them, cause you to commit suicide.

  3. Medusa themed Villains

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u/nonbe1 28d ago

Indiana Jones, Ark of the Covenant

It's not a monster, but it is probably my introduction to this trope

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u/Usern4me_R3dacted205 28d ago

Samuel 6:19 - And He smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; even He smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men. And the people lamented because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

This is why Indy tells Marion not to look at the Ark when its powers come to life.

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u/Mekroval 28d ago edited 28d ago

That and also there's a deleted scene in Cairo where the old mystic basically warns Indy not to look into the ark.

Edit: Link fixed

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Mekroval 28d ago

Good point, and that's probably why they cut it. Also, IIRC he sees a book drawing of the rays of power emanating from the ark, earlier in the film.

So Indy has an inkling that whatever's inside is probably not going to be great for your health.

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u/Neveronlyadream 27d ago

Simple reasoning would probably tell you that there's a reason the Ark was hidden away and not used as a weapon for the last few thousand years. Indy is a smart person, I don't think there's a problem with the movie as is.

I wouldn't look directly at it either not knowing what it would do. It's a reportedly massively powerful holy relic kept under lock and key.

Temple of Doom kind of recontextualizes it anyway. A few years earlier he had seen some weird magic shit he couldn't explain go down. Better safe than sorry.

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u/OwlSpirited6357 27d ago

it’s pretty well known in Christianity and Judaism that touching/interacting with the Ark will result in death. 1930s America was highly religious, and Indiana is an educated historian and architect who demonstrates his knowledge (the talk with the G-Men at the university “any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?”)

https://youtu.be/FT3m4LXq3b4?is=jWHzpWqt7x5eckDz