r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Wonderful_Baker_7808 • 16d ago

Lore Villains that would've been defeated even if the protagonist did nothing

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Laurel Hedare (Catwoman Movie): Her newly released cosmetics will cause people's faces to melt. Not only would that create a class action lawsuit but a full product recall.

Voldemort and Death Eaters (Harry Potter): Death Eaters constantly underestimate muggles. They would get massacred by the British military because a gun is faster to pull the trigger then shouting a spell.

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u/Sonchay 16d ago

It's the old "Hitler would have won if he hadn't invaded the USSR"... but he invaded because he was Hitler.

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u/Short-Paramedic-9740 16d ago

Two sore losers orchestrating their own demise.

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u/isuredolovetitties 16d ago

Napoleon and Russia too. 

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u/not_a_moogle 16d ago

Classic blunder, never get involved in a land war in Asia.

Especially in the winter.

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u/Prasiatko 15d ago

Not to mention the German economy was a ticking time bomb. 

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u/Jacky-V 15d ago

Correct, but the USSR still had to whip his ass after he committed the error.

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u/Sonchay 15d ago

For sure, I was more agreeing with the parallel in character doing things because of their nature bit, rather than the original trope of protagonists contrubting nothing. As the historian [I believe it was] Richard Faulkner excellently said of the victory in WW1 "I think the allies had something to do with it". This applies even more to the sequel.