Butterfly of Transformation: Difference between revisions

This trope is the [[Super Trope]] of [[Butterfly of Death and Rebirth]]. Unrelated to the [[Butterfly of Doom]].

== Anime &and Manga ==

* In the ''[[The Inhumans]]'', one of the Inhumans was petitioning to be re-exposed to the Terrigen Mists, because she's hoping for a better genetic draw since she's ugly. She transforms into a butterfly woman.

* In ''[[52]]'', the [[Famous Last Words]] of [[The Question|Vic Sage]] invokes butterfly symbolism. This was addressed to Renee and also foreshadows her transforming into the new Question.

== FilmsFilm ==

* In ''[[The Silence of the Lambs]]'', Jame Gumb keeps butterflies and moths. Since they symbolizes his desire to change {{spoiler|into a woman}}.

* The ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]'' hero gets wrapped in bandages similar to a cocoon, after he discards it, his Chi finally got unblocked and his destiny awaiting. While this was happening, the audience was treated briefly to a butterfly emerging from its cocoon imargy to drive the point home.

* ''[[The Butterfly Effect]]'', the hero tries to change the present by fixing the past.

* ''[[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'', the character of the caterpillar is seen as some sort of symbolic function. An example, at the end of the [[Alice in Wonderland (film)|2010 film]], the titular character has transformed by her Wonderland experiences somewhat, and this is symbolized by the caterpillar (Named Absolem in this adaption), appearing on her shoulders as a butterfly and doing a [[Fly At the Camera Ending]].

* The butterfly motif appears often in the ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]''. In the actual film, it does not amount to anything, but in the original ending, the butterfly represented that {{spoiler| the Dayseekers are not the usual mindless, evil zombies., Butbut rather sentient beings that had transformed into "better" forms than being an old-fashioned human. Though "better" is a [[YMMV]].}}

* In ([[Cinderella (2015 Disney film))|the 2015 live-action ''Cinderella'']], the gown from Cinderella's [[Fairy Godmother]] has butterfly decorations and motifs., Symbolizingsymbolizing the titular character's transformation.

* In ''[[Freckles]]'', by [[Gene Stratton Porter]], Freckles observes in wonder of how a Luna moth came out of the cocconcocoon and feels frustrated at his lack of knowledge of the creature, though he knows it's not a butterfly. This made him to ponder, until it dawns on him that he could find his answers about things.

* In ''[[Discworld/Making Money|Making Money]]'', one of [[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld (Literature)|Discworld]] series, Cosmo Lavish uses a caterpillar's metamorphosis as an example of his own transformation. Pucci, his sister, informs him of what happens to a caterpillar, it dies and the butterfly grows out of its remains.

* The ''[[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]]'' book, "''The Departure,"'' heavily shows the theme of a caterpillar, which will later become a butterfly. It's when Cassie encounters a suprisinglysurprisingly sympathetic [[Puppeteer Parasite| yeerk]], one willing to give up her host body {{spoiler|if only Cassie is willing to spend the rest of her life as a Yeerk...Or as a caterpillar, which was the closest thing at hand.}} This and Cassie's realization that the world isn't as [[Black and White Morality|black and white]] as she thought, signifies change.{{spoiler|This also brings another fact that natural metamorphosis can somehow undo the [[Mode Lock]] of remaining more than two Earth hours, this is something Cassie willingly does to free herself of her host.}}

* In ''[[The Girl Who Chased The Moon]]'', by [[Sarah Addison Allen]], when Emily's wallpaper changedchanges for the first time, it changes to butterflies, which appeared to be trapped and want to escape. She had just learned things about the town that makes it hard for her to stay. Neither her nor the butterflies manages to flee.

* Delenn, from ''[[Babylon 5]]'', uses a butterfly like cocoon to {{spoiler| turn into a half-human, half-minbari}}. While transforming, the security team exploited the trope by telling the treacherous Delenn, that though she became beautiful as she emerges from the cocoon, as though she was a butterfly with wings.

* In an early episode of ''[[Lost]]'', a moth coming out of its cocoon was a metaphor for Charlie weaning himself out of drugs. Locke [[Lampshade Hanging|made this very explicit]].

* In [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s "''What Would You Do?''" episode titletitled "Bridezilla," the bride asks her bridesmaids to wear violet dresses, were she has appended butterfly wings, a symbol of her transformation via marriage.

* In ''[[Doctor Who]]'', the Second Doctor compared his regeneration as a renewal, similar to a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. That's why the ring no longer fits.

{{quote|'''Doctor''':{{quote|I'd like to see a butterfly fit into its chrysalis case after it's spread its wings!}}

'''Polly''': {{quote|Then you did change!}}

'''Doctor''': {{quote|Life depends on change and renewal I've been renewed. It's part of the TARDIS. Without it, I couldn't survive.}}

'''Polly''' to '''Ben''': {{quote|It's a very different Doctor, then.}}

* ''[[Kamen Rider Fourze]]'' does this in [[The Movie]] with Inazuman, who's another [[Shotaro Ishinomori]] creation. First, Saburo Kazeta is a bitter man, who hates "normal humans" due to [[All of the Other Reindeer| them shunning him because of his psychic powers]], which he includes transforming into a larval Sanagiman. Fourze, too, gives him a heart to heart ([[Lampshade Hanging|that explicitallyexplicitly includes a butterfly metaphor]]). This mad Saburo pulling a [[Heel Face Turn]], then at the point Sanagiman "molts" into Inazuman, even having radiant wings to drive the point.

* The [[Marilyn Manson]] album, ''Antichrist Superstar,'' is a story about a child changing into the Anti-Christ, a controversial rock star. The song cycle are broken into three parts all according to an insect's life cycle. Even the album's art depicts him in stylized versions of the three stages, including with a set of wings.

* The [[Ego Likeness]] album, using a [[Tropes Are Flexible| dragonfly]] instead of the usual butterfly, for it'sits album ''Dragonfly''., Whichwhich has a theme about personal rebirth and the cover depicts the eponymous insect.

* The ''Metamorphosis'' album, [[Hillary Duff]] used this as a metaphor for it'sits final page.

* [[Rie Fu]]'s song, "Butterfly," is about personal transformation. The song is in one of the two albums which she released to celebrate her ten years of being a musician. It's official music video shows clips of women holding up signs with advice that they wish they knew when they were young.

* In one of the ''[[Mutts]]'' strips, Mooch just saw a caterpillar go through a metamorphosis, it inspired some thoughts about change, like that someday Earl might become a cat.

* Any groupsGroups relating to [[Transgender]] issues often have butterflies in their logos frequently, and some of the Transgender pride flagflags have a butterfly on them.

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'s' 1st Edition

* In the [[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013 West End musical version)|stage musical of ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'']], Willy Wonka's [[I Am What I Am]] song, "Simply Second Nature," where he explains his inborn need to make beautiful things - Though weird to some. One point, while waving his cane sunddenlysuddenly reveals a butterfly perched on it, this continues in this adaptation's running motif of humble things that contain/conceal great beauty and possibility (This ties in to the [[Central Theme]] of imagination and its' transforming powers).

* In the ''[[Persona]]'' series, Philemon, uses the golden butterfly as his symbols,symbol; he's a god that allows the heroes to tap into their Personas. In later games, according to [[Word of God]], he appears as a blue butterfly, this implies a similar, yet lesser function. Though neither of the characters or any narrator identifies him.

* In ''[[Mega Man X|Mega Man X2]]'', part of Morph Moth's gimmick is this trope. He begins the fight in a cacooncocoon suspended on a thread, after taking in enough damage he, metamorphosizesmetamorphoses into a fully grown robot moth.

* In ''[[Pale Blue]]'', the Cocoon organization uses butterflies as symbolism of their goal, which is to transform humanity from its supposedly ugly "larvae" state into beautiful butterflies through their actions. To drive the point even further, their leader is even named after the Monarch butterfly.

* ''[[BioShock 2]]'', Dr. Lamb's [[The Evils of Free Will| extremely altruistic viewviews]] are symbolized by a blue butterfly, this motif is worn by most of the Rapture family members, and it appears in most of [[Underwater City| Rapture]] as well. Even the graffiti have the butterfly motif and a written message: "WE will be reborn in the cold womb of the ocean. She is our savior" {{spoiler| Turns out to be insanely literal than you think, since Lamb's plan of using her own daughter as a "database" of Rapture's population to create a human completely driven to the group's benefit entirely.}}

* In ''[[Gears of War]]'''s fourth entry, JD Fenix and Kat were talking about how a cocooned butterfly changes just before they go on a raid. {{Spoiler|This foreshadows the Locust Horde's reveal that they were not totally destroyed at the third game's end. But have returned in stronger forms and converting humans into the Swarm through cocoons.}}

* In ''[[Fatal Frame|Fatal Frame II]]'', All God's Village has butterflies everywhere. Since the motif is associated with the twins and referring to the death and rebirth interpretation: {{spoiler|The souls of the sacrificed twins ''literally'' becomes butterflies. When Mayu is released from her "cocoon" of her body by Mio's red, wing-shaped handprints which are left on her throat.}}

* In ''[[Culpa Innata]]'', a revolutionary group uses butterfly symbolism heavily.

* The web comic, ''[[Sinfest]],'': [http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2009-03-31 After seeing a butterfly, to Fuschia it means that people CAN change] (Which she'll have to do to win her love). [http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2011-04-03 Her aspirations][http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2009-03-08 are reveal that][http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2009-02-07 she's fascinated by them.]

* ''[[xkcd]]'''s Transformers parody [https://xkcd.com/1336/ by having them pupate.]

* ''[[Darths and Droids]],'': the Separatist general, [http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0531.html General Grievous gives an explainationexplanation of why he became a cyborg http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0531.html] by saying "The caterpillar sees not its destiny, except by fulfilling it. Only by shedding our previous bodies can we become beautiful butterflies."

* During the end of ''[[Bambi II]]'', Bambi has lost his spots, antlers are starting to grow, and more importantly, his relationship with his father has improved. In some nearby [[Hope Sprouts Eternal| entwined sprouts]], a butterfly lands on it.

* In ''[[Angel's Friends]]'', Dolce uses her [[A Dog Named "Dog"| familiar, named Butterfly]], to transforms into a human and back.

* ''[[Miraculous Ladybug]]'' has a literal example,: [[Big Bad|Hawk Moth]] utilizes this to feed off of people's negative emotions in order to turn them into [[Monster of the Week|Akuma]].

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