City of Weirdos: Difference between revisions

** It didn't start with Stan, though. The "just a publicity stunt" trope, almost exactly like Stan used it, turns up in a 1942 ''[[Wonder Woman]]'' story.

** This exchange from [[Fantastic Four]] describes the Marvel New York perfectly:

'''Bystander:''' Uh...I'm new.<br />

'''Thing:''' Ah. }}

** In [[Doctor Strange]] stories, Doc can wander the streets of New York openly, in costume, because everyone takes him for a harmless quack. But when things get out of hand, characters will comment that they need to stop the [magical whatsit] soon, because even Greenwich Village is going to notice the [flaming headed monster/enormous dragon/giant rabbit].

** During Walter Simonson's run on ''[[The Mighty Thor]]'', there was a story arc where the hosts of Asgard were trapped on Earth for a few weeks, and spent the time hanging out in New York City.

** In an issue of ''[[Runaways]]'', the kids are meeting with the Kingpin at an upscale restaurant, and notice a green-skinned woman eating scampi off-panel. They instantly think she's [[She Hulk]] until Kingpin says otherwise.

'''Kingpin:''' This is New York. }}

* There was a ''[[Flash]]'' comic book where he was transported into 'our' universe, but no one really noticed except for a [[Fan Boy]] and his mom.

* ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]] II'' had a scene where J can't clear a subway car ''he just crashed into through the end window of'' because of this trope. They look up for a moment to see what it was, then go back to what they were doing.

** To be fair they do get moving when a giant worm starts eating the car...

* In ''[[The Matrix]]'', every place inside the Matrix system is inhabited by [[AI Is a Crapshoot|strange programmed-people]]. Beware, they might have [[Oh Crap|sunglasses]].

* ''[[Jumper (novel)|Jumper]]''. During the jumper duel, nobody really notices the two men that appeared out of nowhere, and are wrestling in the street.

* The "[[Superhero|superheroes]]" in the film ''[[Mystery Men]]'' are [[City of Adventure|ubiquitous]] and are [[Dude, Where's My Respect?|not taken seriously by the public]], but a [[Self Deprecating Humor|geeky subculture]] of superhero-wannabes exist.

* In the 1990 film adaptation of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', Raphael runs into a stopped cab and rolls over the hood.

'''Cab Driver:''' "Looked like sort of [[Weirdness Censor|a big turtle in a trench coat]]. You're going to LaGuardia, right?" }}

** In the second film, during Tokka and Rahzar's rampage.

'''Wife:''' [[Somebody Else's Problem|Let them get their own cab.]] }}

* The Disney comedy ''[[Jungle 2 Jungle]]'' (a remake of the French film ''Un indien dans la ville'') has a Wall Street stockbroker (Tim Allen) learn that his ex-wife and a son he never knew he had have been living in Venezuela with an Amazonian Indian tribe - and when he gets there, he learns that the boy's name is Mimi-Siku (Indian for "cat pee") and that he wears a loincloth, uses a blowgun to hunt, and speaks [[You No Take Candle|broken English]]. Upon arriving back in New York with his son, the stockbroker meets up with his colleague (Martin Short) in the airport - and the colleague at first does not notice the long-haired white boy in a loincloth standing next to his friend. Determined to get the colleague's attention, Mimi-Siku leaps over the railing of the moving walkway (unseen by either his father or the colleague), slips up behind the colleague, and grabs his arm. The colleague finally notices Mimi-Siku, but still doesn't seem to understand: he assumes that the kid is an environmental activist in costume, collecting donations to save the rain forest.

* The citizens of Gotham City were pretty blasé in the old [[Batman (TV series)|Adam West ''Batman'']] series. The Batmobile could screech to a halt in front of city hall and the caped crusaders dash up the steps in their colorful costumes without so much as a second glance from passersby. Even looking out a window and finding Batman and Robin walking up the side of your building was treated as routine.

* Referenced in ''[[Charmed]]'' when a knight from the Middle Ages is accidentally transported to the present day:

'''Piper:''' It's [[San Francisco]]. Nobody'll notice. }}

** Which just makes it all the more annoying when in EVERY OTHER EPISODE any vaguely unusual activity in public is treated as a serious risk to the facade, and that normal civilians will instantly suspect magic.

* Noel Edmonds' House Party sometime in the 90's did a transatlantic O/B to William Shatner standing on a New York corner playing a Hot Dog vendor. A truck driver rolled up in the middle of the segment and ordered a Hot Dog. "I'm doing a TV thing here!" "Yeah, can I have mustard on that" "Don't you know who I am?" "Yeah I know who you are. And onions."

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' references it in "The Fires of Pompeii". Donna's worried about whether her modern clothing will attract attention in what they initially think is the city of Rome, but the Doctor dispells her fear:

'''The Doctor:''' Nah. Ancient Rome? Anything goes. It's like Soho, but bigger. }}

 

* While not a large city, [[The Simpsons|Springfield]] definitely applies.

* In ''[[Freakazoid]],'' the creepy, giggling Weylon Jeepers and [[Eldritch Abomination|Vorn the Unspeakable]] are able to blend in perfectly in Venice Beach.

'''Freakazoid:''' Good point. Am I overdressed? }}

* In the [[Classic Disney Short]] ''Society Lion'', a lion is dropped in the middle of a big city (obviously New York, but never mentioned by name). No matter how loudly he roars, the citizens fail to notice him, even mistaking him for one of their own. A tailor even makes him a suit, and ''that'' is when everyone recognizes him as a wild animal and run away screaming.

** Similarly, the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987|original Turtles cartoon]] took place in a city where giant humanoid turtles fighting an army of mooks, flying around town in a giant blimp, and regularly appearing on the local television news doesn't warrant much comment or outrage from the locals.

** This quoate from the first series should sum it up well;

"Ahh, whaddya expect in this crazy town?" }}

* In the classic WB short, ''The Bear That Wasn't'', everyone in the company refuses to acknowledge that the titular Bear is anything but "a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat" to the point that he actually ''goes along with it for a while.''