Shapeshifter Mode Lock: Difference between revisions

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[Slightly Damned]]'': Kieri's "bunny curse" occasionally kicks in by itself and is difficult to revert.

* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', Grace and her brothers could each shapeshift [[Half-Human Hybrid|partially]] or [[Animorphism|fully]] into whatever animal's DNA was thrown in with their human DNA. Since the brothers were a threat [[Heel Face Turn|at the time]], Grace hoped they wouldn't be able to turn back to normal if they were hit with Tedd's transformation gun. They dropped that plan when all it did to Grace was give her new forms she could shapeshift to.

** Which brings us to Vlad, who was in a de facto mode lock as his attempt to turn human nearly killed him; he ended up staying in some sort of mishmash of forms with weird stuff growing from his face. {{spoiler|He's unlocked after Ellen blasts him..and the idea of being kept away from a human form has her now voluntarily staying in her new human form no matter what.}}

* ''[[Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines]]'', not having the secrecy restriction of other ''Transformers'' series, invented excuses for the cast having to adopt and stay in alternate forms. In ''Beast Wars'', it was that all of the robots would be debilitated by energon radiation and that organic-skinned beast modes would protect them (an excuse as good as obsolete by the second season, but by then everyone had vehicle modes that gave them the advantage of speed or flight anyway). (In at least one instance, having serious damage to the robot body prompted the internal system to force a Transformer back into Beast Mode.) ''Beast Machines'' had the Maximals stuck in beast mode until they learned how to use their new techno-organic bodies, and had to use their alternate forms to hide from the ubiquitous wardrones.

** There was also an episode where Megatron has a beam-like device that trapped characters hit with it in Beast Mode. This lost the Maximals a chance to contact Cybertron.

** ''[[The Transformers (animation)|The Transformers]]'' cartoon, specifically the episode "The Autobot Run" had the Transfixatron, a weapon that trapped most of the Autobots in their vehicle modes (all land-based, all unarmed), making them very vulnerable to the Decepticons. Later episodes would imply that Mode Lock could also be the result of heavy damage, and the Headmasters were automatically stuck in vehicle mode anytime their partners (who transformed into their heads) weren't around.

*** Also in "Desertion of the Dinobots", a little bit of Phlebotinum called "Cybertonium", which all Cybertron-created Transformers (i.e.: not the Dinobots) need in order to function correctly, starts decaying, resulting in semi-hilarious malfunctions (Megatron in at one point waving his arms around wildly when trying to fly, Ironhide icing himself up). Jazz is shown as unable to transform from car mode (until Ironhide kicks him), and is later shown stuck part-transformed (robot upper body, still in car mode in lower body). During the episode, Perceptor actually says "Fortunately I am still stuck in microscope mode").

** As a variant, Kevin winds up submitting to Mode Lock after overuse of previously-acquired Omnitrix-fueled transformation—what Vilgax lovingly (sarcasm) calls a "misshapen amalgamation". By the time ''Alien Force'' rolls around, he [[Unexplained Recovery|returned to human form]] in time for his escape from the Null-Void.

*** Seems to have happened to Kevin yet again in ''[[Ben 10: Alien Force|Alien Force]]'', since now he's part concrete, metal, diamond, and other stuff.

* An episode of ''[[The Mask (animation)|The Mask]]: The Animated Series'' featured a gypsy fortune-teller that tricked Stanley into giving her the Mask which she then used to power another magic Mask that gives enormous powers. She then discards the Mask thinking it's now useless and Stanley puts it on... only The Mask is stuck in the form of a sterotypical Scot (complete with kilt). He then gradually obtains the rest of his forms (starting with the most useless ones, as The Mask himself lampshades).

* This is the entire purpose of the Plasmius Maximus in ''[[Danny Phantom]]''. It has been used on both Danny and Vlad, modelocking them into their human forms. Other weapons/containment devices have this as a side effect of sorts.

[[Category:Power At a Price]]

[[Category:Shapeshifting]]