Trainstopping: Difference between revisions

* [[Superman]] loves it, and was probably the [[Trope Maker]]:

** In [[The Movie]], the title character does the "replace the rails with his body" bit to save a train from derailing after an earthquake rips a hole in the tracks.

** The Superman cartoon where he saved a train falling into a canyon when the bridge is dynamited was "Billion Dollar Limited''. It's on [[YouTube]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f44K6VYU67g here]: the scene starts around 6:00.

** In one episode of the original (1973) [[Superfriends]] (I think it was "The Power Pirate"), Superman saves a train rolling backwards down a mountain by using his strength to bring it to a stop.

*** In the opening animation for that series, he's shown stopping a runaway train by grabbing the train's back end and pulling until the train stops. This may be a unique case, but it's a lot safer than the other method.

** In one of their many crossovers in the Animated Series, Batman did a lot of the work to make it possible, but it still took Superman letting the bad guy get away to actually stop the train.

** Trainstopping is, of course, the obvious way for Superman to demonstrate that he's "more powerful than a locomotive."

* In ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]] 2'', Doc Ock rips the brakes out of a train, and leaves Spidey to stop it. He jumps to the front of the train, and gives it three tries: First, he tries brute force via putting his foot down on the tracks. This doesn't work, and hurts like hell. Then he tries firing weblines on either side. The train quickly breaks out. Then he fires a dozen weblines on each side, to spread out the force, which eventually does stop the train, but only after nearly pulling Spidey apart.

* In ''[[Hancock]]'', Hancock saves Ray by stopping a train from hitting his car. Somewhat like the trope picture, Hancock is a [[Flying Brick]] and straight up halts the train rather than slowing it gradually. As a result, he causes the train to derail into a messy pileup that will probably cost hundreds of thousands in damages and cleanup - Ray points out that it would have been much easier to just lift the car off the track.

** Somewhat played with by the directors in that Mr. Incredible visibly cringes in preparation of the incoming slam. It won't kill him, but it is still going to ''hurt''.

* Subverted in ''[[Batman Begins]]''. Batman deliberately intends to cause the train (built by his dad, no less) to crash. He doesn't take the enemy in the train with him when he leaves, apparently killing him.

** On an earlier occasion, he is forced to stop a runaway tram, using the Batmobile. He manages to stop the tram, but also pretty much totals the car.

* ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' : Sinestro destroys a bridge so a train full of gold is forced to hit the brakes. It doesn't stop in time, but Sinestro creates a replacement set of tracks to divert it to a nearby mountain cave where he can rob it blind. Hey, he has a [[Green Lantern Ring|Yellow Lantern Ring.]]

* In a [[Shout-Out|Shout out]] to Spider-Man 2, ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' does this. [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Spectacularly.]]

* ''[[The Iron Giant]]'' has a variation, where the Giant must fix the rails... that he himself broke. {{spoiler|Then he spends so long making sure the fix is perfect that the train ends up crashing into his head.}}

* In his first theatrical cartoon, [[Popeye]] saves Olive Oyl, who is [[Chained to a Railway]], by ''punching out'' the train at the last second.

** Same episode, Más Y Menos have to keep a train from going over a broken bridge. They don't stop the train, but they do pull the switch so it goes onto another (not broken) track.

* Subverted in ''[[X-Men: Evolution]]''. Two trains, one carrying fuel, the other passengers, were diverted onto one set of tracks, heading towards each other. Attempting to save the day, Jean tries to slow down one train. Jean, however, simply isn't that good, so Kitty has to phase one through the other. Kitty likewise isn't that good, so [[Stuff Blowing Up]] ensues.

* [[Transformers Prime|Optimus Prime]] gets to do this when a train carrying a nuclear device is heading towards tracks that were just destroyed. He also did it the right way, taking his time to gradually slow it down.

* In ''[[Iron Man: Armored Adventures]]'', Iron Man does both the push and pull versions in the pilot. He first attempts to stop a four-car train from the front. This particular model has a door on the front, though, so it just collapses under his weight. Then he disconnects the other cars so he can pull the first to a stop. This doesn't work completely, but he slows it down enough to lift it into the air once it flies off the unfinished track.

[[Category:Just for Pun]]

[[Category:Older Than Television]]