Was Once a Man: Difference between revisions
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[[Our Monsters Are Different|Monsters]] are pretty damn scary. Horrible, bug-eyed, slobbering, and in ''no way'' '''''ever''''' human. Therefore, it's all the more [[Nightmare Fuel|unsettling]] when it's revealed that a monstrous creature (almost never the main character) was once human, but became a monster through some sort of [[The Virus|infection]], [[The Corruption|curse]], sheer [[Evil Makes You Monstrous|personal evil]] or [[Transformation Trauma|transformation]]. And there's no means of changing them back.
Related to [[Body Horror]] and [[Face Monster Turn]], but distinct in that while [[Body Horror]] deals with the fact of the monstrosity itself and usually follows it from beginning to end, '''Was Once a Man''' is where a creature is monstrous when first introduced, but is either implied heavily or later revealed to have once been human. If the transformation involves turning the character into the servant of an enemy, it is also a case of [[Reforged Into a Minion]].
Sometimes the mind is not affected; [[Viral Transformation|only the body is]]. And sometimes [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|the original mind can be reached.]] This does not undermine the horror of it. Indeed, in certain ways, it [[Tragic Monster|makes the horror even]] ''[[And I Must Scream|worse]]''.
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* From ''[[Assassination Classroom]]'', {{spoiler|this ''might'' apply to [[Villain Protagonist]] Koro-sensei. Koro is a weird octopus-like alien who at least ''claims'' to have been born on Earth, but whether that means he was formerly a human or some species of animal (or possibly even some species of plant) is not known.}}
== Comic Books ==
* Invoked in ''[[Strikeforce: Morituri]]'' with the "mutants", four humans who were accidentally turned into super-powered monstrosities when they underwent the Morituri Process without proper supervision.
* In ''[[Camelot 3000]]'', Morgan la Fay keeps an ape-like animal on a leash as a [[Right-Hand Attack Dog]]. At one point, she informs an underling that it was once a man, until [[You Have Failed Me...|he got on her nerves]].
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* ''[[Daredevil]]'' villain Leland Owlsley (aka The Owl) was originally human, but whether he still is now is debatable. Years of biological and chemical experiments on himself have given him some bird-like powers, but also an owl-like appearance. It has also affected his sanity, causing him to adopt some bird-like habits. One minute he's holding a civilized conversation while sipping expensive cognac, the next he's about to eat a live mouse.
* Tigra of ''[[The Avengers]]'' was once able to switch from her [[Cat Girl]] form to human again, but not anymore. Exactly how much this has affected her psychologically seems [[Depending on the Writer]]; in some stories she acts and talks completely human (aside from sticking to a carnivorous diet and possibly rolling her Rs when she talks) and in others she's chasing mice and doesn't talk at all.
* [[M.O.D.O.K.]] was once a rank-and-file mook for A.I.M., until they turned him into the horrific and super-intelligent [[Fun
* Much like Owlsley, Poison Ivy from ''[[Batman]]'' comics and adaptations is a grey area. Hatred for humans and biochemistry experiments have made her, at least in her own eyes, more a plant than human, and biologically speaking, that may be true.
** ''However'', the question of whether she is truly human or not seems to have been answered in the ''[[No Man's Land]]'' arc. The police planned to take Ivy out (after she had seized control of Gotham City Park) with a powerful defoliant that would have killed all plant life in the park, including Ivy's monsters and Ivy herself, suggesting that she wasn't exactly human anymore. Whether it would have worked or not is unknown, because Ivy surrendered to save the children she was protecting. Batman seemed to answer the question pretty directly afterwards, saying that the act proved she was "still more human than plant."
** The ''[[Harley Quinn (TV series)|Harley Quinn]]'' series Zigzags this, as in this version, Ivy seems to have been born with her powers and odd physical condition. Whether this makes her more or less human is debatable - she certainly acts more human (with more respect towarda humanity in general) than ''a lot'' of villains in the series.
== Fan Works ==
* ''[[Imperfect Metamorphosis]]'': While never a man per se (on [[Fundamentally Female Cast|two]] [[Youkai|counts]]), the blob monster (i.e. {{spoiler|Rin Satsuki}}) definitely fits.
* ''[[Final Stand of Death]]'': Fusion Gundam used to be {{spoiler|[[Spice Girls|a certain girl group]]}} that fell victim to defeat on ''[[Celebrity Deathmatch]]''. They're a group of [[Badass Automaton|sentient]] [[Mini-Mecha]]s mixed with [[Robot Dog|wolf-like]] [[Petting Zoo People|humanoids]], and their souls are still inside. Luckily, they're nowhere near interested in any [[Robot War]]s, as they still have their human personalities.
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* The Cenobites in ''[[Hellraiser]]'' films were all formerly human, the only exception being Angelique.
* In the 1973 thriller b-movie ''[[Sssssss]]'', mad scientist Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin) turns his lab assistants {{spoiler|into king cobras.}}
* [[Star Wars|Darth Vader]] probably qualifies, certainly in spirit:
** [[Cyborg| General Grievous]] certainly does... well, he was Once A Kaleesh, but you get the idea.
* The lizard-monster in ''[[The Relic (film)|The Relic]]'' is revealed at the end to be a human explorer who ate a concoction of some particularly funky herbs in South America.
* Davy Jones in the second and third installments of ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]''. Lampshaded by Calypso, who describes Jones in this manner (and is responsible for the curse that transformed him).
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** Poor little Jaimie from "The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances".
** The Face of Boe may have once been {{spoiler|Jack Harkness, or maybe Jack was just messing with the Doctor, and Martha, when he said that.}}
* ''[[Power Rangers]]'':
** In ''[[Power Rangers Time Force]]'', Frax, the robot who worked for Ransik but would eventually go solo, was once a human named Dr. Fericks who saved Ransik's life in the past, but was rewarded with the destruction of his lab and body. After using his own technology to rebuild himself, Frax vowed revenge on Ransik, and infiltrated his organization to bring him down from within.
** Master Org in ''[[Power Rangers Wild Force]]'' was a Doctor before taking on the powers and identity of the original Master Org. His minions weren't happy when they found out, but he proved to be too much for them when they tried to rebel.
** Zeltrax was transformed into a cyborg after a lab explosion. He is ''not happy'' about the loss of his body, and has decided that it is (in a roundabout manner) Tommy's fault. Mesogog was once a human scientist too.
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* {{spoiler|The Man in Black}} on ''[[Lost]]'' claims to have once been a human before becoming {{spoiler|a sentient cloud of smoke.}} He's now human again, only able to switch between his monster form and {{spoiler|John Locke.}}
* In the cult [[One-Episode Wonder]] series ''[[Heat Vision and Jack]]'', the [[Cool Bike]] Heat Vision used to be Jack's friend Owen, before he got hit with an experimental ray gun that caused him to merge with his motorcycle.
* Many monsters and demons in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' are former humans. Vampires and werewolves, of course, plus vengeance demons. Plus the Harbingers of Death, a cult that worshipped the First Evil; while stated to have once been human, their servitude turned them into something different, Spike's ability to fight them without the chip in his head activating confirmed it.
== Music ==
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== Web Comics ==
* The page image is from ''[[Nedroid]]'', "[http://nedroid.com/2010/12/face-it/ Face It]".
* ''[[
* Demons in ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'' Were Once Men; we get to see some of the transitions. Most notable, of course, is {{spoiler|Siegfried}}, whom we knew rather well before his death. ( {{spoiler|In fact, he was the second recurring character to be introduced.}}) From [https://web.archive.org/web/20101216004127/http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-04-25 this] to [https://web.archive.org/web/20121023160530/http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2010-09-16 this] to [https://web.archive.org/web/20110303225034/http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2010-12-07 this].
** Then there's Karnak, who is revealed to have been human near the end of the Ecstasy & Evil storyline, very casually by a former friend who has apparently given up even being sad about losing him. His back story is fleshed out as the comic progressed, and so far the only really bad thing he ever did in his ''life'' he repented halfway through and ran away to sacrifice himself heroically. May be the only being in hell not rightfully damned there.
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** {{spoiler|[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-835 SCP-835]}} ([[squick]] warning), as revealed in the uncensored report.
** [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2148 SCP-2148], aka Mr. Stripes (one of Dr. Wondertainment's "Little Misters") claims to have once been human; possibly this Trope might apply to the other known SCPs in this group.
** Possibly [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-811 SCP-811] ("Swamp Woman"). If her own account of her past is accurate (she can talk, but seems to have the personality and mentality of a young child) she vaguely remembers being much smaller than she is now, being given some sort of drug by a "large man" that made her very hungry, resulting in attacking and eating him - which caused her to turn green, and presumably into the [[Plant Person]] she is
* {{spoiler|All the monsters}} in ''[[Ruby Quest]]''.
* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'': According to his song, Trogdor was originally a man, but then turned into a dragon-man before finally becoming a dragon completely.
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'''Dib''': "I don't work in a Chicky-Licky hut."
'''ChickenFoot''' "DON'T LOOK AT ME!" }}
* Parodied in ''[[Sealab 2021]]'', in which a talking tree cobra claims "I was once...a man!" before saying "Just kidding, I've always been a snake."
* After Cobra Commander gets hit with altered fungus in ''[[G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and starts turning into a snake, all he can hiss is "I was once a man!" until the transformation is complete. Definitely the [[Trope Namer]] and what Sealab referenced in the above quote, despite not being "human" in the first place in this continuity.
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* In an episode of the 1990s ''[[Silver Surfer]]'' animated series, the Surfer and a group of researches come across an enormous green blob monster on a universal library planet built by [[Precursors]]. It's the precursors (and the crew of a pirate ship) themselves after they devolved into this form and linked up with each other in a hive mind of knowledge.
* Played for Laughs in the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short "Mutiny on the Bunny". A horrid-looking and clearly insane man runs down the gangplank from Yosemite "Shanghai" Sam's ship and has just enough time to turn to the audience and declare "I was a human being once!" before running off screaming into the night.
* In ''[[The Owl House]]'', {{spoiler|Emperor Belos was originally an Earth resident named Phillip Wittebane; whether he can still be considered human anymore given the monster (physically or psychologically) he has become is debatable.}}
* All of the main cast of ''[[Hazbin Hotel]]'' except Charlie are the damned souls of humans, given demonic forms after death - most seem to have adapted to it reasonably well.
** Also true for many one-shot characters in the sister-series ''[[Helluva Boss]]'', including most of I.M.P.'s clients, but the main cast are native demons.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Otherness Tropes]]
[[Category:Vampire Tropes]]
[[Category:Werebeast Tropes]]
[[Category:Shapeshifting]]
▲[[Category:Was Once a Man]]
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