What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Difference between revisions

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'''Flint''': I dunno. [[Tempting Fate|But that'll never happen.]]

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* Let's test a new model of [[RoboCop|robot police enforcer]] with live ammunition! [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]? OCP never learned their lesson - they do the same again later on with the "new and improved" Robocop 2.

* Let's test a new model of [[RoboCop|robot police enforcer]] with live ammunition! What Could Possibly Go Wrong?? OCP never learned their lesson - they do the same again later on with the "new and improved" Robocop 2.

* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by the ever [[Genre Savvy]] Peter Venkman in ''[[Ghostbusters]]'': [[Sarcasm Mode|"Why worry]]? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back".

* In ''[[Zack and Miri Make a Porno]]'', Zack uses the fateful words "What Can Go Wrong?" the night before the crew was planning to shoot the real action for their movie. Since this happens only halfway in the movie, you don't need to be a genius to [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life|know what to expect]] after that phrase.

* In ''[[Megamind]]'', the titular character [[Victory Is Boring|is bored]] after he defeats his nemisis, [[The Cape (trope)|Metroman]]. So he decides to create a new nemesis by giving someone else Metroman's superpowers. [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]] (IIRC, [[The Dragon|Min]][[The Lancer|ion]] asks this ironically. Well, instead of giving an altruistic person superpowers, he accidentally gives them to an average joe [[Stalker with a Crush|(at best)]]. He decides to go along with the plan anyway. Then, ''after'' said average joe {{spoiler|decides he would rather be a supervillain, Megamind pushes all of [[Berserk Button~~|Berserk Buttons~~]] at once}}. [[Sarcasm Mode|Great plan]].

* In ''[[Megamind]]'', the titular character [[Victory Is Boring|is bored]] after he defeats his nemisis, [[The Cape (trope)|Metroman]]. So he decides to create a new nemesis by giving someone else Metroman's superpowers. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (IIRC, [[The Dragon|Min]][[The Lancer|ion]] asks this ironically. Well, instead of giving an altruistic person superpowers, he accidentally gives them to an average joe [[Stalker with a Crush|(at best)]]. He decides to go along with the plan anyway. Then, ''after'' said average joe {{spoiler|decides he would rather be a supervillain, Megamind pushes all of [[Berserk Button]]s at once}}. [[Sarcasm Mode|Great plan]].

* In ''[[How to Train Your Dragon]]'':

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* In ''[[Babes in Toyland]] (1986)'' one of the good guys explains that he's been collecting the evil of the world, distilling it to its essence, and sealing it into a bottle.

* [[Terminator|"There's over 30 cops in this building. You're perfectly safe here." ]] Oh, how wrong you are, Detective Traxler.

* [[Terminator|"There's over 30 cops in this building. You're perfectly safe here."]] Oh, how wrong you are, Detective Traxler.

* The print ad for the 1973 movie ''Westworld'' reads "where nothing can possibly go worng" (deliberately sic).

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== Newspapers ==

* Oh, boy! It's a title of a oddball story from about Tour De Paris for prisoners. If you don't believe ~~me--check~~ this out. [http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE54O38O20090525\]

* Oh, boy! It's a title of a oddball story from about Tour De Paris for prisoners. If you don't believe me—check this out. [http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE54O38O20090525\]

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''(Cue Waterfall up ahead.)''

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* ''[[BioShock (series)]]''. Andrew Ryan one day wakes up and goes, "I know, I'll create a submerged city with 1940 technology where the law of the jungle is the only real rule, and everyone is free to do whatever they wish as long as it profits them. [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]" When the player stumbles upon it, the question that comes to mind is "What ''didn't''?"

* ''[[BioShock (series)]]''. Andrew Ryan one day wakes up and goes, "I know, I'll create a submerged city with 1940 technology where the law of the jungle is the only real rule, and everyone is free to do whatever they wish as long as it profits them. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" When the player stumbles upon it, the question that comes to mind is "What ''didn't''?"

* In ''[[Chzo Mythos|Seven Days A Sceptic]]'' practically everything on the ship is built on the assumption that nothing will go wrong (whereas in [[Real Life]] the opposite holds true). Examples include escape pods that need to be fueled up for hours before use and the captain's suite emergency unlock, which is installed on the inside. The ship's scanners can also track the number of living beings on board but not their locations, the power source is mounted in a huge shaft with no railings, there's a glass-domed observation deck with no apparent protections against micrometeorites (or radiation, for that matter) and the prison cell uses a force field instead of metal bars that won't vanish in case of power failure. No wonder the engineer spent most of his time hiding in the dining area and making the counselor fix things for him - he must've had a breakdown on the first day and been in denial since.

* In ''[[Mass Effect]]'', the [[Sapient Ship|Reapers]] play the [[Batman Gambit]] by letting species of the galaxy find their technology littered across several star systems just so they can advance to a desirable state, ripe for a galactic harvesting. Really, [[Tempting Fate|how can this backfire]]?

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* The ''guaranteed big seller'' Ford Edsel.

* The ''New'' Coke. Let's radically change the recipe for our flagship soft drink, keep the same name, and take the old one off the shelves. Now, according to [[The Other Wiki]], Coke did do their best to prepare for it, and it actually was well-liked. The real problem was a subtler one of a [[Vocal Minority]] gradually convincing people it was bad. If true, that speaks volumes.

** This almost gets into [[Idiot Hero]] territory, since the crazed backlash against New Coke put Coke Classic back on top of the sales charts. Some people think that was their [[Conspiracy Theory|plan all along.]] Another, less [[Gambit Roulette|roule]][[Buffy-Speak|tty]] theory is that they did this to switch from sugar to far cheaper and far less healthy high fructose corn syrup; a change they retained, and still do, with Coca Cola Classic. <ref>No, most of the traditionalists that so loudly protested New Coke didn't notice this.</ref>

** This almost gets into [[Idiot Hero]] territory, since the crazed backlash against New Coke put Coke Classic back on top of the sales charts. Some people think that was their [[Conspiracy Theory|plan all along.]] Another, less [[Gambit Roulette|roule]][[Buffy-Speak|tty]] theory is that they did this to switch from sugar to far cheaper and far less healthy high fructose corn syrup; a change they retained, and still do, with Coca Cola Classic.<ref>No, most of the traditionalists that so loudly protested New Coke didn't notice this.</ref>

** More recently, Coca-Cola's done it again: Let's release a holiday version of Coke Classic in white cans (the color of Diet Coke cans) and hope nobody gets confused. It didn't go over well, and Coca-Cola has [http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/white-holiday-coke-cans-replaced-due-to-consumer-outrage since released the holiday version in red.]

** Perhaps A slightly more subdued example, Coke switched from an easy-to-grip ridged cap to one that is themed as a bottle cap, but completely smooth. [[Two Stupid Dogs|Cute, but wrong.]] They have since adopted some sort of hybrid

* [[History Channel]]'s [[Modern Marvels]] series does a sub series titled "Engineering Disasters" every now and again. Every one of them seems to invoke [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]] at least once per episode. They've produced 21 hour long episodes and still haven't covered everything. National Geographic Channel has ''Seconds From Disaster'' which is the same thing.

* [[History Channel]]'s [[Modern Marvels]] series does a sub series titled "Engineering Disasters" every now and again. Every one of them seems to invoke What Could Possibly Go Wrong? at least once per episode. They've produced 21 hour long episodes and still haven't covered everything. National Geographic Channel has ''Seconds From Disaster'' which is the same thing.

* Subverted by an experimental reactor in Switzerland. While the guy in charge had a "[[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]" attitude, the engineers considered this phrase a serious question, and [[Properly Paranoid|built the reactor in a cave just in case they got an answer.]] Naturally, they got an answer, and [[Let Us Never Speak of This Again|sealed up the cave]].

* Subverted by an experimental reactor in Switzerland. While the guy in charge had a "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" attitude, the engineers considered this phrase a serious question, and [[Properly Paranoid|built the reactor in a cave just in case they got an answer.]] Naturally, they got an answer, and [[Let Us Never Speak of This Again|sealed up the cave]].

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/opinion/keller-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-iran.html?_r=1 This article] about a possible war against Iran is [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]] .

* The "Big Dig" in [[Boston (useful notes)|Boston]]. "Let's replace the unsightly and congested Central Artery expressway with an underground tunnel! Then, let's reclaim the land where the old highway used to be, building parks, gentrifying the slums that developed around the highways, and de-congesting surface traffic! [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]?" Two decades, $15 billion, several lawsuits and four deaths later...

* The "Big Dig" in [[Boston (useful notes)|Boston]]. "Let's replace the unsightly and congested Central Artery expressway with an underground tunnel! Then, let's reclaim the land where the old highway used to be, building parks, gentrifying the slums that developed around the highways, and de-congesting surface traffic! What Could Possibly Go Wrong??" Two decades, $15 billion, several lawsuits and four deaths later...

* [[The Rolling Stones]] hire [[Hells Angels]] to work security and pay them in beer. At least one audience member wound up dead.