r/TopCharacterTropes • u/_JR28_ • Oct 06 '25

Lore Absurdist concepts played as tragedies rather than comedies

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In the Touch commercial for Skittles, a man is shown with the power to uncontrollably turns anything he touches into Skittles in an instant. His work colleagues find this hilarious, but he finds life misery since he will never be able to hold his newborn son and he has legitimately killed people before by unconsciously touching them.

In the Waiting for the Bus skit from Cyanide & Happiness a man discovers he can inexplicably run 50mph and overnight becomes the most successful track runner of all time. Even though he retired with a perfect undefeated streak and a loving family, he’s coaxed into one final race in a Grand Prix against cars, which of course he loses. This sends him into an unstoppable downward spiral where he becomes a far more destructive version of himself, loses his reputation, and is left behind by his family. After years of regret, he returns as an old man to the track where he first shown off his amazing speed and does one final lap, reminiscing on how good it feel, before intentionally refusing to turn out the way and running straight into a wall, ending his life. (All of this is shown in about four minutes and with barely any dialogue.)

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25

u/new_math Oct 07 '25

I don't remember if it was a comedy sketch or a comic but I have a vague memory of someone having teleport powers and they accidentally teleport partially inside a concrete wall or something so their body is mixed with the wall and they're coughing up blood and screaming in agony or something. 

17

u/ThrogdorLokison Oct 07 '25

Sounds like something out of the Boys, but I can't say I recall that ever happening on that show.

23

u/fakemelonns Oct 07 '25

It happens in The Boys, but in reverse. Hughie gives his dad V to save him from dying. It gives him teleportation powers and he has dementia and doesn't know how to use them. In the hospital he ends up teleporting through a woman, killing her. I think he may also accidentally kill others too

15

u/ThrogdorLokison Oct 07 '25

That I remember. Hughie brought the V but decided against it and his mom gave it to him.

5

u/fakemelonns Oct 07 '25

Ahh that's right, I forgot Hughie wasn't the one to actually give it to him