Plot armor

Article summary

Plot armor is a narrative trope or cliché wherein a major character in a story, particularly the protagonist, is preserved from harm (either explicitly or implicitly) due to their survival being necessary for the plot to proceed. The Oxford English Dictionary identified the term as originating in the 2000s, with its first reported use on the Usenet forum alt.games.dur-trs-trap. The term is often used negatively to criticize scenes in which characters face seemingly mortal danger, when it is obvious to the audience that they will survive such scenes. In other cases, plot armor simply refers to the plot device of endowing a character with invulnerability or immortality. Within works of created media, elements of the story may provide an explanation for why the protagonist is protected from injury or death. Various iterations of James Bond have been cited as classic examples of plot armor, where movie-goers fully expect Bond to survive each film. While protagonists and heroes are commonly shielded by plot armor, this can be subverted by their sudden deaths serving as a plot twist or the reveal of a false protagonist. The killings and mutilations of main characters, such as Ned Stark, within A Game of Thrones by George R. R.…

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