Plot Armor is the term used when a screenplay writer and/or director will go out of their way to make their main characters live, solely due to their apparent importance to whatever their "plot" is supposed to be. This almost universally involves main characters surviving extreme events despite there being no logical or possible way they should have. Consequently, if these characters ever do get killed off, it is rarely ever considered plausible due to the ridiculous plot-granted invincibility they have shown throughout the preceding run time of the movie.
Though this is mainly used on main characters, it can be applied to secondary characters that survive in the same manner and are only there to be a plot convenience near the end of the movie.
This is a very common trope in action and horror movies.
This can also be referred to as Joker Armor.
Characters with Plot Invincibility in the Tiradesverse[]
- Jeremiah Ecks and Sever in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
- Rod and Nathalie in Birdemic
- Sam Witwicky in each of the first three Transformers films
- Cary Ford in Torque
- Bella Swan in every Twilight movie
- Elliot and Alma Moore in The Happening
- Beverly Switzler and Phil Blumbertt in Howard the Duck
- Frank Washington in Samurai Cop
- Elektra Natchios in Elektra
- Ricky Ho in Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
- Alma in Warriors of the Wasteland
- Cypher and Kitai Raige in After Earth
- Emma MacNeil in Mega Shark VS Giant Octopus
- Dodger in The Garbage Pail Kids