# Favorite Deus ex Machina **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324 "2010-04-25T19:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/41 "2010-04-26T12:56:15Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because it IS him to a degree; a major portion of what he is, is in the Ring. He is more powerful with the Ring in his possession, because he can use it’s power, and because one of those powers is to draw from the energies that his old master Morgoth infused into the world. Not that the latter detail is mentioned in the main books. You forgot to use the word “horcrux”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/42 "2010-04-26T13:01:48Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I seem to remember an issue of **Superboy** where the editors said, “Look, we’ve been setting this in the 1930s since the beginning. It’s now the 1970s and the timeline doesn’t work. So from now on it will be set in the 1950s.” To be more precise, they changed having Superboy be perpetually set in the 1930s to Now minus 20 years. IIRC, they spent a year or so of issues gradually moving Superboy forward through history until he was caught up. And then of course the Infinity Crisis and the franchise reboot made it moot. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/43 "2010-04-26T13:09:49Z")
Betty Smith’s _]A Tree Grows in Brooklyn_ has Sargeant McShane weaving in and out of the story and coming in to marry Katie and make everything perfect at the end. In the Legion of Super-Heroes epic battle with The Time Trapper, the appearance of Rond Vidar as a Green Lantern. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/44 "2010-04-26T14:01:10Z")
At the end of the Matrix trilogy (I know, I know!), the nanobot face thingie is named Deus Ex Machina in the credits. Which I found more than fitting. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/45 "2010-04-26T14:16:20Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > In DC Comics Animal Man series, the author wrote himself into the story to basically apologize to Animal Man for screwing up his life with bad plotting and then rebooted the continuity. Wow. A rare example where it’s GOOD writing–the deus is machina’ed perfectly. [“I’m Grant. You coming in?”](http://crossover.bureau42.com/zanimorrison.html) ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/46 "2010-04-26T14:31:13Z")
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story After Vince Vaughn wins the big game, it’s discovered that the payoff he took to sell his gym, he then funnelled into a bet made at the casino on his team to win the Dodgeball game. The casino then paid him his winnings in a huge treasure chest with “Deus ex Machina” imprinted on the front. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/47 "2010-04-26T14:39:23Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Not quite a _Deus Ex Machina_, after the Ark chars the Nazi symbols on the crate they put it in. That makes it clear it really has power, and probably isn’t fond of Nazis. It’s not a stretch to expect that a holy artifact of the Jews (that actually works) isn’t healthy for Nazis. Yeah, I considered the charred crate before I posted. But divine intervention (or _force majeur_) is still pretty much the very definition. Besides, the scene was way too cool for someone NOT to bring up. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/48 "2010-04-26T15:09:55Z")
Brian’s UFO ---
**Author:** ![Book\_it](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Book\_it](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Book_it)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/49 "2010-04-26T15:24:42Z")
I’ve noticed my favorite type of deus ex “the Watershipdown ending”, in which a baddy is introduced earlier in the story and later used to help defeat the big baddy, is being used quite a bit lately. Examples include Fantastic Mr Fox, Serenity and Galaxy Quest. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/50 "2010-04-26T15:40:00Z")
> [@Book\_it](#): > > I’ve noticed my favorite type of deus ex “the Watershipdown ending”, in which a baddy is introduced earlier in the story and later used to help defeat the big baddy, is being used quite a bit lately. Examples include Fantastic Mr Fox, Serenity and Galaxy Quest. Spoilers don’t really help anyone if you don’t tell us what you’re going to spoil. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/51 "2010-04-26T15:42:57Z")
The most common use of Deus Ex Machina nowadays is the contrived explanations comic book and sci fi films use to bring back popular characters from the dead. Spock was never shown to be able to completely transfer his consciousness into a human mind (at least, I don’t think it was ever established). Spocks death at the end of The Wrath of Khan was a great way to end that film, reflecting the entire theme of the movie: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one”. The short shot of him transferring his mind to McCoy was the Deus Ex Machina by which they could bring him back later on. This highlights why the Deus Ex Machina is such a poor choice, because Star Trek could never get an emotional response from the audience again to the death of a character since the audience now assumes there will always be a magical solution. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/52 "2010-04-26T15:44:35Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Actually, the Ewok thing is fine, once you get over the teddy-bear thing. They were vicious little devils fighting on their home turf and they’d clearly been preparing this for some time (fifty-ton logs aren’t something you suspend on a whim). Sure, they didn’t have high tech, but so what? I believe it’s because they are quite accustomed to fighting [creatures](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gorax) the general size of an AT-ST. I got this from the cartoons, I swear. “Caravan of Courage?” I have no idea what you mean… ---
**Author:** ![Book\_it](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Book\_it](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Book_it)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/53 "2010-04-26T15:55:11Z")
whoops, sorry about that ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/54 "2010-04-26T17:11:47Z")
> [@SecretaryofEvil](#): > > Ah crap, I just went on a fan wank about Star Wars on the internet. Don’t worry about it. I have on multiple occasions posted my rant about how the land battle on Endor is grossly misinterpeted as the EWOKS kicking the Empire’s best legion’s asses. In reality, you get nothing but dead ewoks for the majority of the battle until Chewie commandeers at the AT-ST and turns the tide of the battle. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/55 "2010-04-26T17:24:03Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Don’t worry about it. I have on multiple occasions posted my rant about how the land battle on Endor is grossly misinterpeted as the EWOKS kicking the Empire’s best legion’s asses. In reality, you get nothing but dead ewoks for the majority of the battle until Chewie commandeers at the AT-ST and turns the tide of the battle. You know, it sounds like you’re saying that dead ewoks aren’t good and worthy things for a battle to produce. It’s certainly regrettable that the Empire didn’t wipe them all out, but let’s not downplay the skill and selflessness of our Imperial troops - they gave a damn good start. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/56 "2010-04-26T17:31:08Z")
The appearance of the T-Rex at the end of Jurassic Park, staving off the inevitable death at the hands of the raptors. The T-Rex apparently had tip-toed in through a back door and was hiding in a corner before leaping out just in the nick of time. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/57 "2010-04-26T17:34:21Z")
In **Adaptation** where The alligator shows up to munch on the bad guy. Made perfect sense because we were in the bad writing twin’s plot at this point. I especially liked it since I had figured out what was going on by this point and called it. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/58 "2010-04-26T19:13:54Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Yeah, I considered the charred crate before I posted. But divine intervention (or _force majeur_) is still pretty much the very definition. Besides, the scene was way too cool for someone NOT to bring up. I also disagree about it being an actual Deus Ex Machina. In addition to charring the crate, the power of the Ark was discussed several times in the movie so it’s not like the finale` came out of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/59 "2010-04-26T19:45:20Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > The most common use of Deus Ex Machina nowadays is the contrived explanations comic book and sci fi films use to bring back popular characters from the dead. > > Spock was never shown to be able to completely transfer his consciousness into a human mind (at least, I don’t think it was ever established). Spocks death at the end of The Wrath of Khan was a great way to end that film, reflecting the entire theme of the movie: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one”. The short shot of him transferring his mind to McCoy was the Deus Ex Machina by which they could bring him back later on. This highlights why the Deus Ex Machina is such a poor choice, because Star Trek could never get an emotional response from the audience again to the death of a character since the audience now assumes there will always be a magical solution. Also the way that the “Genesis Effect” artificially aged him rapidly up to, but not greater than, the age he needs to be to rejoin the rest of the cast. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324/60 "2010-04-26T19:55:09Z")
Donnie Darko is my favorite. The main character actually yells Deus ex Machina just before it hits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-deus-ex-machina/537324.md?page=4)