What the Hell Are You?

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    Carmine Falcone: [frantically loading his shotgun] What the hell are you?

    Batman: [breaks open the limo's sunroof and pulls Falcone out] I'm Batman!
    —Batman Begins

    What does it take to kill this guy, he's only human, right? Right?

    Assumptions are dangerous. You assume that your foe is mortal and limited, that there are certain things he cannot do or survive. When these assumptions break down, in their panic many heroes or villains will ask, "What the hell are you?"

    This panic can be triggered by the character having an unusual appearance or abilities, stunning the person who assumed he was normal and could be easily beaten.

    See also Who Are You? and Mugging the Monster.

    Examples of What the Hell Are You? include:

    Anime and Manga

    Frieza: You... You... What are you?!

    • In Naruto, this is an equivalent of Oh Crap, usually uttered when the speaker realises he has just attacked a demonhost.
    • Said (in the English dub at least) by Luke Valentine to Alucard in Hellsing.

    Luke Valentine: What are you? WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU?!

    • Said once in Inuyasha, but surprisingly enough said to Kagome by Yura of the Hair. Her confusion came from the fact that every time she swung a sword at Kagome, it bounced off of Inuyasha's kimono rather than slicing off her limbs.

    "What are you? Why don't you bleed?"

    • In "Bleach", Orihime's humanity is brought into question on a few occasions. Loly calls her a monster due too her powers. Moe Shishigawara says she is to beautiful to be human. She as well gets referred to as the sun at least on one occasion by Aizen, possibly another time by Ulquiorra when he said "The sun has set in our hands" The panel shows Orihime with her Sōten Kisshun up possible resembling a setting sun. POSSIPLE (easily not) foreshadowing by Tite Kubo.
    • There's a non-adversary variant in one manga adaptation of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha. When Hero rescues Fairy Queen, she's grateful but warns that the Demon Wolf General who held her prisoner has an even more powerful superior, the Black Wolf King ... and Hero interrupts to say he defeated him, too, "last week."

    Fairy Queen: Eeh?! What in the world are you?

    Comic Books

    Terrorist: What are you?
    Spider-Man: I'm Bat— *ahem* I'm Spider-Man.

    Film

    • Batman Begins: Falcone meets Batman, violence ensues (see page quote)
    • Men in Black: Agent J saw the Cephalopoid climb up a wall and has now cornered him at the edge of the roof.

    Cephalopoid: [blinks his eye gills]
    Jay: What the hell are you?

    • Jack Frost 1997 (the horror film): The title character is a serial killer transformed into a snowman.

    Tommy: What the hell are you?
    Jack Frost: The world's most pissed-off snow cone!

    Mugger 2: [to the title character] What the hell ARE you?

    Live Action TV

    • Smallville has at least two examples:
      • Episode "Arctic": Brainiac thinks Chloe Sullivan is a normal human. When he pierces her head with his finger tendrils, she unleashes her healing powers in defense, weakening him.

    Brainiac: What the hell are you?

      • Episode "Phantom". Bizarro [a Clark Kent lookalike] has just been rejuvenated from kryptonite instead of harmed, and knocks Lionel Luthor against a wall.

    Clark Kent: What the hell are you?
    Bizarro: I'm you, only a little more bizarre.

    • The Crow: Stairway to Heaven episode "Solitude's Revenge"

    Kessler: What the hell are you?
    The Crow: Death without parole.

    Video Games

    Lara Croft: Tell me this: what the hell are you?
    Lara's Doppelganger: I am you with the flaws removed!

    Balrog: What ARE you?
    Player character: ...

    Cerberus: You're not human, are you?
    Dante: Who knows? To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure myself!

      • And again in DMC 4:

    Berial: Your arm... you're not human!
    Nero: Don't ask. Damn thing drives me crazy, though.

    Firion: You make me shiver... What are you!?

    • In Heroes of Might and Magic V, Nicolai asks this of Agrael when the demon lord resists the power of Nicolai's Amulet that has the power to send demons back to Sheogh. This is the first hint that Agrael isn't actually a demon. He's really a Dark Elf.

    Web Comics

    Lawman: And Elka isn't crazy... you do have a mule's tail! Twin's mercy, and those teeth! What are you?
    Sette: Awesome.

    Ephsephin: Gods, you— W-what the fuck are you under this?!

    Western Animation

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