When a (usually ancient but not always) prophecy is foretold, everyone takes it as fact, for better or for worse…

But then, either* *someone is able to find a loophole for the prophecy *or* a different interpretation of it causes it to come true. 

***Macbeth***: Perhaps the originator of this trope, Macbeth is told by The Weird Sisters (a trio of prophecy giving witches) that he will become king and “none of woman born” will harm him, making him king indefinitely. 

\>! But, naturally, Macduff, the man who kills him and is destined to become king, was delivered via C-Section, meaning he was not technically “born.” <!

***Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King***: Perhaps the most Reddit famous of this trope, an old prophecy foretold that “no man can kill” the Witch-King. 

\>! During the Battle of Pelennor Fields, no man *does* kill him… and the final blow is instead given by Éowyn, who is famously “no man.” The story goes JRR Tolkien was actually so annoyed by Shakespeare’s prophecy twist in Macbeth, as he expected Macbeth’s death to be caused by a woman, and it led to him writing this famous scene we all know and love. <!

***Buffy the Vampire Slayer*** (TV Show): In season 2, the heavily built up villain The Judge has an origin and prophecy that “no weapon forged can kill him.” When he last appeared in the 14th century, this magic protection meant an army had to chop him into pieces and scatter him across the globe to defeat him. 

\>! In Season 2, episode 14 “Innocence,” those pieces are brought back together and The Judge is reassembled, and it seems like all will be lost. Until the Scooby gang realises that prophecy was written back when the strongest weapon was a pointy stick. Which leads to the now iconic scene:

The Judge: No weapon forged can stop me.   
Buffy: That was then (*Pulls out rocket launcher*). This is now.   
The Judge: What’s that do?

… and she proceeds to blow him to pieces (again). <!

***Thor: Ragnarok***: The Ragnarok prophecy foretells the destruction of Asgard, and Thor and team spend much of the movie trying to find a way to stop it. 

\>! But during the battle, they realise… there is no stopping it. And in fact, Ragnarok was meant to be used to defeat Hela, the goddess of death, by releasing the fire giant Surtur and allowing them to destroy Asgard as its people escape. Because after all, “Asgard is not a place, but a people.” And we don’t have to think too hard about what happens to a lot of them after they escape! <!

Prophecy Loophole