Taking the most powerful character and writing them out of the story or arc, to preserve the drama and make things tougher for the main cast. So you've got a villain running amok, and a designated plucky underdog hero who's been set up to save the day. Looks like time for some heroic derring-do, but wait -- there's a supporting character who's way, way, way more powerful than the hero, to the point where if he decided to take on the villain, the whole climactic struggle would be over in two seconds. Examples of Deus Exit Machina include: