About

Stealth Is Optional for This Mission is an catchphrase used to highlight or exaggerate video game players' inability or unwillingness to play video game missions in which sneaking tactics would benefit the player. The phrase is then paired with a comically exaggerated violent or bombastic image or GIF.

Origin

The phrase "Stealth Is Optional For This Mission" originates from Payday 2 released in 2013. It comes from the line at the beginning of each mission explaining that the player can either choose a stealthy approach or a more overt approach. It was first seen online on Imgur on September 7th, 2015^[1] as the title of a GIF taken from the film Mikadroid: Robokill Beneath Discoclub Layla (shown below).

Spread

From there, the meme spread to use other images and GIFs from various pieces of pop culture with the caption. On September 21st, another Imgur user posted a dump of pop culture characters firing guns under the title "Stealth is Optional For This Mission" (examples shown below).

In the following years, the phrase was used in other still images. An example was posted to Facebook page Gaming Memes, since deleted (shown below, left). On November 17th, 2017, an image of Rambo paired with the phrase was posted to Imgur (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References