History Main / FutureLoser

** Had the dream version happen to Slater (not a jerk, but definitely a jock), seeing himself as a beer bellied drunk in a class reunion, forcing him to rethink his life and his "comfort zone" as a jock.

** Neither Dash nor Paulina had any actual plans for a life after high school--Dash had openly admitted this to people in both the fanfics and the original cartoon series. However, this ends up coming back to bite them because by the time of their adulthood, their lives have really downhill--Paulina was disinherited by her parents at some point, forcing her to get a job in order to have any kind of income, while the best that Dash could do (once he attempted to actually make something of himself) was get a job at Casper High as the gym teacher and football coach, working under a classmate that he relentlessly bullied back in high school. Also, though Dash and Paulina had children (a son named Dash Jr. and a daughter named Paola) and got married, they eventually divorced. Dash Junior also seems to be well on his way to becoming like his parents, due to his dad's influence. Paola, thanks to influence of her grandparents, has become the WhiteSheep of the family.

* JerkJock Brick Flagg from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' really let himself go during the time-traveling movie ''[[TheMovie A Sitch in Time]]''. But that future [[MemeticMutation got]] [[ResetButton reset'd]] away. For the record, he wasn't exactly a jerk, just a little more foolhardy than even Ron Stoppable. A PostScriptSeason episode proves that after going to college (after trying for seven years) his future apparently might be looking good.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty", an angry middle-aged man named Gus finds himself transported back in time where he meets his child self. After an incident with a bully, Gus tries to get his past life together by convincing his younger self (who doesn't know he is his older self) to have a better relationship with his father (who died as he grew up). Gus then returns to his own time, and hails a cab whose driver happens to be one of the kids that used to bully him.
* A similar case in ''Series/{{Friends}}'', where FormerlyFat Monica got a chance to date [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys a bad boy]] she had known from high school who was a jerk to her. When she does date him, she realizes that he is immature, lives with his parents and never grew up from his high school days.

** Especially sad since unlike most examples of this trope, he had actually been a NiceGuy and the [[AcademicAthlete class valedictorian]] instead of the typical JerkJock[=/=]DumbJock, so this couldn't even be considered LaserGuidedKarma. The other ghost who stole his body had done so because he'd idolized him back in those days and was [[BrokenPedestal sorely disappointed]] in how he'd screwed up his life.

** Robin herself used to be a (Canadian) rock star; she is now a early morning news reporter. She later ends up a reporter for 24 hour network WWN.

* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'': Harley Keiner constantly harassed Cory in the beginning of the series. In the sequel series, ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'', which takes place when Cory and Topanga’s firstborn is in junior high, he is now working as a janitor at the very same school Cory teaches, a job that, ironically, Cory helped him get. A whole episode focused on this trope, on how getting your way with cruel words and brute force is not the best way to live, and might bite you back in your adult years.

* On ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' [[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tapestry_%28episode%29 Picard dies during an operation due to an old injury from an incident from his rebellious youth of counter-cheating in sports ending in a stab to the heart]]. [[JerkassGods Q]] offers him a second chance if he can avoid said incident by reliving that period of his life. After he succeeds, Q sends him back to the point in his life where the injury would have killed him only to discover that [[spoiler:he is a Lieutenant junior grade (between Ensign and Lieutenant) instead of a famous starship captain. Q explains that the injury gave Picard a sense of his own mortality which, possibly unknown to Picard himself, motivated him to make his mark on the Universe. The alternate Picard never lived that experience, and as such drifted thought his career, never getting noticed by anyone. Picard then begs Q that [[BeYourself he has learned his lesson]], is given a second second chance, condemns himself to death after a worthy life... and awakens from his death to discover that Q was just jerking his chain again (or might have actually saved his life)]]. With Q, you never know if it was really AllJustADream or if he actually sent you back in time. He was almost certainly lying about being God, however.

* At the end of ''Film/CantHardlyWait'' it is revealed Mike Dexter's future includes losing his football scholarship after drinking too much, being forty pounds overweight, and losing his job at a car wash when incriminating Polaroids surface.

* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' is all about this. Scrooge grew up to be a miser businessman, and almost everyone was happy (and mocking him) when he died.

* A non-jock example: Stewie, in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Stewie Griffin, the Untold Story", is 35 years old and still a virgin, lives in a dirty run-down apartment, and actually ''cried'' after having sex for the first time with his "girlfriend". His future loser self became that way because his near death experience in the present caused him to be adverse in taking risks in life, basically making him afraid of doing anything that could be risky no matter how small. Stewie resolves to get over the problem by going back in time and preventing the near death experience so that he won't become the loser the witnessed.
* JerkJock Brick Flagg from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' really let himself go during the time traveling movie ''[[TheMovie A Sitch in Time]]''. But that future [[MemeticMutation got]] [[ResetButton reset'd]] away. For the record, he wasn't exactly a jerk, just a little more foolhardy than even Ron Stoppable. A PostScriptSeason episode proves that after going to college (after trying for seven years) his future apparently might be looking good.

** His wife Christie deserves a mention too. She carried on her spiteful AlphaBitch ways 10 years beyond highschool, retaining her GirlPosse who copy her every move, so she never grew out of her teenage bullying- but the reunion reveals her life is a pathetic shell of her past glories. She's an unfulfilled housewife with an unhappy marriage to an unfaithful sleazy loser, her only outlet in life is having baby after baby (which she pretends to be [[StepfordSmiler thrilled about]]) she never got the career she wanted, and to add insult to injury, all the people she tormented in high school are happy and fulfilled, and the minion she used to boss around has a high flying career in fashion.

* ''Film/YoungAdult'': Former prom queen Mavis doesn't seem like a loser in the present: she's got a nice job as a writer of YoungAdult fiction and she has a nice condo in the city, but in actuality she's an alcoholic wreck constantly on the verge of being fired and secretly pines for high school.

* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'': When Linkara is briefly hurled into the year 2039, he discovers that his future self still lives in his parents' house, [[ScheduleSlip still hasn't published issue 3 of his comic]], and doesn't even have his [[NiceHat trademark brown fedora]] anymore. Seeing this, Linkara resolves to buckle down and change his life for the better. After he returns to the present and the DelayedRippleEffect kicks in, Future Linkara is exactly the same as he was before -- except now he has his hat back. For extra amusement, the Future Linkara was played by his father.

* Taken UpToEleven in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' for Snot, who is already a loser but his visiting future self in "The Unincludeds" (who was originally successful until their bully went back to MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight) gets progressively worse as a loser starting with Steve indirectly doing cool things with the party guests and going FromBadToWorse whenever Snot tries to make sure he becomes just as cool. Somehow, this reaches a point where his future self becomes a turtle mutant.

** At one point, Screech even points out the trope in a tape intended for future students at Bayside. The [[ReverseFunnyAneurysm irony]] is not lost.

** Bonnie dropped out of college at one point to marry Señor Senior Junior (one of Kim's enemies who became her boyfriend during the show's final season). However, the marriage ultimately fell apart and they divorced, but Bonnie was tricked into signing papers that left her with no money from Junior and his dad once the divorced was finalized. Without any money or a college education, Bonnie was forced to move back in with her family and get a job in order to have any kind of income. But because of her [[AlphaBitch abrasive nature]], Bonnie was fired from a bunch of jobs before ultimately working at Bueno Nacho as a cashier--she was also forced to settle for marrying a man with far less wealth than the Seniors, as she ends up with Ned (the manager from Season 1 episode, ''Bueno Nacho''[[note]]The episode where Kim and Ron both got part-time jobs at the restaurant of the same name[[/note]]), with whom she has two children: a daughter named Tawnie and a son named Ned Jr. (Bonnie also makes Ned take her last name when they get married). While Ned tries being a good parent to their kids (and Ned Jr. seems like a NiceGuy for the most part), Bonnie's pretty neglectful and clearly tries living vicariously through her children, particularly Tawnie (who's basically just a clone of her mom).
** Neither Dash nor Paulina had any actual plans for a life after high school--Dash had openly admitted this to people in both the fanfics and the original cartoon series. However, this ends up coming back to bite them because, by the time of their adulthood, their lives have really downhill--Paulina was disinherited by her parents at some point, forcing her to get a job in order to have any kind of income, while the best that Dash could do (once he attempted to actually make something of himself) was get a job at Casper High as the gym teacher and football coach, working under a classmate that he relentlessly bullied back in high school. Also, though Dash and Paulina had children (a son named Dash Junior and a daughter named Paola) and got married, they eventually divorced--Dash Junior also seems to be well on his way to becoming like his parents, thanks to his dad's influence. Paola, thanks to influence of her grandparents, has become the WhiteSheep of the family.
** Olga and Summer both tried pursuing careers as actresses (theater acting for Olga and film/TV-acting for Summer), even moving to New York City and Los Angeles, respectively, at some point in their lives to have a better chance of it. However, they failed to make it big as actresses and were forced to find other jobs (and moved back to their hometowns) in order to help support their families[[note]]Olga marries an aspiring musician named Patrick Sherman, with whom she has a pair of fraternal twin children named Logan Robert Sherman and Lisa Miriam Sherman, while Summer marries a guy she met in LA and has two sons named Sky and Sonny and two daughters named June and Britney--Summer also eventually divorces her kids' dad and gains primary custody of them[[/note]]. While it's unknown what Summer does for a living, Olga was forced to go back to working as a schoolteacher--and by the time her "baby sister's" oldest child is in 4th-grade at P.S. 118, Olga's working at that same school as a 5th-grade teacher. Also, neither Olga's nor Summer's family appears to be that financially well-off, especially when compared to Helga and her family[[note]]Helga ultimately becomes an award-winning poet/novelist/short story writer and marries her childhood sweetheart, Arnold, who ultimately becomes a world-renowned anthropologist, being most well-known for his work with the Green-Eyed People of San Lorenzo. The couple also has three children named Andrew "Andy" Phillip Shortman, Megan Gertrude Shortman and Henry Miles Shortman--Megan's a Kindergarten at P.S. 118 while Henry's a year old by the time Andy starts 4th-grade.[[/note]]

A subtrope of FutureFoil. See also FallenPrincess, HumiliationConga, JadedWashout, OddFriendship, and {{Retirony}}. Contrast FutureBadass and RidiculouslySuccessfulFutureSelf.

** Bonnie dropped out of college at one point to marry Señor Senior Junior (one of Kim's enemies who became her boyfriend during the show's final season). However, the marriage ultimately fell apart and they divorced, but Bonnie was tricked into signing papers that left her with no money from Junior and his dad once the divorced was finalized. Left with no money or college education, Bonnie was forced to move back in with her family and get a job in order to have any kind of income. But because of her abrasive nature, Bonnie was fired from a bunch of jobs before ultimately taking a job at Bueno Nacho as a cashier--she was also forced to settle for marrying a man with far less wealth than the Seniors, as she ultimately ends up with Ned (the manager from Season 1-episode, ''Bueno Nacho''[[note]]The episode where Kim and Ron both got part-time jobs at the restaurant of the same name[[/note]]), with whom she has two children: a daughter named Tawnie and a son named Ned Junior (Bonnie also makes Ned take her last name when they get married). While Ned tries being a good parent to their kids (and Ned Junior seems like a NiceGuy for the most part), Bonnie's pretty neglectful and clearly tries living vicariously through her children, particularly Tawnie (who's basically just a clone of her mom).

* The protagonist of Music/JohnMayer's ''No Such Thing'' just can't wait to confront the {{Future Loser}}s with his anticipated success.

* Music/CeeLoGreen's song "Fuck You" is about a girl, implied to be popular, who the singer had a crush on when he was young, and was spurned because he was a dork. The music video for the song takes place over several decades, showing his attempts to impress her and her laughing at him. The last part of the video has him as an adult, now becoming The Ladykiller. He drives past her in a flashy car, while she sweeps up outside the diner he used to see her at.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons,'' [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Bowler Hat Guy]] is set up as a StrawLoser without his HypercompetentSidekick, [[UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot Dor-15]]. He turns out to be [[spoiler:Lewis' roommate, Goob, who let his life fall apart because he wouldn't let go of his grudge]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode "How Long Is Forever?", Starfire is sent into a future timeline, so she ceases to exist for 20 years. Cyborg is broken down and forced to stay connected to the Titan Tower's power grid, Raven is institutionalized, Beast Boy is a balding, paunchy circus attraction, and Robin has become Nightwing, and now works alone. Though with his all-black suit, gruffer voice, and long hair, Robin's unquestionably a FutureBadass.

* Vinnie (Creator/NickNolte's character) in ''Film/{{Simpatico}}'' - a cocky con-artist with a hot girlfriend in his youth. Twenty or so years later, he's a pathetic drunk living in a dirty hovel and obsessing over videotapes of his glory years, or else stumbling around town telling BlatantLies about being a private investigator in doomed attepts to make himself look important.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': The infamous and despised ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' had this as part of the plot, showing Peter two versions of himself from worlds where he never became Spider-Man. One was a fat, nerdy software developer who had "turned his anger inwards", while the other was a rich, successfull but also bitter and resentful businessman who had "turned his anger outwards".

** Bonnie dropped out of college at one point to marry Señor Senior Junior (one of Kim's enemies who become her boyfriend during the show's final season). However, the marriage ultimately fell apart and they got divorced, but Bonnie was tricked into signing papers that left her with no money from Junior and his dad once the divorced was finalized. Left with no money or college education, Bonnie was forced to move back in with her family and get a job in order to have any kind of income. But because of her abrasive nature, Bonnie was fired from a bunch of jobs before ultimately taking a job at Bueno Nacho as a cashier--she was also forced to settle for marrying a man with far less wealth than the Seniors, as she ultimately ends up with Ned (the manager from Season 1-episode, ''Bueno Nacho''[[note]]The episode where Kim and Ron both got part-time jobs at the restaurant of the same name[[/note]]), with whom she has two children: a daughter named Tawnie and a son named Ned Junior (Bonnie also makes Ned take her last name when they get married). While Ned tries being a good parent to their kids (and Ned Junior seems like a NiceGuy for the most part), Bonnie's pretty neglectful and clearly tries living vicariously through her children, particularly Tawnie (who's basically just a clone of her mom).
** Neither Dash nor Paulina had any actual plans for a life after high school--Dash had openly admitted this to people in both the fanfics and the original cartoon series her came from. However, this ends up coming back to bite them because, by the time of their adulthood, their lives have really downhill--Paulina was disinherited by her parents at some point, forcing her to get a job in order to have any kind of income, while the best that Dash could do (once he attempted to actually make something of himself) was get a job at Casper High as a gym teacher and the football, working under a classmate that he relentlessly bullied back in high school. Also, though Dash and Paulina had children (a son named Dash Junior and a daughter named Paola) and got married, they eventually got divorced--Dash Junior also seems to be well on his way to becoming like his parents, thanks to his dad's influence. Paola, thanks to influence of her grandparents, has become the WhiteSheep of the family.
** Olga and Summer both tried pursuing careers as actresses (theater acting for Olga and film/TV-acting for Summer), even moving to New York City and Los Angeles, respectively, at some point in their lives to have a better chance of it. However, they failed to make it big as actresses and were forced to find other jobs (and moved back to their hometowns) in order to help support their families[[note]]Olga marries an aspiring musician named Patrick Sherman, with whom she has a pair of fraternal twin children named Logan Robert Sherman and Lisa Miriam Sherman, while Summer marries a guy she met in LA and has two sons named Sky and Sonny and two daughters named June and Britney--Summer also eventually divorces her kids' dad and gains primary custody of them[[/note]]. While it's unknown what Summer does for a living, Olga was forced to go back to working as a schoolteacher--and by the time her "baby sister's" oldest child is in 4th-grade at P.S. 118, Olga's working at that same school as a 5th-grade. Also, neither Olga's nor Summer's family appears to be that financially well-off, especially when compared to Helga and her family[[note]]Helga ultimately becomes an award-winning poet/novelist/short story writer and marries her childhood sweetheart, Arnold, who ultimately becomes a world-renowned anthropologist, being most well-known for his work with the Green-Eyed People of San Lorenzo. The couple also has three children named Andrew "Andy" Phillip Shortman, Megan Gertrude Shortman and Henry Miles Shortman--Megan's a Kindergarten at P.S. 118 while Henry's a year old by the time Andy starts 4th-grade.[[/note]]

* Disney's ''Film/TheKid2000'' has a young boy encounter his future self. After running through everything his future self got wrong, the boy shouts, "I grow up to be ''a loser!''" Played for irony, since the future self is wealthy, successful and respected (and a huge asshole), while the kid is chubby and unpopular with low self-esteem. The joke is that his priorities as an adult were very different from what they were as a child.