History Main / HeartwarmingInHindsight

* The sad vignette WWE aired during Breast Cancer Awareness month where Layla talks about her mother's passing. It becomes a little more heartwarming with the knowledge that in 2013, Layla would be reunited with her father after nearly 30 years apart.

* ''The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family'' - the TearJerker part where [[Wrestling/{{Paige}} Saraya/Paige]] says goodbye to her parents at the airport to leave for WWE becomes this with the knowledge that Paige became very popular after she debuted in FCW and was pushed as a star on NXT. Now you know leaving her family was all worth it. Ditto for ''Tenille: The Wrestler'' where Tenille Tayla bursts into tears as the full force of admitting she hadn't expected to get a WWE contract hits her. She is now Wrestling/{{Emma}} on NXT and enjoyed a nice surge in popularity in 2013. It's especially poignant for both women because the two of them were chosen to compete in the match to crown the first NXT Women's Champion (Paige won).

* David Arquette winning the WCW World title. Why? Because he donated all the money WCW paid him to the families of Wrestling/OwenHart, Wrestling/BrianPillman, and Droz.
* ''The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family'' - the TearJerker part where Saraya/Paige says goodbye to her parents at the airport to leave for WWE becomes this with the knowledge that Paige became very popular after she debuted in FCW and was pushed as a star on NXT. Now you know leaving her family was all worth it. Ditto for ''Tenille: The Wrestler'' where Tenille Tayla bursts into tears as the full force of admitting she hadn't expected to get a WWE contract hits her. She is now Emma on NXT and enjoyed a nice surge in popularity in 2013. It's especially poignant for both women because the two of them were chosen to compete in the match to crown the first NXT Women's Champion (Paige won).

* When {{Wrestling/Bayley}} recruited Becky Lynch to fend off Charlotte and Sasha Banks, she dubbed her a "Bayley Friend Forever". Of course, Becky ended up turning on her just like Charlotte had. But by 2015 both women had undergone a HeelFaceTurn and were in the front row cheering her for getting to main event a PPV. So it seems they really were Bayley Friends Forever.
* [[http://www.lethalwow.com/2015/09/13/bobby-between-the-ropes-the-wwe-divas-and-the-uncomfortable-subject-of-race/ This article]] published in 2015 describes {{Wrestling/Jacqueline}} as "will surely be in the Hall of Fame one day". Jacqueline would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame only a few months later.
* In a 2011 shoot interview, Wrestling/TerriPoch reveals that the women of the Attitude Era didn't have any agents to help them put their matches together. So they had to go to the other wrestlers and ask for feedback. She describes Triple H as someone who always helped them out. Fast forward to 2015 where NXT is under Triple H's control and produces some of the best women's wrestling North America has ever seen - and the women get to main event a PPV for the first time ever in WWE.

** ''Anime/NarutoTheMovieNinjaClashInTheLandOfSnow'': In one scene, Naruto gripes about how awesome his life would be if he could save a princess. [[spoiler:Well, not only does he save one in this movie, but he also saves one in the ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie'' and that princess, Hinata, becomes his wife.]]

*** In one of Lee's skits in Episode 35-B he suggests that Hinata gives Naruto a handmade scarf as a gift but Tenten dismisses the idea. [[RedStringOfFate A red scarf]] is one of the key events that actually [[spoiler:help begin their romantic relationship]] in ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie''. Even better--the red scarf was [[RealitySubtext based on the one Kishimoto's wife knitted for him once]].

* Although it's a {{Filler}} episode, in episode 159 of ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'', the title character and Hinata, a girl [[CannotSpitItOut who has a secret crush on him]], have a cute moment when he eats one of her rice balls and compliments her by telling her she's going to make a good wife someday. [[spoiler:Almost nine years after that episode aired, the manga ends with an epilogue revealing that [[HappilyMarried the two did get married and started a family]]]].

** ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'': Producing this film was very hard for Creator/GeorgeLucas and Creator/StevenSpielberg, [[CreatorBreakdown as Lucas was going through a painful divorce and Spielberg had a breakup with]] Creator/AmyIrving. But Spielberg would find love again with Creator/KateCapshaw, who he'd marry several years afterwards. He would say that meeting her was the best part of making this movie.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker,'' [[ContinuityCameo Tim Drake's blond wife]] is a nod to Stephanie "The Spoiler" Brown, who was then dating Tim's comics counterpart. Considering what Stephanie's been through since [[note]]Her [[ComicBookDeath "dying"]], a rocky ending, and [[Comicbook/{{New52}} her getting]] [[RetGone erased from the timeline]] (though she does appear later on at least)[[/note]], it's heartwarming to see at least one continuity where their counterparts settled down together.

*** Throughout most of his Kanto training, [[BigBrotherMentor Brock]] was the one most likely to give positive support and advise to Ash. When Brock returns in the ''Sun and Moon'' series, he helps train with the Alola students by demonstrating a deflect tactic with Gyro Ball, which he mentions he learned from "a certain challenger of his". It seems things have come full circle.

* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': During the funeral for the people killed by Hulk, we can see an elder woman being hugged by a blonde teenager. This was from before Gwen Stacy moved to live with the Parkers in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and became close with Aunt May (specially after Peter's death, that left them alone). If this story was made a bit later in the setting's history, those two could have been them.

* Almost all interactions between Bambi and his father the Great Prince in the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' movie are this as a result of the {{Interquel}}, ''WesternAnimation/BambiII'', which shown that following the death of Bambi's mother, the Great Prince mellowed his aloof demeanour and formed a very close loving bond with his son.

* In the climax of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', when [[spoiler:the Red Hood tries to get Batman to kill the Joker, Jason says he's not asking Bruce to kill Two-Face and unlike with the other two he listed (the Penguin and the Scarecrow), he even called Two-Face by his real last name, Dent. Follow-up ''WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseBatmanDeathInTheFamily'' confirms ComicBook/TwoFace killed Jason's dad like he did in ComicBook/PostCrisis comics, so by saying he's "not talking about killing [...] Dent", it does shows he believes Harvey Dent is better than the Joker despite Dent killing his father to the degree he was willing to use the man's real name.]]

** When he decides to stay with Jessie, Bullseye and Pete rather than leave them for good, Woody muses to them "Who am I to break up the Round-Up Gang?" In ''4'', Jessie and Bullseye [[spoiler:support his decision to go off on his own and start a new life]].
** One of the film's best jokes is Bo Peep giving Buzz a good luck kiss and tell him "This is for Woody when you find him," which Buzz replies it "won't be the same coming from [him]." In ''4'', Buzz and Woody [[spoiler:exchange a [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove platonic but completely sincere embrace]] before Woody leave him to be with Bo.]]

* In the British film ''Film/Victim1961'', Creator/DirkBogarde plays a homosexual barrister who decides to fight criminals blackmailing gay men (blackmailing homosexuals with threats of revealing their true inclination was common in the era when homosexuality was still a crime). Bogarde, who at the time was a major star in British cinema, took a big risk by accepting the lead role in this pro-gay movie, since in Britain in 1961 homosexuality was illegal and carried a significant social stigma. It wasn't common knowledge at the time, but it's been later revealed that Bogarde himself was gay. Seeing ''Victim'' with this knowledge, knowing how personally Bogarde must have felt his role, certainly adds an extra level of heartwarming to the movie.

* The final scene in ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'', where Keating's students giving him a touching send-off, showing their appreciation for everything he's taught them, now feels like a send-off to Creator/RobinWilliams himself after his death in 2014.

* At the end of ''Film/TheInterview'', North Korea's dictatorship is finally at an end and the song [[Music/ScorpionsBand Wind of Change]] plays over the end credits. The song is about the end of the Soviet Union, so its use in the film was meant to parallel that with the end of North Korea's dictatorship. Then in 2018, the ending became even better when, after technically being at war for over 70 years, North and South Korea had a historic summit and finally agreed to end the Korean war.

** ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' is about Indy patching his relationship with his estranged father, Henry Sr.. Shortly after this film, Spielberg rebuilt his own relationship with his father, in part thanks to the influence of his wife Capshaw.

* In the [[TheSeventies 1970's]], people said that there would be a ''black'' U.S. president [[CueTheFlyingPigs when pigs fly]]. [[HilariousInHindsight Eventually in November 2008]], we got UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and sure enough, [[BlackComedy swine]] [[JustForPun flu]].

** Every time Ebenezar [=McCoy=] protects Harry, and every interaction between them, gets ten times sweeter when it's revealed in ''Literature/{{Changes}}'' that, unknown to Harry, [[spoiler: they're not just master and apprentice. Ebenezar is his maternal grandfather]].

* Near the end of the second ''Literature/FrannyKStein'' book, ''Attack of the 50-Ft. Cupid'', the narration describes Franny and her new dog/lab assistant Igor as working together like they've known each other for years. This becomes especially more poignant by the sixth book ''The Fran With Four Brains'', which goes into detail on how close Franny and Igor have grown together, with Igor doing whatever he can to entertain Franny and make her laugh when she's feeling stressed, Franny knowing that it is important to spend time with Igor and the illustrations showing Franny reading to Igor as well as Igor tucking Franny into bed and kissing her goodnight.

* During season 5 of ''Series/TheGoodWife'', "A Few Words" flashes back to Alicia's attempts to get a job when Peter went to jail. She gets rejection after rejection until running into old law school friend Will, who hires her immediately. Becomes somehow more significant when [[spoiler:Diane]] faces a similar situation in ''Series/TheGoodFight''. After [[spoiler:she loses all her retirement money, Diane]] goes to old friends and business partners for a job, and none of them will take [[spoiler:her]].

** In the season 3 episode "The Wind That Blew My Heart Away", when Mouth and Rachel are both trapped inside her house due to the storm, Rachel is telling him he can get more "elite" girls like her if he starts being more mean. To which Mouth says that he can never be that kind of person and mentions how someday he will find someone who might not be Rachel's idea of "elite" but that she'll be "elite" to him and she'll love him for who he is and always be there for him and they won't have to play games with one another. A couple of seasons later pretty much exactly that happens when Mouth meets Millicent(who is somewhat insecure about her looks and weight) and they really hit it off, and in the GrandFinale they [[spoiler: end up married with her pregnant with twins]].

* After Creator/AntonYelchin's death in June 2016, only 1 month before the release of ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fan [[http://mrscratch0753.tumblr.com/image/146171334275 paid tribute to him by creating a drawing]] of Anton being welcomed in the afterlife by Creator/LeonardNimoy, Creator/DeForestKelley and Creator/JamesDoohan, captioned with "For Anton". When ''Beyond'' was released, its InMemoriam dedication to Yelchin was also "For Anton".

* In the Webvideo/MovieRehab review to the 1984 ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' film back in 2015 [=SaG=] expressed hope that superheroines will have more success in near future. Since then, most female superheroes had been successful in media with ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' sealing the deal.

* A minor example with [[WebVideo/TheMusicVideoShow The Music Video Show]]. Each season has the host wearing new clothing and. In the first three seasons, she mostly wore long-sleeved shirts and wore hats. After the 3rd season, she wore clothing that showed more of her body, along with no hat, making a more exposed and changed person from season one. In 2019, she did a [[https://youtu.be/pfVVcO-foCU livestream]] where she came out as genderqueer. Looking at the changes in clothing she uses every season, it is like she was trying to figure herself out. Then, in [[https://youtu.be/fD4POcH-AZ0 2020...]]
** The beginning of [[https://youtu.be/dfyFE-jffJQ Episode 5]] has her wearing feminine clothing and, after making an excuse, she cries, "Don't judge me!". This example is this trope when she stated that she was genderqueer and that she feels comfortable wearing women's clothing and makeup in real life. This has even reached to the actual show, as seen at the beginning of its season 10 [[https://youtu.be/pAspogDGha8 premiere.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' was ''very'' much an UnintentionalPeriodPiece of the "Extreme sports" culture of TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium. A few episodes showed conflicts about how skateboarders were perceived as annoyances (Before skate parks became more commonplace). However, the 2020 olympics added Surfing, and both street ''and'' park skating as events.

** Amity starts being friends with Luz when the latter lends her book five of Azura as an apology for accidentally reading her diary. [[spoiler:As of "Enchanting Grom Fight" there are hints that this actually started a RescueRomance when Luz risked her life to save Amity from a corrupted Otabin]]. Amity also admits that she knows Luz doesn't mean to cause trouble, she just gets in over her head, which is what she [[spoiler:loves- no [[BlatantLies HATES, HATES]]]] about the human. Later on, she declares it is her turn to save Luz, when [[spoiler:Luz enters a DealWithTheDevil with Odalia Blight to help her friends return to Hexside. Amity not only stands up to her mother but also declares that Luz is under her protection, and anyone who has a problem with that can deal with her]].

** A few months after Hunter's debut, a selection of fans started shipping him with Willow ([[LauncherOfAThousandShips among other characters]]) and writing fanfiction in which the two interact. In episode "[[Recap/TheOwlHouseS2E13AnySportInAStorm Any Sport in a Storm]]", they officially meet and become friends.

** In "[[Recap/ArthurS14E2TheAgentOfChangeDWUntiesTheKnot D.W. Unties the Knot]]", D.W. sets out to plan her dream wedding after being inspired by a reality show about fancy wedding parties, and chooses her preschool classmate James as her groom. While they obviously don't actually get married in the end, being preschoolers and all[[note]]D.W. didn't realize until after the wedding planning was already underway that a wedding means actually marrying the groom and not just having a fancy party.[[/note]], D.W. tells her best friend Emily that she would like her to be the bridesmaid again at her real wedding 20 years in the future. Fast forward to 2016, six years after the episode first aired, and [[https://www.today.com/news/20-years-later-these-preschool-sweethearts-got-married-t113358 two kids who met in preschool did actually get married exactly that amount of years later]], so a [[ChildhoodFriendRomance future romance]] for D.W. and James is very much plausible.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': In an episode of season 2, Sissi ends up learning of Lyoko, and Ulrich fills her in on it - specifically to keep her from panicking since the situation is bad enough Jeremie will ''have'' to hit the ResetButton this time. Knowing that everything was going to be undone and she wasn't going to remember, Sissi kisses Ulrich on the cheek to show him how she really feels - since ''he'' will remember. Already heartwarming enough, but the prequel episodes revealed that the reason the group doesn't trust her was because she was too afraid to go into Lyoko and contacted the authorities. This time? She trusts them to have things under control. Her kissing of Ulrich also comes off as her apologising for her actions in the past.
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* Catarina becoming friends with Sophia in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom''. While it is sweet at the time given that Catarina was the first person to reach out to Sophia outside of her family, it doesn't really stand out as anything special since Catarina had already done this for 4 other people by this point in the story. However, it becomes evens more heartwarming when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Sophia is the reincarnation of Atsuko Sasaki, Catarina's best friend in her previous life who was devastated by her death and [[ReincarnationFriendship wanted more than anything to be with her again]].]]

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

** This continuity was born when an entity -[[ComicBook/TheSandman Dream of the Endless]]- sent out an alternate ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' to help abort the ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. Flash-forward fourteen years and the same thing happens in ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}''.

** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E20TheWashouts The Washouts]]" has Scootaloo lose interest in the Wonderbolts because (on account of her being unable to fly) there is no realistic hope of her ever becoming one. About a year later, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDWIssue81 issue 81 of the IDW comic]] would have her hear the story of an earth pony aeronaut who experimented with gliders, used his invention to rescue a stranded Wonderbolt, and was welcomed into their ranks. Combined with Scootaloo exhibiting mechanical skills of her own in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple One Bad Apple]]" and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E15TwilightTime Twilight Time]]", this would suggest that she could develop a workaround to her DreamCrushingHandicap if she were so inclined.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', an early episode called "Griffon the Brush Off" involved Pinkie Pie throwing a party for a {{Jerkass}} griffon, hoping to "turn that frown upside-down". Fast-forward to season two where Pinkie sings a song about how much she honestly and completely loves making people smile and brightening up their days with parties and play.
** Even later in season five, the very same griffon's [[PetTheDog genuine friendship with Rainbow Dash]] is easier to see when she flashes back to the day they first befriended each other, especially their Junior Speedster's chant, begrudgingly as it was. "Only for you, Dash." It becomes even more heartwarming when you see the friendship that ended between Rainbow Dash and Gilda in "Griffon the Brush Off" rebuilt in season five.
** In the first ''Equestria Girls'' movie, AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara and her BetaBitch Silver Spoon are seen uncharacteristically getting into the spirit of "Help Twilight Win The Crown" and appear to be nicer in the human world than they are in Equestria. Fast forward to season 5 where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon get redeemed for real.
** Additionally the Cutie Mark Crusaders get formed when they meet at Diamond Tiara's celebration of receiving her cutie mark. [[spoiler: In season five they all receive theirs after helping redeem Diamond Tiara]].
** An example from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'': in the first movie, Princess Celestia notes that she had wished that her [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil former student Sunset Shimmer]] would need guidance once again and return to Equestria using a mirror that links it with the human world. Fast forward to ''Forgotten Friendship'', and that is exactly what happens.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "[[Recap/ArthurS14E2TheAgentOfChangeDWUntiesTheKnot D.W. Unties the Knot]]", D.W. sets out to plan her dream wedding after being inspired by a reality show about fancy wedding parties, and chooses her preschool classmate James as her groom. While they obviously don't actually get married in the end, being preschoolers and all[[note]]D.W. didn't realize until after the wedding planning was already underway that a wedding means actually marrying the groom and not just having a fancy party.[[/note]], D.W. tells her best friend Emily that she would like her to be the bridesmaid again at her real wedding 20 years in the future. Fast forward to 2016, six years after the episode first aired, and [[https://www.today.com/news/20-years-later-these-preschool-sweethearts-got-married-t113358 two kids who met in preschool did actually get married exactly that amount of years later]], so a [[ChildhoodFriendRomance future romance]] for D.W. and James is very much plausible.

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* When it was first revealed for ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', Mimikyu's description mentioned that it desperately wanted to be as loved as the series mascot Pikachu, which is why it dresses up in a crudely-made Pikachu disguise. It ended up getting EnsembleDarkhorse status within the fandom near-instantly, meaning it got its wish.

** Luz saves King and Eda in the first episode from the creepy, horny Warden. Later on, in Season 2 when Luz is undergoing a HeroicBSOD and declares it's her fault that [[spoiler:Eda lost her powers, Eda snaps her out of it. She starts her YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAreSpeech by pointing out that Luz rescued her first, and they're in this mess together as a family]].

* ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}''

** In a sense, nearly all of the Team Rocket trio's idolizing and yearning for Giovanni's respect becomes heartwarming when they finally achieve success in ''Best Wishes'' and become respected agents, even managing to save Giovanni's life at one point.
** In "Tricks of the Trade", the trio gives Jessie's Wobbuffet a rather jaded induction to the team. Wobbuffet is the only Pokemon other than Meowth that accompanied Jessie and James over nearly every series and still does to this day. This gets even more heartwarming once you realize that Wobbuffet's original trainer Teru/[[DubNameChange Benny]] hopes Jessie would take good care of Wobbuffet.
--->'''Jessie:''' Well Wobbuffet, you're one of us now.
--->'''James:''' A proud member of Team Rocket.
--->'''Meowth:''' We'll get those kids some day, but in the meantime, you'll have to be patient.

* WebVideo/AmazingPhil made a video in 2009 where he predicted his future via tarot cards. According to his fortune, he would meet an energetic, impulsive man who would have a huge impact on his life. Not long after, Phil would meet and become HeterosexualLifePartners with [[{{WebVideo/danisnotonfire}} Dan Howell]]. And then in 2019...[[ComingOutStory Forget that first word.]]
* In the Webvideo/MovieRehab review to ''Film/Supergirl1984'' review back in 2015 [=SaG=] expressed hope that superheroines will have more success in near future. Since then most female superheroes had been successful in media with ''Film/WonderWoman2017'' sealing the deal.

* HeartwarmingInHindsight/StevenUniverse

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'': In ''Journey to Big Water'' where Littlefoot, upset when his friends can't play with him on that day, wishes his mother gave him a brother. [[spoiler:The following film ''The Great Longneck Migration'', where he meets his father, Bron, for the first time, and convinces him to adopt Shorty, an orphaned longneck, whom he had an antagonistic relationship with when they first meet but then befriended, in a way he got his wish after all when he got an ''adoptive'' brother.]]

* ''Fanfic/AdventureTimeFrozenHearts'': In this story, Betty leaves Simon after he goes on some kind of nutty rant under the crown's influence. Then, in canon, it is revealed that Betty never truly left Simon, she simply jumped into the portal to the future to be with him.