History Main / MetaTwist

** The first five ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books follow a specific pattern: the people Harry suspects are never the actual bad guys. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'', Harry is actually ''right'' about who's responsible, but [[CassandraTruth no one believes him]] because of his habit of of jumping the gun with accusations. Even better, the culprits are Malfoy and Snape, both of whom had consistently been used as blatant {{Red Herring}}s in previous books. There's a slight twist, admittedly, but the reader doesn't find that out until ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''.

** The first five ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books follow a specific pattern: the people Harry suspects are never the actual bad guys. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'', Harry is actually ''right'' about who's responsible. Even better, the culprits are Malfoy and Snape, both of whom had consistently been used as blatant {{Red Herring}}s in previous books. There's a slight twist, admittedly, but the reader doesn't find that out until ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''.

** It's very common for the ''Ace Attorney'' franchise to build up the rival prosecutor as undefeated immediately before the player defeats them. In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', characters instead tell Rynosuke and Susato that anyone prosecuted by Barok van Zieks is inevitably "doomed," which they take to mean the same thing. After defeating van Zieks in court, Susato proudly announces to Inspector Gregson that she and Ryunosuke successfully won an acquittal against him, only for Gregson to cynically set the two straight. Defendants aren't doomed because van Zieks successfully convicts every one of them--[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome that would be impossible]]. They're doomed because the ones he doesn't convict ''die'', as Ryunosuke's own client did immediately after the trial.

** From the first game, both the first and second cases are [[ReverseWhodunnit Reverse Whodunnits]]. The fourth case seemingly follows suit, with the ColdOpen unambiguously showing that Miles Edgeworth is the murderer, before revealing that he will be your client. It ultimately turns out that Edgeworth is genuinely innocent, and that the whole intro of the case was a massive instance of NotWhatItLooksLike. The series going forward frequently plays around with whether its ReverseWhodunnit cases are genuine or a RedHerring.

** Similarly, in ''Investigations 2'', Simon Keyes, one of the people who Edgeworth proves to be innocent of the murder he is accused of, turns out to be a two-faced, conniving mastermind who orchestrated ''every single present-day murder in the game'' (yes, including even the murder Edgeworth acquitted them of, as they knowingly manipulated someone else into doing the dirty work for them). Even Edgeworth can barely bring himself to believe it when he finally puts the pieces together.

** Within the ''Ace Attorney'' franchise, a trial happens OncePerEpisode with the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'' games being the sole exceptions due to the different gameplay style than the traditional ''Ace Attorney'' games. However, come to the first ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' game that plays like a traditional ''Ace Attorney'' game, many fans were surprised that the second case was ''purely'' investigation with no trial at all.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CaptainUnderpantsTheFirstEpicMovie'', the primary conflict is that Mr. Krupp is planning to put George and Harold in separate classes. So, ''obviously'', the resolution is going to be them reversing it and the two friends sticking together. Not only did the plot line from the books that this conflict seems to be based upon[[note]]Book eleven when Harold fails the final exam and is told he'll have to redo the fourth grade without George [[/note]]end the same way, but that's just what happens in kids' movies... except that's not what happens here. Even though they try hard to prevent it, in the end, George and Harold actually ''are'' put into separate classes. And they're alright with that. They realize that their friendship can persist being separated, and even admit that they may have overreacted to the news a bit.

Maybe they realized that using the trope was becoming predictable or worse, a crutch, and ditched it. Or perhaps they [[IntendedAudienceReaction plotted the surprise from the start]] from before even starting their first work just to give fans a huge surprise. And of course, maybe they just wanted (horror of horrors) to surprise the audience in order to entertain them. It doesn't matter which it is, the net effect is the same: the plot twist for that story becomes the absence of an established twist. So, a Meta Twist.

* The ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series has a well established pattern of fellow adventurers who are helpful and friendly early on, only to become antagonists after some [[WhamEpisode major plot twist]]. So in the fifth game, when Lili and Solor show up for the first time, experienced players were already planning for the inevitable betrayal and battle. It never happens. While they become a major part of the plot around the third stratum, it leads to them fighting the boss ''alongside'' you. Another twist is that, whereas previous games introduced a civilization in the fourth stratum (and almost always a hostile one), in this game's fourth stratum the only character found is a friendly, mysterious girl whose race remains unknown until the sixth stratum, where she shows her true form as an '''alien''' from another world, the Arken. And her civilization was tragically slaughtered by the Star Devourer, making her the LastOfHerKind.

* The titular ''[[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters King of Fighters]]'' tournament has a long history of being hosted by people with ulterior, often sinister motives, or just someone with connections to the current ArcVillain. (Even in the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''[=/=]''VideoGame/FatalFury'' continuity, every iteration of the tournament was hosted either by Geese Howard or one of his relatives.) So it's quite a surprise when the tournament's host for ''XIV'', Antonov, is neither of these. He's just a completely unrelated, actually pretty nice rich guy who wants to fight strong opponents, and FinalBoss Verse has nothing to do with either him or the current tournament. (Though Verse ''does'' [[ArcWelding have a connection]] with the Jin Scrolls from ''Fatal Fury 3'' that Geese sought out,)

** Moffat outdid himself spectacularly with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E4Listen "Listen"]]. He is well-known for taking classic childhood fears like [[DoctorWhoS30E8SilenceInTheLibrary fear of the dark]], [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/DoctorWhoS29E10Blink fear of what's happening when you are not looking]] or [[DoctorWhoS32E1TheImpossibleAstronaut fear of what you cannot remember]] and designing monsters around them. So when the Doctor theorizes that there is a monster that has evolved to hide so well it cannot be seen, ever, it seems like another Moffat monster. At the end, it's left ambiguous whether there ever was a monster, or whether it was all in the Doctor's head, an exceptionally terrifying monster he thought up because he was once scared as a little boy. That's right, Moffat managed to deconstruct not only the character of the Doctor, but also ''his own idiosyncratic storytelling tropes''.

** Moffat outdid himself spectacularly with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E4Listen "Listen"]]. He is well-known for taking classic childhood fears like a fear of the dark or of statues and designing monsters around them. So when the Doctor theorizes that there is a monster that has evolved to hide so well it cannot be seen, ever, it seems like another Moffat monster. At the end, it's left ambiguous whether there ever was a monster, or whether it was all in the Doctor's head, an exceptionally terrifying monster he thought up because he was once scared as a little boy. That's right, Moffat managed to deconstruct not only the character of the Doctor, but also ''his own idiosyncratic storytelling tropes''.

[[caption-width-right:350:Above: the usual result. Below: the twist.]]

->''"[...] As you wait for the inevitable Shyamalan twist ending... that never comes. The twist is... there is no twist. The trees did it. Then it ends."''

* ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTellTaleSeries'' manages to pull a ''doozy'' when the Children of Arkham begin spreading the story that Thomas Wayne was actually one of Gotham's worst criminals ever and made his fortune through theft, murder, and sending innocent people to Arkham to rot. No way in hell any of this is anything other than a fabricated story to drag Bruce through the mud, right? It's all true. Every word of it. This time around the franchise's [[TheParagon Paragon is actually a GreaterScopeVillain the entire time, and the only reason The Penguin and Lady Arkham's RoaringRampageOfRevenge isn't entirely justified is they're targeting ''Bruce'' and the innocent lives of Gotham to get it]].

** And the respective Meta Twist here for ''Moon Knight'' is that this series' {{Big Bad}}s Arthur Harrow and Ammit '''are''' sincere {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s. Even though the former freely admits that his HeelFaithTurn was motivated by sadistic impulses, he's completely genuine in wanting to atone for his past sins through his service to Ammit, and quickly offers up his life upon learning from his goddess that his ''own'' scales are imbalanced. Furthermore, despite the fact that Ammit ''herself'' is a goddess that literally grows in power [[ReroutedFromHeaven with the souls she consigns to the Duat, both her actions and her conversation with Khonshu in the series finale show that she's completely sincere in wanting to make the world a better place through her {{Precrime Arrest}} murder spree, to the point where she gives the moon god a WeCanRuleTogether offer since she sees them as having the same goals in [[PayEvilUntoEvil punishing sinners]].]]
* ''Series/Loki2021'': The [=MCU=] is famous for its antagonists typically being [[EvilCounterpart dark copies of its protagonists]] with similar abilities, so one would understandably expect the HiddenVillain of this series to be an evil Loki Variant to combat this series' AntiHero Loki Variant. The actual villain turns out to be "He Who Remains", a NonActionBigBad completely unrelated to Loki. They never directly fight each other and instead oppose each other [[{{Foil}} on a more philosophical level; Loki and his Variants prove that [[ScrewDestiny people can change]] [[RousseauWasRight for the better]], while He Who Remains believes that [[HobbesWasRight his Variants are evil by nature]] and [[YouCantFightFate that it can't be helped]].]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' lets you name the four main party members right at the beginning even before any of them have been introduced by the narrative, so when you name Lucas, Claus, Flint, and Hinawa at the beginning of ''VideoGame/Mother3'' you know ''that's'' your party, right? Oh ho ho '''NO'''. You play as Flint until Hinawa dies and Claus disappears very early on, driving the poor guy out of your party and into near-suicidal depression, and Claus returns as a HollywoodCyborg as well as the BrainwashedAndCrazy [[TheDragon Dragon to the BigBad who offs himself in the final battle so Lucas won't have to do it. Yeah, it's [[TraumaCongaLine that]] [[TearJerker kind]] [[GainaxEnding of]] [[ApocalypseHow game]]]].

** The series heavily implies (and eventually confirms) that the killer animatronics are HauntedTechnology. ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' and ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'', however, eschew the ghost story entirely; in the former, they're nightmares experienced by a traumatized mind, and in the latter, they really are sentient robots. [[SubvertedTrope Ultimately subverted in the case of the latter group, as [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the next game]] reveals that the Funtime Animatronics actually ''were'' haunted, just...[[ItMakesSenseInContext in a different way than the others]].]]

** Over the course of the three games, responses can essentially be divided into three categories: Paragon, where Shepard responds with diplomacy or righteousness, Renegade, where Shepard uses violence or aggressiveness (or sometimes just being downright rude) to get their way, or Neutral, which essentially cuts the difference with a...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin neutral]] or [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] remark. Come the end of the Thessia mission, where Shepard is in their DarkestHour following their utter failure to obtain the final component needed in their fight against the Reapers and is ForcedToWatch and listen as the Asari lose the battle and the planet along with it. Back on the Normandy, Joker tries to break the tension and misery with humor, but, no matter how which option you choose, even if you choose the diplomatic answer, Shepard essentially reams Joker a new one. This prompts Joker, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness of all people, to call Shepard out and essentially [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on Shepard's behavior, noting that their stress levels are higher than they've ''ever'' been and even sharing his own concerns and fears for his sister and father. The whole sequence essentially helps underline how hard Shepard is taking this fall and how they're essentially [[BrokenAce barely holding it together]].]]

* The first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' had their eighth episode be a major WhamEpisode, so fans assumed season three would continue that tradition... said Wham Episode ended up being the ''fifth'' episode of the season, ending with [[SurprisinglySuddenDeath Simon murdering Tuba and Hazel [[TomatoInTheMirror turning out to not be human]]]].

** The big WhamEpisode of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of a VideoGameRemake, specifically the idea of a remade game needing to have the same plot as the original. After following the same general plot of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' for 80% of the game, the cast finds out near the very end that the mysterious ghosts that have been following them for the entire story are "arbiters of fate", a metaphysical force conjured by the Planet that is quite literally {{Railroading}} the cast into following the script of the 1997 original. In a massive act of ScrewDestiny, Cloud and his RagtagBunchOfMisfits destroy said forces, creating a divergent timeline via CosmicRetcon that allows both the heroes and [[BigBad Sephiroth ([[ManipulativeBastard who tricked the heroes into committing the act themselves]]) to drive the story OffTheRails.]]

** The ''Gwenom'' arc in ''ComicBook/SpiderGwen''. Most readers would expect it to mirror the original Venom story from the ''Spider-Man'' comics and told time-and-time again in adaptations; Spidey bonds with an alien symbiote and grows fond of the new abilities, he gets DrunkOnTheDarkSide for a while, eventually realizes what has happened, and removes the creature after a bit of fighting. Instead, the creative team goes in a very different direction at first, as the symbiote's first target isn't Gwen, but her universe's Wolverine. Gwen does become the next person to bond with the symbiote after that, but in another twist, she can fully control it. Gwen remains in an actual symbiotic relationship with the creature from that point on, with the black suit only manifesting when Gwen is particularly upset or wants to intimidate her foes. Okay, she does become bloodthirsty for a while, but that was the result of her and the symbiote being stressed out due to Captain Stacy almost dying. Taking down [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock (here the evil leader of The Hand) and spending a year in prison helps her mellow out some.]]

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': When it was revealed that Gen Urobuchi was working on the series, many fans immediately suspected that the show would be a lot darker than it at first seemed. And they were right... [[spoiler:mostly. The ending, while still bittersweet, was ''much'' happier than he is normally known for. Also a possible subversion of LyingCreator--when he claimed he wanted to write a heartwarming anime, few believed him. This gets twisted again in TheMovie. The ending is even ''more'' happy and even ''more'' bittersweet at the same time.]]

** The series did this powerfully in the Marineford Arc. A tradition in One Piece is that no one dies in the present, only in flashbacks. This had been taken to ridiculous extremes on multiple occasions, perhaps most notably when Pell sacrificed himself to carry a massive bomb into the sky where the explosion would only barely not reach the ground. It's not long before he's implied, then later confirmed to have somehow survived. Then in the Marineford Arc, a bunch of powers are all colliding, but Luffy's just there for his brother, Ace. They tease that he may not have enough time to save him, but due to an immense amount of luck, he makes it and rescues his brother (of course, no one dies, right?). However, Luffy has been severely taxed by the events leading up to the Marineford Arc, and collapses at the height of a dangerous battle (partially thanks to only surviving the worst poisons on the planet due to an immense will and extensive outside help, another example of death being avoided against all odds). [[spoiler:His brother rushes to his defense to take the blow from Akainu, a man with lava powers. Ace has fire powers and can turn immaterial, so he'll be fine, right? Well, lava and fire are members of the same elemental family and since lava is much hotter he's able to directly injure even a man made of fire]]. Despite the series tradition, he did ''not'' survive. The Meta Twist made this moment extremely powerful, making it a significant moment for the audience as well as the characters, while also symbolizing a major shift in the tone of the story. The Straw Hats were no longer just having fun adventures on the seas. They had drawn the attention of the biggest and most dangerous names in the world.
** Throughout the series' many flashbacks, it became tradition for the subject of the flashbacks to have formed a bond with someone, often a paternal figure, then lose them in an event which informed their later actions. So, in Whole Cake Island, when it's revealed that [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Big Mom]] was raised by Mother Carmel, an orphanage head and holy woman who instilled Big Mom's philosophy of a land of all people and mysteriously disappeared during a birthday party, fans were led to believe they were in for a similar sequence of events. [[spoiler: Which makes it all the more shocking when the flashback reveals that everything Big Mom said about her couldn't be further from the truth. Mother Carmel was actually a slave trader who used the guise of a holy woman to sell children to the World Government, and everything she told Big Mom was an utter lie. And the reason for her disappearance at the party? Big Mom ''[[IAmAHumanitarian ate her]]'' and the other orphans during an eating frenzy.]]
* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', the Hideout Raid arc sees [[BigGood All Might]] head off to his ultimate confrontation with [[BigBad All for One]]. If you've consumed any piece of media ever, you'll know that this means [[MentorOccupationalHazard All Might's days are numbered]]. [[spoiler:You'd be wrong. All Might ''wins'' the fight, but expends the last dregs of his power to do so and officially retires soon after, leaving the future in Izuku's hands. Meanwhile, All for One is arrested, but leadership of the League of Villains transfers to [[TheHeavy Tomura Shigaraki]].]]
* Like the games it's a continuation of, ''Anime/Danganronpa3'' sneaks a few twists in its plot. The mastermind has secretly been around the whole time, only to be revealed and punished in the same chapter? [[spoiler:Tengan was killed before anyone could suspect him, by the guy who suspected ''everybody''.]]

** Creator/MarkMillar's run on ''Marvel Knights ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Right after Spider-Man sends Green Goblin to prison, Aunt May is kidnapped. Osborn protests that [[NotMeThisTime he hasn't had time to formulate a revenge plan from prison yet, so it couldn't have been him.]] It turns out the mastermind was [[spoiler:Mac Gargan AKA The Scorpion AKA the new Venom. But he didn't know who Spider-Man was and wasn't smart enough to orchestrate the scheme, so who gave him the instructions? Norman Osborn, of course.]]

** The ''Gwenom'' arc in ''ComicBook/SpiderGwen''. Most readers would expect it to mirror the original Venom story from the ''Spider-Man'' comics and told time-and-time again in adaptations; Spidey bonds with an alien symbiote and grows fond of the new abilities, he gets DrunkOnTheDarkSide for a while, eventually realizes what has happened, and removes the creature after a bit of fighting. Instead, the creative team goes in a very different direction at first, as [[spoiler:the symbiote's first target isn't Gwen, but her universe's Wolverine]]. Gwen does become the next person to bond with the symbiote after that, but in another twist, [[spoiler:she can fully control it. Gwen remains in an actual symbiotic relationship with the creature from that point on, with the black suit only manifesting when Gwen is particularly upset or wants to intimidate her foes. Okay, she does become bloodthirsty for a while, but that was the result of her and the symbiote being stressed out due to Captain Stacy almost dying. Taking down [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock]] (here the evil leader of The Hand) and spending a year in prison helps her mellow out some.]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* ''Film/TheBrothersBloom'' is about con-men, and it has become something of a cliché that any story about con-men is usually a con itself--the viewer waits for the twist to be revealed. The twist at the end of the movie is... there is no twist. The movie has played fair with the audience all along, and what you saw is what really happened. The feeling of the viewer's plot-twist-sense tingling was just paranoia.

* Though many viewers thought that ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' would reprise ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' in the [[ContinuityReboot rebooted continuity]], others took Spock's words in ''Film/StarTrek2009'' to heart and thought that it would resolve in some other way. It was reprised alright, [[CompressedAdaptation along with the rest of "The Spock Trilogy"]], but with ''significant'' differences, [[spoiler:the most obvious being that Kirk and Spock were swapped]], making ''Into Darkness'' fit both this Trope ''and'' NotHisSled, each with regard to a different movie.

** Supreme Leader Snoke, who was set up as taking the Emperor's place in the new trilogy, [[spoiler:is killed by his apprentice before the final act]]. [[spoiler:Until ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' walks this back with the reveal of who was really behind Snoke.]]
** [[spoiler:Rey's parents being revealed as just ordinary people]] means that she is unrelated to any pre-established characters or families, therefore avoiding (or [[InvertedTrope inverting]]) the "I-am-your-father" type twist as in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. [[spoiler:Until ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' again walks back on this with the reveal of her ''grandfather''.]]
** Kylo Ren [[spoiler:destroys his helmet, kills Snoke, tells Rey to let go of the past (which includes both the Sith and Jedi Orders), and takes over Snoke's role as Supreme Leader]]. Instead of becoming a menacing, faceless and strong Sith Lord like Darth Vader who is still loyal to the Emperor, he becomes [[spoiler:a CompositeCharacter, midway between Darth Vader and Palpatine]]. [[spoiler:And yet ''again'', ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' walks this back by him repairing the helmet, working under and intending to overthrow Palpatine, and ultimately turning back to the Light because of the feelings he still has for his loved ones, all just like Vader.]]
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Timothy mentions [[spoiler:Soylent Green]] in connection with cloned Koreans before Sonmi's story even starts; the clones all [[spoiler:drinking the same nutrients each day]] invokes the connection very strongly. But the plot thread seemingly gets dropped very early on in Sonmi's tale, to focus on political intrigue instead. Small hints are dropped -- a reference to Malthus, for example. By the time Sonmi reaches the ship, it's of course a ForegoneConclusion that Xultation isn't real... but the sudden return of [[spoiler: the Film/SoylentGreen theme]] is unexpected, if just because the story already includes such a large number of other famous sci-fi twists in its loving {{pastiche}}. And then it gets taken a step further when it turns out that [[spoiler:not only is the Soap made of discarded clones, but so is the regular food in Papa Song's diner]].

* In the ''Series/MissionImpossible'' TV show, the team always succeeds and makes it to the end of the mission (with precisely one exception, ever). ''Film/MissionImpossible1996'' opens with an standard IMF mission that goes disastrously wrong, and agents - including ones played by big-time movie stars - start dropping. First it's "accidents", then assassinations (including Jim Phelps, the most famous character of the TV series). [[spoiler:Then it turns out Jim survived, to the relief of longtime fans. Then it turns out ''he's'' the mole and BigBad of the film, to the chagrin of the longtime fans. Some say they're ''still'' mad to this day.]]

** The first five ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books follow a specific pattern: the people Harry suspects are never the actual bad guys. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'', Harry is actually ''right'' about who's responsible. Even better, the culprits are [[spoiler:Malfoy and Snape]], both of whom had consistently been used as blatant {{Red Herring}}s in previous books. There's a slight twist, admittedly, but the reader doesn't find that out until ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''.
** ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' also has another one: Up until then, the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher always had been a character newly introduced in the respective book. This turned out ''not'' to be the case in ''HBP''. Even Harry and friends were surprised by this. There ''is'' a new teacher introduced, and everyone had been expecting him to take the [=DADA=] slot, but it turns out the new guy had actually been recruited to teach Potions, and ''Snape'' was finally given the position of [=DADA=] teacher. Also, in the first five books, the new [=DADA=] teacher was always unable to teach a second year. The reasons varied, but they always left the school at the end of their first year. The new [=DADA=] teacher from HBP was no longer teaching [=DADA=] in the next book, but in a shocking twist, this was actually because [[spoiler: he had become headmaster instead]].

* ''Literature/TheCosmere'': The World-Hopper Hoid has a cameo [[TheConstant in every story in the series]], working towards his own ends and often manipulating events. You reach ''Literature/ShadowsForSilenceInTheForestsOfHell'', ready yourself for his usual appearance, and... [[SubvertedTrope he doesn’t show up]]. In fact, he’s not even mentioned and it’s indicated that he has absolutely no stake in the story’s events.
** Some books deconstruct aspects from previous ones. For example, [[WisePrince Prince Raoden]] in ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'' ran secret meetings with fellow nobles and sons of nobles, planning to change the kingdom from within. When invaders strike, they fight back as TrueCompanions. Similarly, Elend (the closest thing the Final Empire has to a prince) and his friends discussed dangerous political topics, such as the failings of [[GodEmperor the Lord Ruler]]. Once the revolution starts, only Elend steps up to stop the fighting, and the others run away. He has to execute one and the other is mostly irrelevant.
** ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' was written as the anti-''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' from top to bottom. Both start in a country ruled by a GodEmperor with fanatical priests, with a revolution fermenting in the oppressed classes, and a charismatic, funny group of mercenaries/thieves working with (and practically running) LaResistance picking up a girl with special powers. In ''Mistborn'', it's a terrible life in the Final Empire: if you're skaa; you're essentially a slave, if you're noble; you live in a DecadentCourt, and if you're half; you're a target for [[TheDreaded the Inquisitors]]. The Lord Ruler is a tyrant and his priests are either corrupt or AxCrazy, the rebellion is fully justified, the revolution improves the lives of the skaa wherever it rises, the thieving crew was handpicked to be men of character and morals, and Vin is a Mistborn who becomes their greatest warrior. In ''Warbreaker'', Hallandren is not perfect, but still a decent place to live. God-King Susebron is a naive but well-meaning figurehead, and his priests aren't evil either. The rebellion has genuine greviances, but they go too far by harming the innocent, and the revolution would be bloody for even those the rebellion profess to be fighting for. And the mercenaries were EvilAllAlong, torturing and killing an innocent boy, and kidnapping Vivienna under the guise of her hiring them. Vivienna herself only becomes stronger once she runs away from them.
* ''Literature/TheOnesWhoWalkAwayFromOmelas'': TheReveal that the Utopian city of Omelas is a TownWithADarkSecret, and that secret is [[spoiler:that the happiness of the city is PoweredByAForsakenChild]], is casually dropped in the narration by the LemonyNarrator who makes clear he's doing it because, as he points out, by the time the story was published, FalseUtopia and Dystopian books were a sci-fi norm and the reader just won't believe that there ''isn't'' a catch somehow. The narrator then goes on to ask "[[YouBastard there you go, the flaw you were looking for! Are you happy now?]]"

** The deaths of [[spoiler: David Palmer and Michelle Dessler]] in Season 5 and [[spoiler: Bill Buchanan]] in Season 7 served as this, as they wound up happening at the beginning of an episode rather than the end which was usually the case whenever a major character was killed off.
* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', of ''course'' the guy played by Brad Dourif is the BigBad, right? Not this time. Similarly, TheReveal that [[spoiler:Agent Grant Ward was a EvilAllAlong [=HYDRA=] sleeper]] is made in large part so effectively jarring to the audience due to the character having been previously written and portrayed as another "typical" MrFanservice LovableRogue DeadpanSnarker WhiteMaleLead within the greater Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, making any moments of suspicion around the character related to the darker implications of some of those tropes feel effectively BeneathNotice for most people watching the series for the first time.

** [[spoiler:Agatha Harkness]] of ''Series/{{Wandavision}}'' [[spoiler:might correctly point out that Wanda's brainwashing of Westview is ''highly'' unethical, but she's only there in the first place because she wants Wanda's magical talent for ''herself'']]. Similarly, [[spoiler:[=S.W.O.R.D.=] Director Tyler Hayward is trying to manipulate Wanda into illegally bringing the Vision back online because he's a GlorySeeker with no care whatsoever for civilian casualties]].
** Karli Morgenthau of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' [[spoiler:might make many good points regarding the refugee crisis created by the Blip, but it slowly becomes clear that she's getting DrunkOnTheDarkSide and is using the Flag-Smashers as a way to vent her frustrations and anger at the world at large]].
** [[spoiler:Judge Ravonna Renslayer]] of ''Series/{{Loki 2021}}'' Season 1 [[spoiler:absolutely refuses to believe that the Time Variance Authority's atrocities ''aren't'' actually justifiable because of her falling into the SunkCostFallacy]].
** And the respective Meta Twist here for ''Moon Knight'' is that this series' {{Big Bad}}s Arthur Harrow and Ammit [[spoiler:'''are''' sincere {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s. Even though the former freely admits that his HeelFaithTurn was motivated by sadistic impulses, he's completely genuine in wanting to atone for his past sins through his service to Ammit, and quickly offers up his life upon learning from his goddess that his ''own'' scales are imbalanced. Furthermore, despite the fact that Ammit ''herself'' is a goddess that literally grows in power [[ReroutedFromHeaven with the souls she consigns to the Duat]], both her actions and her conversation with Khonshu in the series finale show that she's completely sincere in wanting to make the world a better place through her {{Precrime Arrest}} murder spree, to the point where she gives the moon god a WeCanRuleTogether offer since she sees them as having the same goals in [[PayEvilUntoEvil punishing sinners]].]]
* ''Series/Loki2021'': The [=MCU=] is famous for its antagonists typically being [[EvilCounterpart dark copies of its protagonists]] with similar abilities, so one would understandably expect the HiddenVillain of this series to be an evil Loki Variant to combat this series' AntiHero Loki Variant. [[spoiler:The actual villain turns out to be "He Who Remains", a NonActionBigBad completely unrelated to Loki. They never directly fight each other and instead oppose each other [[{{Foil}} on a more philosophical level]]; Loki and his Variants prove that [[ScrewDestiny people can change]] [[RousseauWasRight for the better]], while He Who Remains believes that [[HobbesWasRight his Variants are evil by nature]] and [[YouCantFightFate that it can't be helped]].]]
* Nearly all adaptations of ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' change the book's ending into a happier one where Vera is actually innocent of the murder that U. N. Owen accused her of committing, she and Lombard fall in love, and Lombard is consequently able to convince Vera to not kill him and the two survive the murderer's plot. Because of this, it can come as a nasty shock to viewers who are more familiar with the film adaptations than the original book when the [[Series/AndThenThereWereNone2015 2015 BBC adaptation]] follows the films' lead of having Vera and Lombard fall in love and Lombard making a plea to Vera to trust him about the murderer being neither of them that's ''very'' similar to the plea he makes in the 1945 and 1965 films... and then having Vera — who is revealed immediately afterwards to be 100% guilty of the murder she was accused of — shoot him dead anyway.

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Episode 9 of both of the first two seasons have Daniel and Johnny having a heart to heart and [[NotSoDifferentRemark realizing that they aren't so different]], only for circumstances to contrive to have them back at each others' throats by the start of the next episode. Episode 9 of Season 3 flips this on its head by ending on a note that implies another bust up between the two is imminent, with Johnny's GreenEyedMonster flaring up when he sees Daniel [[spoiler:hugging Ali]] at the Country Club. However, in the following episode, this doesn't materialize, and the two end the season more closely aligned than ever and having apparently buried the hatchet for good this time.

** Creator/StevenMoffat is regarded as something of a master of the shocking twist. So when River Song was announced to have killed "a good man, the best [she'd] ever known", it was thought it was just too obvious for it to be the Doctor. After all, it was the first name which came to everyone's mind the second it was suggested. It just couldn't be true, right? In fact, entire sections of the fandom (across more than one discussion group) dissected the idea. They argued that River Song, knowing and often mentioning the Doctor's flaws, would never call him the best man she'd ever known. They argued that this Doctor had even said why he wasn't truly a good man because "good men don't need rules". Meanwhile, Rory (who doesn't need rules) was repeatedly stated to be a good man throughout the series. He showed a habit of dying several times (almost as though the universe were trying to make him...). When he was revealed out to be River's father in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E7AGoodManGoesToWar "A Good Man Goes to War"]], it seemed guaranteed (and many fans were sitting back quite content with themselves and saying "{{I told you so}}"). After all, who would a daughter be more likely to consider the best man she'd ever known than her father? And then it was the Doctor after all, only it wasn't actually him — it's complicated.
** Moffat outdid himself spectacularly with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E4Listen "Listen"]]. He is well-known for taking classic childhood fears like a fear of the dark or of statues and designing monsters around them. So when the Doctor theorizes that there is a monster that has evolved to hide so well it cannot be seen, ever, it seems like another Moffat monster. [[spoiler:At the end, it's left ambiguous whether there ever was a monster, or whether it was all in the Doctor's head, an exceptionally terrifying monster he thought up because he was once scared as a little boy. That's right, Moffat managed to deconstruct not only the character of the Doctor, but also ''his own idiosyncratic storytelling tropes''.]]

** The Twelfth Doctor's final episode, [[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime "Twice Upon a Time"]], has the Doctor[[note]]well, two Doctors; it's complicated[[/note]] investigating a mysterious entity known as Testimony, which claims to appear at the moment of a person's death and "extract" someone. After much investigation, it turns out to be [[spoiler:a human project from the distant future designed to copy the memories of everyone who's ever died, so that they can be recorded for all time in a kind of artificial afterlife; for once, the episode's "villain" wasn't actually malevolent, but rather just happens to have a needlessly ominous design]]. The Doctor lampshades this briefly, saying that he's not quite sure what to do in this situation.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E3Rosa "Rosa"]]: For most of the episode, antagonist Krasko's motives for attempting to interfere in Rosa Parks' iconic bus ride remain unclear, implying that her stand on the bus has more effects on the future than just desegregation[[spoiler:, until companion Ryan confronts him alone, and Krasko reveals that he's just a bigot like the bus driver. Turns out that there's still white supremacists in the 76th Century. This revelation [[DisappointedByTheMotive pisses off Ryan quite a lot]]]].

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': Most of the time, when one of the Gang tries their hand at something artistic or musical, especially dancing, they fail miserably. The episode "Mac Finds His Pride", which centers around Mac putting together an interpretive dance routine in order to come out to his dad, is built up to be just as grand a failure. But instead, we got [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J6urFp8YZ0&ab_channel=FXNetworks one of the most beautiful dance scenes in television history]] set to the haunting melody of Sigur Ros' "Varúð".

** The most notable example is the season 3 finale, with what appears to be a typical flashback turns out to be a [[spoiler:flashforward]] instead. This twist has since entered ItWasHisSled territory as being one of Lost's most famous.
** Season 5 has an interesting variation: by this point, most of the audience knows that the opening scene will be set on the Island, but this time the opening scene turns out to be [[spoiler:set in the 1970s with Pierre Chang]] and then we see [[spoiler:Daniel Faraday]], so the audience has no idea if this is a flashback or flashforward. Indeed, it isn't until much, ''much'' later in the season that this scene is revisited.
** And yet again in the season 6 opener, where what looks like a flashback to the crash diverges from the actual events, and we get our first [[spoiler:flashsideways]]. However, the twist is not [[spoiler:the plane's failure to crash]], because the viewer was previously informed of the likely creation of a [[spoiler:no-crash alternate timeline]]. Instead, the twist happens when we pan down to see [[spoiler:the island submerged underwater]]. Ultimately, [[spoiler:even ''this'' becomes a Meta Twist, taking advantage of the audience's new expectation that the show will play around with the flashback/forward gimmick. At the very end, it's revealed that the "flashsideways" are actually depicting the afterlife of all the characters, at some point in the future after they have all died, meaning that the "flashsideways" had actually all been flashforwards the whole time]].

** Season Four in general plays with the idea that there might be a third Holmes brother, and at one point Mycroft has a significant phone conversation in which he refers to "Sherrinford". In old-school Conan Doyle ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' {{Fanon}}, "Sherrinford" is [[RecurringFanonCharacter often used]] as the name for a hypothetical oldest Holmes brother, never mentioned because he's a country squire who rarely comes to Town. In actual fact, it's revealed that [[spoiler:"Sherrinford" isn't a person, it's the name of an island TailorMadePrison where the murderously psychotic Holmes '''sister''' Eurus, the season BigBad, is confined.]]
* In ''Series/{{Siberia}}'', Carolina and Victoria claim they saw a tiger after deciding to form an alliance and try to undermine the others. It turns out there really is a tiger. [[spoiler:Or there ''was'']]. The show was too new for this non-twist to have subverted any established conventions, but as half of this show's tropes are on loan from ''Series/{{Survivor}}''...

* ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'' had action figures of enemies and bosses you could purchase, often ''before'' actually facing them, which had actions and sometimes even voices that displayed their attacks. Of course there's an action figure of [[TheDragon Colonel Capricciola]] with all of his attacks [[spoiler:which never get seen in-game since he's TheUnfought and actually [[TheMole helping you.]]]]

*** Sigma [[HijackedByGanon has always been]] the BigBad and FinalBoss in every game...except for one where he was part of a BigBadDuumvirate with someone else ([[spoiler:''VideoGame/MegaManX5'']]), and that someone else steps forward to claim the FinalBoss role after his death ([[spoiler:''VideoGame/MegaManX8'']]) and a GaidenGame where where he doesn't appear at all ([[spoiler:''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'']]).

** After spending [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic an entire franchise]] as the BigBad (and serving as the [[spoiler:not-quite-{{posthumous|Character}}]] GreaterScopeVillain of [[VideoGame/MegaManX another]]), ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' threw players for a loop by making Wily a completely benign boathouse owner who even helps Mega Man on his quest. Granted, given the long gap between ''Legends'' and its predecessors (and ''Legends'' itself at first giving off the appearances of being a standalone series, complete with the original games being a ShowWithinAShow), it is very unlikely this is the same Wily.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series revolves around Biometals, artifacts containing the souls of past characters from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, including Model X, Model Z(ero) and the Four Guardians, Models H(arpuia), L(eviathan), F(efnir) and P(hantom). ''Advent'' then introduces Model A, who's fighting style is based on [[MoreDakka guns]] and his unique "A-Trans" ability, which allows him to transform into defeated bosses. [[spoiler:At the end of the game, it's revealed that the A ''doesn't'' stand for Axl (a character in the ''X'' series), but ''Albert'', the BigBad of ''Advent'' and the ''ZX'' series as a whole, who possesses an A-Trans ability of his own.]]
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''[='s=] Dr. Eggman picked up a bad habit of getting upstaged by the game's real BigBad around the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''-era games. It initially looks like this is going to be the case in ''[[spoiler: VideoGame/SonicGenerations]]'', until it's revealed that Eggman is the real BigBad and FinalBoss after all. [[spoiler:Not just Eggman, in fact, but Eggman teaming up with ''himself'' from the Genesis-era games.]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' also completely lacks the upstaging part altogether by having Eggman be the BigBad from beginning to end, and then when he's upstaged for real in [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'']] he wrestles his BigBad status back from the game's villains at the very end for one more FinalBoss fight.

*** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', Eliwood is introduced at the beginning as Roy's sickly father. After the first chapter, he loses practically all of his plot importance. The real SacrificialLion is [[spoiler:Hector, the LoveInterest's father and Eliwood's old friend]].
*** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors'', Yelena is introduced at the beginning as the queen of Aytolis and the mother of protagonists Rowan and Lianna. She is captured by enemy forces at the end of the prologue and later appears as their hostage, planned to be used in a ritual sacrifice. [[spoiler:Rowan and Lianna manage to rescue her, and she ends the game none the worse for wear.]]
** Normally, the TinTyrant leader of TheEmpire is rarely the actual BigBad and is usually an UnwittingPawn to an EvilSorceror who is the ''real'' BigBad and wants to bring about the revival of an evil dragon or god. In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'', King Ashnard actually is the BigBad and FinalBoss (though when [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn the sequel]] is taken into account, the UnwittingPawn part is still played straight).

*** King Garon is the BigBad [[spoiler: and the evil dragon FinalBoss, via OneWingedAngel,]] of the ''Birthright'' route; the only hint to the GreaterScopeVillain in ''Birthright'' is a throwaway line. On ''Conquest'', he is still the BigBad, though the route is more upfront about someone else working in the background.

*** Events of TheGreatOffscreenWar in a ''Fire Emblem'' game's past were often WrittenByTheWinners, with those painted as the villains then either being a lot more complicated that expected (''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'') or outright good (''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn''). So when ''Three Houses'' makes a big deal out of Nemesis, [[HerosEvilPredecessor the previous wielder of the Sword of the Creator]], turning to villainy in the past and needing to be stopped, it's easy to guess he'll later be revealed to have been GoodAllAlong. While it's true that Fodlan's history was distorted, Nemesis nonetheless turns out to be ''more'' evil than the legends portray him (said legends portraying him as a hero who was corrupted by the power of his legendary sword. Really he was just a power hungry bandit who [[spoiler:killed the setting's god in her sleep and made said sword from her corpse]]).

** Played with in multiple ways in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', to the point of becoming something of a {{Deconstruction}} (and, later, [[DeconReconSwitch reconstruction]]) for the entire franchise (which is pretty impressive given that [[UnbuiltTrope it had barely even begun yet]]). Firstly, the way Sigurd happily sends his armies out into other kingdoms for the sake of saving the life of a single person is portrayed with oversimplified idealism, as is common to the franchise, until it suddenly ''isn't'': the culmination of Chapter 2 is that Sigurd's incursions into Agustria have been incredibly disruptive because he can't just arbitrarily decide that politics don't apply to him and Grannvale aren't automatically [[TheGoodKingdom the good guys]] just because they're his home kingdom. (And in part two, we find that even Sigurd's early invasion into Verdane actually had devastating long-term consequences.) But the biggest twist of all, out of the entire franchise, comes at the end of part one. [[spoiler:''Genealogy'' isn't really a subversion of the 'the lord's dad always dies' trope, because Sigurd's dad does indeed die. But what players won't think about is that the boy on the cover, Seliph, is ''also'' a lord, and ''Sigurd'' is his dad. Which is to say: halfway through the game, it's revealed that players have ''not'' been controlling the plucky young lord who saves the world. They've been playing ''his dad'', who fails to stop the encroaching darkness and then dies.]]

** ''Dread'' also uses Adam Malkovich's [[TheScrappy reputation]] as of ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' to set up the reveal that [[spoiler:Raven Beak's been impersonating ADAM (the MissionControl A.I. installed into Samus's new ship in ''Fusion'', later revealed to ''[[BrainUploading be]]'' Adam himself) the the entire game]]. Fans of the series who didn't like his portrayal in ''Other M'', especially compared to how he was introduced in ''Fusion'', are more likely to write off [[MissionControlIsOffItsMeds ADAM's increasingly weird behaviour]] in the latter half of the game as him just being written closer to his ''Other M'' incarnation, making the reveal that much more of a shock.

*** After ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' introduced a stronger narrative and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' outright gave Samus a voice and defined personality, players likely expect Samus to speak at least once during the course of ''Dread''. [[spoiler:They'd be right, but she doesn't speak English. She speaks ''Chozo''.]]

*** ''Metroid'' games usually have static zones that don't change over the course of the game. After retrieving the Gravity Suit, the first two zones of the game have their entire layouts changed from [[spoiler:being frozen over]], forcing the player to maneuver through the environment in a new fashion.
*** [[spoiler:Metroids]] do not appear at all, even when it seems like the plot is building to their revival. And neither does [[spoiler:Ridley]].
*** The previous "assistants" in the ''Metroid'' games, such as the Gunship A.I. in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' or the ADAM A.I. in ''Fusion'', have never betrayed you for any reason. [[spoiler:In this game, Raven Beak masquerades as ADAM for most of the game and does so to keep an eye on Samus.]]

** The big WhamEpisode of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' is [[spoiler:a {{Deconstruction}} of a VideoGameRemake, specifically the idea of a remade game needing to have the same plot as the original. After following the same general plot of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' for 80% of the game, the cast finds out near the very end that the mysterious ghosts that have been following them for the entire story are "arbiters of fate", a metaphysical force conjured by the Planet that is quite literally {{Railroading}} the cast into following the script of the 1997 original. In a massive act of ScrewDestiny, Cloud and his RagtagBunchOfMisfits destroy said forces, creating a divergent timeline via CosmicRetcon that allows both the heroes and [[BigBad Sephiroth]] ([[ManipulativeBastard who tricked the heroes into committing the act themselves]]) to drive the story OffTheRails.]]

** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' also subverts many standard ''Pokémon'' gameplay and story tropes. Pokémon Gyms are absent entirely, with Island Trials taking their place instead; the Pokémon League itself is only recently introduced to Alola. While there is the usual Team X as recurring antagonists, they're ''not'' the primary BigBad. There isn't even a Champion as the FinalBoss; rather, the player becomes the region's very first one after a final battle against (of all people) the region's Professor, and subsequent playthroughs of the League have the player defend their title from various important Trainers.

** ''Aria of Sorrow'' pulled one, though it is widely known now. If Dracula has been reincarnated, you expect his new incarnation to be the final boss, [[spoiler:not the player character.]]
* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' pulls the same trick as ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' where, if you face a boss and he has an animated sprite instead of a drawn portrait, you ''will'' recruit him at some point, thus [[SpoiledByTheFormat spoiling who will and won't be a playable character]]. [[spoiler:Except this ''isn't'' the case at all and you can and will play as not only a HumongousMecha in the Near Future chapter, but will also control all the bosses if you play [[VillainProtagonist Oersted's]] final chapter.]]

** Futaba's dungeon is set up exactly like one from ''VideoGame/Persona4'', a mental world created by the inner thoughts and insecurities of a future party member, controlled by their [[EnemyWithout Shadow]]. [[spoiler:It's all flipped on its head once you reach the end: Due to Futaba's outward self-loathing, Shadow Futaba is a HeroAntagonist who represents Futaba's repressed ''positive'' side, and only fought the Thieves because she thought they were trying to harm Futaba. She's ''not'' the boss of the dungeon, the real boss is a monster born from the feelings that caused Futaba's depression: the belief that she's responsible for her mother's death. Shadow Futaba pulls a BigDamnHeroes to help the party defeat the boss, by convincing Futaba of the truth and becoming her Persona.]]
** [[spoiler:One fact obvious to players of previous titles is that Igor has a completely different voice actor in both English and Japanese. Given the passing of his original Japanese VA and said new VA makes no effort to mimic his work, it's likely to pay respect to him. Turns out ''this'' "Igor" is actually the BigBad posing as the real one, whose lack of imitation of the voice wouldn't become suspicious to Joker since this is the first time he's been in the Velvet Room. When the real Igor is released, he sounds much more like his previous appearances, while his Japanese dialogue is archive audio.]]
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'': As usual for the series, the Lawful angels and Chaotic forces of Lucifer are at war. An organization called Bethel, consisting of TopGod figures from various mythologies, backed by the angels (whose leader is a KnightTemplar obsessed with "God's law"), is responsible for fighting demons and protecting peace and stability. Of your classmates who are Bethel members, one is a perpetually calm, glasses-wearing honour student who fights to protect people, and the other is a girl known as "the saint". Your other classmate is an indecisive but ultimately well-meaning delinquent desperate to prove himself, [[JumpedAtTheCall who jumps at the chance to be a hero.]] In the demon world, you meet a violent ancient goddess, Nuwa, and her human follower, who are introduced slaughtering a legion of angels. Guess which of these factions are the game's Law, Chaos and Neutral representatives? [[spoiler: Bethel is Chaos, the delinquent classmate is Law, and Nuwa is Neutral.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' lets you name the four main party members right at the beginning even before any of them have been introduced by the narrative, so when you name Lucas, Claus, Flint, and Hinawa at the beginning of ''VideoGame/Mother3'' you know ''that's'' your party, right? [[spoiler:Oh ho ho '''NO'''. You play as Flint until Hinawa dies and Claus disappears very early on, driving the poor guy out of your party and into near-suicidal depression, and Claus returns as a HollywoodCyborg as well as the BrainwashedAndCrazy [[TheDragon Dragon]] to the BigBad who offs himself in the final battle so Lucas won't have to do it. Yeah, it's [[TraumaCongaLine that]] [[TearJerker kind]] [[GainaxEnding of]] [[ApocalypseHow game]]]].

** The series heavily implies (and eventually confirms) that the killer animatronics are HauntedTechnology. ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' and ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'', however, eschew the ghost story entirely; in the former, they're nightmares experienced by a traumatized mind, and in the latter, they really are sentient robots. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Ultimately subverted]] in the case of the latter group, as [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the next game]] reveals that the Funtime Animatronics actually ''were'' haunted, just...[[ItMakesSenseInContext in a different way than the others]].]]

** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach'' has Freddy ''actually be an ally'' for the first time in the series thus far, while all the other animatronics are crazed and out for your blood. The game repeatedly teases the prospect that he may actually be evil or may eventually become villainous like the other animatronics, but it never happens. While he ''can'' attack you if he runs out of power or if you flub an upgrade segment, it's made clear this happens against his will like a reflex rather than being deliberate, and while the BigBad ''tries'' to take control of him like the other animatronics, Freddy manages to [[HeroicWillpower fight it off]]. He remains your steadfast ally from start to finish no matter what ending you get. [[spoiler:In addition, the game only has one night]]

* ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTellTaleSeries'' manages to pull a ''doozy'' when the Children of Arkham begin spreading the story that Thomas Wayne was actually one of Gotham's worst criminals ever and made his fortune through theft, murder, and sending innocent people to Arkham to rot. No way in hell any of this is anything other than a fabricated story to drag Bruce through the mud, right? [[spoiler:It's all true. Every word of it. This time around the franchise's [[TheParagon Paragon]] is actually a GreaterScopeVillain the entire time, and the only reason The Penguin and Lady Arkham's RoaringRampageOfRevenge isn't entirely justified is they're targeting ''Bruce'' and the innocent lives of Gotham to get it]].
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': [[spoiler: Tetsuya Takahashi is rather infamous for his tendency to include [[GodIsEvil evil, Demiurge-inspired gods]] in his games. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to discover that the Architect is a genuinely benevolent figure who ultimately wants the best for his creations.]]
* The ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series has a well established pattern of fellow adventurers who are helpful and friendly early on, only to become antagonists after some [[WhamEpisode major plot twist]]. So in the fifth game, when Lili and Solor show up for the first time, experienced players were already planning for the inevitable betrayal and battle. [[spoiler:It never happens. While they become a major part of the plot around the third stratum, it leads to them fighting the boss ''alongside'' you]]. Another twist is that, whereas previous games introduced a civilization in the fourth stratum (and almost always a hostile one), in this game's fourth stratum the only character found is a friendly, mysterious girl whose race remains unknown until the sixth stratum, where she shows her true form as [[spoiler:an '''alien''' from another world, the Arken. And her civilization was tragically slaughtered by the Star Devourer, making her the LastOfHerKind.]]
* In the ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' series, a lot of weapons are re-purposed everyday items such as hairdryers, washing machines, and giant paintbrushes. In addition, levels in the main campaigns are accessed via tea kettles. So come ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'''s "Octo Expansion" DLC campaign , some players may be forgiven for thinking that this could extend to other pieces of machinery and that the "thangs" they're collecting which look suspiciously like [[spoiler:blender parts]] will form a teleporter or something. That is until MissionControl takes a glance at their video feed and realizes that, no, you've all been fooled into [[spoiler:building a giant blender that's going to puree you into fish paste.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', every single major monster the player battles turns out to have [[HiddenDepths hidden positive aspects]] and are either ObliviouslyEvil or have genuinely good intentions yet simply went down the wrong path, and are reasoned with and pull a HeelFaceTurn. In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:this even extends to Flowey/Asriel]]. Cue King in the successor/sequel/{{Elseworld}}, who has a similar BossBanter with the party as several of ''Undertale''[='=]s bosses and seems to be setting up a sort of FreudianExcuse for himself... [[spoiler:and it turns out he was just lying, trying to trick Ralsei into healing him back to his full strength so he could finish the team off, having not learned a single thing from the fight no matter what the player does. When he tries to throw Lancer, ''his own son,'' off the roof of his castle, it becomes clear that this guy is just a genuine jerk inside and out. Instead of befriending the player, King is either overthrown by his own people and locked up or he's put to sleep by Ralsei.]] [[spoiler:That said, Chapter 2 ''does'' imply that King genuinely does love Lancer, that his threat to throw Lancer from the roof was a bluff (as Lancer would "just bounce"), and even has him show concern for his son's well-being -- though whether these are just more tricks and lies to manipulate the player or the truth are left ambiguous]].

* The first ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'' features two characters [[spoiler: Devola and Popola]] who are introduced as helpful allies, but [[spoiler:eventually turn out to be major villains within the story.]] In ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' they suddenly make a reappearance, again being portrayed as helpful allies. [[spoiler: Not only are they GoodAllAlong this time, but they're not even the same Devola and Popula, but two other androids of the same model as them, who've been facing persecution their entire lives because of the actions of the Devola and Popula from the first game.]]
** Yoko Taro is also known to make games with MultipleEndings, with each new ending more horrifying, [[DownerEnding tragic]] and/or [[GainaxEnding confusing]] than the last. [[spoiler: Ending E of ''Nier: Automata'', while certainly confusing and bizarrely meta, is also the single most optimistic ending he's ever written, with the 14th Machine War finally coming to an end and all three main characters being brought BackFromTheDead for a second chance at life.]]

** The game throws you a cruel one during the Quarian/Geth War arc. In the past, "Paragon/Renegade" button prompts allowed Shepard to interrupt an ongoing sequence and prevent an event from otherwise happening. [[spoiler: So, should you choose to allow the Quarian fleet to get destroyed by the Geth, a distraught Tali attempts suicide, but Shepard is given a Paragon button prompt to stop her--only for Tali to kill herself anyways. It's a shockingly deep punch given that Tali has been with the crew for the whole trilogy and helps drive home that you essentially ''destroyed'' her entire race and family for an alliance with the geth.]]
** Over the course of the three games, responses can essentially be divided into three categories: Paragon, where Shepard responds with diplomacy or righteousness, Renegade, where Shepard uses violence or aggressiveness (or sometimes just being downright rude) to get their way, or Neutral, which essentially cuts the difference with a...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin neutral]] or [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] remark. [[spoiler: Come the end of the Thessia mission, where Shepard is in their DarkestHour following their utter failure to obtain the final component needed in their fight against the Reapers and is ForcedToWatch and listen as the Asari lose the battle and the planet along with it. Back on the Normandy, Joker tries to break the tension and misery with humor, but, no matter how which option you choose, even if you choose the diplomatic answer, Shepard essentially reams Joker a new one. This prompts Joker, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness of all people]], to call Shepard out and essentially [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on Shepard's behavior, noting that their stress levels are higher than they've ''ever'' been and even sharing his own concerns and fears for his sister and father. The whole sequence essentially helps underline how hard Shepard is taking this fall and how they're essentially [[BrokenAce barely holding it together]].]]
* The first four fifths of ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheInfernalMachine'' have a pretty standard ''Indiana Jones'' plot, other than replacing ThoseWackyNazis with DirtyCommies. Indy learns of a powerful and dangerous artifact that could be used to conquer the world, and embarks on a race with the tyrannical regime to acquire it before they can use it to conquer the world. [[spoiler:Then it's revealed that the apparent BigBad was perfectly aware of the dangers and never intended to use the Infernal Machine; Indy's American ally Turner is the one who wants to use it to wipe the Soviets off the face of the map.]]

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyInfiniteWarfare'' has a CentralTheme of "sacrifice". It also features RobotBuddy Ethan. He's charming, funny, helpful, and competent, and anyone with any knowledge of storytelling tropes knows he will have to make a dramatic HeroicSacrifice at some point to save the day. [[spoiler:And he does! At roughly the same time as ''almost everyone else on the player's ship''. Over 750 people, four survivors. ''Not'' including the player character.]]
* Across the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' franchise, it's common for the bosses you face to start out as legendary heroes, only to degrade into monsters due to the ongoing decay of the world. The FinalBoss of ''The Ringed City'' DLC for ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', [[spoiler:Slave Knight Gael]], does succumb to Hollowing midway through your fight... but instead of turning into a twisted creature, the previously savage [[spoiler:Gael]] stands upright and grips his sword, and goes out fighting you as a man.

** In ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', a huge plot twist was that Akane Kurashiki/June, the stereotypically kind, naïve love interest, was really the DeadlyGame's amoral (if [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned]]) mastermind, Zero, and Ace, the wise, old ReasonableAuthorityFigure, is the real BigBad who drove her to it. (That was also, for reasons that make sense in context, confirmation that magical abilities did exist in the ''ZE'' universe, and formed the plot's backbone.) This [[WhamEpisode drastically]] altered many [[GenreShift facets]] of the story, and made the characterization of Akane far deeper than it had been before. So when ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'''s cast page was released, and it described Luna as kind and naïve, the player may think that this must mean Luna is a two-faced murderer who couldn't be trusted. As it turned out, however, they were wrong- Luna really is a compassionate optimist who wants the best for everyone. She has her own issues, like being a robot, but she's one of the most solidly good characters in ''Zero Escape''. The BigBad is actually Dio, an overt {{Jerkass}}, the twist being that [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk he really is as evil as he seems]].

* ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'' was written by Creator/KotaroUchikoshi, who's well-known for crafting late-game MindScrew twists that throw the entire story on its head. ''Somnium'' seems to be leading towards a big revelation about its characters learning of the alternate timelines caused by internal StoryBranching, much like the twist of Uchikoshi's earlier work [[spoiler:''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'']]. Main protagonist Date inexplicably knows information after it gets revealed on other story routes, and one character even declares that parallel worlds are real and factor into the game's mysteries. So there's inevitably going to be big multiverse shennanigans, right? Nope! In reality, Date is merely working through his LaserGuidedAmnesia to remember stuff that he learned years ago, and the person spouting parallel universe theories was actually suffering delusions brought on by a brain tumor. Alternate timelines are implied to ''exist'', but are ultimately irrelevant.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': In the fifth and final season of ''Samurai Jack'' shifted to Cartoon Network's more adult-oriented sister channel [adult swim] and underwent a tonal shift in the process. In the previous seasons, Jack [[spoiler:only fought monsters, aliens, and robots who would "bleed" green goop or oil.]] The second episode of the fifth season earns its TV-14 rating when [[spoiler:Jack actually kills a human in self-defense, then spends the following episode [[TheseHandsHaveKilled covered in blood and traumatized]] before he kills even ''more'' people.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': The promo for Season 2's finale focused on a single joke from the episode, with the episode itself ultimately being an emotional rollercoaster. After that, Season 3 had two more instances of misleading marketing: one for "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender", where the eponymous villain was hyped while [[spoiler:he was killed offscreen by Rick]], and the second instance in "The Ricklantis Mix-Up" promo focusing around Rick's and Morty's [[spoiler:unseen]] journey to Atlantis, rather than the [[spoiler:rebuilt Council of Ricks]]. So when the Season 3 finale only had a trailer of the President of the United States sending Rick and Morty off on a quest to beat a monster, many fans assumed, due to the vague plot summary of Rick taking on the President, that it would be [[spoiler:Evil Morty, who became the president of the above council]], and that the episode would have an emotional intensity on par with the previous season's finale, right? Wrong. The plot summary was ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, the plot was mainly self-contained.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' does this with the Green Goblin's identity. In the comics, [[LegacyCharacter multiple people have worn the mask]], but Norman Osborn is the first and most well-known. Midway through season one, Peter concludes the Goblin is really Norman... only to find it's ''Harry'' Osborn (the second comics Goblin), under the influence of a FantasticDrug. When the Goblin reappears in season two, Peter assumes Harry's fallen OffTheWagon, only for the Goblin to attack him while Norman ''and'' Harry are standing right there. Then it turns out the Goblin is and ''always has been'' Norman, and all evidence to the contrary was either [[IdentityImpersonator deliberate misdirection]] or a lucky coincidence.

* The first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' had their eighth episode be a major WhamEpisode, so fans assumed season three would continue that tradition... said Wham Episode ended up being the ''fifth'' episode of the season, ending with [[spoiler:[[SurprisinglySuddenDeath Simon murdering Tuba]] and Hazel [[TomatoInTheMirror turning out to not be human]]]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' episode "Heads of Beef", Courage suspects the burger joint he and Eustace went to [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies turns its customers into burgers]]. His suspicions are seemingly confirmed and he flees from the restaurant, leaving a disbelieving Eustace to his fate. Then it is revealed Eustace (and the customer who was seemingly a SacrificialLamb) are alive and enjoying a bust made of hamburger meat, showing Courage was overreacting.

* ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'' was written by Creator/KotaroUchikoshi, who's well-known for crafting late-game MindScrew twists that throw the entire story on its head. ''Somnium'' seems to be leading towards a big revelation about its characters learning of the alternate timelines caused by internal StoryBranching, much like the twist of Uchikoshi's earlier work [[spoiler:''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'']]. Main protagonist Date inexplicably knows information after it gets revealed on other story routes, and one character even declares that parallel worlds are real and factor into the game's mysteries. So there's inevitably going to be big multiverse shennanigans, right? Nope! In reality, Date is merely working through his LaserGuidedAmnesia to remember stuff that he learned years ago, and the person spouting parallel universe theories was actually suffering delusions brought on by a brain tumor. Alternate timelines are implied to ''exist'', but are ultimately irrelevant.

* Across the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' franchise, it's common for the bosses you face to start out as legendary heroes, only to degrade into monsters due to the ongoing decay of the world. The FinalBoss of ''The Ringed City'' DLC for ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', [[spoiler:Slave Knight Gael]], does succumb to Hollowing midway through your fight... but instead of turning into a twisted creature, the previously savage [[spoiler:Gael]] stands upright and grips his sword, and goes out fighting you as a man.

* Nearly all adaptations of ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' change the book's KillEmAll ending into a happier one where Vera is actually innocent of the murder that U. N. Owen accused her of committing, she and Lombard fall in love, and Lombard is consequently able to convince Vera to not kill him and the two survive the murderer's plot. Because of this, it can come as a nasty shock to viewers who are more familiar with the film adaptations than the original book when the [[Series/AndThenThereWereNone2015 2015 BBC adaptation]] follows the films' lead of having Vera and Lombard fall in love and Lombard making a plea to Vera to trust him about the murderer being neither of them that's ''very'' similar to the plea he makes in the 1945 and 1965 films... and then having Vera — who is revealed immediately afterwards to be 100% guilty of the murder she was accused of — shoot him dead anyway.

** In one later arc, Calvin creates a good version clone of himself to go to school and do all his chores. However, the arc starts off [[InMediaRes after this initial event has happened]], so the audience is dropped into it just as suddenly as Calvin's mother, who, just like the viewer would be, is extremely confused why "Calvin" is suddenly polite and well-groomed.

* ''Series/BlackMirror'' series 3 episode 4 "San Junipero". Given the show's themes, and its universally [[DownerEnding bad]] or at best bittersweet endings up to that point, this heartwarming love story is surely headed for a spectacularly tragic CruelTwistEnding. With ten minutes left and things going ''too'' well to be true, a first-time viewer is likely filled with stomach-churning dread at how this couple's happiness is going to be destroyed. First they have a bad fight, and you think they won't reconcile. Then you start to think that Kelly's going to stick to her decision to die naturally instead of joining Yorkie in San Junipero; or that she'll change her mind but then one of them will die before they can be permanently transferred. During the very last shot, you might even be expecting the servers running San Junipero to suddenly blow up at the last possible second! But none of that happens. They make up after their fight, Kelly does eventually change her mind, they both live long enough to transfer to San Junipero, and they live happily ever after. It almost literally ends with them driving off into the sunset as "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" plays over the credits. This was the first-ever episode of ''Black Mirror'' to have an unambiguously happy and uplifting ending[[note]](the closest it got before that was "Nosedive", which ends on a hopeful but still bittersweet note)[[/note]] (and they deliberately made the outcome uncertain until partway through the credits), so it's no surprise that it's reduced many a viewer to tears. And in a show that can suffer from TooBleakStoppedCaring, this SurprisinglyHappyEnding may be the biggest reason that many viewers and critics rank "San Junipero" among the show's best episodes, even now that it has nine more episodes to compete with.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', we are at one point introduced to the Confessor: a superhero who dresses in all black, exclusively operates at night, has enough strength and agility to take down multiple men with ease, can interrogate a man just by glaring at him, has never been successfully photographed, and [[StealthHiBye can sneak up on people or leave the scene with incredible ease]] (even at one point appearing behind someone while they're looking in a mirror). Because ''Astro City'' is a series that loves its {{Expies}}, and given the superhero trappings, most readers don't even notice that he's meant to be anything more than a reference to ComicBook/{{Batman}}, when paired with his use of sidekicks, detective work, and elaborate base. This makes it genuinely surprising when a character with all the above traits is revealed to be a vampire.

* At Wrestling/{{Wrestlemania}} 27, Wrestling/{{Edge}} and Wrestling/{{Christian}} headed into Edge's title match vs Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio with a series of tense promos that caused most to assume that Christian's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder would rear its head again and cause him to screw over Edge during the match. The match itself never even teased the possibility, leading to a clean win for Edge, with the two of them leaving the stage together. In a way, it was quite fortunate, as due to a medical condition Edge retired legitimately before he could wrestle another match. Instead of going out being screwed by the other half of the Edge-and-Christian ThoseTwoGuys vibe, he retired as the champion with his best friend still in his corner.