History Main / MistakenDeathConfirmation

!!As this is a DeathTrope, beware of unmarked spoilers in the examples below!

* ''Film/SaferAtHome'': A group of friends are gathering remotely to celebrate a birthday for one of them, even partaking of some molly. While still on the group chat, one of the couples, [[spoiler: Evan and Jen get into a fight. At some point Jen trips and falls, hitting her head. He panics at all the blood and announces to the others that she is not breathing. It is not revealed until near the end that she knocked herself out but is alive]].

* ''Series/Lupin2021'': [[spoiler:Assane invokes this trope when he was FakingTheDead. He tampered with the stethoscope the doctor used to check his pulse so it didn't register, leading the doctor to believe Assane is dead.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E23BackToTheMoon Back to the Moon]]", Eyeball claims to have seen Rose Quartz shatter Pink Diamond with her own eye, complete with gem shards left behind. [[spoiler:In "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E18ASinglePaleRose A Single Pale Rose]]", Steven discovers that this was part of Pink Diamond's plot to fake her own shattering and become Rose Quartz for good. She had Pearl shapeshift into "Rose," who pretended to shatter Pink Diamond in front of witnesses while actually poofing her, secretly took her intact gem to a safe location, and left fake pink gem shards at the site as evidence of her "death."]]

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': In one episode where video evidence suggests the VictimOfTheWeek was killed by a zombie, the team identifies the suspect and storms his apartment, only to find (a) he's a zombie cosplayer in full costume and (b) he's unconscious on the floor. Ryan checks his pulse and declares him dead. This leads to a trademark funny moment when he wakes up in the morgue just as the autopsy is about to begin and starts rambling around in confusion and panic, while ''still'' in his zombie getup. Esposito derisively tells Ryan "Remind me never to choke on a chicken bone in front of you," but Ryan swears on his grandmother's grave the man was dead and goes from being a skeptic to seriously considering zombies to be real until Castle snaps him out of it.

-->'''Helen''': Normal? You're normal? I must be hearing things. You're not normal at all! Two months ago, you were dead!
-->'''Mr. Brittas''': Dead?
-->'''Helen''': Dead! Don't you remember? Certified dead! I've got a death certificate. I framed it.

* ''Series/Werewolf1987'': Eric is shot and killed in "A World Of Difference", confirmed by EMTs and the coroner, and spends the day in a refrigerated drawer in the morgue. Come nightfall, [[ResurrectiveImmortality his werewolf form breaks out of the drawer from the inside, seemingly none the worse for wear]].

* ''Manga/{{Dragonball}}'': King Piccolo handily beats Goku to death during their first confrontation, and even takes the time to check to make sure Goku's heart has actually stopped beating. [[DidntSeeThatComing He couldn't possibly have guessed that Goku's heart could]] ''[[BackFromTheDead restart]]'' itself after he left...

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* ''Anime/{{Dragonball}}'': King Piccolo handily beats Goku to death during their first confrontation, and even takes the time to check to make sure Goku's heart has actually stopped beating. [[DidntSeeThatComing He couldn't possibly have guessed that Goku's heart could]] ''[[BackFromTheDead restart]]'' itself after he left...

* ''Film/SaferForDead'': A group of friends are gathering remotely to celebrate a birthday for one of them, even partaking of some molly. While still on the group chat, one of the couples, [[spoiler: Evan and Jen get into a fight. At some point Jen trips and falls, hitting her head. He panics at all the blood and announces to the others that she is not breathing. It is not revealed until near the end that she knocked herself out but is alive]].

* ''Series/{{Werewolf}}'': Eric is shot and killed in "A World Of Difference", confirmed by EMTs and the coroner, and spends the day in a refrigerated drawer in the morgue. Come nightfall, [[ResurrectiveImmortality his werewolf form breaks out of the drawer from the inside, seemingly none the worse for wear]].

'''Spoilers ahead.'''

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': [[spoiler:Wrath]] is impaled on a sword and flung off a ledge into a moat. Those present watch him sink, believing the fight is over and he's dead. He later turns up to fight Scar, still alive and in fighting condition, though bleeding badly.

* ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'': After Marty gets dragged off-screen and we hear what sounds like a blade digging into him, the controllers pull the lever to signal his sacrifice. There is then a massive quake, which they take to mean [[spoiler:that The Ancient Ones really liked the sacrifice]]. However, [[spoiler:Marty turns up later in the movie, revealing that they prematurely called it, and The Ancient Ones were mad about the apparent mistake.]]

* ''{{Film/Clue}}'': When the lights come back on and Mr. Boddy is found face-down on the floor, Prof. Plum examines him and declares that he is dead. He's not. [[FakingTheDead He pretended to be dead]] when he realized that the shot in the dark was intended for him.

* ''Film/Hellboy2004'': Dr. Bruttonholm's autopsy of Kroenen somehow overlooks that he's [[PlayingPossum merely suspended]] the {{clockwork|Creature}} that animates him, which [[spoiler:costs Bruttonholm his life]].

* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperboy'': In "Superboy, Rest In Peace" Superboy is attacked by an Android from the future, sent to kill him. Unable to best his foe even with the help of a girl from the same future, Superboy is eventually struck down and the Android carefully examines him to confirm his heart has stopped beating. Satisfied that he's succeeded in his mission, the Android self-destructs. Shortly thereafter, Superboy revives, having slowed his heart down enough to be thought dead. He'd reasoned that since the Android was programmed to self-destruct after killing him, the easiest way to get rid of it was to make it think it had succeeded. Alas, the girl from the future then reveals she was an Android sent back in time to ''save'' him, and [[TearJerker now that he's safe...]]

[[folder:Web Video]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': {{Exploited|Trope}} in the first part of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]". Homer fakes his own death to skip a cleanup organized by his boss, namely by throwing a $600 dummy (bones included) off a waterfall, [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill which is then followed by sharp rocks breaking it apart, beavers ripping its clothes and the turbines of the nuclear power plant shredding what's left of it]]. In a rare display of efficiency, Springfield officially registers Homer's status as deceased, which leads to the power in the Simpsons' house being cut off.