History Main / MysteriousPast

* ''Fanfic/CastlingCozyGlow'': Cozy Glow's past in the first story is alluded to and we are given some interesting details, but it's mostly kept vague. All Twilight finds out through her personal investigation, is Cozy showed up at an orphanage in Cloudsdale four years ago with nothing but a large wooden chess rook resembling her cutie mark and an unsigned note asking the orphanage to take care of her, informing them she's already officially completed all her primary schooling [[ChildProdigy despite being just nine years old at the time]], and a sizable sum of money has been donated to the orphanage, in hopes they'll put it towards taking care of her. (Which Twilight later confirms was made through ''dozens'' of ponies coming in and transferring small suns of money to avoid the paper trail a single large transfer would leave). She was already showing signs of her [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative side]] and [[TheFakeCutie two faced nature]] during her time at the orphanage. Before she ran away out of the blue to join Twilight's school with forged documents that Twilight doubts she would be able to forge herself. The only details Cozy gives herself during the first story, is that she got her cutie mark from making the wooden chess rook she was first found with [[spoiler: which we later learn is actually a small magical lamp]] and that she was involved in shady circles even ''before'' showing up at the orphanage.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' has Lila Rossi: suddenly appearing as a ForeignExchangeStudent at the end of season one, she started making up some wild claims to get attention. Some are very clearly BlatantLies, but the season 2 finale showed she was telling the truth about being the daughter of an Italian diplomat, and there's still no explanation for the hand-to-hand combat skills she had ''not'' mentioned,[[note]]In "Chameleon" an irritated Marinette threw a paper ball at her, and Lila reflexively caught it in the same way boxers normally [[PunchCatch parry a punch]]. Later in the episode she's Akumatized with [[VoluntaryShapeShifting the ability to transform, powers and all, in whoever she kisses]], and as Chat Noir she inflicts a ''massive'' CurbStompBattle on Ladybug with hand-to-hand skills that Chat Noir never showed[[/note]] or why she seemed to recognize the picture of a past Chinese holder of the Fox Miraculous... That by some coincidence looks like an adult Lila.

* ''Manga/BlackButler'': While none of the characters' backstories are ever elaborated on, Sebastian is the most mysterious character of them all. Little is known about him other than he is a demon, not even his true name or form (though certain aspects of the latter are shown, such as the fact that [[spoiler: he wears high heels as a demon]]). The anime gives a few tidbits: He met an Egyptian pharaoh, he spread a famous, major, and [[HistoricalInJoke real life]] plague more then 100 years prior to the events of the series, and he probably is of the [[spoiler: FallenAngel]] variety of demon because [[spoiler: a crapload of feathers swirl around him like a twister]] in his true form.

* ''Fanfic/CastlingCozyGlow'': Cozy Glow's past in the first story is alluded to and we are given some interesting details, but it's mostly kept vague. All Twilight finds out through her personal investigation, is Cozy showed up in an orphanage at Cloudsdale four years ago with nothing but a large wooden chess rook resembling her cutie mark and an unsigned note asking the orphanage to take care of her, informing them she's already officially completed all her primary schooling [[ChildProdigy despite being just nine years old at the time]], and a sizable sum of money has been donated to the orphanage, in hopes they'll put it towards taking care of her. (Which Twilight later confirms was made through ''dozens'' of ponies coming in and transferring small suns of money to avoid the paper trail a single large transfer would leave). She was already showing signs of her [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative side]] and [[TheFakeCutie two faced nature]] during her time at the orphanage. Before she ran away out of the blue to join Twilight's school with forged documents that Twilight doubts she would be able to forge herself. The only details Cozy gives herself during the first story, is that she got her cutie mark from making the wooden chess rook she was first found with [[spoiler: which we later learn is actually a small magical lamp]] and that she was involved in shady circles even ''before'' showing up at the orphanage.

* ''Fanfic/CastlingCozyGlow'': Cozy Glow's past in the first story is alluded to and we are given some interesting details, but it's mostly kept vague. All Twilight finds out through her personal investigation, is Cozy showed up in an orphanage at Cloudsdale four years ago with nothing but a large wooden chess rook resembling her cutie mark and an unsigned note asking the orphanage to take care of her, informing them she's already officially completed all her primary schooling [[ChildProdigy despite being just nine years old at the time]], and a sizable sum of money has been donated to the orphanage, in hopes they'll put it towards taking care of her. (Which Twilight later confirms was made through ''dozens'' of ponies coming in and transferring small suns of money to avoid the paper trail a single large transfer would leave). She was already showing sides of her [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative side]] during her time at the orphanage. Before she ran away out of the blue to join Twilight's school with forged documents that Twilight doubts she would be able to forge herself. The only details Cozy gives herself during the first story, is that she got her cutie mark from making wooden chess rook she was first found with [[spoiler: which we later learn is actually a small magical lamp]] and that she was involved in shady circles even ''before'' showing up at the orphanage.

* ''Fanfic/CastlingCozyGlow'': Cozy Glow's past in the first story is alluded to and we are given some interesting details, but it's mostly kept vague. All Twilight finds out through her personal investigation, is Cozy showed up in an orphanage in Cloudsdale four years ago with nothing but a large wooden chess rook resembling her cutie mark and an unsigned note asking the orphanage to take care of her, informing them she's already officially completed all her primary schooling [[ChildProdigy despite being just nine years old at the time]], and a sizable sum of money has been donated to the orphanage, in hopes they'll put it towards taking care of her. (Which Twilight later confirms was made through ''dozens'' of ponies coming in and transferring small suns of money to avoid the paper trail a single large transfer would leave). Before she ran away out of the blue to join Twilight's school with forged documents that Twilight doubts she would be able to forge herself. The only details Cozy gives herself during the first story, is that she got her cutie mark from making wooden chess rook she was first found with [[spoiler: which we later learn is actually a small magical lamp]] and that she was involved in shady circles even ''before'' showing up at the orphanage.

* Not as vague as [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog the games]] tend to be, but in ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' much of Sonic's history remains unexplained with very little time spent in his homeworld prior to coming to Earth. All that can be said is he's been pursued for his SuperSpeed since childhood, he was raised as an orphan by a talking owl named Longclaw, and he's been living around Green Hills for ten years since he came to Earth.

* The titular assassin in ''Literature/TheDayOfTheJackal''. Although referred to throughout the book as "the Englishman" and eventually assumed to be former arms dealer Charles Calthrop, we eventually discover Calthrop is a completely different person and we've no way of knowing if the Jackal was even English.

* Very little is known about the past of Literature/CiaphasCain before he began attending the Schola Progenium. He claims to be from a hive world, that his parents served in a Guard regiment before being killed in a battle against some kroot, and that his great-grandfather hunted bounties (and sometimes had bounties on his own head). However, Amberley, his sometimes lover and posthumous editor, has noted that there is absolutely no documentation substantiating any of that, that some of the events described are implausible when not impossible, and that Cain tended to edit his background story to appeal to his target audience on the rare occasions that he talked about it at all. The only part of that list of facts that is likely to be true is the bit about being a hive worlder, and even then, Amberley never figured out Cain's exact world of origin.

** The Doctor initially had a completely unknown past. By the time of the Seventh Doctor, much about his past had been explained, so the writers attempted to restore the mystery by implying that we hadn't been told the whole truth, and that he had a much darker past than had previously been suggested. Sadly, the series was cancelled before the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan" could be put into effect, but the revival has returned to the idea with its own take on it. In addition, much of what happened during the Time War (which happened in-between the original series and the new one) is mysterious.

Often a FormerTeenRebel's old rebellion, such as run-ins with the law and drug-fueled misadventures, will be part of their mysterious past. Any dark deeds done in this period are part of a DarkAndTroubledPast.

** Haley has a mysterious past. It may be revealed by the end of the strip, though.

* When it began, pretty much all the characters in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' had mysterious pasts. While most of them have been answered, aside from a few [[NoodleIncident events]], the character with the still most mysterious past is arguably Tedd. Besides his [[MysteriousParent Mom]] and all the alternate dimension versions of him, there's this girl in the last [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-01-01 panel]] who is almost identical to Tedd's female form.

A NoodleIncident or ten might have happened in such a Past. FilmNoir characters, such as {{Hardboiled}} detectives and {{FemmeFatale}}s often have a mysterious past. Any FrenchForeignLegion soldiers have a mysterious past (crime, owing money to the BigBad) that they keep hidden. TheSpook is this trope taken up to eleven; they may have done illegal research at a BlackSite, run hit teams, or destabilized countries. We don't know ''anything'' about the person's past, and maybe not even their real identity.

** Lonesome Road, the final story-based DLC, reveals some of the Courier's past before the events of the main game. [[spoiler:They were formerly a courier working in NCR territory who helped created a thriving community before it was annexed by the NCR. One day, they delivered a package from Navarro that activated the dormant nukes under the place (formerly a military missile base) and inadvertently detonated them, thus turning a possible nation in the making to the hellhole that is The Divide.]] That's still the extent of what you learn about the Courier's past, and the game even lets you deny that it ''is'' their past and insist that Ulysses has the wrong person.

A character has a mysterious past which is hinted at but never fully revealed. It may be suggested by the character evading questions about their past, or by making a mistake that shows that their cover story is untrue. Sometimes a character is forced by circumstances to reveal a skill that could normally only be acquired from experience different than the background they claim. For example, a mild-mannered accountant who is taken hostage by armed terrorists may take out all the attackers, suggesting a military background and combat experience. In a detective story or spy thriller, there may be gaps, redacted portions, or {{Trope/Over-the-Top Secret}} parts in their file...or the file is blank.

A NoodleIncident or ten might have happened in such a Past. FilmNoir characters, such as {{Hardboiled}} detectives and {{FemmeFatale}}s often have a mysterious past. Any FrenchForeignLegion soldiers have a mystious past that they keep hidden.
TheSpook is this trope taken up to eleven; they may have done illegal research at a BlackSite, run hit teams, or destabilized countries. We don't know ''anything'' about the person's past, and maybe not even their real identity.

A character has a mysterious past which is hinted at but never fully revealed. It may be suggested by the character evading questions about their past, or by making a mistake that shows that their cover story is untrue. Sometimes a character is forced by circumstances to reveal a skill that could normally only be acquired from experience different than the background they claim. For example, a mild-mannered accountant who is taken hostage by armed terrorists may take out all the attackers, suggesting a military background and combat experience. In a detective story or spy thriller, there may be gaps, redacted portions, or Over-the-TopSecret parts in their file...or the file is blank.

A character has a mysterious past which is hinted at but never fully revealed. It may be suggested by the character evading questions about their past, or by making a mistake that shows that their cover story is untrue. Sometimes a character is forced by circumstances to reveal a skill that could normally only be acquired from experience different than the background they claim. For example, a mild-mannered accountant who is taken hostage by armed terrorists may take out all the attackers, suggesting a military background and combat experience. In a detective story or spy thriller, there may be gaps, redacted portions, or {{Over-the-TopSecret}} parts in their file...or the file is blank.

A character has a mysterious past which is hinted at but never fully revealed. It may be suggested by the character evading questions about their past, or by making a mistake that shows that their cover story is untrue. Sometimes a character is forced by circumstances to reveal a skill that could normally only be acquired from experience different than the background they claim. For example, a mild-mannered accountant who is taken hostage by armed terrorists may take out all the attackers, suggesting a military background and combat experience. In a detective story or spy thriller, there may be gaps, redacted portions, or {{Over-the-Top Secret}} parts in their file...or the file is blank.

A character has a mysterious past which is hinted at but never fully revealed. It may be suggested by the character evading questions about their past, or by making a mistake that shows that their cover story is untrue. Sometimes a character is forced by circumstances to reveal a skill that could normally only be acquired from experience different than the background they claim. For example, a mild-mannered accountant who is taken hostage by armed terrorists may take out all the attackers, suggesting a military background and combat experience. In a detective story or spy thriller, there may be gaps, redacted portions, or TopSecret parts in their file...or the file is blank.

A NoodleIncident or ten might have happened in such a Past. FilmNoir characters, such as {{Hardboiled}} detectives and [[FemmeFatale]]s often have a mysterious past. Any FrenchForeignLegion soldiers have a mystious past that they keep hidden.

A NoodleIncident or ten might have happened in such a Past. FilmNoir characters, such as {{Hardboiled}} detectives and FemmeFatales often have a mysterious past. Any FrenchForeignLegion soldiers have a mystious past that they keep hidden.

A character can have a partially mysterious past as well; for instance, Alice was Bob's childhood friend, but when they meet up Alice has KGB agents on her tail and the ability to fire guitars from her eyes.

A NoodleIncident or ten might have happened in such a Past. TheSpook is this trope taken up to eleven; they may have done illegal research at a BlackSite, run hit teams, or destabilized countries. We don't know ''anything'' about the person's past, and maybe not even their real identity.

A character has a mysterious past which is hinted at but never fully revealed. It may be suggested by the character evading questions about their past, or by making a mistake that shows that their cover story is untrue. Sometimes a character is forced by circumstances to reveal a skill that could normally only be acquired from experience different than the background they claim. For example, a mild-mannered accountant who is taken hostage by armed terrorists may use advanced martial arts and take out all the attackers, suggesting a military background. In a detective story or spy thriller, there may be gaps, redacted portions, or TopSecret parts in their file...or the file is blank.

Often a FormerTeenRebel's old rebellion will be part of their mysterious past. Any dark deeds done in this period are part of a DarkAndTroubledPast.