History Main / ReallyDeadMontage

Not if the victim was the subject of a Really Dead Montage, he won't. Not if somewhere between the famous last words, the anguished shouts of HowDareYouDieOnMe and the [[PietaPlagiarism uncontrollable sobbing while holding the body]], a sad rock or Celtic ballad and two minutes of [[HappyFlashback happy scenes from past episodes starts playing.]] And especially ''not'' if TheCharacterDiedWithHim! A Really Dead Montage can kill a character far more effectively than the shot to the chest, drop off a cliff, or, in extreme cases, graphic decapitation could ever hope to do. You can {{Retcon}}, HandWave, ResetButton, or AllJustADream a character out of just about any kind of messy end, but the Really Dead Montage means KilledOffForReal, no coming back. ''Especially'' if they play Kansas' "Dust In The Wind" as it rolls.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' gives one to [[spoiler:Mirio's [[IntangibleMan Quirk]] after he is shot with a [[DePower Quirk destroying bullet]]. It shows him [[DifficultYetAwesome working hard to master his Quirk]] from when he was a little kid to the present. All the while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKuiP2hQNdI Light of Hope]] is playing.]]

Contrast ObituaryMontage, when this is done for several real people who died. See also InMemoriam, a dedication honoring a deceased creator, though one might follow an example of this trope if TheCharacterDiedWithHim (as in the Creator/PaulWalker example at the end of ''Film/FuriousSeven'').

* An odd case in ''Film/FuriousSeven'', where Creator/PaulWalker died in a car accident during production. So at the end of the film -- despite Brian having survived -- we are treated to a montage of Brian's moments in the series, as his car drives off into the sunset.

* The death of Phoenix in the original [[ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga Dark Phoenix Saga]] in ''ComicBook/XMen'', which at the time was supposed to be a real death was immediately followed by an issue giving a montage of the X-Men's entire history. (However, the montage issue was going to have been released even with the original ending where she stays alive.)
* ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' concluded with one of these in the form of an in-universe issue of a ''Newsweek'' equivalent.
* ''ComicBook/XMen''

** [[spoiler:Kitty Pryde]], who gets PutOnABusToHell at the end of the arc, also has a quick flashback montage...at the very ''beginning'' of the arc.
* [[spoiler:The Title Character]]'s death in ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'' features one that takes up an entire page.
* Done in the ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''. When Batman finds out that Jason Todd, the second Robin, has found his mother, who it turns out is working for The Joker, he rushes to his aid only to arrive in time to see the warehouse he was being held hostage in explode. He then has flashbacks of his first meeting with Jason and all the fun times they had, shortly before he finds Jason's dead body in a pile of debris.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. Raiden manages to hold back a giant Metal Gear RAY from crushing Snake, but his body is crushed to do it. The sound cuts out except for a soft piano score along with Raiden and Rose's narration from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' about their first date, ending with the lights on Raiden's visor going out. The subversion comes from the fact that Raiden [[NobodyCouldHaveSurvivedThat doesn't die]]; he does [[HandicappedBadass lose both of]] [[AnArmAndALeg his arms]], but he comes back.

* Parodied on the second season of ''Series/TheJoeSchmoShow'' in which following the supposed deaths of Bryce's pet frog Everett and the falcon Montecore, used to deliver the shows "Falcon Twists" (and murdered by Bryce for killing the frog), both were given montages of this time. Of course, the twist here is that they ''weren't'' really dead, just said to be for the purposes of the show's storyline, and both were brought out during the reveal in the show's finale to show the schmoes that they were fine.

* Parodied on ''Series/TheJoeSchmoShow'' in which following the supposed deaths of Bryce's pet frog Everett and the falcon Montecore, used to deliver the shows "Falcon Twists" (and murdered by Bryce for killing the frog), both were given montages of this time. Of course, the twist here is that they ''weren't'' really dead, just said to be for the purposes of the show's storyline, and both were brought out during the reveal in the show's finale to show the schmoes that they were fine.

* ''Series/CSI'': Even though he didn't die per se, the series used this trope on Nick Stokes when he left the team to start another job. Upon his departure, Nick looks at the schedule board one more time, while reminiscing all of the highlights of his career (good and bad) with Onerepublic's "I lived" playing in the background. The episode ends on that note, with Nick having left for good from the next episode onwards.

* ''Anime/AldnoahZero'' has one for [[spoiler: Princess Asseylum]] after being shot dead. It's actually [[spoiler:Inaho]] remembering all the most memorable times he has seen [[spoiler:Asseylum]]. Subverted as the season finale's ending narration states the [[spoiler:United Earth military NeverFoundTheBody]], and season 2 confirmed [[spoiler:she wasn't dead.]]

* [[spoiler: After L dies in]] ''Manga/DeathNote'', the series mourns by spending half an episode reviewing ''everything'' that's happened so far. (This is right before a TimeSkip, so it was also a very convenient time for a recap.) There's another lingering, montage-y death in the finale.

* [[spoiler: Archer]] in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. There's another one for [[spoiler: Saber]] in the finale. [[spoiler: They even changed the ending sequences for those two episodes to the montages, complete with ending themes different from the usual.]]

** In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', [[spoiler: little Nina Tucker]] gets one of these during the end credits after her gruesome death, despite only having been in two episodes.
** Even more epitomizing this trope, however, is the death of [[spoiler:Maes Hughes]], a character the viewers were just beginning to really love. It seemed so impossible that he could really be dead that the last five minutes of the episode were spent at his funeral, at his burial, with his mourning friends and family, and the kicker: seeing his ghost waving goodbye at a train station. Just to make it REALLY clear. You can't forget [[spoiler: his crying daughter pleading that "He said he has a lot of work to do and if they bury him he can't do it when [[PleaseWakeUp he wakes up!"]]]]

** It not only has one of these for [[spoiler: Nuriko]], it also precedes the death with a montage of him imagining a happy alternative future with Miaka. Then later, there's another for [[spoiler: Hotohori. It ''still'' doesn't stick, though.]]
** Amusingly, [[spoiler: Mitsukake, who died around the same time as Hotohori, did not have such a montage. Of course, the heroine didn't particularly seem upset by his death. Neither did most of the audience.]]
* The ninja robot Volfogg from ''King of Braves Anime/GaoGaiGar'' gets one after his fight with Penchinon, then [[spoiler: comes back two episodes later. The two characters who do actually die get nothing of the sort.]]

** In ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'', Iggy manages to defeat Pet Shop, but is badly wounded, including having lost one of his front paws, not to mention that he's in the middle of a river. As he sinks he starts having visions of his life as "King of stray dogs", his capture by Avdol and various scenes of his travel across Egypt with the heroes. [[spoiler: Subverted. The dog-loving boy Iggy saved from Pet Shop saw him floating in the river and helped him out]].

** The 2006 remake, offers a subversion: [[spoiler: Ayu gets the montage, but as we learn in the next episode, when she invokes the power of miracles, both she ''and'' everybody else that seemed headed for certain death is NotQuiteDead. Yes, even Makoto.]]

** It's later played straight with a small twist in Episode 20: [[spoiler: Mikhail, the character who commented on how tragic it would've been for Ozma Lee to have died, gets one [[TakingTheBullet while protecting]] UnluckyChildhoodFriend Klan Klein while she lies in a tube - complete with happy smiling face, and an acoustic version of 'Diamond Crevasse', a song about farewells and losing loved ones.]]
** Basically, these two characters were created with the intention of using the viewer's knowledge of tropes against them; Ozma is the hotshot big brother-type who [[SacrificialLion tends to die about halfway through]] this type of story (he very intentionally conjures up the memory of a character who did die in the original ''SDF Macross'') whereas [[spoiler: Mikhail]] is the type of character whose function isn't to die, but [[CharacterDevelopment to go from a stuck-up jerk to a nice guy]] thanks to the influence of his TrueCompanions and [[LoveRedeems the love of a good woman]]. So after leading us by the hand and playing these tropes perfectly straight, the writers [[spoiler: flip them at the last moment, with the first surviving and the latter dying tragically just as he was about to shake off his jerkdom]].

** ''Naruto'' has two of these in quick succession with [[spoiler:Neji and Chouji]] when they were nearing the end of Part 1. Somehow they got better. The same goes for [[spoiler:Kakashi]]. [[spoiler: Neji ''did'' ultimately die in the manga, but MUCH later]].

* Himari Takakura gets one in episode 12 ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}''. [[spoiler: And then it's subverted: in the following episode, she's BackFromTheDead.]]

* [[spoiler: Makoto]] of ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'' gets one interspersed with the scenes of [[spoiler: him being stabbed to death by Sekai.]]

* [[spoiler: Bruno[=/=]Antinomy]] gets one of these in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', after Yusei insists that those memories together make them true companions. Fittingly, he's one of the very few characters in the show to actually stay dead.

** Subverted when [[spoiler:Cyclops]] suffocates in orbit above the Breakworld. He's really dead, so we get a montage of some of his early memories of the Academy - [[ComicBookDeath but because he's resurrected at the beginning of the next issue]], it's a very short montage.

* At the end of ''Film/CoolHandLuke'', Dragline is reminiscing to the other inmates after [[spoiler: Luke is killed by the sheriff]] and we get a montage of the previous scenes in the movie where he's smirking and laughing.

* The first movie version of ''Film/PetSematary1989'' gives us a variation. After [[spoiler: Gage]] dies, Creed gives a BigNo as photos of [[spoiler:Gage as a baby]] are shown.

* ''Film/{{Toothless}}'': More like a [[DraggedOffToHell Really Damned Montage]], but as Katherine descends in the {{Hellevator}}, she gets one of these. [[spoiler: Subverted when she gets to live after all.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

-->'''Doyle''': When the chips are down and you're at the end of your rope, you need someone that you can count on. And that's what you'll find here, someone who'll go all the way, who'll protect you no matter what. So don't lose hope, come on over to our offices and you'll see that there are still heroes in this world. Is that it? Am I done?
* In Season Four of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', when the "who is in the grave" mystery was resolved as [[spoiler: Laurel Lance]], many fans didn't believe she was really dead, because several unusual or ambiguous choices in the final scenes suggested HesJustHiding or FakingTheDead.(And also because the number of dead or "dead" characters coming back had led to DeathIsCheap) The next episode, however, not only featured a funeral, but also flashbacks posthumously featuring the character, as well as heartfelt moments of mourning from the other characters, including ones who had been suspected of colluding on FakingTheDead. This effectively settled the matter... until the ''Series/TheFlash2014'' finale raised the possibility of a CosmicRetcon, and the actor came back as the Earth-2 version of the character.

* In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', arch-villain Sylar gets one in the graphic novel immediately following the Volume 4 season finale, where Mohinder recounts the history of Sylar's evil and the Heroes' 4-Volume long struggle against him. [[spoiler: Of course, [[JokerImmunity this being Sylar]], HesJustHiding. Inside Nathan. And Matt.]]

* One appears for [[spoiler: Corey]] in the last episode of ''Series/LAInk'', shown between him deciding to quit the shop and his final confrontation with Kat. In this case, it's more like a "Really ''Gone'' Montage" since no one actually dies, but the effect is the same. Between the nostalgic music and the clips of hugging, "birthday" cake, and the first time he saw Kat's shop, it's pretty clear that he won't be coming back.

* The season four finale of ''Series/TheMagicians'' follows the death of [[spoiler: initial series protagonist Quentin Coldwater]] in this way. In a unique take on what would otherwise be a textbook example (a solemn campfire scene in which all assembled sing a poignant rendition of 'Take on Me' and burn [[spoiler:Quentin]]'s personal effects,) the audience watches through the eyes of [[spoiler:Quentin. He and Penny view it from the Underworld]], unseen by the mourning characters.

* The final episode of the Filipino show ''May Bukas Pa'' ("There Is Still A Tomorrow") spent a half hour showing all the KidHero's friends mourning and singing sad songs for him. [[spoiler: Then he comes back from the dead for no reason than the Virgin Mary (played by the show's producer!) liked him too much.]]

%%* [[spoiler: Maid Marian]] in ''Series/RobinHood''.

* WWE also devoted an entire three hour Raw program to Wrestling/ChrisBenoit after his then-recent death - perhaps to make it clear that he was ''really'' really dead, unlike the {{Kayfabe}} death of Vince [=McMahon=] several weeks earlier. They would quickly end up regretting this, as the full facts about the tragedy had not yet come in. (It did not air on international broadcasts.)

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII: VideoGame/CrisisCore'' does this to Zack. It should be moving, but instead it feels ill-placed and tacked-on amidst the brutal, bloody, emotionally-draining death scene which preceded it - a better goodbye than a montage could ever be.

* The memorial at the end of ''VideoGame/Halo3'' includes a montage of photos of people killed in the war, including Miranda Keyes and Sgt. Johnson. [[spoiler: And Master Chief's callsign (117) etched onto the side of the memorial. The Chief's not dead, but nobody else knows that.]]

* At the end of ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'', [[spoiler: the main character receives one when they vanish due to changing the [[BadFuture Bad Future]] you originate from. It includes your partner's memories of meeting and adventuring with you. [[BackFromTheDead You get better though.]]]]

** [[spoiler:Cell]] gets one of these, perhaps justified due to his sheer resilience, right as he's being evaporated by the final attack of the saga. Complete with [[spoiler:Cell himself]] singing ''[[Music/FrankSinatra My Way]]'' as he's killed, going out with some showmanship. [[spoiler: His Imperfect version back in Trunks' timeline also gets one, but since he got much less screentime he only gets to "And now, the end is near" before getting evaporated]].

* The classic Rankin Bass version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Frosty the Snowman}}'' has this [[spoiler: after Frosty melts]], underscored with a {{Dark Reprise}} of the title song. Fortunately, it's only a DisneyDeath.

** Done a few times for when a character [[KilledOffForReal kicks the bucket.]] Scratch the "really" part in the episode [[spoiler: "Dial N For Nerder"]].

* Subverted in universe in ''Literature/{{Mockingjay}}, when the building in which Katniss' group took shelter when the black wave went off, gets demolished, Coin thinks that they're all dead and broadcasts a proshot mapping Katniss' journey to becoming a rebel leader. The stinger is, that Katniss and her squad escaped underground and are very much alive.