History Main / StatusQuoIsGod

* An accusation sometimes leveled at ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Perhaps the more JustForFun/{{egregious}} example comes from the episode "Deadlock." The ep kicks off with the surprise deaths of Harry Kim and Ensign Wildman's newborn baby daughter Naomi. This major story development is quickly averted via the convenient splitting of Voyager and its crew into two identical ones. Said duplication sticks around just long enough to fill out the episode's runtime, after which it is destroyed, and all the duplicates die...except for the doubles of Harry and Naomi. Janeway had ordered this Harry to take the baby over to the other Voyager. In other words, she wanted them to replace the dead ones just before [[spoiler: she self-destructs her ship to save it from the bad guys.]] Everyone on the ship treats him as if he were the original and no one ever mentions it again.

* This describes every Creator/RumikoTakahashi regular series. Swap "curses" for "[[CanNotSpitItOut mental hangups]]and [[ImplacableMan unkillable bad guys]]" where applicable.

* Face it: [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash's Pikachu]] is never going to be a Raichu. This is explained in a few episodes, most notably when the Vermilion Gym match has it face its evolved form. In-universe, it's a matter of pride. In real life, it's because they'd have to redesign the series' iconic mascot. Taken to a particular extreme in the Mistralton Tower episode, in which Ash performs a DivingSave to prevent a Thunder Stone from accidentally hitting Pikachu.

* Commonly averted with Manga/KOn, which sets up the sorts of "lesson of the week" situations that you'd normally fully expect a cast in a work like this to forget about by the next episode (i.e. don't be so clingy, be more thoughtful towards your friends, study hard, etc.) but actually has them work as permanent character development.

* Another Batman foe: Poor [[ComicBook/TwoFace Harvey Dent]] is a ''victim'' of this. No matter how many times his face and sanity are restored, soon he is driven back to his (half)disfigured face and insanity, even in some out-of-mainstream-continuity stories, like ''Batman: Black and White''. In an Alternate Future from FrankMiller's limited series ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', [[spoiler: only his face is restored, not his sanity. FromBadToWorse: His good side vanished, leaving him all "normal" outside and all monstrous inside]].
* One of the most obvious and dramatic examples is [[Franchise/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]], who lost his power ring after it was destroyed by Parallax. Guy went on to get a full rework, including new powers, a new look, a new supporting cast and a new job. This lasted for several years--about a year and a half of which was actually in his own ongoing monthly--until Creator/GeoffJohns wrote ''[[ResetButton Green Lantern Rebirth]]'', which snapped him back to his '80s status quo without any real explanation.
** Guy Gardner may be back to being a Green Lantern, but his character is not what it was in the 80s and 90s. He's changed over time. Gardner isn't the dumb obnoxious jerk he used to be, though his attitude is somewhat similar. Instead he's simply a jerk with an attitude on the surface, showing far more depth of character and loyalty beneath, particularly with Kyle Rayner. And that awful bowl haircut is gone too.
* Charles Xavier of the Comicbook/{{X-Men}} was introduced as an invalid who uses a wheelchair. Several times during the comic's run, Xavier has regained the use of his legs. It's only a matter of time until something reverses this situation, either undoing whatever allowed his legs to heal or sustaining a new injury.
** Marvel seems to think the concept of the X-Men doesn't work if mutants aren't feared and hated by everybody, so any progress they make is inevitably undone. GrantMorrison's run had mutants gaining some acceptance among the younger generations and developing their own culture. Then ''HouseOfM'' comes along and the mutant race is reduced to around 200 survivors. And then comes ''Comicbook/{{Avengers Vs X-Men}}'', where thanks to the actions of Comicbook/{{Cyclops}} and the Phoenix Five, mutants are probably more feared than ever.

** BoosterGold underwent a DorkAge in the [[TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks 90's where he]] traded in his tights for a gaudy suit of PoweredArmor. It didn't last long.
** BlackCanary famously had her own DorkAge in ''[[Comicbook/JusticeLeagueInternational JLI]]'', where she started wearing a more conservative costume that resembled a tracksuit. Fans hated it, so the writers eventually brought back her classic [[StockingFiller leather and fishnets]]. A cover of ''Comicbook/ActionComics'' even had Black Canary [[TakeThat proudly burning her]] ''JLI'' suit while wearing her iconic costume.
** Along those lines, they tried to give {{Zatanna}} [[http://borgdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/new-zatanna-look.jpg a more conservative outfit]] in ''JusticeLeagueDark''. The fans complained, [[http://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-content/uploads//2013/04/zatanna-new-look-600x984.jpg so now they've given her a new costume that's more in line with her original, iconic look]].

* Poor Benjamin Grimm will always be [[Comicbook/FantasticFour The Thing]]. Reed Richards' various attempts to find a cure to his condition will never work, or if so always be reversed.
** This is lampshaded in Marvel1602 where Reed Richards, theorizing that [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality stories are laws of the universe]], states that a cure for Benjamin wouldn't last long since he's much more interesting the way he is.

** Franchise/SpiderMan. ''[[OhMyGods Oh Galactus]]'', Spider-Man. Marvel is dead-set on dragging him back to a single guy living with his Aunt May, no matter how many {{Ass Pull}}s or {{Voodoo Shark}}s it takes. See ''TheCloneSaga'' and ''Comicbook/OneMoreDay''.

** Spider-Man has also gained new abilities at several times over the years (such as poisonous stingers from his forearms and organic webbing [[RetCanon like in]] [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy the movies]]). He always loses these quickly enough and reverts to his original StanLee / SteveDitko powerset.
** Batman/Spider-Man villains thrive on this policy. The Joker especially, who has a trope named after him. He can kill and destroy as many lives as he wants, and all Bats does is punch him a few times and send him back to [[CardboardPrison an easily escapable prison/asylum]]. He'll always be there to menace the Bat, and [[TheFarmerAndTheViper the ramifications]] of this continual (and destructive) cycle never seem to dawn on the Caped Crusader's mind.
** Similar to Ben Grimm's situation further above, poor Bruce Banner will always be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. He will never find a permanent cure, and because of that, he and Betty Ross will most likely always be StarCrossedLovers.

* GrantMorrison acknowledged this in [[GrantMorrisonsBatman his run on]] ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', where Bruce was temporarily "killed off" during ''FinalCrisis'' and ''BatmanRIP'', leading to [[{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] becoming the new Batman. Morrison has flat out stated that he knew there was no way in hell DC and WarnerBrothers would ever let him permanently replace Batman, so he purposefully structured the story in such a way that [[HesJustHiding left the door open for Bruce's return]].
** He also admitted that he killed off [[{{Robin}} Bruce's son Damian]] for similar reasons, since having a kid clashes too heavily with Batman's iconic "brooding loner" image.
* This is why there is the sense that Comicbook/{{Loki}} will eventually go back to his usual self. Despite reverting to childhood with about half his memories he, for the moment, practically worships Comicbook/TheMightyThor. Much of the impact of the arc is not from wondering if the change will stick, it won't, but on the possible effects it will have once things revert to Status Quo.
** The current writer of Thor (for the moment renamed ''JourneyIntoMystery'') has indicated that Loki turning evil again IS NOT a foregone conclusion. Thor destroyed the Ragnarok cycle which contained the writings that decreed the destinies of the Asgardians, enabling all of them to ScrewDestiny, Loki included. For the moment he's a KidHero-Antihero combination.
*** Since then, Loki has returned to his old ways. The writer says he chose to end the story with Loki's return to evil because he knew that if he didn't, someone else would come along and do it anyway. And at least if Loki fell from grace under his pen, he could do it in a [[TearJerker suitably emotional manner]].
*** "So-and-so IS NOT a foregone conclusion" has been said numerous times (see JoeQuesada talking about the Franchise/SpiderMan identity reveal, saying "it won't [[Comicbook/OneMoreDay just be undone by magic a year later."]] So take any promise of permanence with [[LyingCreator a gigantic grain of salt.]]

* An almost appalling example of this is shown with the Barbara Gordon incarnation of Batgirl. In the well-acclaimed graphic novel ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', she was shot in the spine by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, rendering her permanantly paralyzed. Barbara then took on the persona of Oracle, working behind the scenes to aid the Bat-Family with her hacking skills and computer expertise. But after the 2011 reboot Comicbook/{{New 52}}, Barbara was back on her legs as Batgirl.

* You didn't really think a character called Comicbook/DeadMan would [[BrightestDay get to be alive]] for very long, did you?

* Frequently used in TheBeano and similar comics (Comicbook/TheBeezer, Comicbook/WhizzerAndChips, ComicBook/TheDandy) when a strip ends with a major change to the characters occurring there is often a NoteFromEd acting as a ResetButton saying the character will be back to normal by next week.

* An in-story example: In ''Film/TheMatrix'' trilogy, it's revealed that the humans and machines have gone through several cycles of rebellion and war, always returning to the status quo in between.

* ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' seemed like this. During the movie, several characters died (including [[spoiler: Professor X!]]) and many more were "cured" of their powers. Two scenes at the end hint that [[spoiler: 1. Xavier downloaded his mind into a catatonic body and 2. Magneto and the others are recovering their powers, meaning the only changes that stick are Scott and Phoenix's deaths. And since Phoenix came back once...]]
** Pleasantly and surprisingly averted in ''Film/TheWolverine''. [[spoiler:Taking quite a bit of adamantium from Wolverine's claws right before a major installment coming up takes some balls from the creators.]]
*** However the movie also plays this straight. [[spoiler: Magneto is confirmed to have regained his powers, while Professor X is back. And in the wheelchair]]. Presumably, this will all be explained in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''.

* Slasher movie franchises like ''Halloween'', ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' and ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' live on this trope. No matter how obviously super-duper-dead Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees or Freddy Kruger are at the end of one film, they'll be back for the next one with no actual impairment to their abilities.

* The novels of Creator/PGWodehouse, which typically begin with a disruption of the status quo -- an engagement broken off, a cook threatening to resign, Bertie growing a moustache -- and end with its restoration. [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Jeeves]] is the archetypal status quo-restorer.

** It helps that the duplicate was created that same day; its not like their memories or histories were different. "Duplicate" isn't exactly the right term: the ship was split into two parallel version occupying the same space; neither was more "real" than the other.

* Although the plots of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' implicitly offer up an unlimited number of hilarious, deliciously complex, irony-steeped [[AnAesop Aesops]], the characters never, ever learn anything from them and in every episode they are as shallow and petty as they were in the previous one. In fact, in nine years of adventures, the only change they ever went through was that by the Finale they ran out of new things to talk about and [[BookEnds started repeating what they had been talking about in the Pilot.]]

* While many aspects do change in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', there are at least two things that remain the same. The first is it will not take long before a BroughtDownToNormal Clark regains his powers. The second is that the people who are destined to know he has powers will be the only ones to keep that information. When Clark wanted Jor-El to restore Chloe's memories [[KeepingSecretsSucks without her knowing his secret]], Chloe remembered two episodes later. The characters who aren't supposed to know will have EasyAmnesia.
** In a short-term Status Quo Is God, Clark spent an awful lot of time keeping Lex and Tess alive because they were on the opening titles, while letting Villains of the Week who were a lot less dangerous than them die.

* ''TwentyFour'' is a show that generally does change its status quo up, there does seem to be one universal rule to that always has to be kept. Jack Bauer can never be happy, probably because TrueArtIsAngsty or something like that. Any time he is in even a remotely good mood or has something to keep him moving on, it will be violently [[YankTheDogsChain taken away]] from him.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', no matter what happened, or what kind of creature the sisters got turned into (be them vampires, warlocks, valkyries or even demons), by the end of the episode the transformation was undone.

* The main reason for [[spoiler:Penelope]]'s rather poorly-done FaceHeelTurn in ''[[Franchise/SlyCooper Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time]]'' was to return the Cooper Gang to it's three-man dynamic. The equally useless Dmitri fared a bit better: he got to be mission control in the present day.

* ''Webcomic/{{Insecticomics}}'' goes out of its way to show that it won't do this, particularly in the areas of Thrust's [[GenderSwap change to female]] and the disbanding of [[spoiler: the Brigade]].

** Also {{Lampshaded}} in [[http://www.pvponline.com/comic/2005/02/27/feb-27-2005 this strip]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' has been criticized for this, [[spoiler:killing off characters such as Breakdown and Dreadwing, putting Airachnid into stasis, returning rogue Starscream back to his previous position, eliminating the "third faction", MECH entirely, putting most [=McGuffins=] into storage without being used, and undoing such game changers as the Star Saber and New Kaon/Darkmount]], [[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/steven-melching-interview-upcoming-transformers-prime-story-information-revealed-176074/ a fact acknowledged by the writers]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' lampshaded, deconstructed, and parodied this trope in an episode about television. When the main cast is forced to reshoot the finale of ''[[Series/AllyMcBeal Single Female Lawyer]]'' to prevent an alien invasion, Leela (as the titular character) decides to propose marriage. Fry is angry, as he states that you don't do that on television because people only watch TV because of this very trope. Right on cue, this angers the aliens, who proceed with their invasion until Fry improvises an ending that would result in her character remaining single, placating the aliens. (The fact that real-life shows often destroy the status quo during the finale is ignored). The aliens are satisfied with this ending, and leave peacefully. With everything back to normal, Fry has a short monologue (serving as a SpoofAesop) about how things should always go back to normal at the end of an episode. The Camera then cuts to a devastated New New York, most of it having been destroyed during the episode. The status quo is restored by the next episode, so it's a DoubleSubversion.
** After the end of the series and ''Bender's Big Score'' changed things somewhat, fans have taken to accusing ''The Beast With A Billion Backs'' of needlessly bowing to this trope.

** The trope is subverted in "The Beast with a Billion Backs". [[spoiler: Kif breaks up with Amy after she cheats on him, and they stay separated]] until the end of "Into The Wild Green Yonder".

** Season 15 did this. After the DramaBomb episode, "You're Getting Old", it looked like there was going to be some sort of change in terms of the boys' relationships. [[HeterosexualLifePartners Kyle and Stan]] have a falling out, [[FoeYay Kyle and Cartman]] are shown being together of their own volition and getting along. The episode ends with Randy and Sharon separating and moving from the Marsh family home. When the next episode, "Ass Burgers", features a SnapBack, this is invoked heavily. Just as Stan is about to embrace the changes, the status quo comes back with Randy & Sharon getting back together, Kyle & Cartman bickering once again, and Stan going back to the life he once had, though he now secretly drinks to keep off his cynical levels. Sharon even says that [[{{Anvilicious}} sometimes it's best to stick with what you know]].

* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', for the most part. Eliza's brother becomes a Mutate for instance and remains that way, a process that takes place over several episodes; later episodes deal with Talon's impromptu clan and responsibilities. Broadway shoots Eliza by accident and develops a series-long [[DoesntLikeGuns hatred for firearms]]. The eventual reveal of the Gargoyles to the world at large springs the Quarrymen into the forefront. And so on.

* No matter how many times Ron Stoppable from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' learns to use [[IKnowKarate Mystical Monkey Power Kung Fu]], learn to deal with his fears of monkeys and Camp Wannaweep or [[IJustWantToBeSpecial has become special for just anything]], he will revert back to his status quo in the end of the episode or before the next.
** He did stay on the football team, leaving his mascot days behind.
** And he kept dating Kim. And kept his job. All which took place in the PostScriptSeason...

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' has this all the time. In one episode, the girls travel so fast that they are warped to the future, [[BadFuture where for 30 years evil has reigned]]. Out of complete stress and confusion, they try to escape from it all by traveling so fast they warp back to the present time, thus achieving Status Quo.
** This, like the Superman example above, was more or less why the Powerpuff Girls never take a vacation - as they're now too paranoid to leave the city for even a few days, lest the entire city fall to evil.

** Played with in some of the few episodes which avert this trope; many of them feature endings that make it seem like the status quo will once again be restored, only to change it up on the viewer at the last second. The classic example is the episode where Milhouse's parents divorce; the episode ends with Kirk singing a romantic song for Luann in a last-ditch attempt to win her back. It looks like we're in for a heartwarming reunion, until Kirk asks her to come back to him and she replies "Oh ''God no!''" They DID eventually get back together, but that was ten seasons later.
** When Lisa became a vegetarian, she stayed a vegetarian. (Only because Music/PaulMcCartney wouldn't do the show otherwise) She also remained a Buddhist after converting in "She of Little Faith".
** Also when Maude Flanders died, [[KilledOffForReal she stayed dead]], since [[RealLifeWritesThePlot her voice actor had left the show]].

** Sometimes the status quo changes gradually -- for example, Lenny and Carl have replaced Barney as Homer's best friend. However, they just hang out with him just for kicks. This is made evident in the same episode where Barney decides to be sober.

** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the show itself in the infamous episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E2ThePrincipalAndThePauper The Principal and the Pauper]]". To those who don't know, [[spoiler: Principal Skinner is revealed to be a person named Arman Tamzarian when the Real Seymour Skinner appears out of nowhere. At the end of the episode, he's [[PutOnABus tied to a train and is never heard from again]] and the judge rules that [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain no one is to speak of this or else they'll be subjected to torture]].]]
** This is later followed by an episode where Snowball 2 gets run over and replaced. Twice. Both replacements die, and a cat that looks exactly the same is given to Lisa by the Cat Lady.

** The episode where Lisa and Bart are placed in the same third grade class. At the end of the episode, Bart and Lisa are given the choice to either stay in third grade or return to their respective classes. [[LampshadeHanging The characters start]] ''[[LampshadeHanging chanting]]'' [[LampshadeHanging for the status quo to be restored at the end]].
** There was even an episode where Lisa got to write an episode for a TV show. After making big sweeping changes that didn't go over too well, Homer [[EnforcedTrope tells her that the number one rule of television]] is that everything must go back to normal at the end of the episode.
*** Which is what pretty much happens anytime there's a major change to the main cast. Did Bart become more intelligent or active in his school work for a time? He'll be back to the lazy BookDumb boy causing mischief for giggles. Did Lisa suddenly gain popularity? She'll be back to being unpopular by the end of the episode.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'':

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' takes this trope and turns it UpToEleven in every episode. No matter what nigh-impossible project the boys create, it will always disappear within a matter of seconds as a result of Perry and Doofenshmirtz. Like every other trope that the show revolves around, it's been {{lampshade|Hanging}}d. Some of the characters now believe there's a mysterious sentient force protecting them ([[NoFourthWall which is technically true.]])

* ''WesternAnimation/{{X-Men Evolution}}'': In episode 2x22, "Joyride", Lance Alvers (Avalanche) joins up with the X-Men in the hopes of winning the affections of Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), [[DatingCatwoman who he's been hitting on the entire series.]] Cyclops blames him for a few infractions the other New Mutants actually committed, and said New Mutants confess, causing Cyclops to finally accept him, Shadowcat to show him the love he's wanted the whole series, and the rest of the X-Men to respect him. He then decides that he's quitting due to his annoyance with being ReformedButRejected and returning to the Brotherhood, saying they're easier to live with, even though he had EVERYTHING HE WANTED.

* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''. The only change that has ever carried over from another episode is [[BetaCouple Beezy getting a girlfriend]].
** And said girlfriend's been OutOfFocus for the entire second season.

----

* Franchise/IndianaJones: see Film/JamesBond. He finds lost treasures, and they're never heard from again. The Lost Ark? After its display of power, TheGovernment packs it away and nothing bad happens. Despite the biblical prophecy that anyone who kept the Ark from the rightful Israelites would suffer God's wrath. The Holy Grail? Trapped behind a cursed barrier. The Crystal Skull? Reunites with its body, and flies off to space... and another dimension.

** Similar to Ben Grimm's situation further above, poor Bruce Banner will always be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. He will never find a permanent cure, and because of that, he and Betty Ross will mostly likely always be StarCrossedLovers.

** Similar to Ben Grimm's situation further above, poor Bruce Banner will always be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. He will never find a permanent cure, and he and Betty Ross will mostly likely always be StarCrossedLovers because of that.

** Similar to Ben Grimm's situation further above, poor Bruce Banner will always be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. He will never find a permanent, and he and Betty Ross will mostly likely always be StarCrossedLovers because of that.

** Similar to Ben Grimm's situation further above, poor Bruce Banner will always be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. He will never find a cure, and he and Betty Ross will mostly likely always be StarCrossedLovers.

** Similar to Ben Grimm's situation further above, poor Bruce Banner will always be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk]]. He will never find a cure, and he and Betty Ross will mostly likely always be StarCrossedLovers.

** Batman/Spider-Man villains thrive on this policy. The Joker especially, who has a trope named after him. He can kill and destroy as many lives as he wants, and all Bats does is punch him a few times and send him back to [[CardboardPrison an easily escapable prison/asylum]]. He'll always be there to menace the Bat, and [[TheFarmerAndTheViper the ramifications]] of this continual (and destructive) cycle never seem to dawn on the Caped Crusader's mind.

* Something's always happening in ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', whether it's the [[OminousFog scarlet mist]], the [[ThatsNoMoon moon being replaced]], an attempt by the [[CuteGhostGirl lady of the netherworld]] to [[SpringIsLate steal the world's spring]], a challenge by an [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly upstart shrine]], or a [[OminousFog haunted mist]] by [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl party loving]] Youkai. Despite all that happens, the only really permanent effect these have on the plot is [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters introducing new characters]]. You might need to do a [[BonusBoss little bit extra]] in the game [[GoldenEnding to make sure]] it is back to status quo in time for the [[MonsterOfTheWeek next event]].
** Even as for the [[ImprobablyFemaleCast cast]], whether or not they ever really [[StaticCharacter change]] with the events that take place, even if it is at the command of TheJudge who threatens to send you to hell [[IronicHell or worse]].
** The last few games have had an interesting aversion: in 10 ''Mountain of Faith'' Moriya Shrine joined the cast; in 11 ''Subterranean Animism'' Moriya fuses a dead god with a birdbrain to start a nuclear reactor; in the fighter ''Hisoutensoku'' the control system for the reactor is mistaken as a giant youkai lumbering about; and, in 12 ''Undefined Fantastic Object'' the combined efforts of pushing Moriya Shrine through the Great Hakurei Border back in 10 and the geysers caused by Utsuho in 11 have broken open Makai and allowed the Palanquin Ship to recover Hijiri Byakuren.

** Season four has seen the writers [[spoiler: avert this trope entirely, killing off Lancelot and Uther within the first couple of episodes.]]

* Both invoked and averted in WesternAnimation/TheClangers. In many episodes a creature or object arrives on the Clanger's planet, causes havoc and then either leaves or is sent back into space. When the Iron Chicken first appears, it seems as if she's also following this pattern. However, she makes appearances in later episodes and she also gives Tiny Clanger an egg which has effects in following episodes[[hottip:* :It hatches to reveal some musical notes, most of which are eaten by the Soup Dragon. However, the remaining two notes are planted and grow into Music Trees. Tiny Clanger later uses notes from the Music Trees to power her flying boat, which puts an end to Major Clanger's unsuccessful attempts at building a flying machine.]]

** Similarly, the United States' one dollar bill. Most other countries have replaced their currency units of that size with coins to save costs[[hottip:*:dollar coins cost more to make initially, but can be in circulation for decades, while paper bills rarely last two years]]. The US has introduced dollar coins repeatedly, but with neither a population willing to embrace the change, nor a Mint willing to force the change by reducing the printing of dollar bills, the coins remain rare.

* The above notwithstanding, the first crop of {{Nicktoons}} were among the first American cartoons to avert this. WesternAnimation/{{Doug}} gets to graduate, [[WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} Chuckie]] is potty-trained and stays potty-trained, [[WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife Filbert and Dr. Hutchinson]] go steady, get married and have children and [[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow]] dispenses with a Status Quo altogether.

* GrantMorrison acknowledged this in [[GrantMorrisonsBatman his run on]] ''Comicbook/{{Batman}}'', where Bruce was temporarily "killed off" during ''FinalCrisis'' and ''BatmanRIP'', leading to [[{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] becoming the new Batman. Morrison has flat out stated that he knew there was no way in hell DC and WarnerBrothers would ever let him permanently replace Batman, so he purposefully structured the story in such a way that [[HesJustHiding left the door open for Bruce's return]].

** In ''PlaneShift'', since the game hasn't reached version 1 yet, time is officially frozen and all changes to the world are accomplished via {{Retcon}}. The only exception is the brief "Crystal Eclipse" storyline that bridged versions 0.3 and 0.4, which introduced two new gods and left a definite mark on the game's history.

** He admitted that he killed off [[{{Robin}} Bruce's son Damian]] for similar reasons, since having a kid clashes too much with Batman's iconic "brooding loner" image.

* GrantMorrison acknowledged this in [[GrantMorrisonsBatman his run on]] ''Comicbook/Batman'', where Bruce was temporarily "killed off" during ''FinalCrisis'' and ''BatmanRIP'', leading to [[{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] becoming the new Batman. Morrison has flat out stated that he knew there was no way in hell DC and WarnerBrothers would ever let him permanently replace Batman, so he purposefully structured the story in such a way that [[HesJustHiding left the door open for Bruce's return]].

* A good example would be costumes. Most heroes and villains have gone through numerous costume changes, but usually return to their original, iconic outfit, [[MerchandiseDriven if for no other reason than branding]]. This obviously doesn't extent to film and TV adaptations, since most superhero costumes are [[MovieSuperheroesWearBlack altered for live-action]] due to practical reasons.

** Along those lines, they tried to give {{Zatanna}} [[http://borgdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/new-zatanna-look.jpg a more conservative outfit]] in ''JusticeLeagueDark''. The fans complained, [[http://i.newsarama.com/images/zatanna-new-jl-22.jpg so now they've given her a new costume that's more in line with her original, iconic look]].

** The show also {{Zig Zag|gingTrope}}s often. There are often a few episodes in which a new character is introduced, or some big change happens in someone's life such as Bill or Bobbie getting in a romance, yet a lot of the time they seem to vanish the next episode with little to no justification. Despite this, there were plenty of aversions in which a continuity ''was'' established. (Joseph entering puberty, Bobby and Connie's relationship ending, Nancy ending her affair with John Redcorn, Luanne meeting Lucky).

[[folder:Films]]

* Every unplanned movie {{sequel}}.
* ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' features this; in the original episode "Space Seed," the evil Khan learns his lesson, and goes away with a happy ending; meanwhile in the ''first'' Star Trek movie, many developments are made to characters and technology. However in this sequel, Khan is back to his evil old self, and likewise most other things are back the way they were before.
** This goes double for ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''; in Star Trek II, Spock died, and Kirk's son was introduced, along with his terraforming "Genesis Device;" however at the end of the movie, all of these are undone by the plot: Spock is brought back to life, Kirk's son is killed, and the Genesis Device is no more.
** Star Trek III also introduced "trans-warp drive," and destroys the ''Enterprise.'' In Star Trek IV... well, you get the picture.

* Before ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' you could expect all ''Batman'' movies to have the main villain dead, with Gotham saved. And Bruce Wayne would always [[GirlOfTheWeek get a new girlfriend]], only to end up single again for the next movie. The notable exception is ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''; both villains are alive at the end although both are incarcerated and one has reformed.

* Franchise/IndianaJones: see Film/JamesBond. He finds lost treasures, and they're never heard from again. The Lost Ark? After its display of power, TheGovernment packs it away and nothing bad happens. Despite the biblical prophecy that anyone who kept the Ark from the rightful Israelites would suffer God's wrath. The Holy Grail? Trapped behind a cursed barrier. The Crystal Skull? Reunites with its body, and flies off to space... and another dimension.
* Count {{Dracula}} always comes back.

* The premise for ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' and [[Series/{{Batman}} the Batman TV Series]] is that that incarnation of Batman only is useful to fight supervillains (and nothing more). [[ReedRichardsIsUseless He cannot change anything more in his world]]. Robin's idea to better the world by making a FreakyFridayFlip with the bickering United World Organization security council is quickly rejected by Batman. [[ZigZaggingTrope Then when this happens]]… the security council is still bickering between themselves, but each one of them is bickering in a different idiom. Batman realizes this and he and Robin going out inconspicuously through the window.
* This is at the heart of ''Disney/WreckItRalph''. [[spoiler: By the end of the movie, Ralph accepts this, but everything he's gone through by that point helps him understand the importance of his particular status and even earns him the respect he duly reserved. After all, plainly put, a video game like his ''literally'' can't function without him. Having finally gained a real true friend after it all helps too.]]

* Pleasantly and surprisingly averted in ''Film/TheWolverine''. [[spoiler:Taking quite a bit of adamantium from Wolverine's claws right before a major installment coming up takes some balls from the creators.]]

** Also when Maude Flanders died, [[KilledOffForReal she stayed dead]].

----