History Main / TorchTheFranchiseAndRun

* After sales for ''ComicBook/Druid1995'' were so low, that it'd been turned into a four-issue miniseries, Creator/WarrenEllis ended the series by having every major character who ''wasn't'' Hellstorm and Nekra killed -- including [[TheHeroDies Dr. Druid himself]]. In a case of in-universe, literal case of torching, Hellstorm sets fire to Druid's body and dumped the charred corpse into a dumpster.

''VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon'' is a prequel to the first game.

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'' ends pretty conclusively with every single version of Bayonetta in reality either dead or taken to Inferno. This includes the one we've followed for all three games, whose DealWithTheDevil is finally cashed in, seeing her DraggedOffToHell, with Luka [[YouAreWorthHell going with her]]. Needless to say, a ''lot'' of backwards-bending will need to be done to continue the series after this. ''VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon'' is a prequel to the first game.

* This appears to have done this to the ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' series with ''Logan's Shadow'', as the ending involves the possible deaths of three of the four main characters. Sony has no plans for further sequels. [[spoiler:The series made a comeback with ''VideoGame/DaysGone'', which is heavily implied to take place in the same universe if the easter eggs are of any indication.]]

* The final volume of ''ComicBook/{{BPRD}}'', ''The Devil You Know'', pretty much closes the book on the entirety of Creator/MikeMignola's ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' universe, as it ends with all of the agents of B.P.R.D except for Fenix and ''maybe'' Liz dying alongside Hellboy, all the while Earth is ravaged by the Odgru Jahad and their spawn before their destruction by the Osiris Society, with remnants of Humanity surviving in the subterranean caverns with the hope of eventually rebuilding society.

* One explanation for the "It was all an autistic child playing with a snow globe" ending in ''Series/StElsewhere'', as no other explanation makes sense (most of the plots were far beyond anything an isolated child would be able to think up all by himself).

* [[ComicBook/Punisher2022 The 2022-2023 run]] of ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' ends with a rather decisive denouement of Frank Castle's main character and concept. Frank finally ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and goes on his most brutal rampage yet, culminating in him coming within a hair's breath of murdering an unarmed teenage member of a white supremacist group that hadn't actually committed any crimes before other heroes intervene and arrest him. While imprisoned and awaiting sentencing, the heroes individually give Frank a ''scathing'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, outlining exactly how selfish and hypocritical his "crusade" against crime really is, that his actions were never about "righteous vengeance", but sating his own bloodlust, and that he's no better than the criminals he's killed. All of this is capped off by Frank's newly resurrected wife confronting him and making it clear that she never wanted any of this, that she is horrified and disgusted that countless have died in her and her children's names, and that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore and has liquidated all his assets, safehouses and equipment to charity. This finally breaks Frank, who makes a DealWithTheDevil to be transported to another world to start over, not as an avenger, but a ''protector''.

* [[ComicBook/Punisher2022 The 2022-2023 run]] of ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' ends with a rather decisive denouement of Frank Castle's main character and concept. Frank finally ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and goes on his most brutal rampage yet, culminating in him coming within a hair's breath of murdering an unarmed teenage member of a white supremacist group that hadn't actually committed any crimes before other heroes intervene and arrest him. While imprisoned and awaiting sentencing, the heroes individually give Frank a ''scathing'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, outlining exactly how selfish and hypocritical his "crusade" against crime really is, that his actions were never about "righteous vengeance", but sating his own bloodlust, and that he's no better than the criminals he's killed. All of this is capped off by Frank's newly resurrected wife confronting him and making it clear that she never wanted any of this, that she is horrified and disgusted that countless have died in her and her children's names, and that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. This finally breaks Frank, who makes a DealWithTheDevil to be transported to another world to start over, not as an avenger, but a ''protector''.

* [[ComicBook/Punisher2022 The 2022-2023 run]] of ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' ends with a rather decisive denouement of Frank Castle's main character and concept. Frank finally ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and goes on his most brutal rampage yet, culminating in him coming within a hair's breath of murdering an unarmed teenage member of a white supremacist group that hadn't actually committed any crimes before other heroes intervene and arrest him. While imprisoned and awaiting sentencing, the heroes individually give Frank a ''scathing'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, outlining exactly how selfish and hypocritical his "crusade" against crime really is, that his actions were never about "righteous vengeance", but sating his own bloodlust, and that he's no better than the criminals he's killed. All of this is capped off by Frank's newly resurrected wife confronting him and making it clear that she never wanted any of this, that she is horrified and disgusted that countless have died in her and their children's names, and that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. This finally breaks Frank, who makes a DealWithTheDevil to be transported to another world to start over, not as an avenger, but a ''protector''.

* [[ComicBook/Punisher2022 The 2022-2023 run]] of ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' ends with a rather decisive denouement of Frank Castle's main character and concept. Frank finally ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and goes on his most brutal rampage yet, culminating in him coming within a hair's breath of murdering an unarmed teenage member of a white supremacist group that hadn't actually committed any crimes before other heroes intervene and arrest him. While imprisoned and awaiting sentencing, the heroes individually give Frank a ''scathing'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, outlining exactly how selfish and hypocritical his "crusade" against crime really is, that his actions were never about "righteous vengeance", but sating his own bloodlust, and that he's no better than the criminals he's killed. All of this is capped off by Frank's newly resurrected wife confronting him and making it clear that she never wanted any of this, that she is horrified and disgusted that countless have died in her and her daughter's names, and that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. This finally breaks Frank, who makes a DealWithTheDevil to be transported to another world to start over, not as an avenger, but a ''protector''.

* The final ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' novel ''Literature/TheLastBattle'' ends with all the characters dying minus Susan and Narnia being destroyed, is safe to say he wasn't planning to write another novel after that.

* Back during the original run of the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon]]'' anime, how Takeshi Shudo had ''[[WhatCouldHaveBeen intended]]'' to end it oozed of this trope. For starters, it would have started with Pikachu leading a revolt against humanity with Meowth as his ambassador, Misty becoming a FauxActionGirl, Ash putting aside his childish ToBeAMaster dream, and generally playing up ''Pokémon'' as fantasy dogfighting which Creator/GameFreak has been trying to avoid since day one. Understandably, Game Freak [[ExecutiveMeddling put their foot down on this one the second they caught wind of it]]. Ash's saga would later receive a more definitive ending with ''Journeys''.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'' was intended as this to the original ''Digimon Adventure'' continuity as explained by [[https://digi-lab.blog/digimon-adventure-last-evolution-interview-director-tomohisa-taguchi-talks-about-the-challenge-of-destroying-the-series-and-his-gratitude/ this interview]]. Ironically enough, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/digimon/comments/exof4l/comment/fggwhzv the director of the original anime series]] was going to work on ''Kizuna'' [[CreativeDifferences but stepped out]] because the movie was [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld contradicting the rules of the original setting]]. The next version of [[Anime/DigimonAdventure2020 this series]] ended up being a ContinuityReboot that disregards the film entirely.

** [[Manga/DragonBall The original manga]] is this on a personal level for Creator/AkiraToriyama, with a DistantFinale that, while ending on a note of AndTheAdventureContinues, feels a bit rushed (which Toriyama addressed somewhat in the Kanzenban release). Comments by Toriyama soon after the manga ended have tones of CreatorBreakdown, such as expressing frustration over having to do designs for ''GT'' (which are either experimental or the ones he already did for the end of the manga), and commenting that the fans won't let the franchise die. This is likely because he had been making manga since ''Manga/DrSlump'' in 1980, and had expressed intentions to end the story since the Saiyan Arc (hence ''Z''[='=]s name). Pointedly, while Toriyama has since become involved with Dragon Ball again, he has never created another serialized manga since.
** ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' was a PostScriptSeason to the [[Anime/DragonBallZ anime]], and its lack of planning showed, with the production suffering from many teething issues, as well as the ratings and merchandise sales slowly declining due to franchise fatigue, something that started with the Buu arc of ''Z''. As a possible reflection of that, the ending is far more final than ''Z'''s, which had left plenty of room for continuation. It concludes with the show's main plot device and ResetButton, Shenron, [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence vanishing from reality]] and taking the Dragon Balls with him while lecturing the cast about how they abused their power. Goku goes with him after taking the time to visit his friends and provide some closure on his relationships with them. After that, a DistantFinale confirms that Goku and Shenron don't return for the next century, and by then all the other characters barring his granddaughter Pan are dead. Incidentally, the writers of ''GT'' has this ending in mind from the very beginning, as they knew they were on borrowed time. When making ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Toei decided to set it in the ten-year timeskip at the end of the manga, and over several years it slowly made clear that it didn't acknowledge ''GT'' (meaning ''Super'' doesn't have to worry about it if it ''were'' to tell stories after the end of the manga).

** ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' has a character-specific example of this. After Chadwick Boseman's passing in 2020, the movie opens with T'Challa being dead from an illness and the character's funeral subsequently proceeding it. And with T'Challa's absence being felt throughout the movie, coupled with Creator/KevinFeige being completley adament on not recasting T'Challa (something he was willing to do with Thunderbolt Ross with Creator/HarrisonFord taking over the role from the late Creator/WilliamHurt), it's very likely he will never be revived in any shape or form.

** Creator/NathanFillion also tweeted that he wanted Castle to die at the end of the series [[https://twitter.com/NathanFillion/status/476488346957402112 so no one else can play him.]] Apparently even JustForFun/OneOfUs can forget about the FirstLawOfResurrection. [[spoiler: He eventually didn't die]].

* Parodied in the fifth season finale of ''Series/{{Community}}'', where Abed suddenly [[BreakingTheFourthWall tells the audience]] that if the show isn’t renewed for another season, then an asteroid struck the Earth and killed everybody. (“And that’s canon.”)

* This tactic ultimately led to the downfall of Jim Crockett Promotions and killed the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance as a major national force. Jim Crockett Jr., believing this tactic to be the only way to compete with Vince [=McMahon=] on cable, directly shut down ''more'' territories than [=McMahon=], who "[[PartySchedulingGambit allowed]]" more of his acquisitions to fail first while hiring on popular talent with great potential — leading the WWF to become the number 1 wrestling promotion in the world, up to and after the Monday Night Wars.

* One reason for ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'''s MindScrew structure with seemingly disjointed alternate paths and [[EverybodyDiesEnding heavy body count]], was due to creator Creator/YokoTaro not expecting his game series to get any sequels and therefore making the game as "conclusive" as he could make it. In a twist of irony, it was this trait that gave him and his [[Franchise/{{Drakengard}} franchise]] its following and allowed the series to continue.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'' does this for the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series by having Neo Arcadia destroyed by the Ragnarok satellite, and ending the game with Zero ''not'' surviving Ragnarok's reentry into the atmosphere after killing Dr. Weil.

** ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV The Phantom Pain]]'' does this more subtly by ending at [[BookEnds the beginning of the original]] ''VideoGame/MetalGear1'', thereby ending the prequel saga. With Kojima falling out with Creator/{{Konami}}, it certainly feels like Kojima tried this. This hasn't stopped Konami from trying to put out more games (such as a ''Metal Gear Solid 3'' ''pachinko'' game--[[http://kotaku.com/dammit-konami-a-metal-gear-pachinko-game-is-really-hap-1780047257#_ga=1.110308613.162179056.1468566137 no joke]]--and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive''), but given the backlash Konami's received over their treatment of Kojima, the fans might finish the torching for Kojima.

* The final chapter of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' takes this up to eleven. [[spoiler:Tsumugi Shirogane]], after being outed as the mastermind, reveals that [[spoiler:everything that has happened in the game is "Ultimate Real Fiction" based on... ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}''. In the ''Danganronpa V3'' universe, [[MetaSequel the previous games and anime are exactly that]], games and anime. The franchise became so popular that it eventually got adapted into a reality show where teenagers willingly and eagerly sign up to have their minds wiped and replaced with the fabricated identities of ''Danganronpa'' characters so they can kill each other for real on live TV. And the "V3" in the title? Stands for 53, meaning this show has potentially been going on for 50 seasons (since the earliest it could have started would be ''Danganronpa 4'')]]. Following this reveal, the protagonist swears to [[spoiler:destroy ''Danganronpa'']], which culminates in a boss battle against [[spoiler:[[TakeThatAudience the]] ''[[TakeThatAudience Danganronpa]]'' [[TakeThatAudience fanbase]]. The fight ends with the fanbase losing interest in ''Danganronpa'' and moving on.]] Following this, [[spoiler:K1-B0 destroys the Ultimate Academy, seemingly killing everyone before self-destructing. Given that K1-B0 was the audience surrogate for the in-universe fanbase, this could be seen as a final goodbye to the ''Danganronpa'' franchise.]] However, in a post-credits scene, [[spoiler:Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko are revealed to have survived K1-B0's rampage and decide to move on to see if what they were told is true or not, hinting that ''Danganronpa'' may not be over after all.]] Needless to say, this ending led to an enormous BrokenBase in the fandom.

* {{Discussed}} (sort of) on ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}:''

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim:'' {{Lampshaded}}. Long after the show had been cancelled, TrollingCreator Creator/JhonenVasquez announced on his website that, as the maker of IZ canon, he officially declares that [[VillainProtagonist Zim]] [[KilledOffscreen crashed his spaceship and died off-screen]], in response to constant fan inquires about reviving the show. Vasquez and Nickelodeon would do so years later with [[ComicBook/InvaderZimOni a comic continuation]] and a [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus TV movie.]]

** ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' has a character-specific example of this. After Chadwick Boseman's passing in 2020, the movie opens with T'Challa being dead from an illness and character's funeral subsequently proceeding it. And with T'Challa's absence being felt throughout the movie, coupled with Creator/KevinFeige being completley adament on not recasting T'Challa (something he was willing to do with Thunderbolt Ross with Creator/HarrisonFord taking over the role from the late Creator/WilliamHurt), it's very likely he will never be revived in any shape or form.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'' does this for the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' by having Neo Arcadia destroyed by the Ragnarok satellite, and ending the game with Zero ''not'' surviving Ragnarok's reentry into the atmosphere after killing Dr. Weil.

%%* The manga ''Aki Sora'' wrapped with a total deconstruction when new obscenity laws passed that would make continuing the story illegal (for similar reasons its page was cut from Website/TVTropes), and the [[BrotherSisterIncest incest fantasy]] received a rude awakening from SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. [[spoiler: After getting away with their affair everywhere and anywhere with impunity, the eponymous siblings were discovered by their father, who was shocked and outraged enough to move out with Aki in tow. Sora, in his first display of guts in the entire series, stood up to his father. Heroics did not ensue; he was promptly smashed to the ground with one blow by the father, who then took Aki away from the house presumably for good.]]

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': A less visceral example than most. Creator/YoshihiroTogashi didn't really want to continue the series past the Chapter Black arc (or at least fought tooth and nail with his editors about the story direction). Which would explain why the Three Kings arc shifts so abruptly to such a low-stakes tournament and the reveal that [[spoiler: King Enma had been brainwashing demons and sending them against the human world to generate more crimes to solve. It's also revealed the average demon is no more prone to evil or violence than most humans.]] Couple with the fact that [[spoiler: Yusuke settled down running a ramen stand]] there's no way for the story to continue.

* In 1990, after getting a deal with DC, Alan Grant killed off Johnny Alpha, the protagonist of ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'', to prevent [[Creator/GarthEnnis any new writers]] from messing with him. A few years later, John Wagner started writing prequels and recently brought Johnny BackFromTheDead, to the disgust of the fanbase. [[spoiler: The end of ''The Life And Death Of Johnny Alpha'' leaves it ambiguous as to whether he's dead again.]]

* Kieron Gillen came out and [[http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/4848/one-for-sorrow-why-did-kieron-do-it/ said]] (mucho spoilers, by the way) this was the reason behind the ending of his run on ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMysteryGillen''. [[spoiler:In the fullness of history, the probability of Kid Loki being written back into villainy approaches one, so Gillen tied up all his outstanding plotlines and literally wrote Kid Loki out of existence. Oh, and had Old Loki take over his body.]]
** He then, however, [[spoiler:had Kid Loki reappear in his ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' run as a SpiritAdvisor to Old Loki, although it's not clear whether it's a genuine haunting or a delusion.]]
*** [[spoiler:And then went on to retcon the original torching - it wasn't Old Loki who took over Kid Loki, but a copy Old Loki had created to screw Kid Loki over (Old Loki being definetly dead after the end of Siege). Old Loki's plan worked, but the third Loki was haunted by guilt over killing Kid Loki and subconsciously used his reality-warping powers to manifest the Kid Loki ghost. Once he owned up to what he'd done, the ghost disappeared. That Loki then split into two different versions from alternate timelines, one that [[ThenLetMeBeEvil embraced Old Loki's evil]] and one that chose to voluntarily embrace ego death and build a new identity. The Loki that continued after that all shook out within ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' was effectively a ''fourth'' version.]]

* Attempted in-universe by Dante in ''[[Fanfic/DantesNightAtFreddys Dante's Night at Freddy's 2: Animatronic Boogaloo]].'' [[spoiler: After learning [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 Fazbear's Fright]] is going to be a thing, Dante has a brief mental, fourth-wall-breaking meltdown before destroying the establishment and appearing to kill Spring Trap.]] Judging by the SequelHook, this unfortunately doesn't work.

* The ''Fanfic/RubyAndNora'' series has ''Cold'' go in this direction, albeit with a [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy ending]]. [[spoiler: By the end of the story, all the villains are dead or permanently incapacitated, including Salem and Void, and even all Grimm are gone from Remnant. The 10-year TimeSkip that the epilogue story shows resolves the stories of most surviving characters and indicates that things with Remnant are now prosperous with no more conflict.]]

* Similarly, the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' film series ended with [[spoiler:Woody and Buzz parting ways in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'']] in order for Creator/{{Pixar}} to prevent anymore sequels from being made especially since the [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 third installment]] is considered a ToughActToFollow. Though like ''Shrek'' above this doesn’t mean the end of the franchise, as spin-offs like ''WesternAnimation/ForkyAsksAQuestion'' premiered on Creator/DisneyPlus and another theatrical film called ''WesternAnimation/{{Lightyear}}'' was released in 2022. Ultimately this wasn't enough, and a fifth film was announced.
* The ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'' (often nicknamed the ''Comicbook/New52 Animated Universe'' by DC Fans) was a continuous series of Direct-To-Video movies that were set in the same universe that shared designs and art style unlike most of DC's animated movies that were standalone adaptations or original stories. Starting with ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'' and continued with other movies that were either directly or loosely based on well-known ''Comicbook/New52'' story arcs with them later adapting pre-New 52 stories like ''WesternAnimation/TheDeathOfSuperman'' and ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansTheJudasContract'' into the universe. However, due to a combination of SoOkayItsAverage to TheyChangedItSoItSucks reception, mediocre sales in comparison to their other animated movies, and a desire to move away from the DCAMU, it was decided to end the universe in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'', [[spoiler:where most of the heroes are killed off or crippled, Earth is left near-inhospitable and Flash is ordered by John Constantine to [[{{Bookends}} go back in time to prevent the entire tragedy from ever happening, with everybody knowing that the entire timeline will change as a result, just like what happened when Barry went back in time to save his mother]]]], making sure there wouldn't be any future installments in this universe, with the exception of an animated short, ''DC Showcase: Constantine - House of Mystery'' which addressed the fate of John Constantine after [[spoiler:he made Flash time travel]].

* [[EarthShatteringKaboom The Alpha-Omega bomb]] in the second ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' movie, ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes'', which was suggested to the writers by the original film's star Creator/CharltonHeston (who had to be dragged into the sequel, and only returned on the condition his character be killed off). [[FranchiseZombie It didn't work]], as they used TimeTravel to continue afterward (or rather, [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble beforeward]]). Surprisingly, the next film, ''Film/EscapeFromThePlanetOfTheApes'', was lauded as a return to form for the series.
* Film/JamesBond:
** Some years after losing a lawsuit with Kevin [=McClory=] (who collaborated with Creator/IanFleming on a then-failed film screenplay that ended up being reworked and made into the ''Thunderball'' [[Literature/{{Thunderball}} novel]] and [[Film/{{Thunderball}} film]]), producer Creator/AlbertRBroccoli {{killed off|ForReal}} SPECTRE's leader Blofeld [[note]][[WritingAroundTrademarks or, at least, an unnamed character widely presumed to be Blofeld]][[/note]] in the ActionPrologue of ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', in a [[DroppedABridgeOnHim deliberately and insultingly throwaway manner]], just to stick it to [=McClory=] (who prevented Blofeld from being the villain of ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' and later revisited the ''Thunderball'' story he still held the rights to in ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'').
** ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' might be only the end of Creator/DanielCraig as Bond, but the producers made sure to do it in a way that can only be followed by another ContinuityReboot. [[spoiler:Bond's BestFriend Felix Leiter (played by Creator/JeffreyWright) is killed off. So is his nemesis Blofeld (Creator/ChristophWaltz), and all of the evil organization he runs, Spectre. And to close it off, 007 himself dies, choosing to remain in the villain's lair as it is bombarded with missiles.]]
* Attempted, and ultimately double subverted, with ''Film/TwentyTwoJumpStreet'', with its credits showing what would happen if they made increasingly ridiculous sequels set in ninja academies, retirement homes, [[RecycledInSpace space]], and as a video game, among other things. However, a sequel was greenlit anyway and there were talks of a crossover with ''Film/MenInBlack''...until said sequel/crossover eventually ended up getting cancelled altogether.

* ''Film/{{Logan}}'' does this for the ''Wolverine'' franchise, and the ''X-Men'' franchise as a whole, by taking place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, after the X-Men disband for good, having a now-senile Xavier [[spoiler:who dies in the middle of the film, and killing Logan at the end]]. Though this retroactively didn't mean as much as the creators intended as 21st Century Fox started the process of being bought out by Disney less than a year from its release. The acquisition went through in March 2019 and now the entire Film/XMenFilmSeries is being rebooted under the umbrella of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.

** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' does this for ''The Infinity Saga'', as [[spoiler: Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow)]] dies from sacrificing herself for the Soul Stone, [[spoiler: Tony Stark (aka Iron Man)]] dying after using the Infinity Stones that were gathered from the time heist to snap 2014 Thanos and his goons out of existence. Also, the original time stones were destroyed by OG Thanos five years earlier, and Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) ends up traveling back to the 1940s to stay with Peggy Carter after returning the time-heist Infinity Stones to their original points in time and his elderly self passes the shield to Sam Wilson (aka Falcon), believing him to be a worthy successor for the Captain America mantle.

* This is why the title character [[spoiler: regains his sanity and dies]] at the end of ''Literature/DonQuixote.'' After publishing what became Part One, Cervantes was dismayed to see other writers producing unauthorized Quixote stories of their own, so he wrote Part Two as he did to give the character a definite ending.

* In ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' novel series, [[spoiler:the protagonist gets killed with a pitchfork in the [[Literature/LadyOfTheLake last book]]]]. Most of the named characters are already dead, are dying, or will be dead soon. Just to SaltTheEarth, the whole world will also suffer a TheBlackDeath -grade epidemic (which is, in fact, [[spoiler:the Black Death dragged from another world into Nilfgaard by Ciri]]). Then, [[VideoGame/TheWitcher the video game]] comes out with a continuation. The author is fairly inconsistent in his approach, though. In an interview from the Enhanced Edition of the game, Andrzej Sapkowski stated that he is fine with the games existing and views them as valid stories in the continuity... but during 2012 Polcon, Sapkowski [[FlipFlopOfGod did a U-turn]] and declared the new continuity non-canon. When he did write a book, he used Geralt but wrote it as a prequel to the entire saga. Rather than rejoicing, the fandom should accept that it's a ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' situation, with two separate continuities: One for the books only and one for the books and games.

* The final book in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' ended the main conflict and thrust the team into a BolivianArmyEnding three years later, strongly hinting that [[spoiler:every member of the team died but Cassie]]. Ironically, this final book was titled ''The Beginning''. K.A. Applegate [[http://web.archive.org/web/20010807200502/www.morphz.com/posts/1061001.htm would later defend]] the ending as being a case of SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome, arguing that [[spoiler: wars never have a quick and easy solution]], but she's also been quite bitter about Scholastic owning the rights to her franchise. It might even be a bit of both.

* Colin Dexter wrote the novel series ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Morse Inspector Morse]]'', which started in 1975, and ended in 1999 with the 13th and last novel, ''The Remorseful Day'', [[spoiler:which kills off Inspector Morse via heart attack]].

* Creator/{{Infocom}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Enchanter}}'' trilogy, set in the same universe as the ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' trilogy, ended with [[TheMagicGoesAway all magic in the world being destroyed]] in ''Spellbreaker'' because it was the only way to stop the BigBad from remaking the world in its own image. However, this did not prevent two more games set in that universe (''Beyond Zork'', which takes place concurrently with ''Spellbreaker'', and ''VideoGame/ZorkZero'', which is set many years before), from being published before Infocom's demise presumably prevented further official sequels for good. It also didn't prevent Activision from creating graphical Zork games set centuries afterward in which another age of magic occurred.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' [[DownplayedTrope downplays]] this trope. The decision to [[spoiler:nuke Black Mesa]] in ''[[VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce Opposing Force]]'' was done to halt pressure to set a sequel to ''Half-Life'' in Black Mesa, which Valve felt would be creative death. While [[VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift two]] [[VideoGame/HalfLifeDecay further]] expansions to Half-Life would also be set in Black Mesa, ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is set in a completely different setting.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Stationfall}}'', the sequel to the popular ''VideoGame/{{Planetfall}}'', Steve Meretzky [[spoiler:had the RobotBuddy Floyd killed off]] because he didn't want to do a third game. After Infocom's demise, Activision was planning on doing a graphical sequel anyway (tentatively titled The Search For Floyd), but the project was soon cancelled. There were also two novels loosely based on the games and set after the events of the games, by Arthur Byron Cover, but these novels were generally poorly received.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'' does this for the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' by having Neo Arcadia destroyed by the Ragnarok satellite, and ending the game with Zero ''not'' surviving Ragnarok's reentry into the atmosphere after killing Dr. Weil.
* Done with the ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' series. Creator/ShigesatoItoi wanted the series to end with ''VideoGame/Mother3'', so he [[spoiler:destroyed what little else remained of the entire world, and failed to answer the question of [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse how the characters survived that]] - but they all personally insist to the player that they survived and they're happy. [[GainaxEnding Somehow]]]]. Itoi said that the original script for the game was even darker, so the original ending was probably meant to be an EverybodyDiesEnding. That being said, Itoi has said that while he is done with the franchise, [[ApprovalOfGod he is excited to see what fans can come up with.]]
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':
** Ed Boon [[http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/mortal-kombat-8/news/next-gen-mortal-kombat-reaffirmed/a-2007100312233076023/g-20070205122339792042 wanted]] ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' to do this to so that he could easily reboot the series with a new cast by bringing upon the apocalyptic Battle of Armageddon, a legendary conflict that promises TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, hence why it is a canonical DreamMatchGame. When this plan fell through, he took a different approach: ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' reveals that Armageddon has ruined the world [[TheBadGuyWins with Shao Kahn as the victor and god-like power now his]] only for a dying Raiden to invoke [[ResetButton a different kind of reboot]].
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' seems to have done this again by having [[spoiler:BigBad Kronika successfully erase the entire ''MK'' timeline before being defeated by Liu Kang, with the latter promising to rebuild it]]. The ''Aftermath'' DLC makes it much more ambiguous as to what happens as [[spoiler:the game can either end with Liu Kang creating a new timeline and helping train a more humble Kung Lao or Shang Tsung creating a new timeline with him as ruler of almost everything]]. The next installment, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'', would indicate that it was the former, leading to the series' second ContinuityReboot.
* This appears to have done this to the ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' series with ''Logan's Shadow'', as the ending involves the possible deaths of three of the four main characters. Sony has no plans for further sequels. [[spoiler:The series made a comeback with ''VideoGame/DaysGone'', which is heavily implied to take place in the same universe if the easter eggs are of any indication.]]

* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'' has the infamous GainaxEnding which implies that the creators just wanted the series to end or screw over whoever would take over the series after they left. There are problems with this view, however, as Ron Gilbert always said that he wanted to make a third game, and the ending contains a SequelHook stinger implying that the screwy ending is just an elaborate ruse. ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', the next game in the series, followed this lead by implying the previous game's ending was a voodoo spell [=LeChuck=] cast on Guybrush, while ''VideoGame/ReturnToMonkeyIsland'' explains this ending as Guybrush's son recreating his dad's adventures with his friends while at an amusement park.

* Before the release of ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'', EA stated that there would be no sequel unless the game sold over ''5 million'' units, more than the first two games ''combined''. Needless to say, the game fell far short of that mark. This may explain why the ''Awakened'' DLC ends with [[spoiler:the Brethren Moons fully awakening and beginning their campaign of genocide on the galaxy, and there is literally ''nothing'' Isaac, Carver, or ''anyone'' can do to stop them, making further sequels all but impossible.]] Interestingly, there ''was'' a plan on what to do after the DLC, as explained [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVJWYmfR8kU in a Wha Happun? video]] by WebVideo/MattMcMuscles: [[spoiler:it would have remnants of humanity aboard a flotilla and advance from there]].
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'': Series creator, Creator/HideoKojima, has been very open about how he has seen every game after ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' as the very last in series, and as a result, he has deliberately tried to make every installment work as an airtight finale for the series, only for more sequels to be commissioned.
** He first attempted this approach with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty''. This is why we got [[GainaxEnding the infamous ending]]. While it might have been Kojima [[TrollingCreator explicitly trolling the fanbase]], he had already stated that it would be [[RunningGag his final entry]] in the ''Metal Gear'' series.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' has series protagonist Solid Snake turned into an old man as a result of the cloning process used to create him and is given less than a year to live by the end of the game, leaving little room for Snake to appear in future sequels. The only ''Metal Gear'' games since then had been prequels (''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Peace Walker]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes Ground Zeroes]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain The Phantom Pain]]'') and a spin-off (''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'') set after ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' that doesn't even reveal Snake's fate. In the first draft of ''Metal Gear Solid 4'', the whole "torch and run" was a lot more blatant: the game was originally going to end with Snake and Otacon [[DownerEnding getting arrested and executed for terrorism]]. A WriterRevolt forced Kojima to abandon this idea. The actual ending is still pretty conclusive and final, though, [[spoiler:albeit [[EarnYourHappyEnding far more satisfying]], with the Patriots being defeated, Meryl and Johnny getting married, Rose and Raiden reconciling, Otacon adopting Sunny, the FOXDIE virus infecting Snake's body being cured, and Snake reconciling with Big Boss [[DiedInYourArmsTonight in the latter's final moments]], after which he resolves to spend these last few months he has left with Otacon and Sunny before he dies of his accelerated old age.]]
** ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV The Phantom Pain]]'' does this more subtly by ending at [[BookEnds the beginning of the original]] ''VideoGame/MetalGear1'', thereby ending the prequel saga. With Kojima falling out with Creator/{{Konami}}, it certainly feels like Kojima tried this. This hasn't stopped Konami from trying to put out more games (such as a ''Metal Gear Solid 3'' ''pachinko'' game--[[http://kotaku.com/dammit-konami-a-metal-gear-pachinko-game-is-really-hap-1780047257#_ga=1.110308613.162179056.1468566137 no joke]]--and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive''), but given the backlash Konami's received over their treatment of Kojima, the fans might finish the torching for Kojima.
* Creator/CoreDesign attempted this with [[RocksFallEveryoneDies the ending of]] ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation''. The studio was sick of developing a ''Tomb Raider'' sequel once a year and killed off Lara Croft at the end of the fourth game. They went on to develop ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles Chronicles]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheAngelOfDarkness The Angel of Darkness]]'', which revealed that Lara was NotQuiteDead. Both games received abysmal reviews, [[CreatorKiller which ultimately led to Core Design being sold off in 2006]] and the ''Tomb Raider'' IP being given to Creator/CrystalDynamics, ironically making this an InvertedTrope.
* Part two of ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite''[='=]s DLC ''BioShockInfinite/BurialAtSea'' kills off [[spoiler:by far the most developed and full of potential character, Elizabeth, who was also one of the only remaining protagonists]], and inescapably ties the lore of both Rapture and Columbia together before all rights for the ''VideoGame/BioShock'' franchise were transferred to the people who made ''[=BioShock=] 2''.
* This may ([[LyingCreator or]] [[MindScrew may]] [[SequelHook not]]) be the reason ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'', which the creators have said will be the last game in the series, ends [[spoiler:in a full-scale nuclear war, killing everyone who hadn't been killed by that point. [[UncertainDoom Although, we're never shown if Biker was killed or not...]]]]
* One reason for ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'''s MindScrew structure with seemingly disjointed alternate paths and [[EverybodyDiesEnding heavy body count]], was due to creator Creator/YokoTaro not expecting his game series to get any sequels and therefore making the game as "conclusive" as he could make it. In a twist of irony, it was this trait that gave him and his [[Franchise/{{Drakengard}} franchise]] its following and allowed the series to continue.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' ends with [[spoiler:[[BigBad Scarecrow]] revealing Batman's SecretIdentity to the entire planet and follows it up by [[TrashTheSet literally torching Wayne Manor with Batman and Alfred still inside.]] The endings to the Riddler and Penguin sidequests make it clear not even his closest friends will see him again]]. Only for almost everything about this to later be abandoned in ''VideoGame/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague'', which is not only set in the continuity of the ''[[Franchise/BatmanArkhamSeries Arkham]]'' games, but directly features [[spoiler:the actual, genuine Batman returning (doubly serving as the final role of the late Creator/KevinConroy)]].
* This was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen planned]] to have happened to ''VideoGame/KanColle'' [[http://otakomu.jp/archives/64.html if the game had failed to take off.]] It would have gone out with the entire player's naval base and ships being destroyed with the Bombing of Kure as the final Event, which was planned to coincide with the 68th anniversary of VJ Day.
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies'' reached a fairly definitive conclusion with ''Revelations'', the final map of the ''Black Ops III'' season which resolved the main MythArc and provided an EarnYourHappyEnding for the heroes. However, Treyarch brought the series back for ''Black Ops IV'', with a storyline that undoes the happy ending, and seemed to be building to the ''true'' finale with a great, epic final battle in the works. [[spoiler:Ultimately, the story ends on a shockingly dark, bleak note as all the heroes die as they literally destroy the series's universe in hopes of finally ending all the chaos and zombie mayhem. Few of the ongoing plot threads were resolved, the main antagonist ended up not being faced, and literally everyone died except for Samantha and Eddie]]. Many fans suspect that this was Treyarch's tough-love way of ending the franchise and refusing to do anything further with the series, and asking players to move on.

* While not outright torching [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters the franchise]], ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2000'' ends with Clone Zero destroying South Town with a KillSat. South Town being the setting for the majority of the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' games, and thus the first recurring setting Creator/{{SNK}} ever made, and the origin of many ''KOF'' mainstays, its destruction [[EndOfAnAge symbolized the end of SNK (as it declared bankruptcy soon after)]] and made it clear that even if future games were made, they'd never be the same again. Notably, when the original SNK staff came back as SNK Playmore and reacquired the rights to their [=IPs=], they made a big deal of South Town being rebuilt in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2003''.

* The creator of the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' games was upfront that the franchise as we know it would end with ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII''. The game's premise is that the EternalRecurrence established in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' is grinding to a halt and in the base game's ending [[spoiler:the First Flame is either on its last legs or snuffed out completely]]. Even in the DLC, the most you can manage is [[spoiler:to create a new world [[PocketDimension inside a painting]]]], leaving nothing of the world players had become familiar with.
* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' was written in a way to ensure that no sequels or follow-ups could be made to its story. This is why the story ends with [[spoiler:almost everyone dying and the main protagonist, Walker, either dying or ending up a psychological wreck]]. There was an idea for DLC for Adams since his [[spoiler:death was off-screen]], but even then, the script for the game made [[spoiler:his death]] unambiguous.
* ''VideoGame/ArmyMen'' had an example with ''Sarge's War'', which kills off the original cast including Sarge himself; which happened after 3DO went bankrupt and the rights were sold to Creator/TakeTwoInteractive. Only a handful of games were published after that; and none of them featured characters from the main series.

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'' ends pretty conclusively with [[spoiler:every single version of Bayonetta in reality either dead or taken to Inferno. This includes the one we've followed for all three games, whose DealWithTheDevil is finally cashed in, seeing her DraggedOffToHell, with Luka [[YouAreWorthHell going with her]]]]. Needless to say, a ''lot'' of backwards-bending will need to be done to continue the series after this. ''VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon'' is a prequel to the first game.
* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: Rebirth'' does this with the ''Repentence'' DLC. After seemingly every single expansion making Isaac's story worse, ''Repentence'' adds one more TrueFinalBoss. Beat it, and [[spoiler:Isaac, free of all his self-hatred and sins, lets go of the mortal coil and ascends to Heaven]]. There's simply nowhere more for the story to ''go'', and understandably the creators have stated it's the last DLC.

* The last episode produced for ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'' began and ended with the main cast being made into a sandwich, only for a giant Ham Sandwich ([[{{Bookends}} the kid from the pilot]]) to pick said sandwich up and eat it, with the implication that all the main characters are about to die. Uncle Grandpa even states [[EndOfSeriesAwareness that it’s the end for them]] as they're being eaten. The episode also showed this was a recurring nightmare Uncle Grandpa kept having, with the end indicating the events looped endlessly. This was made to prevent any revival from ever happening, especially since the show was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed by Cartoon Network]], though the show’s creator, Pete Browngardt, eventually bounced back with ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons''. The actual last episode aired was a flashback to when the main characters first decided to live in the RV together, letting the cast at least leave on a happier note.

* The last episode produced for ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'' began and ended with the main cast being made into a sandwich, only for a giant Ham Sandwich ([[{{Bookends}} the kid from the pilot]]) to pick said sandwich up and eat it, with the implication that all the main characters are about to die. Uncle Grandpa even states [[EndOfSeriesAwareness that it’s the end for them]] as they're being eaten. The episode also showed this was a recurring nightmare Uncle Grandpa kept having, with the end indicating the events looped endlessly. This was made to prevent any revival from ever happening, especially since the show was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed by CN]], though the show’s creator, Pete Browngardt, eventually bounced back with ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons''. The actual last episode aired was a flashback to when the main characters first decided to live in the RV together, letting the cast at least leave on a happier note.

* The last episode produced for ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'' ended with the main cast being made into a sandwich, only for a giant Ham Sandwich ([[{{Bookends}} the kid from the pilot]]) to pick said sandwich up and eat it, with the implication that all the main characters are about to die. Uncle Grandpa even states [[EndOfSeriesAwareness that it’s the end for them]] as they're being eaten. This was made to prevent any revival from ever happening, especially since the show was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed by CN]], though the show’s creator, Pete Browngardt, eventually bounced back with ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons''. The actual last episode aired was a flashback to when the main characters first decided to live in the RV together, letting the cast at least leave on a happier note.

* The series finale of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' ends with [[spoiler: Frylock and Shake dead, Carl moving away, and Meatwad starting a family in a DistantFinale.]] Given how it was cancelled on the creators and wasn't their decision, they probably aimed for this trope to make sure there wasn't a revival. This is immediately subverted when it was revealed that [[spoiler:not only was that episode not the final one to be released (the next one aired online three days later) but also it wasn't even the last one ''chronologically'' (Shake watches the events on TV and claims that they happened last week)]]. Then again, the series ''does'' run on NegativeContinuity. The series has since been UnCancelled with new episodes slated for 2022.

* ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa''’s final episode ended with the main cast being made into a sandwich only for a giant Ham Sandwich (the kid from the pilot, presumably representing the show’s PeripheryHatedom) eating said sandwich with the implication that all the main characters are about to die, with the titular characters even stating [[EndOfSeriesAwareness that it’s the end for them]]. This was made to prevent any revival from ever happening, especially since the show was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed by CN]], though the show’s creator, Pete Browngardt, eventually bounced back with ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons''.

** The rumored "Hexagon" version of ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'' would have been this as well, ending in a ''ComicBook/CivilWar''-type battle that would end with everyone pulling a MyGodWhatHaveIDone and Hexagon leader Tommy letting everyone go.

* Back during the original run of the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon]]'' anime, how Takeshi Shudo had ''[[WhatCouldHaveBeen intended]]'' to end it oozed of this trope. For starters, it would have started with Pikachu leading a revolt against humanity with Meowth as his ambassador, Misty becoming a FauxActionGirl, Ash putting aside his childish ToBeAMaster dream, and generally playing up ''Pokémon'' as fantasy dogfighting which Creator/GameFreak has been trying to avoid since day one. Understandably, Game Freak [[ExecutiveMeddling put their foot down on this one the second they caught wind of it]].

*** [[spoiler:And then went on to retcon the original torching - it wasn't Old Loki who took over Kid Loki, but a copy Old Loki had created to screw Kid Loki over. He was haunted by guilt over killing Kid Loki and subconsciously used his reality-warping powers to manifest the Kid Loki ghost. Once he owned up to what he'd done, the ghost disappeared. That Loki then split into two different versions from alternate timelines, one that embraced Old Loki's evil and one that chose to voluntarily embrace ego death and build a new identity. The Loki that continued after that all shook out within ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' was effectively a ''fourth'' version.]]

The solution? [[TitleDrop Torch the franchise and run]]. Write one last story that totally wrecks everything. [[EverybodyDiesEnding They kill off everyone they possibly can]]. They make the lives of all of the characters a living hell before executing them. [[KilledOffForReal They make 100% sure that everyone is dead]], and those that aren't have [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore no way of returning to the status quo or main premise of the show.]] However, the author can also achieve this in the form of an unambiguous ''happy'' ending where the villains are defeated for good and the conflict is resolved in such a way that everyone lives HappilyEverAfter. This version often gets combined with the DistantFinale, which locks down the fates of the cast for the next few years, decades, or even centuries--forcing future writers to either [[DistantSequel take the plunge with a vastly different status quo]], or attempt to retcon the ending entirely.

* The 2022-2023 run of ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' ends with a rather decisive denouement of Frank Castle's main character and concept. Frank finally ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and goes on his most brutal rampage yet, culminating in him coming within a hair's breath of murdering an unarmed teenage member of a white supremacist group that hadn't actually committed any crimes before other heroes intervene and arrest him. While imprisoned and awaiting sentencing, the heroes individually give Frank a ''scathing'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, outlining exactly how selfish and hypocritical his "crusade" against crime really is, that his actions were never about "righteous vengeance", but sating his own bloodlust, and that he's no better than the criminals he's killed. All of this is capped off by Frank's newly resurrected wife confronting him and making it clear that she never wanted any of this, that she is horrified and disgusted that countless have died in her and her daughter's names, and that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. This finally breaks Frank, who makes a DealWithTheDevil to be transported to another world to start over, not as an avenger, but a ''protector''.

* After ComicBook/ThePunisher was appropriated as an alt-right icon and involving many people, including many police officers sporting his symbol on their cars and uniforms despite the character being a VigilanteMan, the end of ''ComicBook/Punisher2022'' can very much be seen as Marvel and Disney washing their hands of Frank Castle for the foreseeable future, with [[spoiler:Maria Castle, who was resurrected at the start of the series, condemning Frank to his face and rejecting the idea his crusade was in their family's name, stealing his assets and giving half of their to charity, and selling Castle out to the Avengers -- and Frank ending up on another world, giving up his identity as the Punisher.]]