History Main / VillainRevealsTheSecret

* In ''[[WebVideo/YogscastMinecraftSeries Shadow of Israphel]]'', it is King_Finbar who reveals to LetsPlay/SimonLane and LetsPlay/LewisBrindley that Daisy will be sacrificed to the Sand God, finally explaining why she was kidnapped from Terrorvale at the start of the show. Knight_Peculier does ''not'' take this well and kills him on the spot.

** In season 7, when a leviathan who has taken on Dean's form confronts Sam, it reveals to him because he knows it will hurt him that Dean killed Madison, a werewolf Sam believed would not kill humans again, even after he told Sam he agreed that she was good.

TheMasquerade, a BigSecret, a DarkSecret, and other things that you shouldn't know about are serious business. But what happens if your archnemesis, an evil organization, or your evil relative reveals something about YOU? And what would happen if that secret had the potential to blow up all your relationships with friends and allies alike?

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'': Lex Luthor, after treating the Question to a surprising CurbStompBattle, smugly asks him whether he really thought his Presidential campaign was serious, showing that the whole thing was a $75 million plot to tick off Superman and use Cadmus to undermine him.

* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', Cecilia reveals to both Amanda and Mortelli how the money intended for Lainie’s treatment was instead used to start the diner. However, what she ''doesn’t'' tell them is just as significant.

* ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'':
** Invoked by Dennis as part of his blackmail scheme. If the protagonist wants to avoid a scandal that could derail his Olympic career and spare Johanna, Tamara, and himself humiliation, he has to do what Dennis wants him to do.
** Invoked a second time when Dennis blackmails Dr. Mosely. She has to use her authority and the government’s resources to help him do what he wants, or Dennis will expose her program to the world.
** Played straight at the ski lodge. Dennis tells Johanna about the protagonist’s and Tamara’s roles in the avalanche. Then, he invokes it ''yet again'', threatening to expose the secret to everyone unless Johanna cooperates with him.

* In ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'', three groups were subjected to the same First Test: [[PlayerCharacter Sara]] and [[ChildhoodFriend Joe]], [[CoolTeacher Mishima]] and [[GirlNextDoor Nao]], and [[BigSisterBully Kugie]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Kanna]]. Kugie [[PosthumousCharacter didn't survive]], and Kanna [[ItsAllMyFault blames herself]] for not being able to save her. When she asks the others how they managed it, Mishima claims it was a matter of physical strength rather than puzzle-solving, reassuring her that she ''couldn't'' have saved Kugie due to being a tiny middle-schooler. Sue Miley later reveals the AwfulTruth in a BreakingSpeech, taunting Kanna with how she ''could have'' figured it out in time to save her sister and [[FailureToSaveMurder calling her a murderer]].

* ''Fanfic/NightsQuatroFacetsOfDreams'': Reala/Jackle tells the kids that [=NiGHTS=] is also a Nightmaren, twisting the truth in an effort to turn them against [=NiGHTS=] and Owl.
* ''Fanfic/ASongOfIceFireAndHeart'': As Robert lies on his deathbed, Vanitas pays him one last visit and reveals that Lyanna never loved him at all and that she willingly eloped with Rhaegar, all out of sheer cruelty.

* ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheHungerGames'': {{Downplayed}} in that it was an OpenSecret, but when Rue is about to finish Neptune off, he remarks on how she looks a lot like her mother... or how she looked before his uncle killed her.
* ''Fanfic/PhoenixsTearReignition'' has an accidental example: While the Searchers are fighting some terror dogs, one of them corners Hare and attempts to rip his throat out -- and in the process, accidentally bites down on the pendant hidden under his bandana. This triggers a fiery reaction, leading to the others learning about the Tear.

* ''Fanfic/ShatteredSkiesTheMorningLights'': At the climax of Act II, [[spoiler: [[TheHeavy Joker]] unleashes [[SpaceTimeEater the entity]] and piggybacks a specific memory with it as it attacks, broadcasting it as a psychic signal which ensures that ''everyone'' in every universe learns of [[Franchise/MadokaMagica Homura Akemi's]] [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain betrayal of Madoka and theft of her powers]] at the end of ''Rebellion''. "Everyone" includes Madoka herself, who had purposefully been LockedOutOfTheLoop, and it leads to the truth coming out and the destruction of her trust in Homura.]]

* ''Fanfic/ShatteredSkiesTheMorningLights'': At the climax of Act II of this CrisisCrossover, [[spoiler: [[TheHeavy Joker]] unleashes [[SpaceTimeEater the entity]] and piggybacks a specific memory with it as it attacks, broadcasting it as a psychic signal which ensures that ''everyone'' in every universe learns of [[Franchise/MadokaMagica Homura Akemi's]] [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain betrayal of Madoka and theft of her powers]] at the end of ''Rebellion''. "Everyone" includes Madoka herself, who had purposefully been LockedOutOfTheLoop, and it leads to the truth coming out and the destruction of her trust in Homura.]]

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', a member of Team Flare accidentally gives away the fact that they might not be as harmless as they seem. This is fairly early on, so players may forget this WhamLine at first.

* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': In the first season, Bloom eventually learns from the Trix that she is the surviving heir to planet Domino and keeper of the Dragon Fire when they follow her to Earth to steal the Dragon Fire. Up till then, Faragonda and all other protagonists aware of this fact deliberately kept Bloom in the dark about this.

* ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'': Exploiting this is central to Jewelius' plans, as he makes a point of loudly confronting Princess Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor and the rest of the Mane Six over how they ignored Twilight's misgivings about the disguised Chrysalis, calling them out for abandoning her at the wedding rehearsal.

** In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', Dr Wells eventually confesses to Cisco that he is really Eobard Thawne, is from the far future and is the Reverse-Flash, shortly before crushing his heart. This gets undone by Barry travelling back in time, but Wells accidentally gives a bit too much away when helping Barry beat the Trickster later on.

* Subverted in near the end of ''WebVideo/AcquisitionsIncorporated'' season 8: The BigBad seemingly reveals that the party's newest intern, Viari, had been TheMole for him the entire time, but it quickly becomes apparent that Viari had been just as much an UnwittingPawn as the rest of the party and redeems himself almost immediately by killing the bad guy.

-->'''Mr. E:''' You see, Scooby is a far more trusting companion than Pericles was to me.

[[index]]
* VillainRevealsTheSecret/VideoGames
[[/index]]

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'' this happens twice:

-->'''Ouken: (at Takeru)''' [[EvilCannotComprehendGood "I don't understand]] -- Why are you helping that girl?[[http://readpanda.net/Maken-ki/49/24/ She isn't even a human.]] She's nothing but a doll. That body is made of [[DeadAllAlong what's left of]] [[http://readpanda.net/Maken-ki/53/7/ the real Kodama Himegami]]."
* StarterVillain Mizuki reveals to ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' that he is the container of the Nine-tailed Fox and that the villages hated him because of it.

* Downplayed in ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted'': During their stay in London, the Zoosters [[ThirdActMisunderstanding find out the heroes weren't circus animals at all]]. How was that possible? Well, [[ImplacableWoman Captain Du Bois]] promptly left a few flyers showing the truth in their circus.

* In ''Film/{{Highlander}}'', [[BigBad the Kurgan]] gloats to [=MacLeod=] that he raped Heather after he took Ramirez's head, mistakenly believing she was Ramirez's wife. He gauges [=MacLeod=]'s [[KubrickStare mortified reaction]] and realizes that Heather took the secret of what really happened to her on that terrible night in 1542 to her grave, and [[SlasherSmile takes sick glee in it, [[PostRapeTaunt suggesting that she secretly liked the Kurgan defiling her more than any of the time she and Connor made love]]. The more likely explanation is she realistically feared that [=MacLeod=] would try a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against an extremely dangerous immortal barbarian and get killed if he ever found out, or more simply she was just too traumatised to ever mention it (this is the angle the novelisation goes with).

* In ''Literature/SuperPowereds'' during a party at the end of freshman year, Michael Clark blows the secret that the Melbrook Five used to be Powereds (individuals with no control over their powers). Since Powereds are held in contempt by Supers, Clark hoped that revealing it would get the Five ostracized or outright expelled from Hero training, thus satisfying his vendetta against Vince.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]

** Played straight at the ski lodge. Dennis tells Johanna about the protagonist’s and Tamara’s roles in the avalanche.
*** Then, he invokes it ''yet again'', threatening to expose the secret to everyone unless Johanna cooperates with him.

--->'''Mr. E:''' You see, Scooby is a far more trusting companion than Pericles was to me.

* ''Fanfic/NightsQuatroFacetsOfDreams'': Reala/Jackle tells the kids that [[spoiler:[=NiGHTS=] is also a Nightmaren]], twisting the truth in an effort to turn them against [=NiGHTS=] and Owl.
* ''Fanfic/ASongOfIceFireAndHeart'': As Robert lies on his deathbed, Vanitas pays him one last visit and reveals that [[spoiler:Lyanna never loved him at all, and that she willingly eloped with Rhaegar]], all out of sheer cruelty.

* ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheHungerGames'': {{Downplayed}} in that it was an OpenSecret, but when Rue is about to finish Neptune off, he remarks on how she looks a lot like her mother... or how she looked before [[spoiler:his uncle killed her]].

* ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'': After Lockwood [[spoiler:has been murdered by Mills]], [[Characters/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom Mills]] exposes Lockwood's secret to Claire, Owen, and Lockwood's granddaughter Maisie: that [[spoiler:Maisie is actually a clone of Lockwood's late daughter who he had grown as a way of getting his little girl back]].

* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', Cecilia reveals to both Amanda and Mortelli [[spoiler:how the money intended for Lainie’s treatment was instead used to start the diner. However, what she ''doesn’t'' tell them is just as significant.]]

** Invoked a second time when Dennis blackmails Dr. Mosely. She has to use [[spoiler:her authority and the government’s resources[[spoiler: to help him do what he wants]], or Dennis will [[spoiler:expose her program to the world]].

* In Season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' after revealing himself to be the true BigBad of the show, King Andrias smugly reveals to Anne and Sasha that Marcy knew Calamity Box could transport three of them to another world, making her responsible for the events of the whole show.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', Predacon leader Megatron reveals to Ravage the real reason he stole a Golden Disc from Cybertron: it wasn't to seize large deposits of energon (though that was a bonus), but rather because of a coded message left behind by the original Megatron, leader of the Decepticons and Ravage's former commander. While the recording is cut short, seeing a fragment of it persuades Ravage to switch sides and join him in his efforts to wipe out the Autobots.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'': Lex Luthor, after treating The Question to a surprising CurbStompBattle, smugly asks him whether he really thought his Presidential campaign was serious, showing that the whole thing was a $75 million plot to tick off Superman and use Cadmus to undermine him.
* In the Book One finale of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Tarrlok confesses to Mako and Korra that he's actually Amon's brother and that Amon is a secret BoomerangBigot. Played with in that by this point Tarrlok [[BreakTheHaughty had been stripped of his bending abilities]] [[TheAtoner and desperately wanted to redeem himself]].
* In Season 4 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'', Master Chen reveals to Wu and Misako that Garmadon had signed a love letter from the former to the latter and that this letter had formed the basis of Garmadon and Misako's relationship.
* This happens many times in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'':

** In "Menace of the Manticore", when Mr. E's identity is revealed to be Ricky Owens of the original Mystery Inc, we get this line.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** At the very end of the "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" two-parter, Burns awakens and regains the ability to speak, which allows him to eventually reveal - both to the cast and the audience (who had been in the dark for months) - that Maggie Simpson shot him.
** In "Brother from Another Series", after Bart and Lisa discover Bob wasn't responsible for the hollow concrete holding the dam together, Cecil emerges with a gun and admits that he has been doing his best to frame Bob all this time.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'', Shredder gloats to Splinter that he stole his daughter some time ago and has raised her as his own, [[KickTheDog purely to twist the knife]].
* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'', Bloom eventually learns from the Trix that she is the surviving heir to planet Domino and keeper of the Dragon Fire when they follow her to Earth to steal the Dragon Fire. Up till then, Faragonda and all other protagonists aware of this fact deliberately kept Bloom in the dark about this.

[[/folder]

* VillainRevealsTheSecret/FanWorks
* VillainRevealsTheSecret/LiveActionTV

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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', John Garrett accidentally reveals that he is the Clairvoyant by SayingTooMuch.
* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':
** In Season Two of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', this happens three times. Firstly, it is Merlyn who reveals to the audience that Thea is really his daughter as a result of an affair with Moira. Later, Slade Wilson tells Thea her parentage so as to drive a wedge between her and her family as part of his plan. Then Slade reveals to Laurel that Oliver is the Arrow, though [[NiceJobFixingItVillain this bites him in the arse]] as it helps Laurel reconcile with Oliver. The same happens in the following season when Merlyn forces Oliver to reveal he's the Arrow to Thea; she actually takes it quite well as it explains her brother's seemingly inconsiderate behavior for the past two years.
** In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', Dr Wells eventually confesses to Cisco that he is really Eobard Thawne, is from the far future and is the Reverse-Flash, shortly before crushing his heart. This gets undone by Barry travelling back in time, but Wells accidentally gives a bit too much away when helping Barry beat the Trickster later on.
** In ''Series/{{Supergirl}}'', Lex Luthor does this when his own sister shoots him in cold blood, gleefully revealing Supergirl's secret identity to Lena simply knowing that he'll die having destroyed the Girl of Steel on a personal level. And this was coming around just as Supergirl was heavily considering telling Lena the truth, which comes right back around to bite her in Season 5 when Lena undergoes a FaceHeelTurn and starts committing villainous acts.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In "Once More With Feeling" the singing demon uses his powers to make the Scoobies reveal all their secrets, the most notable being that Buffy had gone to Heaven after dying, and their resurrection of her was an UnwantedRescue that's only made her miserable.
-->'''Demon''': ''All those secrets you've been concealing / Say you're happy now / [[TitleDrop Once more with feeling]]''.
* In the second season of ''Series/{{Community}}'', Pierce takes on a more villainous persona due to his addiction to painkillers. In "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", he's excluded from the game to cheer up "Fat" Neil because of this. He forces his way in anyway and causes much grief by tormenting everyone else. At one point, he reveals that Jeff was the one who came up with the nickname "Fat Neil".
* In the classic ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "Silver Nemesis" minor villain Lady Peinfort tries this by claiming that she has learned all of the Doctor's secrets and will blurt them out to the Cybermen if he doesn't hand over control of the superweapon to her. Subverted in that the Cybermen tell her they don't care about the Doctor's secrets and that ''they'' want the superweapon for themselves.
* ''Series/StormOfTheCentury'': Andre Linoge uses his virtual omniscience to reveal the horrible and embarrassing secrets of many of the people on Little Tall Island to mess with them.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** In season 6, the evil goddess Veritas, who forces everyone around her victims to speak to them with BrutalHonesty before killing them, reveals that Sam Winchester isn't really human since he's able to lie to her. Dean, who has been disturbed by Sam's psychopathic demeanour throughout the season, is shocked by this. As it turns out, it's because [[TheSoulless Sam has no soul]] due to a [[CameBackWrong resurrection gone wrong]].
** In season 7, when a leviathan who has taken on Dean's form confronts Sam, it reveals to him because he knows it will hurt him that Dean killed Madison, a werewolf Sam believed would not kill humans again, even after he told Sam he agreed that she was good.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Towards the end of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'', the mortally wounded Robert de Sable confesses to Altair that the master of the Assassins, Al Mualim, is actually a member of the Templars who was manipulating his order so that he could wipe out the conspirators and claim an ancient treasure for himself. Altair does not take this well.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'', where Booker murders Father Comstock just as he is about to reveal to him and to Elizabeth that Liz is Booker's own daughter and that Booker had sold her to Comstock as a baby to pay off his gambling debts--a memory that had since become thoroughly garbled in Booker's mind by his own guilt and by the Luteces' dimension-traveling shenanigans. Elizabeth seems to guess the truth anyway, but Booker does not figure it out until much later.
* In ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', Handsome Jack openly admits that he's holding something secret towards the start of the game, but says that he has no plans to reveal it ''just'' yet. He waits until [[TheDragon Wilhelm]] has been killed and his power core looted to replace Sanctuary's shields... at which point he reveals that Angel is actually working for him, causing the shields to go down and the city to be bombed by a KillSat.
* In ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'', this is subverted towards the climax when AntiVillain Colonel Zarpedon attempts to warn Jack about the dangers of the Vault on Elpis, in a last-ditch effort to keep him away from the forbidden knowledge it holds. Unfortunately, in revealing that the Vault has already been opened, she causes Jack (who is suffering from SanitySlippage) to rush his plans into overdrive and shoot her before she can finish speaking.
* PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', where Demon Emperor Doviculus seemingly reveals to the heroes that one of them, Ophelia, is TheMole, resulting in her being cast out after they escape. It turns out, however, that he was actually referring to Eddie, who is not TheMole, but the son of the ''previous'' Empress and thus a half-demon himself.
* ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'': as soon as Dante [[TheOathbreaker broke his promise]], Lucifer captured Beatrice, for she had bet his man would have never slept with other women. Much to her horror, Lucifer tells her the truth before Dante reaches the second circle of Hell. To add pain to injury, Lucifer showed her every single second of that day. We later see the aftermath [[EyeRecall through her eyes]].
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar 2: Retribution''. Kyras taunts Gabriel by telling him the Emperor's soul was eaten centuries ago (the GodEmperor is OnlyMostlyDead, his spirit is still present in the Warp and there are a few cells still alive in his corpse). Gabriel responds with a ShutUpHannibal and a really big hammer.
* In the final campaign [=DLC=] of ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'', Davoth the Dark Lord reveals his true origin to the Doom Slayer - the legends that speak of him in Urdak were complete lies. Davoth wasn't sealed away ''by'' the Father of all things - he '''''IS''''' the Father, who was betrayed by his own creations and therefore sealed away for eons. This is further punctuated by Davoth ''ordering'' the current Father to spill the beans for him first; and up until this point you are led to believe that he was Davoth's superior. Of course, this revelation just pisses Doomguy off even more, and he ultimately kills Davoth anyway.
* In the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC for ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the Courier has a lot of their MysteriousPast filled in by Ulysses, who lets them know how responsible they are for the Divide's present condition.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV: Shadowbringers'', at about level 75, the Ascian Emet-Selch finally confirms something that had been {{foreshadow|ing}}ed for years -- that the BigGood Hydaelyn and GreaterScopeVillain Zodiark are nothing more than "the eldest and most powerful... of primals." Given that primals have been a ''huge'' problem at every turn of the story so far, this comes as quite a shock to the other characters.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': The first game ends with the party boarding a ship hoping to find Lemuria for Babi, the ship's owner, who's run out of the Lemurians' immortality elixir. Partway through the sequel (which features a different party), Alex casually reveals that Babi has died in the meantime, pretty much ForTheEvulz.
* This happens a couple of times in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''. AntiVillain 343 Guilty Spark reveals to Commander Keyes and the Arbiter of the Ark's existence, as well as the fact that it can be used to light all Halo installations remotely. Similarly, when betraying the Arbiter, Tartarus openly admits that the Prophets ordered him to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness take the former out]], giving away their planned betrayal of the Elites.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic,'' when the party takes down Saul Karath, he whispers something to Carth Onasi before dying. He reveals Revan's true identity as a former Dark Lord/Lady of the Sith. However, the player doesn't get to hear what he actually said until they run into [[BigBad Darth Malak]], who outright tells you that ''you'' are Revan.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', it is Sovereign who reveals to Shepard and the crew that the Reapers are seeking to return. However, he's smart enough not to tell them what the plans are.
* A variation happens in a sidequest for ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', when the villain Enyana accidentally lets Shepard and Miranda know that the latter's friend Niket is really helping them out, rather than helping Miranda's sister to escape.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero3'': Weil reveals that Omega is the "Original Zero". Something then awakens from Omega's remains, revealing a body similar to Zero but with a darker color, and this means protagonist Zero's body is actually a copy. Though after you defeat "Omega Zero", Cyber-elf X will arrive at the scene and explains that Zero's mind is still the original, and that "the heart is more important".
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'': Before the FinalBoss fight, the BigBad Master Albert reveals to our protagonists that Grey is [[BodyBackupDrive his backup body,]] Ashe is [[LukeIAmYourFather his legitimate descendant]] and their [[TransformationTrinket Biometal]], Model A, contains a copy of his abilities as well as directives for its user to continue his plan - in other words, "Model Albert".
* In ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'', it is the Tower of Sauron that reveals the truth about Talion and the Wraith, specifically the fact that Celebrimbor could have let Talion move on to the afterlife at any point he wanted. Instead, he opted to keep bringing the ranger back as part of his revenge plot against the Dark Lord. The reveal very nearly causes Talion to give up there and then.
* During his VillainousBreakdown in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Ghetsis reveals to N and the player that he's really in charge of Team Plasma and that the plan to release Pokemon is really to weaken Unova so it can be conquered.
** Another example occurs halfway through the same game when N reveals that he is the rightful king of Team Plasma. The WhamLine in this case is underlined by how casually he's implied to reveal it.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', a member of Team Flare accidentally gives away the fact that they might not be as harmless as they seem. This is fairly early on, so players may forget this WhamLine at first.
-->"Allow me to spell it out for you! It's so Team Flare - and only Team Flare - can survive!"
* Towards the end of ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers of Time and Darkness'', Darkrai reveals that he was responsible for the 'accident' that kicked off the game's plot.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', Cecilia reveals to both Amanda and Mortelli [[spoiler:how the money intended for Lainie’s treatment was instead used to start the diner. However, what she ''doesn’t'' tell them is just as significant.]]
* ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'':
** Invoked by Dennis as part of his blackmail scheme. If the protagonist wants to avoid a scandal that could derail his Olympic career and spare Johanna, Tamara, and himself humiliation, he has to do what Dennis wants him to do.
** Invoked a second time when Dennis blackmails Dr. Mosely. She has to use [[spoiler:her authority and the government’s resources[[spoiler: to help him do what he wants]], or Dennis will [[spoiler:expose her program to the world]].
** Played straight at the ski lodge. Dennis tells Johanna about the protagonist’s and Tamara’s roles in the avalanche.
*** Then, he invokes it ''yet again'', threatening to expose the secret to everyone unless Johanna cooperates with him.
* In ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'', three groups were subjected to the same First Test: [[PlayerCharacter Sara]] and [[ChildhoodFriend Joe]], [[CoolTeacher Mishima]] and [[GirlNextDoor Nao]], and [[BigSisterBully Kugie]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Kanna]]. Kugie [[PosthumousCharacter didn't survive]], and Kanna [[ItsAllMyFault blames herself]] for not being able to save her. When she asks the others how they managed it, Mishima claims it was a matter of physical strength rather than puzzle-solving, reassuring her that she ''couldn't'' have saved Kugie due to being a tiny middle-schooler. Sue Miley later reveals the AwfulTruth in a BreakingSpeech, taunting Kanna with how she ''could have'' figured it out in time to save her sister and [[FailureToSaveMurder calling her a murderer]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/MagickChicks'': After [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/sugar_buzz much]] [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/enjoying_the_perks speculation]], about the true source of Faith's sex appeal over the student body at Artemis, [[EvilRedhead Cerise]] [[TheReveal reveals the truth]] near the end of chapter 15. By invading Faith's subconscious, she learned that Faith had [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/even_her_enemies a hidden desire to be loved]], so her [[PsychicPowers powers]] sync'd with the school without Faith being aware of it. [[ThisCannotBe She didn't take it well.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Subverted in near the end of ''WebVideo/AcquisitionsIncorporated'' season 8: The BigBad seemingly reveals that the party's newest intern, Viari, had been TheMole for him the entire time, but it quickly becomes apparent that Viari had been just as much an UnwittingPawn as the rest of the party and redeems himself almost immediately by killing the bad guy.
* ''Series/{{Noob}}'': It turns out that the Justice guild was getting an unfair advantage in the game, but was LockedOutOfTheLoop about it. The first people from whom they hear that information are the top members of Roxxor, their rival guild.
* In ''[[WebVideo/YogscastMinecraftSeries Shadow of Israphel]]'', it is King_Finbar who reveals to LetsPlay/SimonLane and LetsPlay/LewisBrindley that Daisy will be sacrificed to the Sand God, finally explaining why she was kidnapped from Terrorvale at the start of the show. Knight_Peculier does ''not'' take this well and kills him on the spot.
[[/folder]]

Well, you risk letting the [[TheBadGuyWins bad guy win with style]], and you may go from the frying pan into the fire if that secret may trigger a massive FaceHeelTurn and make the supposed villain look like a less flawed character than his or her opponent. In a case of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, this trope can also unravel much of a character's unknown MysteriousPast. However, the villain may have been lying all along to make the hero panic and stutter in front of TheCavalry, so be careful avoiding [[RedHerring a red herring]] or blatant deceits. On rare occasions, [[NiceJobFixingItVillain this may undermine the villain]] if they reveal too much.

** In Season Two of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', this happens three times. Firstly, it is Merlyn who reveals to the audience that Thea is really his daughter as a result of an affair with Moira. Later, Slade Wilson tells Thea her parentage so as to drive a wedge between her and her family as part of his plan. Finally, he reveals to Laurel that Oliver is the Arrow, though [[NiceJobFixingItVillain this bites him in the arse]].

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In ''[[Machinima/YogscastMinecraftSeries Shadow of Israphel]]'', it is King_Finbar who reveals to LetsPlay/SimonLane and LetsPlay/LewisBrindley that Daisy will be sacrificed to the Sand God, finally explaining why she was kidnapped from Terrorvale at the start of the show. Knight_Peculier does ''not'' take this well and kills him on the spot.
[[/folder]]

* In the final campaign [=DLC=] of ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'', the OverarchingVillain Davoth the Dark Lord reveals his true origin to the Doom Slayer - the legends that speak of him in Urdak were complete lies. Davoth wasn't sealed away ''by'' the Father of all things - he '''''IS''''' the Father, who was betrayed by his own creations and therefore sealed away for eons. This is further punctuated by Davoth ''ordering'' the current Father to spill the beans for him first; and up until this point you are led to believe that he was Davoth's superior. Of course, this revelation just pisses Doomguy off even more, and he ultimately kills Davoth anyway.

->''"I'll begin with how I peeled back the layers of the boy's[[note]]Tim Drake/Robin[[/note]] mind. Oh, he bravely tried to fight it at first. You would have been proud to see him so strong. But all too soon, the serums and the shocks took their toll, and the dear lad began to share such secrets with me. Secrets that are mine alone to know... Bruce. It's true, Batsy. I know everything."''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': Exploited by [[KnightTemplar Frollo]]. During the final part of the climax, Quasimodo finally learns that his mother died while trying to save him. [[TearJerker Sadly]], Frollo told him his entire life his mother was heartless and unable to feel "real love." As he tells the truth, Frollo finally attempts to kill his foster son.