Passing The Torch / Live-Action Films

• In the final minutes of Avengers: Endgame:
  • Thor, finally sure of his place in the universe, joins the Guardians of the Galaxy and declares Valkyrie the next ruler of New Asgard. Downplayed in that Valkyrie was functionally already leading the Asgardians after Thor's depression and trauma had caused him to go Hikikomori for five years.
  • 115-year-old Steve Rogers hands the iconic shield to Sam Wilson, asking him to be the next Captain America.
• The Dark Knight Trilogy
  • In The Dark Knight, Batman wishes to retire and thinks he can pass the mantle of protecting Gotham to Harvey Dent. Bruce explicitly tells Alfred he really likes Dent because he's a much better hero.
  • At the end of The Dark Knight Rises, Batman retires by faking his death, but leaves instructions for Officer Robin John Blake to find the Batcave, making him the new Batman.
• In Galaxy of Terror, the Master of the Pyramid allows himself to be killed by the protagonist, so he can succeed him.
• In Galaxy Quest, Jason Nesmith's parting words to Mathesar as he and the other actors-turned-heroes leave for home:
  Mathesar: We were hoping you could come with us. Our people have no commander.
  Nesmith: Mathesar, I think your people have a great commander. (salutes) Sir.
• In Ghost Rider (2007), there's a passing of the torch moment between Ghost Rider and his wild-west era predecessor, the Phantom Rider. The "torch" in question is a shotgun.
• Twice in The Godfather trilogy, a new Don raises when the aged one steps down as head of the family and delegates the power while still councils around. Not an actual hero succession though, but a Villain Protagonist one.
• In Green Lantern (2011), Hal Jordan becomes the titular hero, after the previous protector of this sector, Abin Sur, hands him the Green Lantern ring and the power battery before expiring. While we aren't shown much about Abin Sur, the other Green Lanterns claim he had a great many accomplishments, including the capture of Parallax. In comparison, they view Hal as a Puny Earthling, who allows fear to guide his actions, a big "no-no" for a Green Lantern.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: At the end of the movie, when Peter Quill/Star-Lord resigns from the Guardians to explore his roots on Earth, he anoints Rocket as his replacement as leader.
• At the end of Hook, after Rufio's death, Peter chooses Thud Butt to be the new leader of the Lost Boys.
• Subverted in the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In the film's final scene, Mutt Williams (Indy's son) picks up Indy's iconic hat and goes to put it on, only for Indy to snatch it back and put it on himself. Further subverted in the following movie when it's revealed that Mutt died in the Vietnam War offscreen.
• Done symbolically in The Little Mermaid (2023): While Ariel visits a local marketplace, a food vendor, played by Jodi Benson, offers her a bowl of food. She even gives her a fork claiming "I think you'll be needing this." Fans have gone on to call this moment "The Passing of the Dinglehopper" as it feels like Jodi, the original Ariel, is symbolically performing this trope on Halle Bailey's Ariel.
• Near the end of The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker acknowledges Rey as his successor and the future of the Jedi Order, despite the two having spent most of the film at an impasse concerning their perspectives on the Force and the Jedi. And immediately afterwards, Luke has his Obi-Wan Moment, driving home the point that it's all up to Rey now.
• In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, at the beginning, Quartermain is able to shoot one of their enemies; at the end, he must instead coach Sawyer through it. He explicitly acknowledges that he is passing the torch.
• An alternate ending to The Legend of Zorro takes place a number of years later, when Alejandro and Eléna's son Joaquin is grown up. The gray-haired parents watch with pride as Joaquin puts on the Zorro costume and rides off into the sunset. According to Word of God, this was changed to Zorro himself putting on the costume in order to allow for more sequels with the same actors.
  • The whole point of The Mask of Zorro, of which The Legend of Zorro is a sequel, is the training of Alejandro by Eléna's father Diego to be the next Zorro.
• At the end of Men in Black, Agent Kay gives Agent Jay the neuralyzer to use on him because he wants to retire from the MIB. Earlier, he told Jay he would let him have it "When he grew up."
• At the end of The Princess Bride, it's implied that Westley will pass on the role of 'Dread Pirate Roberts' to Inigo Montoya. He explains that this has already happened several times:
  Westley: Roberts had grown so rich, he wanted to retire. He took me to his cabin and he told me his secret. "I am not the Dread Pirate Roberts," he said. "My name is Ryan; I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from is not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Roberts has been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia."
• The Saw franchise has a villanous variant with the storyline of Jigsaw choosing his successor:
  • Jigsaw intended Amanda to follow his legacy after his death, but her refusal to accept his philosophy by setting up impossible-to-survive traps as well as Hoffman's meddling ruined that.
  • In Saw 3D, we discover that Dr. Gordon was Jigsaw's true successor, the one he shared all his secrets and entrusted Jill's life with.
  • Jigsaw reveals that he had another successor in mind: Logan, who was his apprentice years before he met Amanda and Hoffman. He eventually decides to restart Jigsaw's work over a decade after his and Hoffman's (presumed in the latter case) deaths. How his crusade ended and whether he met Gordon at one point is still open as of Spiral, which doesn't focus on him but a copycat killer.
• The film Starsky & Hutch ends with the original actors handing over their car to their rebooted versions.
• Captain Kirk's final log entry in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country states that with this last mission, the Enterprises history and posterity will be passed on to a new generation, also correcting himself when giving the famous intro speech, talking about where no man - where no one - has gone before.
  • This happens at the end Star Trek (2009) when Pike formally hands over command to Kirk.
  • A variation occurs in Star Trek: Generations when Picard watches Kirk die. Fans described this as the passing of the torch to the Next Generation.
• In the Wonkavator scene of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Wonka decides to give the entire Wonka chocolate factory to Charlie. And make Charlie the owner (Wonka would never work at the factory forever, Because he does not want to try.)
  Grandpa Joe: WHAT?!? You're giving the entire chocolate factory to Charlie?!? But why?!?
  Wonka: Because I can't go on forever! And I really don't want to try! So who can I trust somebody when I leave the factory? Not a grown up! Can I?

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