History Main / DeadHandShot

* In the climax of ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIITheSecretOfTheOoze'' the turtles are in a fight with Shredder, who had been mutated into a Super Shredder, knocking over everything in his path on a rampage, including the foundation of the bridge that they are on. Leonardo even tried to warn him that he would kill them all including himself if he kept it up, [[RevengeBeforeReason but he kept going.]] Eventually, the bridge collapses and the turtles barely escape with their lives. [[RaisedHandOfSurvival They then see the Shredder's fist emerge from the rubble,]] as they all groan and prepare for the worst, only for it to then fall limp.

Subtrope of GoryDiscretionShot. See also EmpathyDollShot. [[JustForFun Has nothing to do with]] a shot of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Dead Hand]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', the last shot of the dying king of Atlantis as he pleads to Milo to save Atlantis is his hand becoming limp as death claims him.
* Towards the end of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'', a dying Kerchek's hand falls to the ground after he tells Tarzan to [[TakeCareOfTheKids take care of the other gorillas.]] It was even animated in a slow-mo like fashion.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', as soon as the Three Fates cut Meg's string of life, we see a close-up of her hand going limp.
** Earlier in the film we have an unusual version, where the [[HydraProblem hydra's]] clenched fist going limp is treated dramatically after the monster is crushed by an avalanche caused by Hercules. However it's not in empathy for the monster, it's for Hercules, who was seemingly crushed too, [[spoiler: but who actually happens to be ''held'' in the fist.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', as the Beast lays dying in Belle's arms, he caresses her face until his paw goes limp, followed by a close-up of [[BigSleep his eyes closing]] with his last breath.

* In ''Anime/StreetFighterAlphaTheAnimation'', when Shun dies [[DiedInYourArmsTonight in his "brother" Ryu's arms]], right after the kid's FamousLastWords we see his hand going limp.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': In the flashback to the night the Other attacked Castle Heterodyne Agatha's brother and Carson's son were both killed by falling debris and their hands are shown resting on the floor beyond the debris [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070813 when Carson found them.]]

* During the early-game WhamEpisode of ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', the only thing we see of Fiora's likely horrifically-mangled corpse is her arm, before the MiniMecha she was riding in is tossed away.

* A variation in the MiniSeries "[[https://youtu.be/Yw9te6_fGGY The Murder Of]] [[https://youtu.be/6wf99s4DseA Mary Phagan]]", when we see the dead girl's ''feet'' when the night watchman at the factory where she worked discovers her body in the basement.

* In the animated adaptation of ''[[ComicBook/{{Persepolis}}]], there is a scene where Marjane sees the dead hand of a friend of hers, buried beneath bricks and mortar during the Iran-Iraq War.

* In the animated adaptation of ''[[ComicBook/Persepolis]], there is a scene where Marjane sees the dead hand of a friend of hers, buried beneath bricks and mortar during the Iran-Iraq War.

** There's also the scene where an Egyptian boy dies as a result of the final plague (The angel of death claiming Egypt's Firstborn). He is seen carrying a large vase into a building and off screen with the picture focusing on the entrance of the building. The angel, as a swirling light, enters and exits quickly. The sound of breaking glass is heard and his arm falls through the doorway indicating his sudden death.

* In issue 234 of ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'', Antoine D'Coolette is heavily injured when Mecha Sonic self-destructs. Sonic says he can get him to a hospital in time, but as he scoops up Antoine and starts running, Antoine's hand falls limply. WordOfGod is that Antoine was originally intended to have died in that issue, but was saved partly due to fan reaction.

* Used in ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'' when Sonic is killed during the Last Episode.

* In the ''Series/HighwayToHeaven'' episode "Keep Smiling," Jane is setting Margaret's hair. As she briefly leaves the room to make tea, Margaret appears to be in some distress. The camera slowly pans down from her troubled face and stops on her motionless hand. Jane returns to see that Margaret has suddenly died in her chair, kicking off the plot of the episode.

* The Franchise/PowerRangers franchise gets in on this with the opening episode of ''[[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce Time Force]]''. Alex is killed by Ransick near the end of the pilot, and upon his death we are treated to his hand falling and hitting the ground from two different angles as dramatic music swells.

* In ''Film/TheTenCommandments1923'', after the massive church wall collapses onto the protagonists' mother, her hand is shown sticking out from the rubble. She's not dead yet, as after they get her out she [[AlmostDeadGuy exchanges a few last words with her sons]], but the dramatic effect is the same.

* Used in an OnTheNext trailer for a TonightSomeoneDies episode of ''Series/DowntonAbbey'', which featured the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. [[NeverTrustATrailer Subverted, though]]; the clip of a hand falling limp onto a bed [[ManipulativeEditing was actually an entirely innocent gesture by a character who fully recovers]] (though somebody else does die).

* ''Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'', complete with dropped apple. Of course, it's only "sleeping death".
* In ''Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', the last shot of the dying king of Atlantis as he pleads to Milo to save Atlantis is his hand becoming limp as death claims him.
* Towards the end of ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'', a dying Kerchek's hand falls to the ground after he tells Tarzan to [[TakeCareOfTheKids take care of the other gorillas.]] It was even animated in a slow-mo like fashion.

* ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'', as soon as the Three Fates cut Meg's string of life, we see a close-up of her hand going limp.

* ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'': After Zira falls to her death in a raging flood, the last we see of her is [[LastGraspAtLife one of her paws being submerged.]]

* In ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', as the Beast lays dying in Belle's arms, he caresses her face until his paw goes limp, followed by a close-up of [[BigSleep his eyes closing]] with his last breath.

* The cover to ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' #25 features Cap's gloved hand laying dead on the cover, amidst newspaper scraps. This was the issue that he supposedly died.

Subtrope of GoryDiscretionShot. See also EmpathyDollShot.