History Main / DeceptiveLegacy

** It's well-known that Rhaegar Targaryen abducted and raped Lyanna Stark from her husband Robert Baratheon. Rhaegar was killed by Robert in a massive war, who then took the Iron Throne. [[spoiler:They actually loved each other and eloped, with Lyanna giving birth to a son which she begged her brother Ned Stark to raise under a false name.]] Ned did so (without telling even his wife), [[spoiler:raising the true heir to the throne as his bastard Jon Snow.]] Which causes further problems later when [[spoiler:Jon and Danaerys]] fall in love [[spoiler:due to being nephew and aunt.]]

* On the Freeform series ''Series/{{Siren}}'', Ben has grown up in the coastal town of Bristol Cove listening to the tales of his great-great-great-grandfather Charles who fell in love with a mermaid and they and humans lived in peace. Naturally, he doesn't believe in them until he catches video of a mysterious woman transforming into one. Ben goes to Helen, the owner of a local historical shop who confirms this. Ben thinks this is wonderful but Helen is actually terrified. She informs him that the truth of the legend is that the mermaid chose to return to sea which drove Charles mad and thus he and his crew slaughtered every mermaid they could find. She even hands him one of the crew logs packed with drawings of the massacre. Ben is horrified to realize how the town has spent 150 years celebrating his ancestor who was an utter monster trying to wipe out an entire species just because of a broken heart.

* Half-averted in ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Marianne, whose death served as motivation for her son Lelouch, really was killed in the backstory, only to have cheated death via SoulJar, and [[BrokenPedestal was revealed to be]] [[LadyMacbeth a co-conspirator]] with Emperor Charles in his AssimilationPlot.

* Creator/MarvelComics:

** ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'': Played with. The Kingpin killed Echo's father but honored the man's DyingWish to raise her like his own. So Fisk told Echo Daredevil killed her father. She eventually found out the truth. It was not pretty.
* In ''ComicBook/KickAss'', Big Daddy tells Hit Girl that her mother was killed by the mob, fuelling their RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Genovese family. It's revealed, however, [[spoiler: that her mother is very much alive, and Big Daddy simply snuck off with her when she was an infant, so he could raise her to be LittleMissBadass and live out his fantasy of being a vigilante superhero. After Big Daddy is killed, she goes back to her mother, who had been searching for her for years.]]

* In "Fanfic/HeisheRinanovai", Morgan t'Thavrau learns through DNA records recovered from the ruins of Romulus that her biological father was Senator Merken tr'Vreenak, which she infers her mother kept from her to prevent a scandal that would've caused a [[FeudingFamilies blood feud between the three House-Clans involved]].

* The more [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] learns about his parents and lineage, the more he realizes that no one told him ''anything''. Deception by omission. To wit: [[spoiler: his mother left his father; his father was likely ''killed'' by Justin [=DuMorne=]; his teenage girlfriend that he thought betrayed him was under mind control at the time; his guardian after [=DuMorne=] died is actually his maternal grandfather; his mother actually had another child so he has a half-brother who's a psychic vampire; his mother was a reformist that rebelled against the White Council and almost died for it; and she made sure that he was conceived and born under very specific circumstances for a purpose as yet unknown, making him a Starborn, a status shared only with ''Dracula'', as far as we're aware.]]

* Implied in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'': Jake Muller's mother left him a note when she died, which included the lines "Please, don't hate your father. I'm sure he loves you and is thinking about you". Jake's father is [[spoiler: [[BigBad Albert]] [[EvilutionaryBiologist Wesker]]]]. Also, there is no evidence he even knew Jake existed.

* PlayedForLaughs on ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy,'' when van Helsing captures RecurringCharacter Dracula and reveals that their rivalry started over Dracula stealing van Helsing's LoveInterest. A few minutes later, it's revealed that said love interest is Irwin's Grandmama, making Dracula his grandfather. Irwin and his father have inexplicably showed up at this point, prompting Irwin's father to ask his mother "[[Film/StarWarsANewHope But you told me my father was a navigator on a spice freighter!]] Why'd you [[VerbalTic hiddity-hide]] the truth?" Grandmama reveals she didn't want him growing up knowing his father had abandoned him, only for Dracula to reveal the ''actual'' truth: he'd shapeshifted into a bat, and Grandmama, not knowing about that ability, had seen a bat in the house and driven him away. Everyone forgives everyone and Irwin and his father happily hug Dracula, only for him to realize his family is composed of nerds and scream in horror.

* ''Series/HeroesReborn'': Tommy and his sister are twins, but due to the world-saving usefulness of their powers, they are separated and raised by Hiro and their grandmother, respectively. As a result of [[EasyAmnesia mindwipe]], Tommy doesn't find out the truth until later: [[spoiler: he and his twin sister are Claire Bennet's children, and their heroic destiny is to save the world.]] Due to TimeTravel, he was angry at first to discover that the woman he believed was his mother isn't. After the timeline is tweaked, however, he's not angry; he's excited and thrilled to know he has a sister he's never met, and that he's gonna save the world. He also misunderstands his power at first; he thinks his ability is teleporting people and objects to an unknown location, which turns out to be whatever location he'd most recently thought about. In fact he has [[spoiler:Hiro's power]], but doesn't know how to use it properly.

* ''Series/HeroesReborn'': Tommy and his sister are twins, but due to the world-saving usefulness of their powers, they are separated and raised by Hiro and their grandmother, respectively. As a result of [[EasyAmnesia mindwipe]], Tommy doesn't find out the truth until later: [[spoiler: he and his twin sister are Claire Bennet's children, and their heroic destiny is to save the world.]] Due to TimeTravel, he was angry at first to discover that the woman he believed was his mother isn't. After the timeline is tweaked, however, he's not angry; he's excited and thrilled to know he has a sister he's never met, and that he's gonna save the world.

->''"You don't get to be upset!'' You ''don't get to be upset! No one here gets to be upset except me! Because you have all been lying to me for my entire life!"''
-->-- '''Series/AndiMack'''

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': It turns out that [[spoiler: Finn Hudson]]'s mother had been lying about her husband the entire time - [[spoiler: he didn't die a glorious war hero like Finn thought, but was discharged dishonorably and died a drug pusher in Cincinnati.]]

* ''Series/MayfairWitches'': Elena took Rowan under orders of Carlotta Mayfair, changing her name, never contacting the family again while and keeping all knowledge of them secret from Rowan, pretending it was a closed adoption so she can't tell her anything about her birth parents.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In [[/Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson "Mother Simpson"]], it's revealed that Homer has believed his mother to be dead since he was very young. In fact, Abe told him that because he was ashamed of the fact that she was a fugitive member of a Weather Underground-esque eco-terrorist organization.

If the truth comes to light and is disappointing, this is UnpleasantParentReveal.

* ''Series/MayfairWitches'': Elena took Rowan under orders of Mayfair matriarch Cortland, changing her name, never contacting the family again while and keeping all knowledge of them secret from Rowan, pretending it was a closed adoption so she can't tell her anything about her birth parents.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' have been told various things about their absent fathers. In ''Beavis and Butthead Do America'', they actually meet their fathers, who turn out to be former Music/MotleyCrue roadies turned drifters. (Although they never actually realize these men are their fathers, nor do the ex-roadies recognize them as their sons.)

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': "Blendin's Game" reveals that Soos as a child, for eight years, got postcards from his father with the same message indicating he was too busy to come for his son's birthday but would definitely be there next year. Soos' Abuelita is all too aware that Soos' dad is never returning, but for the sake of her grandson upholds the lie that he ''wants'' to come, but can't because he's too busy. Soos figures it out for himself at age 12, and it destroys his birthday for him until Dipper and Mabel fight Grobnar vs. Blendin Blandin to give Soos a time wish so he can see his father and have happy birthdays from the past until their present.

* ''Series/{{Willow}}'': Jade had been told her whole family was killed by the Bone Reavers except for her. It turns out she's actually a Bone Reaver by birth, with a long-lost older sister she never knew. She was raised to hate the Bone Reavers as a result of this, and thus (unknowingly) her only living family.

* The more [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] learns about his parents and lineage, the more he realizes that no one told him ''anything''. Deception by omission. To wit: [[spoiler: his mother left his father; his father was likely ''killed'' by Justin [=DuMorne=]; his teenage girlfriend that he thought betrayed him was under mind control at the time; his guardian after [=DuMorne=] died is actually his maternal grandfather; his mother actually had another child so he has a half-brother who's a psychic vampire; his mother was a reformist that rebelled against the White Council and almost died for it; and she made sure that he was conceived and born under very specific circumstances for a purpose as yet unknown, making him a Starborn, a status shared only with ''Dracula'', as far as we're aware.]]

* ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'': Chick's wife, ashamed of his gambling problem, and angry that he showed up unannounced to see his son before going into space tells their small son that Chick was "a salesman". She changes her story, though, when the news reveals that Chick is on the team going to save Earth from a giant asteroid.

* ''Series/StationNinteen'':

* ''Manga/{{Mars}}'':

* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books, the Dursleys, Harry's [[MuggleFosterParents abusive and mundane aunt and uncle]], make out his parents like terrible people. Harry only finds out they're revered with love once he meets the Wizarding community.

* Manga/{{Mars}}:

* On ''Series/FamilyMatters'' Jimmy Baines drops by the house, claiming to be an old college friend although neither Carl nor Harriet remembers him. That night, Jimmy confesses the truth to Carl: He's Harriet and Rachel's supposedly dead father. He explains that he was overwhelmed being a father and so walked out on the family when the girls were little. For a time, Jimmy sent over cards and money but his wife finally wrote back to tell him to stop. She had told the girls that their father had been shot down during the Korean War as she wanted them to "think he was a hero, not a heel." Jimmy wants to simply leave but Carl convinces him to tell his daughters the truth and after their initial anger, they accept a new chance to know him.

* ''Series/GrandHotel'''

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Barney's mother told him that his father was Bob Barker (because he was who happened to be on TV at the time). Barney clings to it because he wants an awesome dad. This was to cover up the identity of his real father, who Barney's mother didn't want in the picture.

** A teenager can't understand why her mother and older sister are so upset about her dating another man. Her sister admits it's because she got pregnant as a teenager...and ''she's'' the product as she's actually her mother.

* On ''Series/{{Mom}}'' Violet wants to know why Christy never talks about her father who left them before she was born. Grandmother Bonnie brings Violet to a grave to tell her that her father was abusive and that's why Christy never wanted to talk about him and happy he's out of their lives. Violet accepts it as she hugs her mother. As soon as she's out of earshot, Christy asks Bonnie [[spoiler: "So, whose grave is this?" Meaning Violet's father is alive but both women feel it's better that Violet thinks he's dead rather than hunt him down.]]

* A rare heartwarming version on ''Series/{{Psych}}'' Shawn has long been angry with father Henry for driving his mom, Madeline, away and costing them years together. When Madeline returns, Shawn is amazed she and Henry are on good terms. He yells at his mother about it, how she can be so close to Henry after he left her and ruined the family. A stunned Madeline relates that ''she'' was the one who left the marriage for a job opportunity. Both are thrown to realize that Henry has allowed Shawn to blame him for the marriage ending rather than be angry with his mother.

* The Disney Channel series ''Series/AndiMack'' uses this as the plot. On her 13th birthday, Andi is happy when her cool older sister Bex returns to town after a few years away. Later that night, however, Bex breaks to Andi the truth: [[spoiler:Their "mother" is actually her grandmother as Bex is Andi's real mom.]] Andi handling this new dynamic drives the show.