History Main / IShallReturn

** "Bugs Bonnets": The plot has costume hats flying out of a truck and when they land on Bugs and/or Elmer, they assume the personalities of whatever hat they have. A General's hat lands on Elmer and, with pipe in mouth, he proclaims "I have weturned!"

** "Bugs Bonnets" inverts this. The plot has costume hats flying out of a truck and when they land on Bugs and/or Elmer, they assume the personalities of whatever hat they have. A General's hat lands on Elmer and, with pipe in mouth, he proclaims "I have weturned!"

* The 1977 film on ''Film/MacArthur'' starring Creator/GregoryPeck's naturally has his most famous quote. Later in the movie a couple of frontline soldiers who've been griping about their publicity-hungry general give the latrine joke as well.

* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'': at the end of the 2008 storyline, Mata Nui, whose body was [[GrandTheftMe stolen]] by [[BigBad Makuta]] and is now [[SoulJar sealed in the Mask of Life]], vows "I will return!" [[spoiler: He does. Later on, he gives a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example when he chooses voluntarily [[ButNowIMustGo to stay dormant inside the Mask of Life]] at the end of the story.]]

The trope name [[TropeNamer comes from]] General UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur's catch phrase after he fled the Philippines in 1942 when the Japanese invaded, vowing that he would come back in force to liberate the nation, which he did two years later during the Battle of Leyte with a hearty, "[[IncomingHam I have returned!]]"

[[folder: Video Games]]

* Protoss Dragoons from ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' say "I have returned" when arriving on the battlefield. (Although [[WeCanRebuildHim they aren't returning from an absence]], per se...) Their counterparts in the sequels, Immortals, prefer "I return to serve", whereas their ShadowArchetype, the Stalker, says "I am here in the shadows" instead. In all cases, they're quite proud to have their role of fire support from beyond the grave.
* This is the entire premise of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. After [[spoiler:the [[AlienInvasion Reapers invade Earth]]]], Shepard has no choice but to leave and assemble an army large enough to stand against the threat, leaving [[ParentalSubstitute Captain Anderson]] behind--though he stays voluntarily. [[spoiler:When Shepard comes back, there unfortunately isn't much left to save.]]

[[/folder]]

* At the end of the first episode of ''Series/BlakesSeven'', a guard on the deportation ship warns his prisoners to take a last look at Earth -- it's the last time they'll ever see it. [[RebelLeader Blake]] replies, "No, I'm coming back," with a manner that suggests he's just going on holiday. ([[spoiler:He does indeed return, but in a subversion his efforts don't result in victory.]])

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]

[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

[[folder: Toys ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeTheMassDevice'': Duke made this promise to a woman who helped him escape and he came back with an assault force.

* ''Film/{{Logan}}''. When Wolverine sees a line of Mexican police and Transigen SUV's coming for them, he grabs Xavier and hustles him into the limousine, as Xavier is now a wanted man. Xavier shouts to Laura that they'll come back for her, but Wolverine doesn't have the [[SomeoneElsesProblem slightest intention of doing so]] -- until he discovers that she's also a mutant, whereupon he realises that this ''is'' his problem as well.