History Main / NecessaryFail

** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E14Tapestry Tapestry]]", Captain Picard expresses regret for his hot-headed ways which led to him getting stabbed in a bar fight. Of course, he learns that if not for that bar fight, he wouldn't have become TheCaptain that everybody came to know and love.
** Played with this again in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E15YesterdaysEnterprise Yesterday's Enterprise]]" where it is discovered that the destruction of an earlier Enterprise[[note]]The featured ship was the -D, the earlier Enterprise was the -C.[[/note]] helped lead to peace between the Klingons and the Federation.

* Music/{{Rush}}:

* Creator/{{Nintendo}} views the UsefulNotes/WiiU as this. To make a long story short, the Wii U is one of the biggest hardware failures they ever had (second only to the UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy), but it allowed the company to come to grips with HD game development, served as an internal example of how ''not'' to approach future marketing and branding, and one of the system's core ideas (a home console with a portable factor) was recycled into [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch its successor]], which would go on to be one of their biggest hardware ''successes''.

->''"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of. There were loose threads - untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads, it unraveled the tapestry of my life."''
-->-- '''Jean-Luc Picard''', "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E14Tapestry Tapestry]]", ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]", Kirk prevents his LoveInterest Edith Keeler from being hit by a car, only to discover that she would go on to campaign against the US getting involved in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which would in turn give UsefulNotes/NaziGermany the opportunity to develop the atomic bomb and use it to win the war. He then realizes that he has to let her die in order to prevent millions more deaths.

* In ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' the faction from the future specifically state while they could've warned Earth about the initial Xindi attack that kills 7 million people, they figured it would only be after the sneak attack that Starfleet would heed the greater danger. Notably it is the attack that leads to the ''Enterprise'' being retrofitted into a warship and the introduction of the famous photon torpedoes.
* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
** It is the [[CurbStompBattle defeat]] Starfleet suffered at the hands of the Borg that directly led to the design and construction of [[CoolStarship the Defiant class of ships]]. These came in handy when the war with the Dominion broke out.
** After the Vulcans nearly warred themselves to extinction, they embraced logic and became a major starfaring power in the quadrant. So too, the brutal third world war humanity survived caused humans to embrace peace and turn their science from war and violence to space exploration and other peaceful goals. The Klingons even get in on the act, as their history states that it was the Klingons overthrowing an alien race that enslaved them that led to them becoming the ProudWarriorRace.
* In "Profile in Silver", an episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'', a 22nd-century Harvard history professor time-travels to observe the assassination of his ancestor John F. Kennedy. Unable to just stand by and watch, he intervenes and prevents the assassination, only to learn that his act will lead to nuclear war and the destruction of humanity. He finds a way to save JFK and prevent the war, making it a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], though it still involves a HeroicSacrifice.

* Franchise/{{Batman}} has this in its origin and then zigzags the trope in a story named "To Kill A Legend". The Phantom Stranger sent Batman to an AlternateUniverse, giving him the chance to stop the murder of the parallel Thomas and Martha Wayne. At several points, Batman and Robin wonder if this means there will never be a Batman in this universe. But Batman, understandably, decides it doesn't matter, and stops the shooting regardless. In the epilogue, the readers are informed that the parallel Bruce was inspired by the masked man who saved his family in the alleyway, and would grow up to become a Batman fueled by hope instead of despair.

* Many people consider ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' saga to be this for ComicBook/SpiderMan. Plus Peter indirectly letting Uncle Ben die. There's a ''What If?'' issue that shows what would have happened if Spider-Man had actually caught the Burglar. Uncle Ben survives, but Peter becomes a combination arrogant {{Jerkass}} and SmugSuper without any of the maturity and character he developed from being forced to accept the consequences of his actions.

* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': Green Lantern Tomar-Re's greatest failure was failing to stop Superman's home planet of Krypton exploding. Krypton fell under Tomar-Re's jurisdiction, so he gathered a bunch of Stellarium to absorb the explosion, but got blinded by a solar flare and did not make it in time. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre But the Guardians of the Universe reassured him that, though he didn't save Krypton, his failure led to the rise of Earth's greatest superhero, so he was able to retire in peace]].

* Tragically deconstructed in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/22096303#bookmark-form Future Trading]]''. As the user of the Rabbit Miraculous, Alix Kubdel is tasked with guaranteeing the best possible future. Unfortunately, that means allowing incidents like Lila continuing her lies and harming Marinette and Adrien, since preventing them could lead [[ButterflyOfDoom to either their defeat or even death by Hawkmoth]]. Alix is struggling to watch her friends suffer for the better future, and hopes she'll be able to live with herself after it is all over.
* ''Fanfic/HeroChat'': While the creation of the Sentimonster feast lead to the death of the other Guardians and Hawkmoth acquiring the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous, it also meant that Fu couldn't have been indoctrinated to see the Kwamis [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman as tools rather than individual beings]]. This would also lead the Kwamis to end up with Marinette and the others, with the former using the Eagle Miraculous to free them from the older Guardians' control.

** ''Film/StarTrek2009'': It is implied that the ''Kelvin's'' destruction at the hands of the ''Narada'' led to Starfleet developing a tougher, more combat ready fleet, a trend that affected the ''Enterprise''. Also subverted (and therefore ultimately zigzagged) in that one of the themes is, regardless of how their starting points had changed (particularly Kirk and Spock, whose circumstances had changed most significantly over the original universe), the entire main cast still wound up on the ''Enterprise'' in the same configuration as in the original universe.

* In ''Film/TheTimeMachine2002'' the protagonist invents the machine so he could save his fiancée's life. So, since if not for her death he wouldn't have invented it, she has to die in every timeline in which he and his machine appear. Consequently, his successive failures to save her life put him in a quest to the future in search of answers, ending with him both saving the Eloi from his enslavement at the hands of the Morloks and finding a new place where he belongs.

* In ''Literature/DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'' , a mistake in the Earth's distant past caused an alien ship to explode and provided the energy that kick-started the evolution of life on the planet. Creator/DouglasAdams, who wrote the book, also wrote the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath "City of Death"]], which shared the same scenario.

** Disadvantaged TeenGenius Qibli is forever thinking that if only he had animus magic, he could solve all his problems. But the fact that he doesn't, and therefore had to be saved from poverty by [[BigGood someone else]], is what taught him to trust and love other dragons. If he had been able to fulfil his fantasy of being [[NeverBeHurtAgain completely independent]], everything that gives his life meaning in the present day- his loyalty to Thorn, his friendships with the protagonists, his [[ItsPersonal commitment to bettering]] WretchedHive[=s=]- would be gone or less valuable to him. Notably, when he gets his talons on a magical weapon in book 10, it doesn't help him at all, [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer because he reverts to just smashing through problems]] instead of thinking up real, sustainable solutions to them.

* In the third book of the ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'', Bobby and fellow traveler Gunny suspect that [[BigBad Saint Dane]] is trying to cause the crash of the ''UsefulNotes/TheHindenburg'' in First Earth (which is Earth in 1937). Just to be sure, they travel to Third Earth (Earth in 5010) to speak with another Traveler named Patrick Mac, who uses an advance supercomputer to simulate what would happen if the ''Hindenburg'' landed safely: namely that German spies would exit the aircraft and steal plans for the nuclear bomb, which they bring back to Nazi German and cause World War II to escalate into a nuclear conflict that still leaves Earth a ruined world in the ''51st century''. This changes the Traveler's plans to make sure the ''Hindenburg'' crashes like in proper history.

* In the ''Series/{{Lost}}'' episode "The Little Prince", the time-flashing characters discover they've jumped to the night Boone died and Aaron was born. Locke sees the light from the hatch, and knows the earlier version of himself is nearby, but walks away.

* In ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', former Olympic-standard athlete Curtis re-winds time to prevent himself getting arrested for cocaine possession (an event that ruined his career) but after he does this, it becomes apparent that [[spoiler:he was ''meant'' to get caught in order to save the lives of his girlfriend Alisha and their friends Kelly and Simon, all of whom he met while on community service]].

* One ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' episode had Sabrina go back to the past to try to stop the event that made her and Harvey had a fallout. She is unsuccessful, but eventually learns that the event was necessary for her and Harvey to understand each other better, so she just apologizes and they make out.

** John Sheppard in ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', whose reputation was [[ReassignedToAntarctica ruined]] by his ill-fated attempt to rescue his friends in Afghanistan against direct orders. Had this not happened, probably no one would've discovered that he has the ATA gene and a natural knack at using it (on par with O'Neill) and he wouldn't have ended up as part of the Atlantis mission. It would've likely failed without him.

** After the Vulcans nearly warred themselves to extinction, they embraced logic and became a major starfaring power in the quadrant. So too, the brutal third world war humanity survived caused humans to embrace peace and turn their science from war and violence to space exploration and other peaceful goals. The Klingons even get in on the act, as their history states that it was Klingons overthrowing an alien race that enslaved them that led to them becoming the ProudWarriorRace.

* Rush:
** The group had some early success with prog on their second album ''Fly By Night'', but the longer suites on their follow-up ''Caress of Steel'' were aimless failures, and the album failed to produce a radio hit. The tour was also mired by poor attendance, getting nicknamed the "Down the Tubes" tour halfway through. Their label wanted them to go in a more conventional direction, hinting they might be dropped if they produced another flop. Incensed, they wrote a side-long, 21-minute middle finger to the record company in the form of "2112", which was a much more successful multi-part epic. The album ''2112'' would serve as Rush's major break-through, considered their seminal record alongside ''Moving Pictures''.

** This is also one of the arguments in theodicy (the defense of the power and goodness of God despite the existence of evil): that sometimes suffering produces good consequences which could not have occurred any other way.

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' Lucca fails to rescue her mother from being maimed by a machine. Her failure drives her to become a mechanical genius, so that she will never fail again. [[spoiler:If the player manages to save the mother through time travel, she ''still'' studies science and machinery and becomes a mechanical genius - according to Young!Lucca's diary, it's in order to make sure close calls like that never happen again, ultimately averting the trope.]]

** The series as a whole essentially invokes this, by having the plot of the games be the huge global conflict and TimeyWimeyBall repercussions that results when Einstein prevents UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
** Furthermore, at the start of ''Red Alert 3'', the Soviets erase Einstein himself from history after he removes Hitler, to prevent their own defeat. This works in the short term... but both ends up creating a new faction even more dangerous to them than the Allies were, and wiping out some of the most powerful weapons in their arsenal because nuclear technology was never developed without Einstein.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'': In his arcade ending, past!Johnny Cage is tempted to use Kronika's hourglass to undo an upcoming low-point in his life, marked by scandal and those closest to him losing respect for him. However, recalling the words of his future self, he decides not to meddle, since he ultimately came out the experience a better man. [[spoiler:He still uses the houtglass to save Sonya's life. After all, every Johnny Cage film has a happy ending]].

* In the Tower Social Link of ''VideoGame/Persona4'', Shu, an overachieving student who's obsessed with staying at the top of his class, [[WellDoneSonGuy to please his mother]], sees [[spoiler:getting caught for cheating on a test and being suspended for it]] as this. Said event caused him to have an argument with his mother, but they reconciled and talked through their issues. He also got a permanent black mark on his record, but ''because'' he's no longer able to be perfect, he feels able to branch out and try new things, such as baseball. He also becomes friends with the boy who'd transferred in to his class, who'd defended him when he got in trouble.

* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' Saber believes that the fall of her kingdom is proof that she was not the right choice of king and wants the Grail so she can undo her reign. In the Fate route Shirou attempts to convince her that this trope applies and in doing so comes to an epiphany about his own SurvivorsGuilt. The necessity of destroying the Grail makes this moot.

* In ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'', YouCantFightFate. This is because there is a predetermined Alpha Timeline, and any event which deviates from it creates a doomed offshoot timeline. Many events in the Alpha Timeline are, from the perspective of the characters, astounding failures, but must happen due to the nature of time in ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}''. In addition, doomed timelines can exert influence on the Alpha Timeline. This influence is in fact necessary for the Alpha Timeline to exist. So the failure to create a Necessary Fail is itself a Necessary Fail.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Zuko spends most of the show angsting about his banishment, scar and what a [[WellDoneSonGuy disappointment he's been to his father]]. Finally, [[spoiler:at his HeelFaceTurn, he tells his father that the banishment was the greatest thing he ever could have done. It allowed Zuko to see the evil the war inflicted, have a HeelRealization, and realize that he could make his own honor]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "The Time Traveler's Pig", Dipper uses a time machine to go back in time and undo a mistake he made that lead to his crush Wendy going out with his SitcomArchNemesis Robbie Valentino. Unfortunately, the only way to accomplish this would result in Mabel being beaten to winning her pet pig Waddles in a carnival game... by ''her'' SitcomArchNemesis Pacifica.

* The investigation into the pad fire which took the lives of the Apollo 1 crew revealed a number of major design flaws in the spacecraft which might otherwise have gone undetected until later in the program and could have resulted in the United States missing the end-of-decade deadline for a manned lunar landing set by President Kennedy. The redesign was also one of the key factors that saved the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.

* Creator/WaltDisney's first[[note]]not including ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'', which was partially animated[[/note]] live-action musical, ''Film/BabesInToyland'', failed to make a splash at the box office. Consequently, Walt looked for some elements that he could improve on next time he would do a fantasy musical, such as production values, substance, and casting. By managing not to repeat the same mistakes of ''Babes in Toyland'', his next foray into this genre became one of the most beloved movies of his career -- ''Film/MaryPoppins''.

* Early in his career, Creator/ScottCawthon's games (most notably VideoGame/ChipperAndSonsLumberCo) were harshly criticized, which almost caused him to quit game development all together. However, inspired by criticisms of how the characters felt like animatronics, he decided to create [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys one last game]] before retiring for good. Cut to 2019, and that last game is now one of the most successful indie game series ever created.

* Drew Brees started his NFL career as quarterback for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 through 2005. In the last week of the 2005 season, the Chargers had been eliminated from playoff contention, but despite this, [[DamnYouMuscleMemory Brees instinctively tried to run after a fumbled football and suffered a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder]]. The Chargers let Brees go into free agency, and he signed to the New Orleans Saints, who also had a uncertain future after Hurricane Katrina devastated their city so badly that there was talk that they'd be forced to relocate. Brees would help lead the team to their first-ever NFC Championship Game appearance, and a few years after that, [[EarnYourHappyEnding make their first Super Bowl appearance, where they won against the Indianapolis Colts]], and he would spend the rest of his career setting league records as among the best [=QBs=] in the league.

* Creator/JuddApatow was considered for a writer's job on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in the early 90's, but was ultimately passed over. He went on to write ''Film/TheCableGuy'' instead, which led to him meeting his future wife Creator/LeslieMann when she was cast in the film.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'': In his arcade ending, past!Johnny Cage is tempted to use Kronika's hourglass to undo an upcoming low-point in his life, marked by scandal and those closest to him losing repsect for him. However, recalling the words of his future self, he decides not to meddle, since he ultimately came out the experience a better man. [[spoiler:He still uses the houtglass to save Sonya's life. After all, every Johnny Cage film has a happy ending]].

** The only way to kill [[spoiler:the Tengu Shredder for good was to have Master Yoshi's spirit making the killing blow. Had Master Yoshi not being killed by the Utrom Shredder, the Turtles and Splinter would not have become mutants and the world would have been conquered by the Tengu Shredder. This was all foreseen by the Ninja Tribunal]]

* For many people who had fought with drug or alcohol addiction, they noted that it wasn't until they hit rock bottom that they started seek help and ultimately changed for the better.

* This line of thinking is the very crux of [[spoiler:Adrian Veidt]]'s master plan in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' which is what [[spoiler: leads him to decide to ''enforce'' such a turn of events]].

* The whole point of ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire''. If Jamal's life had sucked any less then he never would have been on ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' let alone [[spoiler: won the million and his happily ever after with Latika.]]

* In ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', former Olympic-standard athlete Curtis re-winds time to prevent himself getting arrested for cocaine possession (an event that ruined his career) but after he does this, it becomes apparent that [[spoiler: he was ''meant'' to get caught in order to save the lives of his girlfriend Alisha and their friends Kelly and Simon, all of whom he met while on community service.]]

** In ''Series/StargateSG1'' (and [[Film/{{Stargate}} its movie]]), Jack O'Neill's son's death (he shot himself with Jack's own gun) is a major angst point, and it's clear that Jack blames himself for what's happened. However, it was because of Jack's suicidal depression in the movie that he was selected to go through the Stargate, and his history with the Stargate is what brings him back in the series. If his son hadn't died, SG-1 as we know it wouldn't have existed. And let's not even speculate what would have happened in episodes like Lost City, without the easy availability of, say, Jack's [[spoiler: Ancient Technology Activation gene]].

* ''VideoGame/BrokTheInvestiGator'' has multiple endings, with one labeled as "Canonical". However, the path to reach this ending requires protagonists Brok and Graf to actually fail their main goals at key moments, as the actions they take afterwards to fix their mistakes uncover vital information about Brok's case; if they instead succeed, it usually leads to a different ending where at least one of their friends suffers as a result.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Zuko spends most of the show angsting about his banishment, scar and what a [[WellDoneSonGuy disappointment he's been to his father]]. Finally, [[spoiler: at his HeelFaceTurn, he tells his father that the banishment was the greatest thing he ever could have done. It allowed Zuko to see the evil the war inflicted, have a HeelRealization, and realize that he could make his own honor.]]

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' Lucca fails to rescue her mother from being maimed by a machine. Her failure drives her to become a mechanical genius, so that she will never fail again. [[spoiler: If the player manages to save the mother through time travel, she ''still'' studies science and machinery and becomes a mechanical genius - according to Young!Lucca's diary, it's in order to make sure close calls like that never happen again, ultimately averting the trope.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', [[spoiler: Teyrn Loghain decides it's necessary for the battle of Ostagar to be lost, so that the King could be killed in the battle and he could begin his struggle for power.]]

Note, this is not strictly a [[TimeTravelTropes Time Travel Trope]]; sometimes the characters or narrator may simply reference the fail as a part of backstory. But it can indeed be used in time travel stories to demonstrate how removing that downer event can lead to things being much worse on a bigger, different scale. Naturally characters who suffered personally from it and lost everything aren't likely to agree that it was all for the better after all.

A subtrope of the ButterflyOfDoom; this trope is sometimes used to "prove" not why YouCantFightFate, but why you ''[[FantasticAesop shouldn't want to]]''.

Note, this is not strictly a [[TimeTravelTropes Time Travel Trope]]; sometimes the characters or narrator may simply reference the fail as a part of backstory. But it can indeed be used in time travel stories to demonstrate how removing that downer event can lead to things being much worse.

* This line of thinking is the very crux of [[spoiler:Adrian Veidt]]'s master plan in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''.

* ''Literature/{{Middlegame}}'': Roger and Dodger can rewind time but don't have RippleEffectProofMemory. At the finale, they learn [[YouAlreadyChangedThePast just how many times they reset their lives]] and realize that all the tragedies they endured, from the murder of a friend to accidentally [[PersonOfMassDestruction causing a catastrophic earthquake]], were probably ''still'' the best-case scenario.

* Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted to be a race-car driver, but a near-fatal crash preempted that career path. He turned his attention to making movies instead. Then, in the mid-70s, Lucas wanted to do a feature-film version of ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'', so he set out to acquire its rights. But when he was outbid by Dino [=DeLaurentiis=], [[StartMyOwn he decided to create]] [[Franchise/StarWars his own space opera]].

* In the ''VideoGame/Persona5'' series fic ''Fanfic/StartAgain'', while Haru loathes the idea of letting Kamoshida remain active, she decides to let his Palace and thus his perverted desires remain standing.Thus is because the Place was the earliest known location where Morgana met Akira and Ryuji, and might be the only place where the latter two and Ann can regain their Personas and/or their memories of the future.

* In the ''VideoGame/Persona5'' series fic ''Fanfic/StartAgain'', while Haru loathes the idea of letting Kamoshida remain active, she has to let his palace remain standing. It's because that palace was the earliest known location where Morgana met Akira and Ryuji, and might be the only place where the latter two and Ann can regain their Personas and/or their memories of the future.

** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E15Tapestry Tapestry]]", Captain Picard expresses regret for his hot-headed ways which led to him getting stabbed in a bar fight. Of course, he learns that if not for that bar fight, he wouldn't have become TheCaptain that everybody came to know and love.
** Played with this again in "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E15YesterdaysEnterprise Yesterday's Enterprise]]" where it is discovered that the destruction of an earlier Enterprise[[note]]The featured ship was the -D, the earlier Enterprise was the -C.[[/note]] helped lead to peace between the Klingons and the Federation.

** The difference between Ace Rimmer (what a guy!) and the loser Rimmer is that Ace was held back in school one year. It made him determined to succeed.
** Also, ''Tikka To Ride'' speculates on what would have happened had Oswald's attempt to assassinate UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy been unsuccessful. The answer is not pretty.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "The City on the Edge of Forever", Kirk prevents his LoveInterest Edith Keeler from being hit by a car, only to discover that she would go on to campaign against the US getting involved in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which would in turn give UsefulNotes/NaziGermany the opportunity to develop the atomic bomb and use it to win the war. He then realizes that he has to let her die in order to prevent millions more deaths.

** In the episode "Tapestry", Captain Picard expresses regret for his hot-headed ways which led to him getting stabbed in a bar fight. Of course, he learns that if not for that bar fight, he wouldn't have become TheCaptain that everybody came to know and love.
** Played with this again in the episode "Yesterday's Enterprise" where it is discovered that the destruction of an earlier Enterprise[[note]]The featured ship was the -D, the earlier Enterprise was the -C.[[/note]] helped lead to peace between the Klingons and the Federation.