History Main / PostClimaxConfrontation

* Firstly, the major threat of the day MUST be resolved. The BigBad is defeated, or there is at least no sign that he survived just yet, there is no sign of TheManBehindTheMan, no other hidden enemies waiting somewhere nearby to ambush the heroes. Examples of this trope are rarely the BigBad, though all four of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' examples are famous exceptions and are instead typically an independent force.

* ''Franchise/KamenRider'' does this with the Neo-Heisei shows save for ''[[Series/KamenRiderOOO OOO]]'' and ''[[Series/KamenRiderFourze Fourze]]''. ''[[Series/KamenRiderDouble Double]]'' has the Energy Dopant, ''[[Series/KamenRiderWizard Wizard]]'' has Amadum, and ''[[Series/KamenRiderGaim Gaim]]'' has [[spoiler:Kougane]].

* Even the ''Franchise/Godzilla'' franchise has officially gotten in on the usage of this trope a few times before:

** In ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'', after Godzilla and his friends successfully defeat his arch-nemesis, King Ghidorah, the humans soon suddenly end up battling a "burning monster" that's really just another UFO, and then they soon successfully defeat their extraterrestrial enemies once they hit with a freeze-ray of sorts.

** In ''Film/AlienCovanent'', after the successful disposal of the first Protomorph, a second one gets successfully birthed right aboard the ''Covanent'', forcing Captain Daniels to have to [[ThrownOutTheAirlock throw him right on out of the starship's main airlock]] within the easily most common Xenomorph specimen disposal fashion found anywhere within the franchise as a whole so far.

** In ''Film/{{Alien:Covanent}}'', after the successful disposal of the first Protomorph, a second one gets successfully birthed right aboard the ''Covanent'', forcing Captain Daniels to have to [[ThrownOutTheAirlock throw him right on out of the starship's main airlock]] within the easily most common Xenomorph specimen disposal fashion found anywhere within the franchise as a whole so far.

** In ''Film/{{AlienCovanent}}'', after the successful disposal of the first Protomorph, a second one gets successfully birthed right aboard the ''Covanent'', forcing Captain Daniels to have to [[ThrownOutTheAirlock throw him right on out of the starship's main airlock]] within the easily most common Xenomorph specimen disposal fashion found anywhere within the franchise as a whole so far.

* Every single installment of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' Quadrilogy features one of these for our heroes just as it seems that they have already managed to escape any and all further encounters with the franchise's titular Xenomorph species:

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' in ''The Angels Take Manhattan''. Amy and Rory get sent back 50+ years in the past just as it seems that everything's fine...

Naturally, all of these examples are '''major spoilers'''.

* Fourthly, as this is a twist trope, the final confrontation must be sudden and unexpected, and though the antagonist being confronted in question may or may not have had foreshadowing that he or she would be confronted, it is exactly ''when'' the conflict occurs that is oh so surprising since the plot and character threads are already being tied up.

A particularly extreme version of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle that occurs just when the plot seems ready to be over. In order for a particular plot point found within a story to be considered a proper example of a Post-Climax Confrontation, the event must initially follow these five distinct points of criteria:
* First, the major threat of the day MUST be resolved. The BigBad is defeated, or there is at least no sign that he survived just yet, there is no sign of TheManBehindTheMan, no other hidden enemies waiting somewhere nearby to ambush the heroes. Examples of this trope are rarely the BigBad, though all four of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' examples are famous exceptions and are instead typically an independent force.
* Second, this conflict ''must'' be settled within the very same installment of the franchise that the work is a part of, and if the event simply leads into a new conflict that later instead gets settled within the very next installment, or if it just results in a CliffHanger, it will not count.
* Third, which is the crucial bit: there must be closure since plot threads and character arcs are already being tied up, and in stories that feature traveling parties of characters, the parties have typically begun to split off, returning to their homelands, and as a result of such, the Post-Climax Confrontation found within those types of stories generally only happens to a select few of the given characters instead of the whole entire group all at once.
* Fourth, as this is a twist trope, the final confrontation must be sudden and unexpected, and though the antagonist being confronted in question may or may not have had foreshadowing that he or she would be confronted, it is exactly ''when'' the conflict occurs that is oh so surprising since the plot and character threads are already being tied up.
* And fifth and finally, this is always the final confrontation, meaning that there are no more conflicts after this last surviving threat has been eliminated for good.

But sometimes, writers like to throw in one last confrontation. Perhaps TheDragon assaults the heroes in one last attempt to kill them, or the BigBad has a final form that took a while to set up. No matter how it occurs, our heroes will have to battle one more time before the day is saved.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'', Eggs and the boxtrolls have defeated Archibald Snatcher's SpiderTank and exposed his lies about the boxtrolls being baby-eating monsters... when Snatcher emerges from [[ItMakesSenseInContext the remains of a giant cheese wheel]], [[GRatedDrug drunk on one of his]] [[BodyHorror "cheese fits"]], and holds Winnie hostage, blackmailing Lord Portley-Rind into handing over his hat and escorting Snatcher to his exclusive "tasting room". [[spoiler: Fortunately, Snatcher's [[DeathByGluttony cheese obsession]] [[SelfDisposingVillain proves to be his own undoing]].]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}: Bender's Big Score'', after the climactic space battle against the scammer aliens (which ended with their ship being destroyed by a doomsday device), their leader Nudar comes back, having survived thanks to a [[AppliedPhlebotinum doom-proof platinum vest]] to make a last attempt to gain the [[TimeTravel time code]]. [[spoiler:Lars [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]] to kill Nudar.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'', when Springfield has been saved and everything seems to be fine again, Russ Cargill comes out of nowhere with a shotgun and attempts to kill Homer and Bart. [[spoiler:Maggie knocks out Russ with a large boulder, luckily.]]

* In ''Film/RedDawn2012'', after the Wolverines defeat [[BigBad Captain Cho]] and the North Koreans as well as recover the suitcase, [[spoiler: [[LastBreathBullet the North Koreans suddenly attack the Wolverines]] and [[TheHeroDies kill Jed Eckert]], but the remaining Wolverines manage to escape.]]

* In the Creator/LiamNeeson movie ''Film/RunAllNight'', [[spoiler: after Jimmy Conlon [[StormingTheCastle invaded the pub]] and killed [[BigBad Shawn Maguire]] and his men in a shootout, he returns to his son Mike and his family, only to be fatally wounded by [[PsychoForHire Mr. Price]], a professional assassin hired by Maguire earlier and whom Jimmy spared in a BattleAmongstTheFlames. Jimmy eventually kills Mr. Price via BoomHeadshot before succumbing to his wounds.]]

* At the end of the ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' "Islands" mini-series, Finn and the gang still need to get past the Colossus, even though [[spoiler:Minerva]] has long since abandoned their [[AntiVillain "villainous"]] plans.

* In ''{{Film/Venom(2018)}}'', an armed criminal attempts to rob Ms. Chen's convenience store one final time following the Riot Symbiote's death, only for the titular Venom Symbiote to eat him alive upon encountering him just before the film's end credits.

* In ''Film/Venom(2018)'', an armed criminal attempts to rob Ms. Chen's convenience store one final time following the Riot Symbiote's death, only for the titular Venom Symbiote to eat him alive upon encountering him just before the film's end credits.

* In ''Film/{{Alien}}'', Ellen Ripley at first seemingly escapes from "Big Chap" aka "Kane's Son" the Xenomorph Drone aboard the Narcissus life-boat, only for him to eerily make his presence known one final time by unsuccessfully reaching out with one of his six-fingered hands and attempting to grab onto Ripley, also prompting her to throw him right out of the nearby airlock using a harpoon-gun.

** In ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'', Ripley successfully kills off the lone Xenomorph Runner specimen known as the "Dragon" in using a combination of molten lead and freezing sprinkler water, only for a man who resembles the Bishop Android along with a number of Weyland-Yutani soldiers to come and confront her regarding a Royal Chestburster currently incubating right inside of her, but rather than hand the new Xenomorph Queen embryo inside her over to the Weyland-Yutani Coorporation, she instead chooses to throw herself right on down into the molten lead furnace below herself.

* In ''Film/JurassicParkIII'', [[spoiler: after Alan and Paul successfully scare off the ''Spinosaurus'' for good by lighting their boat's fuel on fire, the next day as the group is about to escape, they are confronted by a few raptors, until Alan confuses them and Amanda surrenders the stolen eggs to them.]]

* In ''Film/{{Alien}}'', Ellen Ripley at first seemingly escapes from "Big Chap" aka "Kane's Son" the Xenomorph Drone aboard the Narcissus life-boat, only for him to eerily make his presence known one final time by unsuccessfully reaching out with one of his six-fingered hands and attempting to grab onto Ripley, also prompting her to throw him out of the airlock using a harpoon-gun.
** In ''Film/{{Aliens}}, A somewhat similar scenario occurs where in which Ripley seemingly escapes the Xenomorph menace again, only for the First Acheron Queen to stab her dangerously barbed tail right on through the Bishop Android's torso and also split him right in half, prompting Ripley to throw the First Acheron Queen right out of the USS Sulaco's main floor airlock using a P-5000-Powered-Work-Loader this time around.
** ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' also ends with this. [[spoiler: After killing the Alien, Ripley is confronted by a man who resembles Bishop, as well as Weyland-Yutani soldiers. Rather than hand the Alien inside her over to the Company, she instead opts to throw herself into the furnace.]]

As an audience, we expect a story to be played out in a certain order: {{exposition}}, RisingAction, [[TheClimax climax]], falling action, and {{denouement}}. In many stories, the climax also serves as the FinalBattle. The events that occur afterward are normally devoid of action, serving to tie up any loose ends and create a satisfying ending.

* The final confrontation between Ripley and the Xenomorph in ''Film/{{Alien}}'', the Xenomorph Queen in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' and the Newborn in ''Film/AlienResurrection'' definitely qualify. All occur after the protagonists appear to have escaped.

A particularly extreme version of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle that occurs just when the plot seems ready to be over. In order for a particular plot point found within a story to be considered an example of a Post-Climax Confrontation, the event must initially follow five distinct points of criteria:

* Second, this conflict ''must'' be settled within the very same installment of the franchise that the work is a part of, and if the event simply leads into a new conflict later settled within the very next installment, or if it just results in a CliffHanger, it will not count.
* Third, which is the crucial bit: there must be closure since plot threads and character arcs are already being tied up, and in stories that feature a traveling party of characters, the party has typically begun to split off, returning to their homelands, and as a result of such, the Post-Climax Confrontation in those types of stories generally happens to a select few of the given characters instead of the whole entire group.
* Fourth, as this is a twist trope, the final confrontation must be sudden and unexpected, and though the antagonist being confronted in question may or may not have had foreshadowing that he/she would be confronted, it is exactly ''when'' the conflict occurs that is oh so surprising since the plot and character threads are already being tied up.

A particularly extreme version of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle that occurs just when the plot seems ready to be over. To be a Post-Climax Confrontation, the event must follow some criteria:
* The major threat of the day MUST be resolved. The BigBad is defeated (or there's at least no sign that he survived), there's no sign of TheManBehindTheMan, no army waiting outside to defeat the heroes. Examples of this trope are rarely the BigBad (though both of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' examples are exceptions) and are typically an independent force.
* This conflict ''must'' be settled within the same installment of the story. If the event results in a new conflict told within a different installment (or just ends as a CliffHanger), it does not count.
* This is the crucial part: there must be closure. Plot threads and character arcs are being tied up. In stories that have a traveling party of characters, the party has begun to split off, returning to their homelands. The Post-Climax Confrontation in these kinds of stories generally happen to a select few of those characters, rather than the whole group.
* As this is a twist trope, the final confrontation must be sudden and unexpected. The antagonist being confronted in question may or may not have had foreshadowing that he/she would be confronted. It is ''when'' the conflict occurs that's surprising: as the plot and character threads are being tied up.
* Finally, this is a final confrontation: there are no more conflicts after this threat has been taken care of.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'', Eggs and the boxtrolls have defeated Archibald Snatcher's SpiderTank and exposed his lies about the boxtrolls being baby-eating monsters... when Snatcher emerges from [[ItMakesSenseInContext the remains of a giant cheese wheel]], [[GRatedDrug drunk on one of his]] [[BodyHorror "cheese fits"]], and holds Winnie hostage, blackmailing Lord Portley-Rind into handing over his NiceHat and escorting Snatcher to his exclusive "tasting room". [[spoiler: Fortunately, Snatcher's [[DeathByGluttony cheese obsession]] [[SelfDisposingVillain proves to be his own undoing]].]]

* In ''VideoGame/MythTheFallenLords'', you fight and defeat the BigBad in the 24th level, [[NeverTrustATitle which is titled "The Last Battle"]]. Then you are magically teleported for the 25th level into another place where you have to throw the BigBad's head inside a bottomless hole to definitely remove his evil taint from the world. Except his lieautenant Soulblighter is there with a small army, waiting for what remains of the forces of light and seeking to retrieve his boss' head. He fails, only to flee and come back for the sequel as a DragonAscendant.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' naturally has one between the eponymous hero and his longtime rival and best friend, Sasuke Uchiha. After all of the villains have been defeated (with the OverarchingVillain sealed away forever), the only thing left is to free the remaining cast members from the LotusEaterMachine that was inflicted on them by said villains. Since Naruto and Sasuke have some issues they need to work out they decide to have one last fight in the very place where they had their first real fight, to settle things once and for all.