History Main / PreSacrificeFinalGoodbye

* In ''Film/WonderWoman'', before [[spoiler: Steve Trevor]] takes down a plane carrying the new mustard gas, he says goodbye to Diana. The audience doesn't actually hear what he says until she remembers it later.

* Before Literature/HarryPotter goes to make his HeroicSacrifice, he says good-bye in his own way to Ron and Hermione, but doesn't say anything to Ginny because he's afraid he'll change his mind if he does.

* In ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'' (and the Biblical account it was based on) Jesus is disappointed that He can't say good-bye to His disciples because they all fall asleep again every time He wakes them up (three).

Often times, a HeroicSacrifice is performed with no fanfare, no comment. Sometimes there's no time for a farewell. Sometimes saying goodbye would mean nobody would let you go. Whatever the reason, there's no goodbye. The hero dies, saves the day, and there is no closure. The viewer might think, "[[BigWhat What?]] They {{never got to say goodbye}}. They died for this and they couldn't even have a last moment with their LoveInterest[=/=]TrueCompanions[=/=]LoyalAnimalCompanion? What a gyp!"

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Shepard gets the opportunity to talk to almost all of their past party members just before the last battle in London, and Shepard later gets a heart-to-heart with Anderson as the latter dies from his injuries. The Extended Cut also added a final BigDamnKiss between Shepard and their love interest just before the part where Shepard is forced to limp towards the Citadel.

Compare IfIDoNotReturn, where the {{Hero}}'s death is not certain and they're asking someone else to pass on a message to their loved one(s) if they die. Also related to DeadManWriting (where the character leaves a final message behind rather than delivering it in person). See also ItHasBeenAnHonor.

* ''Film/StarTrek''. The introduction, where Kirk Sr. goes [[GoingDownWithTheShip Down With The Ship]] to ensure that his crew, along with his wife and newborn son, can escape alive. He gets to hear his son's voice and even gets to name him, before dying.
* ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''. After Spock exposes himself to a lethal dose of radiation to save the Enterprise from the detonation of the Genesis Device, he and Captain Kirk have a talk about their friendship with each other.

* Before Literture/HarryPotter goes to make his HeroicSacrifice, he says good-bye in his own way to Ron and Hermione, but doesn't say anything to Ginny because he's afraid he'll change his mind if he does.

[[folder: Film Animated ]]

[[folder: Film Live Action ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]
* ''Manga/{{Dragonball}}'':
** During a brief pause in his losing battle against Majin Buu, Vegeta hugs his son Trunks and tells him that he loves him and Bulma and then promptly knocks Trunks and Goten unconscious to prevent them from attempting to intervene. He also speaks with Piccolo who informs him that he will most likely be going to Hell rather than paradise as Goku did before him. Once Piccolo and Krillin get the boys away, Vegeta goes through with his self-destruction gambit in an attempt to take Fat Buu with him. Just before Vegeta takes his dying breath he gives a heartfelt dedication to Goku.
** And speaking of Goku, he too also delivers a final goodbye his son, though it is downplayed in comparison to the prior example given that time was a factor, before transporting himself and Cell to King Kai's planet to prevent the latter from succeeding in a self-detonation attack to kill billions of people.

[[AC:FilmAnimated]]

[[AC:FilmLiveAction]]
* ''Film/TheAbyss''. After Bud uses the experimental liquid-breathing suit to descend to more than 17,000 feet underwater, he succeeds in de-fusing the nuclear warhead. He tells his ex-wife over the radio that he only has five minutes of oxygen left, so he can't possibly make it back alive, and she starts to lose it. His last words to her are "I love you, wife." [[spoiler:The aliens do save him, but that was an unexpected development.]]
* ''Film/{{Armageddon}}''. Harry Stamper, in lieu of allowing his daughter's fiancée to die on the asteroid, takes his place, with a final goodbye to Grace before.
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger''. The climax of the film, where Steve crashes the plane to prevent it from reaching its target. He and Peggy have some tearful banter over the radio.
* ''Film/StarTrek''. The introduction, where Kirk Sr. goes [[GoingDownWithTheShip Down With The Ship]] to ensure that his crew, along with his wife and newborn son, can escape alive. He gets to hear his son's voice and even gets to name him, before dying.
* ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''. After Spock exposes himself to a lethal dose of radiation to save the Enterprise from the detonation of the Genesis Device, he and Captain Kirk have a talk about their friendship with each other.
* ''Film/IndependenceDay''. {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The alien ship is about to destroy Area 51 with its primary weapon and all of the attacking jets are out of missiles. Just before pilot Russell Casse performs a kamikaze attack to ram the ship and destroy it, he asks the ground controllers to tell his children that he loves them very much. His son is present in the control room and hears him.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward kisses Oreg on the forehead before killing him. Not as bad as it sounds; Oreg is magically bound to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild castle Hurog]], which is being invaded at the moment. His existence had happy moments, but is overall more of a fate worse than death. He can't even commit suicide, which is why Ward has to do this for him.
* In ''[[Literature/TheBelgariad Polgara the Sorceress]]'', Polgara is forced to abandon her lover Ontrose as Vo Wacune is burned to the ground, because her own duchy, Erat, will be the next target and she has to protect her subjects. Ontrose reminds her of her responsibilities as a Duchess, and they share a final kiss before parting. Later, Polgara is informed that Ontrose died in battle.
* In ''[[Literature/HonorHarrington The Short Victorious War]]'', Captain Helen Zilwicki is escorting a civilian convoy which includes her husband and daughter when a vastly superior enemy force appears. She nearly skips the chance to say goodbye, because she knows that the rest of the crew also have loved ones they'll never see again and can't call, but her officers convince her that no one will mind, under the circumstances.
* Before Literture/HarryPotter goes to make his HeroicSacrifice, he says good-bye in his own way to Ron and Hermione, but doesn't say anything to Ginny because he's afraid he'll change his mind if he does.

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfSupermanS1E21TheHumanBomb The Human Bomb]]", ComicBook/JimmyOlsen calls his date Miriam to tell her he loves her and he may not be able to make their next date before trying to save Lois from the VillainOfTheWeek.
* Doyle says goodbye to Angel and Cordelia in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' before sacrificing himself to turn off the DeathRay. He's later shown to have passed his visions to Cordelia when he kissed her.
* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' season 5 finale, before Buffy sacrifices herself by jumping into the portal, she whsipers her last words to her sister Dawn, and a message for the rest of the team, this being narrated after she dies.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] the 10th Doctor has received a lethal dose of radiation and will shortly regenerate (which he explicitly compares to dying), yet he finds the time to visit all his companions that are still in this reality one more time before he regenerates.
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': In the Season 1 finale battle John goes to fly a suicide mission but gets a final moment with his co-leader and [[{{UnresolvedSexualTension}} friend Elizabeth who begs him not to do it.]] The pair spent the season protecting their city from every horror in the galaxy with only the other to depend on and you can literally see her break when she realizes his death is the only way to save their people. John waits and then...she lets him go. Major tearjerker.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* In the song "Space Oddity" by Music/DavidBowie, Major Tom asks Ground Control to "Tell my wife I love her very much."

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', the Warden is given a chance to say goodbye to their teammates before heading off to battle the Archdemon. Unless certain measures are taken beforehand, the Warden dies during the final battle.
** An additional one happens before the party delivers the killing blow to the Archdemon in the final battle. Alistair [[spoiler:(or Loghain, if recruited)]] and the Warden must decide which of them is to die to neutralize the Archdemon's soul with their own. Whomever is chosen (unless Alistair is romanced, in which case he insists that it be him) gets a final goodbye in before charging the dragon. [[spoiler:However, if you took Morrigan's deal before TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, no such scene takes place and the Warden always delivers the final strike.]]
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Shepard gets the opportunity to talk to almost all of their past party members just before the last battle in London, and Shepard later gets a heart-to-heart with Anderson as the latter dies from his injuries. The Extended Cut also added a final BigDamnKiss between Shepard and their love interest just before the part where Shepard is forced to limp towards the Citadel.
* Subverted and PlayedForLaughs in the end of the ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' prologue: As the Boss climbs the nuclear missile to disarm it before it gains enough altitude, ''I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'' begins to play (in a direct homage to a similar HeroicSacrifice scene from ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'') as the other Saints take turns to say tearful goodbyes to their leader. Completely unfazed, the Boss tears up the missile and leaps off, crashing through the roof into the Oval Office perfectly unharmed.
* If certain dialogue options are taken during the final confrontation of ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the Nameless One gets a chance to speak with his friends one last time and bid them farewell before [[spoiler:going to Hell for all eternity to atone for his First Incarnation's horrendous crimes]].

[[AC: {{Webcomics}}]]
* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': Since Faith couldn't save all of her [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil fellow council members]] from [[spoiler:[[EvilRedhead Cerise]]]]'s spell circle, she elected to at least save her secretary, Sandi. Faith only had enough time to [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/the_other_half say a few parting words]], before she and the others were [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/save_artemis mass teleported]] to their UncertainDoom.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistConquerorOfShamballa'' has [[spoiler:Ed bid farewell to Al (and Mustang), asking him to say goodbye and thanks to Winry as well, before leaving for the other universe to destroy their side of the portal while having Al stay behind to close their world's side of the portal]]. [[spoiler:Ends up not lasting, since Al sneaks into the other world with him while Mustang does the job for Al.]]

Often times, a HeroicSacrifice is performed with no fanfare, no comment. Sometimes there's no time for a farewell. Sometimes saying goodbye would mean nobody would let you go. Whatever the reason, there's no goodbye. The hero dies, saves the day, and there is no closure. The viewer might think, "[[BigWhat What?]] They NeverGotToSayGoodbye. They died for this and they couldn't even have a last moment with their LoveInterest[=/=]TrueCompanions[=/=]LoyalAnimalCompanion? What a gyp!"

* In ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfSupermanS1E21TheHumanBomb The Human Bomb]]", ComicBook/JimmyOlsen calls his girlfriend Miriam to tell her he loves her and he may not be able to make their next date before trying to save Lois from the VillainOfTheWeek.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] the 10th Doctor has received a leathal dose of radiation and will shortly regenerate (which he explicitly compares to dying), yet he finds the time to visit all his companions that are still in this reality one more time before he regenerates.
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': In the Season 1 finale battle John goes to fly a suicide mission but gets a final moment with his co-leader and [[{{UnresolvedSexualTension}} friend Elizabeth who begs him not to do it.]] The pair spent the season protecting their city from every horror in the galaxy with only the other to depend on and you can literally see her break when she realizes his death is the only way to save their people. John waits and then...she let's him go. Major tearjerker.

* In ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'' (and the Biblical account it was based on) Jesus is disappointed that he can't say good-bye to his disciples because they're all asleep. (He can raise the dead but he can't wake up someone who's sleeping?)

Compare IfIDoNotReturn, where the {{Hero}}'s death is not certain and they're asking someone else to pass on a message to their loved one(s) if they die. Also related to DeadManWriting (where the character leaves a final message behind rather than delivering it in person).

Often times, a HeroicSacrifice is performed with no fanfare, no comment. Sometimes there's no time for a farewell. Sometimes saying goodbye would mean nobody would let you go. Whatever the reason, there's no goodbye. The hero dies, saves the day, and there is no closure. The viewer might think, "[[BigWhat What?]] They {{never got to say goodbye}}. They died for this and they couldn't even have a last moment with their LoveInterest[=/=]TrueCompanions[=/=]LoyalAnimalCompanion? What a gyp!"

* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'': After [[spoiler: Bing Bong]] and Joy attempt to get out of the memory dump using the "rocket" twice and fail both times, [[spoiler: Bing Bong]] tells Joy to try just one more time, because said character thinks it'll work this time. Before the rocket can take off, they jump from it, lightening the load enough for Joy to make it out. By the time Joy realizes what has been done, she's out and said character is still stuck in the dump. The two share some final words before [[spoiler: Bing Bong]] fades away, with said character encouraging her to fix things.

* ''Film/IndependenceDay''. {{Downplayed}}. The alien ship is about to destroy Area 51 with its primary weapon and all of the attacking jets are out of missiles. Just before pilot Russell Casse performs a kamikaze attack to ram the ship and destroy it, he asks the ground controllers to tell his children that he loves them very much. His son is present in the control room and hears him.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Die, Hippie, Die", just as they are about to embark on [[ItMakesSenseInContext a journey drilling through a dense hippie crowd]], Randy Marsh says goodbye to Sharon, Linda Stotch says goodbye to Butters, Chef (the designated sacrificial black man) says goodbye to his women, and [[SelfDemonstrating/EricCartman Cartman]] says goodbye to... [[CompanionCube his stuffed animal, Clyde Frog]].

* Before Literture/HarryPotter goes to make his HeroicSacrafice, he says good-bye in his own way to Ron and Hermione, but doesn't say anything to Ginny because he's afraid he'll change his mind if he does.