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3%%
4[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whatnowending.png]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:300:Beats us.]]
6
7->'''Shredder:''' As soon as we destroy Splinter and the Turtles, our work will be done!\
8'''Krang:''' And then we will go into reruns!... I guess.
9-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987''
10
11So the series ended with the {{Masquerade}} being lifted, or the [[LastMinuteHookUp couple getting together in the last five seconds of the show]] or otherwise the characters’ one single goal they ever wanted has been fulfilled. The ramifications of this are staggering: after all, how on Earth can the writers depict the consequences?
12
13Solution: they don't. Everyone either lives HappilyEverAfter or has a DownerEnding, but it's not the writer's problem anymore.
14
15Woe to any writer who is suddenly has to answer this question because of a show being unexpectedly UnCanceled.
16
17May overlap with LonelyAtTheTop. Not to be confused with the WhatNowEnding or AndThenWhat See also SoWhatDoWeDoNow or PostScriptSeason.
18
19----
20!!Examples
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22[[foldercontrol]]
23
24[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25* In ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', Sakura and Syaoran are left with a rather large obstacle in their relationship. Syaoran is from a magical family from Hong Kong, and Sakura lives in Japan and quite [[IJustWantToBeNormal content with her idea of a normal life, magical pets notwithstanding.]] Creator/{{CLAMP}} isn't the slightest bit interested in explaining how they manage this. The manga averts this because, in the DistantFinale, it's revealed that after several years of maintaining their relationship long-distance, Syaoran completes the paperwork to move to Japan on a permanent basis, making it more of a [[HappilyEverAfter happily ever after ending.]]
26* Another Creator/{{CLAMP}} example, ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' ended with [[spoiler: all of the servitor robots, or "persocoms" developing sentience.]] How humanity responds to this isn't dealt with. This didn't happen in the manga though.
27* In ''Manga/MakeTheExorcistFallInLove'', Leah is at a loss for what to do after she gets her revenge on [[spoiler:Beelzebub by taking a bite out of him and helping to banish him back to Gehenna]], she's at a loss at what to do. She even considers succumbing to her injuries from the fight and dying. But [[spoiler:the spirits of her family and friends in Heaven all encourage her to keep living and be happy for the times they couldn't.]]
28* ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico''. The end of the series simply dropped multiple plot threads all over the genre board, from sci-fi to political to romantic, and ended with the main couple suddenly coming to terms with their undying love for each other in the last ten minutes. Ruri even [[LampshadeHanging lists the abandoned threads]] and then assure the viewer, "but we're not going to deal with them right now." The hanging ends, unfortunately, were ideal material for the DarkerAndEdgier [[TheMovie Movie]], which it abandoned for [[SpotlightStealingSquad more Ruri]]. A video game, ''Blank of Three Years'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and other material explained what happened in the years since, but naturally [[NoExportForYou none of it ever left Japan]].
29* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' ended with Ranma and Akane running to school together. It is implied that Ranma and Akane will eventually get together. How they're supposed to do that, though, is something Creator/RumikoTakahashi wasn't interested in showing (probably because, when asked, she [[WordOfGod explicitly stated]] that Ranma and Akane were the [[OfficialCouple only true couple]] in the series).
30* For ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' fans, one of the most fascinating things about the series is that it contains so ''many'' of these events, but always takes up the challenge to show what comes next. Two of these come from the "three-shows-in-one" nature of the series, of course, but one of the biggest Now What moments happens two thirds of the way through the original ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' segment. The show is really worth watching to learn how to write without succumbing to the easy way out (that is, just declaring "The End"), and to always address the ''consequences'' of the events you have written.
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:ComicBooks]]
34* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' ends this way: although TheReveal (actually a series of revelations) resolved a whole lot of plot points: Dr. Manhattan, who's in a position to know this kind of thing, claims that nothing ever ''really'' ends. The {{Denouement}} apparently bears out his claim: the world is now just barely politically stabilized under a fragile peace accord that may or may not last, the costumed vigilantes Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk are still at large and plying their trade under new identities for how much longer no one can be sure, and a certain journal that a very minor character may or may not be about to discover may or may not ultimately blow the lid off the huge secret these costumed vigilantes are keeping from the rest of the world. It's deliberately left up to the reader to speculate what's going to happen next.
35* For years, one of the main driving plots of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'' was that Bruce Banner had to keep his identity as the Hulk a secret. Then one day, unthinkably, he failed, and the world found out. And the comic kept right on going.
36** Another Now What moment happened in TheEighties, when it was stated that Banner's personality was dead, that the Hulk had become a truly mindless monster, and ComicBook/DoctorStrange had to exile him from our universe entirely. Seriously, that issue reads like a definitive "last issue." ''Yet the comic kept right on going, showing what the mindless Hulk was doing outside our universe.'' This lasted the better part of a year. Eventually Creator/BillMantlo cut Banner some slack and let his personality resurface, though, allowing a return to more-or-less the [[StatusQuoIsGod status quo.]]
37[[/folder]]
38
39[[folder:{{Film}}]]
40* While the first ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'' movie ended normally, [[Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy the second]] finished with [[spoiler: the entirety of the non-normal BPRD quitting and Liz revealing she was actually pregnant with twins. No clue how a half-demon, a pyrokinetic, and an icthyosapien are going to lead "normal lives" or what Krauss is going to be doing]]. Apparently del Toro had intentions for a sequel to the sequel, however, so he may just be leaving it open.
41* At the end of the movie ''Film/TheGraduate'', after [[spoiler: Benjamin rescues Elaine from her wedding and they flee on a bus, the camera holds on them for an uncomfortably long time, emphasizing the "now what?" nature of the ending.]] A play and a (separate) movie attempt to tell what happened right after the end and a generation later, respectively.
42* By midway through the 2008 ''Film/IronMan1'' movie, Tony Stark has a portable clean energy source which could completely revolutionize global society, ''plus'' an AI which could pass the Turing Test if it cared to try. The scene after the end credits strongly implied that [[spoiler: the next movie will feature him and Samuel L. Jackson beating people up]]. This is finally dealt with in ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', in which Iron Man's arc opens with Stark finally putting the finishing touches on a revolutionary clean energy generator. Though it is not directly stated, it's implied that the worldwide response to this was enormous. The development at least caused enough waves that that the BigBad (who is not only from space but spends most of his planning stage in a bunker somewhere cut off from the rest of the world) heard about it enough to make comments and [[spoiler: incorporate it into his plans.]] Tony wants to put more research into the larger arc reactors which could be used as power plants, but the miniaturized reactor is so easily applicable to ''weapons'' technology that Tony won't risk selling it. [[spoiler: The sequel shows that this is completely justified.]] Also, the ''Iron Man'' movies do indeed avert ReedRichardsIsUseless. Technology in general in the Marvel Movie Universe is quite a bit more advanced thanks to the nigh superhuman genius of Tony and his father [[spoiler: and, to give credit where credit is due, Vanko]].
43* The ending of ''[[Film/THX1138 THX-1138]]''. The title character manages to escape the underground city, and the ending has him standing in the middle of what appears to be an empty wasteland.
44* ''Film/{{Melody|SWALK}} [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067418/ (1971)]]'' ends with Daniel Latimer and Melody Perkins escaping from the adults' raid on their wedding and cranking themselves down the railroad track on a trolley. However, this "man" and his "wife" are only ten years old! No government is going to recognize their marriage legally. They barely even know anything about kissing, let alone sex. So what kind of honeymoon are they going to have? [[FigureItOutYourself Good question.]]
45* ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068334/ The Candidate]]'': A naive lawyer learns how hard it is to win, and learns about the machine. "Marvin ... What do we do now?"
46* A very positive example, ''Film/FiftyFifty2011'' ends with this exact line -- a tremendous relief that it can even be asked after having just survived cancer.
47* ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth'' has a DownerEnding, no doubt about that. But [[spoiler: Thomas, though he failed his mission and lost everything important to him, is still alive. He has money, and even his alcoholism won't kill him any time soon -- he might live for centuries]]. So...now what?
48* ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' saw two main characters and many recurring characters being killed off, the EvilEmpire exposed, and the BigBad of the movie emasculated. With no further motivation, the characters simply head out into the Great Whatever.
49* Similarly in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', after defeating the BigBad, and receiving great honors, the team gets back into their ship, and is left with this question.
50* At the end of ''Film/ForceTenFromNavarone'', the Force Ten team has successfully destroyed the bridge that the Germans needed to assault the partisan base. Unfortunately, that leaves them on the German side of a now-uncrossable river, with all their allies on the other side of the river. They're also behind enemy lines in the middle of Yugoslavia, with the nearest Allied front being in northern Italy, and they used up all their gear during the mission. So now what?
51* ''Film/LosCronocrimenes'': It is indeed very interesting what Hector is going to [[spoiler: say to the police arriving during the very last scene regarding the presence of the dead body and his extremely bruised face. Not that he seemed to care much by then, anyway.]]
52* Inigo's last line in ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' is commenting on how he's spent his entire life training for and/or seeking revenge against Count Rugen, and now that he's gotten it he doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life. Westley suggests taking on the mantle of the Dread Pirate Roberts, since he's planning to retire from the role.
53* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': After getting his house to Paradise Falls, Carl goes back inside and just sits in his armchair blankly staring at nothing. After accomplishing his childhood dream, Carl doesn’t know what else to do, especially since Ellie isn’t with him to enjoy reaching Paradise Falls.
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
57* The ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' finale played this one perfectly straight. In the last scene, Xander lays it all out for Buffy: [[spoiler: the Hellmouth is closed forever and Buffy isn't special any more, doesn't have any destiny]]... so now what? The last shot of the series is Buffy starting to grin as she realizes that for maybe the first time since she picked up a stake, the answer to that is totally up to her. And of course, the question was answered in the Season Eight comics.
58* ''Series/TheWestWing'''s "What's next?"
59* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'':
60** When Baltar is found not guilty of treason against humanity at the end of the third season, he is basically now alone in the universe; he doesn't get to go back to his cell (he's no longer a prisoner), he will probably never be trusted again (by the Colonials), and he has no want (or desire) to contact the Cylon fleet (which would probably be considered another act of treason.) Luckily for him, the women's "church" of the one God show up out of nowhere.
61** The DirectToVideo film, ''The Plan'', reveals that the Cylons had no contingency for the failure of the attempted [[KillAllHumans extermination of humanity]] in the [[BackdoorPilot miniseries]]. Creator/RonaldDMoore insisted that they include the opening TagLine in every episode of the regular series, but never actually decided what said plan was. David Eick was against this idea from the start, and still says it was stupid.
62* The phrase was used in one episode of ''Series/TheRedGreenShow''. After losing a contest to get a new town monument, Possum Lodge winds up in possession of the old one, a [=WW2=] army tank. They take it back to the lodge where Harold asks this. Red eventually finds an answer: fix it up and take it for a joy ride!
63* RealityShow ''Series/RiverMonsters'' ended because star Jeremy Wade was able to catch essentially every [[TheCatfish exceptionally large freshwater fish species]] on Earth, leaving no remaining content for the show.
64* From the sixth season of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' onward, following the Winchester brothers stopping the Apocalypse, many of the dark entities they encounter have no idea what to do now and are forced to make up new plans since [[ThreadOfProphecySevered they were meant to appear in a post-apocalyptic world]].
65* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': In "An 8-Bit Princess and a Flat Tire Genius", after beating the video game, Sheldon and Connie celebrate, but then Sheldon asks this, realizing that now they don't have a reason to spend time together anymore...so Connie just suggests that they buy another video game.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:{{Literature}}]]
69* ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'': Hoorah, we've defeated the Martian invasion! That's the last we'll see of them! Well, until they invent disinfectant, anyway. This was answered in an unauthorized sequel, ''Literature/EdisonsConquestOfMars''
70* Several of the Discworld books have this, perhaps most notably ''Literature/InterestingTimes'' and ''Literature/GoingPostal'', possibly due to the fact that the central characters were semi-nomadic in their lifestyles but are now stuck in positions of authority.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:ProfessionalWrestling]]
74* When [[Wrestling/{{WWERAW}} Raw]] went on strike on October 10, 2011, Wrestling/TripleH found himself with only Wrestling/JohnCena, Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}, and Wrestling/CMPunk active on the roster. Once that was established, CM Punk was the one to say "What do we do now?"
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:VideoGames]]
78* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' was supposed to end with the main cast flying away from Malachor V in the ''Ebon Hawk''. Atton would then ask the Exile "So...where're we going now?"
79* At the end of ''VideoGame/Portal2'', [[spoiler:Chell, and her Weighted Companion Cube, are finally released from the facility by [=GLaDOS=]. The only problem? It's ''several hundred years'' in the future, there's no sign of humanity, and [[VideoGame/HalfLife2 the Combine]] might still be around.]] The fact that she's a HeroicMime won't help much, either. The "Art Therapy" DLC at least [[spoiler:reveals there are other humans out there.]]
80* Yuriko's campaign in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 - Uprising'' ends with [[spoiler:Yuriko killing Izumi in self-defense, then flying out of the facility, landing on a hilltop, and wondering what to do next.]]
81%%* In ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}} 2: Lunatea's Veil,'' it's strongly hinted that Klonoa has divine blood and that his forced wanderings are serving some greater purpose. The game ends just as he's being drawn out of Lunatea. FALSE INFO -> Namco never released another ''Klonoa'' game.
82* ''VideoGame/UltimaIV'' is ''entirely made'' of this trope. See, in all previous ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' games, you defeated supreme evil... and now there are no more bad guys to fight aside from random monsters in dungeons. What's your goal? To become a Messiah!
83* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' ends on this note. Batman simply leaves the city [[spoiler:carrying ComicBook/TheJoker's poisoned corpse out with him]], leaving a crowd of prisoners, citizens, and GCPD members alike to wonder exactly what happened in the city during the past twelve hours.
84* ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'' has an achievement that can be earned for completing every challenge on every map in the game, called "What Else Ya Got?"
85* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda:'' After beating the BigBad, Ryder can talk with their teammates. Nakmor Drack is the only one considering this, wondering whether to go to the krogan colony on Elaaden and settle down, or stay with Ryder in the knowledge they'll inevitably find some trouble. He decides on the later.
86* In ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' the orc warboss Azhag the Slaughterer is repeatedly urged by his [[ArtifactOfDoom ancient iron crown]], which contains a portion of the spirit of the great necromancer Nagash, to head south to reclaim the fortress of [[{{Egopolis}} Nagashizzar]]. When they get there it's implied Nagash's spirit runs into this problem; orcs are too stupid and warlike to learn necromancy and Azhag is far too good at resisting the crown's control to be turned into a BigDumbBody.
87--> '''Azhag:''' Alright, Iron Hat, we'z 'ere. Now what?
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Webcomics]]
91* In ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'', [[https://kevinandkell.com/2021/kk0213.html Rudy asked this of Fiona]] after TheirFirstTime, and their [[https://kevinandkell.com/2021/kk0212.html succeeding commitment not to]] [[AltarTheSpeed rush to the altar immediately after]]. Fiona said they would finish their degrees at Beige University, and let life lead them wherever it took them.
92-->'''Rudy:''' [[LIsForDyslexia I've always had difficulty following tracks]].\
93'''Fiona:''' No problem, 'cause this one's really random.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
97%%(ZCE)* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' ended this way (if one accepts the Nelvana season).
98* In the 1980 [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Road Runner]] cartoon "Soup or Sonic", Wile E. Coyote has as long last managed to get his grimy paws on the Road Runner. Trouble is, the last gag of the cartoon left Wile E. inches tall vs. a normal-sized Road Runner. So he plays the trope with his usual TalkingWithSigns. The cartoon ends at that point, leaving any answers to the viewer's imagination.
99** This is actually {{Parodied|Trope}} in one ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' skit, where Wile. E actually successfully kills Road Runner with a falling rock trap and realizes his life doesn't have much meaning beyond catching the bird. He falls into alcoholism and depression, struggles to hold down a job as a waiter, [[spoiler:tries to kill himself, and then has an epiphany and decides to dedicates his life to Christianity.]]
100* A more serious case, at the end of the ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' film "Predacons Rising" once [[Characters/TransformersPrimeMegatron Megatron]] has been [[spoiler: freed from Unicron's control, he comes to the realization that he's now totally alone in the universe; he doesn't stay on Cybertron (he knows he'd probably no longer be welcome), and he no longer has any desire to lead the Decepticons in conquest (he goes so far as to officially disband the group)]].
101[[/folder]]

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