History EarnYourHappyEnding / ComicBooks

* ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' is set in a [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture crapsack future that's not too different from our world]], just more futuristic and more screwed up. When Gary Callahan becomes [[PresidentEvil President of the USA]], he starts to turn it into an authoritarian state. Over the course of trying to bring him down, Spider Jerusalem, the main character, starts to [[spoiler:suffer from a seemingly incurable brain condition.]] In the end, however, he [[spoiler:manages to take down Callahan, survives and ends up being among the one percent that doesn't suffer from major long-term effects of his condition]], but [[spoiler:lets everyone else believe that his brain is a mess so he can live in peace.]] The world is still a mess, but not really worse than it was at the beginning of the series.
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' is this trope. Even more surprising since Creator/GarthEnnis is the writer, and the man is best known for writing gritty, bloody stories. [[spoiler: Jesse is resurrected after being shot by Starr's men, he reunites with Tulip and they ride off into the sunset. Cassidy is also resurrected, cured of his vampirism and decides to finally mature and become a better person, all the while cherishing his friendship with Jesse and Tulip. Arseface finds himself a woman who doesn't see his deformed face (seeing him as a conventionally handsome young man) and The Saint of Killers finally gets to rest in peace. On God's throne.]]

* During Creator/MarkWaid's run on ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'', the eponymous group ends up in Heaven. Then they meet God--who happens to look like Creator/JackKirby. He gives Johnny a sketch of the foursome--something to remember the trip by--and tells them 'you'll earn it'. The sketch? The Fantastic Four: merely older, happy as ever, close as ever, and a caption that reads "To Be Continued!"
* MarvelUniverse since 2004 to 2010. First, ComicBook/ScarletWitch goes crazy and kills some people and the Avengers disband. Then ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' wiped ninety percent of the mutants on Earth, and stopped new ones from being born. Then heroes have to fight [[ComicBook/CivilWar each other]], [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica one]] of Earth's greatest heroes dies, [[Franchise/SpiderMan another]] [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay makes a deal with the devil]], [[ComicBook/IronMan another]] is labelled a fascist, [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] is shot in space by [[EtTuBrute people he thought were friends]], has to fight for survival on another planet, and when he finally finds a place when he's accepted and loved, it's destroyed, so he [[ComicBook/WorldWarHulk comes back, pissed off]]. Then Bishop betrays the X-Men while Mister Sinister infiltrates the X-Mansion. Then we find out that Skrulls have infiltrated the superhero community, destroying the last bits of trust among heroes. And when they [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion attack]], the heroes taste [[DownerEnding Pyrrhic victory]]. Oh, and then [[Comicbook/DarkReign Norman Osborn becomes the most powerful man in the United States]], creates the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, attacks and destroys Asgard and....Good guys won. At that same point in time, various anti-mutant forces conspired to commit a single act of genocide that would destroy all of mutantkind by killing the last 200 mutants on the face of the Earth, starting with Cable and Nightcralwer and... Good guys won there too. After all of it, the heroes still won, managed to overthrow all those things, and their lives are [[StatusQuoIsGod returning back to normal]], heading towards a Comicbook/HeroicAge.

* Spider-Man pays a heavy price earning his happy ending in the ''ComicBook/MarvelComics2'' Universe's version of his mythology, which follows a lot of his late 90s continuiity. After apparently losing his baby at the hands of Norman Osborn, Peter is left to deal with Osborn's resurfacing as a legit buisnessman and a huge bounty placed on his head as he is framed for the gajillionth time. He's stalked by a mysterious new Green Goblin, the original Hobgoblin, and yet another son of the then-deceased Kraven The Hunter, before he finally clears his name. In the 616 continuity, he defeats Norman Osborn and is reunited with his elderly Aunt May and goes on to live in luxury with Mary Jane, having retired as Spider-Man... until the pull of the ol' "power and responsibility" kick gets the better of him again. In the MC2 Universe, Peter is reunited with his infant daughter, but opts to remain Spidey anyway. Things go well for him and MJ before a fateful final battle with Norman Osborn costs Peter one of his legs... ouch. Peter decides that THIS is as big a wake-up call as ever to grow up and he puts his web-swinging behind him to raise his daughter... and then his daughter grows up, realizes she has powers, and sets about continuing where her father left off. Peter just can't catch a break trying to earn some peace and quiet... but that's why we love 'em.

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''. After going to hell and back, Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman (despite having major differences) manage to get along, save the day and restore the world population's faith in the heroes by basically acting like heroes, leading to a [[Heartwarming/KingdomCome CMoH]] in the epilogue shared by Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman.
* This is the biggest problem with the Utopia Initiative in ''ComicBook/SquadronSupreme''. They do come up with solutions to crime, poverty, war and even a stop gap measure for death, but the solutions are generated, implemented and maintained by a small team of superheroes and rely on them to maintain it. Humanity didn't earn its happy ending the way Zarda's Utopians must have.
* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' got one, surprisingly, after sixteen years and 193 issues. [[spoiler:Decades after Rick Grimes' death, society manages to rebuild itself with Rick being remembered as a hero that helped humanity survive "The Trials". Walkers are rarely seen anymore outside of travelling zoo exhibits, Carl marries Sophia and has a daughter named Andrea, the last shot of the series being Carl and Andrea in a rocking chair while he reads the story of his late father to her.]]
* After ten years of {{Love Dodecahedron}}s, {{Romantic False Lead}}s and {{Tear Jerker}}s, ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise'' ends with Katchoo and Francine finally proclaiming their love for each other.
* Wallace from the ''ComicBook/SinCity'' story "Hell And Back" went through an entire army of assassins and even saw an old friend die in order to be reunited with his girlfriend Esther. Not only did he earn his happy ending, but considering the typical ending to Sin City stories, someone had to earn a happy one sometime.
* ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'' has the titular character start out as a slacker recovering from the calamity of his previous relationship and haing a pretty okay life. The books have him confront the various mistakes in his life with his new girlfriend, Ramona Flowers. She herself also conquers her demons so she could move forward with Scott.
** Also applies to Scott's friends as Scott moving forward helps them do the same: Stephen Stills is revealed to be StraightGay (or bisexual) with a new relationship after the on-off mess with Julie (granted, he is dating someone who is a male and possibly more mercurial version of Julie, but progress is progress), Kim and Scott have delved with the fallout of their relationship, Knives is going to university while keeping in touch with Scott, Young Neil is now Neil and so on. While it's implied that all of them still have work to do, they're heading in the right direction.

* ComicBook/LutherArkwright: When Luther appears in ''Heart of Empire'', he has retreated to a war-ravaged world where he serves as a pacifistic healer and diplomat. Victoria herself chooses to abdicate and turn over power to a democratic government, leaving Albion to explore the world and "to end animosity, to make amends, to facilitate recovery".
* From ''Franchise/TheFlash'':
** The ''ComicBook/TheTrialOfTheFlash'' storyline ran for over two years and had the Flash's life being completely wrecked several times, but in the end Barry and Iris are married happily together in the future.
** Geoff Johns' run on the title when it starred Wally West also counts. Under Johns, Wally had to deal with the birth of the new Zoom, a former friend of his he failed to save and resolved to make Wally a better hero by [[MiseryBuildsCharacter forcing him to experience tragedy]]. Zoom would go on to cause his Wally's wife Linda to miscarry their twin children. After that, Wally learned that his mentor Barry was ''not'' the squeaky clean, white knight hero Wally thought he was, and in fact dipped into some ''very'' morally grey territory. After ''that'', Wally had to deal with the reformed Rogues turning back to their villainous ways but upping it to eleven. ''Then'', he had to deal with a war between various groups all calling themselves the Rogues. And finally, Zoom would return, with Professor Zoom in tow, and force Wally to relive his attack on Wally's wife repeatedly before Wally eventually beat him. At the end of all this, Wally got a second chance at being a father, with his twins being saved, Zoom admitting he was wrong in what he did before disappearing (he got better) and Wally coming to the conclusion that being the Flash is ''never'' about tragedy, but about always moving forward.
* {{Deconstructed}} in the first arc of "Artifacts" in the TopCow universe. [[spoiler:[[ComicBook/TheDarkness Jackie Estacado]] manages to create a perfect life for himself when he destroys the universe and recreates it InTheirOwnImage, with Hope alive remaining as his daughter, but [[BackFromTheDead Jenny Romano]] as his wife and Hope's mother, rather than her original mother, [[ComicBook/{{Witchblade}} Sara Pezzini]]. With the fact that Jackie perverted the universe [[ItsAllAboutMe to make himself have a happy ending]], ruining lives in the process, the wielders of several of the other Artifacts, namely the Magdalena, Tom Judge, and Finch (the new wielder of [[ArchEnemy the Angelus]]) go out to try to punish him, and Sara herself [[GoMadFromTheRevelation enters an]] AngstComa as a result of learning that her daughter was stolen away from her.]]
-->'''Tom Judge''': [[spoiler:Jackie stole a '''child''' from her mother. He perverted the universe's designs for his '''own''' needs.]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'':
** The writers have stated that many of the previous status quos will receive closure. Examples:
*** Superman and Lois have their [[BabiesEverAfter first baby]] and name him after [[DeadGuyJunior Clark's father.]]
*** Both [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]] and [[ComicBook/{{Oracle}} Barbara Gordon]] ''finally'' get their TheyDo with [[ComicBook/RedRobin Tim]] and [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]]. We see Babs and Dick's wedding day and Tim and Steph almost have TheirFirstTime before injuries force them to decide to [[LetsWaitAWhile wait a while]]. In an alternate unvierse, Dick ends up patching things up with ComicBook/{{Starfire}} instead, being a different happy ending.
*** Dreamslayer pulls a NiceJobFixingItVillain that allows Roy Harper to finally have his daughter, Lian, BackFromTheDead. Lian has no idea what Roy has been through since she died, but the happiness one can feel for the character is unreal.
** The series as a whole has an overtly happy ending: [[spoiler:the ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' is averted, the original Multiverse is reborn, Telos' prisoners are freed, the [[ComicBook/{{Earth2}} Earth-2]] survivors find a new planet to call home and Brainiac and Telos attain some measure of redemption]].
* Volume 3 of ''ComicBook/KickAss'' ends the trilogy on a far better note compared to the first two volumes. Chris dies somewhat redeemed after refusing to go through executing Mindy out of remorse for traumatizing his mother with his crimes, allowing her and Dave to kill off much of the Mob and the corrupt cops, while Vic is brutally maimed and intimidated into turning up state evidence. Mindy's stepfather Marcus was cleared of wrongdoing and is allowed to return to the force, where he immediately leads a purge of its corrupt elements as well as crackdowns on the severely demoralized Mob. While the two have since cut off all contact, Dave is now happier with Valerie and has given up superheroics for good in favor of becoming a cop, while Mindy goes on a worldwide vigilante hunt, though she still sends flowers to her mother once in a while.
* The case for Golden Eyes, Bill, and [[CanineCompanion Uncle Sam]] in the UsefulNotes/WorldWarI serial ''ComicBook/GoldenEyesAndHerHeroBill'' - between the three of them, one or more have ended up in an ambulance on the wrong end of a shelling, captured by German soldiers, [[GoGoEnslavement Go-Go-Enslaved]] by said Germans, shot at, threatened with public execution, shot in the leg, missing in no-man's land, and nearly freezing to death (while shot in the leg and missing in no-man's land). But it's all okay, because by the last installment all three are decorated veterans and they've settled down in a beautiful cottage in France (with a healthy dose of BabiesEverAfter to top it off).
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'':
** The Creator/MarvelComics series, which had many Autobots destroyed over the course of the comic, ended at the 80th issue with the power of the Matrix and the Last Autobot restoring Cybertron and the Autobots electing to help the Klozians rebuild the damage done to their world while the surviving Decepticons were forced into exile.
** Creator/IDWPublishing's ''Regeneration One'', which was a continuation of the aforementioned Marvel Comic, started with [[HappyEndingOverride undoing the Marvel Comic's happy ending]], ends with the main villains defeated for good, all surviving Decepticons reforming, Rodimus Prime succeeding Optimus Prime as leader of the Autobots and life finally returning to Cybertron after Rodimus dies and lets his energies recharge the planet.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel
** ''ComicBook/SpiderMenII'': The Miles of Earth-616 meets an alternate version of his wife (and they immediately get along swimmingly) when he crosses over to the next universe...and it's a revived ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Universe! The characters who died like Captain America and Thor are back to life, there is an Ironheart, Peter and MJ are still together, Kong joined the Army and is now coming back home, Aunt May has a new boyfriend and they are still close to their friends. The last shot is Jessica shooting a knowing glance to the reader before racing off to join Peter. AndTheAdventureContinues...
** ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Life wasn't exactly great for Ororo after ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}''. After the assassination of Cyclops she was arrested and sent to a series of mutant concentration camps where she abused and experimented on. Despite this, she stood up for the other inmates and led a rebellion. Unfortunately, she was then recaptured and sent to another concentration camp, where her spirit was very nearly broken.. until she heard of a new mutant revolution led by Kitty Pryde, which she joined and in joining finally got the happy ending she long since earned.
* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'': "Out of the Blue", the epilogue to the [[ZombieApocalypse Metal Virus Saga]], concludes with one of these. For 17 issues straight, [[BigBad Dr. Eggman]]'s [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie Zombot]]-[[UnwillingRoboticization ifying]] "Metal Virus" bioweapon had repeatedly put Sonic and the gang through the wringer to the point of outright [[BreakTheCutie breaking]] [[DespairEventHorizon them]], until finally Sonic and Silver [[SuperMode went Super]] and destroyed it. However, Sonic gets stranded in Blaze's realm thereafter, and Eggman, taking advantage of this, [[MomentKiller crashes the other heroes' victory celebration]] [[EvilIsPetty in a last-ditch attempt to deny them a happy ending]]. With Blaze's help, though, Sonic [[BigDamnHeroes returns home just in time]] to aid his friends, and Eggman is defeated once again. With the exception of Shadow[[note]]who got Zombot-ified due to his own foolishness, teaching him a hard lesson and leaving him ashamed[[/note]] and, to a lesser degree, the Babylon Rogues[[note]]who are disappointed when an eleventh-hour robbery they stage fails, but aren't caught in the act and so retain credit get for helping stop the Metal Virus[[/note]], the heroes/anti-heroes ultimately get a well-earned and deserved happy ending after all the crap they've been through: Sonic and the majority of his friends share a BigDamnReunion; Silver ''finally'' gets a good future; Knuckles goes back to guarding his homeland in peace; and the world is well on its way to recovering from the plague. On Issue #32's last page, Sonic, watching the sunrise, happily reflects on how things are back to normal, and hopes to meet Silver and Blaze again under better circumstances, before [[AndTheAdventureContinues speeding off with a smile towards his next adventure]].

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMenII'': The Miles of Earth-616 meets an alternate version of his wife (and they immediately get along swimmingly) when he crosses over to the next universe...and it's a revived ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Universe! The characters who died like Captain America and Thor are back to life, there is an Ironheart, Peter and MJ are still together, Kong joined the Army and is now coming back home, Aunt May has a new boyfriend and they are still close to their friends. The last shot is Jessica shooting a knowing glance to the reader before racing off to join Peter. AndTheAdventureContinues...

* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'': "Out of the Blue", the epilogue to the [[ZombieApocalypse Metal Virus Saga]] ends with Knuckles back to guarding his homeland in peace, Silver ''finally'' getting a good future, the world well on its way to recovery from the eradicated Zombot plague, Sonic's friends happy to have him back after Blaze sends him home, and Sonic himself [[AndTheAdventureContinues off with a smile towards his next adventure]]. Downplayed with Shadow, who's ashamed over getting Zombot-ified due to his own foolishness but at least seems to have learned his lesson, and the Babylon Rogues, who fail at robbing Jewel again thanks to Rouge but avoid getting caught in the act. Overall, despite [[BigBad Eggman]] crashing the victory celebration [[EvilIsPetty in a last-ditch attempt to avert this trope]], one of the darkest storylines in the history of the ''Sonic'' franchise ends with a well-earned and deserved happy ending for the heroes.

*** Both [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]] and [[ComicBook/{{Oracle}} Barbara Gordon]] ''finally'' get their TheyDo with [[ComicBook/RedRobin Tim]] and [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]]. We see Babs and Dick's WeddingDay and Tim and Steph almost have TheirFirstTime before injuries force them to decide to [[LetsWaitAWhile wait a while]]. In an alternate unvierse, Dick ends up patching things up with ComicBook/{{Starfire}} instead, being a different happy ending.

* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' is this trope. Even more surprising since Creator/GarthEnnis is the writer, and the man is best known for writing gritty, bloody stories. [[spoiler: Jesse is resurrected after being shot by Starr's men, he reunites with Tulip and they ride off into the sunset. Cassidy is also resurrected, cured of his vampirism and decides to finally mature and become a better person, all the while cherishing his friendship with Jesse and Tulip. Arseface find himself a woman who doesn't see his deformed face (seeing him as a conventionally handsome young man) and The Saint of Killers finally gets to rest in peace. On God's throne.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' is set in a [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture crapsack future that's not too different from our world]], just more futuristic and more screwed up. When Gary Callahan becomes [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent President of the USA]], he starts to turn it into an authoritarian state. Over the course of trying to bring him down, Spider Jerusalem, the main character, starts to [[spoiler:suffer from a seemingly incurable brain condition.]] In the end, however, he [[spoiler:manages to take down Callahan, survives and ends up being among the one percent that doesn't suffer from major long-term effects of his condition]], but [[spoiler:lets everyone else believe that his brain is a mess so he can live in peace.]] The world is still a mess, but not really worse than it was at the beginning of the series.

* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' got one, surprisingly, after sixteen years and 193 issues. [[spoiler:Decades after Rick Grimes' death, society manages to rebuild itself with Rick being remembered as a hero that helped humanity survive "The Trials". Carl marries Sophia and has a daughter named Andrea, the last shot of the series being Carl and Andrea in a rocking chair while he reads the story of his late father to her.]]

*** Both [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]] and Barbara Gordon ''finally'' get their TheyDo with [[ComicBook/RedRobin Tim]] and [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]]. We see Babs and Dick's WeddingDay and Tim and Steph almost have TheirFirstTime before injuries force them to decide to [[LetsWaitAWhile wait a while]]. In an alternate unvierse, Dick ends up patching things up with ComicBook/{{Starfire}} instead, being a different happy ending.

* During Creator/MarkWaid's run on ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'', the eponymous group ends up in Heaven. Then they meet God--who happens to look like Creator/JackKirby. He gives Johnny a sketch of the foursome--something to remember the trip by--and tells them 'you'll earn it'. The sketch? The Fantastic Four: merely older, happy as ever, close as ever, and a caption that reads [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming "To Be Continued!"]]

*** Both Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon ''finally'' get their TheyDo with Tim and Dick. We see Babs and Dick's WeddingDay and Tim and Steph almost have TheirFirstTime before injuries force them to decide to [[LetsWaitAWhile wait a while]]. In an alternate unvierse, Dick ends up patching things up with Starfire instead, being a different happy ending.

* MarvelUniverse since 2004 to 2010. First, ComicBook/ScarletWitch goes crazy and kills some people and the Avengers disband. Then ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' wiped ninety percent of the mutants on Earth, and stopped new ones from being born. Then heroes have to fight [[ComicBook/CivilWar each other]], [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica one]] of Earth's greatest heroes dies, [[{{Spider-Man}} another]] [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay makes a deal with the devil]], [[ComicBook/IronMan another]] is labelled a fascist, [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] is shot in space by [[EtTuBrute people he thought were friends]], has to fight for survival on another planet, and when he finally finds a place when he's accepted and loved, it's destroyed, so he [[ComicBook/WorldWarHulk comes back, pissed off]]. Then Bishop betrays the X-Men while Mister Sinister infiltrates the X-Mansion. Then we find out that Skrulls have infiltrated the superhero community, destroying the last bits of trust among heroes. And when they [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion attack]], the heroes taste [[DownerEnding Pyrrhic victory]]. Oh, and then [[Comicbook/DarkReign Norman Osborn becomes the most powerful man in the United States]], creates the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, attacks and destroys Asgard and....Good guys won. At that same point in time, various anti-mutant forces conspired to commit a single act of genocide that would destroy all of mutantkind by killing the last 200 mutants on the face of the Earth, starting with Cable and Nightcralwer and... Good guys won there too. After all of it, the heroes still won, managed to overthrow all those things, and their lives are [[StatusQuoIsGod returning back to normal]], heading towards a Comicbook/HeroicAge.

* MarvelUniverse since 2004 to 2010. First, ComicBook/ScarletWitch goes crazy and kills some people and the Avengers disband. Then ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' wiped ninety percent of the mutants on Earth, and stopped new ones from being born. Then heroes have to fight [[ComicBook/CivilWar each other]], [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica one]] of Earth's greatest heroes dies, [[{{Spider-Man}} another]] [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay makes a deal with the devil]], [[ComicBook/IronMan another]] is labelled a fascist, [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] is shot in space by [[EtTuBrute people he thought were friends]], has to fight for survival on another planet, and when he finally finds a place when he's accepted and loved, it's destroyed, so he [[WorldWarHulk comes back, pissed off]]. Then Bishop betrays the X-Men while Mister Sinister infiltrates the X-Mansion. Then we find out that Skrulls have infiltrated the superhero community, destroying the last bits of trust among heroes. And when they [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion attack]], the heroes taste [[DownerEnding Pyrrhic victory]]. Oh, and then [[Comicbook/DarkReign Norman Osborn becomes the most powerful man in the United States]], creates the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, attacks and destroys Asgard and....Good guys won. At that same point in time, various anti-mutant forces conspired to commit a single act of genocide that would destroy all of mutantkind by killing the last 200 mutants on the face of the Earth, starting with Cable and Nightcralwer and... Good guys won there too. After all of it, the heroes still won, managed to overthrow all those things, and their lives are [[StatusQuoIsGod returning back to normal]], heading towards a Comicbook/HeroicAge.

* The case for Golden Eyes, Bill, and [[CanineCompanion Uncle Sam]] in the UsefulNotes/WorldWarI serial ComicBook/GoldenEyesAndHerHeroBill - between the three of them, one or more have ended up in an ambulance on the wrong end of a shelling, captured by German soldiers, [[GoGoEnslavement Go-Go-Enslaved]] by said Germans, shot at, threatened with public execution, shot in the leg, missing in no-man's land, and nearly freezing to death (while shot in the leg and missing in no-man's land). But it's all okay, because by the last installment all three are decorated veterans and they've settled down in a beautiful cottage in France (with a healthy dose of BabiesEverAfter to top it off).

* ''TopTen: Beyond The Farthest Precinct.'' The villain becomes a caring a benevolent God despite his seeming death, and everyone is happy. May seem contrived but good damn did they earn that happy ending.

* ''{{Marvel 2099}}: Manifest Destiny'' ends the 2099 line in this way. [[spoiler: After several series of escalating catastrophes, culminating in a mass flood wiping out almost all of humanity, a re-frozen Captain America is discovered. He finally fills everyone in on the cycle of events that turned the 2099 universe into such a CrapsackWorld, and [[{{Spider-Man}} Miguel]] is able to steer what's left away from total annihilation. By the year 3099, war has ceased, humanity has accepted mutants and superhumans as their successors, and Earth has become one of the dominant forces in the universe.]]

-->''[[spoiler:Jackie stole a '''child''' from her mother. He perverted the universe's designs for his '''own''' needs.]]''

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''. After going to hell and back, Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}} and franchise/WonderWoman (despite having major differences) manage to get along, save the day and restore the world population's faith in the heroes by basically acting like heroes, leading to a [[Heartwarming/KingdomCome CMoH]] in the epilogue shared by Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman.

* ComicBook/ScottPilgrim and Ramona Flowers: Both are forced to face their pasts and learn from their mistakes in order to have a working relationship.

*** Both Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon ''finally'' get their TheyDo with Tim and Dick. We see Babs and Dick's WeddingDay and Tim and Steph almost have TheirFirstTime before injuries force them to decide to [[LetsWaitAWhile wait a while]].

** [[spoiler:Averted by the ComicBook/SpiderVerse story, where a relative of Morlun's murders Peter [[SarcasmMode Thank you Dan Slott!]] Fortunately, Spider-Girl's creators threw in an AuthorsSavingThrow and it was implied the "real" Mayday and her family are still intact somewhere, with the one in Spider-Verse being an alternate double]] .

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''. After going to hell and back, Franchise/{{Superman}}, Batman and WonderWoman (despite having major differences) manage to get along, save the day and restore the world population's faith in the heroes by basically acting like heroes, leading to a [[Heartwarming/KingdomCome CMoH]] in the epilogue shared by Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman.
* This is the biggest problem with the Utopia Initiative in ''ComicBook/SquadronSupreme''. They do come up with solutions to crime, poverty, war and even a stop gap measure for death, but the solutions are generated, implemented and maintained by a small team of superheroes and relies on them to maintain it. Humanity didn't earn it's happy ending the way Zarda's Utopians must have.

* Wallace from the ComicBook/SinCity story ''Hell And Back'', went through an entire army of assassins and even saw an old friend die in order to be reunited with his girlfriend Esther. Not only did he earn his happy ending, but considering the typical ending to Sin City stories, someone had to earn a happy one sometime.

* After ten years of {{Love Dodecahedron}}s, {{Romantic False Lead}}s and {{Tear Jerker}}s, ''StrangersInParadise'' ends with Katchoo and Francine finally proclaiming their love for each other.
* Wallace from the SinCity story ''Hell And Back'', went through an entire army of assassins and even saw an old friend die in order to be reunited with his girlfriend Esther. Not only did he earn his happy ending, but considering the typical ending to Sin City stories, someone had to earn a happy one sometime.

* This is the biggest problem with the Utopia Initiative in ''SquadronSupreme''. They do come up with solutions to crime, poverty, war and even a stop gap measure for death, but the solutions are generated, implemented and maintained by a small team of superheroes and relies on them to maintain it. Humanity didn't earn it's happy ending the way Zarda's Utopians must have.

* MarvelUniverse since 2004 to 2010. First, ComicBook/ScarletWitch goes crazy and kills some people and the Avengers disband. Then ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' wiped ninety percent of the mutants on Earth, and stopped new ones from being born. Then heroes have to fight [[ComicBook/CivilWar each other]], [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica one]] of Earth's greatest heroes dies, [[{{Spider-Man}} another]] [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay makes a deal with the devil]], [[ComicBook/IronMan another]] is labelled a fascist, [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] is shot in space by [[EtTuBrute people he thought were friends]], has to fight for survival on another planet, and when he finally finds a place when he's accepted and loved, it's destroyed, so he [[WorldWarHulk comes back, pissed off]]. Then Bishop betrays the X-Men while Mister Sinister infiltrates the X-Mansion. Then we find out that Skrulls have infiltrated the superhero community, destroying the last bits of trust among heroes. And when they [[SecretInvasion attack]], the heroes taste [[DownerEnding Pyrrhic victory]]. Oh, and then [[Comicbook/DarkReign Norman Osborn becomes the most powerful man in the United States]], creates the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, attacks and destroys Asgard and....Good guys won. At that same point in time, various anti-mutant forces conspired to commit a single act of genocide that would destroy all of mutantkind by killing the last 200 mutants on the face of the Earth, starting with Cable and Nightcralwer and... Good guys won there too. After all of it, the heroes still won, managed to overthrow all those things, and their lives are [[StatusQuoIsGod returning back to normal]], heading towards a Comicbook/HeroicAge.