History Main / AudienceAlienatingEnding

* ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' ends with [[spoiler: Elsa leaving Arendelle to become the protector of the Enchanted Forest, while Anna becomes Arendelle's new queen in her place.]] Many fans were outraged by this ending, feeling that [[spoiler: Elsa going to live in the wilderness again contradicts her character arc from the first film of reconnecting with other people]], that [[spoiler: Anna's personality isn't as well suited as Elsa's to the duties of the throne]], and above all, that [[spoiler: it's wrong for the two sisters not to live together anymore.]] However, Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/toy-story-frozen-zootopia-sequels-disney-1235320950/ two]] [[https://variety.com/2023/film/news/frozen-4-confirmed-disney-bob-iger-1235792515/ sequels]] are in the works, giving fans some hope that the issues with this ending will be fixed.

* ''Film/AnnaAndTheApocalypse:'' Plenty of fans adore the first two acts of the [[GenreMashup zombie musical]] but take it pretty hard when the third act [[spoiler:starts going into DwindlingParty territory.]]

* ''Film/OutOfDarkness'': General agreement from those who dislike the film and even some who praise it is that the last act is where it falls apart, [[spoiler:almost purely because of the absolutely insane amounts of MoralMyopia going on with the Presence/neanderthals and the movie's turn to being borderline misanthropic.]]

* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' had one in ''Literature/MostlyHarmless'', which gets bonus points for having a resulting severe DownerEnding (with the villains victorious and all but one of the main characters dead), as Adams [[CreatorBreakdown was in such a bad mood when he wrote]] what turned out to be the last completed installment. Another [[Creator/EoinColfer author]] however has since stepped up to continue the series, although his contribution (''Literature/AndAnotherThing'') has [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase somewhat]].

* The final RE: Rinne ending of ''VisualNovel/{{Island}}'' is labeled as the true ending and is held as the intended ending by the writer. Quite a few fans however like to pretend that the story ended with the regular Rinne ending. To make a long story short to why this is, the true ending involves [[spoiler:the main character impregnating a thirteen year old, abandons her, and then travels through time and marries his own daughter. Oh, and the time travel that the whole story was build upon is revealed to have been nothing but a giant RedHerring and what has actually been going on is a giant EternalRecurrence with events repeating themselves far enough into the future, [[HappyEndingOverride completely overriding any happy note of the other ending]]. And finally it ends up just leaving the plot hanging, not really concluding anything]].

* The final episode of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' is generally considered the visual novel equivalent of ''Series/{{Lost}}'', as it alienated a lot of readers with an ending that [[TheUnsolvedMystery refused to give any answers to the story's mysteries]] and [[YouBastard lambasted the reader for wanting some]], coming across as little more than an attack on the reader, and went out of its way to either subvert itself or the characters in questionable ways to try and wrangle out a contradictory message. While the series still maintains a small hardcore fanbase, it is a far cry from what it once enjoyed before this ending due to how many were put off by it. This is especially true in the series native Japan where trust between the creator and reader is a big thing and the ending broke that trust, resulting in [[Creator/Ryukishi07 the creator's]] following works struggling to really get off the ground. While the manga adaptation of the same story [[ImprovedSecondAttempt is generally seen as a big improvement over the original]], by then the damage was done.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'': The final season of the show, ''Crystalized'', was already contentious for its characterization issues and bringing numerous characters BackFromTheDead in flimsy manners. However, it turned into full blown FanonDiscontinuity with its final episode "Roots". The GrandFinale of the show has [[SixthRangerTraitor Harumi]] pull an abrupt HeelFaceTurn and welcomed back into the fold [[EasilyForgiven with little issue]], despite most fans contending she did not deserve forgiveness. Furthermore, [[BigBad The Overlord]] is defeated in an [[AntiClimaxBoss anti-climactic nature]], with the fates several other villains left unresolved within the show itself, getting relegated to [[WordOfGod behind the scenes interviews]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': While Season 3 was already divisive, Season 4 is widely agreed to be the weakest season by fans, and the [[Recap/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilS4E37Cleaved series finale]] the epitome of the show's perceived downfall. After several episodes of [[RomanticPlotTumor excessive romantic drama]], underutilized and {{flanderiz|ation}}ed characters, and rushed/forgotten subplots, the show ended with [[spoiler:Star committing an InferredHolocaust which none of the characters seem to acknowledge or care much about, the villain (i.e., the reason why Star did what she did in the first place) literally [[KarmaHoudini walking away scot-free]], and the [[MergedReality forced merging]] of two vastly different worlds (which despite the ensuing chaos is [[EsotericHappyEnding treated as a good thing]]).]] These final episodes would only serve to tarnish the series' reputation to the point discussions surrounding it in the years since mainly concern its SeasonalRot and divisive finale, and little else.

* ''WesternAnimation/TrollhuntersRiseOfTheTitans'', the GrandFinale to the ''Franchise/TalesOfArcadia'' series, ends with [[spoiler:Jim Lake, Jr. pushing the ResetButton following Toby Domzalski's death and rewinding time to the beginning of ''Trollhunters'' (the first show in the franchise) to save everyone from suffering, while changing the timeline to make Toby the Trollhunter instead of him.]] Fans were outraged at how everything they had watched over the past few years was now rendered completely pointless.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' narrowly avoided an Audience-Alienating Ending with its third season, which [[WrapItUp wraps up the major plot threads and gives a satisfying conclusion to the story]], only to get UnCanceled. The creators proceeded to go into season four [[TemptingFate with the expectation they would have at least five]]... and, in a major case of bad luck, proceeded to get canceled a ''second'' time. As a result, the last episode ends on a massive {{Cliffhanger}} where the BigBad [[TheBadGuyWins takes control of the heroes' headquarters and all hope seems lost]]. There are quite a lot of fans who suggest to newcomers that [[FanonDiscontinuity they simply stop watching at the season three finale, or after the Daemona Rising arc]], because of this.

* ''Film/LightsOut2016'': The ending of the story, an explicit depression allegory, gives off the unintentional message that "the only way to make your family happy is to kill yourself" as [[spoiler:the ghost only dissipates after Sophia kills herself]], which many viewers and critics noted came off as promoting suicide. This was because the original intended ending had [[spoiler:the ghost come back immediately after Sophia's death for a second round]], but test audiences hated this, since it turned her suicide into a SenselessSacrifice. However, [[FocusGroupEnding removing this part]] only caused UnfortunateImplications, something the director [[https://www.avclub.com/lights-out-director-david-sandberg-defends-the-ending-o-1798250209 came out to say]] he did not intend at all. He stated that the sequel would address these criticisms, but [[DevelopmentHell no word has been made on the sequel in the years]] since its announcement.

* The climax of ''Film/ManOfSteel'' attracted criticism from moviegoers for the casual destruction put on display throughout the climactic battle. The final battle has Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} and Zod square off in Metropolis, causing billions of dollars of property damage and numerous civilian casualties,[[note]][[WordOfGod Zack Snyder]] estimates that the death total was in the ballpark of 5,000 [[/note]] with Superman making no attempts to mitigate the damages or take the fight elsewhere. The fact Superman was forced to end the battle with lethal means in order to save a family of bystanders made things look even worse. Besides the usual cries of TheyChangedItNowItSucks (Superman is famous for [[ThouShaltNotKill his refusal to kill]] in the comics), Zod allowed '''far''' more humans to enter his line of fire throughout the fight, so to have Superman resort to lethal methods to save three people after letting countless get killed by Zod directly or indirectly [[FridgeLogic caused many to question why Superman hadn't ended the battle sooner to save more lives]]. While [[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice later]] [[Film/JusticeLeague2017 installments]] of the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse would stride to address these criticisms, [[BrokenBase fans remain divided on how effective those films were at doing this.]]

* ''Fanfic/AMightyDemonSlayerGroomsSomePonies'': Chapter 8 ended the series by revealing Celestia and Luna [[EvilAllAlong were actually Tirec and Grogar in disguise, their benevolent reign all an act]] while they waited 5000 years to get the [[VillainBeatingArtifact Rainbow Of Light]] from Megan before enacting {{Revenge}}. This was overwhelmingly lambasted as ''extreme'' CanonDefilement, its {{Foreshadowing}}[[note]]Megan's description of a woman her father disappeared with, the prophecies of Megan's "second coming", andthe prophecy made by the G1 Twilight,[[/note]] being [[AssPull grossly inadequate for something so massive]], and making absolutely no sense that villains who wanted revenge so badly did so much good for them intern and would wait on such a far-off and convoluted means. While this chapter [[CanonDiscontinuity was removed]] in response, the backlash caused the author to lose interest in and [[OrphanedSeries abandon the work]] leaving it practically only remembered by fans for the infamy of its original ending.

An Audience-Alienating Ending is an ending in an otherwise-beloved work which ends up leaving the audience so disappointed that it receives widespread backlash or [[BrokenBase divisiveness]]. It can be unappealing to existing fans, alienate those who haven't yet made it to the ending, or even cause so many negative discussions that [[ItWasHisSled even non-fans hear about it]]. This may be because it's the only (or most vocal) thing that's talked about it afterward, or maybe the backlash was so extreme it got media attention. The result is 1) potential audiences avoiding the work regardless of its other merits because they [[SafetyInIndifference don't want to get invested]] in a work with such a disappointing or contentious payoff, 2) preexisting fans becoming so soured by the ending that they distance themselves from it when discussing or viewing the work after it ended, or a combination of both.

* The final episode of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' is generally considered the visual novel equivalent of ''Series/{{Lost}}'', as it alienated a lot of readers with an ending that came across as little more than an attack on the reader and went out of its way to either subvert itself or the characters in questionable ways to try and wrangle out a contradictory message, while at the same time [[TheUnsolvedMystery not giving any answers to the story's mysteries]] and [[YouBastard lambasting the reader for wanting some]]. While the series still maintains a small hardcore fanbase, it is a far cry from what it once enjoyed before this ending due to how many were put off by it. This is especially true in the series native Japan where trust between the creator and reader is a big thing and the ending broke that trust, resulting in [[Creator/Ryukishi07 the creator's]] following works struggling to really get off the ground. While the manga adaptation of [[ImprovedSecondAttempt the same story is generally seen as a big improvement over the original]], by then the damage was done.
* ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'''s [[VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma third and final game]] is considered by just about the entire fanbase to be a disappointing end to the franchise. While the series is known for playing with the perception of the player and hiding information in plain sight, the reveal that [[spoiler:the series BigBad was present the entire time, just off camera with only very few hints from the other characters of his existence]] was very poorly received, bordering on being an AssPull. Other points of contention included the dropping of numerous plot points from previous games, a number of retcons, and a villain with contrived motivations and plans.

* ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'''s [[VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma third and final game]] didn't follow up on that much from the previous game, and it ignored many promises made by WordOfGod.

The ending of a work can make or break its reception. One of the reasons audiences consume works is the fundamental expectation that the ending will provide a satisfactory or fitting (a very {{Bittersweet|Ending}} or DownerEnding can still [[TrueArtIsAngsty be well received]]) payoff for their viewing, following, and emotional investment in the work.

This is the extreme sort of such a break.

An Audience-Alienating Ending is an ending in an otherwise-beloved work that receives widespread backlash or [[BrokenBase divisiveness]], whether it means being unappealing to existing fans or alienating those who haven't yet experienced the work, possibly to the point that [[ItWasHisSled even non-fans know about it]]. Maybe because it's the only or most vocal thing that's talked about it afterward, or maybe the backlash was so extreme it got media attention. The result is potential audiences avoiding the work regardless of its other merits because they [[SafetyInIndifference don't want to get invested]] in a work with such a disappointing or contentious payoff, preexisting fans becoming so soured by the ending that they distance themselves from it when discussing or viewing the work after it ended, or a combination of both.

* ''Film/FastX'': The {{Cliffhanger}} in which Dom's crew is seemingly shot down and killed, Dante has Dom and his son at his mercy, and Aimes being revealed to be TheDragon has rather divided audiences and critics. Not helping much is that the sequel is currently set for a 2025 release.

* ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' ends with [[spoiler: Elsa leaving Arendelle to become the protector of the Enchanted Forest, while Anna becomes Arendelle's new queen in her place.]] Many fans were outraged by this ending, feeling that [[spoiler: Elsa going to live in the wilderness again contradicts her character arc from the first film of reconnecting with other people]], that [[spoiler: Anna's personality isn't as well suited as Elsa's to the duties of the throne]], and above all, that [[spoiler: it's wrong for the two sisters not to live together anymore.]] However, Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/toy-story-frozen-zootopia-sequels-disney-1235320950/ two]] [[https://variety.com/2023/film/news/frozen-4-confirmed-disney-bob-iger-1235792515/ sequels]] are in the works, giving fans some hope that the issues with this ending will be fixed.

* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' is particularly frustrating, because although the series repeatedly [[SnicketWarningLabel goes out of its way to warn you there won't be a happy resolution]], what it doesn't tell you until the last book is just how little will be resolved at ''all''. The TV series rectifies this and, while we don't see what becomes of the heroes, we're told they're fine, living happily, [[spoiler: and raised Kit Snicket's daughter, who finds Lemony to tell him this.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' ends with [[spoiler: Elsa leaving Arendelle to become the protector of the Enchanted Forest, while Anna becomes Arendelle's new queen in her place.]] Many fans were outraged by this ending, feeling that [[spoiler: Elsa going to live in the wilderness again contradicts her character arc from the first film of reconnecting with other people]], that [[spoiler: Anna's personality isn't as well suited as Elsa's to the duties of the throne]], and above all, that [[spoiler: it's wrong for the two sisters not to live together anymore.]]
** However, Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/toy-story-frozen-zootopia-sequels-disney-1235320950/ two]] [[https://variety.com/2023/film/news/frozen-4-confirmed-disney-bob-iger-1235792515/ sequels]] are in the works. So hopefully, they can fix the issues left by the ending, or at least try to.

* ''ComicBook/TheBalladOfHaloJones'' was planned as a nine-issue comic, but was cancelled after just three due to a dispute between Creator/AlanMoore and his publisher, so we never got to see Halo's full journey. Reportedly, Moore had the other books planned out and told Creator/NeilGaiman how it all ends.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': The climax of Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' run features the [[TheReveal revelation]] that the newest member of the X-Men, Xorn, was actually the team's old foe [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], who has gone insane from a mind-controlling super-drug and whom [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]] sacrifices herself to stop. The final arc abruptly cuts to a BadFuture scenario, which we learn was the end result of [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] quitting the X-Men after his wife's death. Jean returns in the future and uses the power of the Phoenix to change the past so that Scott quickly moves on from her death, beginning a relationship with [[Characters/MarvelComics EmmaFrost Emma Frost]] and leading the X-Men alongside her. Many fans found this an anticlimactic ending to such a well-regarded run, especially since Emma's previous attempts to seduce Scott were portrayed as creepy and manipulative, only for their relationship to now suddenly be treated as a good and even outright necessary thing.

* The climax of Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' run features the [[TheReveal revelation]] that the newest member of the ComicBook/XMen, Xorn, was actually the team's old foe Comicbook/{{Magneto}}, who has gone insane from a mind-controlling super-drug and whom Comicbook/JeanGrey sacrifices herself to stop. The final arc abruptly cuts to a BadFuture scenario, which we learn was the end result of ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} quitting the X-Men after his wife's death. Jean returns in the future and uses the power of the Phoenix to change the past so that Scott quickly moves on from her death, beginning a relationship with ComicBook/EmmaFrost and leading the X-Men alongside her. Many fans found this an anticlimactic ending to such a well-regarded run, especially since Emma's previous attempts to seduce Scott were portrayed as creepy and manipulative, only for their relationship to now suddenly be treated as a good and even outright necessary thing.