History Main / DearJohnLetter

P.S.: See also Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, they have an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_John_letter article linked here.]]

* ''Film/Daredevil2003''. Matt Murdock is shown listening to a verbal version left on his answering machine, the sender pointing out that [[CalledOutForNotCalling it's not as if he's left her any other option]]. She doesn't sound angry with Matt, but does call him out for never staying the night or even inviting him to his apartment--which is [[TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife actually his secret lair for his nighttime vigilante activities]].

I know that we are enemies, but I have to put my job first, before any interpersonal relationships. When I saw you trapped under that pile of rocks, [[ChronicHeroSyndrome I knew in my heart that I had to let you go free]], no matter what it might mean for you and me in the future.
To that end, I used my '''molecule breaking-up weapons''' to destroy the bonds holding those rocks together, allowing you to escape. I want you to know that I would have done the same thing if I had seen you trapped by fire. It would have been a simple thing to convert into my armored water cannon mode and direct high-pressure jets through those same weapons, extinguishing the spark that once burned brightly.
But you must understand that this is a task I cannot carry out for only one individual. I know that being crushed by tons of debris hurt you very deeply, and I only hope in time the pain will fade.
Sincerely,
-Rescue Force 2

* Spoofed with [[Wiki/TFWikiDotNet the TFWiki’s]] [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Molecule_breaking-up_weapon page]] for Rescue Force 2’s (yes, that’s his actual canonical name) Molecul Breaking-Up Weapon.

* Spoofed with [[Wiki/TFWikiDotNot the TFWIKI]] [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Molecule_breaking-up_weapon page]] for Rescue Force 2’s (yes, that’s his actual canonical name) Molecul Breaking-Up Weapon.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight,'' the love interest writes Bruce Wayne a letter about how she is going to marry Harvey Dent and that she'll always be with him as a friend. However, after her death, Alfred burns it before Bruce can read it. It's a relatively minor but still tragic instance of PoorCommunicationKills: Bruce assumes she was going to leave Harvey for him. In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', Alfred confessed to Bruce about the letter, which didn't make Bruce feel any better.

P.S.: See also Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, they have an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_John_letter article linked here]].

** Homer receives a videotaped Dear John from Marge in TheMovie. For an extra punch to his (and the audience's) gut, she taped it over their wedding video, so immediately after she's done, it cuts to them dancing at their wedding. ''Ouch''.

* ''Anime/VariableGeo'': Played with in the opening scene of episode 2 when Yuka visits Satomi's home and finds it empty, minus a farewell letter [[spoiler: written in blood]]. Yuka reacts as if she's just found out she's been [[HomoeroticSubtext "dumped"]] [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship by her best friend]], prompting Jun to ask if they've "broken up". To which Yuka dejectedly replies, "Yes".

* ''Manga/KimiNoIruMachi's'' Yuzuki writes one to Haruto and puts it in a present she gave him, however it was several months (and several attempts to stay with her regardless) later that he actually found and read the letter.

* Deconstructed in ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'''s episode "Time Bastard." Jenny was in love with her best friend Ted, but was convinced he only viewed her platonically, so she only got up the courage to confess when she was leaving town ''to be with another man''. She sent him a letter, explaining that she had always loved him and wished him nothing but happiness, but it was simply too painful for her to be around him every day knowing her feelings would always be unrequited, so this would have to be goodbye. Except Ted ''did'' love her back, and losing Jenny in this way was the first in a series of DisasterDominoes that leads to a ''major'' TraumaCongaLine for Ted, Jenny, and the man she planned to leave town with. Had she simply had the spine to at least say goodbye to his face, ''none of it'' ever would've happened. She wasn't trying to be cruel, but she irreparably hurt several innocent parties, herself included.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD6S8DZHpG4 This]] classic 1980's UsefulNotes/NewZealand ad for BASF cassette tapes features a soldier receiving a version of the country song "Dear John" sung by his fiance on a BASF tape, with some new lyrics turning it into a straight example, leading to the tagline:

* ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': One of Dr. Pat's schoolmates received a letter from his fiance informing him that she couldn't wait for him to be out of med school and their relationship was over. She eventually changed her mind but the experience left him permanently bitter and mistrustful.

* In ''Film/{{Casablanca}},'' Rick and his lover, Ilsa, were supposed to meet at the train station to get out of Paris before the Nazis arrived; instead, she sent a letter explaining that she couldn't be with him, for unexplained reasons. Years later they meet in Casablanca and she explains that she had returned to her husband, Victor, whom she had believed dead before getting together with Rick.
* ''Film/DearJohn'': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh]]. Bonus points for the recipient's name actually being ''[[DoubleMeaningTitle John]]''. He ends up burning the letter, and all the previous ones he received from his now ex-girlfriend.
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers''. While in MI boot camp, Johnny Rico gets a literal Dear John video from his girlfriend Carmen Ibanez, who's in training to join the Fleet (space navy), which of course he is watching on a big-screen TV in the barracks, with his entire squad watching and making commentary... [[ThatsGottaHurt Until they realize what the message is about and make themselves scarce.]]

* ''Film/ACuriousConjunctionOfCoincidences'': Erich’s rough day starts with him receiving one of these from his fiancee. Apparently, she met a stronger, smarter and funnier man.

* In ''Film/SpyGame'', a forged one was left by John Miur for his protege Tom Bishop so that the latter could focus on their mission in Beirut rather than get distracted by Elizabeth Hadley - Muir in fact tipped off Chinese agents to Hadley's location (in exchange for the release of a US diplomat) so that they could kidnap her, as she was involved in the bombing of their embassy in Britain. Bishop saw through it and went after her, resulting in his own capture.

* A double-subversion in ''The Winds of War''. Rhoda writes this to Victor but after hearing of Pearl Harbor writes a second letter asking him to forget it. However later she goes through with it. Leaving Victor feeling free to remarry a woman he had developed feelings for but [[IGaveMyWord had just barely forced himself to turn down]].

* The Music/TaylorSwift song "Dear John" is a subversion of this trope. Even though the narrator is ending the relationship, the song reveals that she was involved in an unhealthy relationship with an older man, who it's implied took advantage of her and broke her heart. Thus the song is a six minute long TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.

* B.J. Thomas' "Billy and Sue" (1966) ends with Billy getting one of these from Sue while fighting in a war, and deliberately letting himself get shot and killed in response.

* "Home and broken hearted" by Music/ColdChisel is all about the narrator coming home to find a very curt one of these from his wife propped up against the dressing table mirror. He doesn't take it well (and notes that her leaving on the week before Christmas is especially mean).

* At the end of ''VideoGame/StarCraft: [[ExpansionPack Brood War]]'', [[spoiler:and Kerrigan's ascension, Admiral Gerard [=DuGalle=]]] sends a letter to [[spoiler:his wife]] in Earth about everything which happened in the game. [[spoiler:The cutscene ends with a GoryDiscretionShot. [[DrivenToSuicide Gerard has committed suicide]].]]
--> [[spoiler:"Dearest Helena, By now the news of our defeat has reached the Earth. The creatures we were sent here to tame are un-tamable, and the colonies we were sent to reclaim have proven to be stronger than we anticipated. Whatever you may hear about what has happened out here, know this; Alexei did not die gloriously in battle. I killed him. My pride killed him. And now my pride has consumed me as well. You will never see me again, Helena. Tell our children that I love them, and that their father died in defense of their future. Au revoir."]]

* In Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault, [[spoiler:Nick is abducted by Ki's EvilCounterpart from a parallel universe the night before he is to marry her, and his counterpart leaves behind a letter saying he can't marry her, but Ki refuses to believe it and eventually enters the dimension on a rescue mission]]. The letter is even called a DearJohnLetter

* Deconstructed in ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'''s episiode "Time Bastard." Jenny was in love with her best friend Ted, but was convinced he only viewed her platonically, so she only got up the courage to confess when she was leaving town ''to be with another man''. She sent him a letter, explaining that she had always loved him and wished him nothing but happiness, but it was simply too painful for her to be around him every day knowing her feelings would always be unrequited, so this would have to be goodbye. Except Ted ''did'' love her back, and losing Jenny in this way was the first in a series of DisasterDominoes that leads to a ''major'' TraumaCongaLine for Ted, Jenny, and the man she planned to leave town with. Had she simply had the spine to at least say goodbye to his face, ''none of it'' ever would've happened. She wasn't trying to be cruel, but she irreperably hurt several innocent parties, herself included.

* Rick from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' gets this from Unity, a hive minded entity that he had a thing with. In "Auto Erotic Assimilation", she realizes how much of a bad influence he is, she, along with the population she assimilated, left the planet empty and littered with breakup letters for Rick to read.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "Skank Hunt," the girls at South Park Elementary protest the misogynistic trolling in the town by breaking up with all their boyfriends by dropping off breakup letters and leaving. The standout example, Wendy's breakup note to Stan, reads, "This is goodbye forever, Stan. I can't fix you. Wendy."

[[quoteright:205:[[Webcomic/TerminalLance https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dear_john_letter_6.jpg]]]]

* In ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'', [[spoiler: Tommy]] got such a letter from [[spoiler: Kimberly]], which successfully [[ShipSinking sunk]] their canon couple status to allow writers pair him with [[spoiler:Katherine]]. The amount of fanfics this spawned qualifies it for PR's most infamous FandomSpecificPlot. Again the 2010s comic (See above) explain this wasn't entirely the truth.

* Joel from Series/NorthernExposure gets one of these from his fiancee in the season 2 premiere.

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