History Main / DeathByRecognition

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "And Then There Were Fewer", Jillian's husband, Derek, dies when he goes out to get a cell phone signal, but is cornered by the killer on a balcony. The trope is parodied when Derek refers to the killer as "the man or woman who's been killing everyone!". [[spoiler: Its Diane Simmons]]

* Happens to the ComicBook/MartianManhunter right before ''InfiniteCrisis'' (but not killed, as the main villain needed him alive).

* Metallo's "Oh it's you" in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies'', where after the aforementioned heroes engage him in heated battle and escape from an apparent defeat, Metallo checks the place and is approached by a shadowy figure resembling CaptainAtom or Major Force. A couple of hours later, at most, Metallo's murder is pinned on Superman.

* Happens to the MartianManhunter right before ''InfiniteCrisis'' (but not killed, as the main villain needed him alive).

* In ''Film/{{Clue}}'', Yvette is killed by HeWhoMustNotBeSeen just after saying, "It's you!" Strangely, this is included in all three versions of the film even though it only makes sense with the ending where Ms. Scarlet is the killer.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "And Then There Were Fewer", Jillian's husband, Derek, dies when he goes out to get a cell phone signal, but is cornered by the killer on a balcony.

This is a much used trope, to the point of being a cliché, in British TV mystery series of the more traditional kind, e.g., ''MidsomerMurders'', ''InspectorMorse'', or anything adapted from Creator/AgathaChristie. It's a way of letting the viewer see the murder without giving away who did it.

* In ''TheUsualSuspects'', Keyser Soze finds the man who can identify him, who begs him, "I promise...I told them nothing..." Soze is bathed in golden light, and then there's a DiscretionShot as Soze shoots him.
* In ''TheManWithTwoBrains'', Delores steps into an elevator, obviously recognizes the other occupant, smiles and says, "What are you doing here?" Then the other person (Merv Griffin) [[ItMakesSenseInContext injects window cleaner into her butt]]. It kills her... mostly.

* In the 2010 film Faster, Driver (played by Dwayne Johnson) shoots and kills a man who immediately recognizes him upon his entrance. Later scenes reveal him as the Telemarketer, one of five men who assisted in killing Driver's brother Gary.

* At the start of ''AngelsAndDemons'' Doctor Vetra sees and identifies the killer just before he dies.

* Parodied on ''TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir''. Carlton and Ashley are playing "whodunnit", and "murders" (carried out with sucker darts) of this type happen throughout the episode. Played completely straight when Will is accused of being the murderer and ends up AcquittedTooLate (to his irritation, since he isn't playing). The murderer was Aunt Vivian, if you were wondering.
* The dean in ''VeronicaMars'' gives us a "What are you doing here?" The next time we see him, he's dead.
* In ''HomeAndAway'', Josh West says, "What are you doing here?" in the episode where he is killed. Arguably a subversion, as he had a brief conversation with the killer (later shown in flashback once he was exposed as such), before pulling out ''his own'' gun.

* ''Series/LoisAndClark'': Creator/ElliottGould says this just before he's killed by the baddie of the week, as Lois is in his bathroom and sees the killer. Subverted, though, in that we actually see the killer, too; but it turns out he's a MasterOfDisguise, so seeing him doesn't help. The person Lois thought she saw kill Gould was at a conference delivering a speech at the time of the murder.

This is a much used trope, to the point of being a cliché, in British TV mystery series of the more traditional kind e.g. ''MidsomerMurders'', ''InspectorMorse'', anything adapted from Creator/AgathaChristie. It's a way of letting the viewer see the murder without giving away who did it.

'''One of the DeathTropes, so spoilers might be ahead'''

* In ''Franchise/WallaceAndGromit: WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath'', the opening scene is shot from the serial killer's point of view, and the confused target lets out one of these before he gets cudged on the head with a rolling pin.

* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', [[spoiler:Kaji]]'s last words are a casual "You're late".

* Happens to the MartianManhunter right before ''InfiniteCrisis'' (but not killed, as the main villain neded him alive).

* In ''Film/{{Clue}}'', [[spoiler:Yvette]] is killed by HeWhoMustNotBeSeen just after saying, "It's you!" Strangely, this is included in all three versions of the film even though it only makes sense with the ending where [[spoiler: Ms. Scarlet]] is the killer.

* In ''TheManWithTwoBrains'', Delores steps into an elevator, obviously recognizes the other occupant, smiles and says, "What are you doing here?" Then the other person ([[spoiler:Merv Griffin]]) [[ItMakesSenseInContext injects window cleaner into her butt]]. It kills her... mostly.

* [[spoiler:The choir director]]'s last words in ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'' are "What are you doing here?

* First episode of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' started this way, when a witch said, "What are you doing here?" and then gets stabbed to death...

* Parodied on ''TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir''. Carlton and Ashley are playing "whodunnit", and "murders" (carried out with sucker darts) of this type happen throughout the episode. Played completely straight when Will is accused of being the murderer and ends up AcquittedTooLate (to his irritation, since he isn't playing). [[spoiler:The murderer was Aunt Vivian, if you were wondering.]]

** [[spoiler:Given that it's highly implied the killer is Enomoto, Kokoro may have actually been trying to say "Who are you?"]]

## The victim was [[spoiler:the author himself]], and
## The character who killed him was [[spoiler:also the author himself, time traveled from the future to kill him]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "And Then There Were Fewer", [[spoiler:Jillian's husband, Derek, dies when he goes out to get a cell phone signal]], but is cornered by the killer on a balcony.
* Metallo's "Oh it's you" in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies'', where after the aforementioned heroes engage him in heated battle and escape from an apparent defeat, Metallo checks the place and is approached by a shadowy figure resembling [[spoiler:CaptainAtom or Major Force]]. A couple of hours later, at most, Metallo's murder is pinned on Superman.

* ''LoisAndClark'': Elliot Gould says this just before he's killed by the baddie of the week, as Lois is in his bathroom and sees the killer. Subverted, though, in that we actually see the killer, too; but it turns out he's a MasterOfDisguise, so seeing him doesn't help. The person Lois thought she saw kill Gould was at a conference delivering a speech at the time of the murder.

Some (usually) [[DeadHerring minor character]] suddenly sees someone he recognizes, but who really shouldn't be here at the moment and whose face we can't see. Then he exclaims: [[YouExclamation "You?!.."]] or "What are you doing here?" and gets immediately killed.

* Metallo's "Oh it's you" in ''SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies'', where after the aforementioned heroes engage him in heated battle and escape from an apparent defeat, Metallo checks the place and is approached by a shadowy figure resembling [[spoiler:CaptainAtom or Major Force]]. A couple of hours later, at most, Metallo's murder is pinned on Superman.

* In ''Film/{{Clue}}'', [[spoiler:Yvette]] is killed by HeWhoMustNotBeSeen just after saying, "It's you!"

* Metallo's "Oh it's you" in ''SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies'', where after the aforementioned heroes engage him in heated battle and escape from an apparent defeat, Metallo checks the place and is approached by a shadowy figure resembling [[spoiler:CaptainAtom or MajorForce]]. A couple of hours later, at most, Metallo's murder is pinned on Superman.

* In ''[[WallaceAndGromit Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death]]'', the opening scene is shot from the serial killer's point of view, and the confused target lets out one of these before he gets cudged on the head with a rolling pin.

This is a much used trope, to the point of being a cliché, in British TV mystery series of the more traditional kind e.g. ''{{Midsomer Murders}}'', ''{{Inspector Morse}}'', anything adapted from Creator/AgathaChristie. It's a way of letting the viewer see the murder without giving away who did it.

* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', [[spoiler:Kaji's]] last words are a casual "You're late".

* In ''TheUsualSuspects'', Keyser Soze finds the man who can identify him, who begs him, "I promise...I told them nothing..." Soze is bathed in golden light, and then there's a DiscretionShot as Soze shoots him.
* In ''TheManWithTwoBrains'', Delores steps into an elevator, obviously recognizes the other occupant, smiles and says, "What are you doing here?" Then the other person ([[spoiler:Merv Griffin]]) [[ItMakesSenseInContext injects window cleaner into her butt]]. It kills her... mostly.

* [[spoiler:The choir director's]] last words in ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'' are "What are you doing here?

* One (of several) fan theories about the FadeToBlack ending of ''TheSopranos'' is that it's Tony having a heart attack as he sees who's entering the restaurant.

* In ''MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', Ocelot does this to a guard (he isn't hidden from the viewer, but it's a surprise that he's even there at all).

* In the original ''Film/{{Friday the 13th}}'', this is how Steve Christy meets his end.

* In ''TheManWithTwoBrains'', Delores steps into an elevator, obviously recognizes the other occupant, smiles and says, "What are you doing here?" Then the other person ([[spoiler:Merv Griffin]]) [[ItMakesSenseInContext injects window cleaner into her butt]]. It kills her... mostly.

This is a much used trope, to the point of being a cliché, in British TV mystery series of the more traditional kind e.g. ''{{Midsomer Murders}}'', ''{{Inspector Morse}}'', anything adapted from AgathaChristie. It's a way of letting the viewer see the murder without giving away who did it.

* First episode of ''{{Charmed}}'' started this way, when a witch said, "What are you doing here?" and then gets stabbed to death...

* In ''{{Clue}}'', [[spoiler:Yvette]] is killed by HeWhoMustNotBeSeen just after saying, "It's you!"

Some (usually) [[DeadHerring minor character]] suddenly sees someone he recognizes, but who really shouldn't be here at the moment and whose face we can't see. Then he exclaims: "You?!.." or "What are you doing here?" and gets immediately killed.

* In the ''WheelOfTime'' series, this was how the Forsaken Asmodean was killed. Many books later, his killer still remains a mystery:

* ''AngelsAndDemons''

[[AC:{{Anime And Manga}}]]
* In ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', [[spoiler:Kaji's]] last words are a casual "You're late".
* Happens to [[BrilliantButLazy Kyoraku]] in the second ''{{Bleach}}'' movie. After a few seconds of scuffling with a mysterious ice-wielding enemy, he manages to cut off his opponent's mask and get a look at his face. He remarks "You're...!" Cue scene cut to Kyoraku in the hospital.

* In ''{{The Usual Suspects}}'', Keyser Soze finds the man who can identify him, who begs him, "I promise...I told them nothing..." Soze is bathed in golden light, and then there's a DiscretionShot as Soze shoots him.

[[AC:Film - Animation]]
* In ''WallaceAndGromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death'', the opening scene is shot from the serial killer's point of view, and the confused target lets out one of these before he gets cudged on the head with a rolling pin.

* AngelsAndDemons

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]
* In ''MetalGearSolid2'', Ocelot does this to a guard (he isn't hidden from the viewer, but it's a surprise that he's even there at all).
* ''HeavyRain''. The mysterious Origami Killer visits a small-time crook in his office - a guy who had been renting space to Origami for his little 'games' in various derelict buildings. He goes, "Oh, it's just you..." and then chats a bit before the killer offs him so the victim cannot identify him to anyone.
* In one of the {{Bad End}}s of ''{{Remember11}}'', Kokoro manages only to say this before she is killed.

* Parodied in ''IrregularWebcomic'' in that 1) the victim was [[spoiler:the author himself]], and 2) the character who killed him was [[spoiler:also the author himself, time travelled from the future to kill him]].

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
* In the ''FamilyGuy'' episode "And Then There Were Fewer", [[spoiler:Jillian's husband, Derek, dies when he goes out to get a cell phone signal]], but is cornered by the killer on a balcony.

This is a much used trope, to the point of being a cliche, in British TV mystery series of the more traditional kind e.g. ''{{Midsomer Murders}}'', ''{{Inspector Morse}}'', anything adapted from Agatha Christie. It's a way of letting the viewer see the murder without giving away who did it.

* [[spoiler: [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Kaji's]]]] last words are a casual "You're late".

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]
* Happens to the Martian Manhunter right before ''InfiniteCrisis'' (but not killed, as the main villain neded him alive).

* In ''{{Clue}}'' [[spoiler: Yvette]] is killed by HeWhoMustNotBeSeen just after saying "It's you!"
* In ''{{The Usual Suspects}}'', Keyser Soze finds the man who can identify him, who begs him "I promise...I told them nothing..." He's bathed in golden light, and then there's a DiscretionShot as Soze shoots him.
* In ''TheManWithTwoBrains'', Delores steps into an elevator, obviously recognizes the other occupant, smiles and says, "What are you doing here?" Then the other person ([[spoiler: Merv Griffin]]) [[ItMakesSenseInContext injects window cleaner into her butt]]. It kills her... mostly.

* [[spoiler: The choir director's]] last words in ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'' are "What are you doing here?

[[AC:{{Live Action TV}}]]
* First episode of ''{{Charmed}}'' started this way, when witch said "What are you doing here?" and the gets stabbed to death...
* ''LoisAndClark'': ElliotGould says this just before he's killed by the baddie of the week, as Lois is in his bathroom and sees the killer. Subverted though in that we actually see the killer too; but it turns out he's a MasterOfDisguise so seeing him doesn't help. The person Lois thought she saw kill him was at a conference delivering a speech at the time of the murder.
* Parodied on ''TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir''. Carlton and Ashley are playing "whodunnit" and "murders" (carried out with sucker darts) of this type happen throughout the episode. Played completely straight when Will is accused of being the murderer and ends up AcquittedTooLate (to his irritation, since he isn't playing). [[spoiler: The murderer was Aunt Vivian if you were wondering.]]

* In ''HomeAndAway'', Josh West says "What are you doing here?" in the episode where he is killed. Arguably a subversion, as he had a brief conversation with the killer (later shown in flashback once he was exposed as such), before pulling out ''his own'' gun.

* In ''MetalGearSolid2'' Ocelot does this to a guard (he isn't hidden from the viewer, but it's a surprise that he's even there at all).
* ''HeavyRain''. The mysterious Origami Killer visits a small-time crook in his office - a guy who've been renting him space for his little 'games' in various derelict buildings. He goes "Oh, it's just you..." and then chats a bit before the killer offs him so he cannot identify him to anyone.

[[AC:{{Web Comics}}]]
* Parodied in ''IrregularWebcomic'' in that 1) the character killed was [[spoiler:The author himself]], and 2) That the character who killed him was [[spoiler:also the author himself, time travelled from the future to kill him]].

* In the ''FamilyGuy'' episode And Then There Were Fewer, [[spoiler: Jillian's husband Derek]] dies when [[spoiler: he goes out to get a cell phone signal]] only to be cornered by the killer on a balcony.
* Metallo's "Oh it's you" in ''SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies'', where after the aforementioned heroes engage him in heated battle and escape from an apparent defeat, Metallo checks the place and is approached by a shadowy figure resembling [[spoiler:CaptainAtom or MajorForce]]. A couple of hours later, tops, Metallo's murder is pinned on Superman.