History Main / EmergingFromTheShadows

* In the first season of ''Series/{{Angel}}'', a demon comes to Angel Investigations seeking protection from the {{Determinator}} who's been chasing him across several states. Angel is then confronted by a leather-clad man in the shadows holding a crossbow, but is singularly unimpressed when ComedicHero Wesley steps into the light.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]'', Captain Tancredi's identity is revealed in this way.

** Our very first look at Captain Jean-Luc Picard is this trope, as he steps into the light to look out a window of the Enterprise.
** In the 4th SeasonFinale Sela showing her face is the last shot. [[spoiler:This is TheReveal that she is the Romulan daughter of Tasha Yar.]]

* Angel himself does this in the original ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' series, knocking out the lights, then emerging in GameFace to attack Willow in the InternalReveal that he's turned evil. Given Angelus' love for mind games, he's obviously doing it deliberately to scare everyone.
* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', Phil Coulson reveals [[NotQuiteDead he's still alive this way]], and immediately lampshades it in true Joss Whedon fashion.

* When Belle pleads for her father in ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', she asks Beast to step into the light, and we see his full form for the first time.

* Esmeralda beckoning Quasimodo to come out of the cathedral at the end of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''.

* Rapunzel does this to Flynn in ''Disney/{{Tangled}}''.
* ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'':

* Inverted with Gandalf's reappearance in ''Film/TheTwoTowers'': his face is revealed after a bright flare dies down to background lighting.

* This is how Ursula was introduced in her own lair, whilst spying on Ariel and Flounder with the crystal bubble in ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid''. King Triton does this to Ariel when he discovers her secret grotto.

Compare FaceFramedInShadow, DramaticSpotlight, NaturalSpotlight and FaceRevealingTurn.

* ''Series/TheGates'': Used effectively at the end of "Little Girl Lost", when the villainous vampire Christian is heading out of town by night... only for a completely shadowed figure to emerge from the darkened forest. [[spoiler:It's Claire, come to stake him for kidnapping her daughter and general emotional torture.]]

* Done very creepily in ''Film/{{Hellboy}}''. The door at the end of a shadowed hallway opens, a security guard shines his flashlight around to make sure no one's lurking there... and as soon as he leaves and the hallway is dark again, out steps [[BigBad Rasputin]].

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' does this in "Eye of the Beholder" (when revealing that these "humans" have quite a different standard of beauty than ours) and "He's Alive" (when revealing that the person guiding the neo-Nazi is [[spoiler:Hitler himself]]).

* ''Film/{{Screamers}}''. Just as he's about to use the escape rocket to get off the planet, Colonel Hendrickson is knocked down and his weapon taken by one of the [[TheyLookLikeUsNow human Screamers]], who then steps out of the dark to reveal he's Hendrickson's NumberTwo, who should have been killed by the Screamers when they swarmed the Alliance base. Turns out the real NumberTwo was [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] by the Screamer before the events of the movie even started.

* ''Film/BloodDiamond''. Used for the reveal that the feared warlord Danny Archer is going to meet is actually a ChildSoldier.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E10ARoyalProblem A Royal Problem]]" Daybreaker appears at first completely obscured by shadows, so that only the dark silhouette of an alicorn (with no mane or tail) can be seen. This increases the impact of the WhamShot when [[spoiler:she lights up her FlamingHair and reveals herself as Celestia's EvilTwin]].

* In the 4th SeasonFinale of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Sela showing her face is the last shot.

* In ''Film/{{Batman}}'', Jack Napier does this to his old crime boss Carl Grissom, revealing his new form as The Joker, before shooting him.

* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', [[Characters/MCUCaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]] reveals himself after coming to help Wanda and Vision by walking out of the shadows that had previously been hiding his face.

* ''Film/{{Screamers}}''. Just as he's about to use the escape rocket to get off the planet, Colonel Hendrickson is knocked down and his weapon taken by one of the [[TheyLookLikeUsNow human Screamers]], who then steps out of a dark to reveal he's Hendrickson's NumberTwo, who should have been killed by the Screamers when they swarmed the Alliance base. Turns out the real NumberTwo was [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] by the Screamer before the events of the movie even started.

-->'''Agent Coulson:''' (''steps out of shadows dramatically'') Welcome to Level Seven. (''beat'') Sorry, that corner was really dark and [[IAlwaysWantedToSayThat I couldn't help myself]]. I think there's a bulb out.

-->'''Joker''': Nice of you to say, but you of all people should know... there's ''plenty'' wrong with me.

-->'''Terry''': Bruce! Help... me!