History Main / EmptyPromise

* Miles Edgeworth [[ThatLiarLies makes one of these]] in ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney: Investigations'' every time he infers that [[EndingFatigue the current confrontation with the]] BigBad [[EndingFatigue will be the final one]].

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Harvey Dent promises to Rachel that [[spoiler:she will get out of their predicament alive. She doesn't. Later on, after Dent has become Two-Face, he challenges Gordon to do the same with his son whom he's about to kill.]]

'''River Song:''' ''{{WhatTheHellHero Doctor!]]'' \\

'''The Doctor:''' ''[Scans her status]'' Everything, you're dying. \\
'''River Song:''' ''Doctor!'' \\

If the situation truly is hopeless, expect them to say "close your eyes", possibly even [[ShootTheDog killing them]] to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo make sure it's a painless death.]] If the loved one truly has no idea of what's going on, and is on the point of death, it becomes LetThemDieHappy. Expect the hero to [[PietaPlagiarism cradle their friend]] as their doom approaches.

* Played straight then immediately inverted in DoctorWho "Flesh and Stone"-

'''The Doctor:''' ''[Scans her status]'' Everything, you are dying. \\

'''The Doctor:''' ''[Scans her status] Everything, you are dying. \\

-->'''Amy Pond:''' So what's wrong with me?
-->'''River Song:''' Nothing, you're fine.
-->'''The Doctor:''' Everything, you're dying!
-->'''River Song:''' Doctor!
-->'''The Doctor:''' Yes, you're right! If we lie to her she'll get all better!

* This is the reason Adell holds HonorBeforeReason in ''{{Disgaea 2}}'': He became a victim of an empty promise when his parents went off to fight [[BigBad Overlord Zenon]], promising to come back. They never did. [[spoiler:It later turns out Zenon brainwashed them and turned them into his minions, and Adell is forced to kill them without ever learning their identities.]]

* On [[WhamEpisode Virmire]] in ''MassEffect'', [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] can [[spoiler:insist he/she'll be able to come back for whichever human squadmate you had to leave behind, when both know that's not going to happen]].

* ''PokemonMysteryDungeon'' has a lot of this between the player character and his/her partner.

* In Creator/StephenKing's ''{{Firestarter}}'', when Charlie finds out that her mother is dead, Andy tells her that everything will be all right, though he knows "as every adult knows in his secret heart that nothing is really all right, ever."

[[AC: {{Television}}]]
* In 'Reboot', this trope is subverted. When Enzo appears to be losing a game against the user, Andrala promises Frisket everything will be ok, and resets their icons. When the game cube vanishes, it appears as though Andrala had made an empty promise, which is partly true; by resetting their icons to game sprite mode, she ensured the three of them would live even if they lost the game, but they wouldn't be able to return to Mainframe.

* Towards the end of ''[[NightAngelTrilogy The Way of Shadows]]'', when [[spoiler: Logan]] and [[spoiler: Jenine]] have been assaulted on their wedding night, he holds her head and whispers to her that everything will be fine, she doesn't have to be afraid, it's all right... [[TearJerker while she is bleeding to death.]]

** Rachel had also promised Bruce that she would wait for him.
*** Not so much an empty promise as a Broken Promise.

* In the sixteenth-century text ''ThePrince'', author NiccoloMachiavelli explicitly states that at times it is necessary for a ruler to make empty promises for the sake of his country.

* In the original 1954 ''{{Godzilla}}'' film -- which was a ''lot'' more serious than its camp successors -- the mother of a family trapped in the monster's path soothes her children with the promise that they would be with their father soon. No prize for guessing their father's status.
* Dr. Loomis to Jamie, in the school, in ''Film/{{Halloween}} 4''. Subverted when she asks him if he really believes they'll make it out all right, and he gives a barely audible LittleNo.

* In ''TheDarkKnight'', Harvey Dent promises to Rachel that [[spoiler:she will get out of their predicament alive. She doesn't. Later on, after Dent has become Two-Face, he challenges Gordon to do the same with his son whom he's about to kill.]]

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* In 'Reboot', this trope is subverted. When Enzo appears to be losing a game against the user, Andrala promises Frisket everything will be ok, and resets their icons. When the game cube vanishes, it appears as though Andrala had made an empty promise, which is partly true; by resetting their icons to game sprite mode, she ensured the three of them would live even if they lost the game, but they wouldn't be able to return to Mainframe.

* Dr. Loomis to Jamie, in the school, in ''Film/{{Halloween}}'' 4. Subverted when she asks him if he really believes they'll make it out all right, and he gives a barely audible LittleNo.

[[AC: Literature]]

* In the sixteenth-century text ''ThePrince'', author {{Niccolo Machiavelli}} explicitly states that at times it is necessary for a ruler to make empty promises for the sake of his country.
* In [[StephenKing Stephen King's]] ''{{Firestarter}}'', when Charlie finds out that her mother is dead, Andy tells her that everything will be all right, though he knows "as every adult knows in his secret heart that nothing is really all right, ever."

* Helo from the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' loves this one, although other characters do their fair share as well.

* ''RobotChicken'' uses it in a horrifically bleak, though still funny, BlackComedy way, as [[{{Voltron}} Voltron's]] CombiningMecha sequence is taking so long that the enemy's destroying the space station that'd called for help in the meantime. The general's young sidekick is dying in the wreckage, blind and crippled from his injuries, and asks if Voltron's arrived. The general lies and tells him yes, Voltron's here and it's all going to be okay now, before [[MercyKill shooting him]] so he'll die painlessly.

<<|TruthAndLies|>>

* In ''{{Haven}}'' Audrey will often tell someone that things will be OK as she tries to fix whatever damage the episode's Troubled person has caused. When [[spoiler: the police chief]] is about to die she can't do anything to help him and says nothing. This infuriates Nathan who preferred that she at least gave an EmptyPromise to comfort [[spoiler: his father]]

* Miles Edgeworth [[ThatLiarLies makes one of these]] in ''AceAttorney: Investigations'' every time he infers that [[EndingFatigue the current confrontation with the]] BigBad [[EndingFatigue will be the final one]].

* In 'Reboot', this trope is subverted. When Enzo appears to be losing a game against the user, AndrAla promises Frisket everything will be ok, and resets their icons. When the game cube vanishes, it appears as though AndrAla had made an empty promise, which is partly true; by resetting their icons to game sprite mode, she ensured the three of them would live even if they lost the game, but they wouldn't be able to return to Mainframe.