History Main / ForegoneConclusion

[[folder:Religion]]
* Literature/TheBible:
** Basically the whole Literature/BookOfRevelation says how it's all going down according to the UsefulNotes/{{Christian|ity}} faith. [[spoiler:[[TheAntichrist Satan]] [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption loses]]. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Big]] [[AndIMustScream Time]].]]
** The Gospel authors (especially John) had a tendency to introduce Judas Iscariot as "the man who would betray Jesus".
* In Myth/NorseMythology almost all of the gods are fated to get killed (in very specific ways) at Ragnarok, along with most of humanity, trolls, giants, monsters and assorted other species.
* Myth/ClassicalMythology has a strong concept of fate, as evidenced in the story of Oedipus.
* In UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, when the final judgment takes place, each of the dead will be judged one last time but have little chance to defend themselves. This isn't out of malice--it's because everything is already recorded and therefore anything they ''would'' say to defend or justify themselves is already known and they're quickly shuffled off to their respective places in the afterlife.
[[/folder]]

Sometimes, however, authors choose to go a different route. They will make known to the audience how their story ends before they even begin telling it. Sometimes they'll do so with an explicit statement (such as in a SpoilerOpening or HowWeGotHere), sometimes by writing a prequel that ends right where the original work begins. Whatever the case may be, the author has given himself or herself quite a task. He or she must find some way to establish tension and doubt when everyone knows how the story is going to end.

HistoricalFiction is tied to this trope, since history isn't changing (unless the author pulls a WrittenByTheWinners and claim that the events as portrayed in his work is what "really" happened).

DoomedByCanon is a subtrope of this, and deals with prequel characters and their attempts to either take out the main cast of the original story or survive to the end, attempts which we know are doomed because of the original story. FramingDevice entails this to a certain extent, as any character alive to tell or hear the tale must have survived, and the setting may also hint.

* ''VisualNovel/GrisaiaNoKajitsu'' has one for each character, each in their own routes. While this is mostly done well, some are...less so. Amane's in particular stands out due going on for well over half the length of her route before concluding for a result you already know.

Sometimes, however, authors choose to go a different route. They will make known to the audience how their story ends before they even begin telling it. Sometimes they'll do so with an explicit statement (such as in a SpoilerOpening or HowWeGotHere), sometimes by writing a prequel that ends right where the original work begins. Whatever the case may be, the author has given himself quite a task. He must find some way to establish tension and doubt when everyone knows how the story is going to end.

[[caption-width-right:350:Stop us if you've heard this one.]]

This is OlderThanFeudalism. Everyone who heard Creator/{{Homer}} sing already knew that Troy falls and Achilles and Hector both die; nobody walked out of Creator/{{Sophocles}}'s play saying, "Dude, he married his ''mom?''" There's a long, long tradition of retelling the story everyone knows.

Authors might cheat with this a bit (or ''a lot''), either by having the "ending" shown be [[ProphecyTwist context-sensitive and open to an entirely different interpretation]] as the audience gets to know the set up, or with an outright TwistEnding by having the "end" shown in a HowWeGotHere like fashion be only the first 10 of 15 minutes, and ending much differently than is likely.

HistoricalFiction is tied to this trope, since history ain't changing (unless the author pulls a WrittenByTheWinners and claim that the events as portrayed in his work is what "really" happened).

* ''ComicBook/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'': [[spoiler:Clémentine dies.]] As she was dead from the beginning, it's known from the very first page.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/AnatoliaStory'', as it is based in ancient Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), and ties in well with established history, anyone familiar with the Hittite Empire knows how certain events are going to play out.
* ''Anime/WolfsRain'' begins as Kiba lies dying in the snow. The scene is repeated near the end (Episode 30), but it's not quite the end of the scene, [[spoiler:as Kiba then falls through the ice and drowns]], and it's followed by a DistantFinale.
* The opening of ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'': "September 21st, 1945. That was the day I died."
* ''Manga/RoseOfVersailles'':
** Shoujo drama surrounding the court of Versailles on the eve of the Revolution. While the fates of the fictional characters are uncertain, everyone and his dog knows what happens to UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette and Louis XVI.
** Also {{invoked|Trope}} in-story early-on by Oscar when she's forced to pick sides in the conflict between the Countess Du Barry, lover of king Louis XV, and Marie Antoinette, then merely the wife of the heir to the throne: she quickly reasons that Du Barry may be the more powerful in that moment thanks to the king's support, but the king was old and in that moment she would lose all her power at the same time Marie Antoinette became queen, so she picked Marie Antoinette's side. Just as expected, Du Barry ultimately wins their contention-and then, less than two years later, Louis XV dies, making her victory completely meaningless.
** The sequel ''Eikou no Napoleon-Eroica'' does the same as its parent series. Particularly notable when Alain and Bernard try and [[spoiler:kill Napoleon before he can crown himself emperor]], as it's obvious they will fail.
* ''Anime/DanganRonpa3'' has ''Zetsubou-hen'', the prequel of all events of the Hope's Peak Saga, therefore, it's a telling of the events that led to [[spoiler:TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, the death of all student council and the fall of all Class 77 in despair]], therefore, TheBadGuyWins. To anyone who has been accompanying the franchise, none of these events are surprise.
* ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'':
** Since it's the {{Prequel}} to the adventures of their {{Reincarnation}}s, it's a pretty good guess that Konzen, Kenren, and Tenpou are going to die in ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}} Gaiden'', yes? Readers of both series know that Goku is going to lose all of his memories of these events and be trapped in a lonely mountain cave for several hundred years, that Nataku will choose permanent suspended animation, and it's a pretty educated guess that Goujun will die at some point, too (but not before writing an account of the events), seeing as Jeep/[[WritingAroundTrademarks Hakuryu]] is probably his reincarnation. It's still surprising to learn exactly who the characters were in the heavenly bureaucracy and what their exile has to do with the main story, though.
** Also, the prequel ''Saiyuki Ibun'' which details how Houmei became Koumyou Sanzo. Two of his fellow sanzo-candidates are Toudai (future Goudai Sanzo) and Tenkai (future Maten sutra sanzo). You know Goudai's eventual fate from the Burial plot arc and you know that Koumyou will be Tenkai's successor for the Maten sutra. The story is in how they get there.
* ''Manga/BarefootGen'', both the manga and anime start in Hiroshima, August 1945. [[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons Nothing more needs to be said]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** The "Turn Back The Pendulum" flashback arc takes place 110-101 years before Chapter 1 and it's designed to show how the Vaizards and Urahara's group ended up hiding out in the World of the Living. Even though readers know exactly what the titular pendulum is counting down to, the backstories of the characters involved are still unknown so the arc can still insert some impressive [[TheReveal reveals]] along the way.
** The "Everything but the Rain" flashback arc takes place 20 years before Chapter 1 and shows how Isshin ends up losing his Shinigami power and living in the World of the Living, married to Masaki. Kubo surprises the fandom with some impressive reveals due to fan assumptions that it would be a fun, ditzy, MeetCute story. It's instead a [[HeroicBSOD dark]], [[GrayRainOfDepression brooding]] tale that centres on the Ishida family, climaxes with the utter ruination of Ryuuken's Quincy future, and casts both Ichigo and Uryuu's entire personal history in a brand new, and much darker, light.
* ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'' is based on an arc of ''Manga/AstroBoy'', so naturally there are quite a few events that are expected to come to pass for anyone familiar with the original. [[spoiler:Gesicht, for example? ''Dead.'']]
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' does this by showing the ''very'' spoileriffic aftermath of the two main plots (i.e. [[spoiler:Firo and Luck becoming immortal, Ladd losing an arm and being thrown off the train, most of the focus characters surviving the Flying Pussyfoot massacre, Chane accepting Claire's proposal]]) in the very first episode. The trick is that it's [[JigsawPuzzlePlot entirely out of context and makes no sense]] until you get through the series at least once, and that the ''real'' wham moments (such as [[spoiler:the Rail Tracer being Claire]]) are left for the rest of the show. [[spoiler: Unless you read the first episode credits, of course.]]
* The ''Anime/GaReiZero'' anime does this as part of its three starting {{Wham Episode}}s. In the first episode [[spoiler: that entire squad is revealed to be made entirely of [[DeadStarWalking Dead Stars Walking]], which sets the tone but doesn't actually invoke this trope]]. In the ''second'' [[spoiler: we meet the ''real'' cast, including familiar faces from ''Manga/GaRei''... [[KillEmAll whom Yomi proceeds to kill]]]]. Finally, with the third [[spoiler: we flashback to the first time Yomi and Kagura meet, at the latter's mother's funeral, and the anime continues from there, leading up to Yomi's StartOfDarkness]]. The viewer knows it's going to happen, knows it's going to be ''very'' painful ([[TearJerker and it is]]), and the tension is derived in three ways: firstly, [[spoiler: seeing how Yomi went insane]], secondly, [[spoiler: a desire to see which of the many sympathetic characters we see [[AnyoneCanDie manage to live to the end of it]]]] and thirdly, [[spoiler: whether or not Yomi can overcome the MoreThanMindControl once the series catches up to the second episode]]. It's one hell of a ride.
* Manga/{{Akagi}} having never lost was clearly established in the author's earlier manga ''Anime/{{Ten}}''. So in the Akagi it was obvious that he would have to win every single game making him an InvincibleHero.
* ''Manga/ShamanKing'' practically revolves around one of these, given that Hiroyuki Takei practically tells the audience [[spoiler:Hao will become the Shaman King. There is no one in the series capable of standing up to him]]. He still does an amazing job of revealing backstories and setting up the ending on the way there. This is thankfully averted in the anime [[spoiler: where Hao is defeated and he is [[BroughtDownToNormal stripped of his godly powers]], [[KilledOffForReal preventing him from becoming a problem again]]]].
* ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'' is set up in its opening pages as being a retelling of the events after the fact by lead character Kirie. [[spoiler: Subverted, in that the obvious conclusion that this means she makes it through intact ''isn't'' true in the end.]]
* ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet''. [[ItWasHisSled Well,]] ''[[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet duh!]]'' [[spoiler: But did the original end with an epic showdown against the OneWingedAngel form of a CreepyChild who speaks in verse or a HeroicSacrifice to save the story's world? Didn't think so.]] The series does toy a bit with the idea of letting Romeo and Juliet defy their ultimate destiny, before just going "Nah."
* Lampshaded in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': after the dramatic tale of Nagi [[spoiler:and Arika]], it's pointed out that if they hadn't survived [[TheHero Negi]] would have never been born.
* ''WebComic/AxisPowersHetalia'':
** For anyone who knows [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII their history]], the Axis will lose. Although it has little bearing on the series' continuity itself... despite the name.
** Let's make that "show based on history means you'll see loads of Foregone Conclusion".
* ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' has an opening narration indicating that the efforts to make peace between the clans failed and everyone killed each other off ignominiously. The series shows how it happened.
* After viewing the first episode of the anime adaptation of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' which shows Guts as a badass, {{BFS}}-wielding, {{handicapped|Badass}} {{jerkass}}, who seems to have a beef with a dude named Griffith, and seeing that a big portion of the series is in fact a flashback, we all know how Guts is going to end up by episode 25: the rest shows us {{how|WeGotHere}}.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** ''One Piece'' has the Skypiea arc, where a giant island got blown up into the [[FloatingContinent clouds]], during the arc, you learn about how some four hundred years in the past, an explorer was best friends with a warrior from the aforementioned island, the explorer leaves and promises to return, considering that the Straw Hat's learn about the explorer from a fairytale/propaganda piece where he gets executed and the main characters are on the island in the clouds, it's not exactly a surprise that the story doesn't end well.
** This happens often with the backstories of various characters, in which there is usually some kind of mentor/parental figure who was taking care of him/her during a happier time in his/her life. Sometimes, we are explicitly told already that said parental figure is dead, while other times it can be inferred from the fact that the person has not been seen yet in the present; either way, we can expect that, somehow, that happy life they had together won't last and that shit will hit the fan before the flashback is done.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** A ''Naruto Shippuden'' {{filler}} takes a character from the manga who we only knew from sourcebooks and from a manga spread and spread it out. The character is Utakata, a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village and host of the six-tailed beast. Unfortunately, anyone who read the manga knew that he did not show up and was implied to have been captured off-screen. So this obviously was ''not'' [[DoomedByCanon going to end on a happy note]]...
** Likewise, the manga's flashback story showing Minato's life prior to the Nine-Tails' attack. We've already been told beforehand that he and his wife will die immediately after their son Naruto is born, with Minato's final act being to seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto's body.
** Thanks to the manga ending and the epilogue being a DistantFinale, the ending to the {{canon}} movie ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie'' (a RomanceArc for [[OfficialCouple Naruto and Hinata]]) is already known. The question is less "WillTheyOrWontThey'' and more "[[TheyDo How Will They]]?".
** ''Itachi's Story'', a duology of novels about Itachi's backstory, ends with Itachi massacring his clan.
* Subverted in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episode "Holy Matrimony!", where James tells Jessie, Meowth, and the twerps the sad story of his childhood as an orphan, living alone with only his Growlithe for companionship. James dies at the end of his (obviously fictional) story, and promptly confuses himself when Misty reminds everyone that he's still alive.
* ''Anime/{{Windaria}}''. The story is narrated by Alan after he's gone old and grey and so a number of things are clear from the start: 1. Alan survives the story. 2. Marie does not. 3. The world has recovered from the damage about to unfold. 4. Alan has done something so terrible that not even being lauded as the hero who rebuilt the world can ease his guilt. The ''how'' of the story is not even alluded to and no other character is mentioned so there are still plenty of surprises.
* This trope is rather apparent in both of the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' TV specials:
** In ''Bardock: The Father of Goku'', it's pretty clear that Freeza destroys Planet Vegeta and [[GenocideBackfire almost]] all its inhabitants at the end.
** In ''The History of Trunks'', Gohan dies, Trunks becomes a Super Saiyajin and Bulma builds a time machine so that Trunks can return to the past. Notably, unlike the Bardock special, the Trunks special was originally in the manga and was expected and slightly altered.
** ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection 'F']]'' takes place [[{{Interquel}} after the Buu Saga, but before the World Tournament where Goku meets Uub]]. So suffice it to say, it's not a matter of ''if'' the revived Freeza is going to be beaten by Goku, but rather a matter of ''when'' and ''how''. [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} when Frieza actually ''wins'', if barely, and even kills Vegeta and destroys Earth before Whis rewinds time]].
** On the subject of ''Dragon Ball'', ''[[Anime/DragonBallSuper Dragon Ball Super]]'' takes place between the end of the Buu saga and Z's DistantFinale, so Earth will stick around and none of the characters seen in that episode can [[DeathIsCheap die and stay dead]].
* ''Anime/NightRaid1931'': [[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan Japan]] would eventually plunge into imperialistic militarism and [[UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar ravage China]], and the rest of the world would also descend to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII war]] eventually, despite whatever efforts the protagonists might attempt to do.
* ''LightNovel/FateZero'', as a prequel to ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', is subject to this. Anyone who is familiar with the latter will know that [[spoiler:the Grail is corrupted, and Kiritsugu will be forced to order Saber to destroy it, resulting in the fire. Kiritsugu saves Shirou by implanting Avalon in him and adopts him, and he will die from the Grail's curse a few years later, without ever seeing his daughter again. Kotomine will give in to his inclinations and [[StartOfDarkness become a villain]]. Kariya will fail to rescue Sakura, and Rider will be unable to convince Saber that her ideals are flawed. Tokiomi, Aoi, and Irisviel are all DoomedByCanon as well]].
* From the original ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', we already knew how few the survivors from the last Holy War were; anyone who read it knew what kind of fate awaited the sheer majority of the characters in ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'', as well as a few pointers about how the Holy War would end.
* The PSP game of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' (created by [[Creator/GenUrobuchi the same guy]] as ''Fate/Zero''). [[spoiler:It takes advantage of the previous multiple timelines witnessed by Homura, but doesn't deviate from the [[TearJerker anime]] [[BittersweetEnding canon]], so no, you can't even EarnYourHappyEnding here. "Dedication has no reward", indeed.]]
** Two of the spinoff mangas (''[[Manga/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheDifferentStory The Different Story]]'' and ''[[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko Magica]]'') also have this going for them. [[spoiler: Since they take place in alternate timelines created by Homura's GroundhogPeggySue antics, we know that Madoka is going to either die or make a contract.]]
* ''Manga/MysteriousGirlfriendX'': It's treated as a given that the main characters, Tsubaki and Urabe, will eventually be each other's first sexual experience (Urabe, who's mildly psychic and can experience others' feelings and transmit her own feelings to them [[BlessedWithSuck through exchange of saliva]], even says in the first chapter that an inner voice told her that Tsubaki would be her first sexual partner). So far, though, the manga's still ongoing (80 chapters thus far) and they haven't even had their FirstKiss yet, but there's no doubt between either of them (or to the reader) that greater levels of intimacy will eventually take place between them; Tsubaki even muses at one point that his "mysterious girlfriend" may eventually become his "mysterious wife." [[spoiler:Actually subverted. In the last chapter they run away together and she tells him they will go all the way in the morning. Cut to a few years later where it shows he never left the virgin club, implying she died during the night.]]
* ''Anime/TurnAGundam'' applies this retroactively [[spoiler:to just about every ''Gundam'' continuity]]. No matter what happens or how successful the protagonists are, the peace/order/victory they've achieved is at best bittersweet and fleeting. At worst, it's all for nothing [[spoiler:due to the Moonlight Butterfly]].
* Something similar can be said for ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn,'' given that it takes place before ''F91'' and ''Victory.'' This has the effect of making ''Unicorn's'' aesop about the hope for the future and human possibility ring rather hollow, given that the peace attained at the end lasts a mere twenty years.
** This can be said for pretty much every ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' midquel regardless of media. No matter how many {{Super Prototype}}s are fielded, no matter how the main character is treated as "the greatest AcePilot the world has never known", it's not going to go against the anime.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' starts off with a 2-minute scene showing how the creators wanted the show to end (Simon and the Dai-Gurren-Dan waging war on all other Spiral-races to protect the universe), but they threw the script away (and didn't consider re-watching the first episode) and ended up subverting it.
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'' is a prequel to ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'', where the fate of Genbu's priestess was revealed. There's no way Takiko will survive the story to the end.
** Same with ''Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoIbun'', where we know that Suzuno will not be devoured by Byakko and she and Tatara [[StarCrossedLovers will not have a happy end together]]. [[spoiler: At least, not until they are TogetherInDeath.]]
* In ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'', most of the time the soccer matches and battles resolve around either one of two things: it's a match in a soccer tournament, or it's a match for justice. Plus it's shown that they ALWAYS manage to win during once of these matches. This makes it a foregone conclusion that the protagonist team will manage to overcome their challenges and hardships. But then subverted in season 3 [[spoiler:where they lose a match, and only manage to draw in another, during the Football Frontier International tournament. Although it was a match during the group stages, so it doesn't automatically disqualify them]].
* ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'', technically. Minako's appearance in the Dark Kingdom arc of ''Manga/SailorMoon'' clearly shows that she is going to regain her past life memories before joining the rest of the Senshi, and it's a pretty good guess that the Dark Agency will cease to exist as an organization. What makes it qualify for this trope is that, although ''Sailor V'' predates ''Sailor Moon'' and its main character was imported into the ''Sailor Moon'' continuity right away, the resolution of its own story was only published after ''Sailor Moon'' ended, tying the two plots together. It should be noted, however, that ''Sailor V'' was originally born as a standalone story, of which ''Sailor Moon'' could be considered a spinoff, so [[Creator/NaokoTakeuchi the mangaka]] likely wasn't drawing it with this trope in mind.
* ''Manga/ShouwaGenrokuRakugoShinjuu'', by beginning with Yotaro and then going back to tell the tale of the guy teaching him.
* ''Anime/YourName'' shows from the first scene the protagonists appear in that [[spoiler:Mitsuha will survive to adulthood; once the reveal hits, the question is "how"?]]
* ''Anime/UmaMusume'' loosely follows the real events of the 1998 and 1999 racing season. As such, anyone familiar with the racing careers of the real horses can predict certain critical events. Namely, that [[spoiler: Silence Suzuka breaks a leg during the Fall Tenno Sho. However, Suzuka is SparedByTheAdaptation and survives her injuries, unlike the real horse that had to be euthanized]].
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': The anime outright states in the opening narration that the protagonist will become the strongest hero. This isn't much of a spoiler, since the protagonist receives the most powerful "Quirk" in the first episode, but [[HowDoIShotWeb learning to use it proves to be a slow process]]; after numerous manga volumes, he's still nowhere near the predetermined number-one ranking. It does take some drama away from doctors warning him that he could ruin his body by overexerting himself, and any situation where his life seems to be in danger.
* The first chapter of ''Manga/GoToubunNoHanayome'' shows Fuutarou marrying one of the Nakano sisters. The drama comes from the fact that the sisters are ''quintuplets'', and the bride shown in the first chapter can't be clearly identified as any of them, so the reader doesn't know who they are.
* While not at the very start, the m ain characters of ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' learn two volumes (two episodes in the anime) in that they're all either going to die or their entire planet will die if they fail their task. The drama is just seeing in what order they will die and if they fail.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* All prequel-style fan works struggle with this. For example, in Maurauder-era ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fics, everyone already knows that Lily and James will end up together and so will Frank and Alice, Snape will join the Death Eaters, Peter will betray his friends, Sirius will end up in prison and a lot of people will die...
* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': The author informed upfront that this story was a FixFic; and in the first chapter Shinji and Asuka meet their future selves, so that the reader knows that whatever else happens in the history, Shinji and Asuka will get over their traumas at least partially, get together, get married and Shinji will get Asuka pregnant. The interesting part is HOW they get to that point despite being so messed-up when the fic begins.
** This comes into play when Asuka is arguing with her inner side in chapter 59. Her turmoil mocks her that Shinji could be dead the next day. She starts arguing... and then she realizes she ''knows'' they will not die tomorrow. She knows where they will be six months from now. That knowledge helps her to defeat her doubts and fears.
* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': The creator wrote an epilogue featuring a seven-years-old Teri and a one-shot set in Teri’s teen years, so that whoever reads the unfinished sequel already knows [[spoiler:NERV wins the Angel War, Third Impact does not happen, and Shinji, Asuka, Teri, her brother, Rei, Misato and Kaji survive]].
* ''Fanfic/GhostsOfEvangelion'':
** Due to this story's non-linear narrative, this happens a lot.
** The first chapter happens in 2020. Shinji and Asuka are alive and together. In a later chapter, set in 2018, [[spoiler:Asuka runs away, and Shinji and Misato are worried because she is on the brink of committing suicide]].
** In a chapter Asuka tells she does not want to have children. That chapter was written after another one where she has just given birth.
* [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/109581/1/i-did-not-want-to-die/i-did-not-want-to-die I Did Not Want To Die]]
* The Council Era is a ''Franchise/MassEffect'' fanfic centered on the Rachni Wars (in the first half, the 83 CE arc) and the Krogan Rebellion for both that and the 783 CE arc. In the first half, three species that don't exist in the video games are introduced. All three are, naturally, extinct by the end of the story. Other examples include: the krogan will be used to reduce the threat of the Rachni by the end of the first half (as stated in canon); the first half covers the build-up to the Krogan Rebellion, said rebellion will end with the genophage (a fertility plague that is killing off the Krogan in the games) being released (again, as stated in canon). These are bound to happen when you're writing a fic set in the past and intend to stick to canon. It doesn't lessen the drama of the storyline, though.
* Manga/{{Naruto}}'s ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5645686/1/The_Girl_From_Whirlpool The Girl From Whirlpool]]'' is about how Minato and Kushina, who are Naruto's parents, meet and eventually fall in love.
* Interestingly for a fanfic, Fanfic/PastSins derives its foregone conclusion not from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' canon, but from its ''cover art.'' Every last scene depicted happens...
* From ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestriaPinkEyes'', the little filly Puppysmiles just wants to find her mom. The only problem is [[ApocalypseHow the world ended]] and due to her [[UndeadChild ghouli]][[OurZombiesAreDifferent fication]], it's been centuries since her mother could have plausibly been alive.
* We are aware from the get-go that the instance of SBURB played in {{Webcomic/Guidestuck}} is doomed to fail, and that the characters will all die.
* From the ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ValkyrieNights'', which is a prequel fanfic to the ''Macross'' saga, we know that Roy Fokker survives the events of the story and [[spoiler: is cleared of murder charges]].
* In the Wrestling/{{WWE}} fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7450993/1/One-More-Time One More Time]]'', Wrestling/EddieGuerrero and Wrestling/MollyHolly go on a dessert date. They talk about Eddie's recent health and that maybe he should see a doctor. As the story takes place ''the night before Eddie died'', we all know it doesn't end well.
* In ''Who Decides'', the prequel to ''FanFic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'', Ryusei is requesting for help in trying to save Jiro. Anyone who watched Fourze knows that [[spoiler: Ryusei will make a DealWithTheDevil with the Aries Zodiarts and end up killing Gentaro, thus setting the entire story in motion]].
* A meta example in ''Fanfic/StoryOfTheCentury'': fans of [[Manga/DeathNote the manga series]] that the fanfic is based on know off the bat that [[spoiler:Light and Misa are Kira and the Second Kira]]; the drama and suspense come from when and how [[spoiler:they are found out]].
* Anyone familiar with the canon story of the Sufferer in ''WebComic/{{Homestuck}}'' already knows how ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/1158738/chapters/2353692 Before I Sleep]]'' [[DownerEnding is going to end]] (not that that makes it [[TearJerker any less heartbreaking]] when it happens).
* Historically-themed fanfic for ''WebComic/AxisPowersHetalia'' also fall to this, for good or for ill.
* If the title of ''Fanfic/FragileThread'' didn't tip you off, then it's summary will, as it concerns [[spoiler: Mako committing suicide]].
* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'' did this when Asuka supposedly died in the future [[spoiler: [[DeathByChildbirth giving birth to Aki]]]] even though she's alive [[PeggySue in the present]].
* The synopsis for ''FanFic/AColdCalculus'' tells us that Euphemia emerges from the story as Empress of Britannia. Also, the opening snippets ([[FictionalDocument framed as a history book]]) gives the outcome of few story elements such as [[spoiler:Viletta's becoming a Knight of the Round and Nina's research eventually leading to nuclear weapons development]].
* To anyone familiar with ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' canon will know that Yukari's invasion of the moon in ''Hifuu Club Activity Record ~The Sealed Esoteric History~'' will end in a complete failure due to it's nature as a prequel fic.
* As a side effect of utilizing the InMediasRes trope, the entire new generation of the Digidestined from ''FanFic/Digimon02TheStoryWeNeverTold'' will survive through the very end of the story with the bulk of the story explaining HowWeGotHere.
* ''Fanfic/TheVerySecretDiary'' takes place during ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', and shows the off-screen "[[FalseFriend friendship]]" Ginny had with Tom Riddle. If you've read the book, you know Tom will eventually possess Ginny and use her to start attacking students, before taking her into the Chamber of Secrets. The fic details how they got there, and it is ''brutal''. It's very well-written and comes highly recommended, but it really is like watching a train wreck.
* ''[[Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge All This Sh*t is Twice as Weird]]'' is an AlternateUniverseFic which (mostly) follows the plot of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition.'' It's pretty much confirmed by the premise that the co-Inquisitors will succeed in their long-term goal of defeating the Elder One. What's not clear is ''why'' there are two Inquisitors instead of just one, and what effect that will have on the way the story unfolds.
* ''Fanfic/ChrysalisVisitsTheHague'': In the aptly-named chapter, ''Estermann Office Observation Transcript Excerpt from Tuesday, November 22, 2015'', lawyer Alexander Estermann, judge Colm Mullan and Lyra Heartstrings swear each other to secrecy over [[spoiler:the revelation of Lyra's true identity, as well Colm's and Estermann's secret meetings]]. However, considering the format of the chapter ''itself''[[spoiler: (a surveillance transcript penned by some mysterious third party that had been listening in on the conversation)]], this secrecy evidently does not last very long.
* ''Fanfic/PokemonStorySinnohJourney'': Obviously, Dawn has her own canon story where she gains five ribbons. Her loss against Aaron is predetermined from the start. That said, the enjoyment comes in the form of character interactions and deeper emotional developments that make it all worth a read.
** On the flip side, Aaron being pitted against May in the Wallace Cup ensures he won't be bending canon and winning in that tournament. Other than his two off-screen losses to Zoey, it's the only time in the short story he's shown losing. And rather handily at that.
** [[spoiler: Similarly, although this story lets Ash go to the Sinnoh League finals (as opposed to the semifinals), he isn't supposed to win. Naturally, Aaron takes that honor from him.]]
** Ian and Aaron only make it as far as the quarterfinals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, having battled Nando and Zoey respectively. Although, their matches were off-screen.
* In ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', Maria was a dying IllGirl who ended up shot in an incident. In the oneshot ''Fanfic/{{Snow Angel}}'', Shadow and Maria both escape and make it down to Earth... However, being on Earth doesn't magically cure Maria's NIDS. Maria ends up using the last of her medicine within a few weeks and she still dies, just not as soon or as violently as she did in canon.
* ''Fanfic/TheStalkingZukoSeries'' is a retelling of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' that ultimately pairs up Katara [[FanPreferredCouple with Zuko]], rather than [[OfficialCouple with Aang]]. Apart from that change, which is advertised up front, [[AdaptationExpansion as well as numerous additional scenes]], all other events and outcomes are the same as canon, so you know that the heroes will win the war against the Fire Nation and help restore balance to the world.
* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku Midoriya still says that he becomes the world's greatest Hero. The twist is that he's not the holder of One For All nor does he take up Deku as his Hero Name. He's doing it as the Kryptonian named Franchise/{{Superman}}. Similarly, the author has stated upfront that Mirio Togata is destined to inherit One For All, but has not disclosed how it will happen or when this will take place.
* The prologue of ''Fanfic/TheTyrantAndTheHero'' shows that Heinrich and Black Alice become a hero and the Monster Lord, respectively, and that they're in love. The rest of the story is about how they get here.
* ''FanFic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'': As per canon, Sam will become Reign one day. The author does not deny it, and it even factored in her decision to not make [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] and Sam a couple.
* ''FanFic/TheLunarRebellion'': As a prequel to ''Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony'', and moreover as an in-universe memoir by Shadow Kicker, it is clear from the first chapter that Shadow and Midnight will survive the war, that the Kickers will remain loyal to the crown, that the royalists will defeat the rebels, and that the clans of Pegasopolis (except the Kickers) will be disbanded. The story is about how those things happened, and the tension comes from not knowing the fates of other characters.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* The story of ''Oedipus Rex'' was so well-known via oral tradition that even Creator/{{Sophocles}}' target audience likely knew the outcome of ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'' before watching it.
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare invented the phrase, used in ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', although he meant it more literally: the evidence of Cassio's dream "denoted a foregone conclusion" of his sleeping with Desdemona, "foregone" meaning "having previously happened".
** Also, here's a pattern: if you're in a Shakespearean tragedy, and your name is in the title, you're screwed. If your name ''is'' the title, doubly so.
** Perhaps the most famous example is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. Creator/WilliamShakespeare says in the prologue that Romeo and Juliet are [[YourDaysAreNumbered going to die]].
** Although inverted with ''Theatre/KingLear''. The legend at that time had Cordelia and Lear ''survive'' and Lear restored to the throne. Shakespeare surprised audiences by turning it into a tragedy.
** The histories all fall into this trope as well, given that they're all BasedOnATrueStory. There's even a meta-example in the epilogue of ''Theatre/HenryV'', in which the Chorus pretty much tells the audience the outcome of the next ''three plays'' in the chronology, ''Theatre/HenryVI, Parts [[Theatre/HenryVIPart1 I]], [[Theatre/HenryVIPart2 II]] and [[Theatre/HenryVIPart3 III]]''.
--->"Henry VI, in infant bands crowned King\\
Of France and England did this king succeed\\
Whose state so many had the managing\\
That they lost France and made his England bleed."
* The end of ''Theatre/SirThomasMore'' concerns the question of whether More will choose to die for his beliefs or give in to save his own life. Since the play is based on the life of the real Thomas More, its ending is clear to anybody who knows that the real Thomas More did choose death.
* Including fictional history, as is the case with Steven Brust's ''Literature/KhaavrenRomances'' saga, a prequel series presented as a written DocuDrama of a major {{Backstory}} event in the world of Literature/{{Dragaera}}.
* ''Theatre/DeathOfASalesman''. The main character's a salesman. Three guesses what happens to him.
* In addition to being a PerspectiveFlip ExternalRetcon of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', the play version of ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' opens with everyone celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the story takes place in a flashback. [[spoiler:However, [[FakingTheDead Elphaba lives]], subverting the trope.]]
* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat,'' during [[GratuitousDiscoSequence "Go, Go, Go Joseph"]]:
-->Don't give up, Joseph, fight till you drop\\
We've read the book, and you come out on top.
* The musical ''Theatre/MissSaigon'' reveals [[spoiler: Chris will get out of Vietnam while Kim (and the Engineer) will not]] towards the end of the first act. The second act shows how this happened.
* All Greek tragedies, being based on well-known myths, were like that. It was considered normal to the point that, when New Comedy authors started imitating some aspects of tragedy while still telling stories they made up themselves, they created the Prologue, which was already pretty much what it is in the Shakespeare example: one of the actors would address the public at the beginning and explain how everything was going to play out -- they feared the spectators would get confused otherwise.
* ''Music/{{Evita}}'' begins with a song about Eva's funeral.
* A small note of this is in the opening scene of the play ''Theatre/AnInspectorCalls''. The rich family sat at dinner are discussing the amazing modern world they live in, including the new utterly unsinkable ship that's due to sail soon - The Titanic. It's a not-exactly subtle bit of symbolism - the family's own personal iceberg is, as the title says, about to call on them - and some productions have actually gone so far as to omit the line entirely, since the usual audience reaction is to laugh.
* ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'': Rosencrantz and Guildenstern die.
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': Anyone who knows French history knows that the June Rebellion will fail and the barricade will fall.
* ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'': Congress will declare independence and America will win the Revolution. It's a sign of a well-done production when the audience completely forgets this and spends the entire play biting its collective nails.
* ''Theatre/{{Titanic}}'': It's a musical about the '''Titanic''', one of the most famous ship wrecks ever.
* ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'': The very first line of the musical makes it pretty clear that the titular character is going to die (and that everyone else in the play is dead).
--> '''Judge''': But why Lucheni? Why did you kill the Empress Elisabeth?
* The folk opera ''Down in the Valley'', the GreekChorus's introduction includes the ending of the plot:
-->Come, all you people, I'll sing of Brack Weaver,\\
Who died on the gallows one morning in May,\\
He died for the love of sweet Jennie Parsons,\\
He died for the slaying of Thomas Bouché.
* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', as you can see from the name of the show, is about [[UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton an American politician who is probably most famous for dying in a duel]] with a man who introduces himself in the opening number as "the damn fool who shot him."
* ''Theatre/TheResistibleRiseOfArturoUi'': The scene curtain at the beginning is covered with headlines which give away most of the major plot turns, including that [[TheBadGuyWins gangsters conquer the city of Cicero.]] Most of these you could already figure out if you're aware that the play is a RomanAClef about the rise of Hitler, and [[{{Anvilicious}} the play makes absolutely sure you are.]]
* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' starts with auctioning things from the opera house. The scene shows a crashed down chandelier and in general a opera house that is badly in shape, proving that - in one way or another - things will go downhill. And then time rewinds as the stage becomes the glamorous opera it had been in the past. Also, the one character that is absolutely clear will survive in the end is Raoul.
* Literally the first line in ''Theatre/TheLastFiveYears'' is "Jamie is over and Jamie is gone". Since the musical has two timelines with one going backwards, the entire musical may count since everything that happens to Jamie shows what later will happen to Cathy while everything that happens to Cathy shows what will happen to Jamie, ending with [[DownerEnding Jamie breaking up with her]] while she reaches the first date with which Jamie started the musical.
* The small-scale play ''[[https://www.broadwayworld.com/madison/article/BWW-Reviews-FINDING-HUMAN-And-Accepting-It-20150112 Finding Human]]'' begins with a news report of the protagonist's execution and what his last words were. The story then moves back in time to show the character's final week of life, in which we get to see him open up about his past and the crime. The final scene mirrors the first, with the difference being that the audience now knows the truth about the protagonist and has the context to understand his cryptic last words.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' starts with a few. The poet is telling the story, so he will definitely survive everything that's going on.
** During the comic's run we get some short stories set in the future, which give us more. For example, from [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20170809#.WwUGiO4vzIU Ivo Sharktooth Private Jaeger]] we learn that [[spoiler:Agatha and Van will survive, Agatha will free Mechanicsburg and rule there, and Agatha will ally herself with the Empire]].
* In the Nailbat story in ''Webcomic/{{AntiBunny}}'' It's established early on that the protagonist will die in one year. As the other [=AntiBunny=] story Gritty City Stories takes place two years later, Nailbat's death is already mentioned there as a matter of fact.
* ''Webcomic/{{Concerned}}: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman''. Emphasis on '''death'''. Most fans [[HesJustHiding apparently never noticed that though]].
* ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound'': If you've played [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid the game]], you know how the main characters end up. At the beginning when it's all {{flanderiz|ation}}ing the characters for humor, this doesn't register. At the end after a long bout of CerebusSyndrome, it's pretty damn bleak. The panel with Sniper Wolf and Bertholt is exceptionally heartbreaking.
* ''Webcomic/LongExposure'' has in it's very synopsis the fact that Jonas and Mitch will eventually fall in love with each other. The author herself releases sketches and quick comics about their life as a couple, including a drawing that shows them still together by their early 30s.
* The book "The Sharp End of the Stick" of ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' starts with several characters dressed in loincloths and wielding sharp sticks, rather than their usual military uniforms and plasma weapons, not to mention that [[spoiler: Kevyn and Elf]] have become a couple. The rest of the story switches back and forth between telling the story in chronological order from that point and showing how the characters got there.
* ''Webcomic/ChessPiece'' takes place during TheRoaringTwenties -- 1927 currently, to be exact. Although times are good, the Great Depression is just around the corner.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', all the time. Not only does the story run on AnachronicOrder, but time travel and having visions of the future are regular occurrences, and twelve of the sixteen major characters with dialogue already know everything that's going to happen for a large portion of the story and regularly tell the four protagonists about it.
* The current "Tower of Babel" arc of ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'' is essentially the backstory of one of the characters, and previous arcs make it clear that [[spoiler: Tessa's squad destroys Arthur, but during the battle Julian is killed and Tessa is captured. Then she escapes with help from Tin-head, and sometime later wins Sticks from Julie Waterman in a card game]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Spacetrawler}}'': Nogg tells Mr. Zorilla that his daughter, Martina, has died. The rest of the comic is Nogg telling "the long and very detailed version" of how this came to pass.
* ''[[http://revfitz.com/kick-the-football-chuck/ Kick The Football, Chuck]]'' uses Charlie Brown attempting to kick Lucy's ball as a metaphor for his fight with cancer after chemotherapy. We all know he never kicks it.
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' invokes this trope to set up a BrickJoke of incredible proportions.
** Played with a little bit earlier before that; [[spoiler:Sarda believes that the outcome of his battle with the Light Warriors is a foregone conclusion, and that he literally cannot lose to them, since his present-day self grows up in a world that isn't terrorized by the "heroes". He does actually lose the fight... sort of... but the Light Warriors disband after the battle anyway]].
* The "Sam" arc of ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'' goes into Ki's past with Sam, her former fiancee, who had been alluded to in the past. While it is implied that they had a bad breakup, the arc reveals that [[spoiler:he tried to ''[[AttemptedRape rape]]'' her]].
* Much ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}''[='=]s "Inner Peace (Through Superior Firepower)". The story is Wanda's loss of Goodminton, and her journey to be a caster in Faq. Anyone who's read the main story already knows that Faq falls through Wanda's actions.
** In-story, anything foretold by a Predictamancer. ProphecyTwist is ''possible'', but less common than you'd think, and is a source of endless grief for the main characters.
* The Bleedman Comics ''Webcomic/GrimTalesFromDownBelow'' and Powerpuff Girls suffer from this. The former is set ~20 years after the latter, and Grim Tales has been explicit and [[KillEmAll horribly morbid about the future]]. So the long term end of the Powerpuff series (barring multiverses) is [[TheBadGuyWins very much foregone]].
* [[http://www.wordwearycomic.com/2014/01/20-janurary-2014.html This conversation]] in ''Webcomic/TheWordWeary'' could have just been avoided entirely with a little honesty.
* There is a multi-chapter flashback in ''Webcomic/EvilPlan'' which tells the origin story of Kinesis from Will's perspective. The entire time you get to know how much of a bright and happy spirit Will was, knowing the flashback has to end with his death by Stanley's hand.
* One of the main draws of ''{{Webcomic/Sire}}''. The Binding is a mystical force which forces the lineage children to follow the destiny of their sire/dam. Dramatic Irony itself is the antagonist of the series and each character just has to work their hardest to avoid their foregone conclusions.
* ''Webcomic/FiveKidsAtFreddys'' is a fancomic about the missing children incident during ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2''. No matter what happens, the ending is not likely to be happy.
* ''Webcomic/{{Follower}}'' is a prequel to ''Webcomic/{{Messenger}}'' which takes place AfterTheEnd. Things are shown to already be going downhill before the main plot even starts.
* ''Webcomic/DragonBallMultiverse'':
** We all know Gogeta will make an appearance. We just don't know when.
** In-universe as a sort of handwave, Raichi from Universe 3 is competing to kill Saiyans, but none had joined the tournament by the time he did, since his was an earlier universe. This discrepancy is addressed by the Vargas who offered him a spot, mentioning that the Saiyans' warlike ways and powers mean they're sure to join from some universe.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original / Web Animation]]
* In ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'', when a character gets rolled and isn't saved by any of the other handlers within the time limit, you can be sure that their death is only just around the corner. The same fate falls upon inactive characters who don't get adopted.
* Half of seasons 9 and 10 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' are prequel stuff, taking place several years before the beginning of season 1. Due to the events of the previous 8 seasons we know that [[spoiler:most of the Freelancers we meet are going to go crazy, almost all are going to die (often at the hands of their former teammates), and those that survive will be irreversibly damaged by what they go through]]. We also know several key events that will occur, just not how or when they do.
* It's played up as suspenseful, and doesn't officially occur until halfway through the first season, but it was pretty obvious who's going to end up on team ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', given that teams are made of 4 people and 4 characters had their own trailers (and these 4 characters have names starting with R, W, B and Y).
* An odd one with ''Creator/AchievementHunter''. In Episode 68 of ''VS.'' had Ryan beat Michael, and would face Gavin next episode. However, next episode was Ryan vs. Ray, skipping Ryan vs. Gavin. So, the next episode had to show how this came to be.
* In ''Literature/TheKindnessOfDevils'', a good chunk of the shorter stories outside of the main chronological ones take place several years in the past. Since Hardestadt Delac is alive and well during ''Literature/GirlsOnFilm'', which takes place in the present, it's clear that Delac will survive whatever perilous situation he finds himself in. Whether or not his allies and/or loved ones survive [[ZigZaggingTrope varies]].
* The ''Literature/{{Legatum}}'' series takes place over different time periods, so some stories nonchalantly reveal what happens at the end of other stories.
** ''Literature/TheRoadToHell'' takes place twenty years before the events in ''Literature/TheGreenWanderer''. This automatically means, based on some of the characters' dialogue in ''The Green Wanderer'', that [[spoiler:King Chorn Torgash will eventually die, and the orcs will succeed in their rebellion and restore Kosslivo to a more inhabitable community]].
** ''Literature/ScrambledEgg'' involves an EggMacGuffin containing a creature that may or may not cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Chronologically, this is the first story in the series, so the apocalypse will obviously be averted by the end.
* In ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'', Satan himself orders the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Grand Duke Abigor]] to lead an army of approximately four hundred thousand demons to Earth, to subjugate humanity. Unfortunately for them it's 21st-century Earth (the point of divergence being January 2008). Human technology has already made short work of several [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Kaiju-like]] demons, and Abigor's army is made up of demons only slightly bigger than humans, fighting with feudal technology and tactics. So forget the plan, Abigor's army itself does not survive the ''first battle'' with humans, and an overarching theme of the story is [[HopelessWar just how]] ''[[HopelessWar doomed]]'' [[HopelessWar the demons were the moment they entered Earth]].
* It should be exceedingly obvious at this point that ''[[KillEmAll everyone]]'' that has anything to do with [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos the Slender Man]] is going to die horribly. {{Averted|Trope}}, surprisingly, by ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' - [[spoiler:Tim lives. So does Jessica. Jay and Alex and everyone else, however..]].
** This also applies to ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' and its [[VideoGame/SlenderTheArrival sequel.]] Every ''Slender'' game, really.
* It could be argued that the various TheAbridgedSeries of anime out there on the Internet (''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'', ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged'', etc.) can be this as they're all based on popular pre-existing works and while some {{Filler}} may be cut out and new jokes added, it's still the same plot as the original and all the major events of the original series have to occur.
* In ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'', every episode of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Doofy the Dragon]]'' ends with the titular character [[DrivenToSuicide killing himself]], typically by gunshot, but other ways have happened. In the episode, "Bowser Junior's Broccoli Problem!", Junior notes that Joseph and Cody can't leave until they see how ''Doofy'' ends today. Joseph notes that he just always kills himself so there's no secret. The group are then bothered by a crocodile who is forced to explain the differences between a crocodile and an alligator after the three [[IAmNotWeasel think he's an alligator]]. When they return to the television, ''Doofy'' is over and Junior notes he doesn't know how it ended. Joseph yells at him that "he just dies!".
* Discussed at length in Belated Media's series [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y "What if the "Star Wars" Prequels Were Good?"]]. In the three-part series, Michael argues that this trope was a major reason why the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy wasn't quite as strong as it could have been, as it lost a lot of its dramatic tension because most of the audience already knew how it would end; they knew that Anakin would become Darth Vader, that the Republic would become a despotic Empire, that the Jedi would fall, and that most of the major characters who weren't in the Original Trilogy would probably be dead by the end of ''Episode III''. To remedy that, Michael's version ends before many of those major events happen (preferring to simply leave them implied in the TimeSkip between ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' and ''Film/ANewHope'') and it actually leaves Padme alive. By the time his version of ''Episode III'' ends, Palpatine is still just the corrupt Chancellor of the Republic, Anakin is just a murderous Dark Jedi, and the Jedi are heavily diminished but still very much alive.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Any ChristmasSpecial that's set in the ancient Middle East should be a dead give away to its [[StarOfBethlehem subject matter.]] Even more obvious if the main character is a [[Disney/TheSmallOne donkey]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', the climax of "Simon and Marcy" has Simon manage to use his abilities and still remain semi-sane, making it look like there might be hope for him to eventually gain control over [[ArtifactOfDoom the Crown]]... but this is a backstory episode, with the FramingDevice, to say nothing of the rest of the show, making it painfully clear that [[DownerEnding he ultimately failed at this, losing his mind and having to abandon Marceline]].
* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'':
** Before a classic match between OJ Simpson and Joe Namath was shown, Nick started making OJ jokes. Johnny explained the fight took place before the ugliness in a simpler time.
** In the episode with the match between Kevin Spacey and Michael Caine, there was this parody of the opening line from ''Film/AmericanBeauty'':
---> '''Spacey:''' My name is Kevin Spacey, and I'm 49 years old. This is my life. In less than half an hour, I'll be dead. [[ItMakesSenseInContext I'll also be dressed like a giant hamburger.]]\\\
This was [[spoiler: sort of a subversion, because he won the match with Caine, but was then killed by Dave Thomas, who was in the show's previous match]].
* The ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Candace Gets Busted". Two guesses as to what happens at the end.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': 50 years later, Jack is still in the future. During the flashback in the episode "XCVIII" revealing how he lost his sword, he finds a portal that will take him back in time and immediately jumps in... only for [[BigBad Aku]] [[{{Troll}} to just reach in and pull him back]] out before destroying the portal, which according to him is the last one on the planet.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Spoofed when Homer fears the worst when reading a wilderness survival story.
-->'''Homer''': [reading] Then I heard the sound that all Arctic explorers dread... the pitiless bark of the sea lion! [gasp] He'll be killed!\\
'''Marge''': Homer, he obviously got out alive if he wrote the article.\\
'''Homer''': Don't be so... [flips ahead] Oh, you're right.
** Likewise, any flashback episode that shows problems with Homer & Marge's relationship (i.e. "That 90's Show"). Since they're married in the present, it's pretty obvious they're going to be fine. "The Way We Was in Particular" acknowledges this:
---> '''Lisa:''' Everything I know tells me this story doesn't end with us sitting here and you telling it to us.\\
'''Bart:''' Get off the edge of your seat. They got married, had kids and bought a cheap TV, okay?
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'':
** Any time the Republic comes close to capturing or killing an important figure in the Separatist Alliance or if any of the Jedi appearing in the theatrical films are in peril. You already know that Nute Gunray is going to escape and that Obi-Wan somehow escapes the supposedly inescapable trap. ''The Clone Wars'' does avert this to a degree whenever they feature clone troopers since you never know which among them will get offed the next minute.
** As ''The Clone Wars'' is an interquel set between ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' and KidAppealCharacter Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's Padawan, is nowhere to be found in the latter, ''something'' is going to happen to her eventually which removes her from being able to do anything to influence the events of the theatrical films and make Anakin, who is quite attached to her, not want to talk about her. It turns out that she is expelled from the Jedi Order after being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Though the truth eventually comes out and she is acquitted, she declines to return to the Jedi afterwards due to the Council's lack of trust in her.
** While ''The Clone Wars'' obviously cannot touch any named Jedi that appear in or after ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', they do manage to off some important characters. Since ''The Clone Wars'' is part of the new ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', these deaths are final. This becomes quite shocking in "The Wrong Jedi", in which Barriss Offee is arrested as a terrorist. She was supposed to die by her master's side during Order 66, which was ultimately cut from the movie but appeared in a comic.
** The Order 66 arc revolves around ARC trooper Fives investigating Order 66 after it is triggered prematurely in his friend Tup by accident. Since the order is successfully executed in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', we know he's going to fail to expose it. Indeed, the story ends with Fives being shot dead, the Jedi believing him to have gone insane and dismissing his claims, and all of the evidence being quietly swept under the rug by Palpatine, Dooku and the Kaminoans.
** A number of these occur with the Domino Squad of clone troopers, due to the way the episodes focusing on them aired. Their first appearance is on Rishi Base, where all but 2 of them bite it. Given that they are full on clone troopers (albeit rookie ones), this means that in their origin episode (where they have to pass their examination and is an episode that aired a few season after the first one), we will know they will overcome their problems and that Hevy won't actually abandon the squad. The show itself realizes this, as the episode immediately following it is one where Echo and Fives (the last two survivors of Domino squad) returning to Kamino to defend it against Grievous and greeting clone 99 (who had formed a bond with Hevy, who died during the Rishi base incident).
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E16SecretCargo "Secret Cargo"]] is about the ''Ghost'' crew having to deliver Senator Mon Mothma, who's recently become a fugitive after publicly denouncing the Emperor, to her destination after a routine refueling mission goes wrong. Despite the tension of the Imperials chasing them, we know the heroes will succeed, because Mothma appears in ''Film/RogueOne'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' as the leader of the Rebellion. She will even live past the Empire's fall.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'': The show zig-zags the trope. It starts roughly six months before ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', and thus we know that during the first season, the First Order will not be confronted, and BB-8 won't stick around for its entirety. However, around the season 1 finale and season 2 premiere, the show will catch up to the events of ''The Force Awakens'' and ''Film/TheLastJedi'', so what happens afterward is up in the air. [[Film/StarWars9 Episode IX]] will come out during season 2's mid-season break, but until then, things are wide open.
** This is definitely the case for the fate of main character Kazuda's home planet, Hosnian Prime. Hosnian Prime is destroyed by Starkiller Base during the events of ''The Force Awakens'', so time will only tell how Kaz will react to that once the series catches up to the films.
* For ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', everyone is waiting for [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_many_deaths_of_Optimus_Prime Optimus Prime to die]] and [[DeathIsCheap come back to life]], just to get it over with.
** [[spoiler: There's a twist for the season 1 finale. Since a dead character can't come back in this series, they killed Prime metaphorically. Unleashing the Matrix on Unicron took away all of his memories of being Optimus Prime. He is now Orion Pax, and has joined the Decepticons via Megatron taking advantage of his current state. The Autobots eventually went back to Cybertron to reload the Matrix, giving Optimus his memories back.]]
** [[spoiler: Come the end of season 2, Prime was in the base when the 'Cons blew it up, and his arm can be seen amongst the wreckage. He might be dead this time, but it's highly doubtful.]]
** [[spoiler: Played completely straight in that Prime did die and come back to life in season 3, although subverted in that he was ready to pass the mantle on, just as the original Prime did in the movie. Ultra Magnus even shows up to take command of the Autobots in their darkest hour. Smokescreen's ScrewDestiny move, however, ensured that Prime's habit of cheating death will live on.]]
** [[spoiler: Played straight by the sequence of events spanning the ''Predacons Rising'' finale movie and the beginning of its successor, ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015''. In ''Predacons Rising'', Optimus becomes one with the [=AllSpark=] in order to defeat Unicron. In ''Robots in Disguise'', it is revealed that he was plucked out of the [=AllSpark=] and sent to the Realm of the Primes, setting the stage for his return as co-leader of the Bee Team.]]
[[/folder]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Legatum}}'' series, ''Literature/TheRoadToHell'' takes place twenty years before the events in ''Literature/TheGreenWanderer''. This automatically means, based on some of the characters' dialogue in ''The Green Wanderer'', that [[spoiler:King Chorn Torgash will eventually die, and the orcs will succeed in their rebellion and restore Kosslivo to a more inhabitable community]].

* In ''Literature/TheKindnessOfDevils'', a good chunk of the shorter stories outside of the main chronological ones take place several years in the past. Since Hardestadt Delac is alive and well during ''Literature/GirlsOnFilm'', which takes place in the present, it's clear that Delac will survive whatever perilous situation he finds himself in. Whether or not his allies and/or loved ones survive [[ZigZaggingTrope varies]].

---> "Henry VI, in infant bands crowned King
---> Of France and England did this king succeed
---> Whose state so many had the managing
---> That they lost France and made his England bleed."

** This is definitely the case for the fate of the main character Kazuda's home planet, Hosnian Prime. Hosnian Prime is destroyed by Starkiller Base during the events of ''The Force Awakens'', so time will only tell how Kaz will react to that once the series catches up to the films.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': 50 years later, Jack is still in the future. During the flashback in the episode "XCVIII" revealing how he lost his sword, he finds a portal that will take him back in time and immediately jumps in... only for [[BigBad Aku]] to just reach in and pull him back out before destroying the portal, which according to him is the last one on the planet.

* Particularly depressing example in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. In the climax of "Simon and Marcy", Simon manages to [[spoiler: use his abilities and still remain semi-sane, and it looks like there might be hope for him to eventually gain control over [[ArtifactOfDoom the Crown]]...but of course, the audience already knows from previous backstory episodes that [[DownerEnding he will ultimately fail at this, lose his mind, and be forced to abandon Marceline]]]].

** Shoujo drama surrounding the court of Versailles on the eve of the Revolution. While the fates of the fictional characters are uncertain, everyone and his dog knows what happens to Creator/MarieAntoinette and Louis XVI.

* While not at the very start, the main characters of ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' learn two volumes (two episodes in the anime) in that they're all either going to die or their entire planet will die if they fail their task. The drama is just seeing in what order they will die and if they fail.

* Actual cover of a [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} Deathstroke, The Terminator]] comic: ''"[[http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080505050059/marvel_dc/images/f/ff/Deathstroke_the_Terminator_Vol_1_16.jpg Not a gimmick, Not a hoax, it's the Death of Slade Wilson!!]]"'' [[spoiler: It's not permanent…]] This comes after a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome where said villain takes on and defeats Franchise/TheFlash, Franchise/GreenLantern, and Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} in simple physical combat ''all at once''. Only to get effortlessly taken down by Franchise/{{Superman}}, whom Slade doesn't even think he has a chance against.

* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': Of course that the big an ugly spider would bite Peter Parker, and that uncle Ben would be killed by a thief. It may be a retelling, but those things are a very strong part of the Spider-Man mythos to be significantly changed.

* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku Midoriya still says that he becomes the world's greatest Hero. The twist is that he's not the holder of One For All nor does he take up Deku as his Hero Name. He's doing it as the Kryptonian named ComicBook/{{Superman}}. Similarly, the author has stated upfront that Mirio Togata is destined to inherit One For All, but has not disclosed how it will happen or when this will take place.

* By the beginning of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'''s ''Stolen Century'' arc, the audience already knows that [[spoiler: the crew is going to create the Grand Relics, Lucretia is going to erase everyone else's memories, and Lup and Barry are going to die.]]

* Basically the whole Literature/BookOfRevelation in Literature/TheBible says how it's all going down according to the Christian faith. [[spoiler:[[TheAntichrist Satan]] [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption loses]]. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Big]] [[AndIMustScream Time]].]]
* In the Literature/TheBible; the Gospel authors (especially John) had a tendency to introduce Judas Iscariot as "the man who would betray Jesus".

* In Islam, when the final judgment takes place, each of the dead will be judged one last time but have little chance to defend themselves. This isn't out of malice--it's because everything is already recorded and therefore anything they ''would'' say to defend or justify themselves is already known and they're quickly shuffled off to their respective places in the afterlife.

* The story of ''Literature/OedipusRex'' was so well-known via oral tradition that even Sophocles target audience likely knew the outcome of ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'' before watching it.

** During the comic's run we get some short stories set in the future, which give us more. For example, from [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20170809#.WwUGiO4vzIU Ivo Sharktooth Private Jaeger]] we learn that [[spoiler:Agatha and Van will survive, Agatha will free Mechanicsburg and rule there, and Agatha will ally herself with the Empire]]

* In ''Literature/TheKindnessOfDevils'', a good chunk of the shorter stories outside of the main chronological ones take place several years in the past. Since Hardestadt Delac is alive and well during ''Literature/GirlsOnFilm'', which takes place in the present, it's clear that Delac will survive whatever perilous situation he finds himself in. Whether or not his allies and/or loved ones survive [[ZigZaggedTrope varies]].

* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

** This is definitely the case for the fate of the main character Kazuda's home planet, Hosnian Prime. Honsian Prime is destroyed by Starkiller Base during the events of ''The Force Awakens'', so time will only tell how Kaz will react to that once the series catches up to the films.

** This is definitely the case for the fate of the main character Kazuda's home planet, Hosnian Prime. Honosian Prime was destroyed by Starkiller Base during the events of ''The Force Awakens'', so time will only tell how Kaz will react to that once the series catches up to the films.

** This is definitely the case for the fate of the main character Kazuda's home planet, Hosnian Prime. Honosian Prime was destroyed by Starkiller Base during the events of ''The Force Awakens'', so time will only tell how Kaz will react to that once the series catches up to the films.