History Main / FutureBadass

* Remember Henry Oldry, that helpless little kid you rescue during your first playthrough of ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}''? Eight years later he comes back as a [[TheGunslinger gun-toting]] [[ThePaladin Holy Knight]] out to save some more hostages in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegacyOfDarkness''.

* The many time travel shennaigans from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' provide a few strange examples:

** This game has Isaac, hero from the previous game that saved the world 30 years ago. He is now 47 years old, but is more buff, boasts a BadassBeard AND a BadassLongcoat, and he ''still kicks major ass'' as he helps his son, Matthew, (the player) and Karis find their friend as he uses a {{BFS}} and retains most of the powerful Djinn and summons he used on his last adventure. It helps that being exposed to the Golden Sun in the previous game drastically reduced his aging, meaning he's still as spry now as he was as a teenager.

* In the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' comic "Death of a Sales-Bot", the Engineer travels to the present from 1999 (the game takes place in the 1960s), and he now has an entirely robotic right arm instead of just his hand, a glowing bionic left eye, a BadassBeard, a [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Pip-Boy]], and a robotic Teddy Roosebelt, along with the Pyro, whose head is now preserved in a glass dome on a floating platform. He gives the RED team a warning about some vaguely-explained "Hat Wars" (also telling them that in the future, the President of the US will be a cybernetically-enhanced Pomeranian in a sweater), and to prevent that from happening they must not open the robotic crates full of hats that Grey Mann's robots were trying to sell them. Naturally, the Soldier hears him saying the exact opposite.

* [[http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/comic/title-457/ Strip 457]] of ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' had [[spoiler:[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Luigi]]]] accidentally taking Link's role in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. When he pulls out the Master Sword, his future self is shown to have a HeroicBuild complete with BadassBeard and BarbarianLongHair. He eventually becomes the legendary Hero of Time by [[CurbStompBattle one-shotting Ganon]].

** Invoked when Dexter travels to the future for the primary purpose of seeing what kind of badass he is. In the dystopian future version of himself, he comes to resemble his hero Action Hank: big, brawny, and [[BadassBeard bearded]] (and unlike Hank, [[BaldOfAwesome he goes bald]]), and his MadScientist pseudo-Germanic accent is replaced by [[TheAhnold an Arnold impression]].

* Uatu the Watcher shows Hank [=McCoy=] a vision of possible futures, and in one, [[ComicBook/IllyanaRasputin Magik]] became the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, likely as his successor, since he retrained her.

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has a few examples. The final goal of Operation: DESTINY is [[spoiler:to ''prevent'' your villain from turning into a Future Badass capable of taking down both the [[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Freedom Phalanx]] and [[EvilVersusEvil Arachnos]] single-handedly (as killing Lord Recluse in this future costs your right arm)]]. Mender Silos may be another example, what violating the underlying laws governing time travel and generally being an mysterious benefactor with [[ThePlan hidden, layered plots]], and certainly commanding a more impressive set of capabilities and army than that modern-day brozned poser Lord Nemesis.

->''"So never kick a dog because he's just a pup --''\\
''We'll fight like twenty armies and we won't give up''\\
''So you'd better run for cover when the pup grows up!"''

->''"So never kick a dog because it's just a pup --''\\
''You'd better run for cover when the pup grows up!"''

* Suggested in the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13929309/1/Power-Rangers-Mythos Power Rangers Mythos]]", when a future Ranger recruits Tommy Oliver from when he's still the Green Ranger (''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'') to help in her time, as opposed to a more experienced version of Tommy.

** Dave Strider, which is pretty impressive considering that his present self is ''already'' one of the most badass characters of the series. He's also a bit more emotional than his present counterpart (thanks to being stuck in an UnwinnableByMistake situation with two of your closest friends ''dead'' for months on end) and gets pissed off if you refer to him as "Other Dave".

* Ditzy Doo from ''FanFic/FalloutEquestria''. In [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic present-day Equestria]], she was a happy-go-lucky mail carrier with an affinity for muffins. Two hundred years and a [[SugarApocalypse balefire apocalypse]] later, she's an {{Undead}} ex-slave IntrepidMerchant who pretty much runs the town of New Appleoossa despite [[TheSpeechless being mute]]. [[spoiler: And is capable of pulling off a [[FantasticNuke Sonic Radboom,]] and is the new [[ChosenOne bearer of the Element of Laughter.]]]]

** [[Characters/CableNathanSummers Cable/Nathan Summers]] is the walking personification of this trope. Being sent to the future as a baby and returning to the present a much older, giant, grizzled, time travelling cyborg mutant super soldier.

** And [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers U.S. President Kamala Khan]] from the [[ComicBook/AllNewWolverine Old Woman Laura]] timeline.

** [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Comicbook/Cable Cable/Nathan Summers]] is the walking personification of this trope. Being sent to the future as a baby and returning to the present a much older, giant, grizzled, time travelling cyborg mutant super soldier.

* Albeit not involving time travel, when the previously idealistic Blake comes BackForTheFinale of ''Series/BlakesSeven'' he now has the requisite cynical demeanor, facial scar and eye damage, though without the obligatory eyepatch (he was originally to have one [[NotSoDifferent just like his former arch-enemy Travis]], but the actor believed that a scar would be more subtle).

** Waver Velvet, the NaiveNewcomer in ''LightNovel/FateZero'', who eventually grows up to become Lord El-Melloi II, the man who dismantled the Fuyuki Grail after ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. [[spoiler:Also, a dead ringer for Waver appears inside [[BadassArmy Ionioi Hetairoi]], heavily implying he became a Heroic Spirit after his death.]]

[[quoteright:340:[[WesternAnimation/KimPossible https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jimtimfuture.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:340:[[LampshadeHanging Why is everybody in the future so ripped?!]]]]

* ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. Bruce Wayne has a nightmare (implied to be a vision of a potential BadFuture) in which Superman has turned evil and Batman is working with LaResistance. Having already shown at the very least indifference to his previous ThouShaltNotKill policy during the course of the movie, the BadFuture Batman carries an assault rifle and sidearm, using them without hesitation on Superman's soldiers.

* ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'': Most notably Lambo, going from crybaby incompetent toddler to crybaby slightly more-competent bishonen in 10 years, and turning into an overpowered beefy stud in 20 years.

* ''Manga/GetterRobo''

* ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys''

* In the fan created game ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}} VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'', [[spoiler: Cirno is [[GoldfishPoopGang a laughably easy recurring boss]] for the first half of the game. Then you're sent forward in time and you encounter her again, and she puts up a fight.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'': Maribel Hearn is a young girl with the ability to see boundaries, that is, the limits between two objects or concepts (such as parallel dimensions). It is very strongly hinted that she's a younger version of Yukari Yakumo, one of the most obscenely overpowered {{Reality Warper}}s in the series, who can not only see boundaries [[SemanticSuperpower but do whatever the hell she wants with them]]. Said hints consist of her similar physical appearance, dress style, and when ZUN was asked for clarification, only answered "There was a man named Lafcadio Hearn". Who, for those who don't follow obscure 19th century poets, was an Irishman who later changed his name to Koizumi ''Yakumo''...

* From ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': "[[BadassCreed I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I Am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world, and cleanse it in the fires of destruction!]] [[VideoGame/BlazBlue I am Hakumen!]] [[BadassBoast The end has come!]]" -- A major improvement over his previous life as the AmbiguouslyGay {{Yandere}} Jin Kisaragi.

* In an unusual case to not involve time travel ([[TimeTravelTenseTrouble kind of]]), Ravage from ''{{Transformers}}: WesternAnimation/BeastWars''. In the centuries since we saw him last, he became bipedal, decided to speak up more, and proved himself ''incredibly'' Badass. Maybe he was before, but he was too quiet to show it verbally back in the day, was too subservient to show it by personality, and was too kitty-shaped to show it with action. Then he took TheSlowPath.
** He also speaks with a classy Russian accent.

* Like ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' example above, the [[WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy Timeline-based]] ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' TV movie has several Future Badasses. The biggest is [[PsychoForHire Dark Danny]], who is now the most powerful ghost on the planet, or as Sam puts it "...okay, you're ''really'' a [[UnderStatement jerk]]." Well, that is certainly a mild way to put it-he becomes a rampaging [[PsychoForHire Sociopath]] who kills people and destroys things [[ForTheEvulz apparently just for kicks]]. The episode in which Danny sees what he [[BadFuture would become]] and is [[FutureMeScaresMe extremely horrified]] is one of the darkest, yet most highly acclaimed episodes of the series.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' has Ben and Gwen meet their future, adult selves. In the future, Ben has mastered the [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Omnitrix]] and become a {{Jerkass}} who dislikes receiving help from others (well, moreso), and Gwen has become proficient in magic spells.
** A follow-up episode shows the future, adult version of Ben's EvilCounterpart nemesis Kevin 11, who has grown up from what was essentially a short-tempered, mutated bully into a truly deadly DNA-absorbing sociopath somewhat akin to a cross between [[Series/{{Heroes}} Sylar]] and [[Manga/InuYasha Naraku]].

* Invoked in the MadeForTVMovie of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', ''WesternAnimation/EgoTrip'', wherein Dexter travels to the future for the primary purpose of seeing what kind of badass he is. In the dystopian future version of himself, he comes to resemble his hero Action Hank: big, brawny, and [[BadassBeard bearded]] (and unlike Hank, [[BaldOfAwesome he goes bald]]), and his MadScientist pseudo-Germanic accent is replaced by [[TheAhnold an Arnold impression]].
** This trope is also averted in Dexter's other two future versions, a wimpy office drone and a hilarious old man. The Future Badass version of Dexter exists between the two chronologically.
*** However, we eventually see the former [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]].

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' has Isaac, hero from the previous game that saved the world 30 years ago. He is now 47 years old, but is more buff, boasts a BadassBeard AND a BadassLongcoat, and he ''still kicks major ass'' as he helps his son, Matthew, (the player) and Karis find their friend as he uses a {{BFS}} and retains most of the powerful Djinn and summons he used on his last adventure. It helps that being exposed to the Golden Sun in the previous game drastically reduced his aging, meaning he's still as spry now as he was as a teenager.
** In the same game, there's Eoleo, who is the son of the famous pirate, Briggs. In the previous game, he was just a baby with some powers. 30 years later? He's now pirate like his dad before him with a mastery of [[KillItWithFire Fire Pysnergy]] [[spoiler: and he joins your party later on!]]
* ''[[VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days]]'' has [[TokenMiniMoe Hanako]], [[TheHero Adell's]] younger, nine year old sister. Ten years later, as the [[DownloadableContent DLC]] reveals, she becomes ''Demon Lord'' Hanako, evidently fulfilling her dream of becoming as "sexy and powerful" as her idol, [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Etna]].
** Though, to her dismay, [[spoiler: her future self is still [[ACupAngst as flat as a board.]] Exactly as Etna!]]