History Main / MortalWoundReveal

* ''Film/TristanAndIsolde'': Happens to Tristan near the beginning of the film. His wound initially appears not that serious, but just as we're informed that the weapon was poisoned he collapses, apparently dead. Being the protagonist, [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt he gets better]], but his friends aren't GenreSavvy enough to know that.

* In Literature/TheBible, {{Jesus}} ([[JesusWasWayCool subverter of many a trope]]), dies ''first'', [[FirstLawOfResurrection comes back three days later]] and ''then'' personally shows off some of the mortal wounds he received during and [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat after his death, including a spear wound through his torso and to his heart]].

* In "Series/PrettyLittleLiars" episode 'A Is For Answers' after the assasin escapes to another rooftop,Aria walks to Ezra as he turns around,it's revealed that he's been shot in the stomach,though he survives.

* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': Mercutio is stabbed under the arm of Romeo during a confused street brawl. It is often played as a MortalWoundReveal, including in [[WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet Baz Luhrmann's 1996 version]], and Creator/FrancoZeffirelli's 1968 version.

* ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081237/ The Ninth Configuration]]'' ends with Colonel Kane saving Capt. Cutshaw from [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels a biker gang at a bar]]. Following the brawl, Cutshaw carries the battered Kane back to the asylum wrapped in a blanket, but it isn't until he's alone that Kane [[DeathEqualsRedemption lets the blood-stained knife drop to the floor]] and begins composing a farewell letter. In the film's original ending (and the story on which it was based), Kane palmed the knife and committed suicide, but [[ExecutiveMeddling the studio insisted at the last minute]] on changing a line of dialogue to imply that he was actually stabbed in the chaos. (Some argue this was actually an improvement, since Kane's intended lesson—that humans are capable of selflessness—would be [[BrokenAesop broken]] by suicide.)

Usually happens in an action scene - bullets and blades flying every which way - chaos and mayhem dominate. At either a lull in the fighting, or the final victory of one side (usually the heroes), we see one of the characters standing fairly still, looking pale. Then something about the scene changes. Either the camera pans to reveal a gaping hole that really shouldn't be there, or essential parts of the character drop off. They don't have to die instantly, but the wound has to be [[CaptainObvious lethal, and revealed]].

The heroic version tends to be used in works where AnyoneCanDie, and played for tragedy. The villainous version tends to be either a) the loved one of the BigBad, so they go berserk - which usually humanises colder villains, or b) a major villain has been killed, most often TheDragon or the BigBad, bringing that arc to a close, sometimes unexpectedly early. Mooks are too small fry to waste serious stage directions on.

See also GunStruggle, BulletHolesAndRevelations, and DiagonalCut. Some forms of RoboticReveal subvert this trope - the robot, of course, does not die from their 'mortal' wound.

Compare AlmostDeadGuy, SecretStabWound, AfterActionHealingDrama, ZombieInfectee (where the injured party deliberately hides that they've received a wound, rather than the author/director hiding it from the audience), and GameBreakingInjury (where it's specifically the Hero who receives a significant - though ''not'' necessarily mortal - wound).

* ''Film/VForVendetta'' has an example, where initially it appears that V has superhuman powers by surviving a barrage of gunfire. After dispatching his foes while they frantically try to reload, he removes a home-made metal plate - riddled with bullet holes and covered in blood - from under his shirt, drops it on the ground, and staggers off. (Before the MortalWoundReveal, there's a subtle indication: his raspy, pained voice as he delivers his KirkSummation.)
* ''Film/ResidentEvil'' - The LaserHallway scene in the first film has two of these. As the first laser goes by and shears off one commando's fingers, the leader turns to TheMedic asking her to help, but she doesn't respond. They look again, and the camera shows a paper-thin red line appearing through [[OffWithHisHead her neck]] [[DelayedCausality before]] her head falls off. A few seconds later, after a laser grid passes through the leader, he falls apart into chunks of flesh.

* ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'' - The {{Narm}}tastic final fight has this happen to TheDragon.

** In ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'', the heroes appear to have escaped through a door just in time to avoid a hail of gunfire from the army of Smiths chasing them. then The Keymaker turns around to reveal that his torso is riddled with bullet holes.

* ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081237/ The Ninth Configuration]]'' ends with Colonel Kane saving Capt. Cutshaw from [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels a biker gang at a bar]]. Following the brawl, Cutshaw carries the battered Kane back to the asylum wrapped in a blanket, but it isn't until he's alone that Kane [[DeathEqualsRedemption lets the blood-stained knife drop to the floor]] and begins composing a farewell letter. In the film's original ending (and the story on which it was based), Kane palmed the knife and committed suicide, but [[ExecutiveMeddling the studio insisted at the last minute]] on changing a line of dialogue to imply that he was actually stabbed in the chaos. (Some argue this was actually an improvement, since Kane's intended lesson - that humans are capable of selflessness - would be [[BrokenAesop broken]] by suicide.)

* In ''{{Film/Underworld}}'', as Viktor is kneeling over Michael and about to kill him, Selene picks up Viktor's sword from where he'd dropped it earlier and slices through him with it. At first, it seems like she whiffed badly, as he actually jumps up completely intact and draws daggers from his sleeves in response - but then Selene holds up the blood-covered sword, which is followed by half of Viktor's head falling off.

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* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': When Éponine collapses upon returning to the barricade Marius first notices blood in her hair and then opens the large overcoat she wears to reveal her heavily bloodied shirt.

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* TheRemake of ''Film/DawnOfTheDead'' has [[spoiler:Michael show his bite wound to Ana and tell her he can't get on the boat with them, despite her insistence she can heal him. The last you see of Michael is him putting a gun to his head as the boat leaves.]]

* ''PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'': A variation. What gets revealed is not the wound itself, as we clearly see Jack shoot Barbossa, but rather the fact that Will has broken the curse and ended Barbossa's immortality.

* About halfway through the ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' anime, Fokker's plane is hit during a mission. He lands and proceeds to continue his plans for the evening. The fact that he was wounded is only revealed when the maintenance crew finds blood on his pilot seat and the extent of it when he [[GoOutWithASmile silently passes away]] on his girlfriend's couch.
* As a ShoutOut, ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' set up the exact same thing with [[spoiler:Ozma getting hit in a battle and going to Ranka's concert fully knowing he's gonna die]] but him passing out from blood loss alerted his subordinates that something's wrong, saving his life.

* In ''Film/YoungGunsII'', Chavez gets wounded at some point during the fight with Sheriff Garrett and his deputies, but we're not really aware of the wound until he starts acting hurt when they reach safety. Later still, Billy finally catches up to them and Chavez shows him what turns out to be a pretty horrifying stomach wound. Shortly thereafter Chavez [[TheDyingWalk limps out and does off to die by himself]].

* In ''Anime/ShinMazinger'', [[spoiler: Kabuto Juuzo]] flys[[note]]via Rocket Punch[[/note]] to Mazinger to teach Kouji how to control it. It's not until the lesson is over that Kouji notices that he is bleeding heavily from a gut wound, though the viewer sees it earlier.

* In the final scene of ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'', Kee sees blood on the bottom of the boat and assumes it's her own (she'd given birth a short time earlier), but Theo assures her he'd been shot minutes ago and just paid it no mind in the heat of the situation. He sags soon afterward.

* ''Film/ResidentEvil'' - The LaserHallway scene in the first film has two of these. As the first laser goes by and shears off one commando's fingers, the leader turns to TheMedic asking her to help, but she doesn't respond. They look again, and the camera shows a paper-thin red line appearing through [[OffWithHisHead her neck]] before her head falls off. A few seconds later, after a laser grid passes through the leader, he falls apart into chunks of flesh.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has a particularly cruel example, where Lichty's Heroic Sacrifice for and reveal of his cyborg nature to Christina Sierra is then followed by the reveal that she'd been pierced by a chunk of shrapnel and he hadn't noticed before he died in her arms. She too dies shortly afterwards, still clutching his body.

* In ''TheGodfatherPartIII'', at the end there is an attempt on Michael's life. Shown are the two gunshots, Michael being hit in the shoulder, and the gunman being killed. As the commotion dies down, the camera cuts to Mary, Michael's daughter. He looks at her, and she looks down to reveal that she has been shot in the chest. She then dies seconds later.

* In the second ''Film/YoungGuns'' movie, Chavez gets wounded at some point during the fight with Sheriff Garrett and his deputies, but we're not really aware of the wound until he starts acting hurt when they reach safety. Later still, Billy finally catches up to them and Chavez shows him what turns out to be a pretty horrifying stomach wound. Shortly thereafter Chavez [[TheDyingWalk limps out and does off to die by himself]].

* Played with in the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short ''WesternAnimation/ACornyConcerto''. Porky Pig and his hunting dog are hunting BugsBunny, and after a chipmunk gets ahold of Porky's rifle and shoots it, the three of them stand to the camera with their hands over their chest. Porky and his dog both cautiously check under their hands, and realize they're fine. Bugs peeks under his hand, goes green and collapses. [[spoiler: He's faking, of course.]]

* ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'': Dr. Horrible grins at the sight of Hammer wailing in pain, [[MoodWhiplash then turns to see Penny with a mortal wound in her middle]] from the explosion of the DeathRay.

* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' √A uses a bait-and-switch approach to this. Blood dripping is shown repeatedly during a scene, seemingly coming from the heavily wounded Kaneki. But then [[spoiler: Hide collapses, and reveals a stomach wound gushing blood. He dies in Kaneki's arms shortly afterwards, leading to Kaneki's ambiguous SuicideByCop]].