History Main / MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning

* A similar event happened, in an episode of ''Series/CSINewYork'': a woman decided to get revenge on a doctor that negligently killed her daughter by giving her CPR while under the influence of drugs by getting a job as a door woman in the doctor's building, having an affair with him to produce fake evidence, and finally kill herself all to frame him for her "murder".

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': In an alternate universe of the DCU, although ComicBook/TheJoker [[KickTheSonOfABitch was killed off early]] in the game by a grieving Superman for tricking him into killing his wife Lois and nuking Metropolis, the MonsterClown certainly had the last laugh as his VillainousLegacy of causing Superman's FaceHeelTurn and the subsequent fallout in later years has slowly led to the collapse of everything good in the DCU, including the Justice League falling apart, [[WeUsedToBeFriends Superman and Batman hating each other]], and [[MurderByInaction the deaths of many]] who tried to stop Superman. Ironically, [[BatmanGambit this is precisely what the Joker]] [[ThanatosGambit ultimately intended, including the part where it got him killed]]: to prove that anybody can be NotSoDifferent from him if they had "a really bad day" in his twisted StrawNihilist mindset. It was all done ForTheEvulz. Things haven't much in [[VideoGame/Injustice2 the sequel]], as even though he's DeadAllAlong in the game and only appears as a Fear Toxin-induced hallucination to Harley in chapter 2, he still haunts everybody even from beyond the grave, and certain pre-match intros show that [[EvenEvilHasStandards even villains such as Gorilla Grodd, Poison Ivy and Captain Cold]] [[HateSink despise him]] for what he did to Superman. [[SmallRoleBigImpact He may have had a small role in both games]], but the negative impact he left can never be forgotten. Worse still, Doctor Fate notes that the Joker's scheme worked so well that it's causing [[OrderIsNotGood the Lords or Order]] to give up on humanity and back [[BigBad Brainiac's]] invasion, believing that he'll restore order, despite knowing what the Coluan has stored for Earth. Fate also warns that if the infighting between Batman and Superman keeps on going, [[spoiler:then the Lords will back an even bigger threat.]]

[[folder:Film]]
* The serial killer in ''Film/{{Se7en}}'' was a MadArtist who wanted to orchestrate a string of deaths correlating with the seven deadly sins and culminating with his own murder. He thinks this will inspire a new wave of violent piousness in the modern, secular masses, but we never find out whether it works.
* ''Franchise/StarWars''
** Obi-Wan Kenobi's death in ''Film/ANewHope'' is either a heroic version of this trope or a HeroicSacrifice depending on whom you ask. It helps that he has secretly learned how to [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence become one with the Force.]]
--->'''Obi-Wan Kenobi:''' If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
** One of Palpatine's many plans ended with Luke killing him, thus cementing his feet onto the path of the DarkSide.
*** It's also hinted in the now non-canon ''ComicBook/DarkEmpire'' comic arc that Palpatine planned for his own death so he could grow stronger in the dark side, or at least created a back up plan involving cloning in case his original body had been unexpectedly killed that consequentially resulted in him gaining more power.
** At the climax of ''Film/TheLastJedi'', Luke warns Kylo Ren that the war has only just begun, and that he will be with him always, before he follow's Obi-Wan's example.
--->'''Luke Skywalker:''' See you around, kid.
* ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions''. Neo knew going in he could not defeat Smith without "balancing the equation", i.e. negating both of them.

* Bartleby and Loki's plan in ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' revolved around this. Azrael, who was [[TheChessmaster manipulating them]], had [[SuicideByCop something else in mind.]]
* A literal example of this occurs in ''Film/SawIV''. After finding a microcassette in the stomach of Jigsaw during his autopsy, the medical coroner calls the police in. They listen to the tape as Jigsaw explains that his death is just the beginning, and that his work will continue. Of course, a detective ended up taking on his mantle.
* In ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', the [[ClockPunk clockwork cyborg]] Karl Ruprect Kroenen does this to infiltrate BPRD headquarters. He "killed" himself by unwinding his own clockwork heart; upon finding his body, BPRD agents took him back to their headquarters to examine him, unaware that he could be revived.
* In ''Film/IRobot'', Dr. Alfred Lanning orders Sonny to kill him by throwing him out of his office window. He does this in order to attract Detective Spooner's attention because he knows that the vehemently anti-robot Spooner would fully investigate the incident and discover the inherent flaw in the Three Laws Of Robotics.

* ''Film/{{Fallen}}'': The demon Azazel cannot take over Denzel Washington by his usual touch transference, but he can do so if his spirit is released from its host by death. So he spends the entire movie crapping on Denzel's rep and framing him for murder so that he can finally get Denzel to kill him in a SuicideByCop scenario and run wild in his body.
* The ''aversion'' of this is a driving plot point in ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'', a spinoff to the LiveActionAdaptation ''Manga/DeathNote'' films. The ecoterrorist BigBad has a super-virus that will wipe out humanity, but he is not willing to die along with the rest of us. However, the scientist who created a vaccine destroys it and kills himself after learning of the villain's plan rather than let the plan succeed, causing the villain to go after the scientist's daughter, who has notes on the vaccine and who L takes in.
* ''Film/{{The Mummy|1999}}'' shows a literal example with Imhotep. Down to carving it in the very coffin he's buried in.
* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', Lord Blackwood when asked if he had any last words before his hanging declares that death is only the beginning. Of course, he comes back from the dead and wreaks fear and havoc across England. Turns out he actually faked his death and would eventually get his KarmicDeath in the end.

* Due to a device attached to his heart, the death of [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jason Wynn]] in ''Film/{{Spawn}}'' would cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. He believes he'll be able to use it as a DeadMansSwitch to protect himself from Spawn, but the demon who suggested he install it is using both him and Spawn, expecting the latter to kill Wynn and unwittingly end civilization.
* Subverted in ''Film/{{Elizabeth}}'' when Norfolk is arrested for treason.
-->'''Norfolk''': "I believe a man's courage is measured in the manner of his death. So cut off my head and make me a martyr. The people will always remember it."
-->'''Walsingham''': "No, they will forget".

* Crake in ''Literature/OryxAndCrake''.

** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS6E5TheSeedsOfDeath "The Seeds of Death"]], when Fewsham, who has been a DirtyCoward up until this point, finally grows a pair and makes sure that Earth gets desperately-needed info on the pending invasion, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath at the cost of his own life]].

* ''Series/{{Westworld}}'' has two of these gambits in its opening series. There's one from each of the park's co-founders, Arnold Weber and Robert Ford:
** When the park was opened, Arnold (who had always believed the Host robots who formed the park's population were capable of sentience) quickly realized [[HumansAreBastards the park's human guests would mostly spend their time]] [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential raping and murdering them, over and over.]] He staged a massacre and then commanded a Host to shoot him in the head, hoping the resulting publicity scandal would get Host technology abandoned and the park shut down before it ever opened. Unfortunately for him, the park had already attracted the intention of powerful investors, who [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney were rich enough to have the whole thing buried]] and the park opened for business. However...
** Arnold's death did succeed in giving Ford an attack of conscience, and in convincing him that Hosts could be made sentient. Secretly, he spent the next thirty-five years turning Westworld into a pressure cooker, letting the Hosts suffer [[InvokedTrope so that they would eventually]] [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turn on humanity]] [[RobotWar and overthrow them.]] The final step of his plan is pushing a Host into killing him, this time by choice: and so creating a robot rebellion that wipes out the park for good.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

-->'''Luke Skywalker''': See you around, kid.

* ''MagicTheGathering'': According to Phyrexian myth/propaganda, Yawgmoth killed himself for various reasons that make sense only to Phyrexians. The true story is very different.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': In an alternate universe of the DCU, although ComicBook/TheJoker [[KickTheSonOfABitch was killed off early]] in the game by a grieving Superman for tricking him into killing his wife Lois and nuking Metropolis, the MonsterClown certainly had the last laugh as his VillainousLegacy of causing Superman's [[FaceHeelTurn road to hell]] and the subsequent fallout in later years has slowly led to the collapse of everything good in the DCU in many ways: [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen the Justice League]] [[BreakingTheFellowship is no longer what it used to be]], [[WeUsedToBeFriends Superman and Batman hating each other]], and [[MurderByInaction the deaths of many]] who tried to stop Superman. Ironically, [[BatmanGambit this is precisely what]] [[GreaterScopeVillain the Joker]] [[ThanatosGambit ultimately intended, including the part where it got him killed]]: to prove that anybody can be easily [[NotSoDifferent brought down to his level]] if they had "a really bad day" in his twisted StrawNihilist mindset. It was all done ForTheEvulz and ItAmusedMe. Things haven't much in [[VideoGame/Injustice2 the sequel]], as even though he's DeadAllAlong in the game and only appears as a Fear Toxin-induced hallucination to Harley Quinn in chapter 2, he still haunts everybody even from beyond the grave, and certain pre-match intros show that ''[[EvenEvilHasStandards even villains such as Gorilla Grodd, Brainiac and Darkseid of all people]]'' [[HateSink despise him]] for what he [[MoralEventHorizon did to Superman.]] [[SmallRoleBigImpact He may have had a small role in both games]], but the impact he left can never be forgotten. Worse still, Doctor Fate notes that the Joker's scheme worked so well that it's causing [[OrderIsNotGood the Lords or Order]] to give up on humanity and back Brainiac's invasion, believing that he'll restore order, despite knowing what the Coluan has stored for Earth. Fate also warns that if the infighting between Batman and Superman keeps on going, then the Lords will back an even bigger threat.

* In ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'', the [[ClockPunk clockwork cyborg]] Karl Ruprect Kroenen does this to infiltrate BPRD headquarters. He "killed" himself by unwinding his own clockwork heart; upon finding his body, BPRD agents took him back to their headquarters to examine him, unaware that he could be revived.

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': The supervillain [[OmnicidalManiac Judge Death]] was already an insane HangingJudge when he was alive. His goal of destroying his entire homeworld in the name of justice required him to die and then be resurrected through dark magic as a zombie, partly so he would become an unstoppable menace, and partly because "kill everyone" would just have been hypocritical if he didn't.

* Perhaps the most ridiculous example from Marvel is Adolf Hitler. According to one comic, his suicide was only intended to free up his soul to be transferred into a clone body, thus not only FakingTheDead but also perfecting the procedures necessary for his ''true'' master plan: To possess the Cosmic Cube. Also, his clone body dresses in a purple Klansman outfit and goes by the name "Hatemonger." No, I'm serious. [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/hatemonh.htm See for yourself.]]

* Albus Dumbledore in ''Literature/HarryPotter''.
** Harry, too.
** While Cedric's death really didn't "inspire" anyone to avenge him or whatever, his death was the tell-tale sign that the series had [[CerebusSyndrome taken a turn for the more serious]].

** In "Worst Case Scenario", former antagonist Seska comes back to haunt the crew (via a holodeck program) despite the fact that she had died in the season premiere. In this case, it wasn't her specific intent, but Tom still points out that this is very much in keeping with the Seska they know.

** So did John Huston.
* The alleged last words of Che Guevara.

* There was an episode of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' which involved a warlock needing to die nine times to attain immortality.

* ''Series/Westworld'' has two of these gambits in its opening series. There's one from each of the park's co-founders, Arnold Weber and Robert Ford:

* Due to a device attached to his heart, the death of [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jason Wynn]] in ''Film/{{Spawn}}'' would cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. He believes he'll be able to use it as a DeadMansTrigger to protect himself from Spawn, but the demon who suggested he install it is using both him and Spawn, expecting the latter to kill Wynn and unwittingly end civilization.

* Due to a device attached to his heart, the death of [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jason Wynn]] in ''Film/{{Spawn}}'' would cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]: While not exactly his plan, the Master creates a cult devoted to himself and leaves specific instructions on what to do in case he is killed. After he is [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E13LastOfTheTimeLords shot by his wife]], he chooses not to regenerate so as not to end up the Doctor's prisoner, and because he knows his followers will bring him back to life. Unfortunately for him, his resurrection is sabotaged by his wife, which causes him to [[CameBackWrong Come Back Wrong]]. Worse, this all may have been a GambitRoulette of [[spoiler:Creator/TimothyDalton]] the Time Lords.
*** Bonus points for showing someone take his ring after his death in the style of [[Film/FlashGordon1980 Ming the Merciless]].

* Harry Seldon in Asimov's ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'' trilogy. The series begins with him as an old man with only a few years left to live. But the entire rest of the trilogy (taking place over the course of something like 400 years) involves his plan for the foundation playing out as he set it up with holo-recordings of him dropping in at regular intervals to offer his thoughts on the most recent crisis.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Suzie Costello in the ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' episode "They Keep Killing Suzie". So expertly plotted on her part that her suicide had actually taken place several episodes before; setting off a series of events that -- once Torchwood became involved -- would ''lead to her own resurrection''.
* There was an episode of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' which involved a warlock needing to die nine times to attain immortality.

* A similar event happened, in an episode of ''Series/CSINewYork'': a woman decided to get revenge on a doctor that negligently killed her daughter by giving her CPR while under the influence of drugs by getting a job as a door woman in the doctor's building, having an affair with him to produce fake evidence, and finally kill herself all to frame him for her "murder."
* On ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Lilith [[UnwittingPawn manipulates Sam and Dean into killing her]], since her death is required to free Lucifer.

* While not exactly his plan, the Master in the new ''Series/DoctorWho'' series creates a cult devoted to himself and leaves specific instructions on what to do in case he is killed. After he is shot by his wife, he chooses not to regenerate so as not to end up the Doctor's prisoner, and because he knows his followers will bring him back to life. Unfortunately for him, his resurrection is sabotaged by his wife, which causes him to [[CameBackWrong Come Back Wrong]]. Worse, this all may have been a GambitRoulette of [[strike:Creator/TimothyDalton]] the Time Lords.
** Bonus points for showing someone take his ring after his death in the style of [[Film/FlashGordon1980 Ming the Merciless]].
** In ''The Seeds of Death'', when Fewsham, who has been a DirtyCoward up until this point, finally grows a pair and makes sure that Earth gets desperately-needed info on the pending invasion, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath at the cost of his own life]].
* John Locke's death on ''Series/{{Lost}}'' first seems to be part of a preordained plan to save the island. Later events make it seem Locke was suckered into believing his death would have meaning, when really it was part of the villain's grand plan. Ultimately, however, John's death is the trigger for the Oceanic 6 to return to the island, which leads to the villain's defeat.
* ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' opens with this voiceover: "I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life." It was only a DisneyDeath, though.
* Mary Alice's suicide is what prompts the main events in ''Series/DesperateHousewives''.

* The song "Hero" by Heather Dale.
* "By And By" by Chumbawamba (on the legendary Folk singer Joe Hill)

-->'''Tagon:''' He could turn his own death into a tactical advantage.
-->'''Andreyasn:''' I've done that before. It hurts, but it's not actually that difficult.
* GI Guy from ''Webcomic/KidRadd'', being a [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned]] OmnicidalManiac, thought the only way to stop the circle of violence for sprites and humans was to kill them all. When he actually tried to go through with it, he was happily the first to die.
* The last words of King Stonehammer in ''[[http://www.remembercomic.co.uk Remember]]'' are literally "I do pity you, my death shall empower history, yours will be but a footnote."
* Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', when Thaco the Goblin finally defeats Dellyn Goblinslayer, the ranger who captured and tortured him years before. Dellyn takes great delight in telling Thaco how his name will go down in legend among the goblins because of his glorious death at Thaco's hands. Things [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/06292009/ do not turn out]] [[http://www.goblinscomic.org/06302009/ like he hoped]].

* ''Webcomic/DragonMango'': A shapeshifted fortune teller explains she's doing this -- and her enemy is too [[http://dragon-mango.com/comic/chapter05/dm05-24.htm overconfident to care]].
* ''Webcomic/AxeCop'': In "The Dogs", [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext the witch doctor cats, Iggy and Willy, let the superhero dogs kill them on purpose so that they can be resurrected as mummies and turn the whole world into cats]].

* In the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' tale "The Dark At The End Of The Tunnel", Dark is revealed to be long dead due to heart condition after she refused Marshall and Carter's life extenders. She continues to run Marshall, Carter, and Dark from beyond the grave through letters containing detailed orders, having used some means of seeing the future to arrange things centuries in advance. Every time Marshall and Carter tried to disobey the orders, they would suffer misfortune.
-->Eternally prophesying, eternally predicting, eternally manipulating.
-->Dark would probably be pleased. If she wasn't dead.
* In ''Literature/TheReturnOfPaulTwister,'' Ken'tu Kel accuses Ryell of employing this trope, and tells Paul it would be in his best interest to [[SpannerInTheWorks sabotage this plot]] by killing all the ''tractumil.'' Paul doesn't listen, as he doesn't want to be a murderer.

My Death Is Just the Beginning isn't the sort of plot the average antagonist will use, as it requires a certain dedication to results over personal glory and power. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] can drift towards plans of this sort, especially if they happen to be [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans dedicated to the fulfillment of some lofty ideal]]. TheChessmaster has the sort of talents to execute this kind of scheme, and will opt to do himself in if the gains are substantial enough. A MagnificentBastard will never use this sort of plan unless it also doubles as his CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

* Resident Evil has a couple of examples of this - notably the Weskers
* KingdomHearts has Xehanort, a guy whose plans involve him sacrificing himself so that his heart and body can be split into two separate entities, both of which will perform a separate task, at which time they will combine to revive him, granting him his final goal: the X-Blade, Kingdom Hearts, and a new Keyblade War.

** There's also the Clone spell, which is essentially a buggy arcane resurrection. A villain in ForgottenRealms had multiple clones going before his death, and all or most of them started running around, [[HilarityEnsues leading to hilarity]].

* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes'', Blackwood when asked if he had any last words before his hanging declares that death is only the beginning. Of course, he comes back from the dead and wreaks fear and havoc across England. Turns out he actually faked his death and would eventually get his KarmicDeath in the end.

* In the SherlockHolmes story ''The Problem of Thor Bridge'', Maria Gibson, jealous of the close relationship between her husband and the family's governess, commits suicide and attempts to frame the governess for her murder.

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': In an alternate universe of the DCU, although ComicBook/TheJoker [[KickTheSonOfABitch was killed off early]] in the game by a grieving Superman for tricking him into killing his wife Lois and nuking Metropolis, the MonsterClown certainly had the last laugh as his VillainousLegacy of causing Superman's [[FaceHeelTurn road to hell]] and the subsequent fallout in later years has slowly led to the collapse of everything good in the DCU in many ways: [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen the Justice League is no longer what it used to be]], [[WeUsedToBeFriends Superman and Batman hating each other]], and [[MurderByInaction the deaths of many]] who tried to stop Superman. Ironically, [[BatmanGambit this is precisely what]] [[GreaterScopeVillain the Joker]] [[ThanatosGambit ultimately intended, including the part where it got him killed]]: to prove that anybody can be easily [[NotSoDifferent brought down to his level]] if they had "a really bad day" in his twisted StrawNihilist mindset. It was all done ForTheEvulz and ItAmusedMe. Things haven't much in [[VideoGame/Injustice2 the sequel]], as even though he's DeadAllAlong in the game and only appears as a Fear Toxin-induced hallucination to Harley Quinn in chapter 2, he still haunts everybody even from beyond the grave, and certain pre-match intros show that ''[[EvenEvilHasStandards even villains such as Gorilla Grodd, Brainiac and Darkseid of all people]]'' [[HateSink despise him]] for what he [[MoralEventHorizon did to Superman.]] [[SmallRoleBigImpact He may have had a small role in both games]], but the impact he left can never be forgotten.

Protagonists are also capable of doing this, but more often than not those are just undertakings that are [[HeroicSacrifice considered suicide]] and not part of some master scheme. If anyone on the hero side pulls this off, it will probably be TheMentor, complete with an ObiWanMoment.

Compare SuicideByCop, in which dying is the goal and not a step. It usually also makes [[FaceDeathWithDignity Facing Death With Dignity]] a little easier. Also compare/contrast ThanatosGambit, in which the villain or hero's death is the final part of a complex plan. These two often overlap, though, due to the nature of both schemes. It can also overlap with VillainousLegacy. Take into consideration NiceJobBreakingItHero as well (when either the hero kills the villain without considering the consequences, or does it anyway despite the warnings of what might happen). Is frequently the motivation for/preceded by "StrikeMeDown."

* Dewey Novak in ''Anime/EurekaSeven''.