History Main / PlotArchaeology

** In ''ComicBook/{{Onslaught}}'', the X-men use technology to remotely view the moment when Onslaught was created, when Professor Xavier attacked Magneto during ''ComicBook/FatalAttractions''. Onslaught is also revealed as the cause of the X-traitor message that motivated Bishop to travel to the past.

* The First Evil from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' makes a one-off appearance in season 3. It shows up four seasons later as the BigBad. A script involving the First that they didn't use for Season 5 became the basis of one of the Xbox games.

** The Third Doctor casually mentions Metebelis III in a throwaway line at the beginning of "Carnival of Monsters". In the last story of Season 10, he takes a quick and mostly comical trip to Metebelis III while sulking about Jo's departure, which mostly serves the purpose of giving him GreenRocks to use as a deus ex machina. The final story of Season 11 is set partially on Metebelis III, and it turns out the planet is extremely important in his eventual downfall.

** River Song was introduced in "Silence of the Library" and quickly dropped, then brought back with the Eleventh Doctor.
** There's a gag mentioned in the Season 4 Specials that Queen Elizabeth I, due to getting involved with the Doctor in some fashion, is "no longer known as the...''...''". This plot thread is used prominently in big chunks of "Day of the Doctor", which details this involvement.
** "Into the Dalek" deals with dropped plot points introduced in "Genesis of the Daleks", a Fourth Doctor story made way back in 1975.
** The Series 11 episode "The Ghost Monument" has the MonsterOfTheWeek make an offhand reference to "the Timeless Child", which confuses the Doctor to said monster's amusement at her ignorance. The mystery of the Timeless Child then ends up being the main StoryArc of Series 12.

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[[folder: Film ]]

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** Comicbook/{{Cable}}'s introduction in ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' was based on the baby Christopher appearing in ''Comicbook/UncannyXMen'' #201, from four years earlier.

** Following ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'', the ''Mutant Massacre'' storyline was revisited, with Dark Beast and Gambit being {{Retcon}}ned as having participated in the event.[[note]]Dark Beast, who's studied under his world's Sinister, experimented on the Morlocks, 616!Sinister found out and got pissed at his work being "misappropriated", and duped Gambit, to Remy's enteral shame, into recruiting the Marauders.[[/note]]

** Following ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'', the ''Mutant Massacre'' storyline was revisited, with Dark Beast and Gambit being {{Retcon}}ned as having participated in the event.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Onslaught}}'', the X-men use technology to remotely view the moment when Onslaught was created, when Professor Xavier attacked Magneto during ''Fatal Attractions''. Onslaught is also revealed as the cause of the X-traitor message that motivated Bishop to travel to the past.

In short, what distinguishes PlotArchaeology from similar tropes is that it's not just a one-episode reappearance, either as a ShoutOut or a full-fledged SequelEpisode (which may be considered a SubTrope). Do not confuse with [[AdventurerArchaeologist an archaeology plot.]]

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'': The true identity of the Hobgoblin. The villain first appeared in 1983; his true identity, fashion mogul Roderick Kingsley, had first shown up three years prior but according to his creator Creator/RogerStern, he didn't plan on Kingsley as the Hobgoblin until much later, and that initially he didn't have an idea for who the Hobgoblin was, and instead planted a number of {{Red Herring}}s before deciding shortly afterwards that Kingsley was the culprit and he planned to reveal it after a long buildup in imitation of the original Green Goblin reveal. The problem? Stern quit, or was made to resign halfway through the MythArc and with his consent, later writers who disliked the identity of Kingsley, decided to spin wheels and continue the mystery indefinitely leading to several more RedHerring -- Flash Thompson, and a thug named Lefty Donovan -- before in a desire to wrap up and clear house, Ned Leeds was KilledOffForReal and then, in an AssPull, "revealed" as the "true" Hobgoblin all along because the writers (and readers) had gotten tired of the mystery and decided to introduce a ''second'' Hobgoblin, mercenary Jason Macendale (hitherto a minor villain known with the alias Jack O'Lantern), who quickly and unintentionally became a BigBadWannabe. It wasn't until 1997 that Stern was invited back and allowed to wrap up the story as he originally intended it -- quite remarkably, the Kingsley idea was still internally consistent to the story and caused no real plot holes (if you pay attention, at least).

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan''
** The true identity of the Hobgoblin. The villain first appeared in 1983; his true identity, fashion mogul Roderick Kingsley, had first shown up three years prior. His creator Roger Stern planted a number of {{Red Herring}}s but maintains- and is corroborated by other writers- that he intended Kingsley to be the Hobgoblin all along and to reveal him after a couple of years, taking advantage of the fact that Roderick had a servile identical twin that Stern managed to sneak in without being noticed. The problem? Stern was fired not even halfway through the MythArc, and subsequent writers either disliked the Kingsley idea or didn't know about it. Doesn't help that at least two characters were framed as him- Flash Thompson, and a thug named Lefty Donovan, before Ned Leeds was KilledOffForReal and then, in an AssPull, "revealed" as the "true" Hobgoblin all along because the writers had gotten tired of the mystery and decided to introduce a ''second'' Hobgoblin, mercenary Jason Macendale (hitherto a minor villain known with the alias Jack O'Lantern), who quickly and unintentionally became a BigBadWannabe. It wasn't until 1997 that Stern was invited back and allowed to wrap up the story as he originally intended it- quite remarkably, the Kingsley idea was still internally consistent to the story and caused no real plot holes (if you pay attention, at least). For the whole story in ''painstaking'' detail, [[http://www.spideykicksbutt.com/SquanderedLegacy/SquanderedLegacyTitle.html check out these essays.]]
** ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga'' revisits the "original clone saga" story arcs from ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #121-149.
** ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' and ''ComicBook/OneMomentInTime'' revisit "The Wedding!" from ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #21.

* The First Evil from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' makes a one-off appearance in season 3. It shows up four seasons later as the BigBad. A script involving the First that they didn't use for Season 5 became the basis of one of the XBox games.

* ''{{Comicbook/X-Men}}''

* ''{{Comicbook/X-Men}}'': Mystique reveals her true form to Nightcrawler, who is shocked that they look very similar. She mentions his mother's name. ''10 YEARS'' (or more) later, it's revealed that she is his mother. It hadn't been even mentioned in the comics in-between those two points.

** ''The Twelve'' revisits the The Twelve storyline introduced in ''ComicBook/XFactor''.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'': The true identity of the Hobgoblin. The villain first appeared in 1983; his true identity, fashion mogul Roderick Kingsley, had first shown up three years prior. His creator Roger Stern planted a number of {{Red Herring}}s but maintains- and is corroborated by other writers- that he intended Kingsley to be the Hobgoblin all along and to reveal him after a couple of years, taking advantage of the fact that Roderick had a servile identical twin that Stern managed to sneak in without being noticed. The problem? Stern was fired not even halfway through the MythArc, and subsequent writers either disliked the Kingsley idea or didn't know about it. Doesn't help that at least two characters were framed as him- Flash Thompson, and a thug named Lefty Donovan, before Ned Leeds was KilledOffForReal and then, in an AssPull, "revealed" as the "true" Hobgoblin all along because the writers had gotten tired of the mystery and decided to introduce a ''second'' Hobgoblin, mercenary Jason Macendale (hitherto a minor villain known with the alias Jack O'Lantern), who quickly and unintentionally became a BigBadWannabe. It wasn't until 1997 that Stern was invited back and allowed to wrap up the story as he originally intended it- quite remarkably, the Kingsley idea was still internally consistent to the story and caused no real plot holes (if you pay attention, at least). For the whole story in ''painstaking'' detail, [[http://www.spideykicksbutt.com/SquanderedLegacy/SquanderedLegacyTitle.html check out these essays.]]

** Perhaps the most notable is the return of Alleria and Turalyon. They were part of the Alliance Expedition that disappeared at the conclusion of Warcraft II. Most of the members were found during the Burning Crusade expansion of World of Warcraft, but Alleria and Turalyon were still missing. After 20 years in real life (just a few years short of the in-universe time that they were missing), their whereabouts are finally known.

* Many of the subplots of [[{{VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft}} World of Warcraft: Legion]] are conclusions to plot threads dropped long ago. Perhaps the most notable is the return of Alleria and Turalyon. They were part of the Alliance Expedition that disappeared at the conclusion of Warcraft II. Most of the members were found during the Burning Crusade expansion of World of Warcraft, but Alleria and Turalyon were still missing. After 20 years in real life (just a few years short of the in-universe time that they were missing), their whereabouts are finally known.

* Many of the subplots of [[''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' World of Warcraft: Legion]] are conclusions to plot threads dropped long ago. Perhaps the most notable is the return of Alleria and Turalyon. They were part of the Alliance Expedition that disappeared at the conclusion of Warcraft II. Most of the members were found during the Burning Crusade expansion of World of Warcraft, but Alleria and Turalyon were still missing. After 20 years in real life (just a few years short of the in-universe time that they were missing), their whereabouts are finally known.

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* In the ''AnitaBlake'' series, the events of book 11 resulted in the vampire serial killing group Anita was after not actually getting caught. Fans bitched and complained when the next few books didn't mention it at all, and then in Book 17 LKH went back to it and we finally get to confront the BigBad. A few other loose threads from that were also left hanging in that book and the one right after it which are still waiting to be picked back up though.

* ''Franchise/{{Bionicle}} Adventures #10: Time Trap'', from the end of 2005 revisits several issues that were left hanging in '04, six books earlier, such as the recovery of the lost Mask of Time and the Shadowed One's reaction to the deaths of two of his servants at the hands of Makuta. The Mask of Time plot was briefly continued in an online serial three years later.

* Quite a few minor plots in the earlier ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games come back in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', sometimes in unexpected ways. An entire DLC of the third game, with profound revelations about the entire setting, is a CallBack to a throwaway bit of WorldBuilding fluff text in the first game. A villain from one of the first game's DLCs can end up being recruited as an ally in the third game, and so on.

* ''NewsRadio'' had a storyline where Lisa decided she wanted to have a baby with Dave. This went on for a few episodes, then was quietly dropped. In a later episode the same season, there is a brief conversation about how the moment had passed. The writers hated continuing story lines, which the network continually tried to force on the show.

* At one point, ''UglyBetty'' had a plot arc about Amanda trying to discover the identity of her biological father. After a few episode, the plot disappeared with no resolution. In the show's GrandFinale, Amanda finds her father, out of the blue and completely by accident.
* In ''{{Sliders}},'' the Kromaggs were a season two MonsterOfTheWeek who got one mention in season three. Then comes a ChannelHop... and their return as the franchise BigBad.
* On ''TheWire'', [=McNulty's=] FBI buddy gives him the results of an unfinished investigation that showed Lt. Daniels was dirty when he was on the Narcotics task force. [=McNulty=] doesn't trust him for most of the first season, but eventually the men grow to respect each other. This is not mentioned again until the series finale, when now-Commissioner Daniels is forced to resign rather than be manipulated by the threat of revealing that very same investigation.

* At one point in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries,'' ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} blasts former partner SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor with a ray that (like many instances of FamilyFriendlyFirearms) doesn't seem to hurt him much for what appeared to be intended as a killshot. Much much much later in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited,'' we find that [[spoiler: ''that's because it actually wasn't.'' Brainy put his data inside Lex in case he was destroyed, and this backup of himself was now needed. Enter... [[FanNickname Brainithor!]]]] ThePowersThatBe have said that they'd actually planned it the day they wrote the zapping scene, they just didn't have the right opportunity to use it for a long, long time. Lucky for them the DCAU lasted long enough to do it.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': one episode introduces Bato from Katara and Sokka's father Hakoda's fleet, and suggests the kids can meet up with the fleet. When this fails, no further attempts are made to meet up with Hakoda or the fleet until the third season.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', a number of plots are left unfinished in the wake of newer developments, only to be brought up much later in the story.