History Main / PrematurelyMarkedGrave

* In the original ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'', one mechanic is "Malice", which steadily builds up as you kill enemies and summons a powerful mini-boss if it gets too full. To purge Malice, you must enter the Graveyard, a zone inside main character Yuri's mind, and defeat a representation of that Malice. In the Graveyard, throughout most of the game, there's an empty grave with a tombstone that slowly builds itself as you progress. [[spoiler:After Alice takes on Yuri's Malice, the tombstone finishes itself and is labeled "Alice Elliot".]]

* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': [[https://garfield.com/comic/1982/10/28 In the October 28, 1982 strip]], Garfield and Jon decide to stay in a spooky old house for the night, since their car has broken down en route to Jon's parents' home. As they head for the house, Garfield spies a tombstone with his name and a death date of October 30, 1982. [[spoiler:Two strips later, Garfield and Jon are terrified out of their wits by a shadowy figure, who turns out to be Jon's dad (who'd come looking for them when they didn't show). With this reveal, Garfield remarks "One life down, eight to go."]]

* A variation in ''Literature/WatershipDown''. After being told that Hazel was shot during the Nuthanger Farm raid, the rabbit seer Fiver goes into a dream trance where he sees a man in the process of putting up a sign announcing Hazel's death, EvilGloating over [[DeadGuyOnDisplay how he's going to hang Hazel's body on the sign]] once he's put it up. However, the man complains that he can't complete the job because he can't get Hazel out of the "bloody hole" he's stuck in. Fiver wakes up and goes looking for the hole he's crawled into and finds Hazel wounded but still alive.

* The coffin version also appears in ''Film/JonahHex''. The eponymous BountyHunter turns up with the corpses of the four men he'd been sent after, but notices that there are ''five'' newly-made coffins waiting. Turns out the sheriff and his men would rather claim the bounty on Hex rather than pay him. One of the would-be ambushers is actually hiding inside a coffin--needless to say Hex puts him right back in there.

* The coffin version also appears in ''Film/JonahHex''. The eponymous BountyHunter turns up with the corpses of the four men he'd been sent after, but notices that there are ''five'' newly made coffins waiting. Turns out the sherrif and his men would rather claim the bounty on Hex rather than pay him. One of the would-be ambushers is actually hiding inside the coffin--needless to say Hex puts him right back in there.

* ''Series/GetSmart''. Maxwell Smart has an OhCrap moment when the VillainOfTheWeek is into HuntingTheMostDangerousGame, and has a [[HumanHeadOnTheWall plaque already set up on the wall]] for Max's head.

* ''Series/GetSmart''. Maxwell Smart has an OhCrap moment when the VillainOfTheWeek is into HuntingTheMostDangerousGame, and has a plaque already set up for Max's head.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', one of Harry's enemies buys him a tombstone engraved with "Here Lies Harry Dresden. He Died Doing The Right Thing." She has enough clout to have it installed at Graceland Cemetery and illegally held open until such time as it is needed. In ''Literature/GhostStory'', [[spoiler:while Harry is [[AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost temporarily dead]], the grave protects his spirit from being [[WeakenedByTheLight destroyed by sunlight]], ironically enough]].

* In the final episode of ''Series/CowboyBebop2021'', Vicious shows Spike the crypt he had prepared for him [{WeUsedTobeFriends back when they were blood brothers]] in the Syndicate. Given that the family church is now a desolate ruin, he has no problem putting Spike in there now.

* In an early ''[[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy Olsen]]'' comic, Jimmy, investigating a gunslinger in an Old West style town, discovers a tombstone with his alias on it and a rhyme notched into it. However, the guy who had the tombstone made wasn't hardened enough to kill anyone in reality. (Jimmy discovered during his investigation that the opponents he had "killed" were his assistants in disguise and their "graves" contained rocks.)

* In an early ComicBook/JimmyOlsen comic, Jimmy, investigating a gunslinger in an Old West style town, discovers a tombstone with his alias on it and a rhyme notched into it. However, the guy who had the tombstone made wasn't hardened enough to kill anyone in reality. (Jimmy discovered during his investigation that the opponents he had "killed" were his assistants in disguise and their "graves" contained rocks.)

* A RunningGag in ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' is that the town morticians, being [[ConsummateProfessional ConsummateProfessionals]] would often start measuring Luke, or some other unfortunate character, for a coffin when they're about to face down a dangerous outlaw. Apart from the first (of manyyy) Dalton's Escape, when the brothers split the job, between Joe doing the killing and the rest preparing an open grave, much to the consternation of the local undertaker for stealing his job, along with everything else.

* For ''WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers'', Pete, the treacherous Captain of the Guard prepares something special and his credentials in villainous flair by going further than preparing mere tombstones with a name. He goes with specially-ordered, literal headstones where the ''skull of each of the musketeers is carved''. And they don't even come in handy as two of the them are supposed to leave their bones somewhere where no coffin will be necessary.

--> '''the fake Wild Bill Hitchcock'': Don't bother with the name. Within the week, they'll have forgotten who he was, anyway. Just carve on it HE SHOULD HAVE LEFT TOWN BEFORE THE SUN WENT DOWN.

* ''VideoGame/{{Waxworks}}'' has a segment in the graveyard where you find a series of four coffins. Three of them contain the bodies of your ancestors. The fourth, "The Last", is empty. Guess who that is for.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' has the photograph of Doc's grave change to that of Clint Eastwood (who Marty named himself while in 1885) after Buford challenged Marty to a duel. He saw a similar (nameless) grave at the undertaker and before the duel with Buford, one of the undertakers prematurely sized him up for a coffin.

* ''VideoGame/{{Waxworks}}'' has a segment in the graveyard where you find a series of four coffins. Three of them have the bodies of your ancestors. The fourth, "The Last", is empty. Guess who that is for.

* A RunningGag in ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' is that the town morticians would often start measuring Luke, or some other unfortunate character, for a coffin when they're about to face down a dangerous outlaw.

* ''Film/TheAddamsFamily''. At the climax, the villains Tully Alford and Abigail Craven are blasted by hurricane winds through a window and into the air. They end up falling into open coffins lying in graves freshly dug by Pugsley and Wednesday. Each grave has a headstone with the name of the villain who fell into it.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', one of Harry's enemies buys him a tombstone engraved with "Here Lies Harry Dresden. He Died Doing The Right Thing." She has enough clout to have it installed at Graceland Cemetery and illegally held open until such time as it is needed. In ''Literature/GhostStory'', [[spoiler:Harry eventually finds himself in said grave ... and finds it rather homely, what with being dead at the time]].