History Main / RefusalOfTheSecondCall

An unassuming protagonist from HumbleBeginnings rises up to become TheChosenOne, defeats the EldritchAbomination or the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName fantasy fascist regime]], and prevents TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. As the series ends, they settle into a [[HappilyEverAfter comfortable and well-deserved retirement]] as the world's greatest hero.

** Just following in his teachers' footsteps. Obi-Wan and Yoda were happy to camp out in isolation while the Empire was on the march in the period between the prequels and the original trilogy. Obi-Wan was at least keeping an eye on Luke. There was less of an excuse for Yoda to cower in a swamp while the Sith conquered the galaxy.

* While several members of the [[TheTeam Gaang]] are still alive when ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' takes place, they only show up in a small handful of episodes each. The fact that they don't spend much time fighting is justified, considering they are well into their 80s at this point--Zuko's living out his retirement in the Fire Nation (which is ultimately unaffected by the series' events) while Toph's living [[HermitGuru alone in the Foggy Swamp]]. They only temporarily join the main plot when [[spoiler:the [[BombThrowingAnarchist Red Lotus]] escapes and the [[ItsPersonal Beifongs are captured]],]] respectively.

* While several members of the [[TheTeam Gaang]] are still alive when ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' takes place, they only show up in a small handful of episodes each. The fact that they don't spend much time fighting is justified, considering they're all in their eighties. Zuko and Toph are also still around, but Zuko is living out his retirement in the Fire Nation, which is unaffected by the series' events, and Toph is living [[HermitGuru alone in the Foggy Swamp]]. They only temporarily join the main plot when [[spoiler:the [[BombThrowingAnarchist Red Lotus]] escapes and the [[ItsPersonal Beifongs are captured]],]] respectively.

** When ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' begins, Luke Skywalker is missing and one of the subplots revolves around trying to find him. He finally shows up in the last scene, where it is revealed that he has been [[TheHermit living as a hermit]] on a secluded planet in a remote part of the galaxy. He spends most of ''Film/TheLastJedi'' being chased around his island by Rey, whom he is actively trying to avoid mentoring.

* When ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheForceAwakens'' begins, Luke Skywalker is missing and one of the subplots revolves around trying to find him. He finally shows up in the last scene, where it is revealed that he has been [[TheHermit living as a hermit]] on a secluded planet in a remote part of the galaxy. He spends most of ''Film/TheLastJedi'' being chased around his island by Rey, whom he is actively trying to avoid mentoring.
** Just following in his teachers' footsteps. Obi-Wan and Yoda were happy to camp out in isolation while the Empire was on the march in the period between the prequels and the original trilogy. Obi-Wan was at least keeping an eye on Luke. there was less of an excuse for Yoda to cower in a swamp while the Sith conquered the galaxy.
* ''Film/{{Tremors}}'': Variant - the original film starred Valentine [=McKee=] and Earl Basset as the heroes. In the first sequel, Earl agrees to face a second Graboid incursion in a Mexican oil field... but ''Val'', who killed the last Graboid, is specifically mentioned as having been previously contacted by the oil field's owners off-screen and refused to get involved again.

* ''Franchise/{{Tremors}}'': Variant - the original film starred Valentine [=McKee=] and Earl Basset as the heroes. In the first sequel, Earl agrees to face a second Graboid incursion in a Mexican oil field... but ''Val'', who killed the last Graboid, is specifically mentioned as having been previously contacted by the oil field's owners off-screen and refused to get involved again.
* Played straight, then {{Subverted}} in Film/TronLegacy. Seems Kevin Flynn was happy to let his deranged creation have full run of the Grid while he sat on his ass and meditated. Quorra says he fought back, but was defeated, but we don't see any signs of it in ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''. In fact he's more than happy to let Sam get trapped in there with him, until Sam delivers a succinct cross of ReasonYouSuckSpeech, YouKeepTellingYourselfThat, and WhatTheHellHero before going off on his own (and blundering into a disaster) and Kevin finally steps up to get involved again.

Can be caused by ChangingOfTheGuard when there's no real reason the original hero couldn't have continued to feature instead. Can result in TheyChangedItNowItSucks, and will often cause a BrokenBase between those who like the new hero and those who don't like the new hero or think the original hero ducking out of the limelight was OutOfCharacter, or some going as far as [[FanonDiscontinuity pretending the sequel series doesn't exist]]. It's a great way to make the previous franchise's hero UnintentionallyUnsympathetic, as some of the problems the new heroes have to face are ''probably'' to old hero's fault to start with. And just as often, old hero succumbs to MentorOccupationalHazard, willing new hero nothing more than a mop and bucket to clean up the mess they partially caused.

Can be caused by ChangingOfTheGuard when there's no real reason the original hero couldn't have continued to feature instead. Can result in TheyChangedItNowItSucks, and will often cause a BrokenBase between those who like the new hero and those who don't like the new hero or think the original hero ducking out of the limelight was OutOfCharacter, or some going as far as [[FanonDiscontinuity pretending the sequel series doesn't exist]]. It's a great way to make the previous franchise's hero UnintentionallyUnsumpathetic, as some of the problems the new heroes have to face are ''probably'' to old hero's fault to start with. And just as often, Old Hero succumbs to MentorOccupationalHazard, willing New Hero nothing more than a mop and bucket to clean up the mess they partially caused.

** Just following in his teachers' footsteps. Obi-Wan and Yoda were happy to camp out in isolation while the Empire was on the march in the period between the prequels and the original trilogy.

Can be caused by ChangingOfTheGuard when there's no real reason the original hero couldn't have continued to feature instead. Can result in TheyChangedItNowItSucks, and will often cause a BrokenBase between those who like the new hero and those who don't like the new hero or think the original hero ducking out of the limelight was OutOfCharacter, some going as far as [[FanonDiscontinuity pretending the sequel series doesn't exist]].

* While several members of the [[TheTeam Gaang]] are still alive when ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' takes place, they only show up in a small handful of episodes each. The fact that they don't spend much time fighting is justified, considering they're all in their eighties, but that doesn't explain why Katara, TheHeart of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]], wasn't involved in trying to settle the dispute between the Water Tribes that took place right in her city and ended up causing a civil war. Zuko and Toph are also still around, but Zuko is living out his retirement in the Fire Nation, which is unaffected by the series' events, and Toph is living [[HermitGuru alone in the Foggy Swamp]]. They only temporarily join the main plot when [[spoiler:the [[BombThrowingAnarchist Red Lotus]] escapes and the [[ItsPersonal Beifongs are captured]],]] respectively.

But sometimes, they just don't want to. Maybe they feel like they've already done enough for the world. Maybe all they want to do is hang out [[TheHermit on their island]] or [[HermitGuru in their secluded swamp]] and pretend none of it is happening. Sometimes, the former hero is determined to stay out of it.

** The [[LegendaryInTheSequel Hero of Fereldan]] is never seen after ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', despite the Wardens' heavy involvement in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' and the fact that the plot, [[AncientEvil sentient darkspawn]] planning to end the world, seems right up their alley. At the end of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Cassandra mentions that the Warden vanished. In ''Inquisition'', the Inquisitor can send them a letter asking for help, and they will reply that they are [[PutOnABus on their own, unrelated mission]]. Apparently, the developers [[WhatCouldHaveBeen initially intended]] to include the Hero of Ferelden as Hawke's Warden contact, but panned it after struggling to find the right [[SuddenlyVoiced voice actors]].
** Hawke qualifies as this InUniverse, because no matter how ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' ends, things are still pretty awful in Kirkwall, and eventually they disappear because they've had enough. The reason that Varric [[spoiler:pretends not to know where Hawke is during the second and third game is because he feels that his friend has [[TheChewToy been through enough]]. He only relents to calling Hawke in when it's absolutely unavoidable.]]

** The [[LegendaryInTheSequel Hero of Fereldan]] is never seen after ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', despite the Wardens' heavy involvement in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' and the fact that the plot, [[AncientEvil sentient darkspawn]] planning to end the world]], seems right up their alley. At the end of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Cassandra mentions that the Warden vanished. In ''Inquisition'', the Inquisitor can send them a letter asking for help, and they will reply that they are [[PutOnABus on their own, unrelated mission]]. Apparently, the developers [[WhatCouldHaveBeen initially intended]] to include the Hero of Ferelden as Hawke's Warden contact, but panned it after struggling to find the right [[SuddenlyVoiced voice actors]].

Wrong. Because things [[HappyEndingOverride never seem to stay fixed]] for very long. Especially not in [[CashCowFranchise Cash Cow Franchises]]

It's been ten years, or twenty, or fifty, and now another, unanticipated evil threatens the world.
[[ChangingOfTheGuard A new hero]] stumbles into the conflict and rises up against this new threat, and they flounder because saving the world isn't easy. They could obviously benefit from the wisdom of someone OlderAndWiser who has been through this before. Surely the [[LegendaryInTheSequel now-legendary original hero]] will resurface to fight alongside their accidental successor. They fixed it last time. It only took them five books or three movies. They can do it again. Even if they want to sit out the fighting, they'll at least be involved as a BadassTeacher.

->'''Opal''': Aren't you coming back to Republic City with us, Grandma?
->'''Toph''': No, my fighting days are over. Don't tell Korra, but my back is killing me. This is why you didn't see Katara messing with that Civil War nonsense. At some point, you gotta leave it to the kids.

!!Examples

[[AC:[[LiveActionFilm Films--Live-Action]]]]
* When ''[[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]'' begins, Luke Skywalker is missing and one of the subplots revolves around trying to find him. He finally shows up in the last scene, where it is revealed that he has been [[TheHermit living as a hermit]] on a secluded planet in a remote part of the galaxy. He spends most of ''Film/TheLastJedi'' being chased around his island by Rey, whom he is actively trying to avoid mentoring.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Not sure how much of a hero we are talking, but in the second book of the ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand'', the heroes attempt to recruit James Goodwin, the [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Wizard's]] analogue, to their cause, he refuses outright, saying he's had enough of magic, and never appears afterwards.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Franchise/DragonAge

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* While several members of the [[TheTeam Gaang]] are still alive when ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' takes place, they only show up in a small handful of episodes each. The fact that they don't spend much time fighting is justified, considering they're all in their eighties, but that doesn't explain why Katara, TheHeart of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]], wasn't involved in trying to settle the dispute between the Water Tribes that took place right in her city and ended up causing a civil war. Zuko and Toph are also still around, but Zuko is living out his retirement in the Fire Nation, which is unaffected by the series' events, and Toph is living [[HermitGuru alone in the Foggy Swamp]]. They only temporarily join the main plot when [[spoiler: the [[BombThrowingAnarchist Red Lotus]] escapes and the [[ItsPersonal Beifongs are captured]]]] respectively.

[[AC:LiveActionFilm]]
* When ''[[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]'' begins, Luke Skywalker is missing and one of the subplots revolves around trying to find him. He finally shows up in the last scene, where it is revealed that he has been [[TheHermit living as a hermit]] on a secluded planet in a remote part of the galaxy. He spends most of ''Film/TheLastJedi'' being chased around his island by Rey, whom he is actively trying to avoid mentoring.

* While several members of the [[TheTeam Gaang]] are still alive when ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' takes place, they only show up in a small handful of episodes each. The fact that they don't spend much time fighting is justified, considering they're all in their eighties, but that doesn't explain why Katara, TheHeart of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]], wasn't involved in trying to settle the dispute between the Water Tribes that took place right in her city and ended up causing a civil war. Zuko and Toph are also still around, but Zuko is living out his retirement in the Fire Nation, which is unaffected by the series' events, and Toph is living [[HermitGuru alone in the Foggy Swamp]]. They only temporarily join the main plot when [[spoiler: the [[BombThrowingAnarchist Red Lotus]] escapes and the [[ItsPersonal Beifongs are captured]]]] respectively.

* Not sure how much of a hero we are talking, but in the second book of the ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand'', the heroes attempt to recruit James Goodwin, the [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Wizard's]] analogue, to their cause, he refuses outright, saying he had enough of magic, and never appears afterwards.

* Not sure how much of a hero we are talking, but in the second book of the ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand'', the heroes attempt to recruit James Goodwin,the [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Wizard's]] analogue,to their cause, he refuses outright, saying he had enough of magic, and never appears afterwards.