History Main / TheCavalryArrivesLate

* In [[FanFic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed Equestria: A History Revealed]], this is luckily averted for Celestia in [[spoiler: the final battle of the war, the Battle of the Everfree Plains]]. But the LemonyNarrator notes that it would've been funny if this did occur.

* In ''Film/TheFlintstones'' Betty, Wilma, and the police don't arrive at the rock quarry until after Cliff Vandercave has been neutralized, the shoddy equipment has been destroyed, the children have been rescued.

* In ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'', the cavalry usually manages to help somehow and has saved Jack at least once; but they did arrive late in Season 6. Jack storms the enemy base kills all the Mooks and ''hangs'' the BigBad. His partner arrives with a heavily armed strike force moments later; but given that the strike force failed epically earlier in the day, their late arrival may have been for the best.
-->'''Mike Doyle:'''''(looks at Jack's carnage, shakes head)'' Damn, Jack.

-->'''Iago''': Dagger Rock — twelve o'clock high. IT'S SHOWTIME!! (''Even more weapons burst from the belt he's wearing. Abu follows and does the same thing. But there's nobody in sight.'') Where is everybody? I think those shambling, half-dead Mamluk guys gave us bad directions. (''They both collapse against the Crystal, [[spoiler: with Mozerath and Xerxes trapped inside of it]].'') Maybe we're supposed to go to Danger Rock, or Dagger Reef...eh, I don't know, like more of a nautical thing...

-->'''Phoney:''' Ohh! I missed the war!

* ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'': Sue Storm and the Thing show up to fight Dormammu, right after he killed Dr. Strange.

* The Spartan relief force arrived at Marathon just in time to take a curious look at the [[ATopAMountainOfCorpses Athenian's work]].
** However, they did come arrive in the vicinity of Athens in time to have possibly contributed to the Persian fleet's decision to withdraw.

** Averted in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', where the Howling Commandos burst in just as Cap is about to be shot by the GenreSavvy Red Skull, followed immediately by the rest of the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

* At the start of the 2009 ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' film, Inspector Lestrade and the police arrive in time to arrest the villain and his mooks, after Holmes and Watson have defeated the mooks and unmasked the villain.
--> '''Inspector Lestrade:''' You were told to wait for my orders.
--> '''Sherlock Holmes:''' If I had, you'd be cleaning up a corpse and chasing a rumor. Besides, the girl's family hired me, not the Yard. [[SarcasmMode Why they thought you needed any assistance is beyond me]].

*** BigDamnHeroes?

* During the sinking of the ''UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic'', the ''Carpathia'' raced with everything it had to get to the emergency, but the captains of the respective ships knew that it could never make it in time.

* A more tragic example in ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'', Justice League members, such as Bloodwynd and Ice, arrive to Metropolis as Doomsday is defeated and Superman lays dying in Lois' arms.

* Wrestling/AndreTheGiant was on the wrong end of a beatdown where there was a delayed run-in by good guys. Longtime enemies Bundy and Studd were involved with this one, too; as Andre was finishing off Studd during a match and about to slam him once again, Bundy spared Studd any more humiliation by running in and attacking Andre from behind. Bundy then repeatedly delivered his "Avalanche" splash on a prone Andre as Studd (who had recovered enough) held Andre's legs down so he couldn't move. Only after Bundy had used at least five "Avalanches" did anyone run into the ring to run off Bundy and Studd. [[note]](This match is better known for Andre and Studd wrestling over a pair of '''''real scissors''''', which Studd had brought into the ring, having been handed them by manager BobbyHeenan, to try to cut Andre's hair (as he did once before), and Andre biting Studd's wrist to get him to drop the scissors ... unaware the blades were [[TemptingFate precariously close to his eyes]]! [[DoNotTryThisAtHome Very dangerous, kids]], as GorillaMonsoon pointed out.)[[/note]]

-->"Cops got better things to do than get killed!"

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'': After Mola Ram is killed, a company of British-led Indian troops arrives to capture the remaining Thugee. Though they arrive when the main trio are trapped hanging from a bridge and the Thugee are about to shoot them full of arrows.

* In ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' the elves arrive late to help the dwarves of Erebor against Smaug. Thranduil then has his army turn around and march back, unwilling to risk their lives for a battle that's already lost (and certainly not to help [[ElvesVsDwarves dwarves]]).

* At the end of ''Film/RushHour 3'', the French police show up right after Carter and Lee have taken down the triads and the BigBad.

* In ''Film/RoadTo Rio'' (1947) Jerry Colonna leads a cavalry charge that races, and races, and races, and races to the rescue. Then it's all over and they never get there. At that point they all stop and Colonna breaks the fourth wall to say to the audience "But it was exciting, wasn't it?"

* In ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' the elves arrive late to help the dwarves of Erebor against Smaug.

* A common trope, where the heel -- often, a monster heel -- will deliver [[CurbStompBattle a merciless beating]] to a face wrestler he's looking to feud with, only to declare that he's completed his job just as a horde of good guys run in to save their friend. This might be done to merely have the face wrestler (after a "recovery period") appear in a promo questioning the loyalty of his friends, or to play the heel up as an unstoppable force that everyone fears -- except, of course, the lead babyface or (a then-face) AndreTheGiant, who are physically capable of dealing with this dastardly heel ... and that, naturally, leads to ticket sales to see the bad guy get his comeuppance.

** When Hogan was sneak-attacked by AndreTheGiant after Hogan's match vs. Bundy on ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', the British Bulldogs tried to rescue Hogan, but when Andre easily crashed their heads together and threw them from the ring, an army of other faces stormed the ring to try to pull Andre away, succeeding only when Hacksaw Jim Duggan broke a 2-by-4 piece of wood over his back. As Andre had already effectively choked Hogan to the brink of near unconsciousness, their mission was merely to stop Andre before he broke Hogan's neck.
* AndreTheGiant was on the wrong end of a beatdown where there was a delayed run-in by good guys. Longtime enemies Bundy and Studd were involved with this one, too; as Andre was finishing off Studd during a match and about to slam him once again, Bundy spared Studd any more humiliation by running in and attacking Andre from behind. Bundy then repeatedly delivered his "Avalanche" splash on a prone Andre as Studd (who had recovered enough) held Andre's legs down so he couldn't move. Only after Bundy had used at least five "Avalanches" did anyone run into the ring to run off Bundy and Studd. [[note]](This match is better known for Andre and Studd wrestling over a pair of '''''real scissors''''', which Studd had brought into the ring, having been handed them by manager BobbyHeenan, to try to cut Andre's hair (as he did once before), and Andre biting Studd's wrist to get him to drop the scissors ... unaware the blades were [[TemptingFate precariously close to his eyes]]! [[DoNotTryThisAtHome Very dangerous, kids]], as GorillaMonsoon pointed out.)[[/note]]

As this is generally an ending trope, beware of ''''unmarked spoilers!''''

* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Legion of the Damned'', the titular [[ArmyOfTheDead Legion]]'s only surviving spaceship (a "Star Fort") appears out of nowhere at the last minute to [[spoiler:[[BigDamnHeroes destroy the Keeler Comet and obliterate the Chaos armada]] while the Legionnaires [[CurbStompBattle wipe out the planetside Chaos crusaders right on the verge of their victory]].]] Granted, the Legion in question ''does'' only arrive when things seem to be at their bleakest.

When the police/military/other supporting group arrive at the scene only after the hero has defeated the monster, killer, or BigBad.