History Main / WrongGuyFirst

Compare with FalseSoulmate, LastGirlWins, and RomanticFalseLead (which often overlap with this trope). The inversion is FirstGirlWins. Compare and contrast with FirstGirlAfterAll.

Our heroine is a young woman with two suitors. Suitor #1 is [[RichSuitorPoorSuitor rich]] and handsome. He is charming, witty, and charismatic. He seems to be everything a young woman would want. [[DerailingLoveInterests But he's not]].

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* In ''Literature/{{Loveless}}'', [[spoiler:Rooney]] is revealed to have had an abusive ex-boyfriend, and she regrets giving up everything [[spoiler:including her OnlyFriend Beth]] for him. She struggles with letting go of the pain from her previous long-term relationship [[spoiler:and wrestling with her feelings for Pip.]]

* ''Literature/TwentySixSixtySix'': Liz Norton’s relationship with the other critics.
* In ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' Sophie is David's WrongGirlFirst. He ends up falling in love with Zanna instead, but they stay friendly enough.

** ''Persuasion'' may be unique among stories for having a WrongGuyFirst scenario where Suitor #1 and Suitor #2 are the ''same person,'' with eight years' growing-up in between.

* Creator/AnthonyTrollope:
** In ''The Small House at Allington'', part of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfBarsetshire'', Lily Dale picks Adolphus Crosbie over John Eames. Adolphus breaks their engagement to marry Lady Alexandrina de Courcy.
** In ''The Prime Minister'', one of the Literature/{{Palliser}} novels, Emily Wharton marries Ferdinand Lopez, who only wants her for her money. After his death, she marries the man who truly loves her, Arthur Fletcher.
** In ''Literature/CanYouForgiveHer'', two women go through this. Glencora loves the abominable Burgo but ends up marrying the solid Plantagenet. Alice initially loves her cousin George, but after he goes through a wild period breaks it off and becomes engaged to bland but respectful John Gray. Mrs. Greenow doesn't really fit this trope.

* Played with in the plot of ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} New Moon]]'': perfect prince Edward leaves Bella and sincere IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy poster guy (for this book at least) Jacob happily sweeps up the ashes and befriends her. Subverted in that Wrong Guy First comes back in the end, and the rest of the series keeps them together from then on.
* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all date at least one person before getting together with their future husband/wife. At the age of seventeen/eighteen.

* Nicole Baart's trilogy beginning with ''After The Leaves Fall'' plays around with this a ''lot''. In "After The Leaves Fall", [[spoiler: Thomas]] is the wrong guy for Julia and [[spoiler: Parker]] would seem to be the right guy...[[spoiler: until she becomes pregnant with his child and he leaves her]]. In "Summer Snow", [[spoiler: a new right guy, Michael, comes in]]...and in the final book, "Beneath The Night Tree", [[spoiler: Michael becomes the wrong guy, and a regretful Parker returns, revealing that he was the right guy all along]].

* In Creator/PGWodehouse's ''Hot Water'', Packy is engaged to Beatrice at the opening -- she thinks she can make a man of culture out of him -- and Jane is engaged to Blair Eggleston, who writes very literary novels. They both get out of them.
* In ''Literature/AnnaKarenina'', Kitty initially turns Levin down in favor of Vronsky, who immediately forgets her when he falls for Anna. Eventually, Kitty reconsiders her initial choice and she and Levin get married and presumably live HappilyEverAfter.
* Happens quite frequently in Creator/AgathaChristie's novels, where two of the suspects fall in love... until one of them is revealed to be the murderer.

* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': This exact situation is why Joe West refused to give Eddie Thawne his blessing when he asked for permission to ask Iris West to marry him. Joe knew she was really in love with best friend Barry Allen and knew that if she married Eddie, she would eventually realize she married the wrong guy. Eddie himself contemplated this and it factored in his decision to break up with Iris. Iris herself, however, doesn't care if the one she's meant to be with is Barry, as, at the time, she only had eyes for Eddie. Ultimately, all of this is rendered moot when Eddie commits a HeroicSuicide in the Season 1 finale to stop Season 1 BigBad and his descendant, Eobard Thawne.

This trope is often used by fanfic writers in a DieForOurShip scenario, where Suitor #1 is portrayed as abusive and cruel (regardless of him/her [[RonTheDeathEater ''really'']] [[RonTheDeathEater being like that]] or not) in order to [[DerailingLoveInterests justify having the young woman/young man run into the arms of Suitor #2]].

This trope is often used by fanfic writers in a DieForOurShip scenario, where Suitor #1 is portrayed as abusive and cruel (regardless of him/her [[RonTheDeathEater]] [[RonTheDeathEater''really'']] [[RonTheDeathEater being like that]] or not) in order to [[DerailingLoveInterests justify having the young woman/young man run into the arms of Suitor #2]].

This trope is often used by fanfic writers in a DieForOurShip scenario, where Suitor #1 is portrayed as abusive and cruel (regardless of him/her [[RonTheDeathEater ''really'' being like that]] or not) in order to [[DerailingLoveInterests justify having the young woman/young man run into the arms of Suitor #2]].

* Used in the plot of "The Way We Was" in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Marge goes with Artie Ziff to the prom, but afterwards, he reveals himself as a total self-centered sleaze who initially attempts to force himself on her. After [[ArmorPiercingSlap slapping him]] in the face and eventually leaving him in disgust, she realizes she cares for Homer instead.