History WalkingSpoiler / Literature

** Wendel Maculatum, from ''The Oaken Throne'', is introduced as a kindly, if [[TheDitz dim-witted]], [[TheJester jester]] who becomes a traveling companion of the main characters. However, it turns out later that he is the diabolical HighPriest of [[GodOfEvil Hobb]], which changes the way the character is perceived so much that most any details about him would have to include spoilers.

* ''Literature/TheWizardOfOz: [[ItWasHisSled Everyone knows by now that the Wizard of Oz is a StreetMagician rather than an actual wizard, but back in the 20th century it was still a huge plot twist that hardly anyone saw coming.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. There is no way to give an accurate description, however brief, of either character without spoiling TheReveal at the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban''. In subsequent books, both appear on a recurring basis with their true natures taken for granted.

* The protagonists of "Literature/AStudyInEmerald", as from the start, it's obvious that they're this alternative world's Dr. Watson and Literature/SherlockHolmes... except that the ending reveals they're really their {{Evil Counterpart}}s, [[TheDragon Sebastian Moran]] and [[EvilGenius Professor Moriarty]]. The fact that you can't refer to them as Watson and Holmes after knowing this is revealing.

** And then there's the FirstEpisodeSpoiler of Ned Stark being a DecoyProtagonist, Jaime Lannister having a HeelFaceTurn, and [[AFeteWorseThanDeath the Red Wedding]] [[WhamEpisode existing]], though these have been partially spoiled by PopCulturalOsmosis from the televised adaptation ''Series/GameOfThrones''. The spoilers in previous bullet points are a much bigger deal because they were AdaptedOut of the show in varying degrees (the three-eyed crow does appear onscreen, for instance, but little and less is said of his past).

** The Three Eyed Crow who has been reaching out to Bran used to be Brynden Rivers, otherwise known as Bloodraven.

* Milo from Literature/DemonRoad is a demon and also the fables Ghost of the Highway. All you can say without spoiling this is that he likes guns and is from Texas.

* ''Literature/AvalonWebOfMagic'': The cover of ''Ghost Wolf'' depicts a human girl and two wolves running alongside her. Not coincidentally, there are only two wolf characters in the entire series who are remotely important, and one of them "[[NotQuiteDead died]]" in a previous book. [[NobleWolf Storm]]'s appearance can't even be written off of as symbolism, courtesy of the ''stream of wolf spirits'' that are ''also'' on the cover, which- unlike Storm- aren't depicted as physical beings.

* Good luck talking about the later books in ''Zodiac'' without revealing the true identity of [[BigBad Crompton]].

** Tavi is one as well. His identity as Septimus' son isn't revealed until book three, although a number of clues that he's actually Gaius Octavian are fairly obvious (including his name) and the fact is fairly heavily implied even before characters are openly discussing it. The fact that Araris Valerian stayed behind in the middle of nowhere and spends his time watching over a random young shepard boy is enough to clue in several characters who learn about Arais' identity.

** Tavi is one as well. His identity as Septimus' son isn't revealed until book three, although a number of facts that he's actually Gaius Octavian are fairly obvious (including his name) and the fact is fairly heavily implied even before characters are openly discussing it. The fact that Araris Valerian stayed behind in the middle of nowhere and spends his time watching over a random young shepard boy is enough to clue in several characters who learn about Arais' identity.

* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': Araris Valerian is supposed to be dead. Fade, the slave working for Bernard and Isana, is supposed to be brain-damaged. So when he pulls a BigDamnHeroes at the end of the first book and gets his real identity revealed to a few people in the process, it's a shock. He does keep the act up for a couple more books, but once he stops pretending the cat is officially out of the bag and it gets hard not to spoil everything.
** Tav is one as well. His identity as Septimus' son isn't revealed until book three, although a number of facts that he's actually Gaius Octavian are fairly obvious (including his name) and the fact is fairly heavily implied even before characters are openly discussing it. The fact that Arais Valerian stayed behind in the middle of nowhere and spends his time watching over a random young shepard boy is enough to clue in several characters who learn about Arais' identity.

* ''Literature/WhyborneAndGriffin'': It's pretty much impossible to mention Persephone at all without massive spoilers for the first half of the series. The audience isn't even made aware of her ''species'' for several books, much less anything about her personally, but she becomes integral to the plot and a part of the core characters.

* ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': Saying anything about Marsh after about the early sections of the first book is a massive spoiler. Talking about his Kelsier is a pretty big spoiler in same book, of course. You can't really mention Ruin without massively spoiling the twist ending of the second book, and discussing TenSoon and OreSeur during the hunt for the enemy Kaandra in ''Hero of Ages'' becomes a spoiler very fast.
** There's also ''Literature/MistbornSecretHistory'', a book that the author has said the ''mere knowledge of it's existence'' is a spoiler of sorts for the original series. The first few pages spoiler a major part of the first book, and the rest of the book literally spoils the entire trilogy for anyone who hasn't read it.

* ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': Saying anything about Marsh after about 3/4 of the way through the first book is a massive spoiler. Also, you can't talk about Ruin without massively spoiling the twist ending of the second book.

** Tavi's, despite being the main character is one. His identity as Septimus' son isn't revealed until book three, although a number of facts that he's actually Gaius Octavian are fairly obvious (including his name) and the fact is fairly heavily implied even before characters are openly discussing it. The fact that Arais Valerian stayed behind in the middle of nowhere and spends his time watching over a random young shepard boy is enough to clue in several characters who learn about Arais' identity.

* Jynn Ur'Gored in ''Literature/TheDarkProfitSaga''. The big reveal about him in book 1 is that he's the son of the EvilSorcerer/[[OurLichesAreDifferent liche]] Detarr Ur'Mayan. In book 2, he's forced to reveal that he's not a noctomancer (lunar mage) but an omnimancer (can use both lunar and solar magic), even though he hasn't used solamancy (solar magic) since he was little, as omnimancers are treated like lepers in this world. Both times this causes his burgeoning relationship with solamancer Laruna Trullon to hit a major setback.

* Orannis the Destroyer in Creator/GarthNix's ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series. We don't even know anything other than his status as a GreaterScopeVillain (including his name, we know him only as The Enemy) until the final chapter of the second book. That's when we learn that he's an OmnicidalManiac and an EldritchAbomination, who's been [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in a split metal ball]] since before the creation of the Charter.

** You want to avoid spoiling the fact that Thomas is Harry's half-brother? This is going to significantly limit your ability to explain either of their motivations for most of their interactions after ''Blood Rites'', starting with "Why does Harry immediately go to a ''vampire'' for help?"

* ''Literature/TheBlackWitchChronicles'': It turns out that the character everyone assumes to be the [[WingedHumanoid Icaral]] of Prophecy, who is according to said prophecies fated to fight the heroine, who is the current Black Witch, in a battle that will determine the fate of the world, isn't. The ''real'' Icaral of Prophecy is a completely different character. His secret identity can be discussed pre-reveal without many spoilers, but ''afterwards'' is a different matter.

* ''Literature/TheBlackWitchChronicles'': It turns out that the [[WingedHumanoid Icaral]] of Prophecy, who is according to said prophecies fated to fight the heroine, who is the current Black Witch, in a battle that will determine the fate of the world, is not the character that everyone assumes to be him, but someone else. His secret identity can be discussed pre-reveal without many spoilers, but ''afterwards'' is a different matter.