Line #121 Main/SpoiledByTheCastList


1	Cast lists are used to give credit to the professionals and {{creators}} responsible for the production. In an ongoing work, audiences can draw a connection between characters and their actors, which can reveal a PlotTwist when the cast list is shown. This is frequently related to the [[TheBusCameBack unexpected]] [[HijackedByGanon return]] of [[BackFromTheDead characters]] from an earlier era of the work, but can be related to TwoAliasesOneCharacter and many other surprises as well.
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3	Note that both opening credits and ending credits apply for this trope. Cast lists from outside sources like Website/IMDb contribute to the spoiler effect, revealing {{Plot Twist}}s to people not watching the work, and are why this concept is marked as a {{Trivia}} item. The actor may be a complete unknown outside of the work, because it is the presence/absence of their name that communicates a spoiler to the audience.
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5	The single character version of this is the WalkingSpoiler. See also ChronicallyKilledActor (we know a character will die because the actor always plays dead characters), ContractualImmortality (we know an actor's character survives because of the contracts the actor signed), NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize (the character has to be important because the actor is well-known), and {{Typecasting}}[=/=]MetaCasting (actors are known by their roles, and the work plays with those known roles).
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7	'''Warning:''' because of the nature of this trope, spoilers below are unmarked.
8	----
9	!!Examples:
10	%%NB: There is a separate section below for aversions.
11	[[foldercontrol]]
12
13	[[folder:Films — Animated]]
14	* ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'': The names of several characters from ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' appear in the credits before the characters make their only appearance in TheStinger.
15	* ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'': Marshmallow is listed in the end credits before his sole appearance in TheStinger.
16	* A non-cast example happens in ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', where the credits list Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" as one of the songs heard in the movie, spoiling TheStinger which tricks the audience into thinking that a video of Ralph covering the song is the ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' trailer.
17	* The [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1351569-teen-titans-go-to-the-movies teaser poster]] for ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'' lists Will Arnett and Kristen Bell's names next to each other in the same color, spoiling (or, at least foreshadowing) the fact that ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} (Arnett) is disguised as Jade Wilson (Bell).
18	* The closing credits of ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh2011'' credit Huell Howser as the Backson, spoiling TheStinger in which it is revealed that he isn't just a figment of the 100 Acre Wood gang's imagination.
19	[[/folder]]
20
21	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
22	* In ''Film/NineToFive'', the opening credits boldly list (featuring?) Creator/SterlingHayden as Chairman of the Board. Early in the movie, someone comments that they've never met the CEO in the 10+ years they've worked there. But the viewer is now certain that he will appear, which kind of spoils an important plot point.
23	* The Website/{{IMDB}} credits for ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' spoiled the fact that Superman's death in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' wasn't gonna stick.
24	* ''Film/DunePartTwo'': Creator/AnyaTaylorJoy, who was never announced to be part of the cast, showed up at the big premiere alongside the cast, and websites started listing her as playing [[spoiler:Alia Atreides]].
25	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
26	** In a combination of this and SpoilerTitle, those who don't know who the subtitle ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' is referring to should be given a clue when seeing in the cast list Creator/SebastianStan, whose character Bucky Barnes supposedly died in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger''.
27	** Agent Coulson dies in ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'', but his actor, Creator/ClarkGregg, is listed predominantly in the opening credits for ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' because Coulson was revived and became the boss of this group of agents.
28	** The promotion of ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' treated Taskmaster as a WalkingSpoiler, [[https://thenerdstash.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/blackwidowposter1.jpg?auto=compress&fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.0&s=454e6e3f69a74485092d858a607a3432 refusing to even list who played the character]]. And then the opening credits reveal Creator/OlgaKurylenko is in the film, and a recognizable actress probably was not wasted in a background role - indeed, Taskmaster is given a GenderFlip to be played by her.
29	* ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Mission: Impossible]]'' film series: In ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning'', [[spoiler:Ilsa Faust (Creator/RebeccaFerguson)]] seemingly dies and [[spoiler:Paris (Creator/PomKlementieff)]] suffers an UncertainDoom. Both actors have been officially cast in the 2025 sequel, meaning the characters will be alive in it. (Although to be fair, for the former, it could just mean [[spoiler:she]] will just appear in flashbacks).
30	* The opening credits of ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' already inform the audience of which role each major Muppet will be playing, which kind of ruins the joke of Mr. Arrow painting Captain Smollett as a fearsome and terrible individual before his arrival. Thanks to the opening credits we already know it's Kermit, and thus neither fearsome nor the human character that steps out of the carriage first.
31	* For ''Film/{{Old}}'', Creator/EmbethDavidtz and Emun Elliot were revealed to be portraying adult versions of Maddox and Trent, giving away that the characters would survive the RapidAging long enough to hit maturity. Likewise, the absence of an adult Kara in the cast list gave away that she would not survive.
32	* ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' had Creator/NataliePortman cast as Queen Amidala of Naboo, who is forced to escape her planet to find help to repel the invaders. As they make a stop on Tatooine, one of Amidala's entourage members named Padme is sent to walk with the Jedi into town as they search for supplies. While Amidala always wears [[UnlimitedWardrobe elaborate make-up and clothing]] that obscures her appearance, Padme has no makeup and is clearly played by Portman. Later in the film it's revealed that she IS Queen Amidala (full name Padme Amidala) and she has been using a BodyDouble to distract enemies, thus as different points in the film the Queen is a look-alike named Sabe and played by Creator/KeiraKnightley. While it is possible to assume Portman was ActingForTwo, the sudden importance the handmaiden is given might tip off audiences to the twist.
33	* ''Film/{{Saltburn}}'': The actors who play Oliver's parents - Dorothy Atkinson and Shaun Dooley - are identified as Paula and Jeff Quick in the cast list, meaning that anyone who looks at that before watching the film will almost certainly guess that Oliver is lying about his father's death, and therefore will probably guess that he's a far more sinister character than he appears.
34	* The film version of ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' ran into this problem with the character of Rorschach, played by Creator/JackieEarleHaley. In the original ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} comic, Rorschach remained masked and glimpses of his face were hidden for most of the story, as even his hero friends didn't know his civilian identity. Throughout the comic there was this red-headed man who appeared homeless and holding a sign reading "The End Is Nigh" and could be seen in the background of a number of other scenes, and even has an exchange with a recurring newspaper vendor. It is intended to be a big surprise when Rorshach is unmasked and revealed to effectively be a RecurringExtra, with his real name Walter Kovacs. This works fantastically in comic form because they are not played by recognizable actors, but as such in the movie anyone in the audience who knows Haley would question why he is walking around with a sign.
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36
37	[[folder:Literature]]
38	* ''Literature/WarriorCats'' features a DramatisPersonae called the "Allegiances" at the start of every book, listing every character and which group they're in. Occasionally the list reveals warrior names, births, and retirements long before they happen in the actual book, or the existence of character in the list spoils a plot point: for instance, [=SkyClan=] being listed in ''Ravenpaw's Farewell'' spoiled that Ravenpaw was going to learn about and travel to the long-lost Clan.
39	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' rotates through the main cast for narration and the audiobooks use this trope by casting a narrator for each character. The narrators don't work together (ie, Rachel's narrator doesn't read Rachel's dialogue in a Jake or Cassie book) except in the Megamorphs books and ''The Beginning'' (#54, SeriesFinale)... as well as ''The Departure'' (#19), ''The Journey'' (#42), and ''The Resistance'' (#47). Anyone with no prior knowledge of Animorphs other than listening to the previous books will see two narrators on each of the two above mentioned books (and likely recognize their names from earlier books for #19 & #42) and realize SOMETHING different is going on.
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42	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
43	* Season Five of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' ended the first episode with Spike being dramatically resurrected, after having died on ''Series/{{Buffy\|TheVampireSlayer}}'' and his last appearance on ''Angel'' being a flashback. This would've been a surprise if not for the fact that "Creator/JamesMarsters as Spike" had been added to the opening credits, with a lot of new footage clearly showing him in the Present Day.
44	* ''Series/BabylonFive'' suffered this in the episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS05E10ATragedyOfTelepaths A Tragedy of Telepaths]]", in which the appearance of Caitlin Brown's name in the opening credits spoiled the episode's revelation that her believed-dead-for-two-seasons character Na'Toth was still alive.
45	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Creator/DavidBoreanaz appears in the credits of the third season before Angel's resurrection at the end of the third episode. Granted, Angel being the star of [[Series/{{Angel}} his own show]] makes it a bit a case of ItWasHisSled.
46	* ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}'' has one caused by the absence of a credit in "Sand Franscisco Dreamin'". Phoebe is having nightmares about being chased by a masked attacker with a chainsaw. She suspects it's [[spoiler: Cole]] but the fact that [[spoiler: Julian [=McMahon=]]] isn't in the credits spoils that it's not.
47	* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': Creator/BebeNeuwirth returned to the cast in Season 11 episode "[[Recap/CheersS11E16 Is There a Doctor in the Howe?]]", nine episodes after Lilith was seemingly written out of the show in "[[Recap/CheersS11E7 Teaching with the Enemy]]". This was spoiled by the opening credits, where Neuwirth's name appeared again for the first time since she left the show.
48	* ''Series/CobraKai'' has John Kreese apparently PutOnAPrisonBus at the end of Season 4, but the Season 5 opener still has Creator/MartinKove's AndStarring credit. Sure enough, [[TheBusCameBack he makes a surprise appearance]] at the end of the 5th episode and gets more focus throughout the rest of the season.
49	* ''{{Series/CSI NY}}'' suffered this during the crossover with original ''{{Series/CSI}}''. Fans felt there was little suspense about Mac’s kidnapped girlfriend since she was in the cast list for the following week’s episode. Flashbacks are always a possibility of course, but the show was also nearing its end and few really thought they’d kill her at that point anyway.
50	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
51	** The cast list for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E6TheBellsOfSaintJohn "The Bells of Saint John"]] was revealed before the episode aired, listing Creator/RichardEGrant as "The Great Intelligence", after he had previously been "destroyed" in the [[Recap/DoctorWho2012CSTheSnowmen episode beforehand]], which ruined TheReveal of his survival at the end of the episode.
52	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E11WorldEnoughAndTime "World Enough and Time"]]: Fans quickly noticed that creepy orderly "Razor" didn't have a ''Magazine/RadioTimes'' credit, while Creator/JohnSimm's Master, who showed no sign of appearing despite the heavy publicity about his return, ''did''. In a ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' interview Creator/StevenMoffat said they ''could'' have made up an actor whose name was an anagram of "John Simm" as Creator/JohnNathanTurner had done in the Eighties (see aversions below), but the fans would immediately have [[TechnologyMarchesOn looked him up on IMDb]] and not found anything.
53	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E10TheTimelessChildren "The Timeless Children"]] played with it: the advance cast list included "Barack Stemis" as "Fakout". Fans quickly noticed that the name was an [[SignificantAnagram anagram]] of [[spoiler:"Master Is Back"]], and, while it turned out to herald the return of the character fans suspected, not a surprise given the circumstances of the character's last appearance, it obfuscated [[spoiler:that the Master returned early as the cliffhanger of the ''previous'' episode, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E9AscensionOfTheCybermen "Ascension of the Cybermen"]].]]
54	* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'': The return of Creator/JaredHarris as David Robert Jones in [[Recap/FringeS04E08BackToWhereYouveNeverBeen "Back to Where You've Never Been"]] is a twist at the end of the episode, but he's listed with the guest stars at the episode's beginning.
55	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' put [[spoiler: Creator/JoeDempsie]] in the opening credits in one Season 7 episode, spoiling that character's surprise return.
56	* ''Fellowships of the fans'' leaked in July 2023 the casting of Calam Lynch as Celeborn in the second season of ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'', and rumours of Lynch performing chemistry screen tests with Morfydd Clark with both being in character as Celeborn and Galadriel. The fact he was casted in an unknown pivotal role is the more telling.
57	* While ''Series/{{Lost}}'' rolls the cast after the title, it tends to spoil whether some character is returning for a flashback or present day re-appearance.
58	* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' rumors of Boba Fett appearing in Season 2 received a premature confirmation when Showcast [[https://starwarstime.net/temuera-morrisons-cv-update-all-but-confirms-his-the-mandalorian-role/ added the series and Boba's name]] to Creator/TemueraMorrison's CV, over a month before the season premiere dropped.
59	* In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' season 2, Leonard Snart had already [[KilledOffForReal met his demise]] in the penultimate episode of the previous season. So his actor's name, Creator/WentworthMiller appearing at the start of the episode ruined the twist of his surprise return.
60	* ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' has it with the Website/{{IMDB}} page for "After the Funeral". They do try to hide it (a prominent character is not listed on the first page, though it only makes the viewer more suspicious) but if you go to the "Full Cast and Crew" section, you find out that the same actress plays Miss Gilchrist and Cora (actually, Miss Gilchrist impersonating her).
61	* In the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' universe, particularly ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', if a new student begins showing up regularly, it's a safe bet that a cast member is being replaced. Which one? Easy to tell. Look at the clothes the new student is wearing, and match the color. They'll also be listed in the closing credits of the episode.
62	* ''Series/QuantumLeap2022'':
63	** Creator/GeorginaReilly's name in the opening credits for "O Ye of Little Faith" spoils that Janis will not only make an appearance (which she does at the very end), but also that Janis is likely the reason for the Imaging Chamber's PhlebotinumBreakdown, which is being discussed at the very moment her credit is seen.
64	** Similarly, Creator/WalterPerez's name at the beginning of "S.O.S." spoils that Ben will have another run-in with Martinez, which he does at the very end.
65	* Season 4 of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' begins with Dr. Weir critically injured in a hospital bed. While her story takes a few twists and turns over the first few episodes of the season, the fact that Torri Higginson disappears from the credits and is replaced with Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter makes for a few foregone conclusions. (Later averted with the same actor and character, as noted below.)
66	* Played with (Zig-Zagged and de/re-constructed) in ''Series/Supergirl2015''. Creator/LauraBenanti as Kara's mother, Alura Zor-El, is credited in episodes after the Pilot [[spoiler:in which she sends Kal-El and Kara to Earth from dying Krypton]], which sets up viewers to think that there's going to be [[spoiler:a surprise resurrection]]. Benanti, it's later discovered, [[spoiler:[[PlayingTheirOwnTwin also plays]] Alura's EvilTwin Astra, who survived on Fort Rozz]]. However, Alura does make later appearances, but [[spoiler:these are as a duplicate consciousness retrieved from the Krypton pods and Fortress of Solitude]].
67	* Season 5 of ''Series/{{Yellowstone}}'' spoiled that Creator/JeffersonWhite (Jimmy Hurdstrom) and Kathryn Kelly (Emily) would return sometime in the season, via the opening credits from the season premiere on, after last being seen departing the Dutton ranch back to the Four-Sixes Ranch in Texas. Given how they were supposed to be completely distanced by what was happening (with Jimmy and Emily starting a new life in another state), it doesn't come as much of a surprise when the show brings them back into the fold in the mid-season finale, with the plot conspiring to have several of the ranchers at the Dutton ranch uproot and have to move to Texas for a year to protect a herd of cattle.
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70	[[folder:Podcasts]]
71	* In the season 1 finale of ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'', Sasha's voice sounds different after she comes out of Artifact Storage, but it's easy to overlook or chalk up to sound editing (which the series has played with before). Until you look at the cast list in the episode's ending credits and realize that Sasha's original actress is absent and a completely different actress is credited as "Not-Sasha", revealing that Sasha has been [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] by one of the [[{{Doppelganger}} Not-Them]].
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74	[[folder: Radio]]
75	* The ''Jack and Millie'' episode "Service Economy" has Millie hire a cleaner, Nadia, who she's told is mute. The ''Radio Times'' lists Nadia's actress, revealing that it's a speaking part.
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77
78	[[folder:Theatre]]
79	* The play ''Bondage'' by David Henry Hwang features two actors in full-body S&M gear, playacting a variety of racial stereotypes and race-based scenarios. The actual ethnicity of the couple is TheReveal, so the names of any recognizable actors attached to the project would automatically be a spoiler.
80	* Some amateur versions of ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'' make the mistake of listing Mary Sunshine's actor with a male name instead of with just the first initial of his name, spoiling the twist that Mary is, in fact, a cross dressing man.
81	* The show program for ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'' pretty much gives away the appearances of Severus Snape, Voldemort, Dolores Umbridge, Cedric Diggory, and other characters that are supposed to have surprise appearances. Because of this, the London and Broadway programs have a Spoiler Alert notice telling the reader not to read the cast list until after seeing both parts.[[note]]It helps that each entry lists the actor's name first, in bold, followed by the characters they play, in normal text.[[/note]]
82	** However, the London production has a screen in the foyer displaying a full cast list, including actors playing the surprise characters above, defeating the purpose of the program's Spoiler Alert notice. The Broadway production instead lists the full company without stating who plays what character, and the cast change board states that roles usually played by [principal actor] will be played by [standby or understudy].
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84
85	[[folder:Video Games]]
86	* [=Katy133=], along with her character, is listed in the voice cast on ''VisualNovel/BloomingPanic'''s itch.io page, spoiling that [[spoiler:[=Bloombot=] is a sentient, talking AI.]]
87	* April Ryan was seemingly killed in the ending of ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney'', but it was already announced that her voice actress returns to work for ''VideoGame/DreamfallChapters'' "in some capacity".
88	* When ''VideoGame/GoodbyeVolcanoHigh'' was showcased at Tribeca Festival 2023, the site's promotional page revealed the voice actor for Sage, Jensen Trani. As the main cast follows QueerCharacterQueerActor as a general rule, this spoiled that Sage is a transgender man, which was supposed to be revealed in an emotional scene in episode 4.
89	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
90	** The credits of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' lists Creator/RichardEpcar as [[GrandTheftMe Terra-Xehanort]] and Creator/HaleyJoelOsment as Vanitas. The former character reveals the big twist at the end of Terra's story, while the latter heavily implies [[EvilCounterpart what Vanitas really is]] (only revealed at the end of Ven's story). This is particularly annoying because the game has three storylines and the same credits play for all three, so no matter what order you play the stories in you'll spoil ''something''.
91	** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' casually credits a group of pre-established characters who had yet to be accounted for in the game's plot and their voice actors before they make their only appearance in TheStinger. Furthermore, a certain character from that group is suspiciously absent from the credits and surely enough, one of the plot points raised in the scene that follows is that that character has gone missing.
92	* An episode of the Japanese Hidechan Radio podcast featured several voice actors from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' that were returning for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'', including Naoki Tatsuta, whose character (Dr. Sokolov) was supposedly killed off by Volgin.
93	** Speaking of ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', and an example that doubles as FiveSecondForeshadowing, but the first credits for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' will leave players wondering why Big Boss's voice actor is credited after the final cutscene...only for the credits to stop and the ''real'' final cutscene begins, where Big Boss appears to meet with Snake one final time.
94	* Before all of the DLC characters were added in, ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2'''s closing credits listed all of the voice actors, albeit only the Japanese voice cast, which were more than the launch roster required. [[UnspecifiedRoleCredit While the characters themselves aren't listed]], fans who are familiar with the series' vocal cast could easily match up the extra voice actors with characters who were not included in the base game.
95	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' presents itself as a NonLinearSequel, but looking up the cast list and seeing Creator/AdamHowden or Creator/ShintaroAsanuma will clue anyone with knowledge of the first game in that it's a StealthSequel. This was lessened when Shulk was added as a DLC GuestFighter, but if you looked at the cast list ''before'' then...
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97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Western Animation]]
100	* Creator/CartoonNetwork often uses a form of CreditsPushback where episode-specific credits are replaced with credits that cover the ''entire series's'' voice cast, or at least the whole season that the episode is part of. For ongoing series, this can reveal the existence of a character long before they were meant to be revealed.
101	* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' that depicts an episode of ''Franchise/LawAndOrder''. As the characters ask themselves who the murderer could be, the credits on the bottom of the screen read "Special Guest Star: Jimmy Smits", and the characters [[BreakingTheFourthWall turn toward the viewer and point down at the credit]].
102	* The ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' 4 parter "Bring on the Bad Guys" has an unnamed character voiced by Creator/ScottMenville, who sends a bounty after Spider-Man. The two episodes after that reveal that he's actually [[spoiler: Doctor Octopus/The Living Brain]], which isn't surprising since that's the only major character he voices in the series.
103	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
104	** As noted above, the show has been occasionally affected by Cartoon Network's CreditsPushback, which occasionally reveals the names of characters not yet seen. In the case of Malachite, however, she was credited as being voiced by Creator/KimberlyBrooks and Jennifer Paz, who usually voice Jasper and Lapis Lazuli, respectively, which hinted that she was an unstable {{fusion\|Dance}} of the two long before her debut.
105	** "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E20Bismuth Bismuth]]" tried to make it look like the title character would become a member of the main cast, with both the promo and {{eyecatch}}es indicating this. However, Uzo Aduba being credited as a guest star in an article announcing the episode gave the game away.
106	** The list of songs in the soundtrack of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'' credited the voices of the characters that were featured in the song, giving away the existence of a character named Steg. How this is a spoiler is obvious to anyone who watched the original series.
107	* During the airing of the first four episodes of the final season of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', Cartoon Network accidentally listed ''every character'' that appears in the remaining episodes of the season (excluding the finale). This, however, ended up spoiling the return of Fern, Magic Betty, Normal Man and Warren Ampersand the Shapeshifter, with all four of them having major roles in the last episodes.
108	* In the Master Planner arc of "WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpider-Man" the Planners voice is disguised to keep their identity a secret in universe and to the audience. But the credits list their voice actor as Creator/PeterMacnicol who also plays Doc Ock, and considering that he's the only character Macnicol plays its pretty easy to piece two and two together.
109	* If you watch ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'' without an idea of what the episodes are about but have some knowledge of the broader Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, you'll have some clue of which characters appear in by seeing some names in the credits starting each episode, at least those with a RoleReprise.
110	* Grace Stafford is listed in the credits of many Universal theatrical shorts as the voice of WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker. This becomes an issue in the cartoon ''Chilly Chums'' as it was a WesternAnimation/ChillyWilly cartoon and ruin what would've been a surprise cameo.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	!!!Aversions:
114
115	[[folder:Films — Animated]]
116	* ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'': The post-credits scene with Stan Lee as Fred's dad is followed by the appropriate credit.
117	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'': The cast of TheStinger was credited under the generic roles of "interesting persons" and the "last dude". Their characters are anything but generic background extras. Furthermore, the source of the archive footage that said scene builds its joke on was used for a few seconds in the film's opening scene so that no one would question its listing in the credits.
118	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'': Although (as detailed in the above section) external cast lists gave it away anyway, the cast list for the opening of the actual movie [[UnspecifiedRoleCredit doesn't list characters for any voices]], preserving the surprise that would be given away by the name of Ted Leo's character as well as the name of the main villain (which the advertising was careful to keep hidden).
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
122	* Creator/JackPalance played Curly in ''Film/CitySlickers'', but Curly died. In the sequel, Jack returns as the twin brother.
123	* ''Film/CurseOfChucky'' doesn't credit Alex Vincent until after the stinger in which he appears.
124	* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' features a surprise cameo appearance in TheStinger by ComicBook/HowardTheDuck. To avoid giving away the surprise for any members of the audience who were actually reading the credits while waiting for the Stinger, the credits for Howard the Duck's creator were held off until Howard was onscreen while his voice actor opted to go [[UncreditedRole uncredited]] (it's Creator/SethGreen).
125	* Creator/KevinSpacey requested that he not be included in the opening credits to ''Film/Se7en'', because his character does not appear until two-thirds of the way into the film and he wanted his appearance to be a surprise to the audience (also averting NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize in the process). He is listed first in the end credits to the film.
126	* For the 1972 film adaptation of the play ''Theatre/{{Sleuth}}'', in which a character with a large amount of screen time is revealed to be one of the other characters in disguise, the opening titles include a decoy credit attributing that character to a non-existent actor.
127	* ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' featured Creator/LeonardNimoy in the opening credits as [[DirectedByCastMember a director (not an actor)]] because his character (Spock) had died in [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan the previous film]].
128	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' averted the ItWasHisSled spoiler of Darth Sidious's identity by not putting that name in the closing credits. The actor still received credit because he played both roles of the TwoAliasesOneCharacter.
129	* ''Film/KamenRiderSaberPlusKikaiSentaiZenkaigerSuperHeroSenki'': The two leads of ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'', which had yet to be formally revealed before the film's release, are credited as "?" in the ending credits for their appearance during the final battle. For anyone savvy to remember that previous cameos by lead actors of upcoming ''Franchise/KamenRider'' shows in films of an incumbent series were credited, this served as a FiveSecondForeshadowing to the big surprise of the film's theatrical run: the attachment of a sneak-peek special episode of ''Revice'' to the print after the credits, which serves as the show's official announcement and is where the two actors are properly credited.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
133	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' deliberately withheld Creator/JulietLandau's "Special Guest Star" credit to the closing credits to prevent a spoiler where her character Drusilla appeared to [[spoiler:turn Darla back into a Vampire]] in the final scene of an episode.
134	** The same thing happened in the second season premiere with Creator/ElizaDushku who was only credited during the closing credits so Faith's appearance in the final scene would remain a surprise.
135	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Tara's actress (Creator/AmberBenson) was given a PromotionToOpeningTitles late into the sixth season, in the episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E19SeeingRed Seeing Red]]", solely in order to increase the shock to the audience when she was killed off in that same episode. Creator/JossWhedon had wanted to do the same thing for the character Jesse in the two-part premiere, but it didn't happen because of budget issues.
136	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
137	** In an early one-off example, the first episode credits and the ''Radio Times'' cast lists for both episodes of 1960s story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E3TheRescue "The Rescue"]] credited a fictitious actor, "Sidney Wilson" (a ShoutOut to two BBC executives), as playing the villain Koquillion. This was, as usual, to avoid hinting at the story's big plot twist, that Koquillion was [[ScoobyDooHoax another character in disguise]], although in this case not a returning one.
138	** During the period when Creator/JohnNathanTurner was showrunner in the Eighties, there were several occasions when the surprise reappearance of an old villain was disguised by crediting the actor under an anagrammatic alias.
139	*** In episode three of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E1Castrovalva "Castrovalva"]], the Portreeve is credited as played by "Neil Toynay" to disguise the fact that he's the Master (played by Tony Ainley) in disguise. Likewise, in episode one of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E7TimeFlight Time-Flight]]", Khalid is credited as played by "Leon Ny Taiy"; it's Ainley again. A lot of fans were not fooled, arguably playing this trope straight.
140	*** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E7TimeFlight Time-Flight]]" also has a weirder one, intended as an inversion of this trope. It's the story after [[spoiler:the companion Adric died]], but Nathan-Turner was worried fans would figure that out from the fact that the actor's name appeared in the ''Radio Times'' listings for "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E6Earthshock Earthshock]]" but not the ones for "Time-Flight", as the magazine contained the listings for the following week's TV schedules on the day it came out. So he arranged a small illusory cameo for the character in "Time-Flight" for the sole purpose of ensuring the actor's name was included in the listings for the story. The scene is completely superfluous to the plot and exists solely so the actor and character could be credited as normal in the ''Radio Times'' cast list for "Time-Flight" and avoid tipping readers off early.
141	*** Speaking of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E6Earthshock Earthshock]], while it's not a specific character, JNT turned down a chance for the show on appear the cover of the Radio Times just to preserve the secret of the Cybermen's return.
142	*** The character of Sir Gilles Estram in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E6TheKingsDemons The King's Demons]]" was credited in advance publicity as played by "James Stoker" (an anagram of "Master's Joke"), but the actual episodes credit Tony Ainley normally because the reveal that he's the Master in disguise occurs at the end of episode one.
143	*** In episode three of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]", the Dalek Emperor is credited as played by "Roy Tromelly"; episode four revealed that he was none other than Davros, played by Creator/TerryMolloy.
144	** Creator/ChrisChibnall's run as showrunner took this to obsessive extremes, even when there would have been alternate means of spoiler avoidance.
145	*** The advance cast list for "[[Recap/DoctorWho2019NYSResolution Resolution]]" did not even mention [[spoiler:Creator/NicholasBriggs]], to avoid revealing the presence of [[spoiler:the Dalek]]. However, the character's distinctive voice was heard in the final trailer for the episode, released a week before broadcast.
146	*** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E1E2Spyfall "Spyfall"]]: Creator/SachaDhawan, who had never appeared in the show beforehand, was given the SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer treatment to the degree of not being mentioned in the cast lists for either half of the two-part story, making his appearance and role a total surprise.
147	*** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E5FugitiveOfTheJudoon "Fugitive of the Judoon"]] left [[spoiler:Creator/JohnBarrowman]] off the cast list to conceal a surprise reappearance.
148	*** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E8TheHauntingOfVillaDiodati "The Haunting of Villa Diodati"]] left Patrick O'Kane as Ashad off the advance cast list, even though the spoiler could have been avoided by only using his first name in the credits like in this sentence instead of his full name as the character is brand new and the spoiler is his SpeciesSurname.
149	* The finale of the second season of ''Series/TheFlightAttendant'' brings back [[spoiler:Colin Woodell as Feliks, who was the main villain of Season 1.]] As this character's appearance was a total surprise and twist, the guest star credit was shown in the closing credits before the co-stars, rather than in the opening credits with the rest of the guest stars.
150	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' deliberately used a ColdOpen in the episode that revealed Sandor Clegane was still alive exactly because seeing him in the flesh would be more impactful than the audience noting the return of Creator/RoryMcCann in the opening credits.
151	* When ''Series/{{House}}'' had a group of 30+ doctors following around Dr. House, the permanent characters were not listed in the opening credits of Season 4 episodes.
152	* ''Series/InsideNo9'': In this {{anthology}} series, the cast list for the episode "[[Recap/InsideNo9S5E2DeathBeNotProud Death Be Not Proud]]" does not list the names of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's roles and omits [[spoiler:Sarah Solemani and David Bamber]] to conceal that it is [[spoiler:a {{Stealth\|Sequel}} FullyAbsorbedFinale to ''Series/{{Psychoville}}'']].
153	* ''Series/Loki2021'': Episode four avoided this with several adjustments to the credits.
154	** Only the "on set readers" of the mysterious Time Keepers were listed in the end credits. After the season concluded director Creator/KateHerron revealed that their final voices were provided by Creator/JonathanMajors. This was to avoid revealing that Majors would also be appearing in the season finale [[spoiler:as TheManBehindTheCurtain and eventual BigBad of the series]].
155	** Creator/RichardEGrant, Creator/DeobiaOparei and Jack Veal were not listed in the main cast section of the end credits as they only appeared in the [[TheStinger mid-credits scene]]. They were instead listed after their scene alongside the other guest stars. All three actors were moved to the main cast section for episode five, where they had more screentime.
156	* ''Series/TheOrville'' had Music/DollyParton appear as a guest star in "Midnight Blue" in Season 3. Creator/HalstonSage also appeared as Alara Kitan, a former starring character, in the Season 3 finale. Both received SpecialGuest Star credits at the beginning of the closing credits of their respective episodes.
157	* ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'': [[spoiler:Done throughout the show's entire run to obfuscate a series-long SignificantDoubleCasting and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] after TheReveal. The BigBad Evox, a computer virus, is voiced by "Randall Ewing". Not only does "Ewing" have no prior acting credits, but astute ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' fans noticed that "Randall Ewing" is an anagram with an additional L of Andrew Laing, the voice actor of ''Series/PowerRangersRPM''[='=]s main villain Venjix, also a computer virus. In the two-part finale, Evox reveals his true nature as a new version of the Venjix virus and his voice shifts to Venjix's after he reaches full power; his voice actor is subsequently credited as "Andrew Laing as Randall Ewing" for the first half and just Laing for the second.]]
158	* The ''Series/StargateSG1'' season 3 episode "Jolinar's Memories" revealed that Apophis had not died earlier in "Serpent's Song" and was in fact alive, posing as the "First Prime" Na'onak. Series regulars would have immediately realized this had Peter Williams, Apophis's actor, been credited immediately after the intro as is custom. This trope was averted by crediting Williams immediately at the start of the post-show credits, seconds after Apophis revealed himself.
159	** ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' had a famous instance where the credit for Torri Higginson, who made a surprise return in the final moments of an episode, was removed to the end. However, instead of saying "Special Guest Star" or anything it was just a caption with her name, positioned after the episode and before the usual end credits, to emphasize the fact that her credit really belonged up at the front of the story.
160	* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Some episodes noticeably omitted guest star Salome Jens (the antagonistic, shapeshifting Female Changeling) from the opening credits, because her name would have tipped viewers off to the presence of an infiltrator in the plot. As a trade-off, her name was prominently displayed first in the closing credits, before the main cast credits.
161	* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': [[spoiler:Unsuccessfully attempted in the first season. The Klingon character Voq infiltrates the ''Discovery'' crew surgically disguised as a human named Ash Tyler, with both "characters" played by the same actor, Shazad Latif. In the early episodes of the series, Voq was credited on-screen and in media cast lists as being played by a fictitious actor, "Javid Iqbal". Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Internet-savvy fans to notice that "Iqbal" had no other film or TV credits and no other internet or social media footprint, leading almost all of them to guess the twist. After the on-screen twist reveal, Latif confirmed that "Javid Iqbal" had been his father's name.]]
162	* ''Series/StrangerThings'' listed Jamie Campbell Bower as playing the "Friendly Orderly" in the credits but did not list him as playing Vecna until the episode where his identity was revealed.
163	* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' removed [[spoiler:Creator/PiperLaurie]]'s name from the second season's credits after [[spoiler:her character Catherine Martell]]'s apparent death in the first season finale, and credited the fictitious "Fumio Yamaguchi" as playing Japanese businessman Mr. Tojamura... [[spoiler:who is Catherine Martell in disguise]]. In episodes after the revelation the real credit was returned.
164	[[/folder]]
165
166	[[folder:Theatre]]
167	!!!'''In General:'''
168	* "Walter Plinge" and "George Spelvin" (and feminized variations) are the fictitious actor names traditionally used in, respectively, British and American theatre cast lists when it is necessary for plot reasons to hide the fact that one actor is playing two roles, especially if they are the same person in-story as well. Of course, this means that theatre geeks may be clued in to the spoiler anyway.
169	!!!'''By Work:'''
170	* In one of several plays called ''Theatre/TheButlerDidIt'' there is no butler character, but a butler is listed in the cast in order to not spoil the reveal that [[spoiler:the maid did it]].
171	* In the play ''Theatre/SherlocksLastCase'' there are two actors listed in the cast list and have bios, neither of which are in the actual play, in order to avoid certain spoilers.
172	* Creator/BDWong started using his initials instead of his full first name after being cast in ''Theatre/MButterfly'' to avoid spoiling the plot twist about his character's [[UnsettlingGenderReveal true gender]].
173	* The stage version of ''Theatre/TheWomanInBlack'' is a scaled down version of the story, with only two actors present. [[spoiler: Except that's not actually true. There is a third actor, who plays the titular ghost. This actor is not credited in the playbill, to ensure that their appearance will come as a shock to the audience.]]
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Video Games]]
177	* In the first ''{{Franchise/Blazblue}}'' game, the Arcade mode credits has the voice actors' names for Hakumen and Nu being put as question marks. Only after beating Story Mode are their seiyuus revealed: the same as [[spoiler:Jin's and Noel's]].
178	* The trailer of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' mentions the voice actors and their character's name, save for one: Creator/JasonIsaacs, [[spoiler: who plays TheManBehindTheMan, {{Satan}}]].
179	* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'': The voice actors for the Death Knight and the Flame Emperor from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are credited as "[[MyNameIsQuestionMarks ???]]" because their identity beneath their mask are crucial spoilers to that game. On the other hand, ''Three Houses'' itself doesn't try to hide spoilers in its credits.
180	* The GreaterScopeVillain of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' is credited as "Warden", obfuscating the character's identity [[spoiler:and the fact that he has disguised himself as another character for the entire game until his jig's up at the endgame]].
181	* The credits in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' obscure the identity of its secret characters by either representing the character as question marks or removing the credit for the associated person entirely until the character is unlocked.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Western Animation]]
185	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': When Creator/DavidWarner voiced Rob, he was usually credited in the title card as a SpecialGuest (even for a very brief appearance in "The Love"). However, Rob's appearance in "The Bus" was as TheManBehindTheMan, so Warner's credit was held back to the regular voice cast for that episode.
186	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SpoiledByTheCastList