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1->'''Tank''': If the war was over tomorrow, Zion’s where the party would be.\
2'''Neo''': It’s a city?\
3'''Tank''': The last human city.\
4'''Neo''': Where is it?\
5'''Tank''': Deep underground near the Earth’s core, where it’s warm. You live long enough, you might see it.
6-->-- ''Film/TheMatrix''[[note]]Zion never appears in this movie but is one of the main settings for the two sequels, ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' and ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions''[[/note]]
7
8A plot element that doesn’t get fully developed, perhaps on the assumption that they’ll have the sequel to take care of it. The element can be a relationship, a theme, or a character that clearly has a lot more possible development, but doesn’t get it. The central plot is no less complete and these aspects may have just been there to enlarge the universe, but they're there and available for later use -- more story to tell later. This can backfire if the sequel doesn't get made.
9
10Compare SequelHook, which only occurs at the end of the story and is specifically geared toward inviting a sequel; SequelAdaptationIconicVillain, in which a famous villain from the hero's RoguesGallery appears in the sequel; DevelopmentGag, where hints of certain pathways the story could have taken are left as tidbits; and RefittedForSequel, where an element is ''dropped'' from the original production only to be modified to fit a later work. ResolvedNoodleIncident is very similar, except that does not require the follow-up to be an official sequel, or for it to be planned originally.
11
12The mouse in WhatHappenedToTheMouse can seem like one of these, but unlike a mouse, something that has been saved didn't disappear, it just wasn't resolved-- it is still present.
13
14When this happens excessively, this will develop into a KudzuPlot.
15
16
17
18----
19!!Examples:
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21[[foldercontrol]]
22
23[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
24* ''Manga/{{Arachnid}}'' gets an ending with little closure for Alice and several loose ends including an UncertainDoom for multiple characters. Years later the sidestory ''Caterpillar'' revealed the survival of its protagonist Imomushi and the plan to turn Alice into a new ShadowDictator. The 2020 sequel named ''Manga/{{Blattodea}}'' then details what happened to ArcVillain Dinoponera after she [[PutOnABusToHell was dropped out of]] ''Arachnid'' from being raped by a zombified mob, letting her recover and become friends with the new protagonist Chiyuri.
25* Reinforce Zwei of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series. During ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]'' she was the very definition of LastEpisodeNewCharacter; she only had a single line at the very end of the last episode of the season. Come ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers StrikerS]]'' onward however she gets considerably more characterization and screen time.
26* Nagisa Momoe, [[spoiler:the MagicalGirl form of the witch [[BreakoutCharacter Charlotte/Bebe]]]] is introduced in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion''. Despite the hype for her appearance and her [[TrailersAlwaysLie prominent placement in advertisements for the movie]] she gets very little characterisation or build-up compared to the other magical girls. WordOfGod says that if they ever do make a sequel to Rebellion they intend to do a lot more with her character. [[spoiler:It wasn’t until ''Magia Record'' that we learned more of Nagisa's story.]]
27[[/folder]]
28
29[[folder:Comic Books]]
30* ''ComicBook/TheAdventuresOfDAndA'': Doctor Feral, the Ultimate Machine, the Dollmaker, and the Prattler were mentioned in an InfoDump in the third story, and were ostensibly going to be used in future stories, but this ultimately didn't happen as this ended up being [[CutShort the comic's last story]].
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
34* Po's origins in the first ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1''. It looks like we're going to find out toward the end of the movie, but then that turns into TheUnreveal. It ends up becoming the premise of [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2 the sequel]].
35[[/folder]]
36
37[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
38* Despite originally being touted as the "secret origin of Spider-Man", ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' left a lot of unanswered questions about Peter's parents and the nature of their experiments, which were finally addressed in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2''.
39* Likewise, ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' doesn't really resolve the situation with Harry's condition, and only introduces the Rhino for a SequelHook concerning the Sinister Six.
40* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
41** A deleted subplot from ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' focusing on Captain America's attempts at rebuilding his old life (which ended up only alluded to) was included in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''.
42** In ''Film/IronMan'', Rhodey looks at the silver prototype Iron Man suit and says, "[[ComicBook/WarMachine Next time, baby]]." Unintentionally funny in that Rhodey had been recast by [[Film/IronMan2 the next film]] where he actually gets to wear the armor.
43** Early drafts of the script for ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' had Baron von Strucker as a side villain working under the ComicBook/RedSkull, the film's BigBad. The writers felt that using Strucker in such a minor role would be a "waste," so they wrote him out. He eventually made his debut in TheStinger of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', and was used briefly as one of the villains in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''.
44** According to Joss Whedon, an amazingly awesome, fist-pumping Hulk moment from the climax of ''Age of Ultron'' was cut for disrupting the flow of the finale. He cited this trope as his reason for not revealing what it was, since Marvel can use it in a future film.
45* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' is an excellent example. When it ended, the plot was resolved, but there was unresolved romance between Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes to provide fodder for the next movie.
46** The film also ends with a teaser involving the first known crime of The Joker, who would then become the BigBad of the sequel.
47* Creator/DenisVilleneuve's [[DividedForAdaptation two-part]] adaptation of ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]'' and ''Film/DunePartTwo'':
48** The {{Sand Worm}}s are alluded to a lot over the course of the first movie and while some attacks of them are shown, they are mostly hide in the sand and just the fangs or head are revealed. The full sight of the worms is saved for the second film.
49** Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Emperor Shaddam IV, Princess Irulan and Lady Margot Fenring were also saved for the second film.
50* This is attempted with Humma Kavula in ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005''. The Point of View Gun was clearly setting up a plot where he tries to brainwash everyone in the galaxy and take Zaphod's place. Too bad there won't be a second movie to make these things worthwhile.
51* ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' ended with several plot points dangling to be picked up in the next installment. Technically, even the last movie of the prequel trilogy, ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', ended with dangling plotlines... which were already resolved in the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogy.
52** In ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' the fate or identity of Rey's family is never revealed, but it was suggested this would be important later on. In ''Film/TheLastJedi'', they have been revealed by Kylo Ren to be [[spoiler:nobody important - drunkards who sold their daughter for drinking money and abandoned her on Jakku]]. Which was then backtracked in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' when it's revealed that [[spoiler:she's the granddaughter of ''Emperor Palpatine'', and her parents sold her to keep her hidden from him.]]
53* In ''Film/TronLegacy'' the son of the bad guy from the original ''Film/{{Tron}}'', played by Cilian Murphy, appears as an Encom board member, but does little save prove his technical savvy and quick mind. With his connection to the history of Tron and the plans for a third movie, it seems likely that he was there to foreshadow a larger role in that plot.
54* In ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'', General Zod is roaring to Jor-El, "[[KneelBeforeZod You will bow down before me, Jor-El! Both you and, one day, your heirs!]]" However, he is then cast into the PhantomZone and we have to wait to the next film to see him carry out that threat.
55* ''Film/GreenLantern2011'' has Sinestro, traditionally Hal Jordan's ArchEnemy as a fellow member of the corp. While this fits in with comics continuity, one gets the feeling that this wouldn't be the case if Warner Brothers wasn't hoping to make it into a franchise.
56* ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' is, of course, the story of the rise of Cobra. So Cobra Commander doesn't become Cobra Commander until the last couple of scenes, setting up the sequel ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation''.
57* Borderline example in ''Film/TheHobbit'', which includes some of the {{retcon}}s and [[AllThereInTheManual context]] that in the original books were included in the sequel ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. It sort of fits in this trope because unlike the books, ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' movies were made first, and ''The Hobbit'' movies are effectively a prequel.
58* Averted in the first ''[[Film/TheTerminator Terminator]]''. There were a couple scenes filmed in which Sarah discovered [=SkyNet=]'s origins in Cyberdine and suggested to Reese that maybe they should try to destroy it to prevent the future war as well as a longer ending in which it was revealed that Cyberdine picked up the destroyed Terminator chip and arm, both setting up events that would occur in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. James Cameron ultimately had these scenes cut. (Though the sequel still used these ideas)
59* ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'' omitted the scenes at the end of the novel on which it is based, in which [[spoiler:Lyra inadvertently betrays her best friend to her father and costs the boy his life.]] We should theoretically have seen those at the start of ''The Subtle Knife.'' Then the whole thing fell through.
60* Although the Mutos of ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'' were introduced as {{Canon Foreigner}}s rather than updated versions of classic Creator/{{Toho}} monsters in order to give the film a bit more narrative freedom, Creator/GarethEdwards has jokingly stated that he is contacting the casting agents of creatures like Mothra and [[ArchEnemy King Ghidorah]] so that they can appear in sequels.
61* The character of ComicBook/{{Gambit}} has been hit by this several times. He was originally intended to make a cameo in ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', (he ended up just being a name on a computer screen) but it was decided to save the character for ''Film/XMenTheLastStand''. After being written out of that film as well, he finally appeared in ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine''. After that film was declared CanonDiscontinuity, there were plans to re-introduce Gambit in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', which also failed to materialize. He's was also set to appear in ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', played by Creator/ChanningTatum, but failed to appear there as well.
62** Jubilee got hit with the same thing. She was originally supposed to appear in ''Days of Future Past'' as one of the future X-Men, but was cut for unknown reasons. She'll instead be used in ''Apocalypse'' as one of the new recruits, but doesn't actually get to do much in the plot..
63** TheStinger of ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' has Wade telling the audience that Cable is planned for the sequel, and he is one of the central characters of ''Film/Deadpool2''.
64* ''Film/Transformers2007'' initially actively intended to have Soundwave as he is one of the staple Decepticons. However, ultimately the creators were unable to settle on a way to portray him right, so he was left for the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen sequel]]. His personality as a diehard loyalist of Megatron was still adapted into Blackout, and his role in the story ended up filled by Barricade and Frenzy.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Literature]]
68* In the first ''Literature/AnonymousRex'' book, Vincent's [[DeadPartner partner has been killed]], leaving him a cynic, but how it happened is left unsaid. The second book is a {{Prequel}} where at the very end the death happens.
69* Creator/BrandonSanderson [[WordOfGod says]] that he has many developments in [[FunctionalMagic BioChroma]] that he plans to put into a sequel to ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' named ''Nightblood''. However, he is not entirely clear on if he will actually write it, and it has been put on hold until after he establishes his ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' series in [[Literature/TheCosmere the same]] [[TheVerse Verse]].
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Music]]
73* Music/{{Queen|Band}}'s "Seven Seas Of Rhye" appears as an unfinished excerpt on [[Music/Queen1973 their first album]], and a full song on [[Music/QueenII their second]].
74* Music/{{Wham}} left "Careless Whisper" off their first album ''Fantastic'' because it was felt to be too mature for the image the band was developing at the time. It therefore appeared on their follow up, ''Make It Big'', though the original plan was to release it as a between-albums single (the recording of which wasn't to their satisfaction). In the UK, the single release was credited to Music/GeorgeMichael exclusively, although it wasn't his true first solo single (that being "A Different Corner", released whilst the band was on hiatus).
75* Music/YellowMagicOrchestra's "You've Got To Help Yourself" appears as a 30-second "preview" on ''Music/NaughtyBoys''; the full song would first appear on the RemixAlbum ''Naughty Boys Instrumental'' before the band put out a vocal rendition on ''Music/{{Service}}'' later that year.
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Video Games]]
79* The $30 expansion for ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' titled ''Enter the Dominatrix'' (originally thought to be an [[AprilFoolsDay April Fools joke]], but later revealed to be real) was announced to be canceled but later released for [[VideoGame/SaintsRowIV the next game]].
80* During the final mission of ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'', the Star Wolf team (who are [[EnemyMine allies to the Star Fox team for the moment]]) draw off the enemy ships pursuing the Star Fox team, allowing them to reach the game's FinalBoss, and are not seen again, leaving it unclear whether they survived. There has been [[VideoGame/StarFoxCommand another game]] released in the series since then and all three members of Star Wolf did appear, confirming that they did survive, though there is ongoing debate among the fandom over whether that game is canon or not.
81* ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger'' does not explain what exactly happened to Arakune, why Litchi is so bent on rescuing him, what Hazama is up to, who he works for, why Carl is looking for his father, what "Amaterasu" is, who the other five of the Six Heroes are, among many other plot details, creating a MindScrew in general. ''VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift'', the sequel, answers these questions and brings up more. For instance, now that we know Carl is looking for his father because he's an absolute scumbag, we learn that he is a {{Chessmaster}} villain but nothing about what he wants or what he intends to do. Arakune is regaining sentience, but Litchi is about to do to herself what Arakune did before. Bang has the power to close portals to The Edge but has yet to have an opportunity to use it. And so forth.
82* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
83** The quarians are worried over a remote star dying far faster than it ought to be. Tali hypothesizes it's due to dark energy affecting the interior of the star, but remarks that no race has the ability or any particular motive to destroy one. Nevertheless, she voices concern over the possibility of an adversary powerful enough to take a star out. The explanation is left open for ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. This ended up as an AbortedArc - it's one of the few dangling threads that isn't addressed at all (not even in one of Shepard's emails).
84** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally this was supposed to be the motive for the Reapers.]] They were intended to be interested in stopping the spreading of Dark Energy before it could tear the universe apart. And the key to this was biotics. [[spoiler:This was replaced with the ending of the entirety of the story being about the Reapers as a Rogue A.I.]] Given the level of reception of the ending, it seems that this could have been better, though that is likely just because the current ending is so unpopular.
85* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
86** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' left a number of loose ends that weren't wrapped up when the story was finished. Fans were expecting a [[UpdatedRerelease "Grey Version"]] following the pattern from past generations, but instead full sequels were released: ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''.
87** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' had Zygarde as a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere, along with two unused moves in the games' code. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen There were plans to release another pair of Kalos games with Zygarde as the version mascot,]] but they were ultimately shelved, so the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the anime]] was used to introduce new Zygarde forms. Meanwhile, the games wouldn't feature them until [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon the next Pokémon generation]], where Zygarde was featured as a sidequest, and was given the unused moves.
88* The Platform/PlayStation version of ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Edge]]'', known outside of Japan as ''[[MarketBasedTitle Soul Blade]]'', was intended to feature certain characters as guest characters but in the end there wasn't time to implement them. Among these guest characters would have been Arthur, Kathandra and Monkasei. Arthur would appear in ''Soulcalibur'' as an optional replacement for Mitsurugi in Arcade machines (mainly for the Korean market but available in American ones too). Kathandra would be renamed to Cassandra and first appear in ''Soulcalibur II''. Monkasei would be reworked into Yunsung and also first appear in ''Soulcalibur II'' (with his name instead being spelled as Yun-seong from ''III'' onward).
89* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
90** Due to ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo being split in two parts]] because of time constraints, most plotlines, the second half of the story, and most (if not all) of the ''Sonic & Knuckles'' content ended up becoming this.
91*** Flying Battery was originally going to be a ''Sonic 3'' stage placed between Carnival Night and [=IceCap=], but they choose to save it for ''Sonic & Knuckles'', feeling that this one would be too short otherwise.
92** Hidden Palace was going to be a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin hidden]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]'' stage where Sonic would gain his [[SuperMode Super form]] after collecting all Chaos Emeralds, but it had to be scrapped due to time constraints. Two years later, the stage was incorporated into ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', albeit using different layout, graphics and music, but keeping its concept, function (replacing Super Sonic with Hyper Sonic) and lore (albeit altered to fit with the game and the established canon), even making the stage more of a pivotal element in the story. Eventually, the 2013 mobile ''Sonic 2'' port added back the Zone as an extra bonus, but it stripped it off its planned functions, lore, music and layout, and changed it into more of a prehistoric-themed stage to differentiate it from the ''[=S3&K=]'' incarnation.
93** The Japanese ''Sonic 3'' manual mentions a legend described in the Chaos Emeralds' altar predicting the coming of a legendary dragon that would bring great disaster, and level concept art briefly seen in a special promoting the then-upcoming ''Sonic & Knuckles'' depicts Super Sonic fighting a dragon-like monster in space, implying that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen it would have been a boss battle]]. Sure enough, ''S&K'''s final level consisted in a battle in space as Super Sonic. However, the boss there was another of Eggman's mechs instead, and [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse there were no more mentions of the dragon]] -- when we visit Hidden Palace (the location of the Emeralds' altar), we only get to see a mural predicting the final battle with Eggman. The plot point would be finally addressed and resolved in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' with the introduction of Chaos, a [[EldritchAbomination legendary ancient monster]] that has a connection to the Chaos Emeralds and a [[OneWingedAngel dragon-shaped ultimate form]], which indeed serves as the TrueFinalBoss fought as Super Sonic (albeit with the setting relocated to a city in ruins).
94* Some elements of ''VideoGame/WarcraftII'''s backstory ([[AllThereInTheManual especially concerning]] [[CosmeticallyDifferentSides the different human factions]]) weren't seen in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', but returned with a vengeance in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.
95* In the first ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'' game, the Omi Alliance is mentioned in passing as a rival yakuza clan operating in Kansai, but other than Terada and a few goons, they have little real impact on the Tojo civil war. The rivalry is explored more fully in ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'', where the Omi takes the role of the main antagonist as they try to push in on the weakened Tojo Clan's territory, which gets further expanded on in both subsequent ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' games, as well as the ''VideoGame/YakuzaKiwami2'' remake.
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98[[folder:Web Original]]
99* In ''Series/{{Noob}}'', Omega Zell and Gaea were meant to both have something big happen to them at the end of Season 5, which was supposed to be the last of the webseries. Part of Season 5's production ran concurrently with a crowfunding campaign meant to finance a movie that would be a sequel to the webseries. When the crowdfunding turned extremely successful, the creator decided to move these big moments to ''Film/NoobLeConseilDesTroisFactions'' so they could be made more impressive than if they had happened during the webseries.
100[[/folder]]
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102[[folder:Western Animation]]
103* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has this to a smaller extent in the form of Kuvira, who appeared briefly in the finale of Season 3 (with a very noticeable character model and soundtrack, mind you) before returning with a [[BigBad much larger role]] in Season 4.
104** It also addresses the issues of the extinct airbenders and Air Nomads caused by the Fire Nation in the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original show]] with the restoration of the Air Nomads by the newly established Air Nation thanks to Harmonic Convergence.
105[[/folder]]

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