History Main / PoorlyDisguisedPilot

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars Eye of the North'' was this for the sequel, ''VideoGame/GuildWars2''. The main storyline had three separate arcs which focused on the Asura, Charr, or Norn, each of which became a playable race in the sequel. The Sylvari was also present in the form of a sapling White Tree. While the primary antagonist was the Great Destroyer, the presence of the Elder Dragons was also foreshadowed, including Kralkatorrik appearing as part of the landscape.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' (''Super Mario Bros. 5'' in Japanese) still has Mario present, but he's mostly just being [[EscortMission escorted]] by Yoshi, and the game, while still considered a main line game, ended up launching the ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' franchise.

* The World Wrestling League was founded in 2012 with the stated purpose of getting wrestlers/luchadors from all over the Americans and Caribbean to work together. It was initially known mainly for its ''[[WhoWouldWin Dream Matches]]'' tours through Mexico and the Dominican Republic, an "[[EvilForeigner invasion]]" series of New Xtreme Order and a couple other Bolivian enterprises or facilitating smaller [[{{Crossover}} cross promotional]] matches and shows such as between Pro Wrestling Revolution and Wrestling/{{CMLL}}, or the Florida based Coastal Championship Wrestling and Ecuadoran WAR. WWL promoted title belts even at this time and booked their holders to go over champions of participating promotions, particularly Wrestling/{{AAA}}'s, but wrestlers from all over, including AAA, contended for and won WWL belts, and WWL arranged for its champions and other talents to appear on shows they normally would not, such as AAA's ''Triplemanía XXI'', so it wasn't that different from other governing bodies like the Wrestling/{{N|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA. Two years in however and the Puerto Rican World Wrestling Council pulled out on account of WWL running [[MeaningfulName an]] ''Insurrection'' event in Puerto Rico that relied not on international or WWC talent but mainly wrestlers from Puerto Rico's independent circuit, particularly those that used to work for WWC's defunct competitor IWA PR. WWL also began running angles similar to IWA's, to the point fans began calling it [[SpiritualSuccessor a resurrection]]. WWL continued to officially bill itself as a coordination facilitator and governing body for awhile but by 2016 it had given up all pretenses of being anything but a promotion intent on running shows exclusive to its own brand and all WWL affiliates besides [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] and The Crash [[OptOut dropped out]].

* PoorlyDisguisedPilot/{{Showcase}}

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', Jack goes to Hollywood and makes a trilogy of LOTR-ish films about himself. He eventually gets caught and exiled from Fabletown, leading into the ''Jack of Fables'' series.
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': Had this happen twice: First when DC acquired Quality Comics' characters and lumped them all together as the new team, the ComicBook/{{Freedom Fighters|DCComics}}, and then when Earth-S, the home of [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], was introduced. Both appeared as guest stars in the yearly Justice League/Justice Society crossovers; both got their own titles afterwards. A test run for Captain Marvel had already been done with the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute "Captain Thunder" in the pages of Superman, but the Big Red Cheese was still ultimately deemed too silly to be in the main DC earth.
* The first three issues of the ReTool of ''Adventures of the Fly'', called ''Fly-Man'', is basically this for the original version of the Mighty Crusaders.
* Lampooned in ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'' #38.
--> '''Deadpool:''' "Bob, Agent of Hydra". One would almost think we were forcing you down our readers' throats as some kind of possible limited series pitch or something.
* The "Bloodlines" Creator/DCComics crossover of the early 90s is basically one massive series of Poorly Disguised Pilots, with that year's "annual" issue for each ongoing series showcasing the origin of a new superhero. Although a few of these "New Blood" characters were later featured in mini-series or ongoing series, the only one that managed any kind of success was Creator/GarthEnnis's ''ComicBook/{{Hitman|1993}}'', which spun out of ''[[ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} The Demon]]''.
* Creator/MarvelComics tried a similar tactic with their 1993 annuals, which each introduced a new character. Of the 27 new characters created, the only one who really caught on was Legacy, who fronted his own series for a while as the new ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}.
* DC tried this again in 2000 with their ''Planet DC'' event, where, once again, a bunch of annuals introducing new characters were launched. The only new heroes who saw any real use were Nemesis (introduced in the ''[[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]]'' annual) and Bushido (introduced in the ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]]'' annual), and even those two ended up being killed off.
* Likewise, an issue of ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' during the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover in Marvel Comics showcases the ComicBook/NewWarriors, who received their own book months later.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' #536 and #537 were used to set the stage for Creator/JMichaelStraczynski's ''Thor'' relaunch. The plot had the FF trying to prevent [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] from claiming the deceased Thor's hammer, which was revealed to have landed near Broxton, Oklahoma after the events of [[{{Gotterdammerung}} Ragnarok]].
* ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Season 9 introduces Billy, a teenage gay male Slayer-wannabe in his own story ''Billy the Vampire Slayer''. However, Billy has only made a few reappearances since then and is forgotten about in season 10.
* Heroic Publishing occasionally uses its ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' title in this manner. Likewise, ''Heroic Spotlight''.
* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' #7 guest-starred [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] and ended with him returning to Atlantis to quash a coup led by Warlord Krang, directly setting up the ''Sub-Mariner'' feature that began running in ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish'' several months later.
* Creator/MarvelComics, at the start of the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], had what are now called "tryouts". For instance, one [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Human Torch]] story features a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica impostor and asks the readers if they wanted to bring back the real Captain America. On the other hand, the [[FanDumb fevered imagination of fans]] (and/or the greed of comic book speculators) has been prone to see tryouts in Marvel's pre-superhero era even when links between the precursor and later characters are tenuous at best (e.g., a '50s monster character who happens to be called "Hulk" and was renamed Xemnu the Titan once ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk showed up to avoid confusion).
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** Creator/DCComics occasionally tried out the ''idea'' of a character before going forward with "the real thing." DC's first DistaffCounterpart characters to Superman ([[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] temporarily getting powers and operating as "Superwoman" and ComicBook/{{Superboy}} [[GenderBender turning into a girl]] and operating as "Claire Kent, Super-Sister") were probably not tryouts so much as one-shot story ideas. But 1958's ''ComicBook/Superman1939'' #123: "The Girl of Steel" was clearly a dry run for ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. In that story, [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy Olsen]] uses a magic totem to wish for a "Super-Girl" who would be a companion and helpmate for Superman. It doesn't work out all that well, and Jimmy ends up wishing the girl out of existence at her own request. Reaction was positive enough that DC introduced Kara Zor-El, the real Supergirl, shortly after in ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton1959''.
** ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'': Nick Spencer's AbortedArc would've seen Kara teaming up with Characters/{{Robin|DamianWayne}} (Damian Wayne), ComicBook/{{Static}}, Characters/{{Batgirl}} (Stephanie Brown), ComicBook/BlueBeetle (Jaime Reyes), Miss Martian and Impulse (Irey West). According to Spencer, the plan was to use the storyline as a backdoor pilot for a new ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' relaunch starring those characters, but he ended up being replaced on the book before his first issue was released.
** ''ComicBook/DCComicsPresents'' #47 "ComicBook/FromEterniaWithDeath" introduced the world of Eternia from the ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse''. About sixh months later, "ComicBook/FateIsTheKiller" was published as a backup story in sixteen titles published by DC Comics, being followed by the first ''Masters of the Universe'' comic series later that year, and then by the ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' original cartoon.
* Both Marvel and DC often launched features from titles that had no "regular" star. Those features would then, if popular enough, get their own titles:
** ComicBook/SpiderMan is perhaps the most famous case. He first appeared as the cover character of the fifteenth issue of ''Amazing Fantasy'', an anthology series that was being canceled, despite an editor's note promising that ''Amazing Fantasy'' would be continued in a new format with a Spider-Man story every month. That promise would be fulfilled by a new title, ''The Amazing Spider-Man''.
** Marvel would revive ''Amazing Fantasy'' in the 2000s as, essentially, an entire series of potential pilots: [[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Anya Corazón]] got her own book shortly afterwards called Araña: Heart of the Spider. She would later become the sidekick of Ms. Marvel ([[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]]) before being retooled as the new Spider-Girl. More successful than her is probably [[Characters/IncredibleHulkSupportingCharacters Amadeus Cho]], who co-starred in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'' and eventually became the ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk and then renamed himself to Brawn. Only a few other characters, such as Dr. Monica Rappaccini, Death's Head 3.0, Monstro, and Vampire by Night, ever showed up anywhere after the series, and even then mostly in supporting roles.
* Speaking of Creator/GregPak's ''ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk'' run, one arc had Amadeus team up with a group of fellow Asian and Asian-American superheroes like ComicBook/ShangChi, [[Characters/MarvelComicsKamalaKhan Ms. Marvel]], Characters/{{Silk|MarvelComics}} and Jimmy Woo. Several of these characters later reunited during ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' as the new ''ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas'', with Pak returning to write their book.
* DC's ''Showcase'' launched a large number of successful features, including the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] versions of ''ComicBook/TheFlash'', ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' and ''ComicBook/TheAtom'', ''ComicBook/ChallengersOfTheUnknown'', ''ComicBook/MetalMen'', ''Sea Devils'', and many more. The series lasted from 1956 to 1970, and was briefly revived from 1977 to 1978. The series introduced and/or spotlighted:
** Fred Farrell, Fire Fighter debuts in issue #1 (April, 1956). He didn't make it as a protagonist, but has his share of appearances in crossover stories.
** Issue #2 (May, 1956) is a theme issue for stories set in the wilderness, introducing three would-be protagonists. The first is Eagle Feather, a [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans Native American]] shepherd who has to hunt and kill the mountain lion which preys on his sheep. The second is an unnamed [[TheRunaway Orphan Runaway]] who manages to bond with a stray dog and save lives in a fire. The third is Billy, a trained circus bear, who is lost in the woods and has to survive in his new surroundings. The issue was not deemed popular enough to have sequels.
** Issue #3 (July, 1956) features Doug the "sardine", a trainee frogman (term for combat divers) who has to prove to his fellows that his short stature is not a liability to the team. Again, not a winning concept for an ongoing series.
** ComicBook/TheFlash[=/=][[Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen Barry Allen]] debuts in issue #4 (October, 1956). He also headlines issues #8 (June, 1957) and #13-14 (April-June, 1958). The character had enough positive feedback for DC to revive the old ''The Flash'' series with Barry as the protagonist, starting with issue #105 (March, 1959). His ongoing lasted to 1985, making the greatest hit to graduate from ''Showcase''.
** Issue #5 (November, 1956) is another theme issue, featuring "manhunters" (people who take part in an organized search for a wanted man or fugitive). The protagonists are Detective Harry Fowler, FBIAgent Don Reed, and SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Frank Drew who hunts master criminal The Eel around the globe. None of the characters were deemed popular enough to reuse in later stories.
** The ComicBook/ChallengersOfTheUnknown debut in #6 (February, 1957). They also headlined #7 (April, 1957) and #11-12 (December, 1957-February, 1958). They gained enough positive feedback to gain their own series starting in May, 1958. Their original series was published regularly to 1970, and sporadically to 1978 when it was cancelled for good.
** [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] headlines issues #9-10 (August-September, 1957). Feedback was positive enough for Lois to gain her own series, starting in March, 1958. Her ongoing lasted to 1974.
** Space Ranger debuts in #15 (August, 1958). This hero of TheFuture also headlines #16 (September, 1958), but failed to generate enough interest to launch an ongoing. He instead became the cover character of the anthology ''Tales of the Unexpected'' starting with issue #40 (August, 1959). He maintained this position to 1964.
** ComicBook/AdamStrange debuts in #17 (December, 1958). He also headlines #18-19 (February-April, 1959). Feedback and sales were not enough to give him an ongoing, but were also too good to discontinue the character. He became the cover character of the anthology ''Mystery in Space'', starting with issue #53 (August, 1959). He was regularly featured there to 1965.
** ComicBook/RipHunter, Time Master debuts in #20 (June, 1959). He also headlines #21 (July, 1959) and #25-26 (March-May, 1960). The {{Time Travel}}er generated enough interest to "graduate" to his own ongoing series, starting in April 1961. His ongoing lasted to 1965. He eventually got revived for television, as the leader of the ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', played by Creator/ArthurDarvill, who had [[Series/DoctorWho time travelled before]].
** ComicBook/GreenLantern[=/=]Hal Jordan debuts in #22 (October, 1959). He also headlines #23-24 (December, 1959-February, 1960). Feedback and sales were positive enough for Hal to "graduate" to his own ongoing series, starting in August 1960. His ongoing was regularly published to 1972. It was revived in 1976 and (with a couple of revamps on the way) lasted to 1988.
** The Sea Devils debut in #27 (August, 1960). They also headline #28-29 (October-December, 1960). They are a quartet of scuba-diving adventurers with notable similarities to both the earlier Challengers of the Unknown and the later ComicBook/FantasticFour. Feedback and sales were positive enough for them to "graduate" to their own ongoing series, starting in October, 1961. It lasted to 1967.
** ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} and Aqualad headlined issues #30-33 (February-August, 1961). While the main character was already appearing in anthology series, this trial run established that Aquaman could work with longer stories. He "graduated" to his own ongoing series, starting in January 1962. His ongoing was published to 1971, was revived in 1977 and was cancelled in 1978.
** ComicBook/TheAtom[=/=]Ray Palmer debuted in #34 (October, 1961). He also headlined issues #35-36 (November-December, 1961). Feedback and sales were positive enough for him to "graduate" to his own ongoing series, starting in July, 1962. His ongoing lasted to 1969, with a brief revival in 2010.
** The ComicBook/MetalMen debuted in #37 (March-April, 1962) and were reportedly intended as a one-shot concept to begin with. But due to positive feedback, they also headlined #38-40 (June-September, 1962) and "graduated" to their own ongoing series, starting May, 1963. Their series was regularly published to 1970, had revivals in 1973 and 1976, and was cancelled in 1978.
** A revamped version of [[TheForties 1940s]] character Tommy Tomorrow headlined issues #41-42 (November, 1962-January, 1963), #44 (May, 1963), and #46-47 (September-December, 1963). The regular Tommy stories typically featured the character as an experienced officer, while the revamped stories covered his training years and the earliest points of his career. Neither version generated reader interest, so the character landed from ''Showcase'' to ComicBookLimbo.
** Film/JamesBond headlined issue #43 (March, 1963). Basically, DC gained the rights to reprint a British comic book adaptation of the film ''Film/DrNo''. While they also licensed the rights to create their own stories with the character, they never used them and the license expired c. 1972.
** ComicBook/SgtRock headlined issue #45 (August, 1963). He was already the cover character of an anthology series, but DC apparently considered him for "graduation" to his own series. He did not "graduate", and continued dominating the anthology title ''Our Army at War'' to 1977. The series was then renamed after him.
** Cave Carson headlined issues #48-49 (January-March, 1964) and #52 (October, 1964). The character was a spelunker and TunnelKing. Again there was little to no reader interest and the character ended up in ComicBookLimbo. It wouldn't be until [[ComicBook/CaveCarsonHasACyberneticEye several decades]] and {{ContinuityReboot}}s later that he would get a series of his own.
** King Faraday headlined issues #50-51 (May-July, 1964). In this case the stories were reprints of his [[TheFifties 1950s]] SpyFiction adventures. While it was hoped that the stories would enough to warrant a revival of the character, there was no reader interest and consequently no revival.
** Franchise/GIJoe headlined issues #53-54 (November, 1964-January, 1965). An adaptation of a then-new toy from Creator/{{Hasbro}}, again nothing really came of it. The characters ended up moving to Creator/MarvelComics to more success and eventually, their own cartoon.
** ComicBook/DoctorFate and Hourman headlined issues #55-56 (April-June, 1965). DC had recently revived the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica and was variously testing the waters for further use of the characters involved. These issues did not generate enough interest for either hero to get his own series. Their lasting mark was a successful revival of 1940s villain Solomon Grundy who would become a recurring character again. As for the heroes, they remained supporting characters of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica for several years.
** ComicBook/EnemyAce headlined issues #57-58 (August-October, 1965). He was then a fairly recently-created character and the stories helped flesh him out, but again not enough reader interest and no series for him. At least for a while. He became the cover character of the anthology ''Star-Spangled War Stories'' from 1968 to 1970.
** The ComicBook/TeenTitans headlined issue #59 (December, 1965). Feedback was positive and the Titans "graduated" to their own series in February, 1966. Their ongoing series was published regularly to 1973, was revived in 1976, and cancelled in 1978.
** ComicBook/TheSpectre headlined issues #60-61 (February-April, 1966) and #64 (October, 1966). The character had not been used in two decades and these issues successfully revived him. It took a while to fully re-establish him but he "graduated" to his own series in December, 1967. His ongoing series lasted to 1969.
** The Inferior Five debuted in #62 (June, 1966). They also headlined issues #63 (August, 1966) and #65 (November, 1966). A SuperTeam consisting of inept super-heroes, they were positively received. They "graduated" to their own title in April, 1967. Their ongoing was published regularly to 1968, and then was briefly revived in 1972.
** B'wana Beast debuted in #66 (February, 1967). He also headlined issue #67 (April, 1967). He was a [[TheBeastmaster Beastmaster]] who could create MixAndMatchCritters. The character received mostly negative feedback and a planned third issue was never created. The character fell to ComicBookLimbo.
** The Maniaks debuted in #68 (May, 1967). They also headlined issues #69 (July, 1967) and #71 (November, 1967). The characters were a rock group consisting of three guys and one woman, having wacky adventures. The woman Silver Shannon served as MsFanservice and the GoldDigger in search of rich mates. At the finale of each issue the Maniaks would [[BreakingTheFourthWall Break the Fourth Wall]] and appeal to readers, asking them to support their tryout in Showcase. It didn't work and the Maniaks entered ComicBookLimbo. Silver seems to be the only character actually remembered by later writers, as she was revived as a supporting character in the Power Company (2002).
** Binky Biggs, the 1940s teenage humor character, headlined issue #70 (September, 1967). DC was at the time attempting to revive its defunct teenage humor-line in an apparent attempt to compete with ComicBook/ArchieComics. It seems DC didn't really wait long enough to do a proper tryout, as he did "graduate" to his own series after a single issue. His original series ''Leave it to Binky'' was revived with issue #61 (June, 1968) and lasted under this name to 1970. The series was then renamed to ''Binky'', and continued to 1971. It was again briefly revived in 1977, but that was the end of it and the character.
** Issue #72 (February, 1968) reprinted older [[TheWestern Western Stories]], notably including sample stories of the Trigger Twins and Johnny Thunder. They were characters from the classic Western line of DC which had lasted from 1948 to 1961. Whether DC was seriously considering revivals for them, or this was a {{Filler}} issue is unknown. But nothing came of it.
** [[Characters/BatmanSupportingCast The Creeper]] debuted in #73 (April, 1968). DC did not really wait for feedback and immediately launched an ongoing series for him: ''Beware the Creeper'' (May, 1968). It lasted to 1969.
** Anthro debuted in #74 (May, 1968). He was supposedly the first Cro-Magnon boy born to a [[AllCavemenWereNeanderthals Neanderthal tribe]]. His adventures were supposed to chronicle the birth of modern humanity, his descendants. Again DC did not really wait for feedback and launched an ongoing for him in August, 1968. It lasted to 1969.
** ComicBook/HawkAndDove debuted in #75 (June, 1968). They were two heroic siblings with opposing ideologies, serving as {{Straw Character}}s. Hawk was a militant guy who advocated violence in support of a proper cause, and let his fists do the talking for him. Dove was a pacifist who advocated finding peaceful resolutions and reaching a compromise. Their solutions to any given situation were supposed to reflect upon the political and ideological conflicts of [[TheSixties 1960s]]. DC once more did not wait for feedback and launched an ongoing for them in September 1968, ''The Hawk and the Dove''. It lasted to 1969.
** Bat Lash debuted in #76 (August, 1968). DC was inspired by the popularity of {{Spaghetti Western}}s to launch a new Western series, but with a twist. In contrast to the unambiguous heroes of their older series in the genre, Bat was a LovableRogue, a [[TheCasanova Womanizer]], a ProfessionalGambler, and a ReluctantWarrior. He did not actively look for trouble, but his WalkingTheEarth often landed him in troubled places. DC was too confident in the concept to wait for feedback, and launched an ongoing for him in November, 1968. It lasted to 1969.
** ComicBook/AngelAndTheApe debuted in #77 (September, 1968). Without waiting for feedback, DC launched their ongoing series in December, 1968. It kept its name for 3 issues, then was renamed to ''Meet Angel'' to emphasize the female partner of the duo. Under the new name it lasted to the end of 1969.
** Jonny Double debuted in #78 (November, 1968). He was a [[PerpetualPoverty Perpetually Broke]] PrivateDetective who tried to make a living on what his customers were willing to pay him. DC was not eager to give him an ongoing series, so the character went straight to ComicBookLimbo. In this case, however, writers of the [[TheSeventies 1970s]] did find use of him in several series headlined by more popular characters. So Jonny is better known for supporting roles in stories of the Challengers of the Unknown, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, ComicBook/WonderWoman, and Kobra.
** Dolphin debuted in #79 (December, 1968). She was a mysterious {{Apparently Human Mer|folk}}woman with an implied WildChild background. Her first appearance covered her first contact with human civilization and learning basic language skills. Again DC had no real plans for her and she went straight to ComicBookLimbo. In the [[TheEighties 1980s]] she became a member of the SuperTeam Forgotten Heroes, which consisted of other characters who had not been used in a while, took part in the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, and had a team-up with ComicBook/AnimalMan. In the [[TheNineties 1990s]], she joined the supporting cast of ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}.
** ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger headlined issue #80 (February, 1969). In this case DC was eager to revive the 1950s character, and launched his new series in June, 1969. It was regularly published to 1976. It had a brief revival in 2010.
** Windy and Willy debuted in #81 (March, 1969). They were actually modified versions of older characters. DC had earlier published a comic book adaptation of ''Series/TheManyLovesOfDobieGillis'' and wished to reuse it, in another attempt to appeal to the market for teen-humor stories. But they weren't willing to pay the owners of the television show just to reprint stories they already legally owned. So, the original protagonists Dobie Gillis and Maynard G. Krebs were modified to Willy and Windy. Once again DC did not wait for any feedback, and launched a new ongoing for the duo in June, 1969. It flopped in sales and was cancelled after only 4 issues. It was the least successful series to come out of the pages of ''Showcase''.
** Nightmaster debuted in #82 (May, 1969). He also headlined issues #83-84 (June-August, 1969). The basic concept was that modern-day rock musician Jim Rook and his girlfriend Janet Jones walk into TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday and find themselves in a [[HeroicFantasy Sword and Sorcery]] dimension. Jim learns that he is a descendant and a LegacyCharacter to a local sword-wielding hero. Inheriting the Sword of Night, a CoolSword with mystical powers, Jim becomes the Nightmaster and gets involved in the conflicts of his new home dimension. The Nightmaster did not sell well enough to "graduate" to an ongoing series, and went straight to ComicBookLimbo. He was revived in the 1990s with cameos in ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'' and ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'', and more substantial roles in ''Primal Force'' and ''ComicBook/SwampThing''. In the 2000s, he joined the ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}.
** Firehair debuted in #85 (September, 1969). He also headlined issues #86-87 (November-December, 1969). Firehair was a white boy RaisedByNatives, named for his Red Hair. As an infant in the Old West, Firehair experienced the violent death of his parents at the hands of the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans. But the leader of the tribe decided to raise the boy as his own son. As a young adult, Firehair finds himself with all the supreme fighting skills of the MightyWhitey, but none of the respect. His own tribe despises him because of his looks, while the White Man sees his as a strange-looking [[TheSavageIndian Savage Indian]]. So he starts WalkingTheEarth, trying to find a place which will truly accept him, and saving some lives in the process. According to his origin story, a shaman predicted that his destiny will be to be constantly despised by both his own people and by anyone he tried to help. The concept did not sell well enough and Firehair went straight to ComicBookLimbo. He was revived in 1971, when he briefly became the second feature of the ''ComicBook/{{Tomahawk}}'' series.
** Jason Grant debuted in #88 (February, 1970). He also headlined issues #89-90 (April-June, 1970). The story had a young man on a personal quest. In a DeathbedConfession, Jason's "father" reveals that Jason is adopted. His real father had been killed by orders of [[TheDon Crime Lord]] Tuborg. The same man who caused the fatal wounds of the adoptive father. Now Jason has to locate his [[LongLostRelative Long Lost Sister]], and the hidden records or evidence of Tuborg's past misdeeds. Armed with a grainy photo, a guitar and a second-hand import motorbike, Jason wonders Western Europe to fulfill his quest. The concept did not sell well and Jason went to ComicBookLimbo. He has had a couple of cameos over the years, but nothing substantial.
** Manhunter 2070 debuted in #91 (August, 1970). He also headlined issues #92-93 (August-September, 1970), which were originally the last issues of ''Showcase''. This version of Manhunter is a space-traveling BountyHunter. In 2053, young Starker witnessed the murder of his father and was himself enslaved by SpacePirates. He spend his years of captivity in secretly studying and learning as many of his captors' skills as he could. Which he eventually used to bargain for a position in their crew. He used his position to destroy them from within, killing all those involved with the murder of his father and delivering the rest to the authorities. This act taught him that one can make a living by hunting outlaws. By 2070, Starker is a veteran bounty hunter with a ruthless streak. The concept did not sell well enough to give him a series and this Manhunter went to ComicBookLimbo. Several writers have since revived him for various space-faring adventures.
** The ComicBook/DoomPatrol headlined issues #94-96 (September, 1977-January, 1978), the first ones of the revived series. With most of the original members dead, these issues written by Paul Kupperberg got to introduce some new blood. The new version served as guest stars in various titles, but never graduated to their own series until 1987, which was later eclipsed by Creator/GrantMorrison's run when they took over writing the series from Kupperberg.
** Characters/PowerGirl headlined issues #97-99 (February-April, 1978). Though possibly well-received, the DC Implosion resulted in the cancelling of many of the ongoing titles of the company. It was no time to launch a new title.
** Issue #100 (May, 1978) was a MilestoneCelebration and a change of pace of the series. Instead of a sales pitch for a new series, this featured a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover. A Crisis of some type requires heroes from different eras to join forces and try to rescue reality itself. These heroes happened to include almost every character to ever headline ''Showcase'', in a celebration of the series' history. Most characters get cameos, but the story serves as ADayInTheLimelight for Lois Lane and Angel O'Day who co-operate in actually ending the Crisis.
** ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}[=/=]Katar Hol headlined issues #101-103 (June-August, 1978). Basically he had a crossover with Adam Strange, featuring a war between the planets Rann and Thanagar. Nothing came of it, and Hawkman remained a featured player in the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.
** UsefulNotes/{{OSS}} headlined issue #104 (September, 1978), with stories set in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and featuring various agents. Went on to be the regular backup feature of ''G.I. Combat'', behind headliner ''ComicBook/TheHauntedTank''. ''Showcase'' itself was cancelled at this point, though there were two more issues awaiting publication. Their material became available later through other formats.
** Deadman would have headlined #105, as a sales pitch to get him an eponymous series. No such luck until 1985.
** The Creeper would have headlined #106, since there were creators campaigning to get him a second series. No such luck until 1997.
** There were known plans for subsequent issues. At least one featuring the [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]][=/=]Helena Wayne and a ''World of Krypton'' story which would further flesh out the background of Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'s doomed homeworld. This version of Huntress would get a backup series in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] which was often more popular than the main feature, while ''ComicBook/WorldOfKrypton'' would be published as a mini-series in 1979. [[UrExample The first miniseries, in fact]].
* DC tried to get a second try-out book off the ground in the mid-70s, partially as a replacement to the by-then-canceled ''Showcase''. It's called ''First Issue Special'', and it started because publisher Carmine Infantino realized first issues sell better and wanted a series where ''every'' issue was the first (seriously). Incidentally, this means that each premise was only afforded one issue, whereas most often in ''Showcase'' a feature would headline for two or three issues. It only ran for 12 issues, and it only launched one comic, ''Warlord''. ''Warlord'' ended up running about ''ten times'' as long as ''First Issue Special'' did -- from 1976 to 1988. About half of the other issues feature established characters like the Creeper or Dr. Fate; the non-Warlord characters created for ''First Issue Special'' mostly disappeared after their headlining ish, though the Green Team received a quickly-canceled revival in 2013.
* For various convoluted reasons, Marvel was limited to printing a certain number of titles in the '60s. When no longer under that restriction, Marvel launched several of its own ''Showcase''-style titles, such as ''Marvel Spotlight'', which launched features such as ''ComicBook/WerewolfByNight'', ''ComicBook/GhostRider'', and ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman''.
** Some of this was due to the introduction of UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode. MoralGuardians convinced comic publishers to ban horror-related subjects like vampires, ghouls, and the undead, and those titles floundered for awhile, eventually throwing out different subjects and characters to see what would stick. This was easy enough to do, as many of them were [[AnthologyComic anthology comics]] with 3-4 stories per issue. ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMystery'' started telling the story of [[Characters/MarvelComicsThorOdinson Thor]], and the [[Characters/MarvelComicsBruceBanner Hulk]] (after his one-shot series was canceled) started to guest star in ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish''. In ''ComicBook/TalesOfSuspense'', the stories introducing ComicBook/IronMan and reintroducing ComicBook/CaptainAmerica spawned their own titles.
** Earlier, in the late 1960s, Marvel did it with ''Marvel Super-Heroes'', a larger-than-normal comic whose lead feature launched such stars as ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/KaZar, and the ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy, with classic 1940s and 50s stories backing it up!
*** The Guardians of the Galaxy got this treatment ''twice''. First they were introduced in Marvel Super Heroes in the late '60s, and nothing came of it. A few years later they made guest appearances in ''ComicBook/MarvelTwoInOne'' and ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'' before they got their own book as the stars of ''Marvel Presents''.
** Likewise, ComicBook/DoctorStrange debuted in ''Strange Tales'', a former horror anthology series that had been turned into a split book featuring various characters like the Human Torch. The feature became so popular that the series was eventually retitled ''Doctor Strange'' with issue #169. Another feature, ''ComicBook/NickFury: Agent of ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}'' (which had {{ReTool}}ed Fury from a [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WW2-era soldier]] to a Film/JamesBond-esque UsefulNotes/ColdWar super spy), was also spun off into its own book.
* Creator/ArchieComics tried to salvage their failing 1960s superhero line by using "Mighty Comics" as their "Showcase", featuring such heroes as The Web, The Shield, The Black Hood, and Steel Sterling. It wound up killing the line for about 15 years.
* One StoryArc in ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' is this for "Excelsior", a support group for former teen heroes that ended up getting sent to chase the main characters. It was eventually launched as ''ComicBook/TheLoners'', after it turned out that the trademark on "Excelsior" belonged to Creator/StanLee, who had put out a book about his experiences in comics by that title.
* Creator/JackKirby famously begin planting the seeds for his upcoming ''[[ComicBook/NewGods Fourth World]]'' family of titles in the pages of ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen''. This included the first appearance of [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], who would go on to be the BigBad of the ''Fourth World'' books.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** During the nineties, Spider-Man meets during a battle with ComicBook/{{Hydra}} a superhero named "Shoc", obviously meant to appear in his own series. It's also pretty obvious who his SecretIdentity was. Fortunately, he was quickly forgotten.
** Speedball first appeared in a ''Spider-Man Annual'' that depicted him on the cover, soaring over both Spidey and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMattMurdock Daredevil]]. The annual shoehorned Speedball into the main story and featured a solo back-up tale. This led to a short-lived solo series, ''ComicBook/SpeedballTheMaskedMarvel''. Despite this, the character has been around for about 30 years, was a prominent member of ComicBook/NewWarriors, and played a large role in ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}''.
** ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan1963'' #86 was meant to set up the short-lived ''ComicBook/BlackWidow'' solo series that appeared in ''Amazing Adventures''.
** ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan1963'' #92 featured a guest appearance from [[Characters/MarvelComicsIceman Iceman]] of the X-Men. The story was apparently testing the waters for an Iceman/Doctor Strange split-book that had been planned, but the series never materialized.
* Issue 99 of Gerard Jones's ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' run is clearly an attempt to drum up support for a series about the altered children who took over the issue, the Strangebrood. This didn't pan out, and the Strangebrood never showed up again anywhere.
* ''ComicBook/JLA1997'' has several arcs that serve as preludes for new series.
** The "Crisis Times Five!" arc from Creator/GrantMorrison's run ended with several former members of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica deciding that it might be time to put the team back together and mentor the newest generation of heroes, leading into James Robinson and David Goyer's ''JSA'' relaunch.
** The "Obsidian Age" arc ended with Aquaman resigning from the team and being put on trial for sinking Atlantis, leading directly into Rick Veitch's 2003 ''Aquaman'' relaunch.
** Creator/KurtBusiek introduced the ComicBook/PowerCompany in the 61st issue before quickly spinning them off in their own series.
** The "Tenth Circle" storyline by Creator/JohnByrne and Creator/ChrisClaremont served to set up John Byrne's ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' relaunch, establishing revamped versions of the team's original roster of the Chief, Elasti-Girl, Robotman and Negative Man as well as adding Justice League member Faith and new characters Grunt, Nudge and Vortex as additional recruits for the team.
* The penultimate issue of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} ''Justice League'' series was a [[WholeEpisodeFlashback Whole Issue Flashback]] detailing Characters/{{Robin}}'s first encounter with the League. The story served as a lead-in to the ComicBook/DCRebirth ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]]'' book that launched not long after.
* In 2005, the anthology series ''ComicBook/StarWarsTales'' featured two stories taking place in the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' era. One is issue sized while the other lasts only six pages. Two months after the release of the issue featuring the first story, a ''ComicBook/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' comic series was announced. It was likely that both ideas were created around the same time, however.
* The notorious 'ComicBook/ThePunisher Goes Black' story arc in 1992 that guest-starred Characters/LukeCage served as a pilot for the 1990s Cage series.
* ''ComicBook/XFactor'', the reunion of the original 5 Silver Age ComicBook/XMen members, was set up by events that occurred in several other Marvel titles at the time:
** A crossover of sorts between ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' #263 and ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' #286 revealed that [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]], who had seemingly died at the end of ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'', was actually alive in a cocoon at the bottom of Jamaica Bay.
** ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'' #201 saw [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] leave the X-Men after losing a duel for leadership of the team to [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]].
** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders New Defenders]]'' ended with most of the team being killed off, with former X-Men members [[Characters/MarvelComicsAngel Angel]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsBeast Beast]], and [[Characters/MarvelComicsIceman Iceman]] left as the only survivors.
** The ''ComicBook/{{Dazzler}}'' series ended with the title character seeking a new beginning, with Beast recommending that she join the new team he was putting together.
** All (or most) of these plot points led to Cyclops, Jean, Angel, Beast and Iceman reuniting and forming a new team, X-Factor. Despite the tease, [[AbortedArc Dazzler did not end up as part of this new series]], as the initial plan to have her be the fifth member of X-Factor was abandoned when editorial decided to resurrect Jean.
* Speaking of ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'', they also got their start this way. Prior to the launch of the series, the three future core members of the Defenders (ComicBook/DoctorStrange, [[Characters/MarvelComicsBruceBanner The Incredible Hulk]] and [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]]) teamed up in a crossover that ran between their solo books, followed by a second crossover where Namor partnered with the Hulk and the Characters/SilverSurfer in his own series. The final stretch of the original ''New Defenders'' series also featured two prominent guest appearances from a pair of husband and wife private detectives known as Cutlass and Typhoon, who were seemingly being teased for a potential spin-off that never went anywhere.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsFrankCastle The Punisher]] himself has his own pilot in the pages of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' (man, Spidey is popping up a lot).
* Another famous case is [[Characters/MarvelComicsLogan Wolverine]]. He first popped up in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk''. The creators wanted to use him in other titles but didn't have a clear idea what they wanted to do with the character. They ended up tossing him onto the ComicBook/XMen, in large part because he had been identified as Canadian and they wanted "international" characters for the new team.
* ComicBook/PatsyWalker was resurrected in a storyline that ran across the 2000 annuals for ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' and ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'', before receiving a SpinOff ''ComicBook/{{Hellcat}}'' limited series. The mini-series was even advertised at the end of the ''Avengers'' annual.
* Chuck Austen's final few issues of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' serve as a springboard for the ''[[ComicBook/TheInvadersMarvelComics New Invaders]]''. This is a particularly egregious example, as the finished product reads like an Invaders story that just happens to guest star a few of the Avengers.
* ''Avengers World'' had an ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'' tie-in that ran in issues #16-17, where, after undergoing a temporary CharacterAlignment change, [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] formed his own team of heroes to stop the evil Characters/ScarletWitch. The story ended with the heroic Doom using the Witch's power to resurrect [[Characters/AntManHeroes Cassie Lang]], a plot point that had very little to do with the story at hand, but existed to set up the new ''ComicBook/AstonishingAntMan'' series that launched soon after, and under the same writer to boot.
* The ''ComicBook/FearItself: The Home Front'' mini-series had a 3-part story featuring [[Characters/MarvelComicsLauraKinney X-23]], [[Characters/IncredibleHulkSupportingCharacters Amadeus Cho]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Spider-Girl]] and the new Power Man and Thunderstrike. The story was clearly meant to build momentum for a new teen superhero team featuring the characters, but it never got off the ground.
* This wasn't even the first time this happened to Amadeus Cho. During the ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' crossover, the main ''Incredible Hulk'' series did an arc about an eclectic team of heroes that consisted of Amadeus, Hercules, Angel, Namora and the Carmilla Black version of Scorpion. The characters were meant to be spun-off in a new team book called ''The Renegades'', but the pitch ended up being turned down by Marvel. However, the arc ''did'' successfully springboard another series: ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules''.
* The second and third issues of the original ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics'' series give one of the flip-sides to ''ComicBook/{{Shadowhawk}}'' and Supreme, respectively. The fourth issue features a prelude to ''ComicBook/{{Pitt}}'', but without the flip-book format.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** Near the end of its run, ''ComicBook/{{The Transformers|Marvel}}'' gave heavy focus to the super hero team, the Neo Knights, even giving them their own spotlight issue and having them play a fairly large role in defeating Unicron in the final issue. It would later be revealed that the Neo Knights were Simon Furman's attempt to become one of Marvel's main writers, with Furman admitting in the last issue's letters page that he believed that the ''Transformers'' were finished as a franchise and that trying to get a Neo Knights spinoff was his new focus.
** The plot for ''ComicBook/TransformersGeneration2'' is kicked off in a {{Crossover}} with ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'', which had an earlier crossover with the Marvel ''Transformers'' comic, but otherwise ignored the other comic.
** ''ComicBook/TransformersVsVisionaries'' was likely one for the WesternAnimation/{{Visionaries}}. Hasbro and IDW revived a short lived and long forgotten '80s property to prominently debut in their [[ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse shared comic universe]] through a crossover with the Transformers. What's more, the crossover came right as said universe was preparing to be discontinued and IDW made it's plot required reading for the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersUnicron final event comic]]. It's almost certain that IDW was testing the waters to see if a ''Visionaries'' standalone comic was viable.
* The final issues of the ''ComicBook/SupermanGrounded'' storyline were intended by writer Chris Roberson as (among other things) a backdoor pilot for a "Supermen of America" series.
* [[Creator/ChristopherPriestComics Christopher Priest]] has admitted he only added the Korean heroine Mystek to the ''[[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League Task Force]]'' during his run to set her up for her own mini-series. [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun When plans for the mini-series were axed, Priest quickly killed her off.]]
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'':
** ''The New Teen Titans'' Annual #2 introduces us to ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}, who got his own comic book the following month.
** Creator/GailSimone and Creator/RobLiefeld had collaborated on a two-issue ''Teen Titans'' filler arc that saw the Titans team up with ComicBook/HawkAndDove to battle Kestrel. According to Liefeld, the arc was testing the waters for a ''Titans East'' spin-off series that never got made.
** Creator/GeoffJohns' run had a two-part crossover with ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' titled "Superboy and the Legion", which entailed the two teams battling the Fatal Five Hundred (an AllianceOfAlternates consisting of the Legion's enemies the Fatal Five and 99 alternate counterparts thereof) and served as the beginning of the Threeboot era of the Legion run by Creator/MarkWaid, with the Threeboot continuity being created by a CosmicRetcon resulting from the energies unleashed by destroying every Persuader's Atomic Axe.
** The second-to-last ''Teen Titans'' storyline by Felicia Henderson was meant to be a backdoor pilot for a new ''ComicBook/{{Static}}'' comic book series. The DC relaunch delayed the series, and by the time it launched a year later, it had been retooled to the point that it literally abandoned every bit of set-up introduced in the ''Teen Titans'' arc, and had a new writer as well.
* There was a phase of ''ComicBook/BraveAndTheBold'', after its historical fiction era but before the TeamUpSeries one, where it did this for team books. Notable teams introduced during this period were the Justice League, the Teen Titans, and the original, army book version of the Suicide Squad. The former two got their own books, the Squad wasn't so lucky, at least not until their more famous {{retool}}.
* The ComicBook/BlueBeetle and ComicBook/{{Hardware|1993}} team-up in ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' includes an extremely obvious set-up for a new ''Hardware'' solo series.
* USMarshal J.D. Hart features prominently in issues 42-44 of the original series of ''ComicBook/JonahHex'', essentially acting as a co-star to Jonah in those issues. Hart was going to be spun off into his own book, unofficially titled ''Dakota'', but that book never eventuated and Hart eventually returned as a supporting character in ''Jonah Hex''.
* ''ComicBook/WhatIf'':
** The ninth issue of the original series was probably intended to be this for a series starring the various heroes from Marvel's 1950s comics. Which did happen, albeit 30 years later, with ''ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas''.
** A much later issue of ''What If'' is the basis for the entire ''ComicBook/MarvelComics2'' universe and ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl''.
** The last issue of the second volume, based on ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'', focuses entirely on the [[SpinOffspring next generation of heroes]] who were born from the survivors of the original war when it ended with them trapped in Battleworld. It introduces a whole team, shows off their relationships and personalities, and even ends on a clear SequelHook where they return to Earth to fight the Sentinels that have now taken it over. Unlike either of the above two, though, it's never been revisited.
* ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}'' has a story arc where Sam meets Justice and Speedball, two of the washed-up former members of the New Warriors. Around the same time, ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan Team-Up'' features an arc where Otto encounters a new heroine named Sun Girl. The characters involved later meet and team up for the ComicBook/MarvelNOW relaunch of ''ComicBook/NewWarriors''.
* ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'' #358 (August 1998) is a spotlight issue for the OddCouple of Bishop and Deathbird, established earlier, with them gaining a new ally and getting involved in a struggle against another version of TheEmpire in space. The issue is often commented on, in retrospect, as seeming to serve as a pilot or sales pitch for a SpaceOpera series or storyline, but if so the plans never materialized.
* The crossover between ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' and Creator/ImageComics serves as a pilot episode for writer Ken Penders' incredibly short-lived, creator-owned ''ComicBook/TheLostOnes'' series.
* ''ComicBook/{{Secret War|2004}}'' featured a team-up between many of the characters who would go on form the core cast of ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'', and also set up several plot threads for that series.
* The final arc of ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' features a team-up between Spidey (Miles), Characters/{{Cloak and Dagger|MarvelComics}}, [[Characters/SpiderWomanTitleCharacter Spider-Woman]], and Bombshell. This same group appears in the ''[[ComicBook/CataclysmTheUltimatesLastStand Cataclysm]]: Ultimate Spider-Man'' mini-series before being spun-off in their own book as the ''All-New [[ComicBook/TheUltimates Ultimates]]''.
* Early 00's CrisisCrossover Maximum Security is clearly an attempted launching pad for a few concepts, including a cosmic Avengers team and former stand-in Captain America US Agent. Agent did get his own series, but it was short lived.
* The first arc of ''Avengers Assemble'' was set-up for a new ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' series. It brought the Guardians out of ComicBookLimbo, teased the mystery of how Star-Lord and [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] had escaped the [[ComicBook/TheThanosImperative Cancerverse]], and ended with the Badoon vowing vengeance on the Earth.
* ''Avengers'' #684 (part of ''ComicBook/AvengersNoSurrender'') was a lead-in to ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk''.
* Whether intended as one or not, the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' three-parter that introduces [[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]] serves as a backdoor pilot for the ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer''. The same run also introduced ComicBook/BlackPanther and ComicBook/TheInhumans, who would later receive their own titles.
* Played with in Creator/DCComics' ''ComicBook/StarRaiders'' -- as a graphic novel, it's rather disjointed, with a RandomEventsPlot filled with numerous characters and details that are left unused. Justified in that it was originally intended as a longer StoryArc (with an option for an ongoing series) that got cancelled halfway through development, with an ending abruptly added to salvage the work that was already done.
* ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'': Another Ibáñez character, Tete Cohete, is introduced in a ''Mortadelo'' comic of the same name.
* Following the end of Creator/JamesTynionIV's tenure as the writer of ''[[ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth Detective Comics]]'', Bryan Edward Hill was hired to write a short {{Filler}} arc before the start James Robinson's run. The arc saw Batman bring ComicBook/BlackLightning to Gotham in order to help train Cassandra Cain and Duke Thomas, with the group later encountering [[Characters/BatmanAndTheOutsiders Katana]] as the story progressed. Unsurprisingly, it was eventually announced that the storyline would lead into a new volume of ''[[ComicBook/TheOutsiders Batman and the Outsiders]]'', with Hill as the writer.
* The ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'' series had an arc that focused on the cast of ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' prior to the events of the first game. By Ian Flynn's account, it was an attempt to gauge interest for a comic focused on X. Unfortunately, ''Mega Man'' itself was starting to slip in sales by that point, which made the prospect of a series focused on his less iconic counterpart a bit of a crapshoot.
* Issue #100 of ''ComicBook/NightwingInfiniteFrontier'' set up the ''ComicBook/{{Titans 2023}}'' series for the ''ComicBook/DawnOfDC'' initiative, pulling together the team and creating a new Titans Tower in Bludhaven.
[[/folder]]

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': Had this happen twice: First when DC acquired Quality Comics' characters and lumped them all together as the new team, the ComicBook/{{Freedom Fighters|DCComics}}, and then when Earth-S, the home of [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], was introduced. Both appeared as guest stars in the yearly Justice League/Justice Society crossovers. A test run for Captain Marvel had already been done with the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute "Captain Thunder" in the pages of Superman, but the Big Red Cheese was still ultimately deemed too silly to be in the main DC earth.

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica: Had this happen twice: First when DC acquired Quality Comics' characters and lumped them all together as the new team, the ComicBook/{{Freedom Fighters|DCComics}}, and then when Earth-S, the home of [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], was introduced. Both appeared as guest stars in the yearly Justice League/Justice Society crossovers. A test run for Captain Marvel had already been done with the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute "Captain Thunder" in the pages of Superman, but the Big Red Cheese was still ultimately deemed too silly to be in the main DC earth.

** Marvel would revive ''Amazing Fantasy'' in the 2000s; [[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Anya Corazón]] got her own book shortly afterwards called Araña: Heart of the Spider. She would later become the sidekick of Ms. Marvel ([[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]]) before being retooled as the new Spider-Girl.
** More successful than her is probably [[Characters/IncredibleHulkSupportingCharacters Amadeus Cho]], who co-starred in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'' and eventually became the ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk.
** Only a few other characters, such as Dr. Monica Rappaccini, Death's Head 3.0, Monstro, and Vampire by Night, ever showed up anywhere after the series, and even then mostly in supporting roles.

** Cave Carson headlined issues #48-49 (January-March, 1964) and #52 (October, 1964). The character was a spelunker and TunnelKing. Again there was little to no reader interest and the character ended up in ComicBookLimbo.

** Franchise/GIJoe headlined issues #53-54 (November, 1964-January, 1965). An adaptation of a then-new toy from Creator/{{Hasbro}}, again nothing really came of it.

** There were known plans for subsequent issues. At least one featuring the [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]][=/=]Helena Wayne and a ''World of Krypton'' story which would further flesh out the background of Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'s doomed homeworld. This version of Huntress would get a backup series in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] which was often more popular than the main feature, while ''World of Krypton'' would be published as a mini-series in 1979.

* The second and third issues of the original ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' series give one of the flip-sides to ''ComicBook/{{Shadowhawk}}'' and Supreme, respectively. The fourth issue features a prelude to ''ComicBook/{{Pitt}}'', but without the flip-book format.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' (''Super Mario Bros. 5'' in Japanese) still has Mario present, but he's mostly just being [[EscortMission escorted]] by Yoshi, and the game, while still considered a main line game, ended up launching the ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' franchise.
** ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'', on the other hand, is a ''Mario Land'' game InNameOnly, which is likely why the name of the series it starts comes first with the series it spun off from comes second.

* The nightmare minigame in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' is a tech demo for an original game that was being developed by the ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' team titled ''Guy Savage''. However, ''Guy Savage'' was canceled and the minigame was removed in the ''HD Edition'' version of ''[=MGS3=]'' along with the cutscene and codec conversation referencing it.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII: The Frozen Throne's'' bonus campaign "The Founding of Durotar", with its shift from RTS to RPG gameplay, is this for ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. The quest-driven nature was rare for {{M|assivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame}}MORPGs at the time, but was planned as a major feature of ''World of Warcraft'', and the campaign even features the Resurrection Stones that were originally going to be in ''World of Warcraft'' before the death system was revamped (the stones would ultimately become Meeting Stones).

** ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' was stated to be a testing bed for films based on [[Characters/MarvelComicsGambit Gambit]] and Characters/{{Deadpool|WadeWilson}}[=/=]Wade Wilson. The fact that the two were the most common points of criticism (Gambit for being an AdvertisedExtra, Deadpool for TheyChangedItNowItSucks) would tell you that it didn't work.

* DC tried this again in 2000 with their ''Planet DC'' event, where, once again, a bunch of annuals introducing new characters were launched. Pretty much the only new heroes who saw any real use were Nemesis (introduced in the ''[[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]]'' annual) and Bushido (introduced in the ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]]'' annual), and even those two ended up being killed off.

* Season 9 of ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' introduces Billy, a teenage gay male Slayer-wannabe in his own story ''Billy the Vampire Slayer''. However, Billy has only made a few reappearances since then and is pretty much forgotten about in season 10.

** ''ComicBook/DCComicsPresents'' #47 "ComicBook/FromEterniaWithDeath" introduced the world of Eternia from the ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse''. It was followed by the first ''Masters of the Universe'' comic series later that year, and then by the ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' original cartoon.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' #7 guest-starred [[Comicbook/SubMariner Namor]] and ended with him returning to Atlantis to quash a coup led by Warlord Krang, directly setting up the ''Sub-Mariner'' feature that began running in ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish'' several months later.

** Some of this was due to the introduction of UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode. MoralGuardians convinced comic publishers to ban horror-related subjects like vampires, ghouls, and the undead, and those titles floundered for awhile, eventually throwing out different subjects and characters to see what would stick. This was easy enough to do, as many of them were [[AnthologyComic anthology comics]] with 3-4 stories per issue. ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMystery'' started telling the story of [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]], and the [[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner Hulk]] (after his one-shot series was canceled) started to guest star in ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish''. In ''ComicBook/TalesOfSuspense'', the stories introducing ComicBook/IronMan and reintroducing ComicBook/CaptainAmerica spawned their own titles.

* During the nineties, ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' meets during a battle with ComicBook/{{Hydra}} a superhero named "Shoc", obviously meant to appear in his own series. It's also pretty obvious who his SecretIdentity was. Fortunately, he was quickly forgotten.
** Speedball first appeared in a ''Spider-Man Annual'' that depicted him on the cover, soaring over both Spidey and Characters/{{Daredevil|MattMurdock}}. The annual shoehorned Speedball into the main story and featured a solo back-up tale. This led to a short-lived solo series, ''ComicBook/SpeedballTheMaskedMarvel''. Despite this, the character has been around for about 30 years, was a prominent member of ComicBook/NewWarriors, and played a large role in ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}''.
** ''Amazing ComicBook/SpiderMan'' #86 was meant to set up the short-lived ''ComicBook/BlackWidow'' solo series that appeared in ''Amazing Adventures''.
** ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #92 featured a guest appearance from [[Characters/MarvelComicsIceman Iceman]] of the X-Men. The story was apparently testing the waters for an Iceman/Doctor Strange split-book that had been planned, but the series never materialized.

* Speaking of ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'', they also got their start this way. Prior to the launch of the series, the three future core members of the Defenders (ComicBook/DoctorStrange, [[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner The Incredible Hulk]] and [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]]) teamed up in a crossover that ran between their solo books, followed by a second crossover where Namor partnered with the Hulk and the Characters/SilverSurfer in his own series. The final stretch of the original ''New Defenders'' series also featured two prominent guest appearances from a pair of husband and wife private detectives known as Cutlass and Typhoon, who were seemingly being teased for a potential spin-off that never went anywhere.
* Characters/{{The Punisher|FrankCastle}} himself has his own pilot in the pages of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' (man, Spidey is popping up a lot).
* Another famous case is Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}}. He first popped up in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk''. The creators wanted to use him in other titles but didn't have a clear idea what they wanted to do with the character. They ended up tossing him onto the ComicBook/XMen, in large part because he had been identified as Canadian and they wanted "international" characters for the new team.

* The ''ComicBook/FearItself: The Home Front'' mini-series had a 3-part story featuring [[Characters/X23LauraKinney X-23]], [[Characters/IncredibleHulkSupportingCharacters Amadeus Cho]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Spider-Girl]] and the new Power Man and Thunderstrike. The story was clearly meant to build momentum for a new teen superhero team featuring the characters, but it never got off the ground.
* This wasn't even the first time this happened to Amadeus Cho. During the ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' crossover, the main ''Incredible Hulk'' series did an arc about an eclectic team of heroes that consisted of Amadeus, Hercules, [[ComicBook/WarrenWorthingtonIII Angel]], Namora and the Carmilla Black version of Scorpion. The characters were meant to be spun-off in a new team book called ''The Renegades'', but the pitch ended up being turned down by Marvel. However, the arc ''did'' successfully springboard another series: ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' #7 guest-starred [[Comicbook/SubMariner Namor]] and ended with him returning to Atlantis to quash a coup led by Warlord Krang, directly setting up the ''Sub-Mariner'' feature that began running in ''Comicbook/TalesToAstonish'' several months later.

** ComicBook/DoctorFate and ComicBook/{{Hourman}} headlined issues #55-56 (April-June, 1965). DC had recently revived the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica and was variously testing the waters for further use of the characters involved. These issues did not generate enough interest for either hero to get his own series. Their lasting mark was a successful revival of 1940s villain Solomon Grundy who would become a recurring character again. As for the heroes, they remained supporting characters of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica for several years.

** Creator/GeoffJohns' run had a two-part crossover with ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' titled "Superboy and the Legion", which entailed the two teams battling the Fatal Five Hundred (an AllianceOfAlternates consisting of the Legion's enemies the Fatal Five and 99 alternate counterparts thereof) and served as the beginning of the Threeboot era of the Legion run by Creator/MarkWaid, with the Threeboot continuity being created by a CosmicRetcon resulting from Fatal Five member the Persuader using his Atomic Axe on the very fabric of reality out of desperation after the villains' defeat.

** Creator/GeoffJohns' run had a two-part crossover with ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' titled "Superboy and the Legion", which entailed the two teams battling the Fatal Five Hundred (an AllianceOfAlternates consisting of the Legion's enemies the Fatal Five and 99 alternate counterparts thereof), served as the beginning of the Threeboot era of the Legion run by Creator/MarkWaid, with that continuity being created by a CosmicRetcon resulting from Fatal Five member the Persuader using his Atomic Axe on the very fabric of reality out of desperation after the villains' defeat.

** The "Tenth Circle" storyline by Creator/JohnByrne and Creator/ChrisClaremont served to set up John Byrne's ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' relaunch, establishing revamped versions of the team's original roster of the Chief, Elasti-Girl, Robotman and Negative Man as well as adding Justice League member Faith and new characters Grunt, Nudge and Vortex as new recruits for the team.

** Creator/GeoffJohns' run had a two-part crossover with ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' titled "Superboy and the Legion", which served as the beginning of the Threeboot era of the Legion run by Creator/MarkWaid.

** The ComicBook/DoomPatrol headlined issues #94-96 (September, 1977-January, 1978), the first ones of the revived series. With most of the original members dead, these issues got to introduce some new blood. The new version was not popular enough to "graduate" to their own series, though they served well as guest-stars in various titles.

** ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisMilosReturn'' had tv quality animation and a more episodic structure that clearly hints it was meant to be tv show.

* The ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' Annual #2 introduces us to ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}, who got his own comic book the following month.
* The second-to-last ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' storyline by Felicia Henderson was meant to be a backdoor pilot for a new ''ComicBook/{{Static}}'' comic book series. The DC relaunch delayed the series, and by the time it launched a year later, it had been retooled to the point that it literally abandoned every bit of set-up introduced in the ''Teen Titans'' arc, and had a new writer as well.
* Earlier, Creator/GailSimone and Creator/RobLiefeld had collaborated on a two-issue ''Teen Titans'' filler arc that saw the Titans team up with ComicBook/HawkAndDove to battle Kestrel. According to Liefeld, the arc was testing the waters for a ''Titans East'' spin-off series that never got made.

* ''Film/{{The Mummy|2017}}'' (2017) has Dr. Jekyll, a character typically ''not'' associated with mummies, show up to explain plot points and make references to a secret society of monster hunters to set up future "Film/DarkUniverse" films about classic Universal monsters like the Bride of Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, and Frankenstein's monster.

** ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #92 featured a guest appearance from [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Iceman]] of the X-Men. The story was apparently testing the waters for an Iceman/Doctor Strange split-book that had been planned, but the series never materialized.

** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders New Defenders]]'' ended with most of the team being killed off, with former X-Men members [[Characters/MarvelComicsAngel Angel]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsBeast Beast]], and [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Iceman]] left as the only survivors.

** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders New Defenders]]'' ended with most of the team being killed off, with former X-Men members [[Characters/MarvelComicsAngels Angel]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsBeast Beast]], and [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Iceman]] left as the only survivors.

** ''Uncanny X-Men'' #201 saw [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] leave the X-Men after losing a duel for leadership of the team to [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]].
** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders New Defenders]]'' ended with most of the team being killed off, with former X-Men members [[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam Angel, Beast, and Iceman]] left as the only survivors.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' #536 and #537 were used to set the stage for Creator/JMichaelStraczynski's ''Thor'' relaunch. The plot had the FF trying to prevent ComicBook/DoctorDoom from claiming the deceased Thor's hammer, which was revealed to have landed near Broxton, Oklahoma after the events of [[{{Gotterdammerung}} Ragnarok]].

* Creator/MarvelComics, at the start of the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], had what are now called "tryouts". For instance, one ComicBook/HumanTorch story features a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica impostor and asks the readers if they wanted to bring back the real Captain America. On the other hand, the [[FanDumb fevered imagination of fans]] (and/or the greed of comic book speculators) has been prone to see tryouts in Marvel's pre-superhero era even when links between the precursor and later characters are tenuous at best (e.g., a '50s monster character who happens to be called "Hulk" and was renamed Xemnu the Titan once ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk showed up to avoid confusion).

** Creator/DCComics occasionally tried out the ''idea'' of a character before going forward with "the real thing." DC's first DistaffCounterpart characters to Superman (ComicBook/LoisLane temporarily getting powers and operating as "Superwoman" and ComicBook/{{Superboy}} [[GenderBender turning into a girl]] and operating as "Claire Kent, Super-Sister") were probably not tryouts so much as one-shot story ideas. But 1958's ''ComicBook/Superman1939'' #123: "The Girl of Steel" was clearly a dry run for ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. In that story, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen uses a magic totem to wish for a "Super-Girl" who would be a companion and helpmate for Superman. It doesn't work out all that well, and Jimmy ends up wishing the girl out of existence at her own request. Reaction was positive enough that DC introduced Kara Zor-El, the real Supergirl, shortly after in ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton1959''.
** ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'': Nick Spencer's AbortedArc would've seen Kara teaming up with ComicBook/{{Robin}} (Damian Wayne), ComicBook/{{Static}}, ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} (Stephanie Brown), ComicBook/BlueBeetle (Jaime Reyes), Miss Martian and Impulse (Irey West). According to Spencer, the plan was to use the storyline as a backdoor pilot for a new ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' relaunch starring those characters, but he ended up being replaced on the book before his first issue was released.

** Marvel would revive ''Amazing Fantasy'' in the 2000s; ComicBook/AnyaCorazon got her own book shortly afterwards called Araña: Heart of the Spider. She would later become the sidekick of Ms. Marvel (ComicBook/CarolDanvers) before being retooled as the new Spider-Girl.
** More successful than her is probably ComicBook/AmadeusCho, who co-starred in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'' and eventually became the ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk.

* Speaking of Creator/GregPak's ''ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk'' run, one arc had Amadeus team up with a group of fellow Asian and Asian-American superheroes like ComicBook/ShangChi, [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]], ComicBook/{{Silk}} and Jimmy Woo. Several of these characters later reunited during ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' as the new ''ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas'', with Pak returning to write their book.

** FrancComicBookhise/TheFlash[=/=]Barry Allen debuts in issue #4 (October, 1956). He also headlines issues #8 (June, 1957) and #13-14 (April-June, 1958). The character had enough positive feedback for DC to revive the old ''The Flash'' series with Barry as the protagonist, starting with issue #105 (March, 1959). His ongoing lasted to 1985, making the greatest hit to graduate from ''Showcase''.

** ComicBook/LoisLane headlines issues #9-10 (August-September, 1957). Feedback was positive enough for Lois to gain her own series, starting in March, 1958. Her ongoing lasted to 1974.

** ComicBook/TheCreeper debuted in #73 (April, 1968). DC did not really wait for feedback and immediately launched an ongoing series for him: ''Beware the Creeper'' (May, 1968). It lasted to 1969.

** ComicBook/PowerGirl headlined issues #97-99 (February-April, 1978). Though possibly well-received, the DC Implosion resulted in the cancelling of many of the ongoing titles of the company. It was no time to launch a new title.

** There were known plans for subsequent issues. At least one featuring the ComicBook/{{Huntress}}[=/=]Helena Wayne and a ''World of Krypton'' story which would further flesh out the background of ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s doomed homeworld. This version of Huntress would get a backup series in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] which was often more popular than the main feature, while ''World of Krypton'' would be published as a mini-series in 1979.

** Some of this was due to the introduction of UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode. MoralGuardians convinced comic publishers to ban horror-related subjects like vampires, ghouls, and the undead, and those titles floundered for awhile, eventually throwing out different subjects and characters to see what would stick. This was easy enough to do, as many of them were [[AnthologyComic anthology comics]] with 3-4 stories per issue. ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMystery'' started telling the story of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], and the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] (after his one-shot series was canceled) started to guest star in ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish''. In ''ComicBook/TalesOfSuspense'', the stories introducing ComicBook/IronMan and reintroducing ComicBook/CaptainAmerica spawned their own titles.

* Creator/JackKirby famously begin planting the seeds for his upcoming ''[[ComicBook/NewGods Fourth World]]'' family of titles in the pages of ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen''. This included the first appearance of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, who would go on to be the BigBad of the ''Fourth World'' books.

** Speedball first appeared in a ''Spider-Man Annual'' that depicted him on the cover, soaring over both Spidey and ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}. The annual shoehorned Speedball into the main story and featured a solo back-up tale. This led to a short-lived solo series, ''ComicBook/SpeedballTheMaskedMarvel''. Despite this, the character has been around for about 30 years, was a prominent member of ComicBook/NewWarriors, and played a large role in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''.

** ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #92 featured a guest appearance from ComicBook/{{Iceman}} of the X-Men. The story was apparently testing the waters for an Iceman/Doctor Strange split-book that had been planned, but the series never materialized.

* The penultimate issue of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} ''Justice League'' series was a [[WholeEpisodeFlashback Whole Issue Flashback]] detailing ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s first encounter with the League. The story served as a lead-in to the ComicBook/DCRebirth ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]]'' book that launched not long after.

* The notorious 'ComicBook/ThePunisher Goes Black' story arc in 1992 that guest-starred ComicBook/LukeCage served as a pilot for the 1990s Cage series.

** A crossover of sorts between ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' #263 and ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' #286 revealed that ComicBook/JeanGrey, who had seemingly died at the end of ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'', was actually alive in a cocoon at the bottom of Jamaica Bay.
** ''Uncanny X-Men'' #201 saw ComicBook/{{Cyclops|MarvelComics}} leave the X-Men after losing a duel for leadership of the team to ComicBook/{{Storm}}.
** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders New Defenders]]'' ended with most of the team being killed off, with former X-Men members [[ComicBook/WarrenWorthingtonIII Angel]], ComicBook/{{Beast|MarvelComics}} and ComicBook/{{Iceman}} left as the only survivors.

* Speaking of ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'', they also got their start this way. Prior to the launch of the series, the three future core members of the Defenders (ComicBook/DoctorStrange, ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk and [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]]) teamed up in a crossover that ran between their solo books, followed by a second crossover where Namor partnered with the Hulk and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer in his own series. The final stretch of the original ''New Defenders'' series also featured two prominent guest appearances from a pair of husband and wife private detectives known as Cutlass and Typhoon, who were seemingly being teased for a potential spin-off that never went anywhere.
* ComicBook/ThePunisher himself has his own pilot in the pages of ComicBook/SpiderMan (man, Spidey is popping up a lot).
* Another famous case is ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. He first popped up in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk''. The creators wanted to use him in other titles but didn't have a clear idea what they wanted to do with the character. They ended up tossing him onto the ComicBook/XMen, in large part because he had been identified as Canadian and they wanted "international" characters for the new team.

* ''Avengers World'' had an ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'' tie-in that ran in issues #16-17, where, after undergoing a temporary CharacterAlignment change, ComicBook/DoctorDoom formed his own team of heroes to stop the evil ComicBook/ScarletWitch. The story ended with the heroic Doom using the Witch's power to resurrect [[Characters/AntManHeroes Cassie Lang]], a plot point that had very little to do with the story at hand, but existed to set up the new ''ComicBook/AstonishingAntMan'' series that launched soon after, and under the same writer to boot.
* The ''ComicBook/FearItself: The Home Front'' mini-series had a 3-part story featuring ComicBook/{{X 23}}, ComicBook/AmadeusCho, [[ComicBook/AnyaCorazon Spider-Girl]] and the new Power Man and Thunderstrike. The story was clearly meant to build momentum for a new teen superhero team featuring the characters, but it never got off the ground.

* The final arc of ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' features a team-up between Spidey (Miles), ComicBook/CloakAndDagger, ComicBook/SpiderWoman, and Bombshell. This same group appears in the ''[[ComicBook/CataclysmTheUltimatesLastStand Cataclysm]]: Ultimate Spider-Man'' mini-series before being spun-off in their own book as the ''All-New [[ComicBook/TheUltimates Ultimates]]''.

* The first arc of ''Avengers Assemble'' was set-up for a new ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' series. It brought the Guardians out of ComicBookLimbo, teased the mystery of how Star-Lord and ComicBook/{{Thanos}} had escaped the [[ComicBook/TheThanosImperative Cancerverse]], and ended with the Badoon vowing vengeance on the Earth.

* Whether intended as one or not, the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' three-parter that introduces ComicBook/{{Galactus}} serves as a backdoor pilot for the ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer''. The same run also introduced ComicBook/BlackPanther and ComicBook/TheInhumans, who would later receive their own titles.

* Following the end of Creator/JamesTynionIV's tenure as the writer of ''[[ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth Detective Comics]]'', Bryan Edward Hill was hired to write a short {{Filler}} arc before the start James Robinson's run. The arc saw Batman bring ComicBook/BlackLightning to Gotham in order to help train Cassandra Cain and Duke Thomas, with the group later encountering ComicBook/{{Katana}} as the story progressed. Unsurprisingly, it was eventually announced that the storyline would lead into a new volume of ''[[ComicBook/TheOutsiders Batman and the Outsiders]]'', with Hill as the writer.

** ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' was stated to be a testing bed for films based on ComicBook/{{Gambit}} and ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}[=/=]Wade Wilson. The fact that the two were the most common points of criticism (Gambit for being an AdvertisedExtra, Deadpool for TheyChangedItNowItSucks) would tell you that it didn't work.

* ''Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer'' is one for ComicBook/SilverSurfer. Many things in the movie don't happen (like the appearance of the BigBad) in order to allow for the ''Silver Surfer'' spinoff, which never happened.
* ComicBook/WonderWoman makes her cinematic debut in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' in order to set up a solo ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' movie starring the same actress. The other members of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica all appear in cameos to set up the ''Film/{{Justice|League 2017}} [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]'' movie, with some critics likening the cameo sequence to a trailer within the movie.