To-do list:
- Examples of It Was His Sled must fit the following criteria; leave examples that fit them and remove ones that don't (namespaces that have been cleaned can be listed on Sandbox.They Were His Wicks):
- Examples of Plot Twists and Twist Endings must type up more than just the spoiler in question (e.g., Everyone/the community knows this because...).
- Examples are only allowed 5 years after release or after the spoiler becomes a Late-Arrival Spoiler if it becomes one; whichever is sooner.
Original post:
It Was His Sled, according to the laconic description and backed up by the item's page, is supposed to be "The Twist Ending of a famous work becomes widely known to the public." However, it is frequently used to describe any sort of twist, reveal, or general secret or spoiler that happens within the story. This wick check backs up how frequent this misuse is. Also, there are numerous examples that spoiler tag the example, which makes it debatable if they're examples. I separated those as well, however, if they are misused in another way as well, they are prioritized in other folders first. open/close all folders
Correct Usage (12/50)
- YMMV.A Christmas Carol: It's supposed to be a twist that the vision by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes place after Scrooge's death, but thanks to how ubiquitous the tale is, virtually nobody is surprised to learn this. Even if one hears the story completely fresh, it's not hard to figure it out ahead of time since all the other visions took place in Scrooge's life, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is described in terms meant to invoke the image of the Grim Reaper. Naturally, several adaptations make it blatant to the audience that the dead man in the future sequence is Scrooge, with only Scrooge himself failing to realize it (or trying to deny it) until they come to his grave.
- YMMV.Beauty And The Beast: The fact that the Beast is really an enchanted Prince is a surprise at the end of the original story. Almost every adaptation tells the audience right at the start, though it's usually still a surprise for Beauty/Belle.
- YMMV.Degrassi The Next Generation: Almost everyone knows at this point that Jimmy gets shot and JT dies.
- YMMV.Eminem:
- Everyone knows the the twist from Stan.
- And by now, the reveal of whose perspective "Bad Guy" is from has shown up in every review of The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
- YMMV.Earth Bound 1994: Owing primarily to Memetic Mutation among other factors, Giygas's appearance and the inability to grasp the true form thereof — something hardly even hinted at until one actually reaches the final battle — are probably far more well-known than any other aspect of the game aside from Ness.
- YMMV.Dumbo: Dumbo can fly. It's not revealed until late in the film, but the covers feature him flying front and centre.
- YMMV.Charlottes Web: Even if you haven't read the book, you already know that Charlotte dies near the end.
- YMMV.Charlie And The Chocolate Factory: Between all the adaptations and parodies, The Reveal that the Golden Ticket contest is a way for Mr. Wonka to find an heir has become this; some adaptations (most obviously the 2005 film) pull Not His Sled twists to compensate.
- YMMV.Casey At The Bat: Even people who have never read the poem know that "there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out." Since the poem is more than a century old and one of the most popular baseball stories of all time, the ending where Casey blows it has become more well-known than anything else about it.
- YMMV.Carrie 1976: Even beyond the prom scene, the film's final Jump Scare is so famous that it's now impossible to be caught off guard by it.
- YMMV.Avengers Infinity War: Thanos wins, the heroes lose horribly, and Thanos succeeds in wiping out half of all life on the universe. In other words, a similar event to the original comic book storyline.
- YMMV.Dr Strangelove: The whole film is about everyone trying to prevent the US bombers from successfully dropping a bomb and triggering the doomsday machine. Major Kong riding the falling bomb is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema.
Incorrect - Not a Twist Ending (12/50)
- YMMV.Bridge To Terabithia: Leslie dies. Spoilered because it's not as well known as, say Darth Vader being Luke's father, but since it is one of the most discussed things about the story, it's hard to avoid hearing about it whenever the book or movie is brought up. Is the final event of the book before the third act starts.
- YMMV.Animal Crossing: Labelle being the third long-lost Able Sister, and her real name being Label, has become common knowledge nowdays. The games that came after City Folk don't bother hiding this either. More of an in-game reveal, especially for a game lacking a real linear plot.
- YMMV.Annie Hall: The film's most famous gags are so well-known and often cited (like Marshall Mc Luhan's cameo), they're usually spoiled for first-time viewers. Doesn't even refer to reveals for the most part.
- YMMV.Brave: Merida unwillingly turns her mother into a bear. What was meant to be a twist, as it was kept a secret in the trailers, is now probably the one thing that anyone talks about when they mention this movie. Happens in the middle of the movie.
- YMMV.Doki Doki Literature Club: If you never played this game, but later familiarized it's actually a psychological horror game, you probably will know about those scenes of the game, in most cases due to memes: Sayori commits suicide. Yuri is a Yandere with knives. Monika is the villain and literally deletes her rivals. Natsuki snaps her neck. Most of these occur earlier in the story.
- YMMV.Captain America The Winter Soldier: Thanks to the meme in which people caption images of a person whispering into another person's ear with "Hail HYDRA", even people who haven't seen the movie know that HYDRA is the bad guys, and that's actually the biggest reveal in the entire movie, if not the entire franchise. Happens in the middle of the movie.
- YMMV.Big Hero 6: Tadashi dies. This is pretty much promoted in the movie's marketing. Is the inciting incident for the film. Also can be an example of Trailers Always Spoil.
- YMMV.Bambi: Bambi's mother dies. What's weird is that the infamous death scene is the only scene anyone seems to remember. Also, it seems that nobody is aware that Bambi ever grows older. Disney isn't particularly helping, however, as there is almost no merchandise portraying Bambi as an adult, and Bambi II is actually a midquel and not a sequel as already mentioned. Which is ironic, given that the original advertisements for the film in 1942
did the exact opposite, showing only the third act and playing up the romance between Bambi and Faline as well as the final confrontation with the hunters. In this case, it is the child Bambi that is not even mentioned. Is the middle point of the story.
- YMMV.Atlas Shrugged: Most people nowadays are aware of the strike and Galt's Gulch when they start reading the novel. Ironically, Rand originally planned to name the book "The Strike", but scrapped it when she thought it would give away too much of the plot. More of a story-long mystery than a single ending reveal.
- YMMV.Final Fantasy VII:
- Aerith dies. It used to be an emotional and unexpected plot twist: now everyone knows exactly when and how it happens. Happens in the middle of the story.
- Cloud was never really in SOLDIER, he just thinks his was due to Fake Memories. Talking about his backstory without bringing this up is very difficult. This reveal occurs before the real climax of the game.
- Duck Amuck:
- The very premise of the short is perhaps one of the biggest things one can spoil about it; its initial setup is meant to deceive the viewer into thinking that it's a typical "Daffy Duck in medieval times" short, with the reveal of the unfinished background art throwing off one's expectations and setting the stage for the unfolding chaos. However, the short's true premise is very well known even among those who haven't seen the short, likely because it would be difficult to discuss anything about it without giving away the surprise. A reveal shown at the beginning.
- Most people who watched this know the short's other big spoiler, that the animator turns out to be Bugs. However, audiences in 1953 probably knew it was Bugs right from the start, as the lobby card (cartoon shorts' equivalent to movie posters) flat out gives away the ending. Bizarre unsure example, as one could argue that its initial status of Trailers Always Spoil doomed it from the start.
- YMMV.Captain Underpants: Thanks to the internet, there's no hiding the fact that Harold is gay in the 12th book. More of a mid-book happenstance than anything.
Incorrect - Uses Spoiler Tag (7/50)
- YMMV.Bioshock 1: The phrase "Would you kindly" is actually becoming highly associated with BioShock series, and the twist about the traitorous Atlas is becoming a common knowledge, as well as the twist about being mind-controlled by this trigger phrase all along. Also, "A man chooses, a slave obeys".
- YMMV.Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice: Unless you know next to nothing about Doomsday or expected Zack Snyder to throw a curveball, Superman and Doomsday killing each other will not be a shocker.
- YMMV.Chinatown: It's such a famous film that the Wham Line "She's my sister and my daughter!" has lost its power as The Reveal to many.
- YMMV.Catfish: Megan is a fictitious person made up by Angela. This reveal was spoiled when news outlets started following the story of American football player Manti Te'o's girlfriend.
- YMMV.Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: Johnny Depp's cameo appearance as Grindelwald, which was intended to be a major surprise (albeit one that was hinted at), was spoiled by many outlets a few weeks ahead of the movie's release. Given that his character's presence generated a lot of interest from the fanbase ahead of the movie's release date, and that it directly preceded an increase in opening weekend projections, this might not have been a bad thing. It's actually a downplayed example from the standpoint of the cast and crew, who were afraid that the aforementioned spoiler was going to leak much earlier than it did.
- YMMV.Fire Emblem Awakening: Due to the game having such a long time between the releases in each region, many of the games' main twists had been spoiled ahead of time. Part of the reason they were so quick to propagate them was out of doubt that they would be released outside of Japan considering what happened to Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem. Even worse, some English trailers close to release (and even some reviews post-release) went the Trailers Always Spoil route.
- The main plot device that is commonly known is the identity of "Marth" and, on a related note, the children mechanic. Lucina's presence in the fourth Super Smash Bros. and constant Wolverine Publicity in spin-off titles isn't helping matters.
- The Avatar is actually Validar's offspring and serves as the unwitting vessel for Grima. This one is also not helped by spin-offs, as two Grima-Robin variants, male and female, were added into Heroes.
- YMMV.Grand Theft Auto San Andreas: It's pretty much impossible these days to have even some vague knowledge of the game without knowing that Big Smoke and Ryder are traitors, though it was initially a big plot twist.
Incorrect - Absurdly Recent (less than two years) (2/50)
- YMMV.Deltarune Chapter 2 A Cybers World: The SnowGrave route of Chapter 2 exploded on the internet as soon as it was verified as real, for the fact that Toby Fox seemed to have doubled back on his decision to make the game lacking in karmic choices. Also, the disturbing context of said route is arguably even darker and more cruel than Undertale's Genocide run, due to how realistically it portrays psychological abuse, emotional manipulation, and even gaslighting as Kris (or rather, you, the player) convinces Noelle to become a stone-cold killer and their personal puppet. Game came out last August.
- YMMV.Godzilla Vs Kong: MechaGodzilla turns out to be the true enemy and that Godzilla and Kong eventually team up to fight it. Came out less than a year ago. Also could be more of a case of Fan Myopia or I Knew It!. Also not a ending twist.
Incorrect: Actually a Late Arrival Spoiler (1/50)
- YMMV.Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command: If you saw the show before watching the movie, you would know that Warp Darkmatter didn't actually die, and that he isn't really the hero he pretends to be.
ZCEs (12/50)
- YMMV.Drawn To Life: Outside of its core demographic, The Next Chapter is most known for its dark ending. Extremely vague as well.
- YMMV.A Few Good Men: Colonel Jessup ordered the hazing that led to Santiago's death.
- YMMV.A Close Shave: Preston is a robot.
- YMMV.Ace Ventura: Spoilered for consistency on this Wiki, but: Finkle is Einhorn. There is no consistency policy on this wiki. A lot of times spoilers are a case by case basis.
- YMMV.Dinosaurs: Everyone died. The end.
- YMMV.Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2
- No Russian, oh No Russian. Also, both nukes.
- In MW2, the reveal that General Shepherd is not to be trusted. Also doubles as a Late-Arrival Spoiler, as anyone who starts with the third game (which gives the twist away in the opening cutscene) and works their way back will not be surprised in the least. First bullet point is blatant example of this.
- YMMV.A New Hope:
- Luke's father was a Jedi knight like Obi-Wan Also Mid-story reveal
- Darth Vader "killed" Luke's father. Also Mid-story reveal
- Darth Vader kills Obi-Wan Kenobi. Also Twist that is debatable if it's part of the ending.
- YMMV.A Clash Of Kings: Winterfell was sacked. Also takes place in the middle of the book.
- YMMV.Gone With The Wind: The book was written in 1936. The movie came out in 1939. You should know how this story ends just by Pop-Cultural Osmosis. Not to mention Rhett's famous "Frankly, my dear" line to Scarlett at the end.
- YMMV.Final Destination: Everyone dies in the end.
- YMMV.Ed Edd N Eddys Big Picture Show: Eddy's brother isn't the godly hero he makes him out to be, but a borderline abusive bully who's turned his brother into a fearful follower.
- YMMV.A Walk To Remember: Jamie dies.
Miscellaneous/Unsure (4/50)
- YMMV.A Beautiful Mind: Aside from the Trope Namer, this may be the most spoiled movie ever made. The fact Nash was a paranoid schizophrenic was part of the trailers, but the surprise is discovering certain characters to be imaginary. Haven't seen this movie, but the former is revealed fairly early on in the movie, right? And the second part doesn't qualify if it describes it as a surprise.
- YMMV.Amnesia The Dark Descent: The game was designed to keep the monsters out of sight so their appearance would be a mystery to players. But the monster designs have become so well-known that the Grunt-type enemy is practically a mascot for the game! I feel like this is a different audience reaction but I'm not sure which one.
- YMMV.Diddy Kong Racing: There is a fifth world, Future Fun Land. You get there by having 1st place trophies in the four worlds and colliding with the signpost placard that displays them. Not really sure if the status of different worlds existing follows as some sort of spoiler, because this would make sense for something like New Super Mario Bros. for the secret worlds, but I'm not sure.
- YMMV.Atypical: Due to the show's controversial nature, many of the supposed twists are very well-known, even to people who have never watched it.
- Sam locking his then-girlfriend into his closet because he didn't like how she touched all his things. Then he breaks up with her in front of her entire family and right before prom, no less. Generally a Never Live It Down moment for him.
- Sam breaking into his therapist's home, because he believes she's in love with him. This one is seen as the pinnacle of a What An Idiot moment.
- Elsa beginning an affair with a bartender because she needs a break from Doug since Sam is hard to take care of. This one is brought up frequently for viewers who demonize her, it doesn't help that the show doesn't side with her either.
- On a more positive note, Casey being bi and starting a relationship with Izzie is generally seen as a step in the right direction for the series. The only one that potentially qualifies is the third one, and the rest seem more like disguised complaining than anything else.
Edited by GastonRabbit on May 17th 2022 at 8:03:56 AM
Tabs
Since: Jan, 2001
#51: Jan 17th 2022 at 12:59:27 PM
- 2 years
- 5 years
- 10 years
- 15 years
miraculous
Goku Black
(Apprentice)
Goku Black
#52: Jan 17th 2022 at 1:02:04 PM
2 seems okay.
I don't think it needs to be so long after a work is it out, just enough that the information has fully disseminated in the population.
Edited by miraculous on Jan 17th 2022 at 1:03:56 AM
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
GastonRabbit
MOD
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#53: Jan 17th 2022 at 2:12:57 PM
Crowner hooked using the options Tabs listed.
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
bwburke94
Friends forevermore
from uǝʌɐǝɥ
Since: May, 2014
Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
Friends forevermore
#54: Jan 17th 2022 at 3:02:01 PM
Will we have a runoff if two options both pass the 2:1 mark, considering they're mutually exclusive?
I had a dog-themed avatar before it was cool.
WarJay77
Bonnie's Artistic Cousin
from The Void
(Troper Knight)
Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Bonnie's Artistic Cousin
#55: Jan 17th 2022 at 3:02:29 PM
The crowner was just posted.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
GrafVonTirol
Take me to the river
from a state of boredom
(4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Relationship Status: Standing outside, playing "In Your Eyes" on the boombox
Take me to the river
#56: Jan 17th 2022 at 3:09:24 PM
5-10 is good enough to really see if it makes a lasting impression imho.
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (all editions) progress: 410/1089 (37.65%)
GastonRabbit
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#57: Jan 17th 2022 at 3:38:54 PM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Only if they're tied, but I doubt that'll happen. Plus, as was previously mentioned, the crowner hasn't been up long enough to tell whether one would be needed.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 17th 2022 at 5:39:25 AM
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Blapper of Water
#58: Jan 17th 2022 at 4:26:39 PM
The way I think of this on is yknow if someone were to complain to me. If I mention a five year old spoiler I won't apologize. If I mention a two year old spoiler I might apologize. A yen year old one? I might be offended at the demand to apologize. So I think 5 years would be appropriate as a minimum requirement.
Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
prettycoolguy
Since: Nov, 2010
#59: Jan 18th 2022 at 6:53:20 AM
I went ahead and changed the definition on the laconic page now that definition expansion has been called. However, someone with mod powers is gonna need to change the definition and description on the main page since it is locked.
Also, I would start cleaning up examples, but I'll wait til the waiting period is called so I know which ones to delete outright.
Edited by prettycoolguy on Jan 18th 2022 at 9:55:04 AM
Synchronicity
(4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#60: Jan 18th 2022 at 9:04:11 AM
I tweaked it.
PhantomDusclops92
Slayer of YMMV complaining magnets
from Do you even care?
Since: Oct, 2010
Relationship Status: Charming Titania with a donkey face
Slayer of YMMV complaining magnets
#61: Jan 18th 2022 at 9:46:00 AM
I think the time period should be flexible. Something like this:
- Twist that happens towards the end of a series or in a movie that got no sequels or stuff: 5 years before it can be considered It Was His Sled.
- Twist that happens in a series that kept going on after that and basically it's impossible to talk about what happened next without mentioning it: Don't know how much, but of course it's shorter. (This is because it annoys me a lot to still see people treat certain things from the Naruto finale as spoilers, because then it means that the mere existence of Boruto should be kept top secret)
Twiddler
(On A Trope Odyssey)
#62: Jan 18th 2022 at 1:42:36 PM
The Naruto stuff is Late-Arrival Spoiler
GastonRabbit
MOD
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#63: Jan 20th 2022 at 6:19:42 AM
Calling in favor of five years after the work's release.
Edit: Added to No Recent Examples, Please!.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 20th 2022 at 8:21:44 AM
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
GastonRabbit
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#64: Jan 20th 2022 at 6:24:57 AM
Since the description has already been updated, this is the only thing that needs to be kept in mind when cleaning the wicks:
- Require examples to type up more than just the spoiler in question (e.g., Everyone/the community knows this because...)
Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 20th 2022 at 8:27:14 AM
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Synchronicity
(4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#65: Jan 20th 2022 at 6:32:03 AM
wrong thread!
Edited by Synchronicity on Jan 20th 2022 at 8:32:15 AM
GastonRabbit
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#66: Jan 20th 2022 at 6:33:38 AM
I added this to TRS Wick Cleaning and gave the thread an overdue star.
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
GastonRabbit
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#67: Feb 27th 2022 at 6:45:22 PM
Does this have a sandbox for keeping track of cleanup, similarly to how the Actually Pretty Funny thread has Sandbox.Actually Pretty Clean?
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Albert3105
Since: Jun, 2013
#68: Apr 6th 2022 at 6:16:08 AM
Can there be an exception to the time limit if the It Was His Sled becomes a Late-Arrival Spoiler, e.g. later installments' premises relying on an early work's spoiler?
Edited by Albert3105 on Apr 6th 2022 at 9:22:08 AM
GastonRabbit
MOD
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#69: Apr 6th 2022 at 7:22:34 AM
I hooked a crowner so we can hash that out.
Ferot_Dreadnaught
Since: Mar, 2015
#70: Apr 6th 2022 at 7:39:39 PM
Question. If we allow Sled examples early if Late-Arrival Spoiler, would that not mean ALL LAS examples fall under Sled making one or the other not worth being a separate trope? (I question if LAS is trope worthy as works mentioning/not hiding spoiler details from prior installments seems incidental/inherent as opposed to intentional choices done to narrative effect, but that might be a separate cleanup.)
I'm concerned allowing early LAS examples would lead to Fan Myopia over if widespread enough to count as Sled that the waiting period it meant to prevent?
Albert3105
Since: Jun, 2013
#71: Apr 6th 2022 at 9:01:12 PM
It's certainly possible for something to be a Late-Arrival Spoiler without being It Was His Sled, simply by the fact that a Late-Arrival Spoiler may simply not become disproportionately famous in the first place. For instance, a spoiler regarding a minor character in a sidequest that doesn't affect the main plot vs. The Ending Changes Everything. Both can qualify for Late-Arrival Spoiler if a sequel takes them for granted, but The Ending Changes Everything is far more likely to be super-famous, wouldn't it?
Edited by Albert3105 on Apr 6th 2022 at 12:41:00 PM
GastonRabbit
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#72: Apr 6th 2022 at 9:04:18 PM
Dealing with these on a case-by-case basis sounds reasonable.
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Albert3105
Since: Jun, 2013
#73: Apr 6th 2022 at 9:15:33 PM
Let's take up a deleted example: Tony Stark dying in Avengers: Endgame. It was originally deleted due to the 5-year limit (Endgame came out 3 years ago, in 2019).
Under the exception, it would be allowed back, as Spider-Man: Far From Home takes the spoiler for granted as a major part of Peter's character arc, making that a Late-Arrival Spoiler. Does that sound sensible?
Edited by Albert3105 on Apr 6th 2022 at 12:35:19 PM
GastonRabbit
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
from Robinson, Illinois, USA
(General of TV Troops)
Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#74: Apr 6th 2022 at 9:35:45 PM
I'm not familiar with the example, but if it's a Late-Arrival Spoiler that was only removed from It Was His Sled because of the waiting period, then that sounds about right.
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Albert3105
Since: Jun, 2013
#75: Apr 17th 2022 at 10:24:19 PM
Thumped: This post has been thumped with the mod stick. This means knock it off.
Trope Repair Shop:
It Was His Sled Late Arrival Spoiler
6th Apr '22 7:21:04 AM
Crown Description:
Consensus was to require five years after the work's release before deciding whether a twist is an example of It Was His Sled. Should there be an exception for twists that become Late Arrival Spoilers sooner than five years?
Total posts: 118
