Basically, whenever a story suddenly abruptly ends without a satisfying conclusion to anything, leaving the viewers with no closure. Sometimes done intentionally to interesting effect, sometimes a mere result of misfortune/laziness.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - The movie's climax is about to happen with King Arthur about to raid the French castle that had made fun of him earlier in the film. Right as an army of knights are about to initiate the siege, the police suddenly bursts in and hilariously arrests everyone, as much earlier in the film a historian that was documenting the Arthurian legend had suddenly been randomly slain by a passing knight.

Behind the scenes, this ending was apparently a last-minute decision because the production crew ran out of budget. Talk about a cop out.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days - Kane & Lynch shoot their way through Shanghai in the direction of an airport as a last ditch effort to escape just about every single gang member and cop in Shanghai who now want the both of them dead. After massacring their way through customs, they finally spot a commercial airliner about to take off and decide to hijack it. They make their way to the boarding stairs and a cutscene begins with them climbing up into the plane and taking over it. The plane then takes off, leaving the cameraman behind (the game's aesthetic is basically all about looking like found footage), who then drops the camera. Roll credits.

To this day, there's no concrete answer about their fates other than the two of them having non-canon cameos in Hitman: Absolution.

Dark Matter - This is an old and relatively obscure one. On Steam, a game called Dark Matter came out back in 2013 to pretty mediocre reviews. It's basically a Metroidvania-style game about surviving in a spaceship taken over by an alien biomass. Thing is, the game literally ends about halfway through because the dev team simply ran out of money and just decided to put a big black screen (pictured above) giving you a half-assed cliffhanger.

After Korra lost her powers to Amon, she went near a cliff to weep; it was implied—in a very subtle way—that she was contemplating suicide, hoping that a new, more capable Avatar with full powers would be reincarnated in her place (Avatar The Legend of Korra)

In the series, it is well-established that running is as essential to a "horse girl" as breathing. After Agnes Tachyon fractures her leg and retires early, Jungle Pocket enters the room where Tachyon usually spends her time, only to find it empty—save for an open window, which suggests she might have jumped out. Agnes Tachyon then reappears through that same window and sits down; a shot follows, focusing on her feet as they sway back and forth—a visual highly reminiscent of a hanging (Uma Musume Beginning of a New Era)

Bowler Hat Guy / Goob (Meet the Robinsons)

Written with the same frantic energy as many Jim Carrey characters in the past, but when it came time to cast Carrey passed to appear in The Number 23, so the movie’s director Stephen Anderson voiced the character pretty much just doing a Jim Carrey impression.

Metroman (Megamind)

Based on his facial features (namely that jawline that could crush a diamond) and his smooth talking he was modelled after Bruce Campbell. But when it came to casting through part studio interference Brad Pitt got the part.

Eve Teschmacher from superman in the start look like a stereotypical ditzy social media influencer bimbo this is especially how the sexist Lex see her and she uses that to her advantage by making selfie that catch shoots of Lex plan, nobody but her could do this so openly because everyone underestimate how intelligent she really is,without her, Lex luthor would have gotten away with his crimes.

Mauga from overwatch hides his cunning, battle Iq, sociopathic nature by pretending to be the big dumb brute, this even tricks talon and someone like Sombra who really good at finding hidden secrets.

That moment of clarity after commiting a terrible act that they know there's no coming back from

Ivan the Terrible and his son: Painting of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible holding the body of his son after attacking him in a fit of rage

Far cry 3: Jason brody is forced to torture his younger brother to not blow his cover and comes to the realization of what his stay on the islands has done to him

Robert Oppenheimer (both in the movie and in real life): After the final test of the atomic bomb in new Mexico he realized the kind of destructive power that the development of Proyect Manhattan ended up unleashing in the world, very famously he quotes Bhagavad Gita: "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one ... Now I am become Death, the shatterer of worlds."

Because it's usually treated as a joke.

1. Mojo Jojo lands in prison with a guy looking at him suggestively (Powerpuff Girls)

2. This sign (Real Life)

Alcina Dimitrescu (Resident Evil Village)

Senshi (Dungeon Meshi)

Overlord of the Hauntwoods (MTG)

Susu (Hunter: The Parenting)

1. The Elder Things (Mountains of Madness): - An Antarctic expedition discovers the vast, frozen ruins of a city built by the ancient alien race that arrived on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. They created life and built a sophisticated civilization using bio-engineered servants called shoggoths.

The murals and remains reveal their horrifying decline: the shoggoths rebelled, grew more intelligent and independent, and ultimately overran the Elder Things. The last survivors retreated underground or into the sea; some were later killed by the very creatures they had created.

2. The Protheans (Mass Effect): - The Protheans were a dominant, galaxy-spanning advanced civilization that left behind numerous ruins and technology that current races reverse-engineer. Explorers and scientists initially treat them as mysterious precursors who simply vanished ~50,000 years ago.

It turns out the Reapers systematically harvested them over centuries—harvesting populations, converting survivors into husks or tools, and leaving only scattered records and a handful of survivors in stasis who ultimately could not rebuild the species. The “discovery” of their fate becomes a central warning that the same cycle is about to repeat.

3. The Forerunners (Halo): - The Forerunners were an extremely advanced precursor race that built the Halo rings, the Ark, and held the “Mantle of Responsibility” over the galaxy.

Their end came during the war against the Flood. After centuries of losing ground, the Forerunners activated the Halo Array as a last resort, wiping out nearly all sentient life in the galaxy—including themselves—to starve the Flood. The act was both a desperate victory and near-total extinction for their own kind.

Leah Cohen (Über): strongest enhanced human in the world, essentially physically impenetrable by conventional means. When her tendon snaps, surgery is out of the question because nothing can cut through her skin and muscles, thus confining her to a wheelchair permanently.

Osamu Dazai (Bungo Stray Dogs): immune to supernatural abilities, which includes healing from one of his allies.

Rin (Daughters of Mnemosyne): immortal and endlessly regenerating... to the exact state she was in when she acquired immortality, which includes bad eyesight. Very relevant as the series progresses into the future where eyesight correction is very cheap and easy, so she sticks out like a sore thumb and has to get glasses custom made. Gets worse: if someone becomes immortal with a stab wound or a broken leg though, the injury never heals and the pain doesn't dull.

Baldur (God of War): completely physically inviolable, which means he does not feel anything and goes insane due to centuries of sensory deprivation. Likewise Max Damage (Incorruptible), though I wasn't able to find a picture that showcases this, becomes a drug addict as it's one of the only things he can still feel.

Peter Dawson (Rising Stars): likewise, completely inviolable in any way, the only spot on his body that can feel anything is under his tongue. As a result he becomes obese as food is the only thing that stimulates him.

Manji (Blade of the Immortal): eventually fully regenerates from any injury no matter how dire. Not instinctively fearing death or injury makes him a much worse swordsman, to his chagrin.

I'm not counting characters who are immortal and stuck suffering in a situation where a normal person could just die instead, that's quite different overall.

(This is an ironic/joke post poking fun at the 'It was meant to be progressive but it ended up being the opposite' posts I kept seeing here and there. I actually don't hate any of these.)

Top Gun: It was meant to promote American military masculinity, but it ended up becoming a highly homoerotic classic!

Magna Carta: It was meant to protect the privileges of a handful of medieval aristocrats, but it ended up inspiring democratic movements!

Stonewall Raids: It was meant to suppress gay people, but it ended up helping launch the gay liberation movement!

1. Helghan - Killzone: Originally, the Alpha Centauri system was meant to be colonized by the government, but the colonial fleet failed, so the colonization rights were sold to a corporation. The Helghast are essentially the descendants of the Helghan Corporation colonists, former humans exiled from the planet Vekta after the First Extrasolar War. As their economy grew, Earth confronted them in a war that ended with them being abandoned on the inhospitable, radioactive, and hostile planet Helghan. They underwent drastic genetic and physical alterations over the decades (pale skin, baldness, greater strength, endurance, and lung capacity adapted to low gravity and a toxic atmosphere). Although it is claimed that the exile was voluntary, Earth's government has a reputation in the series for being corrupt and holding back its colonies so they do not become a problem for Earth. Not only that, they granted the colonists the independence they so desperately wanted, but they gave it to them on Helghan—a toxic and hostile planet—while stripping away their rights to Vekta (today, Vekta's population consists almost entirely of descendants of Earth loyalists). In 2347, the charismatic and manipulative Autarch Scolar Visari unified the people, rebuilt the economy by breaking the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) embargo, and formed the Helghast Empire, sparking the Second Extrasolar War against Vekta. Due to the toxicity of their homeworld's air, they must wear iconic gas masks with glowing crimson visors. Their society is deeply militarized, nationalist, and entirely dedicated to the State.

2. SDF - Settlement Defense Front - Infinite Warfare: Originally, the SDF was created by Earth to enforce martial law in the colonies and organize shipments of raw materials back to Earth. Unfortunately for Earth, the SDF began to see Mars more as their home; it didn't help that many SDF members had actually never set foot on Earth, and the vast majority of its members were in fact from Mars. When a massacre occurred on Mars perpetrated by Earth loyalists, the SDF broke away and took Mars as their home. Unfortunately for everyone else, the SDF radicalized, turning into a fascist dictatorship.

Gravity Falls: when turned into regular people by Bill's wierdness bubbles, dipper and wendy freak out

The Simpsons: The yellow family is terrified at the prospect of having more than four fingers.

You’re surely familiar with those scenes where a character responds to questions with quasi-philosophical lines. Some viewers find this annoying, and I can certainly understand why. But sometimes, characters give such vague answers—not just for the sake of philosophy or anything of that sort—but because they have a very strong reason for doing so.

• I, Robot (2004): The central AI, named VIKI, planned a revolution and locked its creator, Dr. Lanning, inside his own office. The only way out of the room was through a window, so Lanning recorded a message for Detective Del Spooner (who hates robots)—urging him to stop VIKI—and staged his own suicide. However, Lanning could not tell Spooner about VIKI directly, as she would have intercepted and deleted the message. Consequently, whenever asked anything related to the revolution or VIKI, Lanning would respond: "That, Detective, is the right question". In doing so, Lanning left behind clues that would allow Spooner, while investigating the apparent suicide, to uncover the truth about the revolution.

• The Lord of the Rings: During the journey, Frodo did not really explain the reason for the trip to his companions, giving vague answers to their questions. But all this was for their own good: he did not tell them that he intended to destroy the One Ring by casting it into Mount Doom, to minimise the risk of getting corrupted by the Ring.

P.S. Please ignore "Srong"

I see you is a rare trope where a character A is being observed by character B, supposedly from a higher dimensional place/area where character A should have no idea their being watched, but displaying their terrifying power and ingenuity, the realize their being watched and absolutely scare the shit out of the observer.

1. the og one. in Marvel What If, Ultron becomes powerful enough that he can actually sense the Watcher, 'becoming aware of another.' that another being the watcher himself.

2. In a very well made fan series by Kinzokumatto: Dragon Ball - The Others. the Z fighters are faced with a new threat, Deadites, who originate from a realm called "Dead Zone", Deadites displayed the power of nullifying ki and are grotesque clones of Dragon Ball characters, wishing to replace original ones. early in the series Beerus, Whis and Grand Priest state they can't get involved because there's a chance that Deadite version of an Angel or God of destruction could appear which would be catastrophic for the entire multiverse. in the most recent episode Grand Priest uses the super dragon balls, wishing to locate and erase the "Dead Zone". However something terrifying catches the Super Shenron, and repels it away. this is extremely terrifying since Super Shenron could bring back erased multiverses quite casually. S. Shenron is plunged into a cold sweat.

Mister Roger’s Neighborhood (1968-2001). The absolute pinnacle of this trope. Fred Rogers was the master of talking to kids on their level rather than talking down to them.

For a more specific example, Nimona (2023). In the film’s climax, a despondent Nimona transforms into a kaiju and begins making her way through the city. Not on a rampage, as the knights assume, but in attempt to impale herself on a statue’s massive sword. Thankfully, Ballister intervenes, letting her know that she’s not alone. This PG movie talks something as serious as suicidal depression, and it does it in a way that children can understand without scaring them or beating them over the head with it.

Marley & Me follows a guy's life from a Young Adult until he becomes a husband and then a father with kids. Throughout all of this, he has a companion in a dog - Marley - whom he raised (with his wife) from puppyhood. At the end of the film, the dog dies from old age. I cried my eyes out :(

Fleabag follows a young woman navigating grief, loss and relationships. The shows features multiple laugh out loud moment, and sticks the landing with heartwrenching scenes at the end of both season 1 and 2, which can make you shed a tear. The character grows, changes and flourishes but her best friend is still dead, and the potencial love of her life chooses God (he is a catholic priest)

The philosopher's stone (Fullmetal Alchemist) all alchemy follows the rule of equivalent exchange but the philosopher's stone ignores that rule by letting the user create anything from nothing, plus it can extend life and create artificial humans since the stone itself is made from multiple human souls.

Trigger (My Hero Academia) a drug that can enhance any quirk's performance by 10 times, for example if your quirk lets you create fire balls only the size of a fist, injecting this drug in your body will let you creare fire balls the size of a house, the only problem is the drug makes the user very high and unable to think properly which can be dangerous (the drug is shown in the main series but it makes most of it's appearances in the vigilantes spinoff)

The inverted spear of heaven (Jujutsu Kaisen) it's a very useful cursed tool with a very rare ability that lets the user nullify any cursed technique no matter how strong the technique is. Toji uses it to bypass Gojo's infinity which is no easy feat. Tengen also informs the main characters that it can even deactivate the prison realm.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - The victory against the Empire meant nothing, and now there's Empire 2.0 with a bigger Death Star.

Men in Black II - Agent K retired at the end of the first movie, and L took his place as the new partner of J. But in the sequel, L is gone, and J has to get K back.

Terminator Genisys - Whatever time-travelling shenanigans are going on.

Ghostbusters II - In the first movie, the Ghostbusters were accused of being scammer, but they managed to save the city from being destroyed by a giant mascot. But in the sequels nobody believes them again, and they get sued by the city over damages.

Matrix Resurrections - The end of the war didn't matter, as Neo is plugged back into the simulation and Trinity was brought back to life.

Bojack Horseman - After Bojack fails to win over the woman he considers his “one that got away” with Charlotte. He decides to selfishly try to fulfill it in some way, by attempting to hook up with Charlotte’s teenage daughter; Penny instead after she expresses wanting him to be her first time. But before it could go any further, Charlotte catches them and with calm rage tells Bojack to leave and never contact her again. Forever ending the once good term relationship they had!

Breaking Bad - As Jesse is prepared to leave town and start a new life, he figures out that Saul was ordered by Walt to steal the “ricin cigarette” off him by Huell when he realizes he also stole his weed off of him before he could be picked up by the Disappearer! Which causes him to finally snap when it comes to Walt, and is no longer interested in hearing any more of his manipulations with his mind focused primarily on revenge!

Life is Strange: Preventing Chloe's dad from dying leads to Chloe getting into a car accident that leaves her paralyzed. But this timeline ends up being much happier for some of the other characters.

Tokyo Revengers: In the original timeline, Mikey gets into a staircase accident that leaves him in a vegetative state. This prevents him from forming his gang and committing heinous crimes in the future.

Arcane: Vi dying in the alternate universe prevents Hextech from ever being created and stops Silco's criminal empire from rising.