Signature Scene



""THAT scene in American Pie.""

- TV Tropes: Cringe Comedy page

That one scene that everyone remembers from a movie or other media. When people think of the work, this is the one scene that they immediately think of, and may be the only reason to remember it at all. If the work is referenced in popular culture, it will reference this scene. Cover illustrations will often depict this scene. Any parodies will also center on this scene specifically.

There are many reasons that the scene may stand out. It may be...
 * The centerpiece of the trailer, causing it to enter the minds of people before they see the movie, or be all they know about it if they never see the movie.
 * A Wall Banger that derails the entire work.
 * A scene that is uncharacteristic and has nothing to do with the rest of the work.
 * A scene that is so unintentionally laughable it overshadows the rest of the work.
 * A scene that evoked major controversy.
 * A scene that became a part of popular culture, and then later nostalgia.
 * The major twist in the work.

No matter the reason, the Signature Scene is cemented in the minds of the general public. Your Mileage May Vary, as if you have actually seen the work yourself, there may be more scenes that you enjoy, or possibly stick out more in your mind than what people believe to be the Signature Scene.

Scenes which are little more than famous quotes should probably not be listed here. Those are examples of Signature Lines. Quotes do help keep a Signature Scene memorable, though.

Compare All There Is to Know About "The Crying Game", Everybody Remembers the Stripper, Watch It for the Meme, and Everybody Knows That.

Anime

 * The "Last Shooting" scene from Mobile Suit Gundam, where Amuro uses the eponymous Mobile Suit to fire one last shot at the Zeong that ends up destroying both mecha.
 * This one is famous enough that it gets Homaged throughout the Gundam saga. In particular, Gundam F 90 recreates the scene almost exactly, while Gundam Wing has an example in The Movie that doesn't outwardly resemble the classic version but is still called "Last Shooting". Super Robot Wars got in on the homages with Z2 Hakai-hen, where the Nu Gundam's fin funnel attack ends with the Last Shooting.
 * Osaka's little moment with the knife in Azumanga Daioh.
 * Ippo's completed Dempsey Roll against Sendou at the end of the Japanese Featherweight Championship has become one of the most iconic scenes. It's had Shout Outs in games like Super Street Fighter IV and Tekken for starters.
 * Toothbrush.
 * In Cowboy Bebop,  is one of the most iconic moments in all of anime, not to mention a major Tear Jerker.
 * Bang.
 * The scene in "Ballad of Fallen Angels" where
 * Nice Boat.
 * Goku's first transformation into a Super Saiyan after Frieza pushed him too far in his cruelty from Dragonball Z.
 * Or when they realize his power level is.... greater than... 9000.
 * Rika smashing her head into a knife in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.
 * Rena from Onikakushi are pretty iconic too, especially the "Usoda!" and laughing scene. In fact, it's such a memorable scene, people assumed everyone in that show was an Axe Crazy person when it's clearly not the case.
 * Death Note has two candidates: Light taking a potato chip AND EATING IT, and "Exactly as planned."
 * In Puella Magi Madoka Magica, one particular scene got so many parodies it has its own Danbooru tag: the one in episode 3 where.
 * Spirited Away has the scene where Chihiro remembers Haku's name while riding through the air on his back.
 * Whisper of the Heart has two: Seiji's violin rendition of "Country Road" and his bike ride with Shizuku at the end.
 * One Piece has the scene where Shanks gives his straw hat to Luffy.
 * Abe Takakazu unzipping his overalls on the bench in Kuso Miso Technique.
 * in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
 * Fist of the North Star has Kenshiro and Shin's simultaneous jump kicking (resulting in their legs seen as crossed) during their fated duel.
 * The initial car chase to rescue Clarisse and the climatic bell tower fight in The Castle of Cagliostro.

Comic Books
""What, are you dense? Are you retarded or something? I'm the Goddamn Batman.""
 * Batman's infamous reprimanding of a recently orphaned Dick Grayson from All Star Batman and Robin.


 * Batman taking on Superman - and beating him - in The Dark Knight Returns.
 * Dr. Light  in Identity Crisis.
 * Superboy-Prime retconning reality with his punches in Infinite Crisis.
 * The death of Barry Allen in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
 * Phoenix killing herself in front of Cyclops in X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Story.
 * Rick Jones creating the Invaders to fight the Skrulls in Avengers: The Kree-Skrull War.
 * Judge Dredd punching through the Judge Fear's head while shouting "Gaze into the fist of Dredd!"
 * Harvey Dent getting acid splashed on his face and his Two-Faced reveal in The Long Halloween
 * In The Death of Superman, the full-page spread of Lois cradling the dead body of Superman.
 * A similar scene for Captain America's death: his bloodied body on the courthouse steps.
 * The Avengers: ULTRON. We would have words with thee.
 * Superman lifting a green car over his head while three criminals run away.

Film
"Sho'nuff: Alright, Leroy, who is the one and only master? Leroy Green: I am."
 * "I wish I knew how to quit you!" from Brokeback Mountain.
 * Gene Kelly dancing on a puddly street in Singin in The Rain.
 * The Shower Scene from Psycho.
 * Harold Lloyd hanging from the clock in Safety Last.
 * The Statue of Liberty on the beach in Planet of the Apes.
 * "I'm Spartacus! No, I'm Spartacus!" from Spartacus.
 * It's easy to forget that there are parts of Home Alone that don't involve Harry and Marv comically injuring themselves on Kevin's traps.
 * Except for the mobster films. And Kevin using them on people!
 * Also the aftershave scene. Oddly, the aftershave part is often forgotten, leaving Kevin simply screaming with his hands on his cheeks. The boxart strengthens this.
 * D-day from Saving Private Ryan.
 * Three Hundred: King Leonidas says "THIS! IS! SPARTA!!!!" as he kicks the Persian Messenger into the pit.
 * The candy room from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.
 * The Escherspace scene in Labyrinth (especially Jareth's pants. Not even Escher knows how he got into those pants.)
 * "That's not a knife-- THIS is that's a knife!" from Crocodile Dundee.
 * Running away from the plane in North by Northwest.
 * Whenever Godzilla is referenced (or even parodied) in shows, it will more often than not depict the famous scene of him attacking Tokyo in the 1954 film.
 * Go ahead, try to remember any reference to King Kong that didn't involve him climbing up the Empire State Building.
 * How about the way he killed the T-Rex?
 * Riding the Bomb in Dr. Strangelove.
 * The Pulp Fiction opening scene. "English, motherfucker! Do you speak it?!"
 * As well as the Quarter Pounder with Cheese dialogue.
 * Marcellus Wallace being raped, Christopher Walken's speech about keeping a watch up his ass, I Just Shot Marvin in the Face, Travolta and Thurman winning the dance contest, jamming the adrenaline needle through Uma Thurman's chest, etc. Nearly every scene in Pulp Fiction is iconic.
 * A certain Italian boxer's famous run through the streets of Philadelphia, with "Gonna Fly Now" playing in the background and ending with running up the steps.
 * Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix.
 * Trinity jumping in the air and kicking someone.
 * The trench-run scene from Star Wars.
 * Vader cutting off Luke's hand and then telling him "I am your father" in The Empire Strikes Back.
 * The moment Darth Maul ignites his double-freakin'-edged lightsaber in The Phantom Menace.
 * Jurassic Park's "Welcome to Jurassic Park" opening moment with the Brachiosaurus. Even the characters react to it as a signature scene.
 * The attack of the T. rex as well.
 * The Velociraptors in the kitchen as well.
 * "Clever girl..."
 * Superman being ordered to Kneel Before Zod in Superman II.
 * For the first movie, the flight scene with Superman and Lois.
 * For Superman III the junk yard fight between Clark Kent and Superman.
 * For Superman Returns, one word: "WRONG!"
 * The climactic scene in the original Japanese version of Ring, in which - and, by extension, the same scene in the US remake.
 * The "crawling down the stairs" scenes from the video and theatrical installments in the Ju-on franchise, and also the one from the US remake.
 * Two particular scenes from The Descent: first, the one in which a Crawler is seen up-close for the first time spoiler:(where it is seen [[[[Matchlight Danger Revelation through the night vision on Holly's camcorder, second, the one in which.
 * The Bride vs. Gogo fight scene from Kill Bill Vol. 1.
 * The decapitation of the Statue of Liberty from Cloverfield.
 * Honey Ryder, the first Bond Girl, emerging from the sea, clad in her famous white bikini, in Dr. No.
 * Bond almost getting cut in half with a laser in Goldfinger. "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"
 * The bungee jump and the tank ride in Goldeneye.
 * The elevator scene from the original version of The Eye.
 * The opening scene of Scream.
 * The sand/surf kissing scene in From Here to Eternity.
 * Darryl Revok's first scene in Scanners.
 * The Chest Burster scene from Alien.
 * Ripley versus the Alien Queen in Aliens.
 * Lets Rock!!!
 * "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the Mirthmobile from Wayne's World.
 * American Pie has two, which were the center of the marketing of the movie: the scene with the pie, and the "band camp" scene.
 * Mr. Blonde torturing a cop and cutting his ear off to the tune of Steeler's Wheel's "Stuck In the Middle With You" from Reservoir Dogs.
 * The two girls at the end of the hallway in The Shining.
 * The wave of blood.
 * HERE'S JOHHNY!
 * Johnny frozen solid in the labyrinth.
 * Taxi Driver: "You talkin' to me?"
 * The final scene in Scarface. "Say hello to my little friend!"
 * Cabin Fever's infamous "Pancakes scene."
 * The curb stomping scene in American History X.
 * "Squeeeeeal like a pig!" from Deliverance
 * Indiana Jones outrunning the giant boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * Indy shooting the Swordsman.
 * The Indy Hat Roll in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom''.
 * From Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, "KNEEL!"
 * Ahem. KHAAAAAAAN!
 * "Excuse me. Could you tell me where the nuclear wessels are?"
 * "Target that explosion and FIRE!" Big Damn Heroes much?
 * Troll 2: "They're eating her! And then they're going to eat me! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"
 * The Sixth Sense's "I see dead people" scene.
 * Rick's goodbye to Ilsa on the airstrip at the end of Casablanca
 * The creation scene of the classic Frankenstein movie.
 * Bride's introduction in its sequel.
 * Rhett Butler's goodbye to Scarlett at the end of Gone with the Wind.
 * "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Harry's speech about the Magnum in Dirty Harry.
 * There Will Be Blood: "I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!!"
 * The scene in The Exorcist where the possessed Linda Blair's head starts spinning around and vomiting pea soup.
 * The alien ships on Independence Day cast shadows over famous landmarks, then blow them away.
 * The Joker's "pencil trick" in The Dark Knight.
 * Why so serious?
 * The Batwing vs The Joker in Batman
 * "Did you ever dance with devil by the pale moonlight?"
 * Forrest running from bullies in Forrest Gump. "Run, Forrest! Run!"
 * Harry Potter (most of the later installments are eclipsed by the first, especially after the first three)
 * First Film: the Hogwarts letters flooding into the Dursleys' living room, Hagrid's "you're a wizard, Harry", possibly the first time we see Hogwarts.
 * TROLL!!!! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!!!!! Thought you ought to know
 * Second Film: Dobby's "Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts," possibly the Flying Car scene.
 * Third Film: "HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!!1!1", maybe the hippogriff flight.
 * Fourth Film: Edward Cullen's... er... Cedric's death.
 * What? There are actually scenes in Risky Business other than the one where Tom Cruise dances in his underwear? Who knew?
 * Yes, they involve him hiring a hooker and running a brothel while his parents are out of town. Apparently Tom Cruise's underwear has the magical ability to control minds.
 * Spider-Man upside down kissing Mary Jane with his mask on.
 * The fight on the train in the sequel.
 * Peter dancing in 3, or ripping off the black suit
 * From the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. There's the bathtub scene with Nancy, the bedroom scene with Glen, and the brutal and legendary death scene of Christina 'Tina' Grey.
 * RICKY!!!!! From Boyz N the Hood..
 * From Halloween it's the scene where Michael's pale white mask emerges from the darkness.
 * The rave scene from the first Blade Film..
 * Blade vs Jared in part 2
 * Colt (Chuck Norris) vs Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) in Return of the Dragon.
 * When Leroy gets the "Glow" in The Last Dragon.


 * The mirror room fight in Enter the Dragon.
 * The lap dance scene in Showgirls.
 * To say nothing of the infamous Two-Person Pool Party scene...
 * The Fight scene between Ronnie and Diamond in The Players Club.
 * Liu Ti Lung vs. Fung Sheng Wu Chi in Master of the Flying Guillotine.
 * Catherine Tramell's interrogation scene in Basic Instinct.
 * The bank heist in Dead Presidents
 * The Shootout in Heat
 * A better example may be the conversation over coffee.
 * Martyrs has 2 scenes, the scene where Lucie breaks into that family's house, and the climactic scene involving Anna.
 * They're coming to get you Barbara!, And definitely the last scene with Ben...
 * "CHOKE ON 'EM!" from Day of the Dead.
 * The swing set scene from Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru.
 * "Shane, come back!"
 * "If I was the man I was 10 years ago, I'D TAKE A FLAMETHROWER TO THIS PLACE."
 * The flag speech opening of Patton ("Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.").
 * "Who are you?" "I'm Batman!"
 * Also the Joker asking Vicky "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"
 * The battle of Stirling Bridge in Braveheart, complete with Rousing Speech.
 * The Marilyn Maneuver in The Seven Year Itch.
 * The "Raft Massacre" in The Burning.
 * The "Disco Boy Scene" in Maniac.
 * "Garbage day!"
 * The prom in Carrie.
 * The Twist Ending.
 * Jaws has two signature scenes, the first is the death of the shark's first victim Chrissy, the second is when Brody is chumming the water and the shark pops it's head up out of the water prompting Brody to tell Quint "I think you're going to need a bigger boat!"
 * The werewolf transformation in An American Werewolf in London.
 * Airplane! has "Excuse me, stewardess. I speak jive..."
 * Pretty much any line delivered by Leslie Nielsen. Of particular note is, "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
 * Opening of the Slasher Movie Pieces, where a woman finds her son putting together a jigsaw of a naked woman. She then proceeds to freak out and the son violently kills her with an axe.
 * The zero-G, revolving hallway fight from Inception
 * The Reveal of the horse head in the movie producer's bed from The Godfather.
 * And the first scene.
 * Lola Bunny's introductory appearance in Space Jam when she enters the gym to try out from the team, as well as her entering the arena at the beginning of the game.
 * The Color Purple has "All my life I had to fight..." from when Sofia confronts Celie after Harpo beats her.
 * The ship crashing into a marina in Speed 2 Cruise Control.
 * The massacre on the Odessa Steps in The Battleship Potemkin.
 * The pottery scene from Ghost.
 * Antonius Block playing chess with Death from The Seventh Seal.
 * "You is kind, you is smart, and you is important" from The Help.
 * "The first rule about Fight Club is..." Also, pretty much the hole movie.

Live Action TV

 * Seinfeld: "No soup for you!"
 * Also, due to the controversy, the infamous contest episode.
 * The Rick James episode of Chappelle's Show
 * The Clayton Bixby skit as well.
 * The post-crash carnage from the first episode of Lost.
 * The Star Trek parodies from Saturday Night Live and In Living Color helped define both shows.
 * Vitameatavegimin!
 * The conveyor belt scene in the chocolate factory.
 * Only Fools and Horses: Del Boy tries to lean on the bar casually, but it's not there.
 * The chandelier scene.
 * Del and Rodney emerge from the mist as Batman and Robin.
 * Pullo and Vorenus in the gladiator arena. "Thirteeeeeeeeeeeen!"
 * Mr. Worf......FIRE!! The moment that made a series.
 * In the fourth episode of Miami Vice, there is a pre-credits scene where Russ Ballard's 80's song "Voices" plays while the detective's speedboat heads off into the sunset. Many folks who never saw the series, know that scene.
 * The other scene is the one with Crockett and Tubbs driving at night while the city street lights blare off the hood of the Daytona, loading their guns with Phil Collins In the Air Tonight slowly building up.
 * The "fuck" investigation scene from The Wire.
 * Twin Peaks: The Red Room scene with The Man From Another Place.
 * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The opening title sequence, the first battle, the team morph after Tommy joins, and the Megazord sequence are all particularly well remembered, the opening most of all. Rita stretches after partially emerging from her space dumpster prison and proclaims: "Aaah! After ten thousand years, I'm free! It's time to conquer Earth!"

Literature

 * Don Quixote charging against windmills.
 * The Crucifixion
 * Gandalf facing the Balrog. "You cannot pass."
 * Bilbo's riddle-duel with Gollum in The Hobbit. "What has it got in its pocketses?"

Sports

 * Ask people in Chicago, and they'll tell you that the Cubs lost the 2003 NLCS because of Steve Bartman. Forget the fact that they couldn't get an out the rest of the inning, and then lost the next game. No, it all comes down to that one play.
 * Similar with Buckner in the 1986 World Series. The Red Sox had already blown a two run lead with two outs in the 10th inning. Buckner's error allowed the third (albeit winning) run to score. The Red Sox also blew a three run lead the next game to lose the Series. Ask most people why the Red Sox lost that series though, and they'll tell you about the Buckner play.
 * Carlton Fisk waving a home run ball fair in the 1975 World Series. Of course, Boston lost the series to the Big Red Machine, one of the greater teams in history, but the Fisk home run is what people most focus on.
 * 1980 Miracle on Ice "Do you believe in miracles?! YES!" Also, the team celebrating after Eruzione's goal to take the lead.
 * The FIFA World Cup has two, Pelé's goal in the 1958 final, and Maradona's goal versus England in 1986 (no, not the one he punched the ball!).
 * 2004 ALCS Dave Roberts stealing second base.
 * Super Bowl XLII: Quarterback Eli Manning throwing a pass after escaping a sack that was caught by third string wide receiver David Tyree against his helmet while being pulled to the ground.
 * Janet Jackson's halftime show "wardrobe malfunction"
 * For more Super Bowl goodness, there's always Scott Norwood's wide-right field goal; or Kevin Dyson coming up "One Yard Short" for the Titans.
 * The fatal crash of Dale Earnhardt
 * Pittsburgh Pirates Hall-of-Famer Bill Mazeroski was regarded as a superb second baseman; his batting was so unremarkable that it nearly cost him his chance to be in the Hall. What is he remembered for? In the Game Seven of the 1960 World Series, he cracked a walk-off home run that won his team the game and the Series.

Theatre

 * Hamlet with the skull: "Alas, poor Yorick..."
 * Also, strangely, Hamlet with the skull: "To be or not to be..." - it's the signature Shakespeare moment, and it's just a mix-up of two different monologues in different acts.
 * Thematically appropriate though, considering the speech is about weighing the options of suicide. Juxtaposing life and death and all that.
 * The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet: "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
 * The blood dripping down from the ceiling onto the sheriff in The Girl of the Golden West.
 * The spanking scene in Kiss Me, Kate.
 * The "Mack Sennett Ballet" from the musical High Button Shoes.
 * Eliza crossing the ice in stage versions of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
 * A Streetcar Named Desire has... "STELLA!!!"
 * William Gillette's Sherlock Holmes escaping from Moriarty's Gas Chamber, using a lighted cigar butt as a ruse.
 * The staircase scene/title song from Hello, Dolly!
 * The chandelier crash in The Phantom of the Opera
 * The helicopter evacuation scene in Miss Saigon

Video Games

 * The confrontation with Andrew Ryan
 * Aeris' death in Final Fantasy VII.
 * The Opera scene in Final Fantasy VI, especially Celes' part.
 * Final Fantasy X's infamous laughing scene. The kiss in Macalania Forest gets overshadowed by this.
 * The laughing seen is (and will probably always be) the most memorable segment to the game's detractors, but for fans, the has more or less replaced the Macalania kiss.
 * Also the scene where the party storms
 * The opening to Zero Wing. "All Your Base Are Belong to Us"
 * The first level of Super Mario Bros. (original game). And the battle against Bowser on the bridge, with the axe used to send him plummeting into the lava.
 * Also, Mario swinging Bowser by the tail in Super Mario 64.
 * Super Mario Bros 3 has the first flight as Raccoon Mario (with Kuribo's Shoe at a close second)
 * From the first Tomb Raider, everyone remembers falling off the broken bridge into a pit with a bear in it. And the T-Rex. Tomb Raider II and III have locking the butler in the freezer in Lara's Home, which many people played with even more than the main game.
 * The first zombie encounter in Resident Evil.
 * The 343 Guilty Spark level in Halo for obvious reasons.
 * Sub-Zero's fatality...which was actually disturbing back then.
 * The final shot of a match, with your character posing after a finisher. "Fatality!"
 * DIVE! DIVE! DIVE! HIT YOUR BURNERS, PILOT!
 * Super Metroid battle with Mother Brain
 * The Ferris Wheel ride with N in Pokémon Black and White
 * Virmire in the first Mass Effect. The final level and possibly Tali's loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2.
 * Insult swordfighting. "You fight like a dairy farmer!" "How appropriate...you fight like a cow!"
 * Sonic running down the side of a building in Sonic Adventure.
 * Dracula's boss battle in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
 * From Asura's Wrath, his battle Against Wyzen's Giant Country sized finger is likely to be this, as it's not only in 2 diferent trailers, but also used as a promotion in a Japanese Tv ad for the game.
 * "That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"
 * The duel with the Arishok and possibly the destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry (cathedral) in Dragon Age II.
 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's nuke detonation at the end of "Shock and Awe."
 * Knights of the Old Republic: The Reveal. Still considered one of the best twists in any video game ever.
 * Link pulling out the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.
 * The Hydra fight from the first God of War, the colossus fight and the Mount Olympus climb at the end of the second.

Western Animation

 * The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment from Fantasia, or Night on Bald Mountain.
 * Another Disney example: The two dogs slurping spaghetti and touching their noses together in Lady and the Tramp.
 * The ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast.
 * Cinderella's dress transformation.
 * The Little Mermaid: Ariel flipping her hair back as she splashes out of the water, or else sitting on the rock with the crashing wave.
 * The song "Under the Sea" also counts.
 * The scene of Rafiki holding up baby Simba in The Lion King, and Mufasa's death.
 * The Magic Carpet ride during "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.
 * Spider-Man finds himself hanging upside-down in front of a skyscraper window, seeing his reflection with the never-before-seen black costume. The original comic didn't have it, but every version since has had it. Even Spider Girl has Mayday swinging past a building, red suit in real life and black suit in the reflection.
 * The scene from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut where Mr. Garrison catches the boys swearing in class. Also Kenny's death.
 * Which one?
 * Death scene of Bambi's mother.
 * The entire "Married Life" segment of Up.
 * Carl floating the house away with all the balloons, while mocking the Shady Oaks people
 * In Toy Story, being introduced to Andy and Woody as the title screen comes up set to "You've Got a Friend in Me".
 * "Buzz, You're flying!" "This isn't flying, this is falling with style!"
 * The sequel probably has Jessie's "When She Loved Me" montage.
 * Lots of potential in the third, but jumps to mind.
 * Avatar: The Last Airbender had more or less one per season:
 * The Season 1 Finale, aka.
 * "The Tales Of Ba Sing Se" for Season 2, particularly The Tale Of Iroh, or possibly the Subversion of
 * More or less the whole series finale for season 3, but especially, , and "The Ember Island Players" also took what would normally be a Clip Show and turned it into a fan-favorite episode.
 * The "Hellfire" sequence of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
 * Titanic: The Legend Goes On has the "Party Time" song sequence.