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Is [[The Hero]] of your [[Fantasy]] tale [[Really 700 Years Old]] or your [[Big Bad]] is a [[Time Abyss]]? Perhaps [[Mr. Exposition]] gained most of his knowledge by being [[Older Than They Look]]? They are? Great. Now, how best to go about showing the audience that they are?
Is [[The Hero]] of your [[Fantasy]] tale [[Really 700 Years Old]] or your [[Big Bad]] is a [[Time Abyss]]? Perhaps [[Mr. Exposition]] gained most of his knowledge by being [[Older Than They Look]]? They are? Great. Now, how best to go about showing the audience that they are?


'''Exposition of Immortality''' is a [[Narrative Device]] common in [[Speculative Fiction]], [[Fantasy Literature]] and modern media derived from those sources. Increasingly popular as more and more TV shows, Films and authors craft works in which immortal, long-lived or unaging characters like elves, vampires and superheroes with a powerful [[Healing Factor]] occur, '''Exposition of Immortality''' is a trope that is itself [[Older Than They Look]]. It's about the methods that a work uses to show that a character is really, really old and it generally occurs in the following ways:
[[Exposition of Immortality]] is a [[Narrative Device]] common in [[Speculative Fiction]], [[Fantasy Literature]] and modern media derived from those sources. Increasingly popular as more and more TV shows, Films and authors craft works in which immortal, long-lived or unaging characters like elves, vampires and superheroes with a powerful [[Healing Factor]] occur, '''Exposition of Immortality''' is a trope that is itself [[Older Than They Look]]. It's about the methods that a work uses to show that a character is really, really old and it generally occurs in the following ways:


* '''Incriminating Evidence.''' Bob has maintained a series of identities down the ages, all with the same face and eventually, someone finds photos and / or paintings of him from hundreds of years ago. '''Or:''' Alice has a company of which she is CEO. And someone finds the documentation that shows she's been CEO since the company was originally founded. During the Renaissance.
* '''Incriminating Evidence.''' Bob has maintained a series of identities down the ages, all with the same face and eventually, someone finds photos and / or paintings of him from hundreds of years ago. '''Or:''' Alice has a company of which she is CEO. And someone finds the documentation that shows she's been CEO since the company was originally founded. During the Renaissance.
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{{examples}}
{{examples}}


== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Code Geass]]'': C.C. states that she knew [[Benjamin Franklin]]. The date in the show is in an alternate New Tens.
* ''[[Code Geass]]'': C.C. states that she knew [[Benjamin Franklin]]. The date in the show is in an alternate New Tens.
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'': [[Really 700 Years Old|Resident immortal Evangeline]] recalls Negis Father and a couple of things outside that range (including recalling her past with exact details).
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'': [[Really 700 Years Old|Resident immortal Evangeline]] recalls Negi's Father and a couple of things outside that range (including recalling her past with exact details).




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== [[Film]] ==
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula|Bram Stokers Dracula]]'': Whilst at Castle Dracula early in the film, Harker passes comment on a painting of Dracula from the 15th Century, noting the ''"family resemblance."'' Of course, as the audience, we've already seen the Count fighting the Turks in 1462 via an opening sequence.
* ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'': Whilst at Castle Dracula early in the film, Harker passes comment on a painting of Dracula from the 15th Century, noting the ''"family resemblance."'' Of course, as the audience, we've already seen the Count fighting the Turks in 1462 via an opening sequence.
* ''[[Cocoon]]'': The aliens in ''Cocoon'' make casual mention that they built a base on Earth before. It was Atlantis. Their leader also makes passing comment about his own extreme age:
* ''[[Cocoon]]'': The aliens in ''Cocoon'' make casual mention that they built a base on Earth before. It was Atlantis. Their leader also makes passing comment about his own extreme age:
{{quote|''"Every ten or eleven thousand years or so, I make a terrible mistake."''|'''Walter''' ''Cocoon''}}
{{quote|''"Every ten or eleven thousand years or so, I make a terrible mistake."''|'''Walter''' ''Cocoon''}}
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** The werewolf doctor in Underworld has a family tree showing the dates for the Corvinus family dating back to the 5th century AD with Marcus Corvinus.
** The werewolf doctor in Underworld has a family tree showing the dates for the Corvinus family dating back to the 5th century AD with Marcus Corvinus.
** And then there's Alexander, who reveals himself to have been the father of the original Marcus Corvinus; still alive after approximately 1600 years.
** And then there's Alexander, who reveals himself to have been the father of the original Marcus Corvinus; still alive after approximately 1600 years.
* ''[[X-Men: First Class|X Men First Class]]'' has a brief scene in which Professor X and Magneto walk into a bar to talk to Wolverine who, of course, looks exactly like he does in the [[X-Men (film)|first film.]]
* ''[[X-Men: First Class]]'' has a brief scene in which Professor X and Magneto walk into a bar to talk to Wolverine who, of course, looks exactly like he does in the [[X-Men (film)|first film.]]




== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* [[Iain Banks]]' [[The Culture]] novels have a number of entities that need some exposition of their long, long lives. Most of the Minds are effectively immortal and many of them have been around for hundreds and occasionally thousands of years.
* [[Iain Banks]]' [[The Culture]] novels have a number of entities that need some exposition of their long, long lives. Most of the Minds are effectively immortal and many of them have been around for hundreds and occasionally thousands of years.
** ''[[The Culture/The Player of Games|The Culture]]'': Chamlis Amalk-Ney, the aging drone who's one of Gurgeh's close friends on Chiark Orbital, is at least four thousand years old by it's own admission (no one is impolite enough to look up it's construction date to find out if it's really ''older''). In between the drone's much larger body than a more modern drone, like the [[Comedic Sociopathy|warped and snarky]] Mawhrin-Skel, and those two sniping insults at each other about their respective ages, there's also Gurgeh's own musing about the age of Chamlis and how long the drone's been living on Chiark.
** ''[[The Culture/The Player of Games|The Culture]]'': Chamlis Amalk-Ney, the aging drone who's one of Gurgeh's close friends on Chiark Orbital, is at least four thousand years old by its own admission (no one is impolite enough to look up its construction date to find out if it's really ''older''). In between the drone's much larger body than a more modern drone, like the [[Comedic Sociopathy|warped and snarky]] Mawhrin-Skel, and those two sniping insults at each other about their respective ages, there's also Gurgeh's own musing about the age of Chamlis and how long the drone's been living on Chiark.
* ''[[Discworld]]'': Many of the golems evoke this trope via their ancient scripts and long memories. Anghammarad is a particularly extreme example, on account of being at least 20,000 years old and remembering states and languages that no living creature on the Disc does.
* ''[[Discworld]]'': Many of the golems evoke this trope via their ancient scripts and long memories. Anghammarad is a particularly extreme example, on account of being at least 20,000 years old and remembering states and languages that no living creature on the Disc does.
** The Count de Magpyr (the old, traditional one, not the trendy new one) recognises the names of several of the peasants in the mob at his castle and makes mention of remembering their grandparents.
** The Count de Magpyr (the old, traditional one, not the trendy new one) recognises the names of several of the peasants in the mob at his castle and makes mention of remembering their grandparents.
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* ''[[Last Legionary]]'': In ''Galactic Warlord'', Talis patiently explains to Kiell that the alien Glr is not an "it" but a she, and that the Ehrlil are very long-lived, the scientist who first encountered her was his father. Flr herself chips in that she's four hundred, and still considered a wayward youth by her people.
* ''[[Last Legionary]]'': In ''Galactic Warlord'', Talis patiently explains to Kiell that the alien Glr is not an "it" but a she, and that the Ehrlil are very long-lived, the scientist who first encountered her was his father. Flr herself chips in that she's four hundred, and still considered a wayward youth by her people.
* [[H.P. Lovecraft]]'s ''The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' has characters who speak with a distinctly 17th century cant and write their Latin in the mode of the 9th century A.D.
* [[H.P. Lovecraft]]'s ''The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' has characters who speak with a distinctly 17th century cant and write their Latin in the mode of the 9th century A.D.
* [[John Masefield]]'s [[The Box of Delights]] had Ramon Lully, aka Cole Hawlings, 14th century philosopher posing as a 1930s children's entertainer. His reveal comes courtesy of the [[Big Bad]], Abner Brown, who's been in pursuit of him for some time and shows his henchmen a book with pictures of Lully when he was alive which look remarkably like Hawlings.
* [[John Masefield]]'s ''[[The Box of Delights]]'' had Ramon Lully, aka Cole Hawlings, 14th century philosopher posing as a 1930s children's entertainer. His reveal comes courtesy of the [[Big Bad]], Abner Brown, who's been in pursuit of him for some time and shows his henchmen a book with pictures of Lully when he was alive which look remarkably like Hawlings.
* [[Kim Newman]]'s ''[[Dark Future (novel)|Dark Future]]'' novel ''Demon Download'' has a scene in which the resident [[Big Bad]] and [[Time Abyss]] Elder Nguyen Seth is revealed to Vatican agents as having been around for quite some time via a set of photos running from 1974 to 1868 and an etching of Vlad The Impaler's execution.
* [[Kim Newman]]'s ''[[Dark Future (novel)|Dark Future]]'' novel ''Demon Download'' has a scene in which the resident [[Big Bad]] and [[Time Abyss]] Elder Nguyen Seth is revealed to Vatican agents as having been around for quite some time via a set of photos running from 1974 to 1868 and an etching of Vlad The Impaler's execution.
** ''[[Drachenfels]]'' has this a couple of times, between Genevieve and the eponymous villain. Drachenfels himself has his immense age pointed early on; the adventurers reminding themselves that he was around when Sigmar Heldenhammer was still alive, a least two thousand years ago and coming across the remains of his infamous [[And I Must Scream|Poison Feast]] in which an ancestor of Oswald's was a victim.
** ''[[Drachenfels]]'' has this a couple of times, between Genevieve and the eponymous villain. Drachenfels himself has his immense age pointed early on; the adventurers reminding themselves that he was around when Sigmar Heldenhammer was still alive, a least two thousand years ago and coming across the remains of his infamous [[And I Must Scream|Poison Feast]] in which an ancestor of Oswald's was a victim.
* [[Robert Rankin]]'s ''Armageddon Trilogy'' features a version of [[Elvis Presley]] who evaded his own death and is [[Sharing a Body|bonded to a genetically-engineered sprout with TimeTravel powers]] who grants him near-immortality. Elvis looks the same and [[Paper-Thin Disguise|conceals his identity]] with several new names like '''T'''heodore '''H'''enry '''E'''dward King and [[Punny Name|Noah Never]] (it's a play on the Elvis song ''No, I Never'').
* [[Robert Rankin]]'s ''Armageddon Trilogy'' features a version of [[Elvis Presley]] who evaded his own death and is [[Sharing a Body|bonded to a genetically-engineered sprout]] with [[Time Travel]] powers who grants him near-immortality. Elvis looks the same and [[Paper-Thin Disguise|conceals his identity]] with several new names like '''T'''heodore '''H'''enry '''E'''dward King and [[Punny Name|Noah Never]] (it's a play on the Elvis song ''No, I Never'').
* [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' has more than a few instances of immortal characters and Elrond in particular evokes Exposition of Immortality as he pointedly reminds Boromir of ''who'' told Isildur what ''should'' have been done with the One Ring, 3000 years ago.
* [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' has more than a few instances of immortal characters and Elrond in particular evokes Exposition of Immortality as he pointedly reminds Boromir of ''who'' told Isildur what ''should'' have been done with the One Ring, 3000 years ago.
* In ''St. Austin Friars'' a short story in [[Robert Westall]]'s anthology ''[[Break of Dark]]'', William Henry Drogo invites the Reverend to dinner and tells him several detailed stories about the past of Muncaster, as if he witness them directly. When challenged he simply states: ''"I am one hundred and ninety-two years old."''
* In "St. Austin Friars" a short story in [[Robert Westall]]'s anthology ''[[Break of Dark]]'', William Henry Drogo invites the Reverend to dinner and tells him several detailed stories about the past of Muncaster, as if he witness them directly. When challenged he simply states: ''"I am one hundred and ninety-two years old."''



== [[Live Action TV]] ==
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
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* "Dr. Curtis Knox" in ''[[Smallville]]'' is never implicitly referred to as Vandal Savage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself.
* "Dr. Curtis Knox" in ''[[Smallville]]'' is never implicitly referred to as Vandal Savage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself.
* ''[[Star Trek]]''
* ''[[Star Trek]]''
** In the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek the Original Series]]'' episode "Requiem for Methuselah", Mr. Spock finds a waltz by Johannes Brahms written in original manuscript in Brahms' own hand inside Flint's home, but it is totally unknown. Likewise Flint has a collection of Leonardo da Vinci masterpieces that have been recently painted on contemporary canvas with contemporary materials. Flint later admits that he ''was'' Brahms and da Vinci.
** In the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "Requiem for Methuselah", Mr. Spock finds a waltz by Johannes Brahms written in original manuscript in Brahms' own hand inside Flint's home, but it is totally unknown. Likewise Flint has a collection of Leonardo da Vinci masterpieces that have been recently painted on contemporary canvas with contemporary materials. Flint later admits that he ''was'' Brahms and da Vinci.
** In "Time's Arrow", a two-part episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek the Next Generation]]'', the ''Enterprise'' crew runs into Guinan, the El-Aurian bartender on their ship, while on a [[Time Travel]] trip to the 19th century. She's shown talking with [[Mark Twain]] and Jack London; but when Data approaches her, believing that she too, has traveled through time, she doesn't know him or the rest of the crew.
** In "Time's Arrow", a two-part episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', the ''Enterprise'' crew runs into Guinan, the El-Aurian bartender on their ship, while on a [[Time Travel]] trip to the 19th century. She's shown talking with [[Mark Twain]] and Jack London; but when Data approaches her, believing that she too, has traveled through time, she doesn't know him or the rest of the crew.
** In an episode of ''[[Star Trek: Voyager|Star Trek Voyager]]'', a member of the Q-continuum shows us a picture of him and an ancestor of Will Riker from the time of the [[American Civil War]].
** In an episode of ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', a member of the Q-continuum shows us a picture of him and an ancestor of Will Riker from the time of the [[American Civil War]].
* In the ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "Something Wicked", Sam discovers the identity of the witch they are looking for, because he finds a news article with a picture of the witch as a doctor back in the 1890's.
* In the ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "Something Wicked", Sam discovers the identity of the witch they are looking for, because he finds a news article with a picture of the witch as a doctor back in the 1890's.
* ''[[Torchwood]]'''s Captain Jack Harkness shows his age every way possible. There's his Army greatcoat, his Webley revolver, a [[Photo Montage]] of him through the ages in one episode, him remembering meeting fairies in 1909 and being the British contact for the 456. Not being a native of the 19th century, he speaks normally, though.
* ''[[Torchwood]]'''s Captain Jack Harkness shows his age every way possible. There's his Army greatcoat, his Webley revolver, a [[Photo Montage]] of him through the ages in one episode, him remembering meeting fairies in 1909 and being the British contact for the 456. Not being a native of the 19th century, he speaks normally, though.
* ''[[True Blood]]'' has done this a few times. Bill gets given a Civil War era photo of himself, Russell and Talbot have centuries old paintings and tapestries decorating their home, Russell has his collection of trinkets and trophies from down the ages and Maryann not only has her ancient statue but speaks Ancient Greek.
* ''[[True Blood]]'' has done this a few times. Bill gets given a Civil War era photo of himself, Russell and Talbot have centuries old paintings and tapestries decorating their home, Russell has his collection of trinkets and trophies from down the ages and Maryann not only has her ancient statue but speaks Ancient Greek.
* In the original [[Twilight Zone]] episode ''Long Live Walter Jameson'' the titular character is a history prof. who knows his stuff, who has a retiring colleague who comments on his appearance, and who is seen in a Civil War picture.
* In the original ''[[Twilight Zone]]'' episode ''Long Live Walter Jameson'' the titular character is a history prof. who knows his stuff, who has a retiring colleague who comments on his appearance, and who is seen in a Civil War picture.
* In ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "Squeeze", Mulder is shown a photograph of the suspect in his current case from 1963 who hasn't aged at all since then. Mulder also looks up the suspect's original birth certificate, showing he was born in 1903.
* In ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "Squeeze", Mulder is shown a photograph of the suspect in his current case from 1963 who hasn't aged at all since then. Mulder also looks up the suspect's original birth certificate, showing he was born in 1903.
* In ''[[The Dresden Files (TV series)|The Dresden Files]]'', while looking through an abandoned building, the vampire Bianca refers to it as a hideout. Harry repeats the word, and jokes that Bianca sounds like a 30s gangster's mall. She responds she ''was'' a 30s gangster's mall, and adds she's led a long and interesting life.
* In ''[[The Dresden Files (TV series)|The Dresden Files]]'', while looking through an abandoned building, the vampire Bianca refers to it as a hideout. Harry repeats the word, and jokes that Bianca sounds like a 30s gangster's mall. She responds she ''was'' a 30s gangster's mall, and adds she's led a long and interesting life.
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== [[Mythology]] ==
== [[Mythology]] ==
* The Wandering Jew, whose origin is traced to a section of the [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:28&version=KJV Gospel of Matthew] and is, according to various tales down the years from approximately the 13te century on, cursed by Christ to be unable to die until the Second Coming.
* The Wandering Jew, whose origin is traced to a section of the [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:28&version=KJV Gospel of Matthew] and is, according to various tales down the years from approximately the 13th century on, cursed by Christ to be unable to die until the Second Coming.




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== [[Video Games]] ==
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Fallout 1]]'': Harold, a ghoul-esque mutant you can meet in The Hub, was five years old when the Great War began, and emerged from Vault 29 in 2090. The Vault Dweller encounters him in Oldtown in 2162. He'll tell you a little about his life in Vault 29 and what he remembers of the beginning of the war if you ask.
* ''[[Fallout 1]]'': Harold, a ghoul-esque mutant you can meet in The Hub, was five years old when the Great War began, and emerged from Vault 29 in 2090. The Vault Dweller encounters him in Oldtown in 2162. He'll tell you a little about his life in Vault 29 and what he remembers of the beginning of the war if you ask.
* ''[[Fallout 2]]'': Harold can be encountered once again by the Chosen One. Along with much of the ghoul population of Necropolis, he's settled in an abandoned nuclear power plant and formed a small town named Gecko. FO 2 is set a further 80 years after 1, making Harold 189 when the Chosen One meets him.
* ''[[Fallout 2]]'': Harold can be encountered once again by the Chosen One. Along with much of the ghoul population of Necropolis, he's settled in an abandoned nuclear power plant and formed a small town named Gecko. ''FO2'' is set a further 80 years after 1, making Harold 189 when the Chosen One meets him.
* ''[[Fallout 3]]'': Many of the ghouls you can encounter in Underworld lived through the war and can tell what, frequently little, they can remember of the time before. Carol, the ghoul running the bar and eatery there was born in 2051, twenty-six years prior to the Great War.
* ''[[Fallout 3]]'': Many of the ghouls you can encounter in Underworld lived through the war and can tell what, frequently little, they can remember of the time before. Carol, the ghoul running the bar and eatery there was born in 2051, twenty-six years prior to the Great War.
** Some of his dialogue and unused security logs in the terminals imply that Fawkes was alive during the initial FEV experiments conducted in Vault 87 prior to the war.
** Some of his dialogue and unused security logs in the terminals imply that Fawkes was alive during the initial FEV experiments conducted in Vault 87 prior to the war.
** Harold makes his third and final appearance (to date) in Fallout 3. A further fifteen years down the line from the last time a player could meet him in FO 2, Harold's most distinguishing feature, a tree growing out his head has now mostly consumed his body; making him into a face growing out of a tree.
** Harold makes his third and final appearance (to date) in ''Fallout 3''. A further fifteen years down the line from the last time a player could meet him in ''FO2'', Harold's most distinguishing feature, a tree growing out his head has now mostly consumed his body; making him into a face growing out of a tree.
* ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'': Mr. House, once you finally get to meet him, reveals himself to be quite a bit older than you might have been expecting. He's got quite the collection of pre-war artifacts, and he's more than happy to pay you to increase them, too. {{spoiler|He's also reduced to living in a life support system and communicating entirely through electronic screens and his robot minions, but given that he was born 260 years ago, that's not bad going.}}
* ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'': Mr. House, once you finally get to meet him, reveals himself to be quite a bit older than you might have been expecting. He's got quite the collection of pre-war artifacts, and he's more than happy to pay you to increase them, too. {{spoiler|He's also reduced to living in a life support system and communicating entirely through electronic screens and his robot minions, but given that he was born 260 years ago, that's not bad going.}}
* Sovereign, Harbinger and the other Reapers of the [[Mass Effect]] series make a lot of noise about how they were here ''long'' before humans and that they'll be here ''long'' after they've devoured them all.
* Sovereign, Harbinger and the other Reapers of the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series make a lot of noise about how they were here ''long'' before humans and that they'll be here ''long'' after they've devoured them all.
** Conversations during [[Mass Effect (video game)|Mass Effect 1]] with Liara reveal that she herself is 106 and that the asari live for a great deal longer than that - she's considered to be little more than a child by many of her species' elders.
** Conversations during ''[[Mass Effect (video game)|Mass Effect 1]]'' with Liara reveal that she herself is 106 and that the asari live for a great deal longer than that - she's considered to be little more than a child by many of her species' elders.




Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Exposition_of_Immortality"