dead wife montage

A "dead wife montage" is a visual media device used to introduce a deceased or missing character, most frequently a dead wife. The character is heavily romanticised in the flashback-style clip compilation ("montage") of happy memories the deceased shared with the affected character in the present story. Through the flashback, the deceased person is often portrayed as an angelic, flawless and almost superhuman person who heavily influenced the affected character's life, who still struggles to deal with their passing/disappearance. The montage is often but not always accompanied by sad/sentimental music.

This stlye of flashback has drawn attention on social media in recent years, with many online comedians producing sketches which aim at making fun of the trope.

"Dude, John Wick was such a simp for his wife, they made him go through a straight up dead wife montage"