  While the outcome of gravitational collapse in classical general relativity
is unquestionably a black hole, up to now no full and complete semiclassical
description of black hole formation has been thoroughly investigated. Here we
revisit the standard scenario for this process. By analyzing how semiclassical
collapse proceeds we show that the very formation of a trapping horizon can be
seriously questioned for a large set of, possibly realistic, scenarios. We
emphasise that in principle the theoretical framework of semiclassical gravity
certainly allows the formation of trapping horizons. What we are questioning
here is the more subtle point of whether or not the standard black hole picture
is appropriate for describing the end point of realistic collapse. Indeed if
semiclassical physics were in some cases to prevent formation of the trapping
horizon, then this suggests the possibility of new collapsed objects which can
be much less problematic, making it unnecessary to confront the information
paradox or the run-away end point problem.
