Likable characters who are poorly used in franchises

Submitted by mranimal2 t3_127nztq in movies

Are there characters like this? Characters in franchises who are, in and of themselves, good characters but it rarely seems like the franchises (or just the sequels) know what to really do with them?

Diego from the Ice Age movies

I like his "deadpan yet passive aggressive done with everyone's shit" personality but the only movie he really got to do anything in was the first one; in the second one he's just kinda there for most of the movie. Like he has a little sub-plot and is part of a couple big set pieces but he doesn't get as much to do in the main plot as the other characters.

I admittedly haven't seen the other 70 or so sequels but, from reading reviews of them, that's a thing I've heard persists, that he always gets the least to do out of the main cast.

Honestly I got a theory that they streamlined his role in the franchise a bit because Denis Leary got too busy with Rescue Me so he had less time to work on anything else. That or his character just isn't zany enough so they don't really know what to do with him in a franchise where most of the characters are erratic man children.

Weirdly though, despite this, it's always him, Manny, Sid, Scrat, and something that indicates what the movie is going to be about on the poster of all the sequels with...none of the other characters usually in sight. I guess the marketers know the only thing the average person would remember about these movies is Scrat and, to a lesser extent, those other three characters.

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LackingInPatience t1_jeey12b wrote

Finn and Poe in the Star Wars Sequel trilogy

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callmemacready t1_jefh8i2 wrote

Finn should have been the protagonist , a defected stormtrooper with Jedi skills would have been great , instead they turned him into comic relief janitor and shrank his image for China money

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TheCosmicFailure t1_jef0d2a wrote

Beat me to it. I like the Disney trilogy even though it has its flaws. One of them definitely being Finn and Poe not having a clear and defined path.

I wish we had more of Rey/Finn/Poe together. One of my favorite parts of Rise of Skywalker is when the 3 of them are interacting.

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nascentia t1_jef46kn wrote

Two fantastic actors, too. I think Oscar Isaac is one of the best current actors and he's phenomenal in every role he's in, but Poe was sadly forgettable and underused.

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NoirPochette t1_jef9i6x wrote

It's kind of funny we get a backstory for Poe literally in the last movie

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TheCosmicFailure t1_jef0zrc wrote

Cyclops in both X-Men timelines. I think Cyclops is an interesting character to dive into but it seems Bryan Singer had no interest in him as the lead character.

XMen Apocalypse should've focused on Cyclops. His own brother that he's pretty close to, dies. And they treat it like a small footnote in the film.

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admiralrico411 t1_jef11jl wrote

Ron Weasley got a pretty bad run in the films. He is a much better character in the book, Rupert did his best, but the writing just made him less enjoyable.

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Kate_Sutton t1_jefccey wrote

Captain Phasma in the Star Wars sequels. There was so much potential there, but they did nothing with her.

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Syn7axError t1_jefl1ta wrote

Which is really Finn again by proxy. There was so much material in being a former stormtrooper, and Phasma should have been the antagonist to all of it. Instead, it dropped and downplayed it as much as possible. There was no catharsis in beating her.

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charleyismyhero t1_jef4iiy wrote

I kind of like quirky side characters that just serve the purpose of the story. Like, idk, Grace from Ferris Bueller. I don’t know her backstory or anything else about her really outside of being the school receptionist but her presence made the film better and she sure was memorable.

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lucia-pacciola t1_jeguawm wrote

Aurelio in John Wick. Great supporting role for John Leguizamo. Great supporting character. Could have kept the series just grounded enough. But no, they give him a throwaway cameo, and lean into the Assassin World of Assassins from the Planet of Assassins instead.

Edit: Also Karl Urban's Judge Dredd.

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Knowlesdinho t1_jef2i2y wrote

Maurice in Madagascar was a good straight man to King Julien in the first movie and probably had some of the more subtle funny moments for adults. He was used less and less as the sequels went on if I remember rightly.

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SuperNntendoChlmers t1_jefv3ii wrote

Maybe not the whole franchise but what Pixar did to Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 4, I can't get over. They really dumbed him down, even to where hes careless pressing his own sound buttons around real people. Now with a 5th Toy Story announced, I hope they can redeem his character to what it was around ToyStory 2/3

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ChrisCinema t1_jefwp8c wrote

Honestly, the whole toy gang was sidelined in that film. That’s why I’m impressed Toy Story 3 had something for each character to do.

Also, the fact that they are making a fifth Toy Story film depresses me. Why can’t they leave well enough alone?

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SuperNntendoChlmers t1_jeghwvo wrote

Yeah Toy Story 3 truly gave enough for each character by having it become a group escape movie.

I don't know what the reason for a 5th sequel would be. All of the Toy Story short films since Toy Story 3 have basically been what Toy Story 4 turned into.

I'd be interested in a prequel that followed Woody. Since he's a toy from the 50s/60s era, he clearly had a whole other life without Andy. Set him in a story with vintage toys of the time. I could see that working.

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