History CharacterDerailment / WesternAnimation

** [[DarkMagicalGirl Charmcaster]] [[spoiler: makes a HeelFaceTurn and then dissapears from the series. ''One year later'', she returns and is suddenly [[FaceHeelTurn just as antagonistic as before]], has had [[MotiveDecay her motive changed from freeing her world to ressurecting her dead father]], and is suddenly GLEEFULLY willing to [[MoralEventHorizon commit mass genocide on her whole world to accomplish this!]] And she even temporarily kills the heroes who'd come to rescue her for good measure! And the cause of this change? The difference between her behavior when last seen and when seen now? Never explained. Never even MENTIONED. Thankfully, there are hints that CharacterRerailment will be coming her way as the series appraoches it's end, but it still doesn't change how sloppy the writing for that instance was.]]

* ''JohnnyBravo'' was, in the first season, a largely unflappable jock who tried a little too hard to impress the ladies, and who wasn't too bright but could occasionally be quite clever. In seasons two and three, in a case of DependingOnTheWriter, he turned into a [[RalphWiggum childish, idiotic]] JerkAss who ScreamsLikeALittleGirl.

* Go watch Cosmo in the earlier seasons of ''TheFairlyOddparents''. It was established in the first season that he ''ran away'' from home to marry Wanda. In another episode he broke down from having to be away from her overnight. It was very clear they enjoyed their relationship. Then, suddenly, in seasons four and five he was drooling over every attractive woman that came onscreen, repeatedly calling Wanda a nag and more, and acting like she had BoundAndGagged him at the altar.
** Hell, go watch the original ''Oh Yeah! Cartoons'' shorts of ''FairlyOddParents''. Compare the calm, deeper-voiced Cosmo who was Wanda's equal intelligence-wise and actually seemed to share a loving relationship with his wife. Now, compare that to the sociopathic ManChild with the screechy voice portrayed in the Fairly Odd Parents series and see how far he fell.
*** It's rather handy, you can tell his intellect by his voice pitch. Deep/slightly high voice, reasonable degree of smarts, really high voice, no smarts.
** Also, does anyone besides me remember when Wanda happily admitted to, along with Cosmo, being "two halves of a whole idiot?" Now she's totally smart and Cosmo is just one whole idiot.
*** I do. And does anyone else other than me remember when Vicky used tapes, recordings, personal belonging-destruction and other tiny bits of humiliation to torture Timmy? Now she's armed to the teeth with chainsaws, maces, and other over-the-top weaponry that isn't used for a good gag, with her cackling maniaclly all the while. This derails Vicky from far-back as the ''first'' episode, where she clearly shows she'd ''never'' want Timmy to suffer any serious physical harm, let alone be the cause of it, because ''her well-paying job depends on him being kept in-tact.''

** Then there's Silverbolt. Because [[spoiler: the time he'd been programmed into the awesomely evil Jetstorm]] had been enjoyable on some level, he spends the rest of the series wracked with guilt and having nothing to his personality beyond it... more than any of the others, he's Silverbolt InNameOnly. The writers said they'd planned for it to be a growth from the Adam West Batman of BeastWars Silverbolt to the Dark Knight of the WesternAnimation/BeastMachines Silverbolt, but that's not what we got at all. If you want to put it in comic book terms, what you ''really'' had was Speedball into Penance. Worse was the fact that [[spoiler: Jetstorm was the EnsembleDarkhorse and an all-around fun and dangerous villain, so it's ''two'' beloved characters]] we lose to the Bleedball version of Silverbolt.

** Bobby Hill was similarly much less effeminate in his early years. It could be argued as CharacterDevelopment though if [[YourMileageMayVary you didn't take well to]] his original characterization as a WellDoneSonGuy who's slow, awkward, and, in the words of Hank Hill, "not right." Sure he got effeminate in later episodes, but he got also got some charisma and charm, even if it was limited to being a class clown. He also went from a shy, reclusive fat kid to someone who has friends, a girlfriend, is sure of himself, and has proven to both Hank and COTTON (the episode where Cotton takes over his military school, and goes one day longer in "The Hole" than cotton managed) how much of a badass he is. All while not changing himself to fit how they think he should be.

* Many of the characters in ''ThomasTheTankEngine'' have suffered from this. Edward, previously an old, kind and wise engine, became younger and ruder in later seasons.

*** Of course, they didn't [[IncrediblyLamePun literally derail]]...

* Quite a few characters in ''FamilyGuy'' have also warped considerably since their first appearances, especially after the show's return to production in 2005. Among the many examples, Stewie, previously a humorously [[HeroicSociopath sociopathic]] EnfanteTerrible with matricidal tendencies, now seems to simply be Brian's effeminate sidekick, while Brian has changed from a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] intellectual ironically portrayed as vastly more intelligent than his owner Peter, to mainly a preacher for the writers' liberal political views and TheChewToy concerning his inability to quit drinking and hold a relationship. Lois, while at first as the down to earth one of the family, albeit with a somewhat healthy sexual appetite, has become pretty much an insane nymphomaniac. Meg has evolved from merely a unpopular high-school girl trying to find her voice to a ButtMonkey-cum-{{Yandere}}-cum-{{Emo}} of epic proportions. Peter himself, while always a bumbling idiot but with slightly good intentions (like Homer Simpson, only fatter, drunker, and more into pop culture from the 1970s and 1980s), has become quite the irritating JerkAss-cum-KarmaHoudini (making Homer Simpson look like the clueless, yet caring BumblingDad he was in the early days of ''TheSimpsons''), though this has been toned down somewhat in later episodes. The fact that no real straight man remains has become the show's downfall.

** [[DarkMagicalGirl Charmcaster]] [[spoiler: makes a HeelFaceTurn and then dissapears from the series. ''One year later'', she returns and is suddenly [[FaceHeelTurn just as antagonistic as before]], has had [[MotiveDecay her motive changed from freeing her world to ressurecting her dead father]], and is suddenly willing to [[MoralEventHorizon commit mass genocide on her whole world to accomplish this!]] And the cause of this change? The difference between her behavior when last seen and when seen now? Never explained. Never even MENTIONED. It just happened as the plot demanded.]]

*** I do. And does anyone else other than me remember when Vicky used tapes, recordings, personal belonging-destruction and other tiny bits of humiliation to torture Timmy? Now she's armed to the teeth with chainsaws, maces, and other over-the-top weaponry that isn't used for a good gag, with her cackling maniaclly all the while. This derails Vicky from far-back as the ''first'' episode, where she clearly shows she'd ''never'' want Timmy to suffer physical harm, let alone be the cause of it, because ''her well-paying job depends on him being kept in-tact.''

*** I do. And does anyone else other than me remember when Vicky used tapes, recordings, personal belonging-destruction and other tiny bits of humiliation to torture Timmy? Now she's armed to the teeth with chainsaws, maces, and other over-the-top weaponry that isn't used for a good gag.

** And then there's Lola Bunny. In her first appearance from the movie ''SpaceJam'', while a FlatCharacter, she was depicted to have [[MsFanservice sex appeal]] and [[YouGoGirl prove her worth on the basketball court]]. In ''TheLooneyTunesShow'', she's depicted as an [[TheDitz air-headed ditz]] with [[{{Yandere}} an obsessive crush]] on Bugs.
*** Although considering that Lola's original personality of ActionGirl in a universe populated by wholly comedic characters made her seem generic (not to mention not funny at all) by comparison the change is (arguably) an improvement.

** Stewie's derailment reached a new level in the episode "Haloween on Spooner Street", in which some bullies stole his bag of candies and he...runs away crying. He later shoots a rocket at them and ''immediately'' worries that "maybe it was too much". Yes, this was the same Stewie who once kidnapped and tortured a boy who stole his trickey. Even if in seasons 2 and 3 was much clamer and less hell bent on killing Lois, he showed no mercy to people who messed with him. Now, he's a total wimp.

*** Quagmire seems to be ungoing an unusual second derailment in recent episodes, becoming much tamer and sensitive and losing many of his wackier sex crazed tendancies in favor of becoming a cynical SelfDeprecation avatar. His intense (and randomly produced) hatred for Brian also seems to be the focus of a lot of his humor.

* Due to {{Sequelitis}}, Belle from Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast. TheNostalgiaChick was mighty upset over Belle putting up with the Beast's temper tantrums and becoming his cheerful "life coach" in BeautyAndTheBeastTheEnchantedChristmas. She's [[CanonSue worse]] in ''Belle's Magical World''.

* Quite a few characters in ''FamilyGuy'' have also warped considerably since their first appearances, especially after the show's return to production in 2005. Among the many examples, Stewie, previously a humorously [[HeroicSociopath sociopathic]] EnfanteTerrible with matricidal tendencies, now seems to simply be Brian's effeminate sidekick, while Brian has changed from a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] intellectual ironically portrayed as vastly more intelligent than his owner Peter, to mainly a preacher for Seth [=MacFarlane=]'s liberal political views and TheChewToy concerning his inability to quit drinking and hold a relationship. Lois, while at first as the down to earth one of the family, albeit with a somewhat healthy sexual appetite, has become pretty much an insane nymphomaniac. Meg has evolved from merely a unpopular high-school girl trying to find her voice to a ButtMonkey-cum-{{Yandere}}-cum-{{Emo}} of epic proportions. Peter himself, while always a bumbling idiot but with slightly good intentions (like Homer Simpson, only fatter, drunker, and more into pop culture from the 1970s and 1980s), has become quite the irritating JerkAss-cum-KarmaHoudini (making Homer Simpson look like the clueless, yet caring BumblingDad he was in the early days of ''TheSimpsons''), though this has been toned down somewhat in later episodes. The fact that no real straight man remains has become the show's downfall.

* Characters in the PBS show ''Arthur'' would fall victim to this in later seasons. It is especially poignant with episodes written by Dietrich Smith, though it varies [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on who writes]]. This is especially problematic, particularly among older fans, as Arthur is that kind of show with an established continuity and set character personalities.

** Flanders, when he first appeared, was a perfectly nice guy. Yes he was religious and more than a little repressed. But he wasn't hurting anyone and he seemed to love all people unconditionally...in fact the whole JOKE was that Homer hated him for NO reason. He was the kind of neighbour most people would be lucky to have...friendly, kind and always willing to lend you whatever you needed. Then came his {{Flanderization}}, where he went from a generally nice guy to his ludicrously meek, inoffensive, and Christianity-obsessed persona. The derailment kicked in later, when the writers of The Simpsons decided to turn him into a vindictive Strawman version of everything (they, along with anyone with half a brain, ACCURATELY perceive as) wrong with Right-Wing Christianity.

* ''{{Ben 10}}'''s DarkerAndEdgier sequel, ''Ben10AlienForce'', has Ben and Gwen exhibit different personalities than before, but that's excusable since it's been five years and they've matured. However, there is NO explanation for the change in Kevin, who not only has suffered massive BadassDecay, but is now a [[HeelFaceTurn good guy]] for [[TheyJustDidntCare poorly constructed reasons]] and shows [[NotAsYouKnowThem no signs of the sociopathic cruelty he did in the original series.]] Now all he can do is be blunt (especially about his [[StrangledByTheRedString crush on Gwen, which came out of nowhere.]]), demonstrate TheWorfEffect, drive them around in his beloved car, and occasionally thrive off of his reputation from back when he was an actual threat.

** Flanders, when he first appeared, was a perfectly nice guy. Yes he was religious and more than a little repressed. But he wasn't hurting anyone and he seemed to love all people unconditionally...in fact the whole JOKE was that Homer hated him for NO reason. He was the kind of neighbour most people would be lucky to have...friendly, kind and always willing to lend you whatever you needed. Then came his {{Flanderization}}, where he went from a generally nice guy to his ludicrously meek, inoffensive, and Christianity-obsessed persona. The derailment kicked in later, when the ultra-liberal writers of The Simpsons decided to turn him into a vindictive Strawman version of everything (they perceive as) wrong with Right-Wing Christianity.

** Flanders, when he first appeared, was a perfectly nice guy. Yes he was religious and more than a little repressed. But he wasn't hurting anyone and he seemed to love all people unconditionally...in fact the whole JOKE was that Homer hated him for NO reason. He was the kind of neighbour most people would be lucky to have...friendly, kind and always willing to lend you whatever you needed. Then came his {{Flanderization}}, first when he [[BewareTheNiceOnes went insane following the destruction of his house]] ([[spoiler: and the revelation that his VerbalTic of saying "Diddly" and "doodly" after everything stemmed from repressed anger as a child]]), then when [[spoiler: Maude died and he became a single father]], which was probably what sealed his transformation into a strawman conservative killjoy.

* ''TheSimpsons'' is the worst offender of CharacterDerailment in all of television: Homer going from a well-intentioned buffoon to a cartoonish idiot to a total Jerkass who has ZERO empathy for those around him, Marge going from a sensible, down-to-earth woman to ditzy, snappy housewife, Bart going from an underachieving prankster and troublemaker to a cold, depressed, bitter delinquent, and Lisa going from an idealistic child genius to ultra-liberal, snobbish, shrill, activism-obsessed, hate-filled mini-teenager.

** It's not just Edward that this has happened to. Percy went from a mischievous CloudCuckooLander to a naive, forgetful moron who can't pronounce simple words, Toby was a kind and confident CoolOldGuy but later became a wimp with self-esteem issues, and Skarloey, previously one of the oldest and wisest engines on the island, is now childish and afraid of ''everything'' (from thunderstorms to the incline yards to ''the wharf''). Thomas himself was once depicted as friendly and helpful, if somewhat cocky and brash. He's now a poorly-written [[TheWesley Wesley]] [[GaryStu Stu]] that is obligated to make appearances in every single episode (even episodes about the narrow gauge engines!) and dispense advice to everyone.

* While the fanbase seems [[YourMileageMayVary completely divided]] whether [[LooneyTunes Daffy Duck]]'s {{Flanderization}} during the 1950s (from a bombastic {{Cloud Cuckoo Lander}} into a {{Jerkass}} SmallNameBigEgo counts as derailment or [[CharacterDevelopment development]], most agree it crossed the line during the De Patie Freleng era shorts, where he was evolved into a humorless, {{Evilly Affable}} villain for Speedy Gonzales. One could take it as a double-sided coin, as pitting Speedy against a more conniving villain did at least allow him to come off as more sympathetic and fallible more often than [[BoringInvincibleHero he did against Sylvester]], though it still would have been a swifter transition with a more fittingly-callous character.

*** No mention of Rhinox? Quite possibly the biggest derailment of them all. [[spoiler: Once he's brought to the surface and put in control of Tankor, it is revealed that he agrees with Megatron. From second in command of the Maximals, to a self stated supporter of Megatron. Great job, writers. Real top notch work there.]]

*** I do. And does anyone else other than me remember when Vicky used tapes, recordings, personal belonging-destruction and other tiny bits of humiliation to torture Timmy? Now she's armed to the teeth with chainsaws, maces, and other over-the-top weaponry that isn't used for a good gag. Note to writers: we liked Vicky because she did things like this: [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110312231935/fairlyoddparents/en/images/3/37/TheSwitchGlitch048.png]], not stuff like this: [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110125200133/fairlyoddparents/en/images/3/3d/V-gets-fired_20.jpg]]. Change her back to a likeable character, not a total monster.

* In almost a reversal of the aforementioned Bloo example, Rufus and Amberley of ''TheDreamstone'', despite always being cutesy and cheery protagonists in contrast to their enemies, had some visible cynical traits and flaws in their own right in the pilot (Rufus was a CloudCuckooLander BadassAdorable while Amberley was [[BrattyHalfPint moody tempered]] and [[LittleMissSnarker sarcastic]]) and had almost an equal focus in sympathetic spotlight and humor as the villains. In the majority of later episodes, the two became [[TastesLikeDiabetes ridiculously juvenile and innocent]], to the point their interaction was often extremely uneventful until [[VillainProtagonist the Urpneys]] [[TheVillainsMakeThePlot attacked them every episode]].

* Characters in the PBS show ''Arthur'' would fall victim to this in later seasons. It is especially poignant with episodes written by Dietrich Smith, though it varies [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on who writes]]. This is especially problematic, particularly among older fans, as Arthur is that kind of show with an established continuity and set character personalities.

** Spongebob himself may have gotten the worst of this. He started out as a naive, yet kindhearted guy who cared about everyone no matter what, and had the innocence of a child, to an obnoxious, nosy manchild who pesters everyone he knows to play with him, and cries and screams when his "friends" aren't around.