History Main / AdaptationalNiceGuy

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader gets a lot of this both within canon and ''Legends''. In the movies his nicer qualities barring a few moments with Obi-Wan and Padmé were an InformedAttribute and more often than not he came across as a power-hungry entitled HotBlooded asshole and clingy husband to Padame. In the novels, comics, animated shows (3D and 2D), video games, ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''Series/{{Ahsoka}}'' Anakin is presented as a genuinely nice if troubled and aggressive man with a good sense of humour, care for his allies such as Ahsoka and the Clone troopers and a legitimate respect for his master Obi-Wan as seen in the latter’s TV series (albeit still with an unhealthy desire for victory). Even as Darth Vader while still malevolent like the original trilogy, his PetTheDog moments and his grief for Padmé and his terrible life choices is frequently played up and he’s capable of being a NobleDemon whom loves his son rather purely just a BadBoss EvilOverlord who doesn’t have a HeelRealization until the very end. One WhatIf comic even has him pull a HeelFaceTurn and survive joining Luke and Leia.

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader gets a lot of this both within canon and ''Legends''. In the movies his nicer qualities barring a few moments with Obi-Wan and Padmé were an InformedAttribute and more often than not he came across as a power-hungry entitled HotBlooded asshole and clingy husband to Padame. In the novels, comics, animated shows (3D and 2D), video games, ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''Series/{{Ahsoka}}'' Anakin is presented as genuinely nice if troubled and aggressive man with a good sense of humour, care for his allies such as Ahsoka and the Clone troopers and a genuine respect for his master Obi-Wan as seen in the latter’s TV series (albeit still with an unhealthy desire for victory). Even as Darth Vader while still malevolent like the original trilogy, his PetTheDog moments and his grief for Padmé and his terrible life choices is frequently played up and he’s capable of being a NobleDemon whom loves his son rather purely just a BadBoss EvilOverlord who doesn’t have a HeelRealization until the very end. One WhatIf comic even has him pull a HeelFaceTurn and survive joining Luke and Leia.

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader gets a lot of this both within canon and ''Legends''. In the movies his nicer qualities barring a few moments with Obi-Wan and Padmé were an InformedAttribute and more often than not he came across as power-hungry entitled HotBlooded asshole and clingy husband to Padame. In the novels, comics, animated shows (3D and 2D), video games, ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''Series/{{Ahsoka}}'' Anakin is presented as genuinely nice if troubled and aggressive man with a good sense of humour, care for his allies such as Ahsoka and the Clone troopers and a genuine respect for his master Obi-Wan as seen in the latter’s TV series (albeit still with an unhealthy desire for victory). Even as Darth Vader while still malevolent like the original trilogy, his PetTheDog moments and his grief for Padmé and his terrible life choices is frequently played up and he’s capable of being a NobleDemon whom loves his son rather purely just a BadBoss EvilOverlord who doesn’t have a HeelRealization until the very end. One WhatIf comic even has him pull a HeelFaceTurn and survive joining Luke and Leia.

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader gets a lot of these both within canon and ''Legends''. In the movies his nicer qualities barring a few moments with Obi-Wan and Padmé were an InformedAttribute and more often than not he came across as power-hungry entitled HotBlooded asshole and clingy husband to Padame. In the novels, comics, animated shows (3D and 2D), video games and ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' Anakin is presented as genuinely nice if troubled and aggressive man with a good sense of humour, care for his allies such as Ahsoka and the Clone troopers and a genuine respect for his master Obi-Wan as seen in the latter’s TV series (albeit still with an unhealthy desire for victory). Even as Darth Vader while still malevolent like the original trilogy, his PetTheDog moments and his grief for Padmé and his terrible life choices is frequently played up and he’s capable of being a NobleDemon whom loves his son rather purely just a BadBoss EvilOverlord who doesn’t have a HeelRealization until the very end. One WhatIf comic even has him pull a HeelFaceTurn and survive joining Luke and Leia.

*** This continuity's Sasha Kravinoff seems far less enthused about the idea of her family killing each other for control of their empire compared to her comic counterpart, and even begs her Kraven to come home out of a desire to [[spoiler:be able to spend what little time Kraven has left with him]].

** ''The Black Cat Strikes'', a comic adaptation of the first game's "The City That Never Sleeps" DLC, has Mary Jane react far more maturely to [[spoiler:the prospect that Peter might have conceived a son with Black Cat]] compared to her initial reaction in the game, with her reasonably explaining that she's upset due to a combination of thinking that Peter didn't just tell her about it (giving the implication that he didn't think their relationship could handle it) combined with fear over the idea that Peter had been cheating on her with Felicia.

* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', in addition to the aforementioned Norman Osborn and Miles's relatives:
** Even before becoming Doctor Octopus, [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Otto Octavius]] was an egotistical blowhard in the comics. Here, he's nice and humble. [[spoiler:Or at least at first, considering he's the FinalBoss.]]
** Harry Osborn lacks his mainstream counterpart's anger issues.
** Aunt May is supportive of Spider-Man, as opposed to hating him.
** In the comics, Mr. Negative was only out to take over the New York underworld. While he's still ruthless and taking advantage of the [[EvilPowerVacuum Kingpin's fall from grace]], the game sees Negative have more sympathetic reasons for his actions, namely [[spoiler:he gained his powers and accidentally killed his parents after being experimented on during Osborn's attempts to cure his family]]. Additionally, in the game, Martin Li himself is legitimately trying to do good for New York and came to the country as an immigrant with his parents. In the comics, "Martin Li" was actually a Triad member involved in human trafficking and stole the identity of one of the people the organization intended to sell as slaves, though by making him a CompositeCharacter with the real Li, this also does subject the real Martin Li to AdaptationalVillainy.
** Danika Hart in the comics was a [=YouTuber=] who only cared about Miles being an AffirmativeActionLegacy (much to his annoyance), and was willing to sell out his identity first chance she got only to change her mind when she realized she was in love with his best friend Ganke. In ''VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales'' she's a steadfast ally of Miles because of the content of his character rather than the color of his skin, and respects his privacy.

** While [[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] is an AntiHero on his best days in the comics, he has regardless spent several decades trying to kill or eat Spider-Man. He's also attacked and tormented Mary Jane and Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}}, and lest we forget ''[[BrainFood eats brains]]'' for nourishment. A lot of adaptations such as ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' and especially the film ''Film/{{Venom|2018}}'' tone down Eddie and TheSymbiote’s more monstrous moments and overall make him more sympathetic and even heroic.
** In the ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' comics, Aaron Davis, Miles Morales's uncle is introduced as a greedy bastard who only sees his nephew [[Characters/UltimateSpiderManMilesMorales Miles Morales]] as a means to an end, and [[spoiler:dies cursing Miles. With that said, it was a ComicBookDeath, and in his second shot at life, Aaron has worked to be a better man, with varying degrees of success]]. Adaptations have changed this:

** [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGallery Electro]] gets fair amount of this. In the mainline 616 universe Max Dillon is anything but a TragicVillain, already a selfish {{jerkass}} upon receiving his ShockAndAwe powers in the comics, he becomes DrunkWithPower and immediately starts robbing banks and he has no qualms working for the likes of Doctor Doom and is happy to ruin Spidey’s life any way he can. He does have a few nicer moments but they are few and far between. ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'' however started the trend of Electro being treated more sympathetically, as this version of Max was genuinely a nice if shy young man like Peter before getting horrifically bullied and JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope upon becoming a electricity HumanoidAbomination. A very similar tragic backstory is used for ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' with its Electro being a fan of Spidey who goes nuts after a FreakLabAccident [[spoiler:''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' which is a continuation of the [=TSM=] film even gives Max a heartwarming moment with his Peter and a happy ending after he’s defeated, despite being TruerToTheText in the film i.e a power-hungry asshole.]] ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' also empathises Electro’s sympathetic status with him being genuinely upset at how he’s scaring people, even if overall his character is no less villainous as he is in the comics.
* ComicBook/DoctorStrange being another Ditko creation was quite douchey earlier on (even more so than Tony Stark) and unlike Spidey didn’t really morph into a much cuddlier and nicer hero later on with Strange’s attitude being firmly GoodIsNotNice and he has a laundry list of mistakes and WhatTheHellHero moments in the comics from brainwashing Captain America to assisting God Doom. In the 1978 TV pilot, ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends'', Creator/FoxKids ''WesternAnimation/MarvelAnimation'', ''WesternAnimation/DoctorStrangeTheSorcererSupreme'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', ''Anime/MarvelDiskWarsTheAvengers'', ''WesternAnimation/HulkWhereMonstersDwell'' and ''Anime/MarvelFutureAvengers'' he’s a pure BigGood GentlemanWizard who’s at worst a little haughty. PlayedWith in the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] as Strange actually gets some AdaptationalJerkass being far ruder to others than he is in comics, yet overall he’s still portrayed as more benevolent and doesn’t perform his morally flawed comic actions. ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' even reveals he was saving lives in the middle of war torn New York before he became a magic superhero.
* ComicBook/ThePunisher: ''Film/ThePunisher2004'', ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'', Anime/MarvelAnime, ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'', ''VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperheroes'' and the Creator/{{Netflix}} Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse versions of Characters/{{The Punisher|FrankCastle}} have all downplayed Frank Castle's more sociopathic elements. Most adaptations depict Frank as more heroic and amicable, and the 2004 film sees Frank mostly limit the people he kills to the organization that killed his family while in the Netflix shows he kills a pawn shop owner who sells child porn in ''Series/Daredevil2015'' and a group of construction workers who wanted to murder a guy by burying him in cement and a group at a chop shop in [[Series/ThePunisher2017 his own series]]. The animated Spider-Man and Avengers shows soften him into a GoodIsNotNice JerkWithAHeartOfGold rather than someone barely a handful of Marvel’s heroes can even stomach being around. The animes highlight Frank’s trigger happy ruthless nature but he’s still treated as a hero alongside the other Avengers and is considerably nicer than he is in the comics. In the LighterAndSofter ''Superhero Squad Show'' and ''Lego Marvel Superheroes'' Punisher is a lighthearted parody of his usual edgy self [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8XoRGgpF2qc who likens criminals to Brussel Sprouts on an otherwise perfect plate of Mac and Cheese]] in the former and is an environmentalist whom hates air polluting thugs in the latter.

** ComicBook/HarleyQuinn has gotten a colossal amount of this, thanks to becoming one of DC’s most popular characters. In her debut in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' despite episodes like “Mad Love” (which treated her sympathetically) she was still largely a unrepentant thug who had no qualms killing innocent people and when becoming a CanonImmigrant to the comics she was no less psychotic especially earlier on. Even in the ComicBook/New52 which is considered the turning point for her character eventually becoming a AntiHero [[https://imgur.io/a/GaQQg she infamously killed hundreds of children by planting bombs in hand held games]] (this moment was quickly swept under the rug in later comics). [[WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn Harley’s TV show]], the ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'', ''ComicBook/DCComicsBombshells'', ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' and the [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse DCEU]] generally exercise Harley’s most monstrous qualities while doubling down on her good/nicer traits.

* ComicBook/AntMan (Henry Pym) has it even worse in the comics than his aforementioned scientific peers. While he started off as a NiceGuy, creating [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron Ultron]] and accidentally hitting his wife [[Characters/TheWasp Janet]] fuelled Hank’s mental problems and eventually turned him into a FallenHero, who’s even worse in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates''. Thankfully most adaptations such as ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', ''VideoGame/MarvelsAvengers'' and the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] ''Film/AntMan1'' films make Hank a much nicer character. The MCU and ''Earth’s Mightiest Heroes'' versions in particular drastically soften Hank’s relationship with Janet portraying it as loving rather than troubled and abusive on his part. Even the animated adaptation of the Ultimate universe ''WesternAnimation/UltimateAvengers'' does this too, [[spoiler:as Hank pulls a HeroicSacrifice to protect Janet]].

** Unlike a [[AdaptationalJerkass/UltimateMarvel crapton of other characters in the universe]] (including Betty Brant), J. Jonah Jameson in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' underwent this, as he was more reasonable, ultimately realizing that [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] is trying to help, and starts trying to better Spidey's public image. [[spoiler:And unlike when he learned it in ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'', when this Jonah learned Peter is Spider-Man, he not only rehired Peter, he wanted to pay for Peter going to college and refused to act against ComicBook/MilesMorales.]]
** In the comics, [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] was banished to Earth because Odin decided to teach him humility after Thor got too big for his britches. In the reverse of the Avengers (and X-Men) getting the AdaptationalJerkass treatment as the Ultimates, here, Thor came to Earth to help it.
** Characters/{{Emma Frost|WhiteQueen}} in stark contrast to the rest of the mutants, gets this in ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen''. Her mainstream counterpart is extremely callous, manipulative and has very few redeeming traits even after her heel turn to good. Ultimate Universe Emma is much nicer being an ActualPacifist, who never uses her telepathy in a harmful way. [[spoiler: Unfortunately this did not spare her from getting needlessly killed in ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'' for the sake of shocking the readers]].

** While Mr. Krupp is still a DeanBitterman, he is given a FreudianExcuse of secretly being lonely rather than just plain cruel like the books. [[spoiler:George and Harold secretly set him up on a date with the lunch lady that he has a crush on during the ending, which improves his mood dramatically and even causes him to give the kids back their comics that he'd confiscated while admitting that he found them funny]].

*** [[CoolShades Rude]]: Aerith outright says that despite being a Turk, he's not a bad person. His first fight with Cloud and Aerith is not because he wants to kidnap her, but rather to avenge Reno who was just defeated by Cloud. However, [[spoiler: he is the one that finishes dropping the plate in this version.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PacManWorld'', [[spoiler:when [[BigBad Toc-Man/Orson]] is defeated, he bemoans the fact that people love Pac-Man but ghosts like him never get the same adoration. Pac-Man, however, shows NoSympathy and [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown eats him like he would any other ghost]], which just made him look like a {{Jerkass}} (though to be fair to the yellow guy, Orson did kidnap Pac-Man's family and his friend Pooka and tried to steal Pac-Man's identity).]] In ''[[VideoGameRemake Pac-Man World: Re-PAC]]'', [[spoiler:if the player saved every family member, you'll get the GoldenEnding that instead has Pac [[EasilyForgiven forgive Orson for all that he did]], so him eating Orson in the incomplete ending is a bit more justified.]]

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake''

** Even before becoming ComicBook/DoctorOctopus, Otto Octavius was an egotistical blowhard in the comics. Here, he's nice and humble. [[spoiler:Or at least at first, considering he's the FinalBoss.]]

** In the comics, Mr. Negative was only out to take over the New York underworld. While he's still ruthless and taking advantage of the [[EvilPowerVacuum Kingpin's fall from grace]], the game sees Negative have more sympathetic reasons for his actions, namely [[spoiler:he gained his powers and accidentally killed his parents after being experimented on during Osborn's attempts to cure his family.]] Additionally, in the game, Martin Li himself is legitimately trying to do good for New York and came to the country as an immigrant with his parents. In the comics, "Martin Li" was actually a Triad member involved in human trafficking and stole the identity of one of the people the organization intended to sell as slaves, though by making him a CompositeCharacter with the real Li, this also does subject the real Martin Li to AdaptationalVillainy.

* ''Webcomic/LoreOlympus''

** Zeus himself is a [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] example; he's still a philandering serial adulterer, but there's nothing to indicate any of his (many) affairs were anything but consensual, which could ''not'' be said about his mythological counterpart.

* ''Webcomic/MeganKearneysBeautyAndTheBeast'': In the original fairy tale, Beauty's sisters were [[CaptainErsatz practically copies of Cinderella's stepsisters]]: futile, selfish and [[TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity took advantage of her kindness]]. In the webcomic, both Virtue and Temperance love Beauty and are truly miserable after she goes to live with the Beast. Even if Temperance resents Beauty a bit because her young sister is their father's favorite, she gives her support [[spoiler: when Beauty confesses to her family that she loves Beast and wants to go back to him.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'', Proteus is very childlike and naive, and more [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds confused and misguided]] than outright evil. This is in ''stark'' contrast to the comics, where Proteus is a violent [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who has no problem with killing multiple innocent people for his own gain. As an illustration of how different they are, TV!Proteus' goal was to reconnect with his estranged father, while Comic!Proteus' just ''[[{{Patricide}} killed]]'' him. Said father also provides an example, though it's somewhat downplayed; he's reimagined as a greedy, selfish politician rather than the vicious rapist he was in the comics [[spoiler:and gets to reconcile with his son at the end of the two-parter.]]

** Due to the series' [[AgeLift changes to certain characters' ages]], Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} never falls in love with teenage [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]], and therefore never has the heated rivalry with [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] that is the cause for much of his {{Jerkass}} behavior in the comics (though the two did briefly have a leadership struggle). Also, while he always was fond of young mutant daughter figures, it would take decades of CharacterDevelopment for him to be anywhere close to willing to play father figure with Storm and Xavier for an entire group of mutant children before any school for gifted youngsters or superhero team was properly established.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'': Nerissa, while still a villain, has some redeeming qualities. Unlike in the comics, she is actually remorseful over murdering Cassidy, and genuinely loves [[spoiler:her son, Caleb and her lover/Caleb's father, Julian, but not enough to redeem her.]]

** [[Characters/MarvelComicsMaryJaneWatson Mary Jane Watson]] didn't start out as a particularly detestable person in the comics but she was originally written as being insensitive and callous(openly flirting with Peter while she was still in a relationship with Harry and mocking Gwen when she showed concern for Peter). These traits are often downplayed or excised completely in adaptations.

** While [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] started out as a good person in the comics, eventually he became a [[GoodIsNotNice ruthless extremist]] and even a FallenHero before some CharacterRerailment. Pretty much every adaptation (except for ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'') takes away or downplays Scott's negative qualities with only ''Film/XMenDarkPhoenix'' touching upon his darker side, but even then it's only born out of his care for Jean and doesn’t evolve into outright villainy like the comics.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]] gets a lot of this across all ''X-Men'' media, with most adaptations not fully embracing how utterly psychotic and cruel she is in the comics, softening her to simply a ruthless DarkActionGirl at worse. In the comics, while Raven has sympathetic traits (e.g her love for her wife Destiny) they are massively outweighed by her vile actions including [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder stabbing her allies in the back like clockwork]], [[AbusiveParents abusing her children]] (both biological and adopted) to sickening extremes, attempting and one time successfully [[OffingTheOffspring killing one of her kids]] and in ''Worst X-Men Ever'' Mystique molests the protagonist Bailey Hoskins who’s explicitly a minor. In ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' and ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' Mystique is softened to simply “bad” being nowhere near as cruel and displays loyalty, particularly to Magneto that is non-existent in the comics. ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' is only the adaptation that details Mystique abandoning her sons [[Characters/MarvelComicsNightcrawler Nightcrawler]] and Graydon, but she at least shows some regret about the former. The [[Film/XMenApocalypse new]] [[Film/DarkPhoenix timeline]] Fox films thanks to ExecutiveMeddling would go the extra step of giving Mystique AdaptationalHeroism due to her being played by Creator/JenniferLawrence fresh off ''Film/TheHungerGames''. Additionally, the films sidestep Mystique abandoning Kurt by just having them be UnrelatedInTheAdaptation.

* In the ''Literature/DirkGently'' novels, Dirk is a fundementally a conman, with the only justification he can offer being that none of his clients ever actually ''pay'' his exhorbitant expenses, and the fact he's ''right'' about everything is of considerably annoyance to him. He also has a desire to solve mysteries, but mostly for their own sake, and is not above flat-out lying to a potential client if it's the only way he'll be hired for one that looks interesting. In ''Series/DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'', he's a lot ditzier, but seems to be primarily motivated by a desire to help people. Possibly because he's more in tune with his powers; Book Dirk hates any suggestion that he's a NotSoPhonyPsychic, and if he thought the universe "wanted" him to be in the right place to sort things out, would probably refuse to do so out of spite.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The ''Anime/AceAttorney2016'' anime changes the character of Ini Miney, [[spoiler:Turner Grey's murderer.]] In the original game, she was [[spoiler:quite happy to kill Turner to keep her secret, that she's actually Mimi]]. In the anime, however, [[spoiler:the plan is actually Morgan Fey's idea. When Ini refuses, Morgan blackmails her into helping]].
* ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'': In the original shorts, Haida, the hyena, is a playboy who coasts on his looks to make women around the office do his work for him. In the Netflix series, Haida is a kind-hearted guy who is close friends with the protagonist and never hits on anyone, having a devoted love for Retsuko.
* In the anime adaptation of ''Literature/{{Another}}'', while Akazawa does blame Misaki for causing the "calamity," which resulted in the deaths of their teacher and several of their classmates, because she didn't do her role as the "non-existent student" (someone no one can speak with or even acknowledge) well enough, Akazawa also takes responsibility for what happened. In the original novel and manga, she not only scapegoats Misaki but also takes Sakakibara to task.
* ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'': In the early parts, Myne was pretty contemptuous of her family because they lived a lifestyle fitting for commoners. She was also quite the leech, tending to get in the way of their work and showing no gratitude for how much they did for her. However, she gradually comes to understand her position and tries to be better. In the anime, they downplay her entitled behavior and almost completely eliminate her distaste for the poor hygiene, which makes her look less stuck up.
* In the anime adaptation of ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'', Misa's personality as Mira's supportive CoolBigSis mostly stays intact, but with one change. Misa doesn't flick Mira in the forehead for falling asleep during the speech that Mira, as StudentCouncilPresident, gives to Mira's incoming first-year class at their high school.
* Gen from ''Manga/BarefootGen'', in the manga he was more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, he was very short-tempered and violent and often picked fights with adults, but he did care a lot about his family and people who were suffering from the effects of the atomic bomb, the anime has him being much nicer and he only gets violent once when he's repeatedly mistreated by the painter he was taking care of who was badly burned.
* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'': [[spoiler:[[TheAntichrist Makima]]'s HeelFaceReincarnation]] Nayuta is a WholePlotReference to Creator/TatsukiFujimoto's earlier work ''Manga/NayutaOfTheProphecy''. While they're both {{Creepy Child}}ren, ''Chainsaw Man'''s Nayuta is far more personable than her namesake, having friends and pets she cares for while the original Nayuta was [[AmbiguouslyEvil potentially a budding psychopath]] with [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals an instinctive urge to mutilate livestock]].
* ''Manga/TheDisappearanceOfNagatoYukiChan'', being a LighterAndSofter SpinOff to its [[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya parent series]], softens up a lot of the characters. Kyon goes from a cynical DeadpanSnarker with SelectiveObliviousness to an all-around NiceGuy (except around [[VitriolicBestBuds Haruhi]]) who is genuinely ObliviousToLove. Haruhi herself is still a jerk, but her more crueler moments are dialed back considerably, being presented as more of a [[TheGadfly teasing]] JerkWithAHeartOfGold. And [[AdaptationalProtagonist title character Yuki]], while not openly hostile, was a [[TheStoic stoic]] EmotionlessGirl with a SugarAndIcePersonality, while here she's a [[ShrinkingViolet introverted]] but approachable bookworm who is capable of showing emotions. The most notable example, however, would have to be [[AdaptationalHeroism Ryoko Asakura]], who goes from a [[CuteAndPsycho psychopathic]] BitchInSheepsClothing and the TropeCodifier of UncannyValleyGirl to a kind-hearted CoolBigSis to Yuki with a few {{Beware The Nice One|s}} moments, usually directed at Kyon.
* In ''Manga/DontToyWithMeMissNagatoro'', the titular character is far more personable than she was in the original webcomic. In the manga and anime, she's a LovingBully who genuinely cares for Naoto, whereas in the comic she's a {{sadist}}ic FetishizedAbuser (emotionally and physically) who gets off on driving him to tears.
* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'':
** For the movies in general, Takeshi “Gian” Gouda, the FatBastard [[TheBully bully]] of the series who steals people’s stuff, intimidates other kids into doing what he wants, and goes around looking for other kids to beat up, often gets this treatment, with his BoisterousBruiser traits being played up more so he comes across as merely a lovable jock who, as the biggest and strongest member of the main cast, always looks out for his friends and has their back when the going gets rough. Granted, with each reboot and run of the series he has gotten less mean in general, but even then “Movie Gian” is memetic for how much of an utter bro he is in contrast to his usual self in the series, and in the original manga specials these movies are based on this was already the case.
** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasDinosaur'' does this to TheDragon, Black Mask; while a villain in all versions, his 2006 version has a few PetTheDog moments, like giving Nobita and friends food and supplies after seeing them as a WorthyOpponent.
** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheGalaxySuperExpress'' have the TerribleTrio from the future, Ashton, Don and Jane, who makes fun of Doraemon and gang for being "cavemen" after realizing they're from a century in the past, and behaving like dicks to the gang for most of their screentime before the trio gets a BreakTheHaughty moment (via Ashton getting posessed by the Yadori parasites, and Don and Jane nearly getting killed). The anime added a scene after the final battle where the trio apologizes to the gang for being jerks, unlike the manga.
** Although Jeanne from ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheRobotKingdom'' has a HeelFaceTurn in both versions, but her anime counterpart's happens almost immediately after she's saved by Doraemon and gang and realize her old friend, Poko, still cares for her. In the manga Jeanne continues berating Poko for "being a robot" and it takes Shizuka giving Jeanne a well-deserved BitchSlap for her to snap out.
** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheWingedBraves'' turns Gusuke's bully Tsubakuro into a ReformedBully after the climax.
** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaInTheWanNyanSpacetimeOdyssey'': While he is by no means a full-blown {{Jerkass}}, in the manga, Hachi acts more hostile to Nobita and the gang and even scolds Duc for nearly revealing their secret by pulling his tail, and only acknowledges Nobita as his friend after the drill incident. In the movie adaptation, he befriends Nobita after the chase scene, and even going as far as to wish him luck in his quest to find Ichi right in that moment. He does retain his distrust of the gang at first regarding their secret in the movie though— however, the scene of him pulling Duc’s tail was cut from the movie.
** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasChronicleOfTheMoonExploration'' is an AdaptationExpansion of the manga story, "Doctrine Association Badges", both shorts containing a prototype {{kaiju}} brought to life by Doraemon's life clay and going on a rampage. In the original manga the monster was in one scene before it leaves, but the anime gives it an AscendedExtra role where the monster gets tamed and become one of the good guys.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** Jiren's heroic traits are much more clearly shown in the [[Manga/DragonBallSuper manga]] version of ''Super'', where he is first introduced stopping a criminal riot and saves the other Pride Troopers from a monster they were struggling on, even postponing a talk with his leader until all the citizens are safe. He is also unwilling to join the Tournament of Power since that would mean the erasure of 7 other universes and only relents when Belmod offers him a wish from the Super Dragon Balls, but even then, he is fully willing to withdraw if there is any trouble that happens in the universe. This is in contrast to how is represented in the anime, where all we know of him is that he is an ArrogantKungFuGuy who does not hesitate to show them just how superior he is to everyone, doesn't seem to care for his comrades when they are defeated, insulting his leader for his less-than-stellar performance and even tries to murder all of Goku's friends and family just to spite him.
** In the manga and the original Japanese version of the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' anime, Vegeta is a bloodthirsty, amoral villain who slowly develops into a NominalHero, and then an AntiHero. In some English dubs of the anime, while he's still ''definitely'' a bad guy at first, he's also more pragmatic and less sadistic, to the point where he even makes a WeCanRuleTogether offer to Goku. The dub of the Namek arc also gives him a FreudianExcuse (that he was raised by Freeza to be evil with no choice in the matter), which he didn't have in the original. From that point on in the dubbed version, he's more of a straight AntiHero.
** Goku himself. The English dub tends to play up his heroic side while somewhat downplaying his less noble aspects that are present in the Japanese version. A prominent example is after the fight with Vegeta during the Saiyan Saga, when Goku convinces Krillin to spare Vegeta's life; in most versions of the English dub, Goku invokes IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim while also wanting to give Vegeta the same chance for a HeelFaceTurn that Piccolo got, whereas in the original Japanese, Goku does so only because he found the fight with Vegeta exciting and wanted to fight him again even at the risk of the Earth's safety, which he openly admits is a selfish desire.
** According to [[http://www.kanzenshuu.com/2015/03/27/new-interview-translations-akira-toriyama-special-talks/ Toriyama]] this holds true even for the original Japanese anime. He was dissatisfied by the "righteous hero"-type portrayal the anime gave him. In the manga, Goku is supposed to be depicted as someone who doesn't fight for others, but fights for himself to get stronger. He wanted to depict someone who isn't a classic hero and can even be seen as not being a good person because of his selfish desire (a little bit of poison that sneaks through his character as Toriyama puts it). However, even going purely off the manga, this depiction of Goku is lost in translation since most of Goku's motives still nonetheless pertain to protecting or avenging his family and friends, and he does help people he barely knows when it didn't completely relate to fighting, like storming Muscle Tower to repay Suno for saving him from freezing to death, and avenging Upa's father who was murdered by Tao before taking down the Red Ribbon Army and getting the Dragon Balls to revive him. He wanted to fight the Saiyans not because they were powerful, but because they were going to murder everyone he knew. He didn't want to help fight Buu, despite having the power to do so, because he didn't want his friends to [[CrutchCharacter depend on him to save them]], which if he was completely selfish he wouldn't care and fight Buu for the sake of having a good battle. It could be said that Toriyama's original intentions for Goku ended up evolving into something slightly different as CharacterDevelopment took over.
** Chi-Chi actually gets this too in the anime. In the manga, while she of course still loves her husband and sons, Toriyama put more focus on her worst traits such as her HairTriggerTemper towards Goku, with even Master Roshi joking that Goku is refusing to come back to earth because he's scared of his wife. In the anime, it's made very clear Chi-Chi does adore Goku as seen when he recovers from the heart virus and she runs into his arms crying with joy before [[TwirlOfLove he spins her around]]. This scene does not exist in the manga. Unfortunately, ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' [[AdaptationalJerkass inverts]] this bringing Chi-Chi back to full angry housewife mode who's more willing to painfully armlock her husband, but also ignores the CharacterDevelopment she had in the Buu Saga like how she was the one who trained Goten in martial arts.
** Downplayed with Bardock in ''Dragon Ball Minus'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'', in his debut [[Anime/DragonBallZBardockTheFatherOfGoku TV special]]. He is still a bloodthirsty VillainProtagonist who is dedicated to massacring populations but shows a genuine concern for his son that was not demonstrated in the original subbed version of the special.
** Broly himself undergoes this in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly''. In the non-serial movies that came before, Broly was a sadistic BloodKnight who proudly likens himself to a demon and is utterly obsessed with killing Goku. In the ''Super'' movie, however, Broly is a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who lived in isolation and readily makes friends with the people that find him. [[spoiler:By the movie's end, [[SparedByTheAdaptaion not only does he survive]], but he also becomes a friendly rival for Goku.]]
* ''Manga/ElfenLied'': While still a murderous VillainProtagonist, Lucy is considerably less {{sadist}}ic and AxCrazy in the anime than in the manga, where she was prone to {{Evil Laugh}}s and {{Slasher Smile}}s while literally tearing people to shreds.
* Aquarius in ''Manga/FairyTail'' was a virtually through-and-through {{Jerkass}} who belittled, threatened, and sometimes even attacked Lucy whenever the two appeared together, with just a few PetTheDog moments to show that [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold she wasn't totally heartless]]. The anime adaptation sprinkled in a few more kind gestures towards Lucy and toned down her harsh attitude, particularly in the {{Filler}} arc leading up to [[spoiler:her HeroicSacrifice in the manga's next major arc]], which helped make the scene more poignant.
* ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'':
** Illya is a total far cry from the CreepyChild AntiHero that she was in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. This version of Illya is a BornLucky MagicalGirl. Her attraction to Shiro also devolves from a creepy obsession to BigBrotherWorship. {{Justified|Trope}} in that in this AlternateTimeline, so she doesn't go through the same events as the one in ''FS/N'' [[spoiler:along with the fact the darker side of her personality was sealed away and eventually manifested in her clone Chloe]].
** Likewise, Kirei is just a ramen (read: [[TrademarkFavoriteFood mapo tofu]]) shop owner and he apparently satisfies his {{sadist}} urges by serving hellishly spicy mapo tofu. [[spoiler:It turns out he's from Miyu's universe, not Illya's universe (where his counterpart implicitly died in the Fourth Holy Grail War, so he had about the same level of CharacterDevelopment into a villain-to-be up to ''Manga/FateZero''), and he's been helping Shirou protect Miyu from the Ainsworth.]]
* The titular character of ''Manga/KingOfBanditJing'' is a lot more noble and gentlemanly in the Anime than in the Manga.
* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'': In the films, Diana is a fairly jerkish AcademicAlphaBitch who is prejudiced against Akko for not being from a magical family, never misses a chance to berate her for lack of skill when it comes to magic, and refuses to help her when there's nothing for her to gain. In the TV series, Diana is helpful to the other students and a very hard worker when it comes to learning magic, while her criticisms of Akko comes from a [[CondescendingCompassion genuine but condescending desire]] that she be a better student.
* Shioriko in ''Anime/LoveLiveNijigasakiHighSchoolIdolClub'' is a straight-up NiceGirl and ''significantly'' more mellow and tolerant than she was in ''VideoGame/LoveLiveSchoolIdolFestivalAllStars'' (where she's rather aggressive and antagonistic). In both versions, she is a disciplinarian and believes that pursuing something that she isn't suited for will only lead to hearbreak and regret, but in the game, she applies this philosophy to ''everyone'', and is a major antagonist for multiple chapters in her attempts to interfere with Nijigasaki's clubs and the Idol club particularly. She is also pretty ruthless in her [[spoiler:ultimately successful]] campaign to become Student Council President over Setsuna, whereas in the anime she is highly supportive of Setsuna and says she has no problem with her being the president on top of being an idol because she's doing really well at both already. The ultimate result is that game Shioriko is a [[TheSpock Spock]]-like DefrostingIceQueen, whereas anime Shioriko merely seems shy and lacking in self-esteem.
* ''Manga/MobileSuitGundam0083Rebellion'': Much like the video games, Bernard Monsha toned down from his original perverted asshole characterization from ''Stardust Memory''. His sexual harassment of the crewmembers is dropped, and his attempt to crash Kou's fighter for petty reasons is done by Allen instead. He doesn't like Kou but doesn't hone in on him nearly as much as in the OVA and late in the series he saves Kou's life by finding a blood donor when he's injured.
* ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'':
** In the ''Megami Tsuushin'' manga, which was [[EarlyAdaptationWeirdness made after the release of]] [[VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia the first game]], Blanc is depicted as being withdrawn and quiet all the time, lacking her game counterpart's HairTriggerTemper until later in the manga (and even then, her outburst are treated as being [[OOCISSeriousBusiness rare and shocking]] rather than frequent), and is very approachable to everyone else. This characterization of hers [[RetCanon would eventually be adopted in the later games]] starting with ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaReBirth1'', as she was previously depicted as being grumpy and antisocial.
** ''Anime/HyperdimensionNeptuniaTheAnimation'':
*** Plutia is a lot nicer here than in her [[VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaVictory debut game]], as while she had her moments of kindness there, those were largely overshadowed by her {{control|Freak}}ling, [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]], and borderline {{jerk|Ass}}ish behavior, where she would intimidate and bully her friends by threatening to transform if she doesn't get what ''she'' wants in spite of being aware of how much her sadism disturbs them. In the anime, she's a KindheartedSimpleton who acts like a supporting ally to the other [=CPUs=] and shows a lot more self-control over her Iris Heart form that she didn't have in her introduction game. Iris Heart herself is also shown to [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold have several moments of genuine compassion]] that she didn't have in the games, such as [[spoiler:hugging a broken Neptune about what happened to Peashy and even telling her that she genuinely likes her]][[note]] [[spoiler:A similar situation happened in the games when Blanc [[BroughtDownToNormal lost her powers]] and suffered a HeroicBSOD, but it was revealed afterwards [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk that she only acted "nice" to her so she can see her cry even more]].]] [[/note]].
*** The [=CPUs=] in general are nowhere near as rude and selfish as they were in ''Victory'' (though in the case of Noire, Vert and Blanc, those were their [[AlternateSelf Ultradimension counterparts]]); Neptune in particular treats Nepgear far better than in ''Victory'', where she was an AloofBigSister who won't hesitate to [[spoiler:leave her own sister in another dimension for ''a whole decade'' while she and her friend slack off in the former's home dimension]]. When the Ultradimension version of Noire, Blanc and Vert appear in episode 13, they act more like their Hyperdimension counterparts, being relatively friendlier to Neptune, Vert, Plutia and themselves and even the [[VitriolicBestBuds jabs they make towards each other]] in the elevator scene isn't as mean-spirited as in ''Victory''.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Several characters such as Zoro, Nami, Sanji or Law occasionally have their rude and jerkass behaviour from the manga downplayed in the anime and their nicer attributes played up. Law for example, due to censorship, doesn't [[FlippingTheBird flip off]] Eustass Kid upon meeting him in Sabaody. A better example would be Sanji, who in the manga doesn't readily show compassion to his male crewmates, and even at the start of Wano arc, when the Sunny is being sucked in a whirlpool, Sanji says he only cares about carrying Nami and Carrot to safety, much to the despair of Chopper and Brook. In the anime version, Sanji makes it clear to a sobbing Chopper (who's clinging to his leg) he was just joking and he of course wouldn't abandon him.
*** More disturbingly, a throwaway line in the manga version of the Saobaody arc has Sanji ''grinning about'' beautiful slave-girls for sale. In the anime, he immediately expresses disgust at the slave auction (something that, depending on how far one views SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil, may well tip the scale into outright AdaptationalHeroism). The anime version also [[PragmaticAdaptation better lines up]] with Sanji's past, where he himself was chained and imprisoned by his father.
** Rob Lucci gets this in ''Anime/OnePieceStampede''. In the manga, Lucci is such a brutal KnightTemplar and PsychoForHire that he is willing to kill innocent civilians in the name of "justice", [[AxCrazy mauls Luffy]] as a Leopard and by his post-TimeSkip appearance stands guard with a PsychoticSmirk as a Celestial Dragon attempts to make Shirahoshi a SexSlave. In ''Stampede'', however, Lucci willingly helps the heroes as an AloofAlly against Douglas Bullet and even saves Buggy's life.
* In ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'', after following the webcomic mostly in the same structure and tone for years, the manga slowly started to show a tonal shift in how the characters, heroes and antagonists alike, are portrayed; by the later parts of the Monster Association arc and beyond the manga went further with adding original content, or slightly diverging, from the source material, not only that but characters with pronounced flaws, such as many heroes in the S-Class, or an antagonist such as Garou, had several positive traits added to them, shying away from their apparent flaws present in the webcomic. One specific plot point was completely altered between the webcomic and manga to settle that tonal shift, [[spoiler:Garou's disdain for heroics originally used the entire S-Class as an example for what he truly hated about the status quo, but since the manga mixes their flaws with much more apparent qualities, Garou's motive rant does not use the S-Class as a backdrop at all, instead the type of heroes Garou despises is portrayed by random lower class heroes who antagonize him after his defeat]]. Characters who were already good people in the webcomic become even nicer in the manga as well, Saitama for one is friendlier than his original counterpart, his proximity toward Genos much later in the series is a shining difference between versions.
* ''Anime/Persona5TheAnimation'':
** Ryuji is already a good person, but unlike in the game, he doesn't threaten Ren out of fear of being ratted out to Kamoshida. Before going to Kamoshida's Palace for the third time, he doesn't yell at Ann to stay out, even if his intention was to make sure she didn't put herself in danger. Also, when Morgana left as a result of his insecurities, Ryuji is the most concerned and tries to genuinely apologize for calling him useless, whereas in the game, he was forced to do it, and the backhanded nature of his apology ended up protracting the conflict.
** Sojiro is a lot less harsh with Ren in his first appearance and reprimands him far less harshly after his first day at school. He also doesn't need to be convinced to let Ren keep Morgana like he did in the game, despite the fact that as the owner of a café, he has a legitimate reason to not want a pet. Later, when he [[spoiler:finds Futaba's calling card]], he waits until they've both calmed down from the initial shock before discussing it with her and Ren in a very polite, civil manner, unlike the game where his AngerBornOfWorry causes Futaba to break down in tears. That said, he does apparently drive her into a days-long HeroicBSOD by harshly confronting her about the calling card.
** During the food buffet scene in Episode 5, Ann does not briefly lash out at Ren and Ryuji like in the game, since she's more hurt than angry as over the incident. Instead, the three reasonably talk things out concerning the adults' mistreatment of them. Ann is not as resentful towards Makoto as in the game, and more readily admits that she couldn't do anything for Shiho, either.
** Yusuke doesn't blackmail the Phantom Thieves with trespassing charges in order to get Ann to pose nude for him. When Ann shows up to pose nude, Yusuke apologizes for losing his temper and telling them to GetOut during their previous meeting.
** Eiko in Makoto's Confidant. In the game, she gets angry with Makoto after Makoto tries to convince her to break up with Tsukasa, mistakenly believing that Makoto wants to steal Tsukasa from her, and is cold toward Makoto the next time they meet. In the anime, she simply asks Makoto for money and repeats her request when Makoto finds her in Shinjuku. While in the game, Eiko's last heard from when Makoto mentions that they made up at the start of the Rank 10 event, [[spoiler:in the anime, she proceeds to post Tsukasa's misdeeds to the Phan-Site, turning Tsukasa into a Mementos target. Afterwards, she texts an apology to Makoto and invites her to come to her house and share her Buchimaru collection]].
** While Hifumi's mother is still an overbearing StageMom, since the confrontation with her Shadow isn't shown, she may not have actually taken extreme and illegal measures to build up her daughter's career.
** Several of the Shadows end up being downplayed examples:
*** In the game, Shadow Kaneshiro's final warning about Black Mask sounds like he's taunting the Phantom Thieves; in the anime, it sounds more like a VillainsDyingGrace.
*** Shadow Kunikazu in particular is a much more sympathetic character. [[spoiler:In the game, he merely mourns his utopia with his dying words, but in the anime, he dies with tears in his eyes, lamenting that he'll never get to rekindle his relationship with Haru. Additionally, in flashbacks, Kunikazu was shown to be at least happy during his father's time as a kind cafe owner, and when the happy customers came to offer flowers for the shop's closing, he was crying TearsOfJoy from the compliments of the customer before he started going down a dark path. Most of these weren't heavily implied within the game. Finally, during the encounter, thanks to Morgana's angst problem being simplified, Shadow Kunikazu doesn't resort to the CrocodileTears and an ISurrenderSuckers strategy, so when he's apologizing, he's not faking at all.]] It also helps that the game omits most of the scenes with the Phantom Thieves observing the cognitive versions of Okumura's workers as robots, along with Haru confirming that she knows about the abuses of the workers happening in real life.
*** While [[spoiler:Shadow Sae]] still pulls her MovingTheGoalposts trick at the Bridge of Judgement, and forces Ren to fight three Rangdas in the first round of the Battle Arena[[note]]the first phase, with two Ganeshas, is apparently omitted[[/note]], the rest of her Palace isn't as blatantly rigged as it is in the game. Her boss battle is even fought fair and square, skipping the opening phase with the rigged roulette wheel. However, this does cause some of her speeches about how everything is rigged in her favor to ring somewhat hollow.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** Generally speaking, any Pokémon species that's sinister, a {{jerkass}}, or insanely violent even by Pokémon standards in the games, ''can'' and ''will'' get those traits toned down or outright omitted in the anime. Dark-type Pokémon (which includes the likes of [[NotZilla Tyranitar]], [[OmnicidalManiac Hydreigon]], and [[EldritchAbomination Hoopa Unbound]]) get hit with this more often than not.
** Clair's anime personality is far nicer than her {{Jerkass}} game one, [[WorthyOpponent complimenting Ash mid-battle]] and not showing any of her SoreLoser moments like in the game.
** Ditto with Pike Queen Lucy, who is portrayed in the anime as an AloofDarkHairedGirl, but overall rather nice and friendly. This could be attributed to her being attracted to Brock, though.
** This happens with Gladion:
*** In the ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' games, Gladion is an enforcer for Team Skull who is incredibly abrasive in conversation and a perfectionist in battle [[spoiler: due to being disowned by Lusamine as a result of not wanting to follow her example]]. While his counterpart in the ''Sun and Moon'' series has shades of these traits, he is also shown to have a more noble attitude towards his relationships with people; such as treating Ash in a more friendly manner and fighting off Team Rocket and the recurring Team Skull grunts.
*** He also doesn't seem to have any relation to Team Skull and has a different reason for running away from home, which may imply the anime version of the character may be an even more morally-gray rival than his video game counterpart.
** Both Charizard and Pikachu get this treatment in ''Anime/PokemonIChooseYou''. In the main continuity, Charmander lost his respect and loyalty towards Ash when he evolved into Charmeleon and it takes a long time for Ash to earn his respect again. In ''I Choose You'', he keeps his friendly personality even after evolving. On Pikachu's part, he kept his original personality from before the Spearow attack, however he lost most of his other bratty or jerkish moments from the Original Series. Ash's personality in the film also doesn't resemble his personality during the Kanto arc. He lacks Ash's brattier and more immature elements that disappeared after his CharacterDevelopment. Instead he's [[BackportedDevelopment more like his Hoenn or Sinnoh character]].
* This happens with Silver in ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. His game counterpart from ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' is the most {{Jerkass}} rival thus far, literally pushes you around, and is mean to his Pokemon prior to his CharacterDevelopment. Silver in the manga is aloof but not as confrontational or aggressive.
* In ''Anime/QueensBlade'', Elina Vance is one of the most jerkassy of all the jerkass characters in the series, being a SpoiledBrat and a PsychoLesbian for her sister Leina and treats everyone else like dirt, especially those who are of lower class. In the ''Queen's Blade Unlimited'' OVA, she is much, much nicer, and it's easy to see it. She still holds a high opinion of Leina but it's much more subdued, and she is shown treating commoners more decently.
* In the original manga version of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', Ranma's [[LoveDodecahedron other suitors]] are treated as fairly generic villain characters--if not from the start, then they [[{{Flanderization}} rapidly devolve into it]]. In the anime version, Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi all receive a much softer touch and are presented in a more positive light--they still do many villainous things, but there is a much greater emphasis on the sincerity of their feelings for Ranma, and they also get to show off more benevolent, even heroic, sides to themselves. Shampoo is shown doing things like being willing to put her life on the line for Ranma's sake, and helping him train to overcome Happosai even without any stake in the matter, whilst Kodachi shows a genuine kindness and desire to help Ranma that would be unthinkable for the lunatic SelfProclaimedLoveInterest of the manga.
* Naofumi Iwatani from ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' is far less embittered and angry about everything in the manga, and more prone to acting light-hearted. The anime makes him come across as overall a better person due to not being able to truly adapt his internal thoughts and views on people like the original Light Novel did. Taking this full circle, [[spoiler:instead of demanding for the King and Malty's execution when they were finally exposed, he has their names forcibly changed as an act of CruelMercy, mostly to spare the Queen from being forced to execute her husband and eldest daughter.]]
* Inner Moka from ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' was a very prideful piece of work and it took a long time for anyone to get on her good side, especially Tsukune. In the anime, she warms up to everyone much quicker and her remembering all the good Tsukune did for her Outer Self motivates her to save him from being executed by Kuyou. She since puts on more of an effort to get along with everyone and also lacks the [[HatesBeingTouched haphephobia]] of her manga counterpart, making her every bit as touchy-feely as her love rivals.
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** Professor Tomoe was a full-on MadScientist in the manga, happily experimenting on his daughter Hotaru and serving Pharaoh 90 without any remorse. The classic anime instead gave him a tragic backstory of his wife being killed in a lab experiment and Tomoe trying to find a cure for Hotaru's condition, this being his only reason for working with Pharaoh 90.
** ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'':
*** Sailors Uranus and Neptune in ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'' are nowhere near as antagonistic towards in the Inner Senshi like they were in the original anime despite remaining prideful overall. In the end of the Death Busters story arc, they outright attempt to kill Sailor Moon because they couldn't stand her idealism, forcing Sailor Moon to outsmart them before they admitted defeat. In ''Crystal'', no such thing happens and they part ways from the Inners on peaceful terms.
*** [[SpoiledBrat Chibi-]][[BrattyHalfPint Usa]], who was bratty in the original anime, is more civil, mature, level-headed and friendly in ''Crystal''. She had some CharacterDevelopment and TookALevelInKindness afterwards, seeing as she and Usagi get along even better here.
*** ''Anime/SailorMoonEternal'' had VillainOfTheWeek Hawk's Eye as a downplayed example. He's incredibly pleasant to Makoto, talks to her about her dreams. After he is defeated by her, he [[GracefulLoser gracefully accepts his defeat]] and tells Makoto she has beautiful dreams and she should make them a reality. Compared to Fish's Eye and Tiger's Eye, who simply corrupt their targets, Makoto is actually sad that she killed him.
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'': Saori Kido was often a cruel {{Jerkass}} to the Bronze Saints charged with protecting her during her younger years and was not above manipulating Seiya. In the movie ''Anime/SaintSeiyaLegendOfSanctuary'', all of her negative traits have been removed in favor of making her into a PluckyGirl. She is seen being far nicer even at a young age, as she used her power to heal Seiya after he protects her from a feral dog.
* The ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'' manga, which was based on [[Anime/SchoolDays the anime]], turns Makoto from a sleazy asshole who would cheat on one girl for another to a caring person who treats every girl he meets with respect. By contrast, Sekai [[AdaptationalJerkass is turned into a]] ManipulativeBitch who uses Makoto's re-incorporated feelings of her for her ''own'' self-serving benefits.
* ''Manga/SchoolLive'': The anime changes TheReveal that [[spoiler:Megu-nee has been DeadAllAlong and Yuki [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness hallucinates her presence]]]] to happen much later than it did in the manga, and has Miki be a character from episode 1 instead of being rescued early on (thus adding her into certain scenes and having certain chapters become flashbacks). To avoid spoiling [[spoiler:Megu-nee's death]] the anime removed all of Miki's confrontations with Yuki and Rii early on, making her a far more subdued character.
* Knuckles in ''Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie''. Compared to how Knuckles of [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog the games]] was usually portrayed back then, he's pretty much just close friends with Sonic and Tails, and there is no hinted animosity past or present.
* In the ''Manga/TegamiBachiLetterBee'' manga, Calibus Garrard is a cynical {{Jerkass}} from the get-go. He fires Largo Lloyd from his position as Bee Hive director and sends Lag to work in the Cold Letters division for daring to [[ToBeAMaster seek the Head Bee job]]. [[HiddenDepths There's more to him than meets the eye]], but he doesn't make the best first impression. His anime counterpart, [[AdaptationalEarlyAppearance who shows up earlier on]], is still a cynical jerk, but he isn't quite as harsh with Lag, even as he pokes holes in Lag's more idealistic worldview. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out that he's a Marauder who's even willing to murder Sylvette in order to achieve his goals.]]
* Jin Kazama gets this in ''Anime/TekkenBloodline''. In the [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} games]] Jin while more heroic than his father is still a NominalHero who actively shows distain for everyone who isn’t his mother Jun or schoolmate Xiaoyu, even in games as early ''Tekken'' ''3'' and ''4'' Jin was single minded in his need for vengeance and gave little heed for everyone else. In ''Bloodline'' Jin is genuinely a NiceGuy (something [[GruesomeGrandparent Heihachi]] [[VirtueIsWeakness spites him for]]) being extremely warm and caring to his friends Xiaoyu and Hwoarang the latter of whom he has a FriendlyRivalry with, unlike the games where it’s a bitter rivalry that eventually resulted in Hwoarang losing an eye. His turn into a demonic AntiHero after Heihachi’s traitorous attempt on his life is treated with real tragedy given how good Jin was before, whereas in the games it was mainly seen as [[InTheBlood inevitable]] given how Kazuya had turned out.
* ''Anime/TokyoMewMewNew'' softens up Mint and her brother Seiji quite a bit. In the original ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'', Mint was a RichBitch and [[TheSlacker slacker]] who eventually turned into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold while her brother was an AloofBigBrother. In the reboot, she still slacks off at the café, but she does actually help out when it's needed. Meanwhile, Seiji becomes a CoolBigBro who supports her decisions, although he [[AlwaysAChildToParent still treats her like a child]], much to her chagrin.
* While the Mitsumata Nozuchi we battle in the first three ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' games is a nasty and violent creature that does not seem to mind attempting to eat the player character alive, the Mitsumata Nozuchi (aka Micchy) we see in the ''Anime/YokaiWatchShadowside'' anime series is a friendly yokai who loves human culture and prefers to take on a humanoid form as opposed to his serpentine one, which he deems too uncool and scary-looking. Whether or not the two Mitsumata Nozuchi are the same person or two completely different yokai of the same species who also happen to share a name is up for debate.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', [[JerkJock Flash]] is a much nicer guy than in the comics and [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy the previous films]]. When Uncle Ben dies, Peter goes sullen and violent in his grief, and when he gets violent at Flash, Flash just takes it and then asks, "Feels good, doesn't it?", implying that he has gone through something similar.
* Margaret's parents, in ''Literature/AreYouThereGodItsMeMargaret'' were not originally ''bad'', but they're nicer in the film. Margaret's mother Barbara benefits from some AdaptationalExpansion and is more doting, and her father is concerned about Barbara's well-being rather than being angry at her for sending a card to her parents. Margaret herself is also markedly kinder. In both book and film she takes after [[AlphaBitch Nancy]] and treats Laura, a girl who's gone through precocious puberty, [[SlutShaming very poorly]] only to be [[WhatTheHellHero called out on it]] and have a HeelRealization. Book Margaret soon realizes that Nancy tends to lie but remains in her clique. Film Margaret remains friendly with Nancy, but doesn't seem to be as close anymore, and actually makes an overture of friendship towards Laura.
* ''Film/BadMoon'': Pre-werewolf bite Ted. In the book, he made his girlfriend Marjorie abandon her career as a photojournalist after they got together, but in the film, they both maintain careers throughout their relationship.
* Catwoman gets this in ''Film/TheBatman2022''. In the comics and previous films Selina is more a self-orientated FemmeFatale, while she does love Bruce that often doesn't stop her putting her (often selfish) agenda above him and is frequently depicted as a neutral character. In the 2022 film, Selina is more selfless right off the bat, as she just wants to look after her best friend CanonForeigner Annika whom is the prime reason she steals money in the first place. Unlike in other Batman media she doesn't emotionally manipulate or betray Bruce in this version, only wanting him to leave Gotham with her, for the sake of his own health and sanity.
* Zigzagged with the Beast in ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast2017''. On one hand, [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast his animated portrayal]] imprisoned Maurice as soon as he found the old inventor at the fireplace, while this version of the Beast leaves the man alone until he tries to steal a rose. On the other hand, in this version it's the servants who give Belle a room, rather than the master.
* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'': The titular Count receives a sympathetic backstory as a FallenHero that defended Christianity from Ottoman invaders and after his wife committed suicide following false news of his death, he became incensed that she was damned to Hell that he rose as a vampire to avenge her. Despite still being the BigBad, he is given some positive qualities (like genuinely loving Mina Harker, his wife's reincarnation) whereas the original Dracula from the books never had any beyond his superficial polite veneer. In addition, his supposed plan to spread vampirism to England is completely omitted in the movie (though to be fair, this is never outright confirmed in the book).
* ''Film/ChildsPlay2019'': Instead of a serial killer who has his soul trapped in a doll and wanting a new human body, Chucky is an A.I. who genuinely wants to be friends with Andy. Unfortunately, [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom a disgruntled factory worker shut off his safety protocol]] and Chucky becomes violently attached to the boy.
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'':
*** While he posed as an anti-hero early on, the comic book [[Characters/SuicideSquadOperatives Deadshot]]'s mostly motivated by nihilism and money. However, the film's Floyd Lawton, while still nihilistic, avoids hurting women and children, even going after other criminals.
*** While he enjoys conflict, Captain Boomerang isn't actively provoking people like he does in the comics. The film also downplays his racism, misogyny, and homophobia, which were frequent sources of tension in the original series -- However, the racism and misogyny ''was'' meant to be included in the form of his StalkerWithACrush fixation on [[Characters/BatmanAndTheOutsiders Katana]], it just got cut from the movie.
** ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'':
*** Compared to the incarnation in ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'', Steppenwolf is doing what he's doing to be allowed to return home after going against Darkseid and doesn't go out of his way to kill people unlike the 2017 version, which seemed to be invading and killing people ForTheEvulz.
*** Aquaman is more sympathetic to Cyborg's suffering.
** ''Film/Shazam2019'':
*** Though heavily inspired by the controversial ''ComicBook/Shazam2012'' reboot of the character, this version of Billy Batson is far less of a jerk. He still has a chip on his shoulder and is quite sarcastic, but it's greatly toned down this time.
*** Likewise, Freddy isn't a lying con artist like he was in the ''New 52'' comics.
** ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'':
*** While still psychotic, Roman Sionis (aka Black Mask) is portrayed as a AffablyEvil BenevolentBoss [[DoesNotLikeWomen to his male subordinates]] and at least has a soft spot for Dinah Lance before she betrays him. In the comics, Sionis [[BadBoss kills his mooks on a whim]] and is a HateSink to a truly repulsive degree.
*** Helena Bertinelli (aka Huntress), aside from a short temper, lacks any of the PayEvilUntoEvil and ByronicHero qualities she has in the comics.
** ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'':
*** Bloodsport in the comics is an unapologetic PsychoForHire who’d happily use an innocent woman as a HumanShield against Superman. In the film, he’s an AntiHero who becomes a lot nicer thanks to MoralityPet Ratcatcher II’s influence and is even capable of outright heroism by the end of the movie.
*** Ratcatcher in the comics is a craven lunatic who tries to plague Gotham with his rodent horde. In the film he’s a loving father who taught his daughter/successor Cleo that every creature has a purpose, even the lowest and filthiest form of life.
*** Polka-Dot Man is usually presented as a BoisterousWeakling or ridiculous SmugSnake in the comics, certainly not TheWoobie and unsung hero he is in the film.
*** Peacemaker, while still a psychotic KnightTemplar vigilante like he is in the comics, is given humanising traits in the film. [[spoiler: Case in point, when forced as TheMole to try and kill Ratcatcher II after having just killed Rick Flag to prevent him from revealing America’s involvement in Project Starfish, Peacemaker shows visible regret, reluctance and internal conflict especially when he’s about to shoot Cleo.]] Comic Peacemaker, in contrast, does ''not'' regret any of the atrocities he commits, as in his warped mind it is always 100 percent justified.
** The title character of ''Film/BlackAdam2022'' is still a brutal, murderous AntiHero, but the film omits the part of his backstory where he [[WouldHurtAChild murdered his own nephew]] to steal the power of Shazam, with the power having instead been willingly granted to him by [[RelatedDifferentlyInTheAdaptation his son]].
* ''Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'':
** In the books, the titular wimpy kid is a ''huge'' UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist. In the movies, many of his KickTheDog moments are removed and others are made more justified by the circumstances. Because of this, Greg's rivals (Patty, Chirag) [[AdaptationalJerkass act worse]] in order to make Greg's actions more understandable.
** Greg's older brother Rodrick was a BigBrotherBully in the books, in the movie, he still has shades of this, but after going through some CharacterDevelopment in the later movies, their relationship [[CoolBigBro became a lot more harmonic]].
** Holly Hills is a borderline example. In the books, she's only seen from afar, since Greg was never able to directly talk to her, but she generally seems like she preferred her own social circle, only seen interacting with Greg once and that backfired ''horribly''. In the movies, she's a ''lot'' more social, bordering on AllLovingHero, and actually returns Greg's affections.
* In ''Film/{{Elektra}}'', Stick is a nicer, more caring person than the cynical hustler who put [[Characters/DaredevilMattMurdock Matt]] through Hell while training him.
* ''Film/ForrestGump'' changes the crass, outspoken and overall abrasive protagonist (for example, in the novel Forrest repeatedly refers to UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar as "a bunch of shit", farts in public, and uses racial epithets toward both blacks and Asians) to a KindheartedSimpleton who shows compassion to minorities well ahead of his time.
* ''Film/GeraldsGame'' has a few of these compared to [[Literature/GeraldsGame the book]].
** Gerald himself gets a fair bit. Like the book he's still a useless husband with a creepy rapey bondage fetish who initially doesn't listen to his wife Jessie's pleas to unlock her cuffs, but unlike the book he doesn't pull an AttemptedRape on her and the heart attack is mainly a result of the viagra he took, rather than a combination of that and Jessie kicking him to defend herself like in the book. Gerald is also portrayed as a caring husband prior to the bondage while in the book from what Jessie reveals in her thoughts he was just a petty {{jerkass}} all round.
** Jessie's mother Sally in the book was cold and neglectful to her daughter with Jessie remembering the only time she showed real care was when she was a teenager and her mother came into her room to throw a bra on the bed and leave. In the movie Sally is a tradional caring mother who was only concenred ([[PervertDad rightly]]) about how much her husband was spoiling their daughter and isn't portrayed as cold or unloving.
** [[spoiler:Raymond Andrew Joubert aka Moonlight Man or Space Cowboy gets this to a degree. While still a depraved necrophilic and cannibalistc murderer, the film omits the details about him raping young boys and in the ending where Jessie confronts him in court is tweaked as rather than him mocking her sadistically he's instead played off as being legitimately happy to see her, indicating that he is just mentally ill and has a child-like personality, rather outright evil like in the novel.]]
** Jessie herself is nicer and more altruistic in the film, while in the book she was too troubled herself to give heed to others. In the film Jessie takes pity on the wild dog Prince and feeds him with rich meat unike the book where she disliked the dog even before she realised she was trapped [[spoiler: and in the ending Jessie becomes a therapist for kids who have suffered sexual abuse like her, which didn't happen in the book.]]
* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'':
** Hermione can be condencending and stubborn towards other people in the books. Whenever one of her classmates disagrees with her, she treats them as ignorant. She also stubbornly holds on to her own opinions, even after being proved wrong. A good example is her devotion to free all the Hogwarts House Elves. No matter how many people (including several House Elves themselves) tell her they like working for others, she keeps trying to free them. These negative traits are largely absent from the films.
** Due to the compressed nature of the film adaptations, several of the meaner moments of Severus Snape are cut, making him look more like a SternTeacher, rather than a SadistTeacher.
** Oliver Wood's obsession with winning Quidditch matches, personal safety of his teammates in general and Harry in particular be damned, is also cut. In the films he's a simply a supportive and friendly ReasonableAuthorityFigure.
** There are a few of these in the film adaptation of ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'':
*** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Barty Crouch Sr. has been described as a very stern and serious man, who, in his heyday as head of magical law enforcement, was known for his merciless approach towards Death Eaters and his ceaseless ambition. He would even sentence [[spoiler:his own son]] to life imprisonment to further his career. In the [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire film version]], he comes over as a slightly socially awkward but amicable man, who even engages in a friendly conversation with Harry after the latter succeeds at the Second Triwizard Task. Film Barty is also shown to be emotionally devastated when [[spoiler:his son]] is revealed to be a Death Eather, while his book counterpart shows nothing but contempt and hatred for him.
*** Amos Diggory, a boastful and impolite man in the books, portrayed as much more quiet and amicable; he does not boast about Cedric in any way and when he meets Harry, Amos is very pleased and shakes his hand happily, never once giving Harry a hard time.
*** A minor one for Draco and his Slytherin crew. In the book they talk disrespectfully throughout Dumbledore's eulogy for Cedric. In the film[[note]] sitting behind Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs[[/note]], they're just as silent and solemn as everyone else.
** Fleur's initial persona in the books is coming across as haughty and rude, before she TookALevelInKindness when Harry tried to save her sister in the Second Task. And even when she stays at the Burrow before her wedding to Bill, she openly complains about how boring it is. In the film she just comes across as a bit aloof before thanking Harry, and the scenes at the Burrow are removed. Additionally the films cut out her being part Veela and using her powers to seduce a couple of the boys.
** Similar to Snape, several of the more morally questionable acts of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour aren't shown in the films. In the books, it is frequently said Scrimgeour acts ruthlessly to give the populace the illusion the Ministry is successful in the fight against the Death Eaters. He also butts heads with Harry on several occasions, desiring him to become the Ministry's poster child, which Harry disagrees with. In the films, the above is never brought up and the only time he's seen interacting with Harry is when he hands over Dumbledore's will. This conversation also doesn't almost escalate into a fight, as it does in the books.
** Cornelius Fudge's role in the films hasn't exactly changed, but he doesn't appear to be as harsh as in the books due to many scenes involving him being altered or removed. His role in the ''Goblet of Fire'' film merely boils down to him not wanting to cancel the Triwizard Tournament so people won't see him as a coward, and his conflict with Harry and Dumbledore in ''Order of the Phoenix'' is toned down due to several interactions with them not being shown.
** Sirius Black counts as this in the film adaptation of ''Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix'' where he shows Harry concern and even comforts him after seeing Voldemort's snake Nagini attack Arthur Weasley, while in the book there are a few times where he doesn't show Harry concern.
** The centaurs in the film version of ''Order of the Phoenix'' leave Harry and Hermione alone after having captured Umbridge. In the book, they openly discuss killing them, because of their disdain of wizardkind.
** '''Voldemort!''' Believe it or not actually gets a relative amount of this compared to his book version. While undoubtedly still a racist psychopathic EvilSorcerer tyrant snake man, in the books Voldy was a textbook BadBoss towards his loyal Death Eaters giving them the Cruciatus Curse whenever they failed or disappointed him. The films omit these abusive moments with Voldemort being far more amicable to his followers e.g the bit where he has a cruel KickTheDog to Lucius while taking his wand is omitted. In the eighth movie Voldemort even gives Draco a hug ([[https://media.tenor.com/2rbXcVk4dK8AAAAC/voldemort-hug.gif or at least something approximating a hug]]) when the latter comes back to his side after Harry “dies”, far more compassion than his literary version is capable of.
* ''Film/JurassicPark'' portrays John Hammond as a kind man who genuinely wants to create something amazing for the world, who tragically gets several people killed due to underestimating the danger posed by the dinosaurs and making some unwise decisions. Contrast this to [[Literature/JurassicPark the book]], where he is portrayed in a much more negative light, being only in it for profit and willfully negligent to save money. Being so much nicer in the movie, he was also [[SparedByTheAdaptation spared]] the [[KarmicDeath grisly fate]] he had in the book.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Master Pakku is a sexist prick who initially refuses to teach Katara water bending and only warms up when it turns out Katara is his ex-fiancée's granddaughter. In ''Film/TheLastAirbender'', Master Pakku immediately accepts both Aang and Katara as his students without any hesitation.
* ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' replaced the original Invisible Man -- a serial rapist and murderer, which only differs from Wells' original novel character in that the first is confirmed rather than implied -- with a burglar who'd stolen some of the first Invisible Man's potion, making this also a case of DecompositeCharacter.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** A significant case of this is given to Boromir in ''Film/TheFellowshipOfTheRing''. In [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings the book]] Tolkien wrote Boromir to reflect the worser qualities of mankind compared to Aragon who represents the good qualities, so while noble and righteous Boromir is distinctly impatient, harsh, insular and thinks little of the cultures of other races with his MightMakesRight philosophy making him a easy target for the Ring. In the film conversely, Boromir is a gentler man who plays around with Pippin and Merry during the journey and is the one pleading with Aragon to give the fellowship a moment to grieve after losing Gandalf in Moria. His open criticisms of Galadriel reading his thoughts which earns him a chiding from Aragon, is changed to a more touching moment where Boromir shaken by Galadriel telepathically giving words of hope for Gondor, tells Aragon that it’s been long since he’s ever had any hope for his people. All of which makes the Ring corrupting his personality much more upsetting. This also plays into his relationship with his brother Faramir as seen in the [[ReCut Extended Edition]] of ''Film/TheTwoTowers'' where a flashback reveals Boromir actively hated the neglect their father Denethor gave to his dear brother, wishing their father could give them “a moment’s peace”. In the books Boromir never commented on the ParentalFavouritism nor is it clear if he opposed it or not.
** Gandalf’s more [[GrumpyOldMan irritable]] moments are toned down in both LOTR trilogy and ''Film/TheHobbit'', in the books he never misses an opportunity to chew out the Hobbit characters for their foolishness and generally has a short fuse. The movies thanks to being played by Creator/IanMckellen he’s a considerably sweeter wizard who only gets annoyed when it is truly serious e.g Pippin making a racket in Moria (although the film omits the moment where he makes it up to poor Pippin afterwards), literary Gandalf would scold Pippin even when they’re safe in Rivendell.
** Legolas’ borderline racist reservations and initial low-opinion of the Dwarves is greatly downplayed or outright removed in the films, in the book of ''The Fellowship Of The Ring'' he was perfectly happy with Gimli getting blindfolded during the walk into Lothlórien and only put up a petty fuss when Aragon (who rightly felt it was unfair to Gimli) stated the whole party should be blindfolded. The films omit these moments and while Legolas still butts heads with Gimli it’s still clear they’ve become best buds while in the books it took them longer to fully become HeterosexualLifePartners due to the strained relationship of their respective races.
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** Zigzagged with Thanos. In the films, he is a WellIntentionedExtremist, [[spoiler:believing that if he doesn't do something, the universe will suffer from overpopulation, environmental damage, and wars for resources. He also leaves half of the populations on the planets he targets alive, including Gamora's species.]] In the comics, he worshipped Death the entity, was a nihilist, killed half the universe to as an offering to Death and actually enjoyed reliving his crimes when subjected to Comicbook/GhostRider's Penance Stare. On the other hand, in the films, [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Gamora]]’s people were decimated by Thanos who [[AdaptationalJerkass abducts her from her mother]], whilst in the comics, Thanos rescues Gamora from the genocide of her people at hands of zealots [[PetTheDog and adopts her]]. [[spoiler:His past self in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' is much TruerToTheText, and when he hears that the Avengers have used TimeTravel to undo his purge, he decides it's ''the universe's fault'' for "being ungrateful", and decides to just destroy everything and remake it in his own image, proving Thanos is ultimately a NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist with a god complex.]]
** While Creator/RobertDowneyJr's take on Tony Stark / ComicBook/IronMan is still a JerkWithAHeartOfGold like in the comics, there's much more emphasis on the "heart of gold" than the "jerk" part (in particular, he's surprisingly good with kids). For one thing, while comics Tony still initially remained an arms dealer even after becoming Iron Man, this version began shutting down that part of the business the moment he got back to America. This difference particularly comes through in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''; in the original ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'' comic, Tony willingly adopts ever more extreme (to the point of downright villainous) methods in order to enforce the Superhero Registration Act, while in the film, he's visibly bothered by the more extreme means used by the government to enforce the Sokovia Accords.
** Similar to Tony, [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] is much nicer in the ''Film/AntMan1'' movie than in the comics, where he's a deranged FallenHero who has hurt everyone close to him. In the movie, while grouchy, Hank is a CoolOldGuy who loves his wife Janet and daughter Hope and will do anything for them. In the comics, Hank has an infamously troubled relationship with Janet, which led to a divorce, and he's never even met his daughter Nadia.
*** Hope is also much nicer than her comic version, where she’s the psychotic Red Queen who tried to kill the Avengers.
** Loki in the comics was evil and did his best to bring about Ragnarok and also caused mayhem on Earth as well. In the films, while he’s still villainous for the most part, Loki genuinely loves his brother Thor, his mother Frigga and father Odin. In the comics he had no qualms trying to kill his Asgard family multiple times.
** [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Nebula]] is unapologetically evil in the comics, commits several atrocities such as destroying Xandar and in ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', she takes the gauntlet herself and tries to kill the rest of the survivors before [[Characters/Warlock1967 Adam Warlock]] stops her. In the MCU, Nebula starts off as a nasty and tragic character in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', but by the time of the sequel, she mellows out somewhat thanks to Gamora and the Guardians’ influence. In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', she’s more heroic and a bit nicer and in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', she’s become almost unrecognizably compassionate and patient even to complete strangers like Tony.
** [[invoked]] Miek in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' is PluckyComicRelief, which is a complete 180 from the despicable insect bastard from ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' who got Hulk’s wife Caiera killed. Similarly, the [[LaughablyEvil hilariously goofy]] AffablyEvil Grandmaster of the film is used as a stand-in for the Red King from the same comic storyline, who was a CompleteMonster.
** In ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', T'Challa is a charming, friendly, and charismatic politician who gets along with most people he meets. This is in stark contrast with the comic book version, who is often smug, secretive, and standoffish towards non-Wakandans (especially Westerners).
** Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture is a despicable old man in the comics who is always out for himself. In ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', though he’s still a dangerous criminal, Toomes only wants to support his family and actually has VillainRespect for Spider-Man to the extent where he doesn’t give Spidey’s identity away to the Scorpion when questioned.
** Courtesy of ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'':
*** [[spoiler:Yon-Rogg is a sincere AffablyEvil Kree nationalist who wants to protect his people and serve their interests, however ruthless and deceptive that requires him to be. His comic counterpart was a jealous backstabber who betrayed his subordinates for personal gain and was eventually outed as a traitor]].
*** [[spoiler:Talos is, in the comics like most Skrulls, a tyrannical EvilColonist who later proves be a SmugSnake after he is branded a pathetic failure even by his own race. In the film, Talos, while ruthless when he needs to be, is conversely a compassionate FamilyMan who just wants his race to survive genocide at hands of the Kree. He's even willing to help SHIELD and Nick Fury against threats like Mysterio in ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' -- something his comic counterpart would never do.]]
** There's also some in ''Film/BlackWidow2021'', appropriately enough those that consist of the titular character's extended family:
*** Yelena Belova in the comics is a competitive, scheming asshole who was all business all the time outside of her very one-sided rivalry with Natasha. In the MCU, she's a polite DeadpanSnarker who loves her surrogate family (including her 'sister' Natasha) and wants a more normal life while possibly repenting for all the terrible things she's done under her [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mental conditioning]]. Even when she returns in a more antagonistic role in ''Series/Hawkeye2021'', Yelena is at her worst an AffablyEvil TragicVillain.
*** Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian is a BruiserWithASoftCenter and PapaWolf in the film, who regrets the choices he made working with the KGB and helps his surrogate daughter Natasha save the world to atone for his past actions. His comic counterpart is much less noble or nice, being an EvilCounterpart to Captain America who is ruthless and cruel, especially to Nat [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul who is his ex-wife]] in the comics.
*** Melina Vostokoff is presented as TheAtoner and MamaBear to her pretend family of Alexei, Natasha and Yelena, whom [[BecomingTheMask she genuinely comes to love]]. In the comics, Melina is the craven assassin Iron Maiden who despises Natasha out of petty [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]] for her legendary status as Black Widow.
** [[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner Bruce Banner]]'s father Brian was an [[AbusiveParents abusive monster]] who [[DomesticAbuse beat his mother to death in front of him]], traumatizing Bruce for life before briefly being [[CameBackWrong resurrected as the Devil Hulk]]. In the MCU, he was merely [[WellDoneSonGuy distant with his son]], and Bruce regrets not attending his funeral.
** While still a villain, ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'' depicts the Mandarin in a much more sympathetic and nuanced light, with him being more of a WellIntentionedExtremist who genuinely loves his family. This is in ''sharp'' contrast to the comics, where the Mandarin is usually a CardCarryingVillain with very few redeeming qualities. Doubly so when the fact that he was made into a CompositeCharacter with Shang-Chi's original comic book father, Literature/FuManchu, is taken into account, as Fu was usually portrayed as an outright AbusiveParent who had no problem with trying to murder his children to prolong his own life.
** There's multiple cases regarding the titular characters of ''Film/{{Eternals}}'':
*** In a case overlapping with AdaptationalConsent, in the comics [[LadyOfBlackMagic Sersi's]] romantic relationship with [[MasterSwordsman Dane Whitman/The Black Knight]] started with her essentially forcing him into a PsychicLink to save herself, which he was later very unhappy about since he had had romantic feelings for his fellow superhero teammate Crystal at the time. In the film, Sersi and Dane have a genuinely sweet and loving relationship without any manipulation involved from either party. Additionally, Sersi in the comics is more of a FunPersonified ReallyGetsAround DeadpanSnarker, whereas the film version of Sersi is a humbler, monogamous NiceGirl as part of her being an AudienceSurrogate alongside her boyfriend Dane.
*** In the comics, [[TeamDad Ajak]] wouldn't have given up their position as [[TheLeader the speaker to the Celestials]] if the world depended on it, and was dogmatically loyal to the [[PhysicalGod Celestials]] in general. The [[GenderFlip film version of Ajak]] is implied to have chosen Sersi as her successor [[PosthumousCharacter long before her untimely death]] and had [[spoiler:long since realized her love for humanity had outgrown her loyalty to [[GreaterScopeVillain Arishem]].]]
*** Overlapping with AdaptationalHeroism, there's [[AloofAlly Druig]]. In the comics, Druig is more often than not a ManipulativeBastard [[PragmaticVillainy Pragmatic Villain]] notorious for being a TortureTechnician. Here, at his worst he's a grumpy and antisocial JerkWithAHeartOfGold who sincerely cares for humanity. The difference is best conveyed in how each iteration of the character uses his MassHypnosis powers: Comics-Druig uses them for his own selfish gain, while Film-Druig uses them out of a genuine desire to end humanity's conflicts amongst each other.
** ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'': America Chavez in the comics tends to be [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest and abrasive]], though also fairly taciturn. While her MCU counterpart certainly keeps her snarky attitude, she is far less abrasive to others. She is also not as cocky given how she hasn't learned how to fully control her powers.
** ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'': Unsurprisingly [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] gets this. While he's still a ruthless antagonist who is completely willingly to kill to retain his kingdom's isolation and deal out of DisproportionateRetribution to exactly like the comics -- personality-wise Namor is '''far''' nicer and more respectful than he is in the source comics. Rather than being a massive prideful [[{{Jerkass}} douchebag]] who looks down his noses at other cultures (and Surface-dwellers in general besides [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Sue Storm]], [[WorthyOpponent John Hammond]] or [[UnholyMatrimony Emma Frost]]) and actively goes out of his way to be a ConflictBall; MCU Namor is polite and courteous to Shuri and doesn’t indulge in any KickTheDog. Though Namor does drown multiple Wakandians [[spoiler:and is indirectly responsible for Romanda's death]] it was still a direct response to the death of one of his own people whom he has protected for centuries, in the comics Namor has far, far less for an excuse to kill his enemies being happy to kill innocent lives (even from his earliest appearances) on a whim or work for the likes of Doctor Doom and Green Goblin.
* ''{{Film/Matilda}}'': Book Hortensia is a mean student who bullies Matilda and Lavender. Movie Hortensia is friendly and warns them not to anger the Trunchbull.
* ''Film/MuppetClassicTheater'' gives some well-known stories a Muppet twist, and some characters end up nicer than before as a result:
** Kermit, as King Midas, doesn't actually care all that much about gold and would rather have wished for peace on Earth. To make the story work, his greed is instead given to Queen Midas, played by Miss Piggy, who forces him to wish for the Golden Touch.
** In the original story of ''Literature/TheBoyWhoCriedWolf'', the titular boy is a pathological liar who intentionally deceives others [[ItAmusedMe for laughs]]. In this story, Gonzo is TheParanoiac and genuinely believes in all of the disasters he announces, it's just that he's overreacting to minor things.
** In ''Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}}'', Kermit (who is once again playing the king) genuinely loves the maiden (Miss Piggy) and doesn't really care about her ability to turn straw into gold. Once again, his greed is transferred to a different character to keep the story structure, this time a royal advisor who threatens to throw Miss Piggy in the dungeon if she doesn't turn all the straw into gold.
** In ''Literature/TheEmperorsNewClothes'', Emperor Fozzie is portrayed less as a narcissist and more as naive and gullible. At the end, he even tells his people to think for themselves and not follow him blindly.
* ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen'': The 1992 movie makes Curley's Wife more sympathetic by omitting scenes where she belittles [[ElderEmployee Candy]] and [[AngryBlackManStereotype Crooks]] and threatens to have the latter lynched. While still an antagonist of sorts she lacks the [[TheVamp maneater]] vibes of her novel counterpart and comes off as awkward and lonely.
* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'':
** Westley while still TheHero has some of his less-than-heroic moments from the novel taken out in the film. For instance in the book he does actually slap Buttercup (the love of his life) as the Man in Black in response to her speaking out of turn. In the film he just threatens to in order stay in character and it’s inferred Westley wouldn’t actually hurt her. Similarly Westley’s harsh impatience towards Buttercup being slow on the uptake in the climax (“woman do as you are told” in repose to her confusion over why she’s the one who has to tie up Humperdink) is understandably removed.
** Humperdink’s psychotic cruelty is while still present is toned down compared to the book where he relishes hunting and torturing animals as well as violence in general. The scene where Buttercup pushes his BerserkButton by giving TheReasonYouSuckSpeech is altered from the book. In the film Humperdink just grabs her by the arm and locks her in her room, in the book he actually grabs her ByTheHair while screaming, drags her down the corridor and throws her into the room before locking it.
** Vizzini similarly has his cruelty taken down several degrees, he’s still a bully and InsufferableGenius like in the book but his moments of abusing Buttercup while she’s captured are omitted.
* ''Film/PunisherWarZone'':
** The Bulats serve as normal Russian criminals types, and Cristu is also a smuggler in New York City, though Tiberiu is referred as being a RetiredMonster. In the comics, they were former war criminals who became human traffickers. There's additionally the fact that Tiberiu goes [[spoiler:after revenge on Jigsaw after he sets Cristu up to be arrested, whereas in the comics, Tiberiu and Cristu pissed each other off to the point they've tried to kill each other.]]
** Pittsy and Ink are now father and son rather being [[ThoseTwoGuys those two henchmen]] and serve as Jigsaw's more sane teammates. In ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'', they were equally as unhinged as their boss there, Nicolas Cavella.
** Maginty is now the gang leader in a Urban Freeflow Gang who do their thing with LeParkour. In the comics he was involved in a gang war where he kidnapped an elderly former "cleaner" for the Irish Mob and made him slowly slice up a living rival.
** In the comics, Carlos Cruz and Castle were enemies due to Microchip turning on Castle and trying to have Cruz usurp the Punisher identity. Here, Cruz and Castle are reluctant allies due to Micro remaining loyal to Castle in the film.
* ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne'': Alice, Wade's aunt, abuses her nephew in the book, pawns his stuff to pay for the apartment, and is a heavy drug addict. She is in all-out unpleasant person. All of her negative traits are instead passed down to her boyfriend in the movie and any jerkass moments she has are almost [[JerkassHasAPoint justifed]]. This was most likely done on purpose in order to add drama when [[spoiler:she’s killed by Sorrento’s bomb]].
* ''Film/SeventhSon2015'': The hero's love interest Alice Deane does have some AdaptationalVillainy going on in this film compared to the books (mainly in terms of serving the main villain more faithfully) but the degree to which she betrays Tom differs significantly in terms of film versus book. Because the film goes in a completely different direction than the book and ends as a franchise after one movie, Alice does not end up hurting Tom in arguably the worst possible way like she did in the books when she [[spoiler: left Tom and began sleeping with the dark wizard Lukrasta to really drive the knife into his heart]]. When all is said and done, she and Tom end things on a good note in the film without the longer-lasting anguish that she would cause him in the books.
* ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'':
** Peter Parker himself. In the comic book Peter is shown to be a bit of a jerk just caring for himself and his loved ones before being bitten by the spider. That actually backfires when he doesn´t feel the need to stop a robber who later goes on to kill his Uncle Ben which leads to Peter learning his lesson. However, in ''Film/SpiderMan1'' Peter is portrayed as being a very decent person even before being bitten by the spider and also the adaptation gave Peter a more understandable reason to not stop the robber.
** Norman Osborn in the comics is a bad person with and without the Goblin serum. He's seen being cruel and creedy before being the Goblin. ''Film/SpiderMan1'' however depict it as SplitPersonality with Norman himself being a more nice person in general. While still not having the best relationship with his son he doesn't seem to abuse Harry as he does in the comics. When this iteration Norman shows up again in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' it's even played more straight as Norman is very nice and supporting and while the first movie shows him slowly give in to his Goblin-persona, he activly opposes it in ''No Way Home'' and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone is outright horrified by the Goblin's actions]].
** Likewise with Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopus in ''Film/SpiderMan2''. In the comics Otto was arrogant and amoral even before the accident turning him into Doc Ock and himself chose to become a criminal. In the movie, he is shown to be a very nice and HappilyMarried person before the accident and even after the accident his evil actions are caused by being [[{{Brainwashed}} controlled by his robotic arms]].
** Finally, ''Film/SpiderMan3'' does that to Flint Marko/Sandman. While the comic character actually underwent a temporary HeelFaceTurn, he's usually depicted as being a criminal by choice. The movie shows him doing the robbery [[TragicVillain to help his sick daughter]].
* ''Film/{{Stargirl}}'':
** Leo and Stargirl’s fallout and breakup is lessened in the movie with Leo realizing the errors of his way and makes up with Stargirl at the winter dance. [[spoiler:But this doesn’t stop her from leaving.]] Leo realizes his error too late and they never do make up but [[Literature/{{Stargirl}} the book]] ends on an ambiguous, but hopeful note.
** Hillari Kimble was just Mica High's AlphaBitch in the book. The movie gave her an understandable reason to dislike Stargirl and, at the very least, acknowledges Stargirl's apology.
* In the film adaptation of ''Film/StarterForTen'', Rebecca retains something of her DeadpanSnarker personality but loses the harsher {{Tsundere}}-esque tendencies of her book counterpart.
* ''Film/Venom2018'': In the comics, Eddie Brock's fall from grace was a result of his dealing in morally dubious journalism by writing about a fake serial killer. His previous appearance in ''Film/SpiderMan3'' was not much better, writing a hit piece on Spidey using doctored photographs. In this movie, however, Eddie is a genuinely dutiful and diligent man whose stubborn pride and [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight disregard for the rules]] costs him his job and his relationship. [[spoiler:Driven home further later in the movie, when the Venom symbiote reveals that [[HumanityIsInfectious Eddie's good nature]] convinced it to forego its original plan to wipe out humanity with [[BigBad Riot]]]].
* ''Film/WhatMaisieKnew'':
** The biological parents are a lot more considerate of Maisie's needs and do try to look after her, compared to the book version where they only had Maisie around with them for a few months out of spite towards the other. It's still {{Downplayed|Trope}}, given how Beale and Susanna are prone to arguing with each other whenever they are together.
** Margo and Lincoln (who are [[AdaptationNameChange originally]] named Miss Overmore and Sir Claude) are not only given a larger role than the book but are a lot more active towards Maisie, given that Margo is her nanny and Lincoln begins to progressively take more responsibility for her than her biological parents do.
* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': All three of the main characters (Roger, Jessica and Eddie) have been made much more heroic and genuinely likeable than their counterparts in [[Literature/WhoCensoredRogerRabbit the original book]]. Notably, the two sequels to the book softened them all up considerably to resemble their movie counterparts a lot more, particularly Jessica.
** Roger in the book is very much a BitchInSheepsClothing -- he seems like a friendly, if somewhat overeager goof, but this persona is an act -- in reality he's a bit of a ManipulativeBastard who thinks nothing of using people for his own gain. [[spoiler:It even turns out that he actually ''is'' guilty of the crime he was being accused of, and was planning on framing Eddie for it all along]]. In the movie he's a genuinely NiceGuy who only wants to entertain people.
** Jessica in the book is a true blue FemmeFatale and GoldDigger who never loved Roger and only married him because [[spoiler:a genie made her. She dumps him for a richer man after the spell wears off]]. In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', she's a ''subversion'' of a FemmeFatale. She has all the surface characteristics but is a genuinely nice woman who loves her husband.
** The Eddie Valiant of the book is probably the closest to his movie counterpart when it comes to morality, though even he's notably more of a jerk, as well as more [[FantasticRacism casually racist against Toons]]. The movie gives him a past as a bit of a defender and champion of Toons, and provides him with a FreudianExcuse for why he doesn't like them anymore. The Eddie of the movie also undergoes some CharacterDevelopment that his book counterpart does not.
* ''Literature/Wonder2012'': In the book, Julian Albans remained the jerk he was at the beginning and changed schools. He didn’t redeem until his spin-off book, where he changes his heart thanks to his grandmother telling him a story during the summer after the fifth grade. In the film adaptation, he's still a jerk at the beginning, but he becomes a nicer person at the end, attendance the graduation ceremony where he’s seen clapping for Auggie and (possibly) stayed at Beecher Prep.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} can often be a bloodthirsty anti-social jerk in the comics, the films keep the loner attitude but tone down his more unsavoury traits.
** The movie version of [[Characters/MarvelComicsIceman Bobby Drake]] is much sweeter and more mature than his comic book counterpart's JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]ManChild persona.
** Characters/{{Emma Frost|WhiteQueen}} gets this in ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'', in the comics, ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' and in most media she’s a haughty IceQueen who only begrudgingly cares for her teammates. In the movie she uses her diamond powers to stop bullets hitting her fellow prisoners, showing a great deal of self sacrifice.
** In ''Film/TheWolverine'', Harada is far less of a {{Jerkass}} than his comic counterpart, who is a foreigner-hating bigot.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]] is a bitch queen femme fatale even when she’s on the good side in the comics. The Creator/JenniferLawrence version while somewhat mean at times, she’s still very compassionate to her loved ones and is TeamMom in ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' and ''Film/XMenDarkPhoenix''.
** While Film/{{Deadpool|2016}} is still as crude and violent as ever, the movie version removes a lot of the selfish dickery comic Deadpool has in full. Movie Deadpool also doesn’t side with the villains like comic Deadpool often does.
** ''Film/{{Logan}}'':
*** Its version of Zander Rice is nicer than his comics counterpart. They both see Laura as a weapon, but comics Rice also delighted in torturing her and went out of his way to make her life pure hell. (Now, movie Rice is utterly without mercy and a strong contender for ''the'' worst villain in the film franchise. However, comic Rice is known for a level of sadism-for-its-own-sake that isn't to be found in movie Rice's PragmaticVillainy.)
*** Caliban in the comics and to greater extent ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' is a sketchy creep, in ''Logan'' he’s a RetiredMonster who genuinely cares for Logan and Charles.
*** ComicBook/{{X 23}} gets a bit of this like her dear o’l [[OppositeSexClone genetic template]]. In the comics being a TykeBomb she’s killed innocent people even as a little girl and remains stoic and aloof even with she’s with her loved ones as an adult. In the movie X-23 cares greatly for Charles, her fellow experiment children and her father Logan by the end and comes off as more innocent than her comic counterpart (several decapitated goons notwithstanding).
*** Donald Pierce is at willing to be civil to Wolverine and other mutants and even expressed respect for the former. The comics character is an egotistical HateSink who's hated even by other villains he works with.
** ''Film/Deadpool2'' does this with freaking [[Characters/JuggernautMarvelComics The Juggernaut]] of all people. Sure he’s still a brutish unstoppable asshole, but this version of Juggs actually wants to help poor Rusty get revenge on those who abused him at the orphanage. Such compassion is usually non-existent for comic Juggernaut.
* ''ComicBook/TheMask'' itself is adaptationally neutral in the [[Film/TheMask film]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheMask animated series]] it inspired. In the adaptations, the mask magnifies the emotions of its wearer, IE a good person wearing the mask will remain good. In the comics, no matter what good intentions the wearer may have once had, the mask will always try to drag them into its own brand of ChaoticEvil.
[[/folder]]

** The Phantom himself generally gets this or AdaptationalVillainy. In the original novel by Gaston Leroux Erik alias the Phantom/Opera Ghost, while he was a TragicVillain who ultimately let his obsession with HauntedHeroine Christine [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy go]], he was still a PsychopathicManchild who had little regard for human life and delighted in torture and blackmail. Adaptations generally override or [[LighterAndSofter soften]] the Phantom’s villainous role, the [[Film/PhantomOfTheOpera1943 1943]] and [[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1962 1962]] film versions take away his VillainousCrush on Christine and in the latter he doesn’t even kill anyone and saves Christine’s life in a HeroicSacrifice. The wildly popular [[Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera 1986 Broadway Musical]] by Creator/AndrewLloydWebber tones down the Phantom’s overtly abhorrent traits, including removing his attempt to blow up Paris if Christine rejects him, for the sake of making him a more sensual character (Webber seeing the Phantom as an AuthorAvatar was a factor too). The [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera 1990 Miniseries]] has Creator/CharlesDance as a gentle and kind version of the Phantom who doesn’t hurt anyone. The book ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' by Creator/TerryPratchett even turns the Opera Ghost into TheCowl, whilst giving all the Phantom's psychotic murderer traits [[DecompositeCharacter to another character]].

** While still a monster, Trigon, the demonic father of Franchise/TeenTitans member [[Characters/TeenTitansNewTeenTitans Raven]], has undergone this himself:

* In ''The May Night, or the Drowned Maiden'' by Creator/NikolaiGogol, Galya loves Levko but isn't averse to accepting the attentions of the latter's father, the village head, keeping, it's implied, her options open (''without'' Levko's knowledge). In ''The May Night'', the opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, she is absolutely faithful to Levko and firmly rejects his father when the latter tries to win her over.

** Marius spends [[ValuesDissonance many chapters stalking Cosette]], keeping what he thinks is her handkerchief (which he sniffs – although it's really Valjean's handkerchief) and somewhat resents Valjean for keeping Cosette from him. Unsurprisingly this subplot was left out of the musical adaptation and Marius and Cosette meet again and fall in love soon after their first meeting. Marius also feels disgusted pity for Éponine in the book, while in the musical and especially 2012 film adaptation Marius doesn’t look down on Éponine at all and genuinely cares for her a good deal.

* The ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania''-franchise's whole shtick is to portray iconic monsters from literature and movies as sympathic weirdos, with Literature/{{Dracula}} being the franchise's protagonist and instead of a cruel, blood thirsty vampire count as he's usually portrayed he is the sympathic, somewhat chaotic owner of a monster hotel who has no interest in hurting or killing people. Due to the monsters being sympathic protagonists, the third movie, ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania3SummerVacation'' had to turn the usually heroic monster hunter Van Helsing [[AdaptationalVillainy into a villain]].

** Norman Osborn in the comics is a bad person with and without the Goblin serum. He´s seen being cruel and creedy before being the Goblin. ''Film/SpiderMan1'' however depict it as SplitPersonality with Norman being a more nice person in general. While still not having the best relationship with his son he doesn´t seem to abuse Harry as he does in the comics.

** Finally, ''Film/SpiderMan3'' does that to Flint Marko/Sandman. While the comic character actually underwent a temporary HeelFaceTurn, he´s usually depicted as being a criminal by choice. The movie shows him doing the robbery [[TragicVillain to help his sick daughter]].

** Betty Ross and to a lesser extent her father General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross also get this in the various adaptations. Betty started off the sweet {{Love Interest|s}} turned wife of Bruce, but by modern comics thanks to a TraumaCongaLine she’s an embittered DarkActionGirl who’s often at odds with her husband. Thaddeus Ross, while still a {{Jerkass}} GeneralRipper, was more of a J. Jonah Jameson figure originally but later comics made Ross much more atrocious with him storming his daughter’s wedding with Bruce armed with a gun and even becomes EvilCounterpart to Bruce as Red Hulk. Adaptations have greatly softened them with Betty retaining her compassionate characterisation from earlier comics (even in the ''WesternAnimation/UltimateAvengers'') whilst her father Ross though still an antagonistic character, gets his genuine care for Betty played up in ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' and ''Film//TheIncredibleHulk2008'' and ''WesternAnimation/HulkAndTheAgentsOfSMASH'' even has Ross as Red Hulk ''be an ally '' to Bruce!

* ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunnyBuilders'', the second ''Looney Tunes'' show aimed at preschoolers, does the same as its [[WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes predecessor]], only it makes the adult Looneys much nicer than their usual portrayals.

** Foghorn was more of an obnoxious {{Jerkass}} in the original shorts who was just occasionally nice, but in this show he's completely well-meaning and optimistic.

** In the original series, Sweetie Bird was a deceptively cute {{Jerkass}}. In this series, she's an anger-prone BruiserWithASoftCenter with a punk girl aesthetic who genuinely values her friendship with Babs.

* In the original ''Manga/LupinIII'' manga from Monkey Punch, the title character was a cold-blooded murderer with a penchant for [[BlackComedyRape raping beautiful women]]. Beginning with Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's run on the [[Anime/LupinIIIPart1 the original '70s TV show]], Lupin has been softened to varying degrees. While he's still willing to use lethal force, it's almost always against [[LesserOfTwoEvils other, WORSE criminals]], and usually only in self-defense to begin with. He's also never depicted as a rapist in these adaptations, even the DarkerAndEdgier ones that otherwise veer a little closer to the original manga, like ''[[Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine The Woman Called Fujiko Mine]]''. The adaptations also have a habit of giving Lupin PetTheDog moments where he goes out of his way to rescue innocent people who are being victimized (most famously in ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro''), another trait that would’ve seemed utterly out of character in Monkey Punch's stories. The same goes for his father Lupin II in the ''Anime/LupinZero'' prequel. In the manga, Lupin II was a dirtbag and an implied rapist but his animated counterpart, while still a largely amoral thief, doesn't assault women and actively tries to discourage his son from following in his footsteps as a criminal.

** Betty Ross and to a lesser extent her father General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross also get this in the various adaptations. Betty started off the sweet {{Love Interest|s}} turned wife of Bruce, but by modern comics thanks to a TraumaCongaLine she’s an embittered DarkActionGirl who’s often at odds with her husband. Thaddeus Ross, while still a {{Jerkass}} GeneralRipper, was more of a J. Jonah Jameson figure originally but later comics made Ross much more atrocious with him storming his daughter’s wedding with Bruce armed with a gun and even becomes EvilCounterpart to Bruce as Red Hulk. Adaptations have greatly softened them with Betty retaining her compassionate characterisation from earlier comics (even in the ''WesternAnimation/UltimateAvengers'') whilst her father Ross though still an antagonistic character, gets his genuine care for Betty played up in ''Hulk 2004'' and ''The Incredible Hulk 2008'' and ''WesternAnimation/HulkAndTheAgentsOfSMASH'' even has Ross as Red Hulk ''be an ally '' to Bruce!

** [[Characters/FantasticFourTheFantasticFour Mister Fantastic]] often lacks his comic counterpart's arrogance and numerous morally questionable actions as seen in ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourTheAnimatedSeries'', ''Film/FantasticFour2005'', ''Film/FantasticFour2015'' and ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroes''. [[spoiler: ''Film/DoctorStrangeInMultiverseOfMadness'' would seem like an exception with MCU Mr Fantastic being part of [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheIlluminati The Illuminati]] but even in that film Reed doesn’t display any arrogance and ForScience behaviour from the comics, being a genuinely kind man who tries to non-violently halt Scarlet Witch’s rampage by beseeching her to let the version of Wanda she's possessing go.]]

* [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]], although she was nicer in the beginning frequently comes off as abrasive ''at best'', especially in ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' where she essentially became a VillainProtagonist. In ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' she’s a bold DeadpanSnarker but mostly TheCape whose worse traits are downplayed, in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' she’s an arrogant JerkWithAHeartOfGold, and in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'' she acts as a belligerent DaChief to the other Avengers. However, in ''Anime/MarvelFutureAvengers'' she's a modest NiceGirl and FriendToAllChildren. The only adaptation that’s depicted her in a villainous light is ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' where she’s a MentalMonster tormenting Rogue, but given Rogue had stolen Carol’s power and put her in a coma [[WhatTheHellHero while the other X-Men lock her away in Rogue’s mind]] she’s still incredibly sympathetic.
* Both of the ''Franchise/RoboCop'' cartoons, as well as ''Series/RoboCopTheSeries'', took his approach to the titular Alex Murphy himself, being less willing to use PoliceBrutality (Mallardo's PoliceBrutalityGambit in the pilot of ''The Series'' would've been more likely to succeed given [[Film/RoboCop1987 Murphy's treatment of the various criminals he dealt with on his first night as RoboCop]] and [[Film/RoboCop2 his interrogation of Officer Duffy]]) and practicing ThouShallNotKill (seeing as a crapton of villains, including the Vandals, "Pudface" Morgan, and the agents of D.A.R.C., lived to face Murphy again and again).

** Most adaptations downplay or outright omit [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Professor X]]'s {{manipulative|Bastard}} streak and portray him as more of a saintly, benevolent father figure, in contrast to the SternTeacher he is in the comics. He's still a father figure to most of the X-Men in the source material, albeit one that's a bit more aloof and "[[GoodIsNotNice prickly]]" most of the time. They also tend to omit [[HotForStudent his infatuation]] with his student [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]] (who was underage at the time), though that plot point was largely dropped from the comics after the Silver Age, save for in the alternate universe ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'' series and the lead-up to ''ComicBook/{{Onslaught}}'' (where the titular villain, a SplitPersonality of Xavier's, showed this to Jean, much to her horror). [[spoiler:''Film/DoctorStrangeInMultiverseOfMadness'' is the only adaptation that has been relatively TruerToTheText with Xavier in regards to him being part of [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheIlluminati The Illuminati]], who are [[GoodIsNotNice ruthless]], but even then the Professor (unlike in the comics) is the TokenGoodTeammate, being the most compassionate and moral besides FamilyMan Reed Richards.]]

* The ''Anime/AceAttorney'' anime changes the character of Ini Miney, [[spoiler:Turner Grey's murderer.]] In the original game, she was [[spoiler:quite happy to kill Turner to keep her secret, that she's actually Mimi]]. In the anime, however, [[spoiler:the plan is actually Morgan Fey's idea. When Ini refuses, Morgan blackmails her into helping]].

** In [[Manga/OnePiece the manga]], Luffy makes fun of Koby and hits him due to finding him annoying, as well as [[CruelToBeKind beats him up to fake hostility so as to get the Marines to allow Koby to join them]]. In this show, Luffy never insults Koby and the worst he does to him physically is slap him for [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre calling his own dreams dumb]].

** ComicBook/HarleyQuinn has gotten a colossal amount of this thanks becoming one of DC’s most popular characters. In her debut in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' despite episodes like “Mad Love” (which treated her sympathetically) she was still largely a unrepentant thug who had no qualms killing innocent people and when becoming a CanonImmigrant to the comics she was no less psychotic especially earlier on. Even in the ComicBook/New52 which is considered the turning point for her character eventually becoming a AntiHero [[https://imgur.io/a/GaQQg she infamously killed hundreds of children by planting bombs in hand held games]] (this moment was quickly swept under the rug in later comics). [[WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn Harley’s TV show]], the ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'', ''ComicBook/DCComicsBombshells'', ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' and the [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse DCEU]] generally exercise Harley’s most monstrous qualities while doubling down on her good/nicer traits.

** '''Voldemort!''' Believe it or not actually gets a relative amount of this compared to his book version. While undoubtedly still a racist psychopathic EvilSorcerer tyrant snake man, in the books Voldy was a textbook BadBoss towards his loyal Death Eaters giving them the Cruciatus Curse whenever they failed or disappointed him. The films omit these abusive moments with Voldemort being far more amicable to his followers e.g the bit where he has a cruel KickTheDog to Lucius while taking his wand is omitted. In the eighth movie Voldemort even gives Draco a hug ([[https://media.tenor.com/2rbXcVk4dK8AAAAC/voldemort-hug.gif or at least something approximating a hug]]) when the latter comes back to his side after Harry “dies”, far more compassion than his literary version is capable of.