History Main / CharacterRerailment

** Similarily, Buck has also gone back to his [[HandicappedBadass eccentric yet badass]] personality after spending ''Collision Course'' being nothing more than a pratically insane exposition-spewer who also happened to be DemotedToComicRelief.

* Raiden took the role of the Cyborg Ninja in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' and, while it [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap made him a lot more popular]], his characterisation as a deeply depressed, hollow shell of a BloodKnight NinetiesAntiHero who thought of himself as a monster was very different from the rather comical ThisLoserIsYou character he'd been in his initial appearance. Once fans had warmed up to him and no longer viewed him as a ReplacementScrappy, ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' shifted his personality substantially closer to how it had been in ''2'', showing a much more humorous, earnest and slightly geeky side while still retaining the Ninja's coolness and protectiveness.

** Following an encounter with the ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' that resulted in her going to jail, the Black Cat decided [[BigBadWannabe to reinvent herself as an up-and-coming mob boss in the New York crime scene]]. This change was controversial, to say the least, and following her roles in ''Venom Inc.'' and Brian Michael Bendis's ''Defenders'', Felicia pulled a HeelFaceTurn. Nick Spencer's run on ''[[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018 The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' also restored her knowledge of Spider-Man's identity, the loss of which some fans had felt regressed Felicia greatly; Spencer seems to agree with them, as he explicitly states in-story that the loss was messing with her head.

* An issue of Chris Claremont's ''Franchise/XMen'' had the villain Arcade light a match on Comicbook/DoctorDoom's armour, with Doom just allowing it. Many felt this was CharacterDerailment, and as it turns out, so did John Byrne. During his run on the title, he retconned that the Doom who worked with Arcade was ActuallyADoombot, and when the real Doom questions it on how he killed Arcade for such an act, the Doombot says it did not, for it felt Doom may need Arcade. [[https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8100/8559598933_ed6cfbbdb0_b.jpg Doom then casually destroys the Doombot]], exclaiming, "Doom needs ''no one''." This actually became one of Doom's most memorable moments as a character.

* ''Film/InspectorGadget2'' did this with Dr. Claw. In the [[Film/InspectorGadget1999 first film]], Claw, [[NamedByTheAdaptation real name Sanford Scolex]], was a CampStraight LargeHam whose face was fully visible at all times and had a metal pincer for a hand, as opposed to the [[GutturalGrowler gravelly-voiced]], spiked-gauntlet-wearing menace [[TheFaceless whose face was never shown]] in the [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget original cartoon]]. In the second film, Claw, while retaining his pincer hand, spoke with a gravelly voice, kept his face hidden via a [[EyeObscuringHat wide-brimmed hat]], and was only ever called by his villainous moniker, making him [[TruerToTheText closer to his original depiction]].

* An issue of Chris Claremont's ''Franchise/XMen'' had the villain Arcade light a match on Comicbook/DoctorDoom's armour, with Doom just allowing it. Many felt this was CharacterDerailment, and as it turns out, so did John Byrne. During his run on the title, he retconned that the Doom who worked with Arcade was actually a Doombot, and when the real Doom questions it on how he killed Arcade for such an act, the Doombot says it did not, for it felt Doom may need Arcade. [[https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8100/8559598933_ed6cfbbdb0_b.jpg Doom then casually destroys the Doombot]], exclaiming, "Doom needs ''no one''." This actually became one of Doom's most memorable moments as a character.

* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' was praised by gamers and long-time comic fans alike for striking a nice balance of writing a non-teenage Peter who maintain the core of his characters. After the ComicBook/OneMoreDay retcon of the comics, the comics have been criticized for trying to articially make Peter come off as younger to mixed results. Similarly, the [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries majority]] [[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 of the]] [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming new]] [[WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan adaptations]] prioritized making Peter a KidAppealCharacter again. So the [=PS4=] game coming out and allowing Peter to be in his 20s, having a mature relationship with Mary Jane, and once more paying more care to his struggles of his double life felt like a breathe of fresh air.

* ComicBook/{{Gambit}} started off as a RuleOfCool-based, MrFanservice ManipulativeBastard HandsomeLech [[DeathDealer Death Dealing]] BadassLongcoat who relished the challenge of getting his hands on the ForbiddenFruit Rogue, though stymied by his self-centered JerkAss qualities and the large number of people he pissed off in his thief career. Then, Rogue left him to die in Antarctica. After this, the result was a lot of {{Angst}} on Gambit's part, whose characterization was changed from the previously-described version to a [[{{Angst}} Self-loathing]] [[TheAtoner Atoner]] desperate to punish himself for his (morally blameless) role in the Mutant Massacre. More recent adaptations, however, have reached back to the character's roots: ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' showed Gambit as competent, charming, handsome and relatively low-angst [[TheGambler card-shark]] who won a CoolPlane in a poker game, and ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' had Gambit as a mercenary, ruthless, charming, manipulative thief for hire (albeit in only two episodes). Whether or not this trend will continue is currently unknown, though his recent solo series, which compromises by having him return to his thieving roots and ultimately becoming King of Thieves, while remaining a loose faculty member at the Jean Grey School (Wolverine explains that they don't actually expect him to turn up much... but they trust him to be there when it counts, when he's really needed), before joining X-Factor, but still remaining King of Thieves.

* Axel from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'' underwent massive characterization changes and BadassDecay in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', set between the two games, attempts to explain how this happened; he had been friends and co-conspirators with Saïx, but gradually ended up bonding with Roxas and Xion instead, and using manipulative and underhanded means for what [[PsychoSupporter he at least claims is their own good]], leading Roxas to leave the Organization [[spoiler:and Xion to die fighting Roxas and be erased from everyone's memory]].

* In the''VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsSparksOfHope DLC Rayman in the Phantom Show,'' Rayman's personality here is much closer to how he appeared in Rayman 2 and 3, being a friendly, if somewhat cocky and egotistical, individual, compared to how manic he was in Origins and Legends.

** Back in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', Sindel was [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] from [[DarkIsNotEvil a dark, spooky yet benevolent queen]] who just happened to be a victim of brainwashing into an EvilAllAlong GoldDigger power hungry queen, which was not received well by the fandom. ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' takes note of this because it's yet another ContinuityReboot, and thus Sindel is rerailed back to her benevolent queen/empress self while [[DarkIsNotEvil keeping her more brutal fighting style and dark powers]], to the joy of the fans.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' does this to most of its cast. Johnny Cage is shown as being a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Hollywood douchebag with a heroic spirit]], instead of the ButtMonkey who serves no purpose aside from being killed off as a gag. Likewise, Jax goes from being a stereotypical {{Blaxploitation}} hero back to his role as the badass StraightMan of the cast. And [[BigBad Shao Kahn]] finally stops being a regular playable character, and returns to his spot as the overpowered FinalBoss.

** The entire purpose of ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' was to get Spider-Man single again and make him "young and fresh" again. In order to do this, he was made to [[CharacterDerailment make a deal with Mephisto to save his aunt from dying, at the cost of his wife and unborn child]], then was reset to being single, "young and fresh", and... living with his elderly aunt again. Safe to say, this [[ThisLoserIsYou didn't work out so well]], but later writers have done their best to salvage it. ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManNickSpencer'' is a better attempt at this as it restores some of the development and ethos the books had lost since OMD.
** Following an encounter with the ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' that resulted in her going to jail, the Black Cat decided [[BigBadWannabe to reinvent herself as an up-and-coming mob boss in the New York crime scene]]. This change was controversial, to say the least, and following her roles in ''Venom Inc.'' and Brian Michael Bendis's ''Defenders'', Felicia pulled a HeelFaceTurn. Nick Spencer's ''[[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManNickSpencer The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' run also restored her knowledge of Spider-Man's identity, the loss of which some fans had felt regressed Felicia greatly; Spencer seems to agree with them, as he explicitly states in-story that the loss was messing with her head.

*** Kalos had its own lingering flaws by the end of it's run in terms of Ash's [[VanillaProtagonist somewhat vanilla and overly serious personality]], being a capable battler but lacking much else in terms of quirks besides being very upbeat and forever engrossed by Pokemon. Alola fills in this remaining hole, making Ash still competent and insightful, but much more emotive and childlike again, and even reemerging some of his awkward or ButtMonkey qualities without undermining his gained experience as a trainer too heavily, and sometimes even blending it into giving him some SuccessThroughInsanity in strategy and training.

** Earlier in the series, Knuckles was a devoted guardian who nevertheless [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles would get smug and laugh at being able to outwit Sonic]], and was a bit gullible due to [[TheHermit his lack of interaction with people]]. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' did away with his smugness, instead focusing on and exploring his devotion and seriousness. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' attempted to bring back his smug side by making him into a [[TheLancer Lancer]] who is smug at getting one over Sonic, but it marked the point in which his HotBlooded nature and naivety started to get [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerated]] in a case of TookALevelInDumbass and BadassDecay, with later games following suit and culminating in his ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' self becoming a full-on DumbMuscle. Ironically, his original character profiles described him as being clever despite his gullibility. His role as the guardian of Angel Island also started to get frequently overlooked in favor of being another generic associate of Sonic. And then he returned to his ''Adventure'' persona again in ''VideoGame/SonicRunners'', even explicitly saying that he's concerned about what happens to his island when he's away. Similarly, ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' restored his more serious demeanor and a bit of his intellect, having him make the plans for [[LaResistance the Resistance]], albeit very straightforward ones. [[VideoGame/SonicFrontiers Frontiers]] takes this even further, giving Knuckles' more stoic nature, his [[VitriolicBestBuds spirited]] relationship with Sonic, his knowledge of Angel Island and its history, and his role as Guardian of the Master Emerald much more focus.

*** Around the time of the series' AudienceAlienatingEra in the mid-2000s, a lot of Sonic's attitude was downplayed in favor of presenting him as more of a generic nice guy, mainly in localizations.[[note]]Whereas Junichi Kanemaru consistently played Sonic in an energetic way denoting of attitude, Jason Griffith would voice him in a much more deadpan or passive manner. Add to that the fact nuances like Sonic's original speech patterns and propensity for GratuitousEnglish were LostInTranslation.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' tried to counter this by making him into a sassier and [[LargeHam hammier]] MotorMouth, but fans increasingly began to complain that it felt like Sonic was ''[[{{Flanderization}} too]]'' [[{{Flanderization}} sassy and arrogant]] now, making him more annoying than entertaining or likable. In addition, despite being a bit laidback and impulsive, he was originally a pretty sharp guy and knew when it was time for caution, even acting as a CloudcuckoolandersMinder [[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries to Marine]]. ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' made him into the LeeroyJenkins to the point his [[ATragedyOfImpulsiveness impulsiveness]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero almost results]] in Tails' roboticization and ''the destruction of the world''. Interestingly, the original Japanese script of ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' attempted to rerail him by toning down his hamminess... only for [[DubPersonalityChange the English dub to amp it back up]], resulting in his sass jarring horribly with the story's darker direction (including the dub-added "tortured for six months" thing).

* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'', The Templar Order makes a triumphant return to form in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed3'' after being heavily {{Flanderized}} during the Ezio trilogy. In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed1'', the Templars were a dark mirror to the Assassins working secretly to create a peaceful future for the Holy Land and all of it's citizens through brutal means. Then a few hundred years later, in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed2'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', the Templars (primarily the Borgias and their affiliates) are cartoonishly evil supervillains only seeking to empower themselves and generally just being pointlessly cruel. Three starts off with Haytham Kenway giving us a look at a Templar agent with morals and principals who truly believes in his cause and can articulate the thought process that leads him to do what he does. All Haytham's affiliates can do the same and justify their horrid deeds by revealing that they simply adhere to the Order's ideology and want to help the people around them. A far cry from Cesare and Rodrigo ranting about power and their destiny to rule the world.

** Actually a downplayed example when both depictions motivations can accurately be surmised with a proper understanding of beast psychology. The later films have the beast being motivated by fighting off a threat to itself and its territory (the humans just happened to benefit from this). Camp Cretaceous is what happens when such a threat is not present, being motivated by a beast’s need for food.

* ComicBook/IronMan had been reduced to a TinTyrant Fascist who was really no better than ComicBook/DoctorDoom by ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', despite what seemed to be attempts to portray him as [[DesignatedHero right]]. Nothing could make anyone feel any sort of sympathy towards this man who felt it necessary to trap his political opponents ''[[DisproportionateRetribution in a dimension of pure suffering]]''. Post-Civil War stories have done better at making him sympathetic without making him go back on his opinion about the SuperheroRegistrationAct, with one ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' comic showing him desperately plead with the (invisible but present) Avengers to be taken in to prevent further tragedy, and ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' has his BigBadassBattleSequence with the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] where he owns up to his role in causing the event in a broadcast to the entire world, and ends by saying that whatever he has done, is doing or will do was for the sake of the world.

* The entire purpose of ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' was to get Franchise/SpiderMan single again and make him "young and fresh" again. In order to do this, he was made to [[CharacterDerailment make a deal with Mephisto to save his aunt from dying, at the cost of his wife and unborn child]], then was reset to being single, "young and fresh", and... living with his elderly aunt again. Safe to say, this [[ThisLoserIsYou didn't work out so well]], but later writers have done their best to salvage it. ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManNickSpencer'' is a better attempt at this as it restores some of the development and ethos the books had lost since OMD.
* [[ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan Following an encounter with Dr Octopus that resulted in her going to jail]], the Black Cat decided [[BigBadWannabe to reinvent herself as a an up and coming mob boss in the New York crime scene]]. This change was controversial to say the least and following her roles in ''Venom Inc.'' and Brian Michael Bendis's ''Defenders'', Felicia pulled a HeelFaceTurn. Nick Spencer's ''Spider-Man'' run also restored her knowledge of Spider-Man's identity, the loss of which some fans had felt regressed Felicia greatly; Spencer seems to agree with them, as he explicitly states in-story that the loss was messing with her head.

* Speedball's infamous transition from wacky comic relief to self-hating [[TheAtoner atoner]] in ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' has been undone, redone, and partially undone again as different writers debate over the character. As of ''Heroic Age'', he's still haunted by his memories, but he's slowly recovering.

** In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' returns the three-headed titan to his original role as a spacefaring planet-destroyer with his own agenda to wipe out all life on earth, a role he hadn't taken in the main ''Godzilla'' film series since his first appearance in the Showa films' ''Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster'' (he regained this characterization in spin-offs such as the ''Rebirth of Mothra'' film trilogy). Later films after his debut had always tended to portray him as a mind controlled pawn or dependent on another antagonist to operate, either by [[Film/DestroyAllMonsters alien conquerors]], by [[Film/GodzillaVsKingGhidorah humans from the future]], or by [[Anime/GodzillaPlanetEater religious space cultists]], depending on various timelines.

* Unlike with ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie'', which made Mr. Spacely a CorruptCorporateExecutive, in ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsonsAndWWERoboWrestlemania'', he's being to being a MeanBoss who's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. He's still pretty loud and abrasive, but does come to acknowledge that George can be a decent employee.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'': After being a ClassicalAntiHero with emotional hang-ups in the [[Film/ManOfSteel first]] [[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice two]] movies, Superman is portrayed with his [[TheCape more]] [[TheParagon traditional]] [[IdealHero characterization]].
** After the above theatrical cut turned Batman into a laughingstock with truly embarrassing lines who acted like a highschool girl with a childish crush smiling awkwardly upon Superman's return, ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' rerails Batman into a badass and dignified leader who proves himself capable on the field once more while retaining his newfound idealism from the concluding hour or so of ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. Also from ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'', Barry Allen's awkward obsessions with "brunch" and "Pet Sematary" that needlessly amplified the [[DiagnosedByTheAudience perception of neurodivergence]] in the 2017 film are excised and he's not afraid to go fighting anymore. Superman meanwhile is much less of a SmugSuper upon his return here with no quipping in his fight against Steppenwolf bar [[NoSell "Not. Impressed."]], which is more in line with his HumbleHero portrayal in the previous two films without sacrificing his full transition into TheCape.