History TheBusCameBack / Film

* Eugene Kittridge (Creator/HenryCzerny), the IMF Director in ''[[Film/MissionImpossible1996 Mission: Impossible]]'' (1996), returned in ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne'' (2023), the seventh installment of the ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Mission: Impossible]]'' film series.

* Buck, who debuted in ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs'', returns to the franchise for ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAgeCollisionCourse Collision Course]]'' (after a cameo in ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAgeContinentalDrift Continental Drift]]'').

* ''Film/JamesBond'': Creator/JeffreyWright's Felix Leiter (introduced in ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'') was last seen in ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' in 2008. 2021's ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' brought him back [[spoiler:and [[BackForTheDead killed him off]].]]

* ''Film/JamesBond'': Creator/JeffreyWright's Felix Leiter was last seen in ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' in 2008. 2021's ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' brought him back [[spoiler:and [[BackForTheDead killed him off]].]]

** Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler were absent from ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'', which starred BreakoutCharacter Ian Malcolm; the pair returned in ''Film/JurassicParkIII'', with Grant regaining his role as protagonist.
** In ''Film/JurassicWorld'' only one (human) character from the original trilogy appeared: Henry Wu, who had one scene in the first film. ''World'' also saw the return to the series of "Rexy", the same ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' who appeared in the first film.

** ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'', third installment in the second trilogy and sixth in the saga as a whole, united Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm for the first time since the first film. Also returning from the first film is Dodgson, which crosses over into UnexpectedCharacter territory.

* ''Film/JamesBond'': Creator/JeffreyWright's Felix Leiter was last seen in ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' in 2008. 2020's ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' brings him back.

* Eugene Kittridge, the IMF Director in ''Film/MissionImpossible1996'', is set to return in ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne'', the seventh installment of the ''Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'': Bob Cutless, the announcer alongside Darrell Cartrip from the [[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} first film]] who hasn't been seen since then, finally returns in this movie.

** ''Jurassic World: Dominion'', third installment in the second trilogy and sixth in the saga as a whole, is set to unite Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm for the first time since the first film. Also returning from the first film is Dodgson, which crosses over into UnexpectedCharacter territory.

** * ''WesternAnimation/TheIceAgeAdventuresOfBuckWild'': Momma T. Rex from ''Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' returns to assist Buck and the herd once again.

* Buck, who debuted in ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAge3DawnOfTheDinosaurs Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs]]'', returns to the franchise for ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAge5CollisionCourse Collision Course]]'' (after a cameo in ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAge4ContinentalDrift Continental Drift]]'').
* ''[[WesternAnimation/ToyStory4 Toy Story 4]]'' marks the return of Bo Peep, Woody's LoveInterest and their subsequent reunion, after being absent from the third movie (In real life? Bo Peep last appeared 20 years earlier).

** In ''Film/JurassicWorld'' only one (human) character from the original trilogy appeared: Henry Wu, who had one scene in the first film. ''World'' also saw the return to the series of "Rexy", the same ''TyrannosaurusRex'' who appeared in the first film.

* ''Film/{{Ray}}'' - Ray Charles' mother was active through much of Ray's life but the film makes it appear as though she didn't have an active role in his young development. She died before he met his first wife. In fact, Ray's life is portrayed as a rotating support circle. Different bandmates and managers guided him along different steps of the way and then he outgrew them and moved onto a new support circle. In reality, Ray kept in touch with a lot of his earlier band mates and Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong) knew Ray until the end of his life. Once Ray dropped him as a manager, he didn't appear again in the movie though.

[[folder:Films — Animated]]

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[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

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* ''Film/TheThreeStooges has a prime example: A duo of con-men (portrayed by Lew Davis and Nick Copeland) once appeared in "Cash and Carry", then had another appearance in "Playing the Ponies".[[note]]Unlike the Stooges' shorts, there were always one-time characters that [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome never]] [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse return]] in another short whatsoever.[[/note]]

** In the trailer for ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', Luke reassures us that nobody is truly gone. Emperor Palpatine's EvilLaugh follows.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Weazel (Creator/WarwickDavis), [[Film/ThePhantomMenace one of the people to watch Anakin Skywalker win the Boonta Eve Classic]], is now a member of Enfys' gang in Film/{{Solo}}.
** [[spoiler: Darth Maul, who seemingly dies at the end of ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and does not reappear at all throughout the rest of the prequel trilogy or sequel trilogy. He is finally brought back at the end of ''Film/{{Solo}}'' NINETEEN years later, with new robotic legs and a new profession as a crime boss. Somewhat averted for fans who kept up with the animated series outside of the films, as he had already returned for ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' much earlier.]]

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' has William Hurt finally make his return as [[JerkAss General Ross]], who had not been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'' eight years earlier. He has since returned in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' as well shortly after that.
** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'': After not appearing in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', [[spoiler:Pepper Potts]] returns for a [[TheCameo cameo]] appearance.
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' [[spoiler:has a surprise reappearance of the Red Skull, last seen getting teleported away by the Tesseract in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger''. As it turns out, he ended up in the distant planet Vormir, where he is then made into the keeper of the previously unseen Soul Stone for over 70 years.]]
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': [[spoiler: Valkyrie, Korg and Miek return alive and healthy. Also Harley from ''Film/IronMan3'' cameos at Tony's funeral.]]
** ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'': After being absent from the ''Marvel Cinematic Universe'' for a good long while since ''Film/IronMan'', William Ginter Riva returns [[spoiler:as an accomplice to Quentin Beck]].
** Jane Foster is set to return in a major role since ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' in ''Thor: Love and Thunder''.
** The real Mandarin and the Ten Rings were hardly touched for years since the ''Film/IronMan3'' tie-in short film ''Film/AllHailTheKing'', before returning to importance in the upcoming 2021 film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings''.
** After not appearing since ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Zemo is scheduled to return in the ''Falcon & Winter Soldier'' series, complete with a BeardOfEvil and the character's trademark cowl.
** Likewise, Sharon Carter has not reappeared since ''Civil War'', and [[AllThereInTheScript according to the script for]] ''Endgame'', she went through [[RetGone the Blip]] off-screen. Since then, the 2019 D23 Expo confirmed that Sharon will come back in ''Falcon & Winter Soldier''.