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11[[quoteright:270:[[Franchise/DonkeyKong https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/donkeykong_colecovision_art_3.jpg]]]]
12[[caption-width-right:270:Nothing reconciles a past of animal abuse better than donut parties.]]
13
14->'''Aoi Asahina:''' What the heck's happened to you...? You weren't like this from the beginning, you know.\
15'''Yasuhiro Hagakure:''' Well, back then my personality hadn't quite solidified yet...!
16-->-- ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc''
17
18When a series starts out, the characters usually don't have firmly established personalities or appearance since the writers are just getting a feel for them. Time goes on, more and more episodes are produced, and the characters become better defined with their own set of personality and behavioral quirks. Or maybe their early personality gradually gave way to something very different due to CharacterDevelopment and/or {{Flanderization}}. Whatever the case may be, though, their early incarnations are forgotten about as people look at the firmly established characterization.
19
20In extreme cases, a character's actions in early instances of a work can actively contradict their later, established behavior. For examples, early adventures of the noted TechnicalPacifist Batman end with him openly killing criminals. This is a subtrope of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.
21
22A form of ContinuityDrift. Compare the OutOfCharacterMoment and DependingOnTheWriter, or {{Flanderization}} where a single trait gets largely exaggerated until it's all the character is known for. When the characterization is already firmly established, but still ends up changing to something completely different for unexplained reasons, then this is CharacterDerailment. If the character is a {{Long Runner|s}} who you find you can talk about in terms of 'eras', often under the curation of a new creative team or when a new project with the character is launched, it is EraSpecificPersonality.
23
24See also CharacterCheck, when the writers abruptly remember that the character started out as different, and give him a few scenes where he acts like he used to, if only temporarily.
25
26[[noreallife]]
27----
28!!Example subpages:
29[[index]]
30* CharacterizationMarchesOn/AnimeAndManga
31* CharacterizationMarchesOn/ComicBooks
32** CharacterizationMarchesOn/TheDCU
33*** CharacterizationMarchesOn/{{Batman}}
34*** CharacterizationMarchesOn/TheFlash
35** CharacterizationMarchesOn/MarvelUniverse
36*** CharacterizationMarchesOn/SpiderMan
37*** CharacterizationMarchesOn/XMen
38* CharacterizationMarchesOn/LiveActionTV
39* CharacterizationMarchesOn/VideoGames
40* CharacterizationMarchesOn/WesternAnimation
41** ''CharacterizationMarchesOn/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball''
42** ''CharacterizationMarchesOn/FamilyGuy''
43** ''CharacterizationMarchesOn/LooneyTunes''
44** ''CharacterizationMarchesOn/TheSimpsons''
45** ''CharacterizationMarchesOn/SouthPark''
46[[/index]]
47
48!!Other examples:
49[[foldercontrol]]
50
51[[folder:Advertising]]
52* Grimace in the Advertising/McDonaldland commercials started off as a more villainous character (the "Evil Grimace", as in a sinister smile) back when [=McDonaldland=] was first created in the 1970s, often stealing people's food which Ronald had to get back. The Hamburglar would eventually take over as the villain, and Grimace slowly evolved into the lovable oaf we know today.
53* The earliest Apple Jacks commercials featuring [[Advertising/AppleAndCinnaMon CinnaMon and Apple]] (originally called "Bad Apple") portrayed the Apple as a villain trying to stop [=CinnaMon=] from getting to the bowl of Apple Jacks, with [=CinnaMon=] ultimately prevailing. After parents and health experts condemned the ads for potentially discouraging kids from eating fruit, Apple and [=CinnaMon=] were retooled into [[FriendlyRivalry competitive friends]] racing to the bowl, with both of them making it in.
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Asian Animation]]
57* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': In episode 6, Doctor H. goes outside to find what disconnected him from his internet before he could read Miss Peach's e-mail. In later episodes, this would be quite out of character for him, as in Season 3 he's established to be a {{hikikomori}} with an extreme fear of going outside.
58* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': In episode 3, Weslie simply looks on in sadness at Wolffy dragging Paddi away. In later episodes, he would more likely start coming up with ideas to save his friend.
59* ''Animation/UpinAndIpin'': Tok Dalang is known as a CoolOldGuy neighbours of the titular twin who can and would help them do pretty much anything. He is indeed portrayed as such in the series, except in the first season where his role is relatively smaller and he is just a grumpy old man who is rude towards the twin.
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Comic Strips]]
63* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'':
64** Early strips featured Calvin being part of a troop of Cub Scouts. Later strips however show Calvin as being someone who dislikes organized games, so Watterson abandoned the Scout strips. Although his personality was still the same -- he really didn't work well with the Scouts and tried to avoid or lose them at every opportunity. It's easy to imagine he simply quit after it didn't work out (or more likely, got banned). Knowing Calvin's family, his dad probably urged him to try scouting as it "builds character."
65** The very first strip featuring ''Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie'' had Calvin being very skeptical of the book's quality (he said, "How good can it be if it hasn't been made into an animated TV show?") while his dad wanted to read it to him. In later strips, it's the only bedtime story Calvin ever wants to hear, and his dad is sick of it.
66** The first time Calvin's bicycle appeared, it was just an inanimate object that Calvin was comically bad at riding. Later appearances had it as an explicitly (or at least, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane as explicitly as possible in this comic]]) malicious and sentient monster that tries to run down Calvin at every opportunity.
67** Similarly, the first few times Calvin was afraid of monsters under the bed, it was clearly just in his imagination, but later on it made the monsters more ambiguous (although, to Calvin, they were clearly real).
68** In the early years, Hobbes really wasn't all that much of a snarker, was frequently just as immature as Calvin, and the fact he was a tiger was pretty inconsequential to the story. In later years, he became much more of a StraightMan to Calvin's antics and a lot more feline — not only in looks and movement, but in behavior and outlook.
69** When Susie was first introduced, she often tried to socialize with Calvin (usually by inviting him to tea parties, playing house with him and such) only to be repelled by his antics in some way such that an early arc had Susie tearfully hurt by his insults (for which he later managed to apologize out of guilt), not to mention that in many of the earlier instances in which she was antagonized, she would immediately cry out to an adult for help and rat him out. As time went by, she developed a shorter temper as well as a tendency to snark and would opt to instead beat Calvin to a pulp when hit with water balloons/snowballs and generally harbour disdain towards him for his oddball behaviour. One early comic also had her try and cheat off Calvin, while later strips would depict as a very diligent student that would never cheat, never mind try and cheat off someone like ''[[ApatheticStudent Calvin]]''.
70** In the first appearances of Calvin's babysitter, Rosalyn, she was portrayed as much more of an unnecessarily cruel babysitter, threatening Calvin the moment his parents are gone or locking him in the garage. Later appearances generally have her trying to be nice to Calvin... until he gets into his usual antics just to annoy her, thereby making Calvin's fear of her self-inflicted rather than justified as it previously would have been.
71** Stupendous Man's first appearance was in a one-off strip roughly a year before Calvin began wearing a cape and hood to "disguise" himself, and his original appearance in Calvin's fantasy simply consists of a DominoMask and a cape as opposed to the full superhero costume Calvin imagines himself wearing later on. He also apparently cannot fly in his first appearance, as it shows him worried about getting off a high building (in real life, Calvin is on a slide at the playground and is reluctant to go down it)
72* ''{{ComicStrip/Dilbert}}'':
73** The character that would eventually become the PointyHairedBoss was initially an unnamed balding manager who was more cruel than stupid. Then one day, Adams accidentally drew the hair on the sides of his head slightly pointy and liked the resemblance to devil horns. Curiously enough, Adams then started making him more and more stupid but made his hair also more and more pointy...
74*** It's also been noted by a number of readers that as Scott himself grows older and more conservative, PHB is shown in a more positive light, Dilbert is friendlier towards him, and he's more often shown as the sensible OnlySaneMan over even the title character.
75** A similar process may be occurring to the CEO, originally a bald man dumber than PointyHairedBoss, whose forehead has been becoming more elongated until he looks like... [[http://www.dilbert.com/2010-09-22/ this]].
76** Dogbert was originally just an actual pet (albeit able to talk and hyper-intelligent), even in one strip as having a leash and being taken for a walk. Nowadays, he is almost human-like and interacts with everyone on a human level (although he is still willing to take advantage of the legal implications of being a dog if it suits him).
77** Dilbert himself used to be a science-fiction genius whose wild inventions made up some of the plots. Once the comic started focusing almost exclusively on office humor and lost the sci-fi elements, he was just another engineer.
78*** He still has his occasional moments of sci-fi genius, however, as shown in a storyline in April 2008 where he builds a particle accelerator and took an antimatter Dilbert to work with him.
79* Mo of ''ComicStrip/DykesToWatchOutFor'' has always been on the uptight, SoapboxSadie side but was a little bit cheerier in her younger days. Two scenes in the first year of the strip shows her idly singing to nobody in particular; "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", and then "Groovy Kind of Love" in another. It is ''extremely'' difficult to image the Mo we know now singing like that.
80* In ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus'', the dad was a stereotypical 60s buffoon: wore a hat, smoked a pipe, drank, was overweight, ignored Thel, et cetera. He was soon overhauled into a more sympathetic, trimmer father figure.
81* A RunningGag in ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' is super-nerd Jason's undying enthusiasm for school, with him looking forward to every big test and dreading the arrival of summer break, much to the annoyance of his siblings. In early strips, Jason hated school just like they did.
82** Roger is so impossibly bad at chess that an Internet site which assessed his skill matched him up with a preschool student. In early strips, Roger was actually better at chess than Andy and she was always trying to guilt trip him into letting her win (which is also somewhat at odds with ''her'' current characterization).
83** One early strip has Jason playing ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' with Peter, something Peter would never do once his character became more established.
84** Andy Fox is known for [[LethalChef making horrible food]] [[IfItTastesBadItMustBeGoodForYou that's apparently healthy]]. An early strip shows her making Mac and Cheese and salad, only using health food when Amend wanted the reader to have a {{Squick}} reaction.
85** When she was first introduced, Jason was actually upset by the fact that his new teacher Miss O'Malley was open-minded and unflappable, giving him extra credit for overachieving rather than "going batty" the way his previous teacher Mrs. Grinchley apparently did. However, in almost every subsequent appearance Miss O'Malley is obviously frustrated by Jason, assigning him detention for acting out in class and making grumbling remarks that suggest he makes her go through a lot of headache medicine.
86* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'':
87** In the early days, Garfield's behavior was much more like a real cat, with the humor being more about giving the audience a look at what a cat could think. Garfield was also more active in his early days as his catlike curiosity led him to explore in and around the house. This is a far cry from the wisecracking sarcastic and lazy character we now see. The modern Garfield also acts more like a human, doing things like walking on his hind legs, reading, writing and even operate modern technology like computers and mobile phones, while the early Garfield walked on four legs and explicitly mentioned how he would like to do some of these things but can't, because he is a cat.
88** Jon in his early days was a rather average cat owner living in the suburbs. His position in the comics was more to comment on his experience of owning a cat. Early Jon did not really possess any of the weirdness, social awkwardness and childishness the character is now known for.
89** Also, the dynamic between Garfield and Jon gradually reversed, as Jon was the StraightMan, getting frustrated with Garfield's antics, while Garfield himself frequently got himself into trouble. Nowadays, Garfield plays the StraightMan to Jon, frequently making sarcastic quips about Jon's strange behavior and how it gets Jon into trouble.
90** A ''very'' early strip has the eponymous cat commenting on how he likes Mondays because he doesn't have to go to work. His attitude would change by later that same year, as he would suffer unrealistic amounts of misfortune on Mondays.
91** For most of the strip's run, Dr. Liz Wilson's interactions with Jon largely consisted of snarky replies to his CasanovaWannabe attempts. After [[Film/{{Garfield}} the live-action movie]] made Jon and Liz a couple, the strip followed suit, with Liz now having much more positive interactions with Jon, Garfield, and even Odie.
92* A very early ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'' strip shows Satchel being perfectly aware who Martha Stewart is, when Rob compares one of his meals to hers, and Satchel points out Martha Stewart doesn't use garnishes. However, a much later storyline (shortly after Stewart got jailed) involved Satchel trying to donate money for her, but not really knowing who she is, what she did wrong, and why she needed help. This possibly is more an example of SeriesContinuityError.
93* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'':
94** When Sally was first born, Linus was seen considering a relationship with her ("When I'm 22 and Sally is 17, do you think she'll go out with me?"). Quite ironic when you consider he would spend the next forty years fending off ''her'' advances.
95** Charlie Brown in the first few years of the comic was quite different from the self-hating loser that he would later become; he was rather cheerful, he liked to play pranks on others, and sometimes even boasted about himself.
96** In the first years, Snoopy actually acted like a normal dog and had no thought bubbles. He also appeared to be more of a neighborhood dog as opposed to being Charlie Brown's pet. He consistently called Charlie Brown by his name in early comics, but suddenly forgot and started calling him "the round-headed kid".
97** In her first appearances (as a baby), Lucy was a cute little {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, nothing like her later incarnation. One early also comic depicted Lucy as being able to catch baseballs on her own easily. This later looks downright ridiculous as she is shown failing to catch every ball for the rest of the series run.
98* ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'':
99** Jeremy's older brother Chad was initially depicted as a gleaming, near God-like figure with a square jaw whose full face is never seen. In later appearances, he is shown in full and more or less resembles Jeremy but taller and with a goatee (though that last was acknowledged in a strip where Jeremy questions Chad on why he grew the beard).
100** In his first few appearances, Pierce was more of an angry punk, instead of a manic and impulsive CloudCuckoolander.
101[[/folder]]
102
103[[folder:Fan Works]]
104* Calvin's personality in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'' goes from just like [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes the comic strip]] to a GadgeteerGenius.
105** Then there's the [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals Klein family.]] The first appearance of a Klein has him annoyed at Calvin's antics. Every Klein since then have been "the only cool adult [Calvin's] ever seen."
106** For the [[Fanfic/TheCalvinverse Calvinverse]] at large, we have [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Rupert and Earl's crew]]. In their original appearance in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheMovie'', they were competent threats to the duo. They progressively got dumber in later appearances until finally fitting into their current characterization. (The [[TheRemake rewrite]] of ''The Movie'' has them in their new characterization.)
107* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
108** A general example of this happened to Princess Luna. Luna became [[EnsembleDarkhorse extremely popular]] in the fandom despite having only two short scenes and a handful of dialogue. In the gap between season 1 and 2, a commonly accepted {{Fanon}} personality for Luna emerged as a ShrinkingViolet [[TheWoobie Woobie]] who was extremely demure, shy, and easily frightened, with most fanworks and fanfic utilizing that characterization. Then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViRbz6L85z8 Luna appeared in season 2]], and basically shot that interpretation to hell; Canon Luna turned out to be a LargeHam with [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant a taste for the macabre]], whose main issue with other ponies was in trying not to accidentally intimidate them. The canon characterization quickly became even ''more'' popular, with the result that all of the fics written before season two looking ridiculous. The contrast between pre-S2 Luna and post-S2 Luna is so sharp that many fans consider the old characterization to be a completely different character, generally referred to as "Woona". "Woona" still gets used but it's mostly relegated to Luna's childhood.
109** Lyra's fanon personality underwent {{flanderization}} as time went on. What started out as jokes about her sitting upright became meta jokes about bronies and furries where Lyra was a human fangirl. This interest in humans warped into Lyra wanting to ''[[TransNature be]]'' human. It overtook most of her previous fanon characterization. After the 100th episode, this has been reversed because Lyra has more canon characterization.
110** Most early fan-works wrote Derpy Hooves as InspirationallyDisadvantaged and oftentimes she spoke in [[TalkativeLoon gibberish]] (with certain words being associated with certain things, like her fan-daughter Dinky being called "muffins"). Overtime this turned into her just being TheDitz, with "muffins" just being an AffectionateNickname for Dinky.
111** In the first episode of ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'', Celestia seems to honestly like Twilight Sparkle, even if they're not as close as in canon, and actually solicits a friendship lesson from her. In later episodes, Celestia is shown to consider Twilight Sparkle obnoxious at best and creepy at worst, and to resent the letters she receives unasked -- she simply made the mistake of finding it endearing when Twilight wrote her letters about her lessons when she was a filly.
112** Early on in ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'', Twilight was basically an expy of her Friendship Is Witchcraft counterpart: she was completely self-righteous, an egomaniac, and constantly [[AbusiveParents abused her adopted son/slave Spike]] in some form in pretty much every scene they appear in together. But, as the series continued, both these aspects were gradually toned down, until her ego pretty much disappeared in favor of having her as a one of Ponyville's resident {{Butt Monkey}}s [[note]] This may be justified in-universe, as unlike FIW Twilight, ponies openly despise her and treat her poorly on a regular basis, so it's possible that being surrounded by ponies who treat her like dirt regularly might have been a huge blow to her ego.[[/note]] and though she still mistreats [[TheWoobie Spike]], it isn't shown quiet as often and [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther she does have moments of affection towards him every now and again]]. To a lesser extent, her views on non-ponies, as she is initially shown to be [[FantasticRacism prejudiced against the cows]] in the fourth episode. But in the ''very next'' episode, she is shown to be the only pony in town who ''isn't'' xenophobic. Or, at least open to befriending non-ponies.
113** ''Fanfic/TheGodSquad'':
114*** The eponymous squad becomes very different as the story marches on, namely the princesses. Luna was set up to be the leader of the group while Celestia was the boring but smart sister. By the second season Luna has shifted so that the entire squad takes the lead while Celestia has become just as goofy as the rest of the cast.
115*** The sisters' relationship with Tydal. In the beginning comments are made that while he raised them, they see him more as a big brother. But the end of the second season Celestia commonly refers to him as her father and Tydal tells Tirek that they are his adopted daughters.
116* ''Webcomic/FateGamersOnly'': Early comics have Rikku use her canon name "Gudako" and lack the UnlimitedWardrobe that becomes a recurring character trait.
117* ''[[https://incorrectsmashbrosquotes.tumblr.com Incorrect Smash Bros Quotes]]'' had to invent [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Galeem and Dharkon]]'s personalities wholesale due to them not ''having'' personalities in the game proper. As a result, said personalities were...rather inconsistent; Galeem leaned more cheerful and Dharkon more ominous, but overall the two were mostly interchangeable. Later quotes firmly established Galeem as the LightIsNotGood [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] {{Jerkass}} and Dharkon as the DarkIsNotEvil [[TheDitz ditzy]] {{Keet}}, but it does make the two's earliest quotes a bit jarring.
118* ''Fanfic/ReversalOfFortuneTLH'': After being out of town after the events of "Lincoln Loud: Girl Guru" (and absent for the events of "No Such Luck"), Clyde made a grand return as a stylish, confident, Patois-speaking big-shot ([[TheGlassesGottaGo even his signature glasses are replaced with contact lenses]]), making him the object of affection of most of the girls and the envy of most of the boys at school. This change in demeanor was explained in [[ADayInTheLimelight a chapter]] dedicated to his time away in Toronto where he and his dads lived with his influential relatives. Of course, he's still Lincoln's best friend throughout this tale.
119* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'': When Asuna first appears she's HopelessWithTech, doesn't really know how to play ''Sword Art Online'', and doesn't show signs of being a jerk. When she reappears later, she actually knows what she's doing and [[TookALevelInJerkass has turned into a jerk]], making her more like Kirito.
120* Mineta in ''Fanfic/TheUndeadSchoolgirlDeadPulse'' starts as his canon ChivalrousPervert self. By the time of class starts at U.A., he's toned down his perversion by reading a sort of self-help book meant to help him keep from speaking his dirty thoughts all the time. Mineta's rather proud that he got through an entire conversation with [[GenderFlip Izuku]] without talking about her figure.
121* Kyouko wasn't always TheDitz in ''FanFic/YouGotHaruhiRolled''. An early appearance actually has her be a GadgeteerGenius.
122[[/folder]]
123
124[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
125* Ash Williams of ''Franchise/EvilDead'' has the crowning distinction of having TookALevelInDumbass, TookALevelInJerkass and TookALevelInBadass all at once and to a such an insane degree that he’s practically a completely different character in ''Film/TheEvilDead1981'' compared to “Hail to the King baby” MemeticBadass of ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness''. In 1981 film Ash is a humble and polite NiceGuy student as well as a caring brother to Cheryl and loving boyfriend to Linda. ''Evil Dead 1'' Ash certainly wasn’t cocky being pretty awkward (see his painful toast at dinner where tries quoting a Greek friend of his and fails miserably) and isn’t particularly brave either compared to his friend Scotty, getting paralysed with fear up against a wall at one point while Shelly is possessed. It’s only when he becomes the FinalGuy that Ash starts edging towards the badass he becomes, but it takes a extended SanitySlippage in the [[Film/EvilDead2 sequel]] for him to fully get there. Ash is also notably more of a {{Jerkass}} in the sequels, which can be somewhat {{handwave}}d given his TraumaCongaLine, but he also becomes an IdiotHero especially in ''Army of Darkness'' and ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'' which is harder to reconcile given how cautious and bright he was in the first movie.
126* Casual fans of the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' films might find Jason Voorhees' earliest appearances -- particularly in ''Film/FridayThe13thPart2'' -- a bit jarring, as he's a far-cry from the hulking, implacable brute that has become entrenched in popular culture since the '80s. Though still a serious threat, Jason clearly has human vulnerabilities, he actually plans his attacks in advance, and he doesn't rely entirely on brute strength to bring down his victims; he can be heard grunting with exertion and pain in several moments, he occasionally retreats when his victims manage to defend themselves with weapons, and he uses pre-set traps (including a tree snare) in addition to handheld weapons. Part of this is due to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Jason wouldn't gain many of his well-known qualities until ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives'', when he was resurrected as an immortal zombie with very little of his intellect intact.
127* ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'': Freddy Krueger's portrayal in the [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 first film]] is far more taciturn and serious than the quip-spouting LaughablyEvil slasher that we all know and love, and the second film tones him down ''even more''. The third installment (Despite the fact it's co-written by the first film's original director Creator/WesCraven), however, has him crack wise ''a lot more'' than before. And the rest is history.
128* Franchise/{{Godzilla}}. In the appearance of the second Godzilla in ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'', he acts just like his predecessor in ''Film/Godzilla1954'' where they were very destructive. Next comes ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'' where his personality changed to comical {{Jerkass}}, then acting like his old self, then laughing hysterically in ''Film/GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster''. If that's not enough, he became a superhero archetype in the 70's. Then it all ends with ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters''. No wonder Creator/IshiroHonda quit the series after ''Film/TerrorOfMechagodzilla''.
129* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
130** Tony Stark in ''Film/IronMan'' has quite a few CharacterTics that were ditched at various points, while his core AttentionDeficitOohShiny JerkWithAHeartOfGold behaviour remains mostly unchanged. One such eccentricity is Tony’s complete dislike of getting handed things, which was a reference to his inspiration Creator/HowardHughes who was a notorious NeatFreak, but this aspect of Tony was dropped for later films. Another trait is Tony’s womanising as while Pepper is his main love interest he still flirts with Natasha and other women, this too was mostly dropped as he becomes more loyal to Pepper whom he eventually marries and his relationship with Nat is more platonic (though still close like in the comics), Tony does flirt with Aunt May in ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Civil War]]'' and ''[[Film/SpidermanHomecoming Homecoming]]'' but it’s mostly just to lightheartedly mess with Peter in the latter.
131** In [[Characters/CaptainAmericaSupportingCharacters Peggy Carter]]'s first appearance she's a very serious no-nonsense woman who's not particularly funny. In her own [[Series/AgentCarter series]] while those personality traits are intact, she's shown to be more of a DeadpanSnarker and gets a little bit of a dorky side. Additionally, Howard Stark's womanising ways didn't really show up until ''Agent Carter'' where he's essentially a 1940s [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Barney Stinson]].
132** Agent Coulson had his UnfazedEveryman shtick from the beginning, but for a while it was pretty much his only consistent trait. For instance, he's kind of a dick in ''Film/{{Thor}}'', which would seem at odds with the NiceGuy personality that was eventually established in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and cemented on ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''.
133** Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow is quite different in her first appearance in ''Film/IronMan2'' compared the StoicWoobie and TeamMom seen in the later films. Firstly she was mainly just there to be an asskicking MsFanservice with only a little of her DeadpanSnarker traits seen in later films coming through during her bickering with Tony. It wasn’t until ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' that Nat became more of a character with a DarkAndTroubledPast who can outwit even Loki and her position as the emotional anchor for the team becoming more pronounced. Her [[Film/BlackWidow2021 solo movie]] showcases the fact she’s a BrokenBird at her core while still holding onto a lot of her attributes (such as being a {{Guile Hero}}ine when dealing with egomaniacs) as well as her fanservice (at the insistence of the female director!).
134** In the first ''Thor'' movie, Loki was depicted as being a rather quiet and angsty ShrinkingViolet who expressed reluctance to do things that could get him or Thor into trouble, with very little of his LargeHam DeadpanSnarker behavior that would define him for much of the franchise onward. While his change in personality could be accounted to him going crazy after learning of his true heritage, a flashback of Loki pretending to be D.B Cooper in [[Series/Loki2021 his titular show]] showcases him with the wit and charm he would lack in his very first appearance in 2011.
135** [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]]' character wasn't fully decided upon until ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', so earlier films tend to depict him as more of a generic EvilOverlord rather than the "Kill half of the universe to save the other half" WellIntentionedExtremist he eventually became. His appearance in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' stinger also clearly alludes to his original comic book motivation of wanting to court [[TheGrimReaper Death]], which subsequent movies promptly dropped.
136** Thor’s character gets the massive overhaul from his first [[Film/{{Thor}} movie]] to his later appearances. In the 2011 film he’s a typical HotBlooded viking like the comics with the main levity of his character being the fact he’s a FishOutOfWater on Earth. By the time of ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor has become more of a jokey GuileHero and in ''[[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Infinity War]]'', ''[[Film/AvengersEndgame Endgame]]'' and ''[[Film/ThorLoveAndThunder Love and Thunder]]'' is a freewheeling EmotionalBruiser who has a greater understanding of Earth customs (even something like ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'') although he still has some of his original unawareness like calling Jane’s IV bag a “healing potion”.
137** Hawkeye was originally shown to be an incredibly serious character in his first appearances. [[Film/{{Thor}}]] had him as a distant, professional shield agent and Film/{{The Avengers|2012}} displayed just how competent and ruthless he could be once he was turned against the titular team with Mind Control. However come Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron, his character was made much LighterAndSofter probably to align with the twist that [[spoiler:he has a secret family]]. This comes with a similar overhaul to his relationship with Black Widow. While before it was somewhat ambiguous if they were simply PlatonicLifePartners or in a relationship, Ultron made them more clearly LikeBrotherAndSister.
138* The original ''Film/XMen1'' noticeably portrays [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] as something of a MadScientist, implying that he's a skilled inventor of genius-level intellect. Not only does the plot hinge on him inventing an advanced super-weapon capable of [[spoiler:turning humans into Mutants]], it's outright stated that he built his psychic-proof helmet himself, and that he and [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Charles Xavier]] built Cerebro together. The later films mostly abandoned this aspect of his character, simply portraying him as a charismatic terrorist leader with superpowers. And after ContinuityDrift set in, it was established that he actually ''stole'' the helmet, and that a group of government scientists ''really'' invented Cerebro.
139* Sanjuro was always a grizzled, scruffy yet very wily and very powerful ronin. He was, however, much more brutal, active, and much livelier in ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'', if cynical. In ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}'' his personality is the same, only he TookALevelInKindness somewhere along the way, his moral streak being strengthened by Mutsuta's wife's advice. Additionally, in ''Sanjuro'', he becomes the very definition of BrilliantButLazy; he's smarter than everyone else but prefers to doze in a corner when he has nothing better to do.
140* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
141** For [[Film/ANewHope the original 1977 film]], Darth Vader was originally conceived as little more than a hulking, [[TheBrute brutish]] [[DumbMuscle enforcer]] for the Galactic Empire's top brass--hence Leia's comment about Tarkin "holding Vader's leash". The idea of him being the Emperor's unchallenged [[TheDragon right-hand man]] wasn't established until ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''.[[note]] According to early supplemental notes for the original film, the Emperor (who [[TheGhost doesn't appear in that film]]) was also originally supposed to be a mere politician who served as a powerless figurehead--with the Empire ''actually'' being run by his advisors. The idea of him being a powerful Sith Lord, with Vader being his apprentice, also wasn't established until ''The Empire Strikes Back''.[[/note]] As a result, Vader has no apparent problems taking orders from Tarkin or receiving critical feedback from one of his subordinates on the ''Tantive IV'', and only gets violent with an Imperial officer when he has the gall to openly insult him to his face. In all subsequent films, Vader demands unquestioning loyalty and [[BadBoss rules through fear and intimidation]], and has no problem with outright ''murdering'' subordinate officers just for [[YouHaveFailedMe disappointing him]]--meaning that ''nobody'' apart from the Emperor dares to give him orders or talk back to him.
142** Princess Leia was originally portrayed as something of a TomboyPrincess with a noticeably [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] and [[RebelliousPrincess rebellious]] attitude--regularly making wisecracks at Luke, Han, and Chewbacca. Whenever she isn't putting on a strong face for her Imperial captors in the original film, she generally has the tone and affect of a real American woman from the late '70s (likely due to Creator/CarrieFisher putting some of herself into the role), and isn't ''that'' different from Han in personality. Most of this was dropped in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', where she steps into her more familiar role as an idealistic and straight-laced ReasonableAuthorityFigure, generally being portrayed as [[OnlySaneMan the most mature and level-headed of the main trio]]--contrasting the callow Luke and the roguish Han. Her comment at Chewbacca's expense (''"Will somebody get this big walking carpet outta my way?"'') seems particularly out-of-character compared to the later films, being a pretty glaring example of FantasticRacism.
143[[/folder]]
144
145[[folder:Literature]]
146* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': Several readers have noted that the way Nesta and Elain are portrayed in the first book differs from how they're portrayed in later books. In the first book they come across as stereotypical wicked fairytale sisters (likely based upon Beauty's spoilt and envious sisters in the original ''Beauty and the Beast'') with little motivation or explanation for why they're so useless and nasty to Feyre. Nesta at least is revealed to have some HiddenDepths later, having tried to rescue Feyre from Prythian and encouraging her to save Tamlin. The later books try to portray the sisters with more depth and sympathy - Nesta is a bitch out of pride and unresolved trauma, Elain is sweet but passive to the point of helplessness. It still seems a bit strange to some readers that they're presented as having loved Feyre all along when they're so awful to her in Book 1, though. Sarah J. Maas stated in an interview that Feyre's sisters and in particular Nesta ended up being quite different from how she originally wrote them, which probably explains a lot.
147* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
148** In his first appearance, in ''The Colour of Magic'', the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork was portrayed as an obese Bond villain parody. In ''Sourcery'', he's still got the Bond villain thing going on, but is remarkably skinny all of a sudden but not remarkably clever. However, by ''Guards! Guards!'', he's become the enigmatic, [[ManipulativeBastard supremely manipulative]] MagnificentBastard that we know today. (And no, it's not a different Patrician. WordOfGod states that it's the same guy, just written by an author who hadn't figured out what he wanted to do with the character yet.) The British Sky 1 television adaptation of ''The Colour of Magic'' and ''The Light Fantastic'' rectifies this by casting Jeremy Irons as the Patrician as seen in the later books, complete with the tiny little dog mentioned in some of those novels.
149** Moreover, in ''Night Watch'', we get to see the Patrician as a young man (TimeTravel was involved), and he's just as enigmatic and manipulative as ever. So, not only did his characterization march on, but it was also been {{retconned}} into always having been that way. Then again, if you do the maths, the past-set sequence in question takes place close to the time of ''Sourcery'', meaning Vetinari ''couldn't'' have been the Patrician back then. Annoyingly, ''Sourcery'' is the first novel where the Patrician is directly named as Lord Vetinari... ''Night Watch'' also takes place after ''Thief of Time'', where time was shattered and history had to be restitched. This, and the fact that it goes on fairly regularly according to the History Monks, canonically explains every inconsistency in the series.
150** Additionally, ''The Colour of Magic'' portrays [[TheGrimReaper Death]] as actively causing deaths (and speaking in YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe), whereas later novels establish him as merely collecting the souls of the already dead. Indeed, the very second book considerably softened his originally malevolent image. This was because one segment of ''The Colour of Magic'' was a more direct parody[[note]]the book breaks into four distinct segments; another is a clear Dragonrider (Pern) parody[[/note]] of the ''Literature/FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser'' series, where Death was an actively malevolent antagonist of the heroes.
151** Rincewind was clearly a shadier character originally, his defining feature in ''The Colour of Magic'' being more greed than cowardice (though he is clearly a coward). He even tries to outright fleece Twoflower and is stopped not because he felt guilty but because the Patrician ''forced'' him to look after the tourist. Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that Rincewind had a dangerous spell in his head which could potentially destroy the Disc. Once it left his head in ''The Light Fantastic'', his personality may have changed back to what it was before the spell got in there.
152** Ysabell is introduced as almost AxCrazy in ''The Light Fantastic'', making a serious attempt to kill both Twoflower and Rincewind. By her appearance in ''Mort'' she is much more a normal teenage girl, albeit one with several quirks from her upbringing.
153** The Granny Weatherwax in ''Equal Rites'' is a much more humble figure than the one she would eventually become.
154** In ''Men at Arms'' Lord Rust is a shrewd, pragmatic and not unsympathetic minor character. In every subsequent book he appeared in he has been an idiotic, stiff-necked straw aristocratic (although in those later appearances, he is always dealing with his social "inferiors").
155** The Bursar is introduced in ''Moving Pictures'' as the OnlySaneMan among the Unseen University's staff. He started to go insane during the events of ''Reaper Man'' and stayed that way, though at least in this instance there's an in-universe explanation (Ridcully's behavior gradually and inadvertently drives him crazy, whereas they'd only just met in ''Moving Pictures'').
156** ''Moving Pictures'' also characterised Ponder Stibbons as lazy, fat InsufferableGenius. After becoming a member of Unseen University's faculty, he became a slim, MadScientist type character and [[OnlySaneMan one of the least quirky of the staff.]]
157** In ''Guards! Guards!'' Sam Vimes has no strong opinions about Ankh-Morpork getting a king; he is cynical about the idea but more out of general cynicism, and it's Fred Colon who has the stronger anti-monarchist rant. In later books even the idea of monarchy is practically Vimes's BerserkButton.
158** One more from ''Moving Pictures'': It's the first appearance of Mrs Marietta Cosmopolite, and she's characterised by being "very broadminded", bordering on DirtyOldWoman; when she thinks Victor and Ginger are having sex, her reaction is a grin and "a complicated gesture he was sure little old ladies shouldn't know". This aspect of her personality is not reflected in The Way of Mrs Cosmpolite, as described in ''Witches Abroad'' and ''Thief of Time'', which portray her as a more ''conventional'' little old lady, and by ''Lu-Tze's Diary of Enlightenment'', one of the reasons she disapproves of Mrs Dolly Golightly (who the Way therefore sees as an Antichrist figure) is that she suspects her lodger isn't just her lodger, which is disgusting when her husband's barely been dead for ten years.
159** In his earliest appearances, Willkins is a fairly FlatCharacter, just being TheJeeves to someone who hates the idea of having servants. ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' has him tone-shifting between his butler voice and a Sergeant-Major voice, which implies it's an affectation, and ''Literature/{{Thud}}'' reveals he grew up in the poorer parts of Ankh-Morpork, and was part of a particularly vicious street gang, with the humour coming from him describing this in the same precise manner one expects from a butler. By ''Literature/{{Snuff}}'', he's dropped this entirely, and while he's still deferential to Vimes and insists on the "proper" way of doing things, his style of speech is much more "one kid from the streets to another".
160* In Creator/PGWodehouse's "Extricating Young Gussie", the short story that introduced the world to Literature/JeevesAndWooster, Jeeves is a bit player with only one line. At one point, Bertie finds himself in trouble and acknowledges that he doesn't know who to go to for help. [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness He doesn't consult Jeeves]] -- something that would become unthinkable by the very next story, fittingly titled "Leave It to Jeeves".
161* One frequent criticism of the later ''Literature/{{Flashman}}'' books is that their protagonist goes from full-blown MagnificentBastard who [[KickTheDog kicks the dog]] at every conceivable opportunity, to [[LighterAndSofter a more conventional hero]] who occasionally does unpleasant things.
162* ''Literature/TolkiensLegendarium'':
163** In the original release of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Gollum simply lets Bilbo have the Ring as a reward for beating him in a game of riddles -- something utterly incomprehensible to his later characterization of loving the Ring more than life itself, and it requiring great effort for ''anyone'' to willingly surrender it. The Ring itself also lacks its intelligence and malevolence, and seems to be nothing more than a magic ring (which, at the time, it was). This was so bad that Tolkien himself had to [[OrwellianRetcon rewrite it in a later edition]], explaining the prior story as something [[UnreliableNarrator Bilbo had made up to conceal the truth and give himself more credibility as the Ring's rightful possessor.]]
164** Tolkien's original take on dwarves, shown in stories like ''Unfinished Tales'', had them be far less likeable--craven, treacherous, happy to ally with evil, inhuman in nature, and [[ElvesVersusDwarves consumed with loathing towards elves]]. When he wrote ''The Hobbit'', he settled on their more familiar characterization as a fundamentally decent (if not flawless) bunch. The earlier appearances were reimagined as being the Petty-Dwarves, an offshoot population that abandoned a lot of the usual dwarven traditions and ended up being nearly wiped out by the Noldor (handily explaining their hatred of elves), which had the result of also making their main representative Mîm far more sympathetic.
165* The first published ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' book, ''The Happy Return'' (or ''Beat to Quarters'' for Americans) has the title character as much more ill-tempered and choleric than his other appearances. Although taken as a whole, you can rationalize it as young Hornblower being moody and less confident, middle Hornblower (i.e. the first published books) being more settled but also irritable with the various fool's errands the Navy puts him on, and the late-chronology books having him mellow out with age (something Hornblower notes in ''The Commodore'').
166* In the second ''Literature/LandOfOz'' book, ''Literature/TheMarvelousLandOfOz'', the Wizard of Oz is revealed to have conspired with Mombi to usurp the Ozian throne. He taught her all the magic she knows and gave her the infant Princess Ozma so that he could become ruler of Oz. In the fourth book ''Literature/DorothyAndTheWizardInOz'', suddenly he's a benevolent man who has never even ''met'' Ozma. This {{retcon}} was because children disliked the Wizard of Oz and thought he was a villain for all that he did. Creator/LFrankBaum tried to soften up his character. (It also didn't make a whole lot of sense that he taught Mombi magic, given that the original book was clear that ''he didn't know any'' - ''Marvelous Land'' glosses over this by saying "some of them were good tricks and some were only frauds", but when he returns he again doesn't know any real magic until he becomes Glinda's student.)
167* In the older ''Literature/MaxAndRuby'' books by Creator/RosemaryWells, Ruby was more of a DeadpanSnarker and sometimes strict with her brother Max. Which can be seen in "Max's Chocolate Chicken" and "Max's Christmas". She even said to Max "Max, you'd have trouble finding your own ears if they weren't attached to your head" in Max's Chocolate Chicken since Max didn't gather eggs and was busy gathering acorns and making an Acorn Pancake. In later and more recent Max And Ruby books, Ruby became more cheerful and kind around Max but is also a ControlFreak and her DeadpanSnarker personality was toned down. Especially in the Creator/NickJr animated series for Max & Ruby.
168** Doris another character created by Rosemary Wells who showed up in AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/TimothyGoesToSchool'' and the "Yoko & Friends" book series. Started out as an antagonist in the 1985 book "Hazel's Amazing Mother" [[http://www.canallector.com/old-thumbs/84-204-6803-7i4.jpg as one of the bullies that tear up Hazel's doll and made fun of her for owning one along with messing with her hat]]. She did end up apologizing to Hazel and ends up fixing her doll when Hazel's mother arrives. When she reappeared in the original "Timothy Goes To School" and "Yoko & Friends" series along with Charles and Nora. [[HeelFaceTurn Doris became more tolerable]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold but would sometimes pushy and gets annoyed very easily during certain situations.]] So seeing Doris in her original appearance can be jarring to those used to her appearances in later books and the animated series.
169** One of the oldest characters created by Creator/RosemaryWells is Nora who debuted in the Noisy Nora book in 1973. In the book she is very mischievous and would be seen knocking down various furniture in her family house. When she showed up in ''Yoko & Friends'' and ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool'', she no longer acts mischievous but instead acts more like a BrattyHalfPint.
170* ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'': In ''The Scorch Trials'', Jorge was introduced as a brute willing to commit murder for minor insults, and savagely beating one of the protagonists. [[spoiler:In ''The Death Cure'', this turns out to almost totally be an act and he's later a generally inoffensive pilot and a sort of doting uncle to Brenda.]]
171* In the first ''Literature/MissMarple'' book (''Literature/TheMurderAtTheVicarage'') by Creator/AgathaChristie, Miss Marple was characterized as a nosy, bossy, rather unpleasant woman that the narrator of the story didn't like. Realizing that this character wouldn't stay very popular if she was kept like this in later books (and perhaps not wanting to have repeat the experience of disliking a protagonist, as she did with Literature/HerculePoirot) Christie significantly toned down the character in later books.
172* In the Literature/NewJediOrder novels, [[ManipulativeBastard Nom Anor]] is initially introduced as a typical (and very highly ranked) [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Yuuzhan Vong]] who happens to also be a devious political manipulator. By about a third of the way into the series, his characterization settles as a duplicitous DirtyCoward and atheist who is ''very'' out-of-place among his people (to the point of essentially seeing himself as the OnlySaneMan among them), and whose rank is unimpressive, though his skills give him a vastly disproportionate amount of prestige and influence. He does, however, find the ''appearance'' of orthodoxy incredibly useful. This characterization endured for the rest of the series, and made him one of its most popular characters.
173* In ''Literature/{{Overgeared}}'', the main character Grid, after a lifetime of abuse, abandonment, ridicule, and misfortune, where even his parents and younger sister had given up hope, and a 10 million won debt constantly hanging over his head, he starts the story extremely greedy, anti-social, and exploitive. He never loses these traits completely, but he does become much more sympathetic and heroic after he makes friends with the NPC blacksmith Kahn, and finds TrueCompanions among the members of the Tzendarak guild, he even becomes a very, very faithful husband to Lady Irene Estim, whose life he saved from evil cultists ''twice''.
174* Luke Castellan from ''{{Literature/Percy Jackson and the Olympians}}'' was established, in the last three books of the original series, as a complex AntiVillain and WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds with a case of EvenEvilHasLovedOnes towards his old friends Annabeth and Thalia. This is why it's rather jarring to see him act much more overtly evil in the second book, ''The Sea of Monsters'', the first book set after TheReveal of him as a villain, where he goes so far as to order [[MoralityPet Annabeth]] EatenAlive in front of Percy just to spite him.
175* Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard of the Southern Cross segment of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' was depicted as a stubborn commander in the animated series. At worst, he was a poor strategist, preferring a "throw everything we've got at them" approach, rather than studying the enemy and vying for peace, like Rolf Emerson. However, the Jack [=McKinney=] novels turned Leonard into a obsessive, megalomaniac, religious fanatic with some weird BDSM fetishes. The Southern Cross did have fascist leanings, but it wasn't mustache-twisting evil about it. However, [=McKinney=] wrote the definitely evil General Edwards as having connections with Leonard. In the original Japanese ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross'' (and to an extent, ''Robotech'' itself), Leonard was simply depicted as a dedicated, no-nonsense military man who had a difficult job in defending the planet and keeping a group of bureaucrats and politicians satisfied. Additionally, the [=McKinney=] novels turned those bureaucrats and politicians (including the Prime Minister) into Leonard's puppets.
176* In the first ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' novel, ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', Holmes had a number of character traits that were dropped afterward. In particular, he was initially a bit of an ''idiot-savant'' who knew everything there is to know about crime and its detection but almost nothing about anything else. Though his claim not to know or care that the Earth goes round the sun does get one callback in ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'', in most of the later stories he's shown to be a much more well-rounded person with deep knowledge on a variety of topics.
177** Also in ''A Study in Scarlet'', Watson observes that:
178-->Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning.
179::: However, later stories establish Holmes as a man of very ''irregular'' habits who is very ''difficult'' to live with (due to his great untidiness and eccentricity) and who -- far from going to bed early -- is very much a [[TheInsomniac night-owl]].
180* The early Franchise/StarWarsLegends novel ''Literature/SplinterOfTheMindsEye'' was written before ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. In it, Luke has a lightness and a sometimes silly nature which he lacks in later works. That can be chalked up to CharacterDevelopment; he hasn't been through as much. However, this Luke is also a born liar with a ConMan's skill at weaving intricate, convincing explanations at the drop of a hat, and can even force himself to [[CrocodileTears cry on command]].
181* ''Literature/StregaNona'': Bambolona first appeared as a minor character in the second book –- an AbhorrentAdmirer to Big Anthony. In the third book she became Strega Nona's apprentice, and for the rest of the series was a competent assistant in contrast to Big Anthony's irresponsibility. Her crush on him also disappeared.
182* In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', Grand Admiral Thrawn is a MagnificentBastard who is [[ALighterShadeOfGrey slightly less cruel to his subordinates]] than more famous Imperials, who [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow plays mind games]] with his opponents, gets a slightly frightening amount of data from art, [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee does not tell anyone his plans]], and is pragmatic. That characterization holds true throughout. But every subsequent appearance of the man plays up his magnificence while [[DracoInLeatherPants minimizing any evil-ness]]. He was {{Affably|Evil}} ''[[AffablyEvil Evil]]''; he claimed to be helping his secret death commandos while poisoning their planet, he associated with [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Joruus C'baoth]] and ''promised to give him Leia and the twins'', he [[ILied lied]] and was going to torture [[KnowledgeBroker Talon Karrde]], and he was certainly not infallible. Very, ''very'' good, yes, but he could be taken off guard, he could lose, he could misread things or miss them altogether.
183** The Literature/HandOfThrawn duology does not actually feature Thrawn [[PosthumousCharacter himself]], but his old CommanderContrarian Pellaeon regards his memory with a combination of admiration and awe, and believes that the various times that Thrawn ignored his protests and carried on with counter-intuitive plans were a form of teaching. But his reputation certainly could have fluffed up after he died.
184** In ''Literature/OutboundFlight'' a younger and slightly more benevolent, almost MartialPacifist Thrawn meets Jorus C'baoth -- [[CloningGambit the original]] - and gets Force-Choked. He learns how to properly pronounce "Corellian" and that [[LanguageEqualsThought there is a word for striking first]]. In ''Survivor's Quest'' he's been dead for thirteen years, and Luke and Mara both think of him with a kind of nervous awe. Mara, speculating that he's BackFromTheDead for real, says that she didn't inquire too closely, since if he's back, he's not their enemy now. ...She would not have said that thirteen years ago. Partly this can be explained as Thrawn getting more jaded and pragmatic over the years, more willing to look past the means to the end.
185* ''Literature/UnderHeaven'': Apparently, Shen Tai's father developed some fresh opinions on war in his retirement; if said aloud (to the wrong person, namely anyone outside of his immediate family), they would have gotten him in trouble for being disloyal to the Ninth Dynasty.
186* Happens a couple of times in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' especially when a character is introduced as being a typical member of a group before being portrayed as atypical of that group in later books. The most obvious is Darlin Sisnera who in his first appearance is portrayed as a borderline sadist who wants to flay Mat and Juilin for attacking the Stone of Tear, when he reappears he is noble, cares deeply for Tear and her people, and regrets forming the rebellion against Rand.
187** When first introduced, Mat's reputation is mostly as a young prankster, and the sort of pranks he pulls are the kind you expect of a young child. By the third book, despite spending a bulk of the first two books recovering from being possessed, he is suddenly a worldly-wise gambler and ladies' man, despite being from one of the most remote villages in that world. And yes, this is before being granted knowledge by the Aelfinn.
188[[/folder]]
189
190[[folder:Multiple Media]]
191* From Franchise/{{LEGO}}'s ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'' franchise:
192** BigBad Makuta Teridax is the most apparent example, having gone through at least four or five distinct characterizations.
193*** Early on, he was envisioned as an immaterial concept rather than a living being. Franchise co-creator Christian Faber based Makuta on his illness at the time, while Alastair Swinnerton thought of him as a mythical force. The original UniverseBible leaves him vague, suggesting Makuta could take on many shapes, like animals or a chimera. The unreleased 2001 PC game ''The Legend of Mata Nui'' and the 2003 book ''Tale of the Toa'' did not feature Makuta in person, instead he only manifested through his voice or his avatars, the six Shadow Toa. The concept bible also described Makuta as the keeper of Mata Nui's consciousness -- the idea that his evil actions served a good purpose was thrown around early on but didn't make it far into the series.
194*** The 2001 ''Mata Nui Online Game'' stuck close to his original idea, but presented him as a monstrous, shifting mass of LEGO elements rather than a concrete character. Neither evil nor good, he was merely the other side of creation, essentially the act of taking apart LEGO models so they could be rebuilt into something else. The LEGO company itself wanted a villain they could eventually sell as a toy, so in 2003, Makuta was given a physical form.
195*** One 2003 character profile, never officially made public, re-imagined him as a misguided, tragic villain who had his own distinct personality. No longer a godly entity, he was compared to an illness that makes one's immune system stronger, a kind of gatekeeper who only lets the chosen heroes pass. His goals were ultimately benevolent, but his justifications and actions were controlled by the evil Mask of Shadows he wore. This characterization was the basis for Makuta in the ''Mask of Light'' movie, but he was eventually distilled into a generic cartoon villain in the prequel film — lurks in shadows, always angry, monologues to himself, releases hordes of {{Mooks}} and is humiliatingly beaten at the end. By this point, his previous incarnations had been wholly abandoned.
196*** In 2005, comic and book author Greg Farshtey was given a free hand to write a book about whatever he wanted. Dissatisfied with Makuta's movie depiction, Greg transformed him into a devious mastermind who [[IMeantToDoThat turned his former defeats to his advantage]] in his EvilPlan, and had a dry and sarcastic sense of humor, often coming off as a LargeHam. He was no longer "the" Makuta, much less an immaterial force, but rather a member of an entire species of Makuta with an elaborate backstory, a character, his own agenda and a new name: Teridax. His previous portrayals as a seemingly immaterial force were recontextualized by the revelation that his entire species had become EnergyBeings without real bodies underneath their armor.
197** Sidorak was at first characterized as a capable warlord whose only weakness was his love of combat, so he spent too much time out in the field to notice that his viceroy Roodaka [[TheStarscream had been scheming against him]]. One of the movies then depicted him as a weak and cowardly buffoon who was only interested in marrying Roodaka. Despite outspokenly disliking the movie, the writer later on combined the two characterizations while {{Retcon}}ing Sidorak's former accomplishments as those of Roodaka. The new Sidorak became a GloryHound who stole the credits of Roodaka's victories from her to become the leader of the Visorak horde, and while still a capable leader knew deep down he never earned his position and so tended to overcompensate by making his victories as impressive as possible, which made it all too easy for Roodaka to string him along.
198** Kongu was, among the generally playful and fun loving Air Matoran, the mostly serious and battle-ready leader of the Le-Koro Airforce. Upon upgrading into a Toa, he became a standard, wisecracking Air character who specialized in making lame {{one liner}}s and complaining about stuff. When another character [[LampshadeHanging called him out on this]], his response was that Toa Lewa, another Toa of Air, had taught him to loosen up and that ''somebody'' needed to keep the humor up in a group that was so serious.
199** Jaller (aka Jala) was first a no-nonsense military commander, speaking with strong words. He was fearless, tactical minded, but also passionate when it came to his intolerance of selfishness and foolishness. (He was also, by the way, a surfer and dancer, but these roles were swiped from canon early on, never brought up in the story.) Two years later in the ''Mask of Light'' movie, he was still a respected captain, but far less stern, more hotheaded, emotional and comedic, talking in a whiny "{{surfer dude}}" voice to boot.
200[[/folder]]
201
202[[folder:Music]]
203* ''Music/{{Vocaloid}}'': Kagamine Len was portrayed as a sensitive crybaby in the song "Nakimushi Kareshi" by Music/HoneyWorks. In the sequel, "Suki Kirai", he's turned into a [[HandsomeLech perverted idiot]].
204[[/folder]]
205
206[[folder:Podcasts]]
207* The Tres Horny Boys of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'', particularly Taako and Merle, who didn't plan out much of their backstories before the game began. For example, when asked to label themselves before taking the Bureau's reclaimer test, the boys decide to call Taako the bravest, Merle the smartest, and Magnus the strongest. Magnus's title stays fairly accurate, but the other two choices seem absolutely bizarre in hindsight. One could argue that Taako and Merle rightfully earn each other's titles in later arcs- Taako by blossoming into a dangerously creative CombatPragmatist, and Merle by [[spoiler: selflessly offering up his life to the Hunger dozens of times during parley]].
208* {{Discussed|Trope}} in ''Podcast/MomCantCook'', to the extent that the US Military is a character, at any rate -- in the ''Film/{{Zenon}}: The Zequel'' episode, they note how differently it's portrayed compared to in ''Film/CadetKelly'', released only a year later (but which they had reviewed an episode before). In ''The Zequel'', released in 2001, the Military is obstructive and even vaguely antagonistic, while in ''Cadet Kelly'', released in 2002, it's unambiguously good. As they note, however, [[{{Understatement}} a lot happened in the intervening year]].
209[[/folder]]
210
211[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
212* Largely applicable to almost everyone due to gimmick changes and whatnot, but several examples stand out.
213* Wrestling/ElSanto was supposed to be a mysterious rogue terrorizing the [[Wrestling/{{CMLL}} EMLL]] roster but the crowds were so enamored with the mysterious part that [[HeelFaceTurn he ended up]] close to a paragon numerous people wanted to hang out with.
214* [[Wrestling/GeorgeWagner Gorgeous George]] was a good, clean wrestler, seemingly long divorced from his {{delinquent|s}} roots, before he became, well, the {{Trope Namer|s}} for GorgeousGeorge.
215* Wrestling/TripleH: Hard to believe that [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure reasonable COO of the WWE]] started out as a WickedCultured {{Blueblood}}, became Wrestling/ShawnMichaels' sidekick [[SidekickGraduationsStick and later]] leader of Wrestling/DGenerationX, to a SmugSnake {{Jerkass}} dragon to Wrestling/TheCorporation and the Corporate Ministry, then a MagnificentBastard before and during the [=McMahon-Helmsley=] Era, Determinator DesignatedHero after the quad injury, Bastard/Monster with [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney with money]] in Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, FourthWallObserver after the DX reunion and finally, a BloodKnight vs. Wrestling/TheUndertaker at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 27''. At heart, he was always a jerk, he just got A LOT more mic time as he rose to power.
216* Wrestling/BeckyLynch might be the epitome of this now; she debuted with an {{Oireland}} stereotype gimmick - complete with green gear, ceili entrance music and a jig as a taunt. This was quickly phased out due to backlash and Becky became a mosh pit girl instead. Also, on NXT she was presented as a smart tactical OnlySaneMan in comparison to the more exaggerated characters. As of her debut on the main roster she was portrayed more as a GenkiGirl who loved puns and wordplay - which is more or less incorporating her own real-life persona. And THEN she [[EstablishingCharacterMoment slapped friend Charlotte Flair in the face]], evolved into 'THE MAN' and became the face of the entire company, including winning both women's titles in the MAIN EVENT of ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 35''.
217* You know, not many men can say they've been a fun-loving rapper, an evil king, a demon, a casanova, and a thug for hire in one lifetime. WWE's Viscera can.
218* Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}: Began as a [[IWorkAlone dark loner]] and became a [[TookALevelInJerkass jerkass]] with a bit of JerkJock who pulls his own hair out like a [[VillainousBreakdown crazed madman]] when he's about to finish someone. Is also, in his 2010 feud with Wrestling/{{Kane}}, apparently a ManipulativeBastard with a tendency to use [[SarcasmMode lifelike]] mannequins. Plus in between all this he had a comedic slant during the time when Wrestling/MickFoley was commissioner. He also was a vampire early in his career - and, except for his comedic tag pairing with Wrestling/{{Christian}} around the TurnOfTheMillennium, he's never lost his dark side, even as a face.
219* Remember when Wrestling/JohnCena wasn't a rapper? That gimmick lasted about one night. Unless you look far back enough into his pre-WWE career and see he was originally a {{cyborg}} as a way of explaining his lack of charisma.
220* [[Wrestling/HunterJohnston Delirious]] initially wore a white mask, stalked around seething and shouted random, unintelligible things in Gateway Championship Wrestling. TheUnintelligible part stuck but his mask became green, he became known for sprinting around without direction at the sound of the bell and having a {{motor mouth}}. Similarly, Wrestling/{{Chikara}}'s Wrestling/{{Hallowicked}} initially just screamed a lot before he met Delirious and also became known for unintelligible babbling.
221* Wrestling/MollyHolly's heel gimmick originally started out as a [[Wrestling/BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] type who wanted the division to be more serious. This eventually evolved into a self-righteous prude who gets mocked for having huge buttocks. Funnily enough, she reverted back to her initial persona around 2003 or so and the HollywoodPudgy was dropped.
222* Wrestling/RandyOrton. When he first debuted, he was a clean cut babyface, and even when he turned heel a few months later, he still had his optimism -- compare that to the modern-day Orton, a psychotic sociopath who hears voices in his head, and it's like seeing two entirely different people. There's an in-universe {{justifi|edTrope}}cation for this, which is frequently referred to: his ousting from Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, something Randy ''never'' got over. From that point on, his obsession with the WWE Championship and his seething resentment over the betrayal gradually drove Randy to the depths of insanity, and even now, almost a decade after the stable fully dissolved, one can still see Evolution's influence. The event functioned as his StartOfDarkness, and eventually came to define his ''entire'' career -- it took a continuous effort from [[SevenYearRule 2004 to 2011]] for him to get closure over the issue.
223* Wrestling/SamoaJoe's transition from Wrestling/RingOfHonor to [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]]. Previously, as a simple "assassin" of Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels' Prophecy OnlyInItForTheMoney showed his one standard was a refusal to compromise his integrity and break the CodeOfHonour. In TNA, Joe had no standards showing an outright derision for what Wrestling/AJStyles called the honor code of the X-division. Unlike most cases, Joe remained in ROH for three years after he started showing up in TNA, so it could be measured side by side for a time until he was pulled out of the former for seven years. By the final year of his TNA run, his "characterization" had marched to the point it came full circle though.
224* Remember when Wrestling/MickieJames was a lesbian? Skip that, remember when she was a ''complete psychopath''?
225* Wrestling/SantinoMarella: Began as a foreign [[TheEveryman everyman]], became the [[ButtMonkey eternal loser]], added ChickMagnet to this repertoire and graduated into a slightly more competent PluckyComicRelief with his similarly evolving, albeit in the apparent opposite direction, {{tag team}} championship partner Wrestling/VladimirKozlov.
226* Back about 2006-2007, many fans were thinking of Wrestling/TheMiz as [[ItWillNeverCatchOn the single most worthless WWE Superstar there was]]. [[TookALevelInBadass But today...]]
227* Wrestling/{{Kaitlyn}} was initially portrayed as a clumsy ditz on the third season of NXT but soon morphed into a quirky [[TheLadette Ladette]] to match her BFF Wrestling/AJLee.
228* Wrestling/{{LayCool}} started out as a rather generic heel tandem with AlphaBitch tendencies. They eventually became [[LargeHam much hammier]], obsessed with their looks, much ditzier and a borderline lesbian couple.
229* {{Wrestling/Bayley}} began as more of a starstruck ShrinkingViolet, who appeared to be a little [[CloudCuckooLander touched in the head]]. She quickly developed into an AllLovingHero who wanted to hug everyone. Her shyness and PromotedFanboy nature disappeared after a while.
230* Wrestling/SashaBanks when she first turned heel was pretty much a generic BetaBitch. After the crowd started chanting 'ratchet' at her[[note]]A ghetto slur for a woman who thinks she's high class when she's really seen as trashy[[/note]], Sasha started to add more rhinestones to her gear and act a bit more ghetto. As she had appeared in a leaked promo class video playing a snobby ghetto character weeks before she actually turned heel, this appears to be somewhat intentional.
231* {{Wrestling/Lita}} was actually presented as something of a SpicyLatina when she debuted as Essa Rios's valet. When she hooked up with Team Xtreme, she adopted the punk rock [[TheLadette Ladette]] image she's better known for.
232* {{Wrestling/Sable}} was a bit of a PluckyGirl when she was competing in the women's division. Upon her return in 2003 she played up her FemmeFatale traits and was more of a dangerous seductress who liked to play mind games.
233* {{Wrestling/Paige}} was initially a BloodKnight who happened to be a face, making her more of a WildCard. By mid-2014 she became much hammier, resembling her clowny persona from the indies. As of a 2015 face turn she also became more of a DeadpanSnarker in comparison to the AlphaBitch Wrestling/BellaTwins.
234* Wrestling/ScottHall while debuting as one of the "Outsiders" on WCW, had originally used many bits of Razor Ramon he used from WWF (Cuban accent, mannerism, etc.). However, due to copyright issues (WWF still maintained the rights to said gimmick), it was dialed down a bit later on.
235* Wrestling/BigELangston, now known simply as Big E, had only shown shades of a BoisterousBruiser as well as a ScaryBlackMan during his days wrestling on NXT. Then came the main roster, where he averts the former and plays the latter straight, debuting on Raw as an intimidating example of TheQuietOne while under the management of Wrestling/AJLee, a straight-up brute who rarely utters a word. Jarring contrast to what's shown later on with Wrestling/TheNewDay where he is known now not only as a "Boisterous Bruiser" but also as the BigFun, a big guy who wants to spread ''fun'' and ''positivity'', albeit one who still [[BewareTheSillyOnes should not be crossed]]. The very persona he maintains to be to this day.
236[[/folder]]
237
238[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
239* Franchise/{{The Muppet|s}} Sweetums first appeared in ''[[Film/TalesFromMuppetlandTheFrogPrince The Frog Prince]]'' as [[FluffyTheTerrible an ironically-named vicious frog-eating ogre]] serving the BigBad. It's hard to imagine Sweetums in this role now -- from ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' onward, although still looking ferocious, the name has been wholly deserved.
240* ''Series/SesameStreet'':
241** Telly Monster was originally conceived as a monster addicted to TV in a similar vein Cookie Monster is addicted to cookies, [[ArtifactName with his name being a short for Television Monster]] (he even had rabbit ear antennas on his head and MindControlEyes for watching too much TV [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference in his original design]]). However, the producers thought that he would be a bad influence on children, so all his TV-related traits were dropped and his personality got retooled into the [[NervousWreck neurotic]] monster for which he's better known.
242** Big Bird was initially ungainly in design and characterization, with clumsy body movements and a hick-like SimpletonVoice. As the years went by, Bird Bird's voice, design and personality slowly begin to change, abandoning his [[TheDitz Ditz]] traits from the earlier seasons and becoming the innocent 6-year-old GentleGiant child we know today.
243[[/folder]]
244
245[[folder:Roleplay]]
246* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'':
247** Ivan as he was originally conceived was intended to be more amoral (including one non-canonical instance of him attempting to manipulate the stock market for personal gain), but he's since developed into someone with a more upstanding and decent attitude.
248** Initially Ivy was written as being unapproachable, too concerned with her routine to [[HatesSmallTalk bother with small talk]]. This characterisation was dropped fairly early in favour of making her less haughty and more shy, and her initial traits were picked up by [[ScheduleFanatic Jacob]].
249** Originally conceived as a one-dimensional rich jerk, Benedict's personality was greatly expanded as the GM got a better handle on him, making it so that much of his attitude was due to an [[AbusiveParents abusive upbringing]] from his homophobic, classist father.
250* In ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil'', commonly happens due to changing tastes and styles of writers, especially if a character has been written for a long time.
251* Eddie Cohen of ''Roleplay/{{The Insane Quest|OfUnfathomableRandomness}}'' started off as more of an apathetic EmoTeen who would only do the bare minimum to contribute to his team's goals. As time went on, however, he was {{flanderiz|ation}}ed into a cowardly, inept ButtMonkey who was friendlier towards the other members of Smoosh and mostly avoided obstacles out of fear rather than laziness.
252* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'':
253** The original characterisation of [[StraightGay Sean O'Cann]] was as an abusive and rude JerkJock, somehow he managed to wind up as slightly brusque and somewhat sarcastic. The difference is such that without the name you wouldn't be able to tell it was the same character.
254** From the same version, [[PsychoLesbian Lyn Burbank]] was initially a cold, calculating psychopath ready to die as long as she could take down as many people as she could. It only took a small handful of threads before she changed dramatically: becoming bitter, more emotional and prone to [[VillainousBreakdown breakdowns]], her intended murderous rampage becoming focused on [[AlphaBitch Frost]] instead, the narrative focusing more on the more [[TheWoobie woobie-ish]] parts of her character, and the revelation that she was in fact terrified of dying. Her original self was {{handwave}}d away in the end with the explanation that she was just trying (and ultimately failing) to play the part she thought she was expected to play.
255** In version 4, we have Aileen Borden, who in her early pre-game posts started out as a [[ShrinkingViolet shy]] EmoTeen. As her characterization was more fleshed out, though, she changed radically. By the time v4 actually rolled around, her originally intended personality became clearer as a [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]] KnightInSourArmor, and ultimately became a {{Foil}} to [[WellIntentionedExtremist Aaron Hughes]] in-game. [[WordOfGod Her handler]] has said that the reason why was simply because it was taking a while to really get her characterization down.
256* In ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAvatars'', not only did the Homestuck Trolls take this route, but various canon characters have marched onto new designs.
257[[/folder]]
258
259[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
260* ''TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness'':
261** ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'': the True Fae in the first edition were depicted as debauched bastards with no human morals who actively kidnapped humans on regular basis to turn them into Changelings for the sake of it. Their motivations were gradually fleshed out over the course of the various books, and the second edition eventually establishes the ones who go kidnapping humans are only a fraction of the whole; there are countless more who, while just as subject to BlueAndOrangeMorality as their kin, are content to stay in Arcadia, pursuing their own interests, rather than go mess with humans.
262** Similarly, earlier drafts of ''TabletopGame/BeastThePrimordial'' depicted ''all'' {{Hero|Antagonist}}es as irredeemable, AxCrazy {{Knight Templar}}s with an ego problem who hunted Beasts out of FantasticRacism. The final version of the book clarified there ''are'' actually good Heroes who actually deserve the titles, the Beasts just tend to run mostly into the ones with low Integrity. The supplement ''Conquering Heroes'' then provided sample Heroes with various shades of gray and motivations, clarifying not all of them fit this description.
263*** The draft version also had Heroes as people who had undergone a psychotic break after being attacked or fed on by a Beast, while the final version had them as humans born with an innate sensitivity to the Primordial Dream.
264* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
265** In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', early portrayals of Karl Franz make him into a cowardly and inept leader. Today he is known as a badass Emperor who fights with his Griffon.
266** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
267*** The first named Space Marine was Pedro Cantor of the Crimson Fists. The guy was little more than a rude lout who wouldn't look out of place in a mob of football hooligans. In fact, all the Space Marines were psychopathic thugs in graffitied armor with beaked helmets. And for a bunch of bio-engineered supersoldiers, they were awfully weak. They were somewhat stronger than a regular human but had exactly equal amounts of Toughness. Not to mention that Space Marines were classified as humans in terms of race and so they had the exact same maximum stat limits as any other human character. Later editions would see the Space Marines get further fleshed out in detail and have them take a couple of levels in kindness and badass (after detailing the 19 different organs that they get implanted with and writing their chapter histories) Pedro would return as Pedro Kantor, now Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists, and not only show considerable depth and consideration for the common folk of the Imperium, but also one of the more badass and disciplined Chapter Masters to boot.
268*** When initially introduced at the end of 2nd Edition of the game and the beginning of 3rd, the [[MechanicalLifeform Necrons]] lacked a lot of character, consisting of mindless automatons dedicated to wiping out and harvesting the galaxy's lifeforms with only the [[JerkassGods C'tan]], the Deceiver in particular, showing any real personality. The 5th Edition [[{{Sourcebook}} Codex]] expanded the faction's characterisation, background, fighting style and unit choice considerably, {{handwav|e}}ing a lot of the early characterization as damage from their eons of stasis.
269* The ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' planeswalker (mage of significant power, typically also recurring characters) Nissa Revane was originally an [[FantasticRacism Elf supremacist]] when she debuted in 2009. At a panel in 2015, Wizards of the Coast explicitly stated that they were dropping that aspect of her character for ''Magic Origins,'' and to paint her in a much more heroic role as she defended her homeland from [[EldritchAbomination the Eldrazi]] in ''Battle for Zendikar.''
270* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', Queen Abrogail Thrune II was initially portrayed as a RoyalBrat whose success among the cutthroat, devil-worshipping court of Cheliax could be significantly attributed to the good fortune of being born a sorceress of tremendous power. As the timeline advanced and Abrogail aged she became more cunning and disciplined, but did so retroactively, with the explanation that any seeming capriciousness had been part of calculated plans to advance her power. Her magical abilities were framed as the result of personal drive and brilliance, and Hell sending her a tutor due to her competence and piety, and the notion of her being spoilt royalty disappeared as the untimely deaths of several previous rulers of Cheliax had affected her from a young age.
271[[/folder]]
272
273[[folder:Theatre]]
274* In the earliest iterations of ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'', Hermes was a direct accomplice of Hades who worked to lure souls down and tried to tempt both Orpheus and Eurydice away--a far cry from the wise mentor and narrator he eventually became.
275[[/folder]]
276
277[[folder:Web Animation]]
278* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'':
279** Balloon started out as just a character who gets killed over and over, but by Episode 4, he started to gain more of a prominence to the story instead of just a gag.
280** At first Dave only existed to be TheBully to the point of being a HateSink, but Episode 5 opened up some HiddenDepths for him and shown that he has an InferioritySuperiorityComplex.
281** Killer didn't really have much of a personality beyond the 'asshole edgelord' type, but he eventually gets traits like being BrilliantButLazy, being an incredibly ruthless BloodKnight, and even some JerkWithAHeartOfGold moments.
282* In the first episode of ''WebVideo/HalfLifeButTheAIIsSelfAware'', Gordon calls Tommy a freak and dislikes him. For the rest of the series, Gordon legitimately enjoys Tommy's company, and the closest he gets to insulting him is expressing concern about Tommy getting a caffeine overdose.
283* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'':
284** Sniffles was initially depicted as a generic nerd who was mainly defined by his rivalry with The Ant family. Later episodes played up his geeky personality and depicts him as the MadScientist who is the [[GadgeteerGenius resident inventor]].
285** Flaky wasn't nearly as bashful in her first few appearances; in fact, she was mostly outgoing and was only afraid of genuine danger. For that matter, most episodes in Season 1 ditch her worrisome demeanor almost entirely, to the point where she is willing to hang off a monkey bar in "Treasure Those Idol Moments" and had no problems hanging out with [[AxCrazy Flippy]], a character she fears in later episodes.
286** Russell was more like a true pirate in the first two seasons, as his episodes always involved the ocean and he even wore a PermaStubble in Season 1. Later episodes mostly ditch these in favor of making him a FriendlyPirate.
287** It took quite a bit for the creators to decide what identity Pop should have. His debut episode, "Havin' A Ball", is a huge contrast to later Pop & Cub episodes. Then, his next appearance, "Chip Off the Ol' Block" was originally going to end with Pop intentionally setting Cub's corpse on fire to dispose of it, before it was change to Pop accidentally setting Cub's body on fire. From there, his dynamic with Cub was finally set in stone.
288* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': Stolas' introduction in [[Recap/HelluvaBossS1E0Pilot the Pilot]] is him calling I.M.P to assassinate a politician trying to stop global warming, so that more people will die from global warming and he won't be as lonely. Stolas in the series proper never does anything as evil and he is portrayed more sympathetically later on. His AggressiveSubmissive vulgar tendencies towards Blitzo are also toned down considerably after the first proper episode.
289* ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'':
290** Trisha Cappelletti was ''far'' bitchier in her debut episode, almost nothing like the NiceGirl she currently is.
291** Brittnay Matthews started out as a stereotypical DumbBlonde whose only qualities were anger and vapidness, but she had gradually evolved into, in the creators' words, a lot smarter, more independent "hardened diamond of hell".
292* The ''WebAnimation/PonyDotMov'' series' take on Rarity changed -- voice-wise and appearance-wise -- drastically between APPLE.MOV and DRESS.MOV, from excited teenager to obese sweatshop runner.
293* In very early episodes of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', it's pretty clear that most of the personalities haven't really been defined yet, especially on the Red side. {{Flanderization}} sets in quickly as they find clearer, more defined roles in the overall cast dynamic, and by season two the characterization has gelled -- from then on, most major change falls under CharacterDevelopment. Notably, Donut, Lopez, and to a lesser extent Sarge are almost completely different characters from their familiar characterizations.
294* ''Webanimation/RedVsBlue'': Caboose, presented as a socially inept new recruit gradually slips from an unintelligent human to a more alien-esque character who doesn't understand basic human norms and cannot follow a conversation. It is speculated that this is due to a shootout taking place inside his brain during the second season.
295* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The series as a whole combines CharacterDevelopment and HiddenDepths over the course of the entire show, resulting in many members of the cast being quite different in earlier seasons, especially as they grow to trust each other and open up more. To wit:
296** The trailers in general show each member of team RWBY wearing their 'public mask', i.e. what they want others to see themselves as at the time, instead of behaving as they actually are. The Red Trailer was explicitly more of a combat portfolio than an insight into Ruby's character, but the other three are also rather different from what they'd become.
297** Ruby initially displays a shyness and anxiety about being pushed ahead two years. It's mostly gone after the first few episodes, since she throws herself into being the best team leader she can be, but it reappears (and is [[CharacterExaggeration emphasised]]) in the [[Manga/RWBYTheOfficialManga second manga adaptation]]. She's also noted to hide her own emotions and insecurities behind a GenkiGirl facade for the benefit of others, something which she's called out for in volume five and slowly starts breaking away from later.
298** Weiss in the White trailer is elegant, refined, and defiantly able to take down an Arma Gigas. When we meet her in the show, she first seems to be an AcademicAlphaBitch, but quickly demonstrates that this is a persona she adopts to try not to show doubt over her own flaws and quickly develops into a LovableAlphaBitch as she confronts her various issues. Eventually she drops the bitch part entirely and becomes an emotionally intelligent chivalrous protector, though she never completely loses her sass.
299** Blake enters the series at a low point in her life, though the show doesn't reveal this at first. As a result, many people assumed the quiet introverted persona she had was her natural state, but it's eventually revealed to have been the result of psychological abuse and trauma. Over the course of the series and her own healing, she reveals herself to not only be passionate about doing the right thing but also to have a very pointed sense of humor, teasing other characters casually.
300** Yang is shown as a 'party girl' in the Yellow Trailer, complete with flirting with boys and breaking a nightclub. While she initially keeps up the act, her position as TeamMom takes center stage quickly as she helps both Ruby and Blake through their own issues, even providing Weiss some critique on occasion. She's also forced to acknowledge that her gung-ho methods aren't always the best, so she retreats into herself for a while and comes out being more willing to think things through.
301** And all of the above is just team RWBY. Many other characters, both main and side, also change as the series goes on -- the villains' arcs being just as developed as the heroes'.
302* ''WebAnimation/SolarBalls'': In the early episodes, The Earth could be described as a jerk who often belittled moons and was even mean to his so called ‘friends’, but in the later episodes he tries to make up for his mistakes and even outright redeems himself in "The Earth's Redemption".
303* ''[[WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'':
304** Yoshi was initially more self-aware in early appearences like in "The Great Yoshi Race", and while he wasn't smart, he at least had common sense. As time went on, he TookALevelInDumbass like the rest of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] characters, and became TheQuietOne as he also stopped speaking directly.
305** In Tari's debut video, she had ButtMonkey traits similar to many other characters in [=SMG4=]. She completely dropped those traits in her next appearance and became ImmuneToSlapstick.
306* ''WebAnimation/TwoMoreEggs'': In the first two ''TME'' seasons, Kovitch was implied to be just as weird as Hector and only replied to his long ramblings with {{Non Sequitur}}s. In the third season, Kovitch holds (relatively) normal conversations with Hector and becomes the more levelheaded of the duo.
307* ''Webanimation/ZsdavAdventures'': [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Tiny Tim]] first appeared in ''[[YetAnotherChristmasCarol Karácsonyi külön kiadás]]'' (''Christmas special'') where he lost his legs and is never shown what his character is like, but Zsdav goes out to give him a gift to make him happy. After-coming episodes however [[AdaptationalVillainy depicts him as a cruel villain]] whose only goel to get legs, no matter what vile acts he has to do, and his ArchEnemy is Zsdav.
308[[/folder]]
309
310[[folder:Webcomics]]
311* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'':
312** D'rizzl has his IQ go up 120 points upon joining the Dark Warriors, since the team needed a straight man.
313** The very first strips also have Fighter as not-dumb (he even remarks "Dude, that line sucks" when Black Mage does a [[Film/XMen1 Storm]] impression) and Black Mage as not-evil (he kinda feels bad for accidentally blowing up a forest. Really!). It says something about the comic when [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/12/episode-015-a-little-intellectual-conversation/ saying "Thanks. What's up?"]] to a guard instead of murdering him for speaking to him is out of character.
314* It takes a while for the characters to get established in ''Webcomic/{{Achewood}}'', and there are too many out-of-character moments in early strips to count. However, the most JustForFun/{{egregious}} (and {{squick}}y) would have to be when [[ChildrenAreInnocent Philippe]] -- later established to be perpetually five years old -- has sex with Ultra Peanut.
315** Well, all we really see is that they've taken their clothes off. Chris Onstad suggests in the book that they went outside to play in the sprinklers.
316* In ''Webcomic/AnsemRetort'':
317** Zexion was originally supposed to be the OnlySaneMan who would exist for Axel and Marluxia to play off. He developed into a King among {{Jerkass}}es.
318** Marluxia started off as Axel's partner in crime and psychopathy. When Zexion's characterization marched on, Marluxia became superfluous and was DemotedToExtra. After that, he turned gay. Then he got re-promoted to main character, in more or less the StraightMan role Zexion was originally going to play.
319** Namine was originally a television addict disconnected from reality. Then she became the OnlySaneMan among the cast.
320* Minor example in ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': In [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/010909c an early strip,]] Chadling is excited by the prospect of bananas. Bananas never come up in the comic again, and the rest of the time, Chadling's TrademarkFavoriteFood is ice cream (like most of the other dumb characters). In the commentary, David Anez says that the love of bananas was a reference to a friend of his whom Chadling was named after, and he never got around to using it again.
321* Marc from ''Webcomic/{{Comc}}'' was originally intended to be a stereotypical teenager with a love of music (with similar tastes to the author), but he quickly evolved to more of a sensible teenager, taking over the original role of Victor to some extent (his love of music is unchanged, but is focused on less). Victor, on the other hand, became slightly sillier than the original idea already in the first strip.
322* ''Webcomic/DetoxCamp'': Daisy's first appearance made her seem oddly bubbly and excitable, while later chapters show her much more subdued. The GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion of chapter 1 fixed this by toning down her initial excitement.
323* Sil'lice from ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' brutality and cruelty seems to have been toned down in the later remake chapters compared to the earlier chapters. She actually seems to be somewhat reasonable now and has two little twins whom she clearly loves. It's widely agreed to be an improvement. And most of the worst traits she had before now seem to have been transferred to her daughter Kadara, whose viciousness when dealing with two children who are also her cousins seems to take Sil'lice aback.
324* In the earliest ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' strips, Elliot and Tedd were alike in perversion, and Sarah was a borderline StrawFeminist. These days, it's hard to imagine Sarah giving more than an annoyed glare to Tedd's suggestion to strip, and it's hard to imagine Elliot going along with it.
325** Tedd, for his part, while his libido hasn't really changed, has lost a lot of his MadScientist cred with the revelation that he's just been reverse-engineering alien tech, and parts of it (which work on the same principles as Earth "magic") remain a mystery to him. He also went from straight-up pervert to ChivalrousPervert, to the point of removing an [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual x-ray function from his glasses]] because he thought it was too unethical.
326** Grace is much less naïve in early strips (in the most glaring case, later {{retcon}}ned as having been explained to her, realizing what people would think of a woman wearing nothing but a trenchcoat), something Dan admits he regrets.
327** Principal Verrückt's first appearance was a quick "the principal is UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler" cutaway gag, complete with GratuitousGerman; in his very next appearance, Ellen points out just how he looks with a wig, and from then on, he's bald with a bushier moustache, never once speaks another word in German, and comes off as a good-hearted bumbler.
328** Ashley was a {{Tsundere}} (of the non-violent, sullen, in-denial sort) with regard to Elliot in her first couple of appearances. Once she began actually to interact with him, however, she abruptly became a perky, [[CrushBlush blushing]], sweet-natured, honest and open about everything--even her fetishes--and has remained that way, with no hint of tsundere, since.
329* [[CampGay Franz]] from ''Webcomic/ElijahAndAzuu'' started out as an AllGaysArePromiscuous gag character, which feels at odds with the devoted relationship he's in once he has some CharacterDevelopment. In particular, [[WordOfGod the author]] said that he regretted making Franz [[spoiler:have a three-way with his boyfriend and mother]] because it was awkward to write around in a later, more serious story arc.
330* In ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'', Trudy starts out as a CardCarryingVillain who routinely drops safes on GPF's competitors, killing them. In the year before Surreptitious Machinations, she gradually evolves into a [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]] who manages to take over the world in an alternate future, becoming emotionally unhinged after killing [[spoiler:Nick for rejecting her]], the first time she had ever killed someone herself.
331* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
332** Dave is known as TheStoic who can go off into epic wordplay at the drop of a hat and has a very consistent demeanor that's incredibly difficult to falter. However, the few times we see him talk to John pre-naming, he comes off as more emotional and brief, actually using punctuation and emotion, with John able to casually troll him with a simple reference to ''Film/LittleMonsters''.
333** There's also the Trolls, though in their case not much was known about them at the time. Compare their earlier pesterlogs in Acts 3 and 4 to what is later revealed about them in Act 5.
334** Hussie also notes this happening to John in the notes for the second book:
335--->Also [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002224 this conversation]] is kind of interesting because as the story moves along, John kind of smooths out slightly into more of a StraightMan to the ridiculous ravings of others, but in this first conversation there was more of a [[SnarkToSnarkCombat smartass give-and-take]].
336* On her introduction in ''Webcomic/{{Inverloch}}'', Neirenn made a number of cryptic statements that implied some kind of clairvoyance. This was quickly dropped, and she acted like a normal (magic-wielding and mysteriously motivated) teenager from then on.
337* ''Webcomic/LeastICouldDo'''s main character suffers from this. At first, he is a LovableSexManiac, an idiot who gets laid a lot, a lot like Joey from ''Series/{{Friends}}''. His stupidity was emphasized in early strips. As the series progress, his stupidity becomes [[ManChild immaturity]], [[SuddenIntelligence making him a very smart guy]] that just likes to act childish from time to time. He also gets geekier and geekier, up to the point where he is JustForFun/OneOfUs.
338* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
339** The Monster in the Darkness started out as an incompetent sidekick to Xykon and Redcloak. It was AffablyEvil, albeit somewhat dim, and generally hinted to be less terrifying than implied by Xykon. As the series continued, the Monster gradually became a stupid and naïve creature virtually incapable of comprehending much of anything, behaving and speaking almost like a child in most circumstances, but a legitimately dangerous threat if it could ever properly compose some malice. Though the kernel for this existed from the get go, Flanderization took the character sufficiently far from its original form for this to become noticeable.
340** Speaking of Redcloak, in the first storyline, he had the attitude of a servile YesMan to the BigBad Xykon. Later stories would not only give him a more sarcastic personality, he also became a DragonWithAnAgenda.
341** In one of her earliest appearances, Celia blasts Nale with a lightning bolt to punish him for pranking her into thinking her family was dead. Later strips have established her as an ActualPacifist who won't willingly harm another living creature even when her own life is threatened.
342** In an early strip, Haley genuinely considered selling a villain into slavery at Belkar's suggestion. Even before her character development she'd find that abhorring considering [[spoiler:she joined the Order to free her father, who was being held prisoner and forced into gladiatorship.]]
343** In an early strip, Haley steals Belkar's potion and makes him feel guilty about it. Now, it's hard to imagine anyone making Belkar feel bad about anything before his CharacterDevelopment kicked in.
344* Lisa of ''Webcomic/PennyAndAggie'', in her earliest appearances, bears little resemblance to the cheerful, extroverted GenkiGirl she's best known as. Instead, she's presented as a somewhat alienated and angry sort, apart from her friendly overtures to Aggie. Writer T Campbell [[{{Retcon}} later explained]] [[AllThereInTheManual in the comic's forum]] that Lisa was in a "transitional period" then as a NewTransferStudent, and was also going through a "rebel phase" which put more distance between her and others than she's usually been known to maintain.
345** Also, Sara: in [[http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=4 one of her first appearances]] (in fact, only the fourth panel ''ever''), she expresses interest in Italian boys. This seems very strange in retrospect given her later ComingOutStory. It didn't take long for that subplot to start being foreshadowed, though, and you could always just wave it off as her trying to fit in.
346* Webcomic/ProblemSleuth, at the beginning of his series, didn't have the crippling phobia of ethnic cheer murals that he shows later on. He originally considered the mural in his office money well spent.
347** The only other ethnic cheer mural he encountered [[EverythingTryingToKillYou attempted to beat him to death.]]
348** He was also more of a jerk to the other characters, though that one has elements of FireForgedFriends.
349* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', Hannelore was first introduced when [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=515 Marten was so drunk he went in the wrong bathroom]], and she ''tried to pick him up''. Later, her OCD [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1315 was seriously played up]]. Eventually, she explains her earlier behavior by saying that she "was on some pretty powerful anti-anxiety meds" and "wasn't myself". Hanners is also smoking in that comic, something even less likely for the OCD character she has developed into. She seems to be [[{{Flanderization}} de-flanderizing]] [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1404 a bit]].
350** [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4400 And eventually lampshaded]], as a character who wasn't (directly) in the comic early being very surprised to hear she'd smoked.
351* In ''Webcomic/{{Rascals}}'', the best example would have to be Mitzu as she was originally a hired gun on this [[https://rascals.kemono.cafe/comic/rascals-pg-73/ page]] ; however, it is later revealed on this [[https://rascals.kemono.cafe/comic/rascals-pg-344/ page]] that she took the job as personal beef with Reiko.
352* The Reverend in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' started out as [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-11-19 "more of an irreverend"]]; in most future appearances, while he's willing to snark as much as anyone else, he approaches his duties a lot more seriously.
353* Non-work safe comic ''Webcomic/SexyLosers''.
354** In particular, early "Madame X" strips featured a couple of friends who mainly existed to bounce exposition off of... [[http://sexylosers.com/006.html at first]]. As the author put it, "But you said nothing happened last time," practically sounds like a doctoral thesis coming from a character known for lines like "Your fuck is shit, dickass."
355** This is also true for the Suicide Girl comics. [[http://sexylosers.com/007.html At first]], he would ask the girl if they would have sex prior, making you believe he would have either or. [[http://sexylosers.com/097.html Now]] he's only interested in corpses.
356** Also true for the Kenta's Hot Mom comics. [[http://sexylosers.com/048.html At first]], Kenta ''actually'' had feelings for his mother. This gets weird seeing how he is openly disgusted at his mom's sexual advances in every other comic.
357* For the first year or so of ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'', Davan is portrayed as being completely hopeless with women. He's shown being rejected by women multiple times, and the few relationships he has had have been with women who were either mentally unstable or who spontaneously decided to cheat on him (and in one instance, both). This changed due to a bit of outside interference: according to WordOfGod (in a Website/YouTube post), Milholland had the idea of Davan meeting a really cool girl in the bar he frequented, then having her be creeped out by his getting involved in an altercation. A friend suggested that instead of going for the thousandth downer, that he cut Davan a break and let him be happy for once. His going for this idea and starting a romantic plotline for Davan probably killed the whole "women hate Davan" gag; since then, Davan has been involved with a handful of reasonably stable women, including some friends-with-benefits closet-action. Davan still references the ''idea'' that he only attracts crazy women, but then nobody in the comic seems entirely sane.
358* Hogan from ''Webcomic/SurvivorFanCharacters'' is widely remembered by fans as a good-natured [[TheAce Ace]] with a playful sense of humor who was the series' first big "heroic" character, so it can be quite jarring to reread Season 1 and discover that he was actually a massive JerkAss with barely a trace of humor for the first couple of episodes and didn't become really likable until halfway through the season. Suffice it to say that the Hogan from [[ReunionShow All-Stars]] would ''never'' have tried throwing an immunity challenge solely because he hated almost all of his tribemates and wanted to vote them off.
359* Exaggerated and PlayedForLaughs in [[https://www.tricksywizard.com/comics/2018/10/21/class-clown this]] ''Tricksy Wizard'' comic with a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' character who starts out as a literal clown, going so far as to use the classic PieInTheFace gag against a troll in the 1st session. In the 40th session, the same character is seen performing a HeroicSacrifice as a LoadBearingHero, complete with him and another character sharing a DyingDeclarationOfLove. The author notes cite [[Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance Taako]] as inspiration for this gag.
360* Arlo from ''Webcomic/{{Unordinary}}''. Early on, him damaging Rein well beyond her being able to fight anymore during their Turf War duel (even outright ignoring Broven's call for a forfeit) made Arlo come off as someone who performs highly questionable [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown No Holds Barred Beatdowns]] on his opponents. While he's still very much a {{Jerkass}} as the series moves along, he hasn't performed such villainous actions since.
361* ''Webcomic/WeakHero'':
362** Kingsley's introduction has him openly sneer at Harper and then chuckle while cursing out Eunjang High. This is the most emotion he'll ever show, as he's quickly re-characterised to be TheStoic.
363** Alex's initial characterisation as a slightly unhinged [[HotBlooded hothead]] falls to the wayside in lieu of a more serious, introspective personality, particularly come Season 3 where [[OvershadowedByAwesome his insecurities]] are at the forefront.
364* ''Webcomic/{{Whomp}}'' Ronnie starts off as an [[http://www.whompcomic.com/2010/06/21/06212010/ angry]] [[http://www.whompcomic.com/2010/08/27/surely-it-is-back-there/ Jerkass]] who frequently [[http://www.whompcomic.com/2010/08/17/08172010/ stood up to Motivation Dude]]. Later he would be a weepy ExtremeDoormat.
365* ''Webcomic/YourThrone'': in the first chapter, Lady Medea is openly showing emotion at the announcement of Eros' and Psyche's engagement, glaring and gnashing her teeth. Also, she has a man killed for speaking ill about her and murders Psyche's favorite knight and (non-fatally) poisons Psyche just to spite her. In later chapters, Medea is in ''much'' better control of her emotions and shown to [[TheChessmaster deliberate all the ramifications]] of her actions instead of acting on impulse.
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368[[folder:Web Original]]
369* The first run of Barbelith comic stories for MediaNotes/JennyEverywhere struggled to get a handle on the character, with her being particularly OOC in ''Mrs Zirma'' as a grim-faced action-hero type unafraid to kill her villains without giving them a chance, far from the cheerful, [[ThePollyanna all-loving]] optimist characterization that ultimately won out. Her standard powers also took some time to settle, with multiple Barbelith stories outright not mentioning her interdimensional abilities one way or the other. Interestingly, her having the ability to mentally communicate with her other selves, and having the ability to physically teleport between universes were initially two competing ideas, before they were synthesized into a single power-set.
370* In the long-running [[{{Website/Neopets}} Neopian Times]] series ''Al the Chia'', Peacepaw (a nonconformist NewAgeRetroHippie among the wolflike Lupes) initially comes off as so saccharine that he's in his own little world, and being in his own little world with all his happy little friends quickly becomes unbearable for a third party, like Al. In later installments, he's still a hippy with all that that entails, but he's ''much'' more approachable and likable.
371* The Foundation ''itself'' from the ''Website/{{SCP Foundation}}'' is subject to a lot of this. Early articles and tales portray a much smaller, much more disorganized Foundation subject to the whims of a motley collection of BunnyEarsLawyer scientists. The current community, including the creators of most of the aforementioned characters, regards this as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and frowns on the use of many ideas that were popular early on, such as a Foundation that believes that WeHaveReserves.
372* In her first appearance in ''Website/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'' in ''Jenny Everywhere and the Master of Monsters'', Laura Drake was somewhat bemused by Jenny's casual refusal to treat their rivalry seriously. By the time of ''Family Business'', this was quietly retooled with Laura being just as much "in" on the joke of their simultaneously being girlfriends and enemies, with other characters like Thymon taking the role ofbaffled straight-man instead.
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375[[folder:Web Videos]]
376* WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd was initially the Angry ''Nintendo'' Nerd, and only started calling himself by his much more well-known moniker after realizing there were quite a few other games and game systems he would receive requests to do reviews of. He also mostly stuck to games from the '80s, didn't have a theme song, and his first two videos were incredibly strange for two opposite reasons; the first video didn't show the Nerd at all, while the second was just him sitting at a computer and talking to the audience with only the odd screen shot. Also, The Nerd was much more thoroughly in-character during the earlier videos, and came off much less of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold compared to later and recent videos. Well, by comparison anyways...
377* The Ninja from ''WebVideo/AskANinja'' was much more creepy, ominous, and stoic in the first episode. Later episodes portray him more as a comically upbeat, AffablyEvil {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
378* Discussed in Bumbles [=McFumbles=]' "Which VideoGame/PunchOut Boxer is the Biggest Cheater?" two-parter. After the Wii version racked up a total of ''nineteen'' rule breaks in [[https://youtu.be/Q7aKQj3nEIw?t=961 the first video]], [[https://youtu.be/8_JCv-ldJXU?t=443 Bumbles is extremely surprised]] to learn that Aran Ryan was once the cleanest boxer in the game back in ''Super Punch-Out!''. This prompts him to ask just what in the ever-loving hell happened between the two games that turned him from a fair fighter - albeit [[TheGenericGuy one with nothing to set himself apart from others]] - to a raging, cheating BloodKnight.
379--> ''What grudge do [[Creator/NextLevelGames the Canadians]] and the Irish have?!''
380* In his early videos, LetsPlay/{{Gronkh}} tended to put things much more bluntly and was much less talkative than he is now; all in all, his in-show personality wasn't developed yet.
381* ''The Happy Video Game Nerd'': He started out aping the AVGN style as closely as possible, to the point that a few of his videos are directly "inspired" by specific episodes (the intro to ''Metal Storm'' was lifted from ''The Karate Kid''; ''Nightshade'' is a riff on ''Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout''). Over time, he's dropped most of the AVGN (and [[BizarroUniverse anti-AVGN]]) elements, and now all that remains are the name itself, along with a few props (the shirt and the wine). After one of the final episodes of the HVGN, the creator, Darek Alexander, noted that he had dropped all of his parodic elements, including his black shirt and wine. No one pointed it out in the comments, so he concluded that the HVGN had, more or less, run its course. He still makes videos regarding video games, but under the moniker ''WebVideo/StopSkeletonsFromFighting'' with a style that is no longer directly inspired by James Rolfe.
382* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'':
383** Fans of the Critic may be surprised to see that in the character's first ever appearance, he is commenting on the first live-action ''Transformers'' movie in a style closer to that of Creator/DougWalker's other character, Chester A. Bum. Over the course of the next few reviews, The Nostalgia Critic became the cynic most viewers are familiar with, and the "hyper" style was given to Chester A. Bum. This was lampshaded when The Nostalgia Critic briefly resumed the prior characterization when reviewing ''Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen'', and Chester A. Bum walked in at the end and asked "Did he just steal my act?"
384** In a much more character-based example, and [[WordOfGod confirmed by Doug]] in the ''Cartoon All-Stars'' commentary, he was much manlier and much less pathetic/woobiefied back in the earlier reviews. For example, when he screamed back then, he sounded scary and angry. When he screams now, it's more like he's seriously getting freaked out. And there's a lot more crying involved.
385* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick seems to have gone through stages. First she was just a [[DistaffCounterpart female version]] of WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic, with the slightly-milder yelling and the funny "WTF" reaction shots. Then she was a [[DeadpanSnarker dry]], girly OnlySaneWoman with a couple moments of being NotSoAboveItAll. It wasn't until "Top Ten Disturbing and Inescapable Christmas Songs" that she started to develop the kind of scary, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold gold-hearted]] BitchInSheepsClothing BrokenBird persona that we all know and love. Her reviewing style also has gradually morphed from being a straight-through synopsis that pokes fun at various FridgeLogic (like the Critic's reviews) and become more of general study of the review subject's themes, characters, plot (and plot holes) and so on. Even in reviews like ''Grease'' or ''Mulan'', she takes time from the synopsis to analyze various details.
386* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', Gaea and Sparadrap were respectively the AudienceSurrogate and a typical {{Noob}} when introduced in the webseries. They eventually turned into the [[TheScrooge greedy]] DirtyCoward and StupidGood player they get more obviously introduced as in the novels and comic. Couette also started out as Sparadrap's DistaffCounterpart before DivergentCharacterEvolution took place in all three media.
387* In the earliest Webvideo/SandersSides videos, Virgil (the personification of Thomas' anxiety) was portrayed as being actively malicious, intentionally causing problems for Thomas, and enjoying himself while doing it. However, as his personality developed, he became much more sympathetic -- a lot of the videos centered on Virgil point out that being the manifestation of anxiety, fear, and insecurity, and consequentially being TheFriendNobodyLikes on top of that isn't exactly a picnic for ''him'', either.
388* In ''WebVideo/ScreenRantPitchMeetings'', the screenwriter usually proposes scripts full of bad ideas and plot holes, which he weakly justifies, and the producer usually lets said decisions pass without much resistance unless they're ''outrageously'' bad. In the very first pitch meeting, for ''Film/TheLastJedi'', the screenwriter proposes killing off Leia in a "beautiful" death scene, but then is overruled by the producer, who tells him to have Leia save herself using the Force. People used to subsequent episodes may be surprised by the producer not only overruling the screenwriter, but actually telling him what to do.
389* When ''WebVideo/TwoBestFriendsPlay'' released their first video, Matt was focused on the game while Pat provided light-hearted commentary. In the next one, their roles switched, and Matt became sort of a bumbling doofus while Pat was an angry guy pissed off by his friend's incompetence. As time passed by, Matt gained more seriousness while staying a light-hearted character, while Pat mellowed out a bit.
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