[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/MyLittlePony https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rainbowcoolnes_2690.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 Same name.]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Different generation.]]]]

Some characters can have very long careers, managing to exist and maintain popularity for several decades. Due to the simple passing of time and [[DependingOnTheWriter countless writers]], this means that the character as you know them today can be very different from older incarnations; even versions created just a few years later. We're not (just) talking a [[ArtEvolution wardrobe or design difference]] either, but complete personality overhauls and behavior.

This can occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's entirely intentional. For example, WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck began with the same basic personality, so the [[Creator/WarnerBros Boys of Termite Terrance]] deliberately experimented with new ones to [[CastSpeciation avoid redundancy in the character lineup.]] Maybe the creators feel that the elements they are changing are ones that are negligible or could actively improve the character. Heck, if the character was unpopular enough, maybe they figured no one would mind if they scrapped everything but [[InNameOnly the name and design]]. Other times it can be accidental, though. Perhaps the writers inadvertently find themselves latching onto certain character traits and ignoring others because it makes writing the character easier or leads to more interesting stories: {{Flanderization}} can occur as a result of this. Whatever the behind-the-scenes reason, expect fans to debate heavily about which era of the character was the best.

See also CharacterizationMarchesOn, InterpretativeCharacter, AdaptationalPersonalityChange.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/GetterRobo'': Benkei has had a different personality in every appearance. Original Manga: identical to Musashi. 70s Anime: A pacifist coach with stout strength. Getter Robo Armageddon anime: TeamDad and while a bad ass something of the OnlySaneMan. New Getter Robo anime: a composite with Musashi, a reformed monk that's chaotic good.
* Ash Ketchum from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' has received drastic personality changes in every new series starting with ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite''. Only his heroic nature, fearlessness, and love for Pokémon remain constant.
** ''BW'' Ash's personality was reset to that of an immature rookie, but with a much greater emphasis on his NiceGuy qualities (in contrast to the bratty DeadpanSnarker he was in the original series). While he eventually grows back to being a reasonably competent trainer, his overall character largely remains that of a KindheartedSimpleton.
** ''XY'' Ash was nearly infallible, and far moreso than in any other saga, serving as the wise, experienced mentor to his traveling companions, who, along with a few rivals, all idolized him. While he still retained all of his enthusiasm, he was still very calm, mature, and capable of planning ahead at times, while retaining his strength of thinking on his feet.
** ''SM'' Ash is more buffoonish and hyperactive than ''XY'' Ash, possibly the most since the original series, though he retains the competence and SimpleMindedWisdom of ''XY'' Ash.
** ''Journeys'' Ash is for the most part a toned down rendition of his ''SM'' counterpart. He's portrayed as very carefree and emotionally open to contrast to the reserved and antisocial [[{{Foil}} Goh]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''Franchise/{{Aquaman}}'':
** The Golden Age version of Aquaman, owing to his origin as a human experimented on by his scientist father, was a curious sort who much preferred the company of the sea to land people and was often a GuileHero when dealing with villains.
** Silver and Bronze Age Aquaman had a different origin and was more of a ScienceHero as alien invasions became semi-frequent, and the addition of a supporting cast in Aqualad, Mera, and Vulko meant he now had ties to Atlantis as well as the surface. He became a devoted family man after marrying Mera and having a child, which was shattered when Black Manta murdered his son, causing the first of many rage-filled moments for the character.
** In the 90's Aquaman was known for weathering his depression and exerting himself in service to others, before taking on an aggressive, more proactive attitude accompanied by a change in attire and growing a beard. He also became grumpier and snarkier than before.
** Modern-day Aquaman is defined by being a child of two worlds and not really comfortable in either, having stronger surface ties than previous incarnations with his hometown of Amnesty Bay, and working to dispel frequent misconceptions about himself and his powers.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Throughout the first year-or-so of Batman's existence, he's a menacing outlaw who recklessly taunts criminals, often kills them, sometimes using a handgun, and then he adopts a young boy named Dick Grayson, who joins him in the butt-kicking of evildoers... and swiftly becomes an upstanding noble hero with a code against killing (possibly before Superman) who's fully deputized by the police. By the 1950s, this characterization has become the rule, though it lets up just a bit in the mid-'60s. In the '70s, he's still basically a noble hero, but becomes more cynical and fallible. Beginning in 1983, Batman is more of a maverick, but it's the 1986/1987 reboot/retcon of DC Comics as a whole wherein Batman becomes more introverted and violent and yet also even more fallible than in the '70s. The events of 1988 (Barbara being shot and paralyzed, Jason being killed) cement this notion, as does the 1993 injury at the hands of Bane, and yet, by the end of 1996, Grant Morrison portrays him as an infallible genius--at-least in JLA stories--though still introverted and often violent (though not like "darker" anti-heroes). This has essentially been Batman's mode in the comics since that period.
** ''Superman: The Man of Steel #37'', during the 1994 CrisisCrossover ''Comicbook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'' had a barrelful of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batmen]] show up, each based on a particular artist's rendition (e.g., Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Carmine Infantino, Dick Sprang, Bob Kane).
** A ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' crossover had them running into various versions of Batman as they shifted between Gotham realities. Batmen they encountered were, in order - modern Batman, Creator/AdamWest Series/{{Batman|1966}}, [[ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns TDKR]] Batman, Denny O'Neil Batman, original Batman and future Batman.
** So it's no surprise that his most longtime recurring villain is the same. ComicBook/TheJoker was a gangster with a gimmick, then a HarmlessVillain, then the Clown Prince of Crime we all know and love in personality but different in motive. Will you finding him robbing banks? Planning to kill a whole bunch of people ForTheEvulz? Involved in a big TakeOverTheWorld conspiracy with a coalition of villains? ...''yes.'' How dangerous he was would vary with the darkness of the era; in a grittier story he's murder incarnate. In a lighter story he's shooting acid from his lapel flower until going down in one punch. Eventually, it was decided that ''all'' versions of the Joker are equally valid: with his madness, nothing is stable about him, including what sort of villain he is. Making smiley-faced fish today, ending a talk show appearance with "I released poison gas when I came in the studio just 'cause I felt like it and the thousand or so people in the audience will drop dead in 3-2-1...!" tomorrow - ''that'' is what it means to truly be ChaoticEvil.
** One issue of the ''Fanboy'' miniseries by Creator/MarkEvanier and Creator/SergioAragones has Finster taking the role of Robin in one of his [[FantasySequence imaginary adventures]]. Along the way, Batman gradually shifts through just about every major portrayal from his original GoldenAge depiction to the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' version.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** Early Golden Age Superman had no problem sending a carload of gangsters to their deaths and was seen as an outlaw. His Kryptonian heritage is rarely referenced. He was rough-and-tumble, generally anti-authority, and was fond of just straight-up punching people like domestic abusers. His most famous moment was probably "How Superman Would End The War", where he decides to stop World War II by simply bumrushing the German lines, pulling Hitler out of his office, and hauling him before a criminal court, claiming in the meantime that "I'd like to land a strictly non-Aryan sock on your jaw."
** Late Golden Age/Silver Age, he was a true genius, had a no-killing rule that extended to even the most vile of supervillains, and was willing to cooperate with the establishment. His Kryptonian heritage was paramount to almost everything he did, and he clearly saw the loss of his homeworld as a tragedy. Despite his strength, he more often than not played the role of TheTrickster, regularly indulging in [[ComplexityAddiction highly complex schemes]] ([[CrazyPrepared of which he had one for every possibility]]). Though outwardly friendly, he had a noticeably morose side and was incredibly reluctant to form close relationships or share secrets. The infamous tendencies towards {{Superdickery}} are mostly from this period.
** The Bronze Age loosened up on the ComplexityAddiction, but also made him noticeably more thoughtful, characterized by stories like ''ComicBook/MustThereBeASuperman'' He also tended to engage with cosmic threats a lot more, or engage with "real" issues, and perceived himself mostly as international and worldly. His most manipulative aspects mostly vanished, though he remained fairly secretive.
** The 1986 reboot established Superman as fairly establishment-minded and much more overtly American, as well as ratcheting back his intelligence considerably. Additionally, while most prior stories treated Clark Kent mostly as a disguise, the reboot pushed for the idea that he considered Clark the "real" identity and Superman the disguise. He claimed to not regret the loss of Krypton itself, seeing it as just a curiosity, and was, if anything, resentful towards his heritage. Meanwhile, his difficulty with close relationships mostly vanished, culminating with marrying Lois Lane. His power went back down, though not by much, and he rarely faced cosmic-scale threats anymore.
** After about the turn of the century, significantly more aspects of the Silver and Bronze Age takes started drifting in: his intelligence and strength went noticeably back up, there were more signs that his mannerisms as Clark were affected, he became significantly more a citizen of the world, and his disdain for Krypton was more or less dropped. This varied a lot DependingOnTheWriter, though, and he stayed fairly grounded in his interpersonal relationships.
** Creator/GrantMorrison's [[ComicBook/ActionComicsNew52 take on Superman's early years]] for the New 52 relaunch is based on the Golden/Silver Age character: an anti-establishment radical who appeared in stories like "Superman In The Slums". These stories took place in the past and his "present" character is somewhat more defined, except when written by Scott Lobdell.
** Morrison's ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', by contrast, is an ode to the Silver Age and Superman acts almost exactly as one would expect him to if they grew up on those comics.
** In the Silver Age, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} was a sweet, shy and insecure child who was permanently frightened of disappointing her cousin. Bronze Age Kara was a short-tempered, fierce, confident and mature woman who was fully adapted to live in Earth, did not care for Superman's approval and was not afraid of calling him out. In the mid-00's, [[ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004 Kara Zor-El was reimagined]] as a morose, mood-swinging teenager who was constantly mourning Krypton, could not relate to her cousin, and was unable to fit in with Earth people (these changes were due to DC's belief that her original personality would be unrelatable to modern readers). Since then, her personality has swinged between angsty teenager (when written by someone who thinks her original personality is unrelatable to modern readers) and mature young lady (when she is written by people like [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Sterling Gates]], [[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 Tony Bedard]] or [[ComicBook/SupergirlRebirth Steve Orlando]], who think an angsty and angry Supergirl is unrelatable).
* In his earliest appearances, Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} was more of a wise-guy and gradually drifted toward the savage we know him as today. This peaked at some point, and by the time ''Wolverine & the X-Men'' (the comic book series) came around, he'd become much more tame and a more strict adherent to Xavier's dream than former noble leader Cyclops.
* Alan Moore's run on the ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'' comic starts this way, with Supreme encountering various iterations of himself stretching back to at least the 1930s. His arch-nemesis Darius Dax has a similar experience, including an encounter with "edgy Eighties serial killer Dax."
* ComicBook/TheQuestion, big time. First created for Creator/CharltonComics by Creator/SteveDitko, he was more of a mouthpiece for his creator's Objectivism. When he joined DC and got his own series in the 80s the character become zen-like and tried to control his berserker urges. Then there's his famous expy from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', Rorschach, who was intended to be Ditko's Question but had to be changed, dialed up closer to psychopath. The reason why Rorschach is here is because The Question's DCAU version is more like a toned down {{Cloudcuckoolander}} conspiracy theorist Rorschach. Then of course there's the second Question.
* Older readers of British comics such as ''ComicBook/TheDandy'' and ''ComicBook/TheBeano'' will point to the Golden Age of some of the long-running characters being the 1960s and 1970s, when an artist called Leo Baxendale drew and scripted the long-runners such as ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUK''. Baxendale's combination of lunatic surreal humour and way-above-average artwork is still reverenced today.
* Parodied in ''Radioactive Man'', the [[{{Defictionalisation}} defictionalised]] comic based on [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Bart Simpson]]'s favourite superhero. In comics that supposedly run the whole of comicbook history, the title character is largely unchanging while his teammate Miles Mando constantly reinvents himself to fit the current trends: in MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks he's a Comicbook/CaptainAmerica style MilitarySuperhero called Purple Heart; in MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks he's an Comicbook/IronMan style [[DeliberateValuesDissonance heroic arms-dealer]] called Brave Heart; in MediaNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks he's a Comicbook/GreenArrow style preachy liberal called Bleeding Heart; early in MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks he's a [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Rorschach]] style ConspiracyTheorist called Heart of Darkness; and in the late Dark Age he's an Creator/ImageComics style NinetiesAntiHero called Bloody Heart.
* Betty Cooper of ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' in early comics was nothing like the modern day BettyAndVeronica type {{tomboy}} we know today. She was more {{yandere}}, was often portrayed as a DumbBlonde, and frequently tried to break up Archie and Veronica with dirty tricks.
* Paperinik, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck's superhero/antihero alter ego, had many different interpretations:
** In the first stories Paperinik the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Devilish Avenger]] was exactly that: an avenger of himself with devilish cunning and a sadist streak a mile wide, who'd steal from Scrooge as revenge for something he suffered as Donald and steal his money-filled mattress ''while he's sleeping on it'' because the sacks of money in the room were too easy. He's also an outright criminal and [[TheDreaded the terror of Duckburg]].
** Shortly after the early stories Paperinik became a superhero, even if still a [[TerrorHero rather terrifying]], cunning and sadistic one and liable to return to his origins if provoked. As this is the most popular version, he's currently written this way [[DependingOnTheWriter by most authors]].
** A third interpretation is that of a staightforward superhero, rather close to [[Series/Batman1966 the 1966 Batman]] and complete with [[BatSignal Paperinik-signal featuring a bat wearing Donald's hat]].
*** This version has its own sub-versions, namely the AdventurerArchaeologist and the goofy hero (this one being rather popular with Brazilian authors).
** The fourth version is the ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'' incarnation, mid-way between the TerrorHero and the straightforward superhero...that with time came back to the TerrorHero take.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' has long held a reputation for issues with writers disregarding her previous backstory, supporting cast, attitude and even powers:
** Charles Moulton's 1940's MediaNotes/{{The Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} ComicBook/{{Wonder Woman|1942}} is a compassionate, snarky inventor who follows Paradise Island's strict no-killing rule, had a miraculous fatherless birth by Aphrodite and Hippolyte, possesses a very overt interest in bondage, and has a secret identity as Diana Prince. Her powers are SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperSenses, SuperToughness, [[GravityMaster Personal Mass control]], [[GoodThingYouCanHeal Enhanced Healing]], and {{Telepathy}}.
** Creator/RobertKanigher' s 1950's Wonder Woman sticks superficially to the previous iteration but drops the [[GravityMaster Personal Mass control]] and [[GoodThingYouCanHeal Enhanced Healing]] powers, completely removes all of the BDSM themed speeches, and writes her to act more "appropriately" feminine (which includes being critical of Etta's weight and behavior).
** Kanigher's Silver Age Wondy is more removed from the Golden Age Diana and is much weaker, with no telepathy and the added ability to "glide on the wind" instead of fly, and her inventions are now attributed to Paula von Gunther. The "Mod Era" Diana gave up her powers and fought as a Kung-Fu ActionFashionista. Her [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Post-Crisis revamp]] was the soul of a murdered girl given a new life and body by the Amazon's five patron goddesses and started out far more naive than any previous version, even having to learn English after she'd arrived in the US.
** ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis did away with her long-standing no-killing rule and in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006'', Diana is willing to kill opponents if the situation calls for it, most memorably chucking an axe right at Ares' head. ''ComicBook/WonderWomanOdyssey'' has an even more violent and cynical Diana, [[HellBentForLeather who wears black leather pants and everything]]. Her [[ComicBook/WonderWoman2011 New 52]] iteration is the most bloodthirsty yet, with her iconic lasso taking backseat to a sword, her backstory being rewritten as being the product of an incestuous relationship between Hippolyta and Zeus, and all of her powers becoming due to Zeus' parentage rather than granted by/learned from women as in every previous iteration. ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth'' acts as a {{Reconstruction}} of the character and reintroduces many of Diana's previous traits, undoing the post-''Infinite Crisis'' interpretation of her character.
** This trope has also affected Wonder Woman's supporting cast. ComicBook/SteveTrevor became noticeably more sexist and useless after Marston's death, morphing from the group's [[TheSneakyGuy Sneaky Guy]] DoAnythingSoldier with ImprobableAimingSkills to the poster boy for UselessBoyfriend. While happily married to Diana (eventually) in both the Gold and Silver ages, his Post-Crisis iteration is much older than her and is married to that version of Etta Candy instead, removing any and all romantic connotations between him and Diana. Since the movie (and several cosmic reboots), he's back to being a young man and he and Diana are a couple again.
** ComicBook/EttaCandy's confidence and competence took a dive after Marston's death, and her Silver Age iteration went from {{Acrofatic}} BadassNormal BoisterousBruiser to a more conventionally attractive DamselInDistress. Her Rebirth iteration has had her confidence and competence restored and is now a lesbian African Amercian rather than a short straight white gal.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/ThePokemonSquad'':
** When RM and May were dating, RM didn't make any real attempt to move on from her, and was in a normal, healthy relationship. In post-breakup episodes, RM has been seen almost as desperate for a woman as [[AllMenArePerverts Brock]]. Now, when he ''does'' get a girlfriend, he tends to go full {{Yandere}} and scare her away/anger her.
** In the Sailor Pikachu episodes, [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney]] is (mostly) AffablyEvil. After Sailor Pikachu left, he had definitely become more of a BitchInSheepsClothing. He also appears to have gotten smarter, as he successfully fooled RM into stealing the Declaration of Independence in "Trapped in the Cage".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In the 1951 film ''Film/SupermanAndTheMoleMen'', Superman is a rough & tumble crusader. In the 1978 film ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' and its sequels, Superman is a noble figurehead of the establishment. In 2013's ''Film/ManOfSteel'' he's a brooding outsider, alienated from humanity.
* In the 1966 film, ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'', Batman is a noble figurehead of the establishment. In the 1989 film ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' and its [[Film/BatmanReturns immediate sequel]], he's a rough & tumble crusader and Bruce Wayne is a public recluse. ''Film/BatmanForever'' and its sequel give him more of a campy vibe while retaining his seriousness. ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' gives him a more romantic motivation for his crusade and has Bruce Wayne more involved with the story. ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' has a more brutal and aging Batman who softens up after a JerkassRealization.
* Film/JamesBond and the world around him change via decade, along with expectations of what a spy character should be like. Naturally, the Daniel Craig version's got a little [[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]] in him.
* For his first decade on the screen, Franchise/{{Godzilla}} was a fearsome force of nature meant to be a physical incarnation of the atom bomb. The later Showa films of TheSixties and TheSeventies portrayed him as a protector of humanity who was grumpy at worst. With his reintroduction in ''Film/TheReturnOfGodzilla'' and through the subsequent Heisei era films in TheEighties and TheNineties, he was once again a fearsome creature hostile to humans, albeit one that often saved humanity by accident in his battles with other {{Kaiju}}. This portrayal continued into the TurnOfTheMillennium, with the exclusion of ''Film/GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack'', where he is a supernatural being of pure evil. ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'' aand the Franchise/{{Monsterverse}} once again makes him the terrifying force of nature he was in his earliest films but also continues the Heisei/Millennium portrayal of him being an unintentional defender of humans from other monsters. While in Japan, 2016's ''Film/{{Shin Godzilla}}'' and 2023's ''Film/GodzillaMinusOne'' depict Godzilla closer to his original portrayal as a malevolent monster out to destroy humanity.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Creator/KimNewman's superhero pastiche, "Coastal City", which is all about what it would actually be like to live in ComicBookTime, has this with Chief Riordan's assistant, Ginger. In MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks she was a SassySecretary who looked like Creator/GingerRogers, by the seventies she'd become a StrawFeminist, and today, she's a hard-edged senior officer who looks like Creator/SharonStone.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In the case of the Doctor, the show provides a notable justified version of this trope. Thanks to the regeneration plot device, Time Lords are in fact ''expected'' to change their personality [[TheNthDoctor whenever they're recast]].
** Some Doctors even change personality while still being the same Doctor thanks to different showrunners and fanbase preferences -
*** The First Doctor starts the series as a hostile and sinister figure who borders on being an antagonist at times, before CharacterDevelopment settles in and he becomes a friendlier, more mischievous trickster type who is a better fit for being the central character, before gradually becoming more vulnerable, fallible and weary closer to the end of his tenure. Furthermore, he is totally different in his original comics line, and in his merchandising line again, shows up in two Dalek films played in a totally different way by Creator/PeterCushing, shows up with a completely different appearance and personality in "[[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors The Five Doctors]]", shows up with another completely different appearance and personality in "[[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime Twice Upon a Time]]", and gets another totally different characterisation in a lot of his ExpandedUniverse stuff (especially the 50th Anniversary ebook ''A Big Hand For The Doctor'', which WordOfGod has said was intentionally written out-of-character to represent how he'd imagined the first Doctor as a child from reading Target novels).
*** The Fourth Doctor has three different personalities to go with his three different showrunners, between their conscious attempts to dictate the show's tone to the writers (first GothicHorror BlackComedy, then witty {{Camp}}y comedy, and finally very serious mystical science fiction) and Creator/TomBaker reinterpreting his performance to fit those. In the first, he's cheerful and amiable but has a dark, brooding side; in the second, he's off-the-wall bug-eyed crazy; in the final, he's more solemn and introspective. See also his characterisation in the ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strips compared to his personality on the show - he [[LighterAndSofter loses virtually all of his dark side]] and is more sugary, childish and crazy than he ever gets to be on-screen.
*** The Sixth Doctor has a totally different personality in the 80s comics featuring him because they switched to using him before his on-screen characterisation was known, had to invent a personality for him out of educated guesswork, and decided to keep running with that personality even after it was {{Jossed}}.
*** The Seventh Doctor is goofy and bumbling in his first season (1987), then becomes increasingly serious, introspective and manipulative but ultimately still quite cheerful, well-intentioned and light-hearted (1988-1989), and in the Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures (early-to-mid 1990s) he's a ruthless, tormented [[TheChessmaster chess-master]] AntiHero who at times even borders on a VillainProtagonist.
*** The Eighth Doctor is probably the most extreme case, as due to the limited amount of television featuring him, his characterisation is flexible enough that he can be used as a sort of 'generic Doctor' with lots of DependingOnTheWriter scope, and so tens of different arms of the EU developed him in tens of wildly different ways.
*** The Twelfth Doctor is extremely dark in his first series, to really hammer home that we're RevisitingTheRoots with an old, more morally ambiguous, asexual NightmareFetishist Doctor. His character arc through this series sees him slowly lighten up and get a better sense of who he is, and so in his second series, he becomes a lovesick, hyperactive, sunglasses-wearing, guitar-playing rock-dad. His character arc through this series sees him going through major tragedy and coming to terms with it, and so in his final series, he is a more foreboding [[TheProfessor professorial]] figure who is better at reading human nature (when his inability to do this had been a running joke in his previous two series), and tends to repress his fears and weaknesses rather than asking for help (when he'd rhapsodised on the power of his own fear in his first season).
** Even setting incarnations aside, the Doctor can be loosely split up into decades:
*** TheSixties: Short, twinkly, AmbiguouslyHuman, the source of his powers is a RiddleForTheAges, generally grandpaternalistic or avuncular, and often content to remain in the background coming up with answers while the companions or guest characters handle the bulk of the plot. Usually takes a small gaggle of companions, usually a mixed-gender team. Usually apolitical - he'll break out lectures and he'll protect humans but he won't stick around to fix their long-term social problems. The heavy implication is that he's on the run from something, and stopping, or drawing too much attention to himself, would mean his doom - he stops to help people who are suffering because that's just what a gentleman should do. Occasionally untrustworthy due to his mercurial nature and mysterious motives.
*** TheSeventies: Tall, [[TheCharmer dazzling]] and [[{{Swashbuckler}} dramatic]], a bit HotterAndSexier and much more likely to be portrayed as a leading man or action hero. Tends to take just one attractive female ImpliedLoveInterest companion and tends towards VitriolicBestBuds towards the male ones. Explicitly an alien with BizarreAlienBiology (two hearts, telepathic powers, etcetera), a variety of NewPowersAsThePlotDemands, a home planet in the form of Gallifrey and a friendly EvilCounterpart in the form of the Master. Unlike his fallibility in the previous and succeeding decade he's so brilliant at everything he borders on TheAce or an InvincibleHero. Has a much more political bent and is greatly concerned with fairness, equality and freedom - but at the same time it's clear he does what he does because [[NightmareFetishist it's fun]] and [[AttentionWhore he loves showing off]]. Occasionally scary due to his lack of connection with Earth and his emotional inhumanity.
*** TheEighties: Deconstruction of the Doctor's moral code, mental instability and bizarre lifestyle. The Doctor becomes much more emotional and vulnerable and is much more often shown [[DirtyBusiness making bad decisions]] or being physically helpless. Soap opera-influenced relationships with companions begin, but [[NoHuggingNoKissing aggressively asexual]] ones; the Doctor also steps back from the in-your-face lead role of the 70s in order to allow companions to take focus more often. He dispenses with the spirituality of the 70s and his main moral concern is justice, to which he will go to some very dark extents to achieve. By now, he does what he does because he's a mystical, legendary force of justice, with a couple of incarnations (the 80s version of the Fourth and the Seventh) dipping heavily into WizardClassic symbolism.
*** 00s: The one who destroyed his entire race in order to kill the Daleks [[spoiler:except he didn't, he just forgot that for centuries due to TimeyWimeyBall]]. ''Much'' HotterAndSexier, most companions being explicit love interests to some degree. MessianicArchetype symbolism abounds but so does internal criticism of this. The Doctor is now a 'big' character who often goes on epic, blockbuster adventures (unlike his smaller-scale predecessors).
*** TheNewTens and early 20s: Same as the 00s, but with the subtle return of the political bent, the mercurial nature and mysterious motives, a BlueAndOrangeMorality view of justice, and a more introspective, even more emotional personality reflecting on what it means to be the Doctor, particularly [[spoiler: in reaction to major changes to the show's lore in the 2013 specials and Series 12]]. Also much more of an AcePilot outright experimenting with StableTimeLoop and TimeyWimeyBall.
** The Daleks, like many popular monsters, reflect popular anxiety of the time.
*** In 1963, the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, they were a NuclearMutant.
*** The nuclear radiation concept was soon dropped to focus on a string of SpaceOpera stories where they tended to be shouting, imperialist 'space-Nazi'-like characters - playing up the PuttingOnTheReich elements of the Daleks to put a transparent [[ANaziByAnyOtherName allegory for the Battle of Britain]] in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]", ThoseWackyNazis in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase The Chase]]" and cunning political machinators using networks of spies and trying to complete an allegory for a nuke in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E4TheDaleksMasterPlan The Daleks' Master Plan]]".
*** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E3ThePowerOfTheDaleks Power of the Daleks]]" switches to a RedScare allegory with an apparently harmless Dalek 'worker' that makes humans see things its way and subverts the political structure of the entire colony. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E9TheEvilOfTheDaleks The Evil of the Daleks]]" carries on in this vein - the Daleks discover how to 'Dalekise' humans and make them think like them.
*** The mid-1970s introduces their creator Davros, who becomes a key figure in every Dalek story from that point on. Related to this, the 1980s results in a series of stories about an increasing schism in the Dalek Empire divided between Daleks who are loyal to the Dalek Emperor and a breakaway faction of Daleks [[spoiler: who gradually become the dominant faction by the end of the 1980s]] who are loyal to Davros.
*** The revival series saw them retooled as religious fanatics with a distinctly Post911TerrorismMovie vibe under Creator/RussellTDavies' tenure as showrunner.
*** Creator/StevenMoffat made them more into shifty politicians exploiting recession fears - under him Daleks have a complicated parliamentary democracy, find hatred beautiful, and claim to care about their people but beg for personal mercy. Notably, the WWII allegory is subverted by having WWII-era Daleks fighting on the side of the ''British'' (albeit as part of a larger scheme).
** The Cybermen are TranshumanAliens whose lack of emotion has made them almost enlightened in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E2TheTenthPlanet The Tenth Planet]]", RedScare BodyHorror from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E6TheMoonbase The Moonbase]]" onwards through the rest of the 60s, killer robots with a gold allergy in the 70s, and rather emotional gun-toting baddies in the 80s so allergic to gold that they die if they get hit with gold coins. The 90s [[WhatCouldHaveBeen almost saw]] skeletal, ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}''-esque Cybers, and the new series rebooted them with a new origin story as TheVirus, with a marching, zombie-like vibe, so emotionless that they die if they feel emotion and are often defeated by the PowerOfLove.
* The evolution of ''Franchise/StarTrek''[='s=] Captain Kirk:
** [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries 1966 - 1979]]: Kirk is shown to be a [[NotSoAboveItAll nearly]] infallible paragon, as close to the perfect Starship captain as humanly possible. Despite this, he's prone to [[HeroicSelfDeprecation bouts of intense self hate]]. Though definitely a [[ByTheBookCop stickler for regulations]], he ''will'' break Starfleet orders if a conflict arises where following the rules [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight would invite or exacerbate a disaster]].
** [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan 1982]] - [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry 1994]]: In his later years, Kirk's prejudices (especially against the Klingons) and [[HeroicSelfDeprecation self-loathing]] have intensified, making him more fallible. In addition, he's much more of a MilitaryMaverick than he was before.
** [[Film/StarTrek2009 2009 - present]]: This alternate Kirk starts out as a totally inexperienced and arrogant hot shot with an insane amount of luck. By ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'' he's matured into a HumbleHero and experienced captain similar to his Original Series self.
** The Federation and Starfleet itself shows changes over time:
*** ''The Original Series'': The Federation of Planets itself is rarely a significant factor in any plots, and comes across as something akin to a [[RecycledInSpace interplanetary United Nations]] that's on its way to becoming a unitary government. Instead of politics, the show focuses on the exploits of the Federation's [[SpaceNavy Starfleet]] - a [[MilitaryScienceFiction distinctly military organization]] that goes on deep space expeditions, and will also go to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo great lengths]] to protect its government, from illegal spy missions to steal [[CloakingDevice stealth technology]] to [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroying entire planets]].
*** ''The Next Generation'': The Federation is a peaceful, [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas nearly utopian society]] with the ability to make whatever its citizens need without end. Starfleet [[{{Retcon}} is not and never was]] a [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial military organization]], and has always been a totally scientific organization.
*** ''Deep Space Nine'': The Federation is a unitary government that is heavily bogged down with the politics of neighboring civilizations. Starfleet is a military again, only now the more destructive parts of it are hidden under the guise of Section 31 - Starfleet's [[StateSec extremely well-hidden and well-armed black ops agency]] - who are willing to do things as extreme as genocide to protect the Federation.
** [[https://www.tor.com/2023/04/26/a-critical-division-of-starfleet-intelligence-section-31-and-the-normalization-of-the-security-state/ This article]] examines how the portrayal of Section 31 has shifted over the years going from a shady organization whose methods are firmly rejected in [=DS9=] to a normalized part of the Federation in ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' and ''Series/StarTrekPicard''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Multiple Media]]
* With its constant reboots and a need to always stay fresh, it's a given that this would ''heavily'' affect ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''. Although most of the recurring characters are more akin to simple [[InNameOnly nameslaps]], even the "actual" returning characters can be radically different depending on the series, movie, video game, etc.
** Optimus Prime: [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers an almost infallible, respected but friendly leader]], [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries a violent veteran who kills opponents without mercy and hesitation]], [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated an up-and-coming but often disrespected leader in the making]], or [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime a legendary leader but a distant stoic]]?
** Megatron: [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a cackling and buffoonish warlord with an insatiable lust for power]], [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries a monstrous conqueror who especially loathes humanity for experimenting on him]], [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated a devious schemer who proclaims himself a revolutionary]], or [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime a genuine revolutionary turned obsessive and hot-tempered tyrant]]?
** Starscream: [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a backstabbing coward who wants to claim Megatron's power]], [[Anime/TransformersArmada a more honorable fighter who only wants to earn Megatron's respect]], [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries a sniveling but snarky buffoon who nonetheless stays loyal to Megatron]], or [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime an incompetent dirty backstabber who gradually learns that his goals are totally misplaced]]?
** There are of course far more extreme examples. Is Wheeljack [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a crazy scientist whose gadgets always blow up in his face]] or [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime a tough-as-nails action hero]]? Bumblebee likes fun, but [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers would he avoid danger and play things safe]] or [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated jump headfirst into action and behave like a brat]]? [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Maybe he's even an awesome but brutal fighter]], or [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime someone who patiently waits until it's time for him to become one]]. Red Alert -- [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers crazily nervous and paranoid]] or [[Anime/TransformersArmada a stoic]]? Hound -- [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a mild-mannered pacifist]] or [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries a gun-toting loudmouth killing machine]]? Wheelie -- [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a rascally kid]] or [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries a foul-mouthed pervert]]? A comprehensive list would be as long as this entire page.
* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'':
** Pohatu was originally the friendliest and most social of the Toa, with a bright outlook on things and a jocular attitude. [[Toys/{{Bionicle2015}} In the reboot]], he is the polar opposite: brooding, antisocial, at times outright rude and fiercely stubborn. Though we also learn he [[HiddenHeartOfGold secretly cares for puppies]] and [[CharacterDevelopment his gradual growth makes him the most developed]] out of his team, whereas his original incarnation was more of a StaticCharacter.
** Other returning characters from the two generations have minor differences. Mainly, Kopaka's G2 version is a lot more outspoken and has somewhat comical moments, while the defining personality traits of his G1 self have seemingly been handed over to G2 Pohatu. G2 Tahu is also a tad less reckless, and can act infantile or level-headed depending on the scene. One thing he inherited from his G1 self is his fierce competitiveness. In both generations, Kopaka and Tahu start out hating each other.
* The bratty kids from ''Franchise/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' often have differing personalities depending on the adaptation. Violet Beauregard and Mike Teevee's traits are changed to reflect raised their children in that time period:
** In the [[Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory 1964 novel]], Violet is a GenkiGirl who finds gum chewing comforting. Her only major signs of being bratty are yelling at her mother, sticking used gum on elevator buttons, and stubbornly ignoring Wonka's warnings not to try the experimental three-course-meal gum. In her song, the moral of the Oompa Loompas' song for her is how disgusting chewing gum all the time looks. In the end she blows up like a blueberry and is escorted to the Juicing Room. While she's back to her normal size, she's still purple. The [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory 1971 film]] ups her rudeness: she beat her friend's gum chewing world record and rubs it in her face during her interview, screeches at Veruca to shut up when the latter starts complaining, and [[HypocriticalHumor picks her nose while saying "Spitting's a dirty habit."]] Her fate after blowing up to a blueberry is unknown. The [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory 2005 film]] depicts her as a [[GoGetterGirl girl who's fixated on winning; if she sets her mind to something, she's gonna do it]]. After she's sent to the Juicing Room, she's not only purple, but also flexible, able to contort her body like an Olympic gymnast. The 2005 musical ''Willy Wonka Jr.'' has her as a ditzy Georgia gum-obsessed girl who's greatest wish is to chew a piece of gum all her life. This is the first Violet to actually pop! It's implied she's okay, but Wonka states that she'll "probably" be a blueberry for the rest of her life. The 2013 musical depicts her as an [[RaceLift African-American]] [[AttentionWhore fame-hungry]] "celebrity" who's famous for her gum chewing world record, to the point where her father turned her into a franchise, with boutiques, a perfume line, and even a TV Show. After taking the gum she explodes, though Wonka assures that she'll be back to normal ("or, you know, near enough") before she ''ferments''!
* Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog:
** Sonic has gotten fan backlash over the years for not quite having the attitude he had back in the 16-bit days, though this is mostly in America where he was marketed that way. ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' places the Genesis-era Sonic and (post-)Dreamcast-era Sonic side-by-side, freely inviting comparisons between the two. "Modern" Sonic isn't exactly "Dreamcast" Sonic. ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' had already made a point of circling back to his sarcastic and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] MascotWithAttitude status from the Genesis games and ''Generations'' doesn't detract too much from that. The big contrasts are mostly visual changes and the fact that [[HeroicMime the younger Sonic can't speak]].
** Compare how Sonic acts in the games to his animated appearances: Creator/JaleelWhite's Sonic went from [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog oldschool toon trickster]] to [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAm snarky anti-empire savior]] to [[WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground rock and roll rebel in search of lost family]]. Meanwhile you have a [[Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie sparky little hothead]] turned [[Anime/SonicX bumbling but straightforward hero]] in Japan around the same timeframe, leading to his bringing back the [[WesternAnimation/SonicBoom rude dude with 'tude]] persona, with an extra helping of meta snark on both sides of the ocean.
** The [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020 2020 movie incarnation]] portrays him with the mindset of [[KiddieKid a hyperactive twelve-year old]] combined with some of the cockiness that's come to be associated with him, but also gives hints that he's [[GoMadFromTheIsolation not all there]], and piles it up with some abandonment issues and slight angst.
* The title character in the ''Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' franchise:
** Before 1994: Carmen Sandiego is the BigBad behind [[NebulousEvilOrganisation V.I.L.E.]], and she can somehow pull off {{Impossible Theft}}s. And that's about it. She certainly does not have stated motives for her villainy or anything like that. She just exists to be the FinalBoss whom you, the player, capture at the end of the game. The ''[[Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego Where in the World]]'' game show mostly continued in this vein, with Carmen not exhibiting any personality beyond [[SurroundedByIdiots annoyance at her underlings' incompetence]].
** Mid-1990s: During this interesting period, three versions of Carmen Sandiego existed more-or-less simultaneously in {{Alternate Continuit|y}}ies:
*** The compuer games mostly continued to treat Carmen as they had previously, i.e. not giving her much characterization at all. With spoken dialogue becoming more of a thing in computer games at the time, she was increasingly portrayed as having a penchant for EvilGloating, but that's about it.
*** In the ''[[WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego Where on Earth]]'' cartoon, Carmen was portrayed as a FriendlyEnemy who only steals for the challenge of it and is careful to make sure no one is actually harmed by her shenanigans.
*** In contrast to ''Earth'', the ''[[Series/WhereInTimeIsCarmenSandiego Where in Time]]'' game show portrayed Carmen as a CardCarryingVillain who wants to mess up history ForTheEvulz.
** Late 1990s: This period saw the release of ''[[VideoGame/CarmenSandiegoWordDetective Word Detective]]'', ''[[VideoGame/CarmenSandiegoMathDetective Math Detective]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/CarmenSandiegosThinkQuickChallenge ThinkQuick Challenge]]'', which form a kind of trilogy. In these games, Carmen is something of a MadScientist, whose latest scheme always involves the invention of some evil technology that will doom the world if it's not stopped.
** 2000s-2010s: Starting with 2001's ''VideoGame/CarmenSandiegoTreasuresOfKnowledge'', the computer games began to lean on her ''Earth'' portrayal. The key is that it's never actually confirmed that she's a FriendlyEnemy. Instead, it's just hinted at and played as a RiddleForTheAges. However, with ''Carmen'' media becoming scarcer than in its '90s heyday, this ambiguous take was never really used that much.
** 2019-present: With the {{Creator/Netflix}} series ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'', Carmen makes the leap from FriendlyEnemy to outright heroine. She is no longer the head of V.I.L.E. but is instead fighting against them. She remains a thief, but she's JustLikeRobinHood now.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/MarilynManson's discography can be broken up into eras by album, with each album bringing a new look, sound and on-stage mannerisms.
* Music/TheBeatles went through this over the course of their career. If you look at a photo of them from the early 1960s next to one from the late 1960s, you might almost be forgiven for thinking you were looking at two different bands. Roughly, it goes something like this:
** 1957-1960: basically your average 1950s garage 'skiffle' band. They look like, well, a bunch of 1950s Liverpool teenagers dabbling in pop music.
** 1960-1962: the "Hamburg/Cavern Club" years; after cutting their teeth in the red-light district of Hamburg, they kind of had a proto-punk rock thing going on. Long hair, leather jackets and lots of anarchic leaping about the stage. Drug of choice: amphetimines (to help with the long gigs).
** 1962-1964: the "lovable mop-top" years; Brian Epstein comes along, becomes their manager, and cleans up their act into the "Fab Four". They wear nice matching suits (grey nehru collars are in for a period around late 1962-early 1963, but sharp black business suits are the default for the period), the long hair settles into the distinctive 'Beatle-cut' style, and their music has a very poppy vibe. Drug of choice: weed (at least, from 1964 onwards).
** 1965-1966: the "Fab Four" look starts becoming a bit rougher around the edges to correspond with the band getting increasingly frustrated and isolated with their image and the constraints put on them by their act. Their music is still quite poppy but starts getting a more experimental art-rock feel as well. The suits are still pretty smart but get a bit more colour in them as the styles become brighter; they often drop the ties as well. Drug of choice: still weed, but they're beginning to experiment with LSD. They stop touring towards the end of 1966 and become a studio band, leading to...
** 1967: ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand''/''[[Film/MagicalMysteryTour Magical]] [[Music/MagicalMysteryTour Mystery Tour]]''; the hippy period. Love is all you need. Everything's psychedelic and trippy. All of them have moustaches for some reason. Drug of choice: still LSD, but they're also dabbling in Eastern spiritualism[[note]]which, yes, isn't actually a drug, but just run with it[[/note]]. Their most iconic look is the fluro-psychedelic Victorian marching band uniforms of ''Pepper'', but their look outside of this is always notably trippy. Sadly, Brian Epstein passes away towards the end of the year, gradually leading to...
** 1968-1970: Everything gradually falls apart. The band grows distant from each other (reflected in their increasingly divergent personal and musical styles and [[BeardOfSorrow facial hair]]) and gradually split up. There's not really a unified style between them beyond 'cool rock star', but it's notably less colourful than 1967 while also less formal than 1962-1966. Drug of choice is varied, but they've generally given up the [=LSD=] and Music/JohnLennon falls into heroin addiction.
* Music/{{Eminem}}'s Slim Shady character changes over the course of his albums, reflecting Eminem's artistic interests and the [[ADarkerMe autobiographical elements]] of the character. The different incarnations of Slim have different rapping styles, vocal pitches and accents, varying degrees of realism vs. fantasy, and rap about different subject matter over beats in different styles. This became particularly apparent after Eminem's CareerResurrection, in which he put out three albums that showed him in three drastically disparate personas, each with their own image, stage mannerisms and way of conducting themselves in interviews.
* Music/TaylorSwift's fans often discuss how much she changes every 'era', which she fed back into by naming her 2023-24 tour The Eras Tour. Her change in persona between each era isn't as drastic as many of the other artists listed here, but musical {{Genre Shift}}s and changes in her lyrical fascinations are significant enough that fans who got attached to one era often report feeling betrayed when Taylor moves on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* In a rather pathetic example, at ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Halloween Havoc 2000'', October 29, 2000, during the Wrestling/{{Sting}} vs. Wrestling/JeffJarrett match, they had several people attacking Sting imitating his different looks over the years.
* Another wrestling example might be Wrestling/WrestlingSocietyX's [[Wrestling/ColtCabana Matt Classic]], a wrestler who was "in a coma for 40 years" and therefore uses moves, mannerisms, and phrases from 1960s pro wrestling.
* Wrestling/TheUndertaker has had several different "eras" with his persona, such as his original zombie gimmick, his Wrestling/MinistryOfDarkness persona, and his biker gimmick.
* Born John Hennigan, and best known as Wrestling/JohnMorrison, he changes his last name depending on where he is wrestling at the time. ("Johnny Mundo" for Wrestling/LuchaUnderground, "Johnny Impact" for Wrestling/ImpactWrestling, "Johnny Blackcraft" for Blackcraft Wrestling, etc.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Franchise/{{Barbie}} characters personalities have changed with the decades. For example, in 2011 they revamped her teenage sister Skipper as a "techie" GamerChick and PhoneaholicTeenager. Prior to that she was just awfully similar to Barbie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In a later self-reference, the "Timeless River" subworld in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' takes place in the past, where the Disney Castle counterparts are depicted in [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts their original incarnations]] (specifically, those of the 1928 short ''Steamboat Willie''). Sora specifically mentions Mickey and Black Pete looking and acting strange. And even the anime-influenced Sora himself is affected designwise, as he wears a simpler version of his first-game outfit and looks more akin to anime art done by Creator/OsamuTezuka in the Timeless River.
* In earlier plans for ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'', which way you went on the KarmaMeter would determine which incarnation of Mickey you played: the scrappy fighter of his [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts original appearances]], the straight man of the late 1930s, or the more modern 'hero' Mickey.
* In ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters The King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2]]'', there's an unlockable character called Kyo Kusanagi Classic who's essentially Kyo's older version from the previous games, as he has Kyo's old appearance, quotes, and movelist.
** There's also Kusanagi from ''2002'' and ''2003'', who isn't really Kyo during the Orochi saga, but rather a possibly AxCrazy {{Pyromaniac}} BloodKnight who is even more HotBlooded than the real Kyo ever was. However, some of this was done to [[DivergentCharacterEvolution diversify]] him from not only Kyo, but also Kyo-1 and Kyo-2, the ''other'' clones of Kyo who appeared in ''KOF '99''. Kyo-1 is serious and somewhat mellow (like Kyo was in the later chapters of the Orochi Saga and beyond), whereas Kyo-2 is cocky and arrogant to the point of underestimating his opponents (much like how Kyo acted in ''[='94=]'' and ''[='95=]''). Ironically, Kyo-1 uses Kyo's ''[='94=]''-''[='95=]'' moveset, whereas Kyo-2 adopts Kyo's moves from ''[='96=]''-''[='98=]''.
* Lara Croft of ''Franchise/TombRaider'' has had six wildly different personalities.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Ganon(dorf) existed as a somewhat [[{{Pun}} hammy]] [[EvilIsHammy villain]] up through ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', at least in supplementary material. As the games started adding more depth to their stories beyond "grab this sword and save Hyrule", the character gained more subtle nuance as a result of always being the same person ([[{{Reincarnation}} unlike Link and Zelda]]). However, whether he is a TragicVillain, an EvilOverlord, or [[WasOnceAMan has completely lost all humanity]] depends on if you're in the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Adult]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Child]], or [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Downfall]] timeline, respectively.
* ''Franchise/StarFox'': Out of all the main characters, Fox [=McCloud=]'s personality changed the most when ''Videogame/StarFox64'' [[ContinuityReboot rebooted]] the franchise.
** In the original timeline, Fox is portrayed as a ByronicHero who [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules didn't care much for money]] (in stark contrast to Falco's [[OnlyInItForTheMoney greed]]), preferring to [[JustLikeRobinHood liquidate his unneeded resources]] to [[WeHelpTheHelpless support the downtrodden.]] (This personality trait was shown in the [[ComicStrip/StarFox tie-in comic]] and on [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/foxcardfrontback.jpg his official trading card]]) He even avoided squeezing a rich man for money [[KeepTheReward when there was a clear opportunity to do so.]] That is not to say that he doesn't enjoy luxuries now and then, but don't go suggesting that he should raid wealthier noncombatants to make a fortune unless you ''want'' to seriously piss him off.
** After the reboot, Fox is portrayed as [[NominalHero not being particularly interested anyone's overall well-being aside his own and mostly his team]]. Instead, he is more interested in either [[{{Revenge}} killing Andross]] or [[PunchClockHero cashing his paycheck]]. While this is shown most clearly in both ''Videogame/StarFox64'' and ''Videogame/StarFoxAdventures'', that portrayal persists into the games and comics following them. Additionally, his tendency to [[EmotionSuppression suppress his real emotions]] was played up.
* In the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' franchise, Cloud was a rogueish, brash, flirtatious jerk with [[FeetOfClay hidden vulnerabilities and failings]] in the 90s, a brooding and introverted [[GothsHaveItHard gothy depressive]] with a romantic ArchEnemy relationship with Sephiroth in the 00s, and a TheComicallySerious awkward weirdo pretending to be a NinetiesAntiHero to cover up for his [[NoSocialSkills lack of social skills]] from the middle of TheNewTens onwards. (Barring a couple of outliers, like his ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' incarnation being very clearly the cocky showoff from the original.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''WebComic/{{Spinnerette}}'' has an arc involving various era-specific incarnations materialising in the present.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''
** The "Old Timey" universe is an AffectionateParody of cartoon designs and tropes from MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation.
** Also, the Chapmans [[SelfDeprecation parody their own]] [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness earlier style]] in a few cartoons: the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "flashback" parodies the style of the children's book that predates the website, and "lady...ing" parodies the very first Homestar Runner web cartoon, "Marshmallow's Last Stand".
* The trope is also used in the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]'' centric sprite comic ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge''. The time frame is measured by bittage: 8 bit is the past, 16 bit is the present, and 32 bit is the future.
* ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'':
** At one point in "After Hours", Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man go back in time to shortly before Creator/MarvelComics was founded. Superman and Batman briefly revert to their [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] personalities, which was signified by the use of older action figures. When they revert to their modern personalities, Superman remarks that he'd forgotten how nice Batman [[DarkerAndEdgier used to be]].
** Lampshaded again in the "movie tournament" series. Captain America faces off against ''50s'' Superman, who tells him to look up {{Superdickery}}.
* WebAnimation/FourSwordsMisadventures does this to an extent. In [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords2004 the manga]] based on ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'', Green is virtuous and heroic, Red is a WideEyedIdealist, Blue is aggressive and overconfident, and Vio is TheStrategist. In this series, though they don't start out with much of a consistent personality at first, they eventually do get personalities similar to the manga, but three fourths of the Links get the personalities swapped around. Green Link is kept the same, while Misadventures!Red becomes more like Manga!Blue in personality, Blue is more like Vio, and Purple is more like Red.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'':
** Both WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse were much more mischievous and aggressive in their earlier appearances.
*** This is touched on in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceAndThePauper'', with Franchise/MickeyMouse playing both roles. While Pauper Mickey is a [[NiceGuy nice]] [[TheEveryman everyman]] as depicted in his later portrayals, Prince Mickey is a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold mischievous]] [[LovableRogue rascal]] as he was in his earlier appearances.
*** Referenced in a ''WesternAnimation/QuackPack'' episode where Donald Duck was being age-regressed. Instead of getting younger ''looking'', he started reverting to older character designs and became more of a troublemaker (at first; eventually, he actually ''did'' become younger-looking).
** Daisy Duck has changed a lot throughout the years. Originally she was literally a genderswapped Donald with the same temper however afterwards she became his straightman and more of a voice of reason. ''WesternAnimation/QuackPack'' has her as a sarcastic DeadpanSnarker while ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'' upped her [[TheDitz ditzyness]] and made her more outgoing. Currently she's written in her ''House of Mouse'' persona.
* The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Legends of the Dark Knight" featured children speculating about what Batman's really like; their interpretations are pretty much directly lifted from the '60s Batman series (and the '70s cartoons based on it, as well as Dick Sprang's work in the comics), Frank Miller's graphic novel ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', and Joel Schumacher's much-maligned "Batman in a tight rubber suit" movies. (The kids themselves are Classic Dick Grayson, Carrie Kelly and, er, a kid version of Joel Schumacher.)
* When WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker was revived in the 1990s, they used the wilder, more irreverent 1940s version, rather than the softer 1950s version that had been used until then.
* In the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes shorts, WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck went from being a wacky trickster to cowardly and non-too-bright to being rather serene and positive, and from there on became cunning and greedy, to be used as a {{foil}} to WesternAnimation/BugsBunny.
** This caused some problems during production of ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' as Creator/ChuckJones, who was a consultant, wanted the film to use Daffy's 1950s persona that he developed. However, Creator/RobertZemeckis wanted to use Daffy's earlier screwball persona from the 1940s since it would have fit the film's tone better. Zemeckis won out and this is one of the reasons Jones criticized the final product.
** ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'' and ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons'' return Daffy to his original "wacky trickster" persona.
* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''
** Shaggy was stripped of all his hippie during the 80s, but got it back in the 90s.
** Velma's also gotten [[DeadpanSnarker snarkier]] as time went on.
** The 90s-and-later incarnations of the franchise are generally more self-aware and willing to play with the series tropes, where the originals played it all straight.
** Daphne's portrayal is inconsistent. For decades she was basically the DamselInDistress and TheLoad of the group, though in instalments Fred and Velma were PutOnTheBus, she took over as TheStraightMan. In the late 1990s TookALevelInBadass and began leaning towards being an ActionGirl. Ever since then she's been flip-flopping between portrayals. ''WesternAnimation/BeCoolScoobyDoo'' adds a new layer as she is DenserAndWackier than before by far.
** Fred's been portrayed in many ways over the decades. His original incarnation was a [[TheGenericGuy considerably generic]] [[ClassyCravat TV version of 1960s preppy]] and ill-defined. In ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' he became a CluelessDetective. In ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' Fred is presented as a lovable idiot who bumbles his way through his leadership role. In [[Film/ScoobyDoo2002 the live action movies]] interpret him as a self-absorbed jerk whose leader status is purely self-appointed. ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' has him as an oblivious teenager with an obsession for traps.
* Homer Simpson of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' got this treatment on a meta level. In the original shorts and first season of the show, Homer wasn't too bright, but still a fairly lucid and conscious, if hot headed parent. Following this, Homer became increasingly dopey and more childlike, with more plots spawned from him being ignorant or self centered. The era where Mike Scully was the showrunner was known as the "Jerkass Homer" years, with Homer being at the height of his callousness and stupidity. Homer's arc in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' sees him learning to care about other people's feelings, and these days he is written as more good-natured if still insensitive and goofy.
* When ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' first appeared in the early 30's, she was portrayed as a teenage (sometimes young-adult) flapper-girl with an outgoing personality and loads of sexuality. After MediaNotes/TheHaysCode of the mid-30's however, Betty was aged up to her mid-twenties, wore long, conservative dresses and became more passive and less wild. However, as she experienced a re-birth in popularity after the 50's, she reverted back to her sexy, Jazz Baby persona in most portrayals and is remembered by these images and behaviours mostly today.
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' episode "The Crimson Chin meets Mighty Mom and Dyno Dad"- The Crimson Chin has wildly different Era-specific personalities, from the [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks 30s pulp-fiction Chin]], to the [[DarkerAndEdgier "super-edgy"]] [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks 1985]] [[DarkerAndEdgier Chin, who got cancelled for swearing.]]
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': Typically, each incarnation of a character is less "same character, updated for the new generation" and more "new character entirely, [[InNameOnly with a name we already had trademarked]]."
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' (the fourth generation's primary show) has most of the main cast take their names and color schemes from the previous G3 characters, while their personalities come from all over the place, but (allegedly) are inspired mostly by G1.
*** G1's Twilight is motherly, reserved, and wise. G4's Twilight Sparkle is anxious, scholarly, perfectionist, and nerdy. The only thing that Twilight Sparkle shares with Twilight is that... they can both teleport, which all unicorns can do in G1. The older incarnation barely did it anyway.
*** In G3, Rainbow Dash is a fashionista (although she likes riding rainbows as well) and speaks with a British accent, until G3.5 removed the British accent and emphasised her GirlyGirl aspects. G4 Rainbow Dash is an athletic TomboyWithAGirlyStreak (a very small one) whose main defining aspects are her competitiveness, love of speed, ego, and immense loyalty to her friends; G3 Rainbow Dash's girlishness, love of fashion, and British accent were transferred to G4 Rarity, although even so Rarity is depicted as primarily a producer of fashion rather than a consumer.
** In G1, Spike the baby dragon has his youth especially emphasized, and is depicted as friendly, naïve, and a little childish. G3's Spike is stuffy, British, and just a very short adult. G4's Spike is portrayed more like a teenager than anything else, and is characterized as a long-suffering straight man outside of episodes focusing on his puppy crush on Rarity.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' went through various changes throughout the evolution of the original ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' novels and the TV series. In the earliest of Rev W Awdry's books, Thomas was established as a "cheeky" BrattyHalfPint, then as more engines were introduced he developed into a more mature but highly arrogant hard worker. Both Christopher Awdry's books and early stages of the show reverted to both interpretations when fitting, though as the series became more iconic, Thomas was mellowed into a more altruistic and gentle protagonist. Hit Entertainment's LighterAndSofter tenure makes something of a compromise of the former and latter, turning Thomas into a well intentioned {{Keet}}.
* While the Noops, Rufus and Amberley tended to consistently play a supporting role compared to the Urpneys throughout ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'', their roles as reactors to them distinctively altered with each season and change of writer. In the pilot episode, they are {{Crouching Moron Hidden Badass}}es. For the rest of Season One they become {{Hero Antagonist}}s with a hidden vicious streak. Season Two defangs them completely into cheery [[TheFool Fools]], only ever winning through the villains' self sabotaging or their peers' intervening, while Seasons Three and Four turned them into more crafty and snarky dogsbodies whose agendas keep colliding with those of Blob's squad.
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