History AscendedExtra / ComicBooks

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' comic adaptation, Sahasrahla, his wife, and the boy who knew his location are given considerably larger roles here than in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast the actual game]].

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'' took a bunch of obscure background characters from Comicbook/TheTransformers Marvel comics and updated them for their team: Squadron X. Ferak, a redshirt who exploded and died was retconned into being a different redshirt [[CompositeCharacter as well]] and Tornado, another one off character who, again, died in the old run. Now Botcon 2014 is pulling both into their space pirate story, mentioning their Squadron X days, and giving them both toys. Tornado even has a [[https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tornado-Decepticon-Saboteur/735228939844774 Facebook]].

* ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms'':

!!'''DC'''
* Franchise/{{Batman}} villains:
** [[ComicBook/TwoFace Two-Face]] appeared perhaps three times in the GoldenAge, and was unused for roughly ''twenty years'' before his Bronze Age revival. This is, however, a somewhat downplayed example; the character's ''visual'' was popular enough that there were several stories with "impostor" Two-Faces [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/08/27/comic-book-legends-revealed-222/ published]] over the '40s and '50s, and the character's Golden Age debut was delivered to future generations in several reprint issues.
** The Riddler and The Penguin made more frequent appearances, but were still, at best, recurrent characters. Today, they are ''regular cast members''. The Penguin is now an unshakable Gotham crime boss; Two-Face, the Riddler, and ''Man-Bat'' have all Ascended and [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor regularly bounce back and forth between "villain" and "dubious ally" status]].
** ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} is now firmly an ''AntiHero'', and rather less "anti" than many of her peers in that group.
** ComicBook/HarleyQuinn was a one-shot Joker minion from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' who was drawn only because they wanted a girl-coming-out-of-the-cake gag. Joker minions have an average lifespan of less than a single episode, but Harley became big enough to not only jump to the comics, but get her own self-titled series as well.'
** Probably the biggest one would be Doctor Hurt. Originally, he was an unnamed psychologist involved in a one-off Silver Age story, ''Robin Dies at Dawn''. When Creator/GrantMorrison made that story a pivotal part of [[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman his run]], Doctor Hurt received a name for the first time in 45 years and became the BigBad of the MythArc, the head of the Black Glove, and [[LouisCypher very possibly Satan]], with his experiments in the original story all being part of a long-term plan to destroy Batman.
** The tie-in comic for ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', ''The Batman Strikes'', used Rupert Thorne and Solomon Grundy far more than the show it's based on did, the former (barring some cameos in Season 4) only appeared at the start of the first episode as the last major crime boss Batman puts away before the RoguesGallery appear and while the latter's episode ended with the implication he was {{real after all}}, "Grundy" in his only episode was really mostly [[ScoobyDooHoax Clayface impersonating Grundy]].
** Though not a Villain, [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Stephanie]] [[ComicBook/{{Robin}} Brown]], a.k.a the Spoiler, was created to be a plot device by Chuck Dixon for a story that was intended to revamp her father, [[HarmlessVillain the Cluemaster, z-list fodder at best]], but ended up being so popular that she became [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake's]] on-again, off-again LoveInterest, his temporary succesor as Robin IV (though this was as much a marketing scheme as anything else), and Batgirl III with her own Fan-favourite Solo Series. Not bad for a character who began as a plot device, huh?
** As a sidenote, due to his relationship to his daughter making him positively brimming with potential for drama, Cluemaster himself steadily made more appearences in the comics with his competence, if not his [[FashionVictimVillain questionable taste in costumes]], rising as he did so, cumulating in the 75th Anniversary Weekly Series, ComicBook/BatmanEternal, [[spoiler: where he was revealed to have [[BigBad Masterminded the entire story]], almost burnt Gotham to ground, destroyed Batman Incorperated, discovered Batman's true identity, and came closer to killing Batman than anyone else ever had before, barring Bane. [[NotSoHarmlessVillain Bear in mind that Cluemaster was still considered to be a Riddler knock-off.]] [[HijackedByGanon Too bad for him, he got backstabbed by his financial backer, Lincoln March of the Court of Owls.]]]]
* In the ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', Mogo, [[GeniusLoci the sentient Green Lantern planet]], began as a clever gag in an Creator/AlanMoore story, but now he's a regular presence in stories about the Corps.
* John Constantine, star of ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}, was originally just a recurring extra in ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' who looked like Sting. Artists Steve Bissette and John Totleben convinced writer Creator/AlanMoore to give him a speaking part, just because they liked drawing Sting so much. His popularity took off from there.
* Much of the human cast of ''ComicBook/TheSandman''. It's traditional to introduce a character in one story arc as a minor background character, only to have them reappear in a later arc as the protagonist.
** Unity Kincaid. In "Preludes and Nocturnes", she briefly appears as one of the victims of the sleeping sickness. In "The Doll's House", she is revealed to be the grandmother of that story's protagonist, Rose Walker.
** Barbie. In "The Doll's House", she's one of the guests at Hal's boarding house. She later turns out to be the protagonist of "A Game of You", which follows her adventures in the Dreaming after she breaks up with her boyfriend Ken.
** Martin Tenbones. First appears in one frame in "The Doll's House", where he's one of the creatures in Barbie's dream. He appears as a living being in "A Game of You", when Barbie travels through her own dreams.
** Lyta Hall. Briefly appears in "The Doll's House" as a prisoner of Brute and Glob. Then Dream vows to take away her child, and...things get more complicated. After a few sporadic appearances in later issues, she becomes the protagonist of "The Kindly Ones".
** Daniel Hall. Introduced as Lyta Hall's baby, who Dream vows to take away when he's old enough. After a few background appearances, he plays a central role in "The Kindly Ones". And in "The Wake", [[spoiler: he becomes the new Dream after the original's death]].
* And let's not forget that ComicBook/JimmyOlsen was a random office boy who eventually graduated to a long-running book of his own as Franchise/{{Superman}}'s Pal.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
** While Athena was mentioned, briefly, in the [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 original comics]] she never appeared in story and there was never any indication she was even still alive by the time Diana was born. In ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'' Athena is Diana's patron Olympian and thus the most important member of the Dodekatheon that is not a villain, taking Aphrodite's place.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2011'' turned Dionysus into a main character, when in previous incarnations that particular member of the Dodekatheon generally just acted as set dressing in the background during scenes on Olympus.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWomanTheTrueAmazon'' has Poseidon, one of the lesser-seen deities in regular Wonder Woman stories. Here he's responsible for the Amazons escaping Heracles and also helps Hippolyta's song reach the other gods and goddesses, imbuing Diana with life.

!!'''Marvel'''
* Before becoming the superhero Black Goliath (later just Goliath) and getting his own series, Bill Foster started off as [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym's]] lab assistant in a few issues of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers''.
* Likewise, James "Rhodey" Rhodes and ComicBook/CarolDanvers were originally just supporting characters in the respective books they appeared in (Rhodey was ComicBook/IronMan's TokenBlackFriend and Carol was [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marvel]]'s love interest). They eventually became popular enough that they were spun off as superheroes in their own rights, with Rhodey becoming ComicBook/WarMachine and Carol becoming ComicBook/MsMarvel (and later, the new Captain Marvel).
** Carol's a twofer. After that Ms. Marvel solo title ended, she definitely fell away from A-list status for a long time. If you grew up with comics anywhere from the 80s to 2005-ish, you probably think of Carol Danvers as "who? Oh, the one Rogue stole her powers from" and find it hard to imagine her as a main character. However, real effort has gone into pushing her from that to ''beyond'' her status in her original heyday; she's now Marvel's Wonder Woman.
* The ComicBook/BlackWidow was just a supporting character for many years, not a full Avenger (with good reason -- she started out as a Russian spy, and this was the UsefulNotes/ColdWar). She's now been an Avenger long enough that it's hard to think of her otherwise, and adaptations reflect this. [[Film/{{The Avengers|2012}} The movie]] bumped her all the way up to founding member status!
* Similarly with ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, who started out as a reluctant Iron Man villain, only to become the Avenger with the second most appearances on the team (behind only Captain America), founding leader of their West Coast branch, headliner of the Solo Avengers spotlight anthology, and present in every animated, and now live-action, adaptation of the team.
* ComicBook/PeggyCarter in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' was introduced as a flashback character and LoveInterest in WWII to link the character to her niece ([[{{Retcon}} originally sister]]), [[ComicBook/Agent13 Sharon Carter]]. In the 2010s, the character got a significant role in the ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' film, and worked for the agency which would become S.H.I.E.L.D., her past achievements moved the storyline to the second series of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', and in 2015, [[Series/AgentCarter she got her own television series!]] Not too shabby.
* In ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', Eugene "Flash" Thompson was once a JerkJock who bullied Peter Parker, but was a major fan of his web-slinging alter-ego. After the shift away from high school, Flash tended to stick to the background before becoming a soldier. After an accident cost him his legs, he got a second chance in serving his country. He became the ComicBook/{{Venom}} for a time, has been a member of the ComicBook/SecretAvengers, and even dated Valkyrie.. Now, that's impressive.
* ComicBook/SquirrelGirl was originally a one-shot character created for a gag story where she teamed up with Comicbook/IronMan to fight ComicBook/DoctorDoom. She went close to ''a decade'' without appearing again until she got revived in 2005, and has since gained enough popularlarity to become an [[ComicBook/NewAvengers2015 Avenger]] and get her own [[ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl ongoing series]].
* Gwenpool began life as part of a variant cover gimmick that featured Gwen Stacy dressed as different Marvel heroes (ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ComicBook/IronMan, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], etc.) The cover showing Gwen dressed as ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} was an instant hit, and the design proved so popular with cosplayers that Marvel brought Gwenpool into their official canon as part of the ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel universe -- first appearing in a ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'' backup story, she then proceeded to headline a holiday special, before finally getting her [[ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool own ongoing series]].
* Headsman started off as a villain in ''ComicBook/UntoldTalesOfSpiderMan'', but didn't come to attention until he later joined the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}.
* Before he was revealed to be the true identity of the Green Goblin, ComicBook/NormanOsborn originally appeared in the background for several issues as a member of J. Jonah Jameson's businessmen's club, and occasionally seen talking to Jonah. He finally received a supporting role in one issue where it's revealed he cheated his ex-business partner, the villain of the issue, had another small but important role putting a hit out on Spider-Man, and then came the issue where the Green Goblin was finally unmasked. The rest is history.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'' has quite a few characters whose role is expanded in adaptations:
** Bolivar Trask, creator of the Sentinels. In the comicverse, he dies in the three-parter that introduces them, in a HeroicSacrifice once they get out of control. His son and his nephew also tried their hand at it, but also didn't stick around. Despite ''X-Men'''s love of BackFromTheDead, Bolivar stayed dead. [[spoiler: No longer true, but it took ''forty-three years'' to get there! He finally came back from the dead in the main MarvelUniverse in ''ComicBook/XForce'' v3 #6. In the intervening years however? Well...]] In the [[WesternAnimation/XMen 1990s animated series]], he's a {{Recurr|ingCharacter}}er you can expect to see in many a Sentinel story, on the run from his own creations. In ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution,'' he's arrested after the initial (unauthorized in this version) Sentinel incident, but kept around by SHIELD to design more once Apocalypse comes onto the scene. Had the series continued past the Apocalypse arc, we'd no doubt have seen a lot more of him and his wayward HumongousMecha children. He's got an expanded, recurring role in ComicBook/UltimateMarvel, as well as two movie appearances - one as the BigBad!
** Berzerker of the Morlocks (yeah, [[XtremeKoolLetterz with a Z]]). Comics: seen in one issue. A sympathetic but completely nutso BloodKnight, his friend Scaleface is killed by the cops because of Cyclops destroying their cover (he figured it'd make 'em stand down and hadn't counted on the cops shooting first and asking questions later) so he goes, well, berserk and dies when he's knocked into water during the ensuing battle (frying him with his own electrical powers). In ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', though, he's an ex-Morlock and one of the newer students, with the show for three seasons. Temperamental but not AxCrazy.
*** Scaleface herself. In the 1990s series and Evo, her power to turn into a big nasty lizard really gets to shine. Though she doesn't see an increase in screentime, her role goes from "[[StuffedIntoTheFridge dies so Berzerker can go even more nuts]]" to "Morlocks' resident bruiser." Berzerker wasn't even in the 1990s series.
** ComicBook/{{X 23}} began as a minor character in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' to prevent Franchise/{{Wolverine}} from [[WolverinePublicity taking over the rest of the show]] and to avoid having to introduce a large number of additional characters. After becoming a CanonImmigrant with ''NYX'', she ''herself'' has gained a substantial amount of WolverinePublicity, having appeared in multiple team books and her own solo run, and is one of the few teen heroes in the franchise that can arguably be considered an A-Lister, given how she would use the Wolverine name as well.
** The Spirit Drinker. In the comics, when D'Ken wanted to dispose of Lilandra, he summoned a soul-destroying critter, it targeted her, Kurt teleported her out of the way, its tongue nailed one of D'Ken's own {{Mooks}} who'd been standing in its path, and since it can only take one soul per summon, it vanished. ''Two panels,'' the scene notable only 'cause it was the first time Kurt had ever teleported with anyone else (at the time, it was pure agony for him and he passed out.) If someone with a gun had simply tried to shoot Lilandra, absolutely nothing would have changed, and the whole thing comes off as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment. So, in ''WesternAnimation/XMen'', the animated series? Well, it was only in one episode, but we're talking one episode of sheer NightmareFuel as the Reavers, who'd kidnapped Wolverine to free an alien superweapon, figure out it's a containment unit for something very ''bad'' too late, and this only-partially-substantial soul-eating EldritchAbomination is unleashed to stalk the heroes through the New York subway tunnels (and villains; we get an EnemyMine out of it) as the faces of half-eaten souls continually form from its substance to cry out.
** ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} was originally supporting character in ''Captain Britain'' comics. A move to the US and the X-Men, and she's come to be far better known than him, and currently also known as Captain Britain!
** Kwannon, also known as Revanche, has historically been a minor character with less than 40 appearances across three decades, whose only claim to fame was being the one who Psylocke (seen above) had a FreakyFridayFlip with that turned her into an Asian ninja. She ended up getting killed off, ensuring Betsy would be LockedIntoStrangeness by being stuck in her body for decades, and actually came back several times... only to get killed again. Then, after coming back in 2017, she regained her old body just as Betsy regained hers. Betsy was briefly Psylocke after, but it [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks didn't take for many]]. In 2019, Kwannon would be promoted to [[LegacyCharacter Psylocke II]] while Betsy became the new ComicBook/CaptainBritain, and became the lead of ''ComicBook/{{Fallen Angels|2019}}'', marking the first time she was ever a lead character in anything.
** And then there's Blink. Originally, the Earth-616 version was a minor character who was killed off during an alien invasion that leads the creation of Generation X. However, she struck a chord with fans in that time and was eventually brought back in the famous "Age Of Apocalypse" story. That alternate version of "Blink" was one of few spared when the AOA reality was turned back into the normal timeline, going on to become the leader of the dimension-hopping hero team "Exiles" and one of very few characters of that book who was there from start to finish and even through a ReTool or two. And not long after Exiles ended, the main universe version was brought BackFromTheDead: Turns out she was only in a pocket dimension, and was eventually yanked out by villainess Selene. Not only that, she popped up in the animated series Wolverine and the X-Men, the film version of Days of Future Past, and is set to be an important character in the television series The Gifted. Not bad for a SacrificialLamb, huh?
** As such, it's appropriate that the ''next-''most prominent Exile is Morph. In the main timeline, a one-shot villain named Changeling turned out to have had a change of heart, worked for Professor X, and had been impersonating him while he needed to be away (this is how the Professor is revealed as alive after his first ComicBookDeath. "I'm back! What, you saw me die? Well, remember that "Changeling" guy from way back when?") Purely ''because'' he's someone from the comics no one had any feelings about, he was used in the 90s X-Men cartoon under the name Morph as its SacrificialLamb in the first episode. ... And everyone loved him, and demanded he return. He made more appearances in the cartoon in the second season (albeit entering a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor due to the actions of Mister Sinister), and was also brought to life in the Exiles comic, if a bit exaggerated (Cartoon Morph is a Mystique-type shapeshifter and a Spider-Man type wisecracker with a(n in)famous cackle; Exiles Morph is a RubberMan who does cartoonish sight gags. Still, when you've got a shapeshifter named Morph as the PluckyComicRelief, there's no doubt as to who's being homaged!)
** Jumbo Carnation was a one-off mutant who appeared for a few panels in 2003, and existed mostly to be murdered and mourned by mutants. Following his revival on Krakoa seventeen years later, he's since become a major part of Emma Frost's inner circle. Not only has he been the one designing costumes and outfits for much of the cast, he was given an ImpliedLoveInterest in a sea captain, been given his own [[InfoDump declassified pages]] written by, or about him, and is responsible for designing all the costumes in the Hellfire Gala arc.
** Negasonic Teenage Warhead is a civilian mutant girl with precognitive powers who is introduced just in time to die in Cassandra Nova's mega-sentinel attack on Genosha. However, Creator/JossWhedon would eventually write for the X-Men, and a MysteriousWaif like her is right up his alley! Cue a much bigger role as part of the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants under his pen [[spoiler: though the new Brotherhood is eventually revealed as illusions]]. After being prominently featured in the ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' movie, Marvel resurrected her in the comics and made her part of the ''Deadpool & the Mercs for Money'' series.
** Sage begins life as someone who takes Sebastian Shaw's coat in one panel during the original Phoenix arc. However, her one-panel appearance and much later return as major character were both written by Chris Claremont, so it ''might'' have been planned from the start.
* AIM Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini wasn't quite an extra, but she was originally created as an antagonist for her daughter, Carmilla Black/Scorpion, with no sign that she was expected to take on any role in the wider Marvel universe. However, as one of the few human members of evil organisation AIM to have any characterisation, she started cropping up in other comics -- and eventually the [[WesternAnimation/MODOK2021 MODOK TV show]] -- whenever they needed a face for the organisation, or just an evil biochemist, or even sometimes when they just needed a slightly morally ambiguous one, long after Carmilla had become a footnote in Marvel history.

* AIM Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini wasn't quite an extra, but she was originally created as an antagonist for her daughter, Carmilla Black/Scorpion, with no sign that she was expected to take on any role in the wider Marvel universe. However, as one of the few human members of evil organisation AIM to have any characterisation, she started cropping up in other comics whenever they needed a face for the organisation, or just an evil biochemist, or even sometimes when they just needed a slightly morally ambiguous one.

** Probably the biggest one would be Doctor Hurt. Originally, he was an unnamed psychologist involved in a one-off Silver Age story, ''Robin Dies at Dawn''. When Creator/GrantMorrison made that story a pivotal part of [[Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman his run]], Doctor Hurt received a name for the first time in 45 years and became the BigBad of the MythArc, the head of the Black Glove, and [[LouisCypher very possibly Satan]], with his experiments in the original story all being part of a long-term plan to destroy Batman.

* In the ''Comicbook/GreenLantern'', Mogo, [[GeniusLoci the sentient Green Lantern planet]], began as a clever gag in an Creator/AlanMoore story, but now he's a regular presence in stories about the Corps.
* John Constantine, star of ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}, was originally just a recurring extra in ''Comicbook/SwampThing'' who looked like Sting. Artists Steve Bissette and John Totleben convinced writer Creator/AlanMoore to give him a speaking part, just because they liked drawing Sting so much. His popularity took off from there.

* Likewise, James "Rhodey" Rhodes and ComicBook/CarolDanvers were originally just supporting characters in the respective books they appeared in (Rhodey was Comicbook/IronMan's TokenBlackFriend and Carol was [[Comicbook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marvel]]'s love interest). They eventually became popular enough that they were spun off as superheroes in their own rights, with Rhodey becoming Comicbook/WarMachine and Carol becoming Comicbook/MsMarvel (and later, the new Captain Marvel).

* ComicBook/PeggyCarter in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' was introduced as a flashback character and LoveInterest in WWII to link the character to her niece ([[{{Retcon}} originally sister]]), [[{{Comicbook/Agent13}} Sharon Carter]]. In the 2010s, the character got a significant role in the ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' film, and worked for the agency which would become S.H.I.E.L.D., her past achievements moved the storyline to the second series of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', and in 2015, [[Series/AgentCarter she got her own television series!]] Not too shabby.

* Comicbook/SquirrelGirl was originally a one-shot character created for a gag story where she teamed up with Comicbook/IronMan to fight ComicBook/DoctorDoom. She went close to ''a decade'' without appearing again until she got revived in 2005, and has since gained enough popularlarity to become an [[Comicbook/NewAvengers2015 Avenger]] and get her own [[Comicbook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl ongoing series]].
* Gwenpool began life as part of a variant cover gimmick that featured Gwen Stacy dressed as different Marvel heroes (ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, Comicbook/IronMan, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], etc.) The cover showing Gwen dressed as Comicbook/{{Deadpool}} was an instant hit, and the design proved so popular with cosplayers that Marvel brought Gwenpool into their official canon as part of the ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel universe -- first appearing in a ''Comicbook/HowardTheDuck'' backup story, she then proceeded to headline a holiday special, before finally getting her [[Comicbook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool own ongoing series]].
* Headsman started off as a villain in ''Comicbook/UntoldTalesOfSpiderMan'', but didn't come to attention until he later joined the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}.

* ''Comicbook/XMen'' has quite a few characters whose role is expanded in adaptations:

** ComicBook/{{X 23}} began as a minor character in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' to prevent {{Wolverine}} from [[WolverinePublicity taking over the rest of the show]] and to avoid having to introduce a large number of additional characters. After becoming a CanonImmigrant with ''NYX'', she ''herself'' has gained a substantial amount of WolverinePublicity, having appeared in multiple team books and her own solo run, and is one of the few teen heroes in the franchise that can arguably be considered an A-Lister, given how she would use the Wolverine name as well.

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' has done this to Muttski, Sonic's dog. When he first appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', he was just a random robotic dog. The comics turned him into Sonic's pet and remained that way until the recent CosmicRetcon turned him into the Mobian Ben "Mutt" Muttski, Dr. Chuck's assistant.

* Sandra and Monique from the ''Comicbook/ScottPilgrim'' series. Lampshaded in the final volume when they get multiple introduction scenes.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2011'' turned Dionysus into a main character, when in previous incarnations that particular member of the Dodekatheon generally just acted as set dressing in the background during scenes on Olympus.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanTheTrueAmazon'' has Poseidon, one of the lesser-seen deities in regular Wonder Woman stories. Here he's responsible for the Amazons escaping Heracles and also helps Hippolyta's song reach the other gods and goddesses, imbuing Diana with life.

** As a sidenote, due to his relationship to his daughter making him positively brimming with potential for drama, Cluemaster himself steadily made more appearences in the comics with his competence, if not his [[FashionVictimVillain questionable taste in costumes]], rising as he did so, cumulating in the 75th Anniversary Weekly Series, ComicBook/BatmanEternal, [[spoiler: where he was revealed to have [[BigBad Masterminded the entire story]], almost burnt Gotham to ground, destroyed Batman Incorperated, discovered Batman's true identity, and came closer to killing Batman than anyone else ever had before, barring Bane.[[NotSoHarmlessVillain Bear in mind that Cluemaster was still considered to be a Riddler knock-off.]] [[HijackedByGanon Too bad for him, he got backstabbed by his financial backer.]]]]

** ComicBook/{{X 23}} began as a minor character in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' to prevent {{Wolverine}} from [[WolverinePublicity taking over the rest of the show]] and to avoid having to introduce a large number of additional characters. After becoming a CanonImmigrant with ''NYX'', she ''herself'' has gained a substantial amount of WolverinePublicity, having appeared in multiple team books and her own solo run, and is one of the few teen heroes in the franchise that can arguably be considered an A-Lister.

** ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} was originally supporting character in ''Captain Britain'' comics. A move to the US and the X-Men, and she's come to be far better known than him!

** As such, it's appropriate that the ''next-''most prominent Exile is Morph. In the main timeline, a one-shot villain named Changeling turned out to have had a change of heart, worked for Professor X, and had been impersonating him while he needed to be away (this is how the Professor is revealed as alive after his first ComicBookDeath. "I'm back! What, you saw me die? Well, remember that "Changeling" guy from way back when?") Purely ''because'' he's someone from the comics no one had any feelings about, he was used in the 90s X-Men cartoon under the name Morph as its SacrificialLamb in the first episode. ...And everyone loved him, and demanded he return. He made more appearances in the cartoon in the second season, and was also brought to life in the Exiles comic, if a bit exaggerated (Cartoon Morph is a Mystique-type shapeshifter and a Spider-Man type wisecracker with a(n in)famous cackle; Exiles Morph is a RubberMan who does cartoonish sight gags. Still, when you've got a shapeshifter named Morph as the PluckyComicRelief, there's no doubt as to who's being homaged!)

** The tie-in comic for ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', ''The Batman Strikes'', used Rupert Throne and Solomon Grundy far more than the show it's based on did, the former (barring some cameos in Season 4) only appeared at the start of the first episode as the last major crime boss Batman puts away before the RoguesGallery appear and while the latter's episode ended with the implication he was {{real after all}}, "Grundy" in his only episode was really mostly [[ScoobyDooHoax Clayface impersonating Grundy]].

* This happens to at least two characters in the film adaptation of ''ComicBook/ThreeHundred''; Stelios turns from a teenage Spartan who is ridiculed by the others when he tires out to an adult, battle-hardened soldier who exemplifies the Spartan image, and the Captain's son is given a name (Astinos) and takes Stelios's place as the eager young Spartan.

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' had Nurse Spratt, who only had a couple of lines and appearances for the first two-thirds or so of the comic, until she [[spoiler: betrayed Fabletown, changed her name and appearance, and revealed herself as one of the most unscrupulous villains in the whole series]].
* ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'':
** Smithers, the Lodges' Butler, who gets a DayInTheLimeLight narrating the fifth issue and [[spoiler:backs Archie up on escaping Lodge Manor before the zombies overrun them.]]
** Ginger, a rarely used side character, and Nancy, who has few appearances without her boyfriend Chuck, get quite a few scenes on their own before they join the main group. [[spoiler:They're also secretly a couple.]]
** Betty's obscure older sister, Polly, gets a fair amount of screentime in flashbacks.
* ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms'':
** Despite being made a big deal of in early episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'', Synergy was mostly treated as a plot-device and rarely even appeared in her holographic form. In the comics there is ''much'' more of an effort to present her as a character and as family to The Holograms.
** Craig appeared in under five episodes of the cartoon and is mostly treated as "Stormer's brother". In the comics he appears early on and it isn't even revealed he is Stormer's older brother until several issues in. They put more emphasis on his romance with Aja.
** Clash is the Misfits groupie in the cartoon but only appears in a select number of episodes. In the comics she appears in almost every issue they do.

* ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'': Most of the Trust members (less than half of whom speak in their first appearance), although often just for the purposes of having a DeathInTheLimelight. Joan D'Arcy (the last member of the group to even be named, about ninety issues into the story) and Timo Vermeer are the main examples, with both taking the center to the stage near the end by the sole virtue of being among the only ones left, putting them into opposition with the BigBadEnsemble.
* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' comic adaptation, Sahasrahla, his wife, and the boy who knew his location are given considerably larger roles here than in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast the actual game]].
* Roger was just a nameless bully in ''VideoGame/NiGHTSIntoDreams'', but is a major player in the Archie [[ComicBook/NiGHTSIntoDreams comic adaptation]] as he antagonizes Elliot and Claris and becomes a pawn of Wizeman and Reala.

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'''Marvel'''

'''Other'''

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' comic adaptation, Sahasrahla, his wife, and the boy who knew his location are given considerably larger roles here than in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast the actual game]]''.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'': Buzzsaw had only a handful of appearances in the 2005 IDW continuity, only really showing up for group shots. Rumble and Frenzy received major characterization as some of Megatron's earliest followers while Ravage and Laserbeak were Soundwave's main minions for much of the early run. In ''RID'', Buzzsaw is SuddenlyVoiced and forms something of a [[Series/TheMuppetShow Statler and Waldorf-esque]] peanut gallery with Laserbeak. He gets a few small moments of character in the present and the flashbacks had him alongside Laserbeak and Ravage as a trio rather than the duo the latter two normally had. [[spoiler:Buzzsaw also ends up outliving most of his colleagues and survives the events of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersUnicron'' whereas Soundwave and Laserbeak die]].

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' has done this to Muttski, Sonic's dog. When he first appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehog'', he was just a random robotic dog. The comics turned him into Sonic's pet and remained that way until the recent CosmicRetcon turned him into the Mobian Ben "Mutt" Muttski, Dr. Chuck's assistant.

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' has done this to Muttski, Sonic's dog. When he first appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehog'', he was just a random robotic dog. The comics turned him into Sonic's pet and remained that way until the recent CosmicRetcon turned him into the Mobian Ben "Mutt" Muttski, Dr. Chuck's assistant.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersTillAllAreOne'': Gives Blast-Off of the Combaticons a central role. While the Combaticons are one of the few Combiner Teams to avert TheDividual Often it was Onslaught, Swindle, or even Brawl who got the character-focus. In the IDW books alone Blast-Off spent most of his time as a background character and was absent from a few of the Combaticon's more important arcs. Here he's the most fleshed out of the Combaticons as it's his machinations that kick off a good deal of the plot and his conscience that prevents more deaths from happening.

* ''ComicBook/100Bullets'': Most of the Trust members (less than half of whom speak in their first appearance), although often just for the purposes of having a DeathInTheLimelight. Joan D'Arcy (the last member of the group to even be named, about ninety issues into the story) and Timo Vermeer are the main examples, with both taking the center to the stage near the end by the sole virtue of being among the only ones left, putting them into opposition with the BigBadEnsemble.

* Likewise, James "Rhodey" Rhodes and ComicBook/CarolDanvers were originally just supporting characters in the respective books they appeared in (Rhodey was Comicbook/IronMan's BlackBestFriend and Carol was [[Comicbook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marvel]]'s love interest). They eventually became popular enough that they were spun off as superheroes in their own rights, with Rhodey becoming Comicbook/WarMachine and Carol becoming Comicbook/MsMarvel (and later, the new Captain Marvel).

** Negasonic Teenage Warhead is a civilian mutant girl with precognitive powers who is introduced just in time to die in Cassandra Nova's mega-sentinel attack on Genosha. However, Creator/JossWhedon would eventually write for the X-Men, and a MysteriousWaif like her is right up his alley! Cue a much bigger role as part of the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants under his pen [[spoiler: though the new Brotherhood is eventually revealed as illusions]]. After being prominently featured in the ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' movie, Marvel resurrected her in the comics and made her part of the ''Deadpool & the Mercs for Money'' series.

** Kwannon who is the new Psylocke, was always a very minor character in the X-Men mythos, as she hasn't even appeared in 40 issues since her 1993 debut. Her body was well-known as being Betsy's for the longest time, but she herself was not. Now, as the new Psylocke, Kwannon receives a massive upgrade in prominence, starting with the fact that she's the main character of her own comic series (which never would've happened before).

** Kwannon, also known as Revanche, has historically been a minor character with less than 40 appearances across three decades, whose only claim to fame was being the one who Psylocke (seen above) had a FreakyFridayFlip with that turned her into an Asian ninja. She ended up getting killed off, ensuring Betsy would be LockedIntoStrangeness by being stuck in her body for decades, and actually came back several times... only to get killed again. Then, after coming back in 2017, she regained her old body just as Betsy regained hers. Betsy was briefly Psylocke after, but it [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks didn't take for many]]. In 2019, Kwannon would be promoted to [[LegacyCharacter Psylocke II]] while Betsy became the new ComicBook/CaptainBritain, and became the lead of ''ComicBook/{{Fallen Angels|2019}}'', marking the first time she was ever a lead character in anything.