Character Perception Evolution / Western Animation

• The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius: Skeet, from the memetic episode "Men at Work", was intended to be seen as something of an idiot and a disrespectful manager to Jimmy, with kids watching the episode and taking Jimmy's side. The discourse changed once the original fandom grew up, many of these kids taking minimum wage jobs for themselves, and beginning to realize that not only was Jimmy being a bit of a brat, but everything Skeet said was entirely correct; for example, Jimmy taking customers' orders without using the cash register was actually illegal. In this light, Skeet has become an Ensemble Dark Horse often depicted as an Only Sane Man having to put up with Jimmy's Insufferable Genius tendencies.
• Adventure Time:
  • Ice King, despite initially being the series' main villain, didn't have a great reception at first, being viewed as a somewhat annoying and incompetent crazy old monarch whose only goal was to find (or rather kidnap) a princess to be his wife, and to a lesser extent, become friends with Finn and Jake. However, after later episodes beginning with "Holly Jolly Secrets" fleshed out his backstory, revealing him to have once been a human named Simon Petrikov who slowly lost his mind due to his crown's influence and lost the love of his life because of it, Ice King quickly became acclaimed as a character, with many praising him for being a great example of a Tragic Villain, and as an added bonus, many of his previous antics started to be viewed in a much more depressing yet three-dimensional light. It also helps that the show introduced the Lich, a far more malevolent and legitimately threatening villain, to take his spot as the Big Bad.
  • The (original) Earl Of Lemongrab was originally very popular in his first appearance, "Too Young", for his memetic catchphrase, "UNACCEPTABLE!", and for coming off as Unintentionally Sympathetic in Finn and Princess Bubblegum's pranks. However, when he started appearing more often, many started to find his voice and constant shrieking annoying, and what few fans he had left jumped ship after he started abusing Lemongrab 2 and their children. Another point of contention is how his behavior and mannerisms make him come off as an ableist caricature of autistic people to some.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender: While Princess Azula has always been a popular villain, the reasons for why have changed quite a bit. During the original run of Books 2 and 3, the general view of Azula was that of an amoral sociopath who lacked the redeeming qualities of her brother Prince Zuko, to the point of manipulating her own allies, as well as being a highly competent and dangerous foe who effectively usurped Zuko as the primary threat to Team Avatar in her debut, took over Ba Sing Se from the inside, and nearly killing Aang himself, among other notable deeds. By the middle of The New '10s, people began to reinterpret her character in a more sympathetic light. As emotional abuse became more well known, people began to look at her relationship with her father Firelord Ozai differently, arguing that she was ultimately just as much of a victim as her brother. This also coincided with people going back to Book 3, which gave her some more sympathetic qualities (namely, revealing that she believed her mother Ursa hated her, and her increasing Sanity Slippage in Sozin's Comet), as well as Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search revealing that Ozai only conceived her and Zuko for the sake of producing strong firebenders. Nowadays, while some still view her as irredeemable, many argue that she deserved as much of a chance at redemption as Zuko.
• Batman: The Animated Series: The villainess Red Claw was not liked very much when the show was on the air, mostly due to her being a generic and underdeveloped Terrorist Without A Cause (her first appearance being really about introducing the much more memorable and popular Catwoman, with Red Claw only being there to provide a larger threat that she couldn't and allow audiences to root for Selina) in a series that was praised for providing layers and complexities to formerly one-note supervillains and creating multiple memorable one-shot antagonists. This unpopularity was one of the factors why she took so long to become a Canon Immigrant in the comics (unlike many of the other aforementioned one-shot antagonists), only debuting there in 2018. However, over time fans began to re-examine her appearances, and have come to notice that whilst underdeveloped in motivation and possessing a somewhat generic personality, Red Claw is still presented as a cunning, highly competent and dangerous supervillain with a surprisingly likeable personality as well as a very attractive design, causing many to reevaluate their views towards her, with some even seeing her as a previously unrecognised Ensemble Dark Horse. Whilst disdain for her still exists in certain circles, it is no longer the universal opinion it used to be and even several who aren’t fans have expressed their hope that future comics might correct her problems and allow Red Claw to finally live up to her full potential.
• Ben 10:
  • Ben Tennyson's initial characterization as a Bratty Half-Pint Idiot Hero as per the original series was originally beloved by viewers, as it made Ben seem believably endearing and flawed, which also stacked up with giving him an Awesome Ego whenever he would engage in heroics. As such, there were many fans who took issue with Ben's more serious and mature personality during the Alien Force and Ultimate Alien era of the franchise, as it seemingly deprived him of his more comedic moments that made the character so fun to watch in the first place. However, as later seasons of both those shows and Omniverse attempted to bring Ben's cocky and immature behavior back to the forefront of his personality, many fans found the execution to be a vast overcorrection and began to grow disillusioned with it, finding his attitude irritating and regressive rather than humorous. Furthermore, this has caused Ben's UAF portrayal to become more fondly appreciated, with many fans liking how it balanced both funny and serious moments quite well.
  • One of the largest reasons for Ben 10: Alien Force initially being seen as a Contested Sequel to Ben 10 was from Kevin Levin's Heel–Face Return. When the series was new, Kevin being a hero was widely lambasted for depriving Ben of one of his most popular villains, it occurring with a character who was presented as Beyond Redemption in the Original Series, contradicting an episode of the original series that claimed he would still be evil well into adulthood, and giving him a sudden romantic pairing with Gwen. Some fans even speculated that Gwen was only paired with Kevin to get people to stop shipping her with Ben. However, as Alien Force progressed fans warmed up to the idea of Kevin being The Atoner, finding his interactions with Ben and Gwen to be legitimately hilarious, and that the three made an effective trio. Even his romance with Gwen was seen in a better light, as while fans agree that their initial attraction was rushed, they proved to be a well-developed and stable couple, especially in contrast to Ben's several tumultuous romances throughout the franchise. This was increased when Ben 10: Ultimate Alien finally explained what caused such a shift in Kevin's demeanor, in a way that felt natural, aided by the knowledge the writers wanted to explain this earlier but Executive Meddling got in the way. This, combined with a praised performance by Greg Cipes and several stories showing how much gratitude Kevin had for Ben and Gwen for giving him a second chance, earned Kevin the reputation as one of the funniest and most developed characters in the franchise. Kevin's status as a hero had become so beloved by the end of Ultimate Alien there was a large outcry among fans when he and Gwen were sentenced to Commuting on a Bus at the start of Ben 10: Omniverse. The reboot manages to thread the needle between both perceptions, having Kevin as a constantly rotating villain and Anti-Hero with little desire to change his ways, but also one who can't deny his begrudging respect for Ben or romantic attraction toward Gwen.
  • Eon, the Big Bad of the Live-Action Adaptation Ben 10: Race Against Time was initially seen as an unremarkable Generic Doomsday Villain, with many decrying him for his ugly costume and cliché ridden motives of wanting to possess Ben Tennyson so he could use The Hands of Arrmaggedon to revive his Dying Race, the Chronians. However, fans began to gain a new appreciation for Eon after Ben 10: Ultimate Alien made him Canon Immigrant but did so in a way that completely discarded the character's previously established past and motives. The episode "Ben 10,000 Returns" would establish Race Against Time to be canon, but retcon Eon into being a version of Ben Tennyson from a Bad Future who wished to become the only version of Ben in the multiverse. As a result of causing a giant Continuity Snarl with Race Against Time (it was stated within "Ben 10,000 Returns" that the Eon in the show and movie are the same person), alongside the new backstory being seen as even bigger Cliché Storm fans have begun to look back on the live-action take of the character with more fondness. In particular, fans have begun to praise Christien Anholt's conviction to the role despite the script's failings. These fans now see Eon's original depiction as an effective Tragic Villain who had a complex but brilliant plan behind his methods. Many fans lament that the writers chose to completely change the character for the shows that followed, instead of building on the foundation the movie presented.
  • When he was first introduced in Ben 10: Omniverse, Rook Blonko wasn't well-liked by fans, as they saw him as a Replacement Scrappy for Gwen and Kevin, who were already fairly popular in Ben's previous shows. As he began to develop however, people warmed up to how much of an Adorkable Badass Normal Rook was, who proved to be more than capable of holding his own in combat while still being subject to occasionally funny moments. With the show later having Gwen and Kevin making appearances roughly once or twice a season, the sting of them no longer being main characters wanned a bit allowed for people to look back on Rook's earlier episodes less harshly. As such, fans now consider Rook to be a great partner for Ben, and even those who dislike Omniverse consider him the best part of the show.
• Blue's Clues: When Steve left the series and his younger brother Joe became the new host, Joe was initially seen as an inferior replacement to him. As the years went on, people became more accepting of Joe when they decided that he had his own charm, though he remains somewhat divisive.
• Bob's Burgers: During the first few years of the show's existence, Tina Belcher was its Breakout Character. Her social awkwardness, nerdy interests (like writing fanfiction), and open sexuality were seen as refreshing and relatable, especially among women and girls in the fanbase. As the show continued, said open sexuality led her to become increasingly divisive. Her boy-crazy antics are either seen as as harmless, since she is a 13-year-old girl who isn't quite aware of social norms and the consequences of her actions, or creepy, off-putting, and stalker-ish behavior that would be completely unacceptable if she were male.
• BoJack Horseman: Todd was popular with fans in the first few seasons, with his lucky slacker persona coming across as relatable and his zany subplots providing some comic relief whenever the show got particularly heavy. As the show became more serious, however, Todd became more of a Base-Breaking Character, as his antics contrasted more starkly with the main plots, and the rampant deconstruction of Easily Forgiven made it more glaring when Todd didn't face consequences for a particular behavior solely because Todd's behavior is Played for Laughs while other characters' bad decisions are typically Played for Drama. In a series all about deconstructing the idea that life is just 22 minute segments of hijinks that can be undone by the Reset Button, this kind of thing naturally invites a higher degree of scrutiny. This made his "The Reason You Suck" Speech towards BoJack at the end of Season 3, a very popular moment when it first aired, a bit more contentious over time. While some developments went over quite well, such as his asexuality arc, the surreal humor that made him popular early on became less of a draw.
• Danny Phantom: During the series’ run, and for several years after the fact, Mr. Lancer was seen as nothing more than a one-note Jerkass and Karmic Butt-Monkey who only existed as an obstacle that reinforced Danny’s struggles to maintain a balance between his super-heroics and academic life. When The Ultimate Enemy had his methods inadvertently cause a Bad Future where he, Sam, Tucker, and Danny's family die in an explosion, which leads to Danny’s ghost form fusing with Vlad’s and becoming an evil dictator; it painted Mr. Lancer as an Asshole Victim for his actions (with his headstone being buried so that it only says "gone" instead of "gone, but not forgotten"), with many fans agreeing to that assessment. But around the late 2010s, a theory began to rise that Mr. Lancer was a Secret Secret-Keeper, only being so harsh on Danny to keep his wits up. These fans noted several moments throughout the show that don't make sense unless Mr. Lancer knew that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were the same person. The most blatant of which comes from the Grand Finale Phantom Planet, as when Tucker and Danny Phantom are presenting their plans to save the Earth, Mr. Lancer snidely remarks "They never put this much effort into their school work". This combined with Ron Perlman giving a hilarious performance full of wit and hamminess that had been previously overlooked has resulted in the character gaining a fan following. Several viewers are now more willing to express sympathy for Mr. Lancer's many Butt-Monkey moments, including his death in the Bad Future.
• Daria: Tom was hated in the early days, mostly due to The Kiss—aside from coming off as Unintentionally Unsympathetic, fans didn't like the Love Triangle for turning a satire of teen dramas into a real teen drama. While The Kiss is still cited as a Jumping the Shark moment and Tom is seen as a Satellite Love Interest who adds little to Daria and Jane's dynamic, time has mellowed the fandom enough that actual hatred of him is more of a Play-Along Meme than actual Die for Our Ship.
• Final Space: KVN spent Season 1 as The Friend Nobody Likes, and fans of the show enjoyed hurling abuse onto him just as much as Gary did. However, as time went on, viewers were more open to considering his positive traits, namely his Undying Loyalty to Gary and Co., and the fact he could actually be useful to his team at times. While viewers still make jokes about KVN being The Load, they do acknowledge his positive qualities as well. It helps that the character became less obnoxious in later seasons
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Cheese was an Ensemble Dark Horse back in his debut episode "Mac Daddy" for his comical Cloudcuckoolander antics and his subsequent Fountain of Memes status, but he became a Base-Breaking Character after he was flanderized into being The Load. Some fans still find his memetic lines amusing, while others find him useless and irritating, with some in the latter camp even accusing him of being an offensive caricature of mentally handicapped people.
• Gravity Falls: Mabel Pines was initially well-liked when the show first started, due to her Adorkable personality, being a hilarious foil to Dipper, and for being a Fountain of Memes. However, starting late season 1, she became more and more of a Base-Breaking Character due to her tendency to tease Dipper for his crush on Wendy when she can barely go five episodes without getting a new crush, how Dipper is often expected to make sacrifices for her when she rarely returns the favor, and for inadvertently helping Bill break free and causing Weirdmageddon. What doesn't help matters is that she mostly never faces any negative consequences for her mistakes or Jerkass Balls. However, in the years since the show ended other fans have examined this perception and found it to be exaggerated, leading to a backlash against the backlash. Mabel's defenders point to times when she does face negative consequences for her actions, bring up times when her better side is on display, and say she's far from the only character to have serious flaws and/or less-than-stellar moments. As a result, Mabel is one of the most severely polarizing characters in the entire show.
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: When Fred Fredburger first appeared, he was widely popular for his cloudcuckoolander attitude and funny lines, and he was even briefly a Breakout Character. After he started to appear in more episodes and Cartoon Network promos, fans became more divided on him and some were annoyed by his poop jokes, though many people still find him hilarious.
• Hey Arnold!:
  • While Helga G. Pataki remains a beloved character for her sympathetic and tragically realistic portrayal of growing up amidst a negligent and dysfunctional family, her treatment and subsequent relationship with Arnold have seen reevaluation. During the 90s, Helga's treatment of Arnold was simply seen as a way for girls to display their affection towards the boys they liked under the pretense of concealing their own feelings. This mindset, along with the series making genuine efforts to explain and even address her behavior on occasion, most effectively with "Helga on the Couch", led many audiences to accept the dynamic between them and even root for them to end up together. However, with increasing awareness of the harms brought upon children through bullying and the Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male, people revisiting the series have found it far more difficult to cheer for Helga's pursuit of Arnold, as the "bully" aspect of the Loving Bully trope is more emphasized than the "loving", with victims of bullying generally not expected to reciprocate the feelings of their abusers. While the pairing is not completely condemned, as fans were largely pleased to see them end up together in The Jungle Movie, Helga's relationship with Arnold is seen in a significantly less positive light; her treatment of him is now widely seen as unacceptable.
  • Sid was often seen as one of the most unlikable characters early in the fandom's history, especially after he Took a Level in Jerkass in Season 3. During this time, he was frequently derided as a Jerkass and a Fair-Weather Friend who betrays everyone at the drop of a hat. Whenever he got A Day in the Limelight, it typically highlighted how weird and off-kilter he is, which many viewers thought just made him even more off-putting. In more recent years, while his negative tendencies still get brought up a lot, there are quite a few fans nowadays who are more likely to consider him one of the funniest and most interesting characters on the show, making him more of a polarizing character than a truly hated one. That being said, one thing both fans and haters of his can agree upon is that episodes like "Bag of Money" and "Arnold Betrays Iggy" are Sid's lowest points.
• Horrid Henry: While back in the day, many adults viewed the titular character less as a lovable prankster and more like a spoiled whiny Jerkass ungrateful for everything he had, in later years, many people have come to sympathize with him due to his parents handling his behavior with emotional abuse and comparing him to his brother, Perfect Peter (who isn't as perfect as his name suggests). As a result, nowadays more people understand why exactly he's so horrid.
• King of the Hill: Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt, despite being voiced by Tom Petty, was initially considered to be The Scrappy of the show and received a lot of hate during the show's run and for some years after. The reasons for the flack he took were how his relationship with Luanne Platter (combined with Luanne's Flanderization) turned her into the exact kind of person she didn't want to be in the earlier seasons; his lazy lifestyle which Luanne's uncle Hank Hill, for some reason, mostly tolerates despite being established as treating hard work and effort seriously; him being a major contributing factor to the show's Negative Continuity; the fact that he took Texas stereotypes up to an obnoxious extreme despite earlier seasons making a point of showing that such stereotypes aren't always accurate; and his greater importance in the show's last legs despite contributing very little to the plot and not being particularly funny. However, over the years, many new viewers who watch the show have found themselves fond of Lucky due to being one of the most consistently nice characters while many of the other cast members became bigger jerks, with many fans praising him for being an honest, down-to-earth man with integrity that treated Luanne with the love and maturity she deserved. Nowadays, while he's still a Base-Breaking Character, he is considerably more popular than he was before, with many fans saying they find him more likable than Peggy.
• Miraculous Ladybug:
  • While Adrien/Cat Noir's base-breaking status developed fairly early in the show's run, Marinette/Ladybug used to be near universally beloved by fans. This started changing at some point during season 3, thanks to a combination of her shortcomings as a character becoming more numerous and blatant (as was happening with a number of other characters at the time), Adrien fans getting tired of what they perceived as other fans bashing their favorite character and deciding to give her the same treatment in turn, and a glut of "salt fic" writers constantly ignoring her flaws and turning her into a perfect angel who deserves everything on a silver platter while her loved ones suffer, much to the annoyance of less salty fans. Nowadays, while she still has a loyal fanbase, she's just as much of a base-breaker to the general fandom as her partner.
  • Nino was the only one of the main characters who hadn't fallen into Base-Breaking Character territory for the first three seasons thanks to his positive attitude, his overall healthy and supportive friendship with Adrien and his getting the Turtle Miraculous, all of which made him a fan favorite. But from the fourth season onward, he began to gain detractors thanks to a combination of factors; part of it was him taking a level in jerkass starting from "Rocketear" onward (where he suddenly became a Crazy Jealous Guy over Alya and revealed her secret identity to Adrien without her consent), part of it was fans re-analyzing his character and realizing he didn't have a lot going for him outside of being Adrien's Token Black Friend. Nowadays, while it hasn't reached the same heights as the other characters, he's much more of a base-breaker to the fandom than he was previously.
• My Life as a Teenage Robot: Sheldon Lee was at first near-universally seen as a lovable, sweet-natured nerd with a crush on Jenny Wakeman that was found endearing even by many who didn't ship the two of them. However, changing times meant that his Stalker with a Crush tendencies, once viewed as harmless pining, were seen in a more critical light. Some of his other behavior also got re-evaluated for the worse, with him having quite a few moments where he came off as manipulative and entitled to some viewers. Today, while he still has his fans, he's a far more polarizing character than he used to be, with some still finding him a sweetheart (albeit a flawed one), whereas others now consider him a creep who needs to leave Jenny alone.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
  • Diamond Tiara was originally seen as going from hated to popular for her Freudian Excuse and epic redemption. But the series next redemption was a tipping point for G4's frequent reductions being criticized as too left-field and abrupt which also applied to Diamond, whose not having a story role since meant she never got a chance to further earn it. Nowadays Diamond's become divisive with many seeing her as just another poorly-done, undeserved redemption. On the other hand, it begun a re-evaluation of Diamond's Fanon portrayal which vilified her so often sympathetic portrayals practically only happened as deliberate subversions. Her redemption and the similar aged and appearing Cozy Glow being seen as unfairly punished for a child despite being genuinely evil and dangerous caused many to see Diamond's vilification as unfair.
  • King Sombra was originally seen as a disappointment and the weakest major villain due to a combination of factors: he rarely appeared in the present and barely had a speaking role, him being defeated before even interacting with the heroes made him seem underwhelming (with the curses and traps he left long ago doing more damage than he himself), and following the very well-received Discord and Queen Chrysalis did him no favors (with some seeing him as boring and underdeveloped in comparison). Opinions on him started to improve when the comics gave him a well-received backstory and the Season 5 finale showed a Villain World timeline where he won, featuring Equestria as a war-torn wasteland with Sombra as a legitimately effective, and still silent, Evil Overlord. But the real re-evaluation started once most of the series' later villains also proved divisive and underwhelming despite ample dialog and characterization, taking full effect once the Season 9 premiere revived Sombra and finally gave him a speaking role... as a hammy Laughably Evil type who grossly overestimated his own abilities and was easily defeated. After this, many paid greater appreciation to his original appearance for subtly implying he was a skilled chessmaster and Sorcerous Overlord (he managed a Near-Villain Victory entirely from being Crazy-Prepared in the past), with his lack of characterization and dialogue seen as enhancing his threat and mystique rather than detracting.
• The Powerpuff Girls (1998): When the show first came out, Bubbles was the fan favorite for her adorableness and kindness. Nowadays she's more of a Base-Breaking Character since several people find her tendency to cry a lot annoying and they don't like that she's gotten away with some things her sisters have suffered the consequences for, but just as many fans still love her for being a sweetheart.
• Ready Jet Go!: Mindy was a very popular character (especially among the younger audience) early on for her sarcastic side and for being a relatable Audience Surrogate. As the show went on, she became more divisive when she began to have many episodes focusing on her despite her limited character traits, but she still has her share of supporters who chalk her ruder moments to not knowing any better since she's a younger kid and all.
• Regular Show:
  • Mordecai was originally well-liked by fans for being the Only Sane Man within the park, and far less prone to making dumb decisions compared to Rigby. Over time however, many people began to notice flaws with Mordecai that made him seem worse over time, particularly his desperation for being with Margaret and/or CJ despite his flagrant irresponsibility and inability to go steady with anyone, and his self-pitying attitude whenever he screws up his own chances. It's not helped by the fact that he tends to sideline Rigby in favor of trying to get with Margaret or CJ, making him come across as Unintentionally Unsympathetic at times. These factors, along with Mordecai’s static character development in contrast to the other main characters, made many fans perceive him as a Memetic Loser who cares more about trying to get a girlfriend than he does trying to help his friends.
  • Rigby, by contrast, went from being a Base-Breaking Character to a fan favorite, thanks to him not just getting serious Character Development that did away with his nastier traits but also being in a stable and loving relationship with Eileen, as it lacked the melodrama and constant back-and-forth of Mordecai's love life.
  • Benson was originally disliked by many viewers during the show's heyday due to his frequent Mean Boss attitude towards the main protagonists, with his Disproportionate Retribution towards their frequent screwups making him particularly irritating. As time passed and said viewers got older though, they began to notice that Benson was actually more of a Reasonable Authority Figure whose irate behavior towards Mordecai and Rigby was actually quite justified due to their lazy, self-indulgent behavior, in contrast to how he and the other park employees work their asses off to get their jobs done. Furthermore, Benson's more positive traits such as his love of music and his treatment of the other park workers made people realize that Benson wasn't as bad as they thought.
  • Muscle Man was also detested by many fans, due to his tendency to make Toilet Humour jokes and for being a very gross and overweight person that tended to antagonize other characters for mean-spirited fun. Later on though, many people began to notice how incredibly loyal and competent Muscle Man actually is to his friends and co-workers, and how most of his pranks were relatively harmless and pretty creative overall. His Fun Personified behavior also got some legitimate laughs out of people, making Muscle Man a more rounded-out character that people tend to enjoy now.
• Rugrats (1991):
  • When the show was first airing, Angelica was one of the most popular characters for being rather humorous despite being a bully, to the point where she was the show's only character to be in TV Guide's 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters countdown. Around the 2000s, however, she started to receive more hatred for being a selfish brat, not helped by some ancillary media making her the main character. Depending on which fan you speak to, she's either loved because she suffers enough to balance out her rudeness and she can occasionally show a soft side towards the other kids, or she's hated for her general bullying and ego.
  • When Dil and Kimi were first added to the cast, they were scrappies due to being considered "useless" additions to the cast and in Dil's case, because he was too young to do much. Now, however, they're base-breaking characters. Some still hate them and think they're useless, while others think they're adorable. Most people do generally agree that they were improved upon in the sequel series All Grown Up!.
• While Scrappy-Doo from Scooby-Doo may be the Trope Namer of The Scrappy, when introduced in Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo his popularity saved the show from being pulled off airwaves due to its waning ratings, being the Kid-Appeal Character in a cast filled by teenagers and an adult dog. However the attempt to cash in on this popularity by turning Scrappy into a Spotlight-Stealing Squad in The Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show backfired horribly and would forever taint fan reception of the character due to Velma, Daphne, and Fred being removed from the cast, along with the series shifting from a half-hour mystery series investigating fake monsters to a Three Shorts format where Scrappy, Scooby and Shaggy face real monsters. By the time of the series revival in the Scooby-Doo Direct-to-Video Film Series, the fandom hate of Scrappy-Doo bled into the franchise and any later mention of the character tends to be a Take That, Scrappy! moment (most infamously, the live action movie made him the explicit villain). Recent fans, however, turned him into more of a Base-Breaking Character as a number of them pointed out his nobler traits of bravery and loyalty to his uncle Scooby and him being Mis-blamed for ruining a franchise that he actually saved, and argue that his biggest problem was the writers overusing him than anything on his part. By the time Velma came out in 2023 to mixed-to-negative reviews, it became a common occurrence for Scrappy to be compared positively to the new versions of the characters.
• The Simpsons:
  • Throughout the '90s and much of the 2000s, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon was generally praised as a positive and nuanced portrayal of a South Asian character, especially among first-generation immigrants from the region, thanks to him being a benevolent character who supports himself through a successful business. However, his reputation would grow increasingly divisive in the 2010s due to some among those same immigrants' descendants pointing out how his portrayal both created new stereotypes for South Asians while reinforcing old ones, which was seen as especially unfortunate due to the fact that he was voiced by a white man. It didn't help that Apu's Flanderization and increasingly stereotyped depiction have soured his perception amongst fans. Consequently, Apu is now a Base-Breaking Character, with viewers split on whether his portrayal is no different than the show's caricatured white cast or if his stereotypical traits, placed in the context of a minority group with comparatively low representation in American media, make him an Ethnic Scrappy (though he does have his defenders including actual Indians, especially first-generation ones who admire and can relate to his work ethic).
  • Early on, Principal Skinner was not discussed much, and while his episodes were generally praised, he didn't have a fervent fanbase. Then "The Principal and the Pauper" came out and revealed that he was an imposter named Armin Tamzarian who took the place of the real Seymour Skinner, which turned his entire pre-established characterization on its head and created all sorts of disturbing implications in the process. This episode is widely considered the point at which the "Simpsons Golden Age" ended and the "Simpsons Dark Age" began. The shadow of the Tamzarian twist loomed large over Skinner for many years, and it was very hard to discuss him in Simpsons fandom without getting into debates over whether said twist added more depth to his character, or completely ruined it. The fact that the Dark Age would go on to use Skinner as a punching bag (breaking up his relationship with Edna Krabappel, making Bart’s pranks on him even nastier, and having him undergo severe Badass Decay) only made things worse. However, during the 2010s, Skinner would become a Fountain of Memes (most notably "Pathetic", "No, it's the children who are wrong", and “Steamed Hams”), caused a Newbie Boom of young fans to discover The Simpsons and adore it. And to a modern audience, Skinner ended up coming off as more sympathetic than he was intended to be in the past^note for instance, living with one’s parents has become more common after the housing crisis, making Skinner’s struggles with his beloved smother relatable to many millennials and zoomers; likewise, conditions like PTSD are treated with a lot more weight now, so while Skinner’s Vietnam flashbacks were Played for Laughs back then, to a modern audience it makes him come across as a Woobie. Not to mention, these new fans had the advantage of coming in after Matt Groening had declared "The Principal and the Pauper" to be non-canonical. Nowadays, Skinner is a massive Ensemble Dark Horse, and is so widely beloved that Universal Studios has begun producing and selling plush toys of him, which is a big deal for an adult human character who isn’t Homer, Marge, or Krusty.
  • Maude Flanders wasn't thought of much in the show's early days, being seen as a rather Flat Character who only served to be Ned's wife. Even the show's writers seemed to think so as well, given her infamous death in the episode "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily", which was made to avert the series' usual Status Quo Is God stance and give Ned reason to undergo Character Development. It's telling that, at the time, most fans felt neutral about this development. However, with Ned growing into more and more of a mean-spirited stereotype of a religious conservative over the years, even being the Trope Namer for Flanderization, quite a few fans demanded Maude be brought back to the show, with many now seeing her death as the starting point of Ned's widely-disliked Character Exaggeration. Her death is now widely considered one of the worst episodes of the show, in large part due to the surrounding circumstances (Maggie Roswell had asked for a raise to accommodate travel costs, which Fox denied her, despite the fact that she voiced four recurring characters) becoming more widely-known—consequently, the killing of Maude, combined with the fact that the episode openly denigrated her as an unimportant character, became viewed as a mean-spirited jab.
  • Herb Powell from "O Brother Where Art Thou" was once viewed in a relatively positive light, even if he was never that popular. This was largely thanks to his unique status as the long lost half brother of Homer who was unfortunately screwed over by the latter's well intentions but lack of skill in car making. This was helped by a Sequel Episode in which the two made up. However, by The New '10s, many fans began to turn on him, viewing him as Unintentionally Unsympathetic, in particular, how he gave Homer no oversight despite having never made a car before, and then blaming it all on him when it ends up costing him his fortune.
• South Park:
  • Randy Marsh is a double example. When the show started, fans were indifferent to him as they felt there wasn't much to his character beyond being Stan's dad and a geologist. However, come season 9, his character was revamped to be more eccentric, which made him entertaining to watch. Even Trey Parker and Matt Stone grew to love writing for him and would find ways to give him more focus. However, over time, Randy would take further levels in dumbass, and the viewers started getting sick of all the focus he would get, to the point where some accuse him of being a Creator's Pet. The final straw for fans was when he opened a marijuana farm, Tegridy Farms, and Randy got progressively more unlikable and his family more resentful of him. Not helping matters was that this change in status quo started in 2018 and is still going on as of 2024, and the Tegridy Farms centered episodes would be the worst received by fans.
  • Pip was originally an Ensemble Dark Horse for his cute design, cheerful demeanor, and for being a huge Woobie. He was a favorite among fan artists and was regularly shipped with another Darkhorse, Damien. However, over time, he has become a Base-Breaking Character, if not an outright Scrappy, for having no depth beyond being a Butt-Monkey and an Extreme Doormat. His A Day in the Limelight episode was poorly received by fans to the point of rarely being rerun and demonstrated that he couldn't carry his own episode. However, the final nail in the coffin for his character was when Butters became an Ascended Extra, and he filled the Butt-Monkey role better due to having a more compelling personality.
  • Timmy Burch is a mild example. When he was introduced, he was an immediate fan favorite for his memetic Pokémon Speak. He was so popular, merchandise was made of him, Comedy Central had a month dedicated to airing Timmy-centric episodes in May of 2001 called "Tim-May," and he was given a Promotion to Opening Titles between the latter half of season 4 and the end of season 6. However, overtime, while fans don't hate him, they've become more indifferent to him. Fans felt his schtick was pretty one-note, and when Jimmy was introduced, he eclipsed Timmy's role as the resident disabled kid due to having more to work with in the personality department.
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Squidward Tentacles was conceived as an "entertaining jerk" character with his snotty personality and one-sided friendship with SpongeBob and Patrick (with Squidward being the non-reciprocating party), with this defining his perception during the show's first three seasons. However, several factors over the years would lead to his reputation growing more positive: later seasons featured a number of episodes that downplayed his jerkass qualities while increasing his sympathetic haplessness; other characters would be flanderized in the opposite direction; and most significantly, the show's initial child audience would grow up and enter the workforce, resulting in them sympathizing more with Squidward's characterization as a beleaguered food service worker. Consequently, Squidward is seen nowadays as more relatable than the show's own title character by a significant number of fans, being regarded as an accurate depiction of modern adult ennui.
• Steven Universe:
  • When the late Rose Quartz was first introduced, the fanbase adored her, with later reveals about how naïve she was before her relationship with Greg and her morally dubious actions committed for the greater good adding to her depth and appeal. But once it was revealed Rose was actually Pink Diamond (a Spoiled Brat who was implied to have whined her way into getting Earth), having faked her death, this reveal of how horrible she used to be and recontextualizing her actions as Secretly Selfish undercutting her genuine regret of her past actions massively tarnished her prior portrayal to fans, albeit deliberately given in-universe characters felt likewise. Nowadays, she's a Base-Breaking Character who even defenders acknowledge was severely flawed, but for many, her positive traits have been utterly overshadowed by her past mistakes and irresponsibility.
  • Kevin was initially regarded as one of the most hated characters due to his creepy behavior towards Stevonnie and his unwillingness to take no for an answer. But as the show became divisive about how many villains who committed far worse actions were humanized and redeemed, many felt it was unfair that he was the one character Steven continued to hate despite appearing to redeem everyone else and noticed Kevin had mitigating traits (like being genuinely shocked and horrified when learning Stevonnie was really two kids) that were previously overlooked. While still not liked, nowadays many deem him a character they wanted to be Rescued from the Scrappy Heap rather than writing him off as a mere Hate Sink.
• Thomas & Friends: Although there is a group of fans who still greatly cherish Edward and Henry as beloved characters, there is also a Vocal Minority who have looked back on their episodes during the 2010s-20s and expressed some concerns about their portrayal in certain episodes where they take on the main role. These fans have noticed that these episodes sometimes follow a predictable formula, such as Edward having to prove himself or holding the Jerkass Ball or Idiot Ball and Henry displaying traits like being sick, a nature lover, a worrywart, or a grump, which they feel may not truly align with the characters' established personalities. Consequently, many fans believe that Edward and Henry shine brightest when assigned secondary roles.
• Total Drama
  • Cody was a fan-favourite in Island due to being a relatable dork who ultimately decides to let Gwen be with Trent. He became a Base-Breaking Character after World Tour due to being carried by Sierra most of the season, hence why many fans, even those that initially enjoyed his character in the first season believe he didn't deserve to make it all the way to the final three. In addition, many people think Cody comes across as a hypocrite for being creeped out by Sierra and trying to vote her off many times despite being a stalker himself towards Gwen. Even without taking World Tour into account, many people now see Cody as generic.
  • While Gwen was initially one of most beloved female characters on the show, she's also a more Base-Breaking Character now. Her problems were initially taken as sympathetic, however now that Gwen (and Duncan) have gotten more detractors (along with Courtney gaining more defenders) over the years, this is no longer the case. Many have stated that (until All-Stars) Gwen was more sad about the fact she got caught than actually hurting Courtney, and her tactics to get Courtney eliminated were too out of character to properly root for her. Even her once praised Island characterization has become base-breaking, with her snark and attitude towards the nicer characters no longer being as tolerated and if anything makes her complaining about being on the villains team in All-Stars Unintentionally Unsympathetic at best and Wangst-y at worst. There's also the fact she ditched Courtney in the infamously hated 'Sundae Muddy Sundae' after spending the whole season wanting to make amends.
  • Thanks to his failed villain role and being effectively replaced by the much more effective Alejandro in subsequent seasons, Justin ended up as one of the least popular characters in the entire show for a long time, with many fans citing his incompetence as an antagonist during the first half of Action as a big factor for the season's mediocre reception. However, fans started warming up to him after the series was put to rest^note at least until the reboot due to re-watches painting him on a new light for them, seeing him as a Laughably Evil Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain who helped make the first half of Action Lighter and Softer than Island before the real villain Courtney showed up. As a result, Justin is now seen as one of the best comic reliefs on the show and a source of sympathy for fans who wished to see him do more during the second half of his best season.
  • Lightning became a Base-Breaking Character after Revenge was finished, with his detractors believing he didn't deserve to make it to the finale after being a comic relief most of the season and becoming more evil in the last two episodes to have somebody against Cameron in the finale. Nowadays, most people consider him one of the funniest characters in the entire series and he's even the preferred finalist over Cameron.
• Transformers:
  • The Transformers: After the release of the theatrical film, Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime was widely loathed as a Replacement Scrappy, with his lack of prior setup making it difficult for fans to accept him succeeding Optimus Prime after the latter's death. Fans blamed Rodimus for causing Optimus' death, and his more cynical characterization was criticized as making him seem more ineffectual than his All-Loving Hero predecessor. However, Optimus' reintroduction and the post-movie G1 output being Vindicated by History resulted in Rodimus' reputation improving, with newer fans coming to like him precisely because of his more conflicted Classical Anti-Hero nature.
  • Beast Machines: Back when the series was first airing, Nightscream was flat-out despised, seen as an annoying Creator's Pet for being a wangsty teenager with an ability that comes in clutch too often, not helped by being one of the only three new Maximals in a cast of mainstays. As a result of the series being re-examined with fresh eyes, however, along with the introduction of much more maligned characters like Kicker Jones in later years, Nightscream has managed to gain some fans for his more sympathetic reasoning behind his behavior, his charming relationship with the feral Noble, his blossoming friendship with Silverbolt, and managing to act as the rookie of the group without retreading Cheetor's character arc or being just a Kid-Appeal Character. While he's still a far cry from being universally beloved, he has a much larger following than he did during the show's initial airing.
• Uncle Grandpa: When the show first came out, Pizza Steve was the fan favorite because people found his overinflated ego hilarious. As the series went on, however, he became more of a Base-Breaking Character because some fans started to be annoyed with his constant bragging. There are still several fans who still like him, though, especially since he's been shown to have his share of insecurities.
• X-Men: Evolution: For the decade following the show's run, the show's incarnation of Jean Grey was easily the least popular of the show's female cast, due to the perception that she was overly perfect. As she was also in direct conflict with Rogue, the most popular character in the show among both the fans and the writers, over Rogue's crush on Scott (with whom Jean was the Official Couple with, after three seasons of Will They or Won't They?), she was often on the receiving end of fandom hostility that twisted her into being a massive self-righteous bitch who mistreats everyone, and in particular accuse her treatment of Scott of being borderline abusive. During the 2010s, however, as the fandom got older and more mature, this view of Jean has largely fallen to the wayside as fans of the character have become more vocal about how much they enjoyed this incarnation of the character for being a complex, flawed but still benevolent character who notably wasn't defined solely by the Dark Phoenix story or her deaths, something that many other incarnations of the character haven't been lucky on. On top of that, people have looked back and recognized that the hostility between Rogue and Jean was entirely from Rogue's side, with Jean never intentionally doing anything to antagonize Rogue besides liking the same boy as her and being a pretty and popular girl in contrast to Rogue's outsider goth persona. As the 2000s saw a backlash to this type of interaction between female characters (leading to the concept of the "Not Like Other Girls"-type outsider protagonist being seen as frequently misogynistic in execution if not conception for how it encourages hostility towards other women for no reason other than them being more "conventional"; for what it's worth, one episode deconstructed this exact phenomena focused on Rogue learning how much Jean's 'perfect popular girl' persona is a front for her own insecurities and difficulties controlling her psychic abilities, and realising they're more alike than she originally believed). While it hasn't harmed Rogue's character in a substantial way (in fact, its seen as adding further nuance to her), it has made Jean herself be re-evaluated as a victim of fans projecting their own insecurities onto her just like Rogue did and missing the point of the show's moral about not doing exactly that.

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