History Main / MyRealDaddy

* [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos The Slender Man]] was created on the Something Awful boards for a Photoshop contest, but he didn't really start catching on until the ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' web series started. Interestingly, the Marble Hornets Slender Man is a fairly distinct character [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness from the original,]] who was more tied to FairFolk mythology than film, water and fire.

* A more {{exaggerated|Trope}} example occurred with ''Literature/TheShadow''. The character himself actually originated from the radio show ''Detective Story Hour'', which was a radio adaptation of the publisher Street & Smith's ''Detective Story Magazine''. His creators in this context are attributed toward the trio of David Chrisman (the advertising agent from the Ruthrauff & Ryan ad firm who sponsored the show), William Sweets (the show's writer-director), and Harry Engman Charlot (the scriptwriter who created the name "The Shadow"). These three came up with the general idea of the Shadow as a [[CreepyMonotone creepily-voiced]] storyteller with an EvilLaugh. However, their creation of the character is almost entirely overwhelmed by writer Walter B. Gibson, who went on to write ''The Shadow'' pulp magazine and who fleshed out the character in far more detail than ''Detective Story Hour'' ever did (i.e. adding the Shadow's persona of [[SecretIdentityIdentity Lamont Cranston]], his use of field agents, his [[MasterOfDisguise mastery of disguise]]). The sheer amount of detail Gibson added completely overwhelmed the one-note character Chrisman, Sweets and Charlot had made [[note]]''Literature/DocSavage'' creator Lester Dent even commented that "The Shadow when placed in your [Gibson's] hands was a laugh, nothing more"[[/note]], and thus Gibson is widely considered the ''true'' creator by fans and historians alike.

* ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'' (the original story, that is) was written by Blaze, but after he [[DeadFic left the story unfinished]] and later [[OldShame disowned it completely]] while stating that he felt its [[RecursiveFanfiction fan-made spinoffs]] were better written, several different writers have been considered TCB's "real parent." Depending entirely on preference, it could either be writers known for their {{Deconstruction}}s or the authors that play the premise straight.

** Creator/TimothyZahn. He ''invented'' it, after all, with ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy''. There had been things like ''Literature/SplinterOfTheMindsEye'', ''ComicBook/StarWarsMarvel1977'', and ''Literature/TheHanSoloAdventures'', but they were largely on a smaller scale than what he wrote, and set much closer to the movies. Unfortunately, most of what authors following him wrote was not on the same level, leading to a genre of fanfic called the "[[FixFic Zahn fix]]." There are EU fans who despise Zahn's work and put Luceno or Hambly or Traviss in this trope.

* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': The many {{Alternate Universe}}s of the franchise tend to be associated with their creators. Masaki Kajishima is currently responsible for the OVA continuity, the most beloved by the fanbase; however, the mixed response to the newest set of releases in that continuity has left some fans longing for Hiroki Hayashi, co-creator of the original six episodes and creator of ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld''. He, along with Naoko Hasegawa, were largely responsible for setting the tone for the first OVA releases. After they left, fans have noted a downward slide in quality in the series. It could be said that Hayashi [[HyperCompetentSidekick played]] Irvin Kershner to Kajishima's George Lucas. Whatever talent Kajishima has at creating ideas, he needs someone to keep him focused off of [[GodModeSue all powerful]] [[AuthorAvatar author avatars]] and an excessive focus on [[UnwantedHarem fanservice fantasy]].

* A more [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated]] example occurred with ''Literature/TheShadow''. The character himself actually originated from the radio show ''Detective Story Hour'', which was a radio adaptation of the publisher Street & Smith's ''Detective Story Magazine''. His creators in this context are attributed toward the trio of David Chrisman (the advertising agent from the Ruthrauff & Ryan ad firm who sponsored the show), William Sweets (the show's writer-director), and Harry Engman Charlot (the scriptwriter who created the name "The Shadow"). These three came up with the general idea of the Shadow as a [[CreepyMonotone creepily voiced]] storyteller with an EvilLaugh. However, their creation of the character is almost entirely overwhelmed by writer Walter B. Gibson, who went on to write ''The Shadow'' pulp magazine and who fleshed out the character in far more detail than ''Detective Story Hour'' ever did (i.e. adding the Shadow's persona of [[SecretIdentityIdentity Lamont Cranston]], his use of field agents, his [[MasterOfDisguise mastery of disguise]]). The sheer amount of detail Gibson added completely overwhelmed the one-note character Chrisman, Sweets and Charlot had made [[note]]''Literature/DocSavage'' creator Lester Dent even commented that "The Shadow when placed in your [Gibson's] hands was a laugh, nothing more"[[/note]], and thus Gibson is widely considered the ''true'' creator by fans and historians alike.

* For the ''Series/DoctorWho'' novels, this goes either to [[Literature/RiversOfLondon Ben Aaronovitch]], who showed ''Who'''s potential in written form with [[Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations his novelisation]] of his TV story "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]", or Creator/PaulCornell, whose Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novel ''Timewyrm: Revelation'' was the first to show the books really could go deeper than their parent TV series, and who created popular novel companion Franchise/BerniceSummerfield.

* Although UsefulNotes/McDonalds was initially co-founded by Richard and Maurice [=McDonald=], it was Ray Kroc, who had purchased the rights from the brothers in 1961, that had made the chain into the famous international fast food chain it is now, on top of founding many of the philosophies and ideals that would continue to define the chain to this day. Ray Kroc's impact and influence on the chain was so great that the current [=McDonalds=] corporation credits Ray Kroc as its creator as opposed to the [=McDonald=] brothers, who have become a footnote in the company's history.

This trope is naturally more common with long-running properties with multiple creators, which is why there are so many examples from American ComicBooks. When a character like Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/{{Superman}} or Franchise/SpiderMan has literally thousands of stories told by hundreds of writers over a period of many decades, it's not surprising that this trope comes into play.

* The musical backbone of post-hardcore band Music/FromFirstToLast seems to have been Matt Good, him being the only consistent band member since its inception in 1999. However, it was the 2004-2006 and 2017-present lead singer Sonny "Music/{{Skrillex}}" Moore who ended up as the most famous FaceOfTheBand.

* Compared to the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'s first two animated outings, Creator/{{Ufotable}}'s tenure on ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' and several key ''Franchise/FateSeries'' anime (''LightNovel/FateZero'', ''[[Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks [Unlimited Blade Works[=]=]]]'', and the ''[[Anime/FateStayNightHeavensFeel Heaven's Feel]]'' movies) landed them as ''the'' face of the animated Nasuverse. In the case of ''Fate'', Creator/StudioDeen still gets a little credit for giving the cast their iconic voices and attack visuals.

Compare AdaptationDisplacement, CantUnHearIt, BetterThanCanon, RemadeAndImproved and CoveredUp. When done with a singular character, it may be a result of being the CreatorsFavorite. Contrast RunningTheAsylum, where such people are often regarded as [[WickedStepmother evil step-parents]], and OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight, where fans think a work is better when its creator is actively involved in it. Not to be confused with FamilyOfChoice, where the ''characters'' decide who they feel their real parents are.

** 'Charizard's Burning Ambitions' highlights his Charizard's ego is stunting his growth and realizes that he could always become stronger.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Creator/TakeshiShudo defined the ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' elements and he's still highly respected by a section of the fanbase to this day. His writing style for the series is defined by a deeper level of world building and a more realistic approach to the world of Pokemon. His contributions include the following:
** The first two episodes depicts the life of a trainer with a realism that is seldom repeated with the other writers. When Ash starts off on his journey, nothing seems to go according to plan while having to deal with a disobedient Pikachu and nearly gets himself killed. His allies, while do provide support, questions his ability as a trainer considering his track record. It is also significant for teasing the existence of Ho-oh before the release of 'Gold and Silver'.
** 'The School of Hard Knocks' explores idea of rigid conformity of education versus the flexibility of experience.
** 'Island of the Giant Pokémon', is the first episode where we see how the Pokemon get by without their Trainers and visa versa. 'The Ghost of Maiden's Peak', is about a talking Ghastly disguises as a the maiden and haunts a lovestruck Brock. While they are filler episodes that do not advance the series' plot, are memorable in its own right for taking risks on the lore of Pokemon and 'What-if' situations.
** 'Go West Young Meowth' provides Meowth's tragic backstory as well as his ability to walk and talk.

** Applying to the other episodes written by Takeshi Shudo, Team Rocket is portrayed with more complexity as opposed than the formulaic comic relief they have become later on.