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Rescued From The Scrappy Heap / Western Animation

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Hated characters who've subsequently been Rescued from the Scrappy Heap.

A No Recent Examples rule applies to this trope. Examples shouldn't be added for 9 months. This is measured from the point when the character was introduced or became hated.

Pages with their own Rescued Scrappies List

  • Adventure Time:
    • Flame Princess was often criticized as being a Tsundere that "stole" Finn's Princess Bubblegum relationships. But then came "Burning Low" and "Ignition Point", which revealed that she is not really evil and that her backstory is rather heartwrenching. Giving her some depth and sympathetic aspects.
    • Lemongrab 2 was at first as hated as his brother. However, he too was rescued from the scrappy heap after the events of the episode "Too Old". When the original Lemongrab became a cruel dictator, Lemongrab 2 became nicer and outright defied his brother (an example was when Lemongrab stated that something was unacceptable and he countered by saying it was acceptable). When Finn and PB were escaping with Lemongrab's son Lemonhope, Lemongrab 2 gets out of the original Lemongrab's stomach and helps his son to escape. Because of his treachery, he was killed. But not before giving Lemonhope encouraging words.
    • The events of "The Mountain" have done this for Lemongrab himself. After being combined with Lemongrab 2 into Lemongrab 3, he has mellowed out (and thus yells a lot less), his kingdom is in good order, and he has become at peace with who he is - no longer letting it drive him crazy or blame other people and things for it, and even moving forward at sincere self-improvement. While he is still a Base-Breaking Character, it is a definite step up from the universally reviled monster that Lemongrab 1 had become, to the point where most fans are actually OK with him being a part of the heroic alliance in the Grand Finale.
    • For some, the "Elements" miniseries did this for Lumpy Space Princess, due to her acting less selfish, being generally more supportive of Finn, and ultimately being the one to save the day in the end.
  • Dil and Kimi, despite being loathed Scrappies in Rugrats (though they're more like base-breaking characters now), were actually quite liked when they became preteens in All Grown Up! Dil goes from being The Load who couldn't talk and essentially had no personality to a Crazy Is Cool Cloudcuckoolander who usually gets the best lines. Although some argue that Kimi's personality took a turn for the worse.
  • Arcane: In League of Legends itself, Jayce has been a very controversial character due to his relationships with others (especially his present-day rival, Viktor) being fraught with Unintentionally Unsympathetic undertones. Despite multiple biographies by several writers across both sides of the game's lore reset painting him as Piltover's champion, a recurring issue is the fact this recognition was achieved in large part by him destroying Viktor's lifework, which has always been portrayed as morally gray, but never cartoonish evil as suggested by Jayce's actions and glorification. Combined with how Viktor himself has generally been played for more pathos and sympathy, contrast to how Jayce is more of a Tony Stark-esque Insufferable Genius, he's had a reputation of being a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk whose "hero" reputation made no sense (and if this was the point, the game's lack of resolute storytelling meant there was no payoff to it). Arcane, in part thanks to being a prequel with some room to fudge around with Jayce's background, rectifies a ton of these issues by fleshing out his early, mutually supportive rapport with Viktor, delving into the philosophical motivations he acts on in the name of science and society, but also better illustrating the factors that led him to begin compromising his goals. He's still played as a character with deep flaws, but they're seen as more natural, sympathetic, and narratively acceptable as part of the tragedy, and with how this version of Jayce is played as much less of a bully, he's won over a lot more fans.
  • In Archer, Resident Butt-Monkey Cyril won over some fans after becoming a field agent in season 3. In seasons 1 and 2, fans consider him to be a bland accountant who caused many dumb moments and acted as worthless deadweight. However, after becoming a field agent, he actually grew a spine and used his smarts to achieve more badass moments like outgambitting a Colombian drug lord ("El Contador") and dethroning a dictator ("Filibuster").
  • In-Universe example in Arthur. Fern writes "Happy Happenings", with the Flat Character Felicity Bonchance. Everyone she speaks to finds the story boring, with Felicity's only known qualities being that she is nice, that she finds treasure, and that she gives out sweets to everyone. In the sequel "A Terrible Twist" Fern makes Felicity smarter, disguising herself and recovering her treasure after it is stolen, which is more positively received.
  • The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes:
    • Ant-Man and to a lesser extent The Wasp haven't had the greatest reputation in comics, so it seems likely that their rather different and much more sympathetic portrayals in EMH is an intent to do this. Instead of being a mentally unstable wife-beater, Ant-Man is one of the most moral team members. Rather than being a Rich Bitch, Wasp is a likable Non-Idle Rich Genki Girl.
    • By the same token, the show continues the trend in spin-off media of distancing Iron Man from his "Nazi" Civil War persona by toning down his Jerkass tendencies and making him an anti-authoritarian rebel who tells Nick Fury where to get off and refuses to trust or cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D.
    • Ignoring the comics, Maria Hill gained some haters for acting like a Jerkass after becoming director of S.H.I.E.L.D. In particular, even though she constantly needed the Avengers' help in saving the day, and needed rescuing by Iron Man at least once, she refused to thank them, because they fight crime as vigilantes. However, she gained some fans during the climax of the show's Secret Invasion (2008) adaptation, when she outsmarted the Skrulls invading the Helicarrier, then saved Nick Fury and Iron Man from the Skrull queen.
  • Back to the Future: While she was more of a Base-Breaking Character, Clara did have a sizeable hatedom in the film Back to the Future Part III. The series has her engage in more action, which makes her less of a Damsel Scrappy and helps to redeem her for some fans.
  • Before Batman: The Animated Series, Mr. Freeze was a generic mad scientist with about as much notoriety as Killer Moth. The show's reintroduction of Mr. Freeze as a tragic and sympathetic character caused his popularity to skyrocket to the point that he is now considered an iconic member of Batman's rogues gallery.
  • Batman: The Brave and the Bold
  • Gwen Tennyson from Ben 10 was divisive with the fans, with opinions varying from "obnoxious girl who just annoys Ben" to "The only one with any sense or responsibility". However, after the Time Skip for Ben 10: Alien Force, Gwen became much more soft-spoken and Ben was not doing nearly enough crap for her to complain about. She was also potentially the most powerful character in the series. Which was enough to satisfy plenty of her haters, while the people who liked her beforehand now hate her.
    • Similarly, Ben's love interest Julie Yamamoto was initially hated by fans for being considered as a Satellite Love Interest who had been created just for the sake of giving Ben a girlfriend, having no real personality or interesting power. She was considered as a Replacement Scrappy for Ben's crush in the original series, Kai Green (despite Kai appearing in only one episode of the original series and not being that popular). As the series went on However, Julie Took a Level in Badass by gaining a Galvanic Mechamorph pet, named Ship who could turn into a ship and later a Powered Armor for her, and eventually learned how to fight. Now Julie still has some haters, but also some fans, and most of her haters tend to be those shipping Bevin (Ben/Kevin) or Bwen (Ben/Gwen).
    • Jury Rigg was originally written off for being too similar in use to the more popular Grey Matter. Omniverse gave him a complete redesign, including an aviator's outfit, more hyper personality, and increased emphasis on his ability to build. He is now considered one of the more unique aliens in Ben's arsenal.
  • Code Lyoko: William was hated by the fandom in Season 2, for Die for Our Ship reasons, and his Stalker with a Crush tendencies in Season 3 didn't help either. However, things started to change when he helped the heroes several times in the latter season, to the point of becoming a Lyoko-Warrior. But he truly became popular in Season 4, as XANA's unwilling Dragon.
  • Craig of the Creek: In her initial first appearance, Wildernessa wasn't particularly popular with the fandom due to her Know-Nothing Know-It-All attitude toward animals and her arrogant, condescending attitude toward Craig. Her second major appearance in "Breaking the Ice" ended up redeeming her in the eyes of most fans though, thanks to an explanation for her behavior and Craig calling her out on how she treats him and others.
  • Earthworm Jim: Peter Puppy goes from being the cause of the most agonizing levels in the first two games to being a genuinely likable sidekick to Jim and serving as the voice of reason to his dimwitted nature.
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Jimmy became a huge example of The Scrappy after his huge Jerkass Ball in "It Smells Like an Ed". Years later, he was given a very sympathetic role in "A Fistful of Ed", where he helped Double D. This helped redeem him in some viewers' eyes.
  • Not exactly Rescued, just downplayed a bit with Chloe from The Fairly Oddparents. Some fans didn't like her in her first appearance but found her more tolerable from her second appearance and on. Her The Ace traits were heavily downplayed, making her a regular Nice Girl instead of a "little miss perfect".
  • A really weird example with Meg in Family Guy. Early in the show, she was not a very well-liked character and was just an "average teenage girl" who didn't really do a lot of interesting things. The creators of the show took this and decided to make her a Butt-Monkey since people already disliked the character and it would give her more of a place and identity on the show. Ironically, the Butt-Monkey status has really saved her with some of the fans: now people feel sorry for her, and they cheer every time the creators give her some moments of happiness, like getting a good boyfriend or getting revenge on someone who was mean to her.
  • H.E.R.B.I.E., Reed Richards' robot who stood in for the not-legally-available Human Torch in The Fantastic Four (1978), is probably the Trope Codifier for the Replacement Scrappy. In The Super Hero Squad Show, however, H.E.R.B.I.E. is a lovable Deadpan Snarker Chew Toy, who blames "the lawyers" for the whole mess.
  • Two words: American Godzilla. The cartoon spin-off helped garner fans that originally hated the monster in the first place. It also helps that he started to ACT like his Japanese counterpart as well.
    • His appearance in Final Wars also helped, where he acted like a true kaiju and decimated Sydney, Australia by himself.
      • It also counted as a Take That, Scrappy!. Once the "real" Big G showed up in Sydney, Zilla came charging in like a maniac for what looked like would be a battle of a Lightning Bruiser vs. Mighty Glacier. Nope; Godzilla smacks his CGI counterpart away with his tail - taking out the Opera House at the same time - and with one big Atomic Breath attack annihilates him. At least it was funny!
      • It has to be pointed out, the American Godzilla from the movies and the one from the cartoons are distinct, individual characters. Zilla remains a scrappy in the eyes of many fans, as his appearance in Final Wars demonstrates. But his son, Zilla Jr., is well accepted as a Kaiju in his own right.
    • Zilla Sr. finally got some respect after his showings in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth. More details can be found in the Film folder on the main page.
  • Gravity Falls:
    • Wendy Corduroy was derided in season one, for being a generic "cool teen" character who didn't fit well with the rest of the main characters and served little purpose, beyond being Dipper's Designated Love Interest. Season two fixed it by leaps and bounds, first by having her join Dipper and Mabel's adventures and proving a very effective part of the team, then resolving the tension between her and Dipper, and finally by having her admit that the cool teen thing is just a facade and that she is actually constantly stressed out.
    • To a much bigger extent, very few people liked Pacifica Northwest in Season 1. She seemed to exist mainly as just the stereotypical "rich popular girl" and was a jerk to Mabel. Otherwise, she had few character traits and little to no relevance to the series' main plots. note  Then came the Season 2 episode "Northwest Mansion Noir," where we learn more about Pacifica's family life and why she acts the way she does. The episode has Pacifica finally managing to overcome her family's manipulation, saving the day and promising to fix the family name, becoming a much nicer person in the process. Notable in that the creator admitted in one interview that this episode was written expressly to pull off this trope.
  • He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002) took several characters who were disliked or considered "weak" and made them much more dangerous. Most notable is Stinkor. Having the power of "smelling bad" isn't the greatest power, but with that power cranked up to eleven, Stinkor almost single-handedly defeats the good guys.
  • Justice League Unlimited:
  • The Legend of Korra had Asami in Book 1. Many disliked her due to Die for Our Ship. However, as the incredibly socially awkward Mako started to be more dismissive of her along with her father being an Equalist and trying to kill her, she became one of the more beloved characters.
  • Looney Tunes:
  • The Loud House has several instances of this, owing to the large number of characters.
    • Lola was initially loathed by the fans, who despised her bratty attitude and compared her to the likes of other cartoon brats like DW Read and Princess Morbucks. Fan opinion of her generally improved after the episode "Undie Pressure" and "A Tattler's Tale"; in the latter episode, she realized that she went too far in blackmailing her siblings with their secrets and earns back their trust by taking the blame and punishment for their misdeeds. While she still maintained her bratty attitude, she was now given more sympathetic motivation behind her actions, showed more kindhearted moments towards her family, and openly showed remorse when she went too far.
    • Lori, under similar stipulations as Lola. She was initially hated for being a Big Sister Bully who would abuse her status as the eldest Loud sibling for her own benefit. Her personality greatly resembles Phineas and Ferb's Candace Flynn. Even fans willing to overlook her abrasive personality consider her to be a rather bland character who lacked a distinct trait or personality that would make her stand out. However, many fans warmed up to her after she Took a Level in Kindness in the episodes "The Waiting Game" and "A Fair To Remember". Later episodes also gave her the personal struggle of wanting to grow up and be taken seriously as an adult while still wanting to live life as a child.
    • Luan was met with fan vitriol after "April Fools Rules" painted her as a Jerkass who subjected the family (and anyone else in and around the house) to cruel and dangerous pranks on April Fools' Day without a hint of remorse. Her image was restored after the episode "Funny Business," which explored her character and improved her relationship with Lincoln.
    • In fact, the entire family was initially met with a Broken Base for how they would often make Lincoln the show's designated Butt-Monkey. This was remedied in the latter half of season one; while Lincoln was still occasionally relegated to Butt Money status, the family started acting more caring and supportive towards him in general.
  • My Adventures with Superman: Jimmy Olsen has been increasingly ignored and disliked by fans in the comics starting in the 2010s, with his role increasingly being diminished or taken over by Lois or Clark's son Jon. This version of Jimmy makes him an equal to Lois and Clark as well as making him a Properly Paranoid conspiracy theorist to help distinguish him from Lois, all of which has brought more positive fan responses to the character. Additionally, while some fans had been a bit annoyed at his habit of cluelessly playing Moment Killer between Clark and Lois, a lot were won back by the reveal at the end of "My Adventures With Mad Science" that he knew all along that Clark was a superhuman but kept quiet about it because Clark was his friend.
  • Nina Needs to Go! had its detractors who hated the main character, Nina, for saying, "That will never happen again" at the end of every episode but it happening again anyway. In season three, she was given additional Aesops that did stick, warming a lot of the viewers up to her.
  • My Little Pony (Generation 5): In My Little Pony: A New Generation, Pipp Petals was the least popular of the new main characters due to her social media obsession being seen as a shallow attempt to appeal to younger audiences and lacking character depth or story contributions compared to the others. Options of Pipp improved as later series staring with Tell Your Tale showcased more sides to her personality, such as her working at her new salon Mane Melody, her love of spooky things, and exploring her relationship with her sister Zipp more. That the other main characters were seen as stagnatingnote  help Pipp's development stand out for the better.
  • The Owl House:
    • Many fans found Hooty to be an annoying comic relief character who never shuts up but changed their tune as soon as Hooty beat the living daylights out of Lilith and some members of the Emperor's Coven in "Agony Of A Witch", and at the end shows legitimate sadness and concern for Luz as she breaks down in tears. Season 2 continues this by having Hooty form a surprisingly heartwarming Odd Friendship with the newly-reformed Lilith. But perhaps his Crowning Moment of Awesome is in his centric episode "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door", where in one night he accels the Character Development and storylines of the main trio (King and his powers, Eda and her curse, Luz and Amity's relationship). Fans can't stop thanking Hooty for everything in that episode.
    • After their first appearance, many fans hated Emira and Edric for bullying Amity and almost (albeit accidentally) getting her and Luz killed. However, their next appearance quickly retooled them into being softer around the edges than we first saw, showing them helping Amity and trying to make up for their previous behavior, which split viewers into those who were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and those who suspected they were faking their change of heart. All their subsequent appearances had the twins acting like lovable troublemakers who love their sister, and they haven't pulled anything like the library incident ever again, which has led most fans to forgive them and view them as basically good people who we happened to meet on a bad day. They've since become some of the most beloved side characters.
    • While still somewhat contentious, Lilith is far more well-received than she was when it was first revealed she cursed Eda when they were both teenagers. Her subsequent efforts to do right by her sister, sweet relationship with Hooty, and behavior as Luz's student meant that, when she leaves the titular Owl House to be with her parents, many fans who had previously hated her were distraught.
    • In the first season, Abomination Magic was viewed as lesser than other forms of magic due to only having one technique: summoning a slow, slimy monster that plodded around like a zombie, making the distaste for summoning magic in fantasy genres even more unpopular. Come Season 2, however, Abomination magic is used at a higher tier with very creative results: Darius is able to transform himself into an Abomination and create weapons from the substance, while Amity uses abomination magic like a waterbender in a fight against Hunter.
  • The Patrick Star Show: "The Patterfly Effect" is widely considered to be where the show got better and found its footing. Part of this is the improvements for disliked characters that came after it.
    • Slappy is reviled for having no character traits beyond just being a Nightmare Fetishist and showing up way too much for no reason. Thus, his role in "Home ECCH!" came to a surprise for many. He notices Squidina's Despair Event Horizon and actually helps her get through it. With Slappy's help, Squidina is able to cook a recipe that she couldn't get right, and thus ends up saving her grade in her home ec class.
    • Captain Quasar was disliked for the fact that he mainly shows up in unfunny Cutaway Gags that have nothing to do with the episode, and he has no defined personality besides being a bit of a jerkass. "Blorpsgiving" salvaged the concept by giving Quasar a main role, portraying him as more sympathetic and involving him in a plot with more characters.
    • In the old crew episodes, Pat-Tron is just an irredeemable moron who actively endangers Quasar in all of his appearances, while refusing to admit that he's doing anything wrong. "Blorpsgiving" dials down his stupidity in the second half, has Quasar confide in him more, and even has Pat-Tron come to his rescue in the end. Notably, the end of the episode is the first time Quasar has said anything nice about Pat-Tron. Later on, they get along just fine in "Dr. Smart Science" and "Big Baby Patrick".
  • PAW Patrol: Danny (er, Daring Danny X) was loathed when he first appeared in Season 3, due to his recklessness and refusal to listen to reason. In Season 5, he was given Character Development and wised up a bit; even becoming an Accidental Hero in "Ultimate Rescue: Pups Save the Movie Monster". After that, he became a more well-liked character.
  • Phineas and Ferb:
    • Candace Flynn is a big example. She starts out as a classic stereotypical bratty (and bossy) teenager, unlikable to most viewers that see her as excessively mean to her two brothers. But with the story moving forward, Candace becomes more lovable and sympathetic, often showing a soft and funny side (also helping is the fact that Candace has more development compared to her brothers who, most of the time, are static characters). Because of this, she is a fan-favorite among part of the fandom, who treats her like the real star of the show.
    • Irving, though never technically an official Scrappy, was definitely a Base-Breaking Character: Half the fans hated him, the other half related to him and liked him. After his first appearance, though, he was given more Character Development beyond just being the Loony Fan that follows the boys around, and fans are now much more agreeing and accepting of him.
  • For those who were annoyed by Princess Morbucks' shrill and lispy voice in The Powerpuff Girls (1998), she now has a much smoother voice with her new actress in The Powerpuff Girls (2016). She also acts less like a whiny Spoiled Brat and has more of an Awesome Ego, making her one of the few aspects of the show even detractors like.
  • Enzo Matrix from ReBoot started off as an obnoxious, trouble-making Bratty Half-Pint, then got caught in something simultaneously a Time Skip and Plot-Relevant Age-Up, and changed into a gun-wielding, renegade bad-ass lancer type between one season and the next.
    • On the flip side, some Bootniks, especially the older ones, found Matrix to be the undesirable one due to his unexpected one-eighty and excessive angst.
      • And then young Enzo was brought back, so you had both Enzo and Matrix. Everyone is happy! Or everyone is unhappy...?
  • Scooby-Doo:
    • Scrappy from The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo was okay; no catchphrases or faux attitude, no scene stealing or undermining the premise. Unfortunately, that role was filled by Flim Flam. Unlike Scrappy though, Flim Flam was successfully rescued from the scrappy heap when he made his return in Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost, which made his personality much less obnoxious and gave him a much less grating voice.
    • Daphne herself went from a Damsel Scrappy to one of the coolest characters over the years:
      • This started as early as Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, where she manages to knock out a zombie with a martial move all by herself.
      • Aloha, Scooby Doo is practically a manifesto on rescuing Daphne from the Scrappy Heap. She dons a midriff-baring version of her traditional outfit - when she isn't just wearing a bikini - and the plot hinges on the world-class surfing abilities◊ you probably didn't know she had (it is not like it would have come up often).
      • In Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword, Daphne demonstrates some fine martial arts skills, only losing a fight with Action Girl Miyumi after having her hairband pulled down over her eyes.
      • In Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, she gets to temporarily join the Hex Girls and sing an incredibly badass goth rock song, "Trap of Love".
    • Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated:
      • This series has done this for Fred. He used to be the Trope Namer for Standardized Leader (AKA 1-Dimensional Leader). This show's interpretation of the character is arguably the most popular incarnation of the character yet.
      • The series did this to Daphne, whose character wasn't very well defined, as depending which Scooby-Doo series you were watching she could have been an Action Girl, a Faux Action Girl, a fashionista, just as bland as Fred, the only one normal or the Damsel in Distress. In this series, she's a ditzy but lovable girl who is perfectly competent, if a little insecure. This personality tweak was so well received that it was kept up to the newest DTV Scooby movies.
      • Mayor Fred Jones Sr. was rescued twice. People hated him for being a Jerkass who put money ahead of his child's safety. The first time he was rescued he was revealed to be the Freak of Crystal Cove, the first season's Big Bad, meaning that one was supposed to dislike him, and he fell into Love to Hate as a truly nasty Knight of Cerebus, or if not then Hate Sink. He was rescued again when it was revealed that for all his faults, he's actually a better fit for a parent for Fred than his biological ones, Brad and Judy, whose greed exceeded the mayor's due to them being more closely connected to the curse. His best part's reconciliation with Fred and his later Cosmic Retconned self pulls him from being hated.
    • Velma: The Trope Namer himself literally wound up becoming this when he killed Velma in the Season 2 finale.
  • The Smurfs: Brainy Smurf in the original 1980s cartoon show was a person who nobody liked in-universe or out and tends to cause trouble for his fellow Smurfs in episodes where Gargamel (or any of the other villains) are absent. He eventually got this treatment in the later comics, live-action movies, Smurfs: The Lost Village, and the 2021 series (all of which were made after the death of creator Peyo). He no longer makes long speeches as much to annoy Smurfs, his maturity increased, becomes more knowledgeable, has more sympathy for others, and is no longer a self-centered Know-Nothing Know-It-All. His insufferable tendencies have also been downplayed.
  • South Park: Wendy Testaburger had long taken heat from fans for various reasons, whether it was her jealousy-filled murder of a teacher she assumed would take Stan away from her, her being annoying and a Soapbox Sadie, or the general shallow and on-and-off type of relationship she and Stan had (of course, they are kids). In "Breast Cancer Show Ever", she became largely relieved of her Scrappy status when she managed to beat up Cartman. However, she does continue to be a base-breaking character as some felt her victory was undeserved and that she only exists to "be mean" to Cartman.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants:
    • Sandy Cheeks began as a somewhat grating and near incorruptible Only Sane Man for the other far more flawed cast members. Following the second season, however, the show began to lampshade Sandy's somewhat excessive talents and also develop some valid flaws, like her pride and her huge ego. For example, "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm" focused largely on how Sandy wasn't good at everything and how her overconfidence could cause her to find herself in situations she can't possibly overcome on her own. She was rescued even further in seasons 4 through 8 as a result of being the only major character who did not have their callous or idiotic habits heavily Flanderized.
    • Everybody who underwent Flanderization in seasons 4 through 8 was rescued from the scrappy heap once season 9 returned them to their original characterizations.
  • Steven Universe: Lars has been in the show from the beginning, but spent most of his time being a side character and only had a few focus-episodes, most of which were poorly received by fans, who couldn't stand Lars' cowardice, egocentrism, and Jerkass behavior, especially towards Steven and Sadie. He gets some MAJOR new Character Development in the Wanted-arc, in which he confronts his problems, Takes A Level in Badass, makes new friends, dies, comes Back from the Dead, and gains new powers. This was cemented in later "Lars of the Stars", when it is revealed that since being left on Homeworld, Lars and the Off-Colors stole a Homeworld spaceship, became Space Pirates, and are now making their way towards Earth, with Lars serving as captain.
    • Not nearly as bad as most of these examples, but early on some fans found Steven himself to just be a Tagalong Kid to a team of interesting Magical Girl Warriors. This has pretty much completely disappeared since the main plot took off and his Character Development took center stage, with him growing into his role as The Heart of the group.
  • Superjail!:
    • The Twins started as the most hated characters in the show and were often cited as one of its flaws by fans and critics alike. The reasons given for hating them amounted to their voices being obnoxious, them ruining Warden's plans and seemingly only existing to do so, and them being a little too flamboyant for some fans' comfort. By the time of Season 2, they had gained their own following of fans and their focus episodes served to flesh them out slightly more. These days, the two are more of a Base-Breaking Character as some still consider them to ruin the show, yet they have a lot more fans due to the revelation that they're the lesser-desired and bullied sons in their family.
    • The Mistress received Scrappy treatment from a periphery demographic of fans who felt she was getting in the way of Warden's relationship with Stingray, as well as those that hated her aggressive personality and considered her to not have as much interesting qualities as her male counterpart. By season 3, this died down a little bit, as she was revealed to be longing for one good man, and wound up sleeping with Alice, which seems to have (momentarily) killed the assumed threat of her getting in the way of shipping.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) was able to rescue Leonardo from the Scrappy Heap; he had the tendency of getting a lot of reactions ranging from apathy to dislike from the fans in previous adaptations due to him being what they felt to be a rather boring character. The 2012 version of Leonardo gets a large amount of popularity with the fans due to the show making an effort to showcase him as still learning to be a leader, as he has just started, and the addition of other characteristics (his love of Space Heroes and disobeying Splinter a bit more frequently). In fact, one of the 2012 series’ biggest selling points amongst the fandom is "when was the last time you could say Leonardo was your favorite turtle?".
  • ThunderCats (2011) made Snarf bearable by making him a Ridiculously Cute Critter who can't talk. The Thunderkittens have also received this treatment; it helps that they are voiced by actual children this time.
  • Thundercats Roar: Snarf was changed from an annoying whiner that did nothing in the original series, into a silent and charming battle machine that frequently gets to show off his skills.
  • Tiny Toons Looniversity:
    • This reboot does this for Sweetie, mainly by making her a Badass Adorable nice punk-girl who is rather sweet to her friends as opposed to the sadistic jerk from the original series.
    • Merlin the Magic Mouse, one of the most hated Looney Tunes characters, actually gets a good showing here as Buster's mentor, proving himself to be both funny, entertaining and a good teacher. The Scrappy Heap Rescue even happens in-universe: Upset he didn't get Bugs as his mentor, Buster at first dismisses Merlin as boring and lame, but after a few lessons and some genuinely good mentoring from Merlin, he develops a lot of respect and admiration for the Magic Mouse. In the end he's even proud to have Merlin as his mentor.
  • TOM 4. When the fourth version of longtime Robot Buddy TOM first appeared in 2007, he was generally hated by the fans for replacing the generally better-liked third version with no explanation of where TOM 3, SARA, or the Absolution had gotten to. Adding to that, the whole thing just reeked of Executive Meddling in the wake of the Mooninite bomb scare, and came with the decay of Toonami into nothing but Naruto filler and reruns. Then in 2008, Toonami was canceled, and the people mourned TOM 4 as the last symbol of the block they'd loved, but this particular iteration of the Toonami Operations Module wouldn't be truly Rescued from the Scrappy Heap until years later, when a revived Toonami headed by a high-definition upgrade of TOM 3 checked in on him during the Daylight Savings Time hour, being the first proof in the revival that yes, TOM 4 hadn't just been erased from the continuity, and also being the first time that everyone was happy to see TOM 4.
  • Total Drama:
    • Owen, possibly. In season 2, he became an out-and-out Creator's Pet, by losing challenges while his team still loved him, winning them based on his farting and obesity, and being even more of a Gasshole. Not only did every character (including Chris) love him, but he got to return, to the joy of all the "good" characters, and make it to the final four. However, in season 3, he's been toned down considerably: getting an actually funny sub-plot of being afraid of flying, and both negatively and positively contributing to his team. And his Odd Friendship with Noah and his breakup with Izzy. Come the Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race Owen's scrappydom seems to have died down even more. While he's still guilty of many of his previous character faults, this season he actually seems to be trying to win, has a good friendship chemistry with Noah, and his making it so far in the competition doesn't feel anywhere near as forced as previous seasons.
    • For a portion of the fanbase Heather was not very likable in Island, but that all changed in World Tour where she easily became one of the most beloved due to her actively going against Alejandro and proving that her skills as a villain have not decayed in the slightest by defeating him in the most vicious and unexpected way possible while still managing to Pet the Dog by doing things like giving Sierra a hat to hide her bald head with in "Planes, Trains, and Hot Air Mobiles" and comforting a heartbroken Courtney after Duncan's infidelity came to light in "Greece's Pieces".
    • Sierra has always been a Base-Breaking Character, but even many detractors will admit that she's more tolerable in the last few episodes of season three, when some quick and long-needed Character Development has her finally realize that she should treat Cody more like a friend than a prize to be won.
    • Most of the second-generation cast (except for Staci). With Dakota, this is arguably the entire purpose of her character arc, the first two episodes presenting her as little more than a bother, while she spends the entire rest of the season after becoming an intern fleshing out her personality.
    • Scott has gotten this as of Season 5 to an amazing degree; he went from one of the most hated contestants to one of the most beloved. The reason for this is that he has stopped throwing challenges, started a sweet relationship with Courtney, and has had some funny moments. The fact that his Butt-Monkey status has been upped considerably also gives him more sympathy from the fans.
    • From the Spin-Off Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race:
      • The hate for the Adversity Twins waned a bit, especially for Mickey, after his interactions with Kitty and their "trial alliance" as well as them not going the underdog route and making it far.
      • Father-Son got quite a lot of hate during the first episode, being considered annoying and predictable, especially Junior who was weighed down by the fact he was based on Justin Bieber. However, this opinion changed very quickly after they showed themselves to be one of the most complex teams in terms of interactions, with Junior being one of the most mature characters in the show despite his young age.
      • The Rockers garnered a lot of hate early in the season for having no plot, especially Spud who did nothing but bob his head to music. This all changed when Spud's quirks of "delayed reaction time" was introduced, where many immediately started loving him.
  • In Transformers: Generation 1, human sidekick Spike was considerably more tolerable (and attractive) after the Time Skip in the movie (he even got to say 'shit!'). Of course, it helped that his son Daniel was introduced at the same time.
  • Transformers: Prime rescues the human species from the scrappy heap, or at the very least, give them more depth and personality. Agent Fowler is a Reasonable Authority Figure, the kids stay out of the way (as a group, individually is another story), and human villain Silas is just as threatening as any Decepticon. Only Miko is the typical Scrappy human, though she gets better in the second season when she becomes less prone to rushing into situations that put everyone in peril and starts to contribute more to the team.
    • A pattern started by Transformers: Animated, which had a larger but still well-liked cast of humans. Several human villains appeared in the earlier episodes, but their presence was mitigated by the fact that they were explicitly intended to create a sort-of Sorting Algorithm of Evil with the Decepticons at the top; and when the Autobot/Decepticon conflict took the fore as the series progressed, the human villains faded quietly away. Ironically, though, the character who was probably the best-received human sidekick yet, Sari Sumdac, turned out to not be a human at all!
      • Human villain Meltdown was generally well-received by the fanbase, however, and got to appear the most during the first two seasons. Probably helped by him being a credible threat and all-around nasty piece of work compared to the others who - barring maybe the Headmaster - were usually an enormous joke.
      • The Headmaster probably got a huge boost to popularity because he took off Sentinel Prime's head in one episode which allowed Optimus to get some hilarious catharsis over on him.
  • Ultimate Spider-Man
    • While people still have problems with Spidey, he starts to get a bit more sympathy due to being the Butt-Monkey for his team and actually acting like the Only Sane Man in some episodes. It helps that he undergoes Character Development in Season 2.
    • Power Man was criticized as a Flat Character Big Guy, but his nightmare in "Strange" caused some to warm up to him, and his appearance in the next episode, "Awesome", further helped him out. Also, like White Tiger below, he gets an A Day in the Limelight episode in Season 2 that introduces his origins and his parents, which also helped flesh him out.
    • White Tiger, big time. Most fans saw her as the most obnoxious character after Nova for most of the show, but "Kraven the Hunter" gives her a very large Character Development, revealing her origin, and shows her actually expressing affection for Peter.
    • Flash Thompson was initially despised for being a one-dimensional Jerk Jock with none of his comic counterpart's nuance or sympathetic traits. He quickly started growing a following when he started being portrayed more in-line with his original characterization and started getting gradual Character Development. When he became Agent Venom,meh quickly became one of the most popular characters on the show.
  • Voltron: Legendary Defender:
    • Many of Lance's detractors started to warm up to him starting in Season 3 and onward, as he shows more humility and kindness towards his teammates while his Casanova Wannabe traits are downplayed.
    • Keith's maturity in Season 6 did a lot to redeem him in the eyes of his broken base. He's still impulsive, but much less rash and more skilled as a team player. His backstory is finally delved into in greater detail, giving a lot of context to his previous actions.
    • The MFE Garrison cadets introduced in Season 7 were initially disliked due to the large amount of focus and Character Shilling they received compared to the main paladins despite being Flat Characters. Season 8 finally gives them some much-needed fleshing out and Adorkable traits.
  • Nabu from Winx Club wasn't a very popular character when he was first introduced in season 3. Understandable, seeing as he was introduced late into that season, didn't get much Character Development and it was pretty obvious that he was just there to give Layla a love interest. He didn't even appear in the first movie apart from a brief cameo appearance at the very end. Season 4 gave him some more Character Development and some chances to show off his awesome magical fighting skills, which quickly helped make him a lot more popular. There's also Roxy, who was introduced in that season. At first the fans were a bit skeptical to her as they felt a seventh fairy wasn't necessary, but as the season progressed the fans seemed to warm up to her as she became more confident with being a fairy.
  • Spyke from X-Men: Evolution was changed from an underdeveloped Totally Radical Token Black Guy with powers that were unintentionally similar to an existing X-Man to a maturing badass hero for the downtrodden Morlocks with cartilage armor and the ability to light his spikes on fire. Many Spyke detractors liked the change but unlike X-23, it wasn't enough to get him in the comic. He did have a counterpart in the third movie, but he was a villain.
  • Young Justice (2010) did this with the Aqualad mantle by replacing Garth, a character widely mocked for having the same "useless" powers as Aquaman and wearing ridiculous short-shorts, with Kaldur'ahm, an Atlantean child soldier and magician who can create weaponry from water and generate powerful electrical blasts.
    • Their Garth isn't too bad either; he's actually more advanced in magic than Kaldur, due to the latter spending time on the surface world as a superhero sidekick. He also briefly demonstrated the "power of the Tempest", as an homage to his modern comic book identity.
    • Even moreso for Sportsmaster, a Golden Age Z-list supervillain who gets reimagined as a Badass Normal mercenary.
      • The show in general has a habit of turning various villains into righteous badasses, even those who were pretty good before. Mister Twister was suddenly a huge threat, and Clayface (not an unpopular villain before) became downright terrifying.
    • Their take on Apache Chief also adds a lot of Character Depth. It gives him a Disappeared Dad, implies he doesn't get along with his mother's boyfriend, and is one of Blue Beetle's best friends before they both got superpowers. They also gave a more interesting twist to his powers: rather than simply growing, he surrounds his body with a huge human-shaped forcefield.
      • Apache Chief, Samurai, and El Dorado all get much more interesting characters and badass points here. The whole group turned into Ensemble Darkhorses post their first episode with lines, "The Runaways". Except for Static, who already had his own TV show and fanbase.
    • In the original Teen Titans comics, Danny Chase was Marv Wolfman's pet; an Insufferable Genius who other characters lauded for his intelligence, while rarely contributing much on the combat front. He would also constantly dunk on Changeling and relayed the news of Jason Todd's death to Nightwing in a rather cold, indifferent fashion. In short, for all of the callbacks and references made to the Titans in other media, nobody ever expected Danny, The Friend Nobody Likes, to ever resurface. Come Young Justice: Phantoms, however, and he was presented much more sympathetically, without any of his condescending attitude from the comics. Rather, he was a preteen runaway who tested positive for the metagene and got spirited away to Apokolips, where his brain was removed from his body and integrated with weapons technology that, according to Miss Martian, was killing him. It's hard to hate a victim of circumstances like that.
  • Bucky Buenaventura spent the first season of The Zeta Project as an insufferable little borderline sociopath. He reappears in Season 2 with a flattering redesign, a new voice actor, a reasonable grasp of common sense and friendship, and a hilarious love/hate dynamic with Ro, but keeps the mad hacking skills and smartassery. The overall result takes him from horrendous brat to surprisingly likable lancer.

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