History DemotedToExtra / LiveActionFilms

* Commissioner Gordon (played by Creator/PatHingle) in the ''Film/BatmanFilmSeries''. He's the most competent non-costumed character in the [[Film/Batman1989 first film]], is barely in the [[Film/BatmanReturns second film]], shows up in his pajamas in the [[Film/BatmanForever third]], and then is [[ButtMonkey completely humiliated]] in the [[Film/BatmanAndRobin fourth]] (and yes, it was part of a major plot thread, but that's still no excuse).
* Superman's best friend Jimmy Olsen is a minor character in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', being a CIA [[TheMole mole]] who's covering as a reporter with no real ties to him or Lois Lane before suffering DeathByAdaptation. He's never even referred to by name, only confirmed to be Olsen through WordOfGod.

* ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'': Crane goes from a major antagonist to a OneSceneWonder between the [[Film/BatmanBegins first]], [[Film/TheDarkKnight second]], and [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises third]] films.
%%Needs context about his previous role.** Alfred has very little screen time in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. Though he does at least make the most of what he has, providing his usual insight, wisdom, and poignancy.

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** A number of important supporting characters from the previous films receive much less screentime in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''.
*** Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role from ''Film/IronMan'', but in a minor capacity. Robert Downey Jr. asked for her to be included as a way of exploring the Potts/Stark relationship that was established at the end of ''Film/IronMan2''. Whedon agreed, because "you should always, given the opportunity, put a Gwyneth on-screen."
*** Dr. Selvig also returns from ''Film/{{Thor}}'', in a role that's more plot-important but doesn't necessarily get any more screentime.
*** Originally Maria Hill was supposed to be narrating the film. However, the scenes of her doing so got cut out.
** Hogun the Grim makes a brief appearance early in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', having remained in his home realm to help rebuild it after the Marauders' attack; has another appearance, no more than a reaction shot, during the portal-hopping battle of the finale.
** Hogun and the rest of the Warriors Three (Fandral and Volstagg) fare ''[[FromBadToWorse even worse]]'' in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', [[spoiler: getting killed in the first act, and with Fandral not even having any lines]].
** ComicBook/NickFury's role in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' is smaller than his role in the first ''Avengers'', having gone underground at the end of ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier The Winter Soldier]]''. That said, he [[spoiler:shows up in full force for the finale]].
** Happens to a lot of characters in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''. Both [[spoiler: Heimdall and Loki only show up for a single scene before being killed off]], while [[spoiler: Nick Fury and Maria Hill only appear in TheStinger]].
** [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter]]'s late Uncle Ben is never shown or even mentioned by name in the movies, with his role as Peter's father figure usurped by Tony Stark [[spoiler: and the WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility speech delivered by Aunt May [[MentorOccupationalHazard shortly before her death]]]]. The only evidence of his existence in the MCU is his initials on Peter's suitcase in ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', which gets destroyed with it being PlayedForLaughs despite it being apparently all he has to remember him by. [[spoiler: In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' Ben and May aren't even buried together like they were in other media such as ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4''.]] However, Peter does acknowledge his loss in the AlternateUniverse series ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021''.
** Betty Brant and Flash Thompson in ''No Way Home'' after playing prominent roles in ''Far from Home''. Betty only appears in a single scene and Flash only shows up in a few.

* ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'':
** None of Betty Brant's characterizations from the comics made it into the trilogy with the exception of being Peter's potential love interest, and even that isn't as prominent compared to the source material.
** Gwen Stacy, from ''Film/SpiderMan3'', is nowhere near as prominent as her comic counterpart. Her role was originally written to just be a random woman before [[ExecutiveMeddling Meddling Executives]] demanded Gwen be included in the movie. They tried to build onto this by [[WhatCouldHaveBeen having her be the one kidnapped by Venom in the end]], but went back on this idea.

* Lois Lane, usually a major character in ''Superman'' stories, plays a surprisingly small role in ''Film/SupermanIII''. She shows up in the beginning, says she's going to Bermuda and disappears for most of the movie. Then she comes back before the movie's over as if nothing happened! This was largely done in retaliation after Creator/MargotKidder criticized the producers for their decision to dismiss director Richard Donner from the franchise. It's a testament to how iconic the Superman mythos is in general, and Lois Lane in particular, that it wasn't worse.
* Not to the extent that she was in ''Superman III'', but Lois Lane still spends much of ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' sidelined in favor of Lacy. However, this time round she does at least have a few important bits, most notably where she gives Superman back his cape, which had wound up at the Daily Planet after Mr. Warfield tried to use it for a cheap headline after Superman's defeat.
* In ''Film/SupermanReturns'', rising star Creator/KalPenn plays Stanford, one of Luthor's {{Mooks}}, and among them gets the lion's share of close-ups, but almost none of his lines whatsoever made it to final cut.

* Captain Metropolis in ''Film/{{Watchmen}}''. In [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} the book]], he's a hopelessly naive superhero who forms the Crimebusters in the 1960s and tries to convince them that they can solve all of the world's problems. In the movie, Ozymandias forms the team ([[IAmNotShazam re-named "The Watchmen"]]). Metropolis becomes an unspeaking character who briefly appears in a flashback.

* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** Cyclops' role was marginalized from the get-go, being relegated to more of a supporting role in the original ''X-Men'' film. His role as team leader was barely touched upon, nor was he allowed a notable fight scene. Instead, he was sidelined in favor of Wolverine. The trend continued with Scott's plot relevance and screen time becoming increasingly smaller in the next two films. In the third, he was [[DroppedABridgeOnHim unceremoniously killed offscreen]] within the first 15 minutes.
** ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'':
*** Rogue, as well; she had fairly large parts in [[Film/XMen1 the first]] and [[Film/X2XMenUnited second movies]], but her storyline here boils down to her being jealous of Bobby and Kitty and [[spoiler:taking an apparent cure]]. Part of it was also because Creator/HalleBerry didn't like Storm's comparatively smaller role and demanded a larger part.
*** Dr. Kavita Rao. Gets about thirty seconds of screen time, three lines in total, and then is KilledOffForReal. Most of her role from the comics (like holding the press conference) is taken over by Angel's dad. She was never a major character to begin with, and was a very recent creation when the movie was made, but still.
%%Needs context about how their role changed*** Psylocke usually has a fair amount of input on the plot in the comics.
** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'':
*** Rogue only appears in a non-speaking cameo and doesn't even get a close-up. This is because all her other scenes were cut out and then restored on ''The Rogue Cut''.
*** Compared to the prominence of her role in the comic version of "Days of Future Past," Kitty Pryde's part is mostly being the means by which Wolverine gets into the past.
%%Needs context about his previous role*** Havok is rescued by Mystique near the beginning and never shows up afterwards. Still, at least he's alive, unlike the rest of the ''First Class'' cast, with everyone who didn't appear in the earlier[=/=]canonically later films being unceremoniously killed off between films. Of course, he had to survive because in the movie-verse, he's [[Film/XMenApocalypse Cyclops' much older brother]].
%%Needs context about her previous role*** Comicbook/{{Storm}} does kick some serious ass, but gets little screen time overall, and doesn't have many lines until midway into the movie. {{Justified|Trope}} as her part was diminished due to Creator/HalleBerry's pregnancy.
%%** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'':
%%Needs context about their previous roles*** Wolverine and Colonel Stryker have an extended cameo.
%%Needs context about his previous role*** The Blob is one of Angel's opponents at the East Berlin fight club.
%%Needs context about her previous role* Nebula in the third ''Film/{{Zenon}}'' movie who only gets a (very badly green screened) cameo since she on vacation on Earth. On the upside, she's played by Raven-Symoné once again.

** [[Characters/MonsterVerseSkullIslandKaijuAndOtherCreatures Skullcrawlers]] were the BigBad of ''Film/KongSkullIsland''. In ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', some Skullcrawler eggs and an enormous adult Skullcrawler appear briefly, but their plot relevance is otherwise nil aside from being a CallBack and being used as cannon fodder to show how powerful Mechagodzilla is.

** [[Characters/MonsterVerseMarkRussell Mark Russell]] was one of the main protagonists of ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''. In ''Godzilla vs. Kong'', he makes only sporadic appearances throughout with no real contribution to the plot, while Madison takes up more of the protagonist role in his place.

* Commissioner Gordon (played by Pat Hingle) in the ''Film/BatmanFilmSeries''. He's the most competent non-costumed character in the [[Film/Batman1989 first film]], is barely in the [[Film/BatmanReturns second film]], shows up in his pajamas in the [[Film/BatmanForever third]], and then is [[ButtMonkey completely humiliated]] in the [[Film/BatmanAndRobin fourth]] (and yes, it was part of a major plot thread, but that's still no excuse).

* Zooey Deschanel's character gives the impression that there were a lot more scenes with her that didn't make the final cut of ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesbyTheCowardRobertFord''. The section of the film with her in it was originally supposed to be an hour longer.

** [[DarkActionGirl Karai]] finally transitions from the comics to live-action, but her role is much less prominent than in other versions like [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 the 2003]] and [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 shows.]]

%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Anyone who isn't Christie, Steve, or part of the Mishima bloodline in ''Film/{{Tekken}}''.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Miriam and Aaron in ''{{Film/The Ten Commandments|1956}}''.

** Gwen Stacy, from ''Film/SpiderMan3'', is nowhere near as prominent as her comic counterpart. Her role was originally written to just be a random woman before [[ExecutiveMeddling Meddling Executives]] demanded Gwen be included in the movie.

** [[Characters/MonsterVerseFamilies Mark Russell]] was one of the main protagonists of ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''. In ''Godzilla vs. Kong'', he makes only sporadic appearances throughout with no real contribution to the plot, while Madison takes up more of the protagonist role in his place.

* ''Film/{{Lantana}}'', based on the play ''Theatre/SpeakingInTongues'', reduces the roles of Neil Toohey and Sarah Phelan. The former only appears briefly as the unnamed jogger who Leon [[CrashIntoHello runs into]] and again towards the end (unlike Neil, he is not DrivenToSuicide but actually gets one of the happier endings). Sarah is [[GenderFlip replaced by a gay male character]] named Patrick Phelan, who does have scenes with Valerie adapted from the play but is ultimately a RedHerring for both Valerie's disappearance and for her husband's infidelity (in contrast to Sarah, who ''was'' having an affair with John).

%%Needs context about their previous roles* The Hitchhiking Ghosts only appear in a cameo in the film of ''Film/TheHauntedMansion''.

%%Needs context about his previous role*** Comicbook/{{Cyclops}}, though [[RealLifeWritesThePlot there's a reason]]. This started happening even in [[Film/X2XMenUnited the second film]] where he was captured fairly early on and didn't come back until the end.

* LAPD officer Sergeant Al Powell is a big part of ''Franchise/DieHard'', but none of the other films take place in Los Angeles. The second film offers him a gratuitous cameo, and the rest leave him out all together. Possibly justified in that Al had a family and was working the beat again by the second movie, so he wouldn't have been able to join John for more adventures.

* To many fans' chagrin, this occurred to ''Penny and Brain'' in ''Film/InspectorGadget''. Instead of being in the forefront of the film to help solve to crimes at hand like they were in the [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget cartoon series]], both were more or less seen in the background and barely given any lines while the titular inspector and a [[CanonImmigrant new character]] in the form of Gadget's {{Love Interest|s}}, Brenda, are the heroes of the film and get most of the dialogue.

* In ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'':

* The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films. Saavik, who was a major character in ''[[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan The Wrath of Khan]]'' and ''[[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock The Search for Spock]]'', made a brief appearance in only one scene in ''[[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome The Voyage Home]]'', and then was never seen again. She was intended for a major role in ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The Undiscovered Country]]'', but between casting difficulties and objections by Gene Roddenberry over [[spoiler:an established character becoming a traitor]], her name was simply [[{{Expy}} used as a placeholder]] for Kim Catrall's character, Valeris.

* The fate of Mr. Utterson from ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', due to most every adaptation centering on Jekyll from the start rather that Utterson investigating a mystery, as the novel did. In the 1920 film he pops up towards the end as one of Jekyll's friends, in [[Film/DrJekyllAndMrHyde1931 the 1931 film]] he is an extra, and in the 1941 film he's completely omitted.