History Main / AdaptationalFriendship

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': Barbara Gordon (AKA Batgirl) and Pamela Isley (AKA Poison Ivy) are introduced as activist friends who would team up to protest corporations involved in genetic experimentation and harm to the environment, unlike the comics where the two were never close before they became supers.

* In [[https://www.deviantart.com/misakiyu misakiyu]]'s illustrations of [[https://www.deviantart.com/slifofinadragon SlifofinaDragon]]'s ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' fanfics, UsefulNotes/DateMasamune and [[UsefulNotes/SanadaYukimura Sanada]] [[MisterSeahorse Yukimura]]'s [[FanCreatedOffspring son]] Masa is friends with Hitomi Kira, who's actually UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi's [[FanCreatedOffspring daughter]] (and [[BigBad main villainess]]) Kagehime, [[BitchInSheepsClothing posing as a friend]], which Masa and some others are unaware of, whereas in the fanfics, they are already aware of her identity.

** In canon, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Curt Connors, and Doctor Baxter Stockman never meet (the latter because he's from [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles a different franchise]] than [[Franchise/SpiderMan the former two]]). Here, the three were college friends (although the friendship fell apart after [[StartOfDarkness Ock had his lab accident and Stockman was fired]]).
* ''Fanfic/RidingASunset'': Because of how many characters in the fic are {{Canon Foreigner}}s, there are several characters who become friends here despite never meeting/being close in their respective canons (i.e. Charlie and the rest of the Autobots, Chip and Memo, etc).
* ''[[Fanfic/{{Empathy}} Unity]]'': Due to belonging to different studios, [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Mr. Incredible]] and [[WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens General W. R. Monger]] never met in any canon film. In this fic, Monger was the military official overseeing the government experiment that gave Mr. Incredible his powers (which is told in a [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger familiar-sounding]] backstory). When the procedure failed with further test subjects, Monger learned that Bob would possibly be subjected to painful experimentation so they could learn how to repeat the process. As such, he helped him escape and ended up given a backwater assignment (watching the Monsters at Area 51) as punishment. Though Bob and Monger didn't see each other for a few decades as a result, they remained on good terms and Bob was overjoyed to see him when he and his family were assigned to the government-sanctioned super team.

* Todd and Cooper aren't even friends in the original ''Literature/TheFoxAndTheHound'' book. The Disney film of ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheHound'' plays them as a tragic friendship.

* In ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'', Shizune forms a close friendship with Itachi early in the story thanks to him being one of the first people to not be afraid of her little brother having the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed in him, and it continues well into their adult years. The two of them never even met in canon and almost certainly wouldn't have been friends if they had due to Itachi spending the entire series either undercover or dead.

* ''ComicBook/{{Ultimate Spider-Man|2000}}'': Eddie Brock Jr., the first host of the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote, is depicted as Peter Parker's childhood friend, in sharp contrast to the original ComicBook/SpiderMan comics where they don't meet before they're both adults. In addition, their fathers are also shown to be former collagues and friends while they didn't have anything to do with each other in the main continuity.

* ''ComicBook/{{Ultimate Spider-Man|2000'': Eddie Brock Jr., the first host of the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote, is depicted as Peter Parker's childhood friend, in sharp contrast to the original ComicBook/SpiderMan comics where they don't meet before they're both adults. In addition, their fathers are also shown to be former collagues and friends while they didn't have anything to do with each other in the main continuity.

** In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' canon, Sasuke was close friends with both Naruto and Sakura ([[ChildhoodFriendRomance with the latter even becoming his wife by the end of the series]]), but the other ninjas from their generation were acquaintances to him at best. In this fanfic, Hinata, Neji, Sai, and Gaara are all among Sasuke's TrueCompanions as part of the titular group.
** Haku and Kimimaro were anti-villains who never managed to become friends with any of the good guys before they died (besides Haku having a friendly conversation with Naruto when the latter was unaware that the former was also the masked boy working for Zabuza and thus his enemy). In ''Hakumei'', they're part of the titular group and thus are friends with seven of those good guys.

** In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' canon, Sasuke was close friends with both Naruto and Sakura ([[ChildhoodFriendRomance with the latter even becoming his wife by the end of the series]]), but the other ninjas from their generation were acquaintances to him at best. In this fanfic, Hinata, Neji, Sai, and Gaara are all among Sasuke's TrueCompanions as part of the titular Hakumei.

* ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'': Becky and Joyce are childhood friends, instead of meeting well into adulthood as they do in the original ''Webcomic/{{Walkyverse}}''.

* ''Series/MonarchLegacyOfMonsters'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Colonel Lee Shaw]] is adapted from the ''Film/Godzilla2014'' tie-in graphic novel ''Godzilla: Awakening'', which the series otherwise unambiguously renders CanonDiscontinuity. Unlike Shaw's Awakening portrayal who had no known connection to Bill Randa from ''Film/KongSkullIsland, Shaw and Randa in the show's version were explicitly close-knit friends who built up Monarch together.

** The show presents a unique friendship bordering on ShipTease between Sauron, disguised as Halbrand, and Galadriel. This portrayal marks a significant departure from established lore. In J.R.R. Tolkien's original works, Sauron and Galadriel never formed any sort of friendly or trusting relationship in the 2000 he spent in Eregion as Annatar, the Lords of Gifts.

** The show presents a unique friendship bordering on ShipTease between Sauron, disguised as Halbrand, and Galadriel. This portrayal marks a significant departure from established lore. In J.R.R. Tolkien's original works, Sauron and Galadriel never formed any sort of friendly or trusting relationship in the 2000 he spent in Eregion as Annatara, the Lords of Gifts.

** Sandman from ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'' is listed as a close friend of Spider-Man's, instead of a member of his rogues gallery. (Granted, in the comics canon, Sandman's relationship with Spider-Man has gone through the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, but here, they're still closer than that...)

** In canon, it isn't established how close the Agents Parker and Logan are. In this fic, Logan was one of the Parkers' friends, enough so that they invited him over for Christmas once or twice and introduced him to baby Petra. He tells Petra as much when he meets her, and [[TellMeAboutMyFather tells her stories about her parents when she asks]].
** In canon, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Curt Conners, and Doctor Baxter Stockman never meet. Here, the three were college friends (although the friendship fell apart after [[StartOfDarkness Ock had his lab accident and Stockman was fired]]).
* ''Fanfic/RidingASunset'': Because of how many characters in the fic are CanonForeigner|s, there are several characters that become friends here despite never meeting/being close in their respective canons (i.e. Charlie and the rest of the Autobots, Chip and Memo, etc).
* ''[[Fanfic/{{Empathy}} Unity]]'': Due to belonging to different studios, [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Mr. Incredible]] and [[WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens General W. R. Monger]] never met in any canon film. In this fic, Monger was the military official overseeing the government experiment that gave Mr. Incredible his powers (which is told in a [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger familiar-sounding]] backstory). When the procedure failed with further test subjects, Monger learned that Bob would possibly be subjected to painful experimentation so they could learn how to repeat the process. As such, he helped him escape and ended up given a backwater assignment (watching the Monsters at Area 51) as punishment. Though Bob and Monger didn't see each other for a few decades as a result, they remained on good terms and Bob was overjoyed to see him when he and his family were assigned to the government-sanctioned super team.

* ''Fanfic/TheSpectacularSpiderManLostInGotham'': How Batman and the Batfam feel about Harley Quinn varies DependingOnTheWriter. Here, Harley has done a complete HeelFaceTurn, helping out the Bats on missions and looking out for the Bat kids.

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glinda_and_the_wicked_witch_7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:330:'''Top:''' The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good as enemies in [[Film/TheWizardOfOz 1939]].\\

[[quoteright:351:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glinda_and_the_wicked_witch.png]]
[[caption-width-right:351:'''Top:''' The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good as enemies in [[Film/TheWizardOfOz 1939]].\\

-->--'''[[https://www.polygon.com/23405268/house-dragon-alicent-rhaenyra-targaryen-episode Polygon]]''' on the friendship between '''Rhaenyra Targaryen''' and '''Alicent Hightower''' in ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon''.

A SubTrope of AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul. Compare to PromotedToLoveInterest, where two characters are made love interests in an adaptation but don't necessarily have to be friends in either version, or TeamMemberInTheAdaptation, which has a character made part of a team in an adaptation that wasn't before. Compare and contrast AdaptationalRomanceDowngrade, which often takes the form of a romantic couple being portrayed as just friends. Also compare/contrast RelatedInTheAdaptation and RelatedDifferentlyInTheAdaptation. This may also overlap with WeUsedToBeFriends and/or AdaptationalAngstUpgrade if the characters are made friends in order to set up a betrayal between them.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{DC Super Hero Girls|2019}}'' (2019): Barbara Gordon is best friends with an [[AgeLift Age-Lifted]] Harleen Quinzel, [[LikesClarkKentHatesSuperman neither of whom know the other's secret identity]] as heroic Batgirl and villainous Harley Quinn respectively ... [[spoiler:at least, at first. When Harley does learn of this, it starts her HeelFaceTurn arc, though she remains TheFriendNobodyLikes in later appearances]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': In the original 80’s, the Princesses and Horde were simply enemies. The line between friend and foe is much more ambiguous in the reboot. Catra starts out as Adora’s closest friend, becomes a bitter enemy, then [[spoiler: after her HeelFaceTurn in season 5, become lovers by the end]]; Entrapta begins as an ally of the princesses before going over to the Horde, though she never shows any real animosity towards the princesses and is more in it ForScience, [[spoiler: eventually returning to the Alliance when she’s rescued from Beast Island]]; Scorpia starts as an enemy but a surprisingly [[FriendlyEnemy cordial]] one before [[spoiler: being driven away from the Horde and joining the Princesses when Horde Prime invades]].

* ''Series/TheLeftovers'': In the book, Kevin knows Matt in their respective capacities as cop and pastor but they're not friends. Even their acquaintance is strained since Matt underwent SanitySlippage post-Departure. In the series, they are mentioned as having been old friends and Matt is a close friend of Kevin Sr (Kevin's father): Matt goes to Kevin Jr's birthday party, regularly visits Kevin Sr., and at the end of Series 1, he becomes Kevin's SecretKeeper that he killed Patty.

** Instead of trying to take over the Earth or destroy it, Marvin the Martian is a space traveler who crash lands on it due to an accident. He is initially wary about the Earth, but gets over it after the Looney Builders help him fix his spaceship.
** While Taz the Tasmanian devil is still ravenous and has destructive tendencies, he is much less of a VolatileTasmanianDevil and never tries to eat anyone. When he throws a fit in "Taz Recycle", it is quite tame.

* ''Film/SpiderManHomeTrilogy'': In the original comics, Ned Leeds and Peter Parker are not friends and, in fact, competed for the affection of Betty Brant. In the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, they are best friends and Ned acts as Peter's MissionControl. The Ned of the comics is also not close to Mary Jane Watson, but the film version is close to her MCU adaptation, Michelle Jones-Watson.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': In the original anime, Sayaka and Kyoko did '''''not''''' like each other when they first met, with Kyoko stealing a kill from Sayaka, leading to the both of them dueling each other (twice, and this was because Kyoko wanted to kill Sayaka out of envy). It took time for them to actually become friends. In ''Rebellion'', the two of them get along much better, and Kyoko is a lot less aggressive towards Sayaka than she was in the original anime.