History Main / RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': When Faith's character was first introduced, she was perceived as a [[SmugSuper smug]] [[TheAntagonist antagonist]] to Mel, who most readers felt [[SuperpowerLottery was too powerful.]] But her development following the [[spoiler: [[WebComic/EerieCuties Layla]]]] [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/regain_your_energy incident]] and [[spoiler: Hecate]]'s attack revealed she was well-meaning (albeit [[GreyAndGrayMorality morally grey]]), causing a significant portion of the readership to change their opinion of her - with some becoming [[EnsembleDarkhorse fans of her character.]] There was also speculation that Faith was somehow mind-controlling the student body, in order to seduce them; causing some readers to question whether any of her trysts could be considered consensual. The truth regarding whether her powers were at work was revealed to have occurred without her being aware of it. Faith was [[ThisCannotBe sufficiently horrified]] [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/even_her_enemies when faced with the realization.]]

* In ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'', Takada and Near are far more likeable and/or interesting than their canon counterparts. Takada is a reasonable and likeable [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] and Near is LaughablyEvil.

* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'':
** In [[WebAnimation/RedVsBlueTheShisnoTrilogy Season 15]], Jax Jonez got some detractors who deemed him an annoying AuthorAvatar (he's voiced by the writer/director) who only served to make pop culture references. The next season had him employed as a BadBoss PrimaDonnaDirector, and people welcomed the change, finding him funnier and more bearable.
** The two villains of season 16, Chrovos and Genkins, were deemed as boring and mostly unconsequential given their lack of screentime (the latter is even only revealed as a bad guy in the last two episodes). Season 17, as an ImmediateSequel, had them appear right away and used them in amusing ways, with Genkins as a hammy ManipulativeBastard and Chrovos as a condescending DeadpanSnarker, and fans really warmed up on the characters.
* ''WebVideo/TheLizzieBennetDiaries'' did this with Lydia; many people who found her unbearable in [[Literature/PrideAndPrejudice the original book]] grew to love her more likeable personality in the webseries and consequently hate Wickham even more for his emotional manipulation of her.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCtr04cnx5A Animator vs. Animation III]]'' has Clippy, loathed by everyone who has had to use Microsoft Office, put up a surprisingly good fight against the Chosen One.
* The addition of [[Music/NinjaSexParty L. Dan Avidan]] & Ross O'Donovan to ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' was a highly controversial move for the channel, especially due to Dan simultaneously replacing [[WebVideo/JonTron Jon Jafari]] as "Not so Grump" and their ''Steam Train'' sub-series premiering on the same day. It didn't help that ''Steam Train'' 's first episode was recorded ''before'' Jon's departure and mentioned him quite frequently. However, fans gradually warmed up to both new members over time, finding their humor and interactions with the rest of the Grump crew being both funny and memorable, and Dan's stories being genuinely entertaining. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNg70I7vrmE This moment]] was when the fanbase did a complete 180 and accepted Dan as a part of the group.
* In the ''WebAnimation/{{FTLKestrelAdventures}}'', Cremity. He seemed useless and whiny at first, but after his significant arc, he has proven himself to be a character with depths and potential for growth.
* WebVideo/{{Phelous}} and [[WebVideo/BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain]] were not very popular reviewers until they got to show [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct their true acting skills]] in ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', prompting fans to start checking out their channels.

* Bowser Junior was originally one of the most unlikable characters in the ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'' universe, mostly due to his [[SpoiledBrat obnoxious behavior]] and [[CreatorsPet the large number of episodes focused around him]] along with Chef Pee Pee and Bowser. However, his character gradually improved as he went from a spoiled {{Jerkass}} that along with Bowser constantly tormented Chef Pee Pee, to more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'' does this with Yui. While the canonical character gets some flak for being little more than a loli moeblob, Abridged!Yui is intelligent, {{manipulative|bitch}}, and [[DeadpanSnarker devastatingly snarky]] - which incidentally makes her a good fit for the series' takes on Kirito and Asuna. Her adoption by those two fits into their weirdly sociopathic relationship, and her time with them also leads to some humanizing CharacterDevelopment as well.
* Out of all the ''WebAnimation/InanimateInsanity'' contestants from Season One, Balloon and Knife were the least liked. Since Season Two began, their statuses, both as characters and the fans' liking of them, has much improved thanks to them getting some much-needed CharacterDevelopment.

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* ''[[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Theon]]'' in ''FanFic/SonOfTheSevenKingdoms''. William Baratheon (Robert's second son) is sent to foster at Winterfell, and he spends time to bring Theon into the dynamics of the family, because he considers the idea of fighting each other for what their respective fathers did absurd. Theon ends up becoming friends with Robb, Jon and William, and when the Baratheon Civil War begins and Balon Greyjoy decides to attack the North and claim his independence, Theon chooses to renounce to the Old Ways and join William's army, becoming a far more noble character than in the books.
* [[Franchise/DragonBall Hercule]] becomes far more sympathetic in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2185558/1/The-Middle The Middle]]'' despite still taking credit for defeating Cell. Besides portraying him as a working father doing what he can to provide for his daughter, he also realizes that if the Z Warriors never came forward before with their power, then they clearly aren't interested in fame. Furthermore, Hercule realizes that Gohan clearly doesn't like fighting and if he became known as the world's savior, he'd never be allowed to stop fighting. In the end, Hercule claims credit to both support his family and to keep the media off Gohan's back.

* In ''Fanfic/MemoriesOfInfinitesPast'' a ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' puesdocanon fanfic, Infinite's character and backstory has much more depth than how he was in the game. Some Sonic fans dislike the villain due to how his origin story and motive in Sonic Forces is portrayed as a [[EvilisPetty petty and weak villain.]] However, in the fanfic, Infinite's story, character, and motives is portrayed in a more relatable, sympathetic, and makes his infamous meltdown after being defeated by Shadow the Hedgehog alot more understandable. One of Infinite's reasons why he's so obsessed with strenght is due to his [[DarkandTroubledPast childhood.]] His mother, Ellie the Jackal, died from [[DeathbyChildbirth childbirth]] and his father, Axel the Jackal, [[MaternalDeathBlameTheChild hates and blames him because of it.]] Axel [[AbusiveParents mistreats and mentally abuses]] Infinite, calling him "Weak, Pathetic, and Worthless". Infinite eventually runs away and becomes a member of the Jackal Squad soon after. Infinite embarks on a quest to prove himself worthy of becoming The Ultimate Mercenary so he can become a strong and a well-respected individual. In this story, Infinite is portrayed as a more interesting character and the plot itself is ''very'' well-received by the readers.
* ''Fanfic/DekiruTheFusionHero'' did this for Minoru Mineta. On top of having a badass fusion with Izuku, [[spoiler:and later, with Tsuyu as well]], a lot more emphasis is put on other aspects of his character in lieu of his perversion, such as his low self-esteem. As a result, many readers don't mind him sticking around, especially if it means they get to see Izoru [[spoiler:and Tsuzuru]] again. Some even note that his fusion with Izuku is a good starting point for a redemption arc for him, if the author choose to pursue that route.

** Similarly, Chloe is given a redemption arc where she works against Lila, and ultimately comes up with the plan to get revenge by [[spoiler:turning Marinette into a ''real'' celebrity]] -- a plan that requires her to help, support and praise the very girl she used to target herself.

** The ''Star Wars Shakespeare'' series takes Jar Jar Binks and turns him from bumbling idiot into a political radical that wants a better relationship between humans and Gungans that merely [[ObfuscatingStupidity obfuscates stupidity]].
** ''Literature/TheCourtshipOfPrincessLeia'' had an exceedingly two-dimensional, generic froth-at-the-mouth-when-things-go-wrong bad [[VillainOfTheWeek villain-of-the-book]]. Warlord Zsinj was also [[FatBastard visibly overweight]], petty, and [[FatIdiot rather stupid]]. In the early books in the ''Literature/XWingSeries'', set before ''Courtship'', which don't show him directly, he's said to be cautious and opportunistic, and one character believes he's more dangerous than the notes on his file indicate. In the later Creator/AaronAllston books of that series he's the main villain, a canny warlord who puts on a buffoonishly evil act out of a combination of [[ObfuscatingStupidity making opponents underestimate him]] and [[ItAmusedMe personal amusement value]], despite knowing that plenty of his minions can see through the act. He's still evil, but entertainingly and memorably so. In fact Zsinj was stated to be perhaps the most powerful third party in the galaxy, after the Empire and the New Republic. This means he was considered more powerful than the Hutts (who run a massive criminal empire), the Hapan Consortium (a high-tech Amazon-sequel matriarchy with a very powerful military), and Kuat (a semi-independent planet that's essentially a ''massive'' shipyard). Zsinj’s biggest problem was his inability to properly administer his territory -- he’s a military officer, not a good politician.

* It seems that most readers of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' start out hating Sansa Stark. But thanks to her CharacterDevelopment over the last three books, a lot of people have started to warm up to her, and she also has plenty of die-hard converted fans - an unusual instance of a character being rescued from the Scrappy heap via BreakTheCutie. It might be a case of her initial unlikable status being intentional, since the Stark kids seem to exist to give numerous different perspectives on the path to maturity. [[ComingOfAgeStory Sansa starts as idealistic, naive, and, frankly, rather foolish, but is forcibly disabused of her innocence.]]

** Inverted with Onestar. In the [[Literature/WarriorCatsTheOriginalSeries first arc]] when he was Onewhisker, he was an EnsembleDarkHorse. However, in ''Literature/WarriorCatsTheNewProphecy'' he [[TookALevelInJerkass takes a level in jerkass]] after becoming Onestar and by the [[Literature/WarriorCatsPowerOfThree third arc]] he became a full on scrappy.

* Balthamos from ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials''. You'd expect the death of his lover to win him ''some'' sympathy points, but the fact that his portrayal of grief is to moan and wail extremely loudly until the twelve year old that he's travelling with is forced to tell him: "dude, calm down, you're going to attract the attention of the people who are trying to kill us" and that he abandons said twelve year old as soon as their enemies turn up throws him firmly on TheScrappy pile. However, by the end of the book he returns as a ChekhovsGunman and kills the fanatical Father Gomez, thereby preventing him from killing the children about to save all the worlds in existence.
* Roboute Guilliman in ''Literature/HorusHeresy''. After that disastrous Ultramarines codex plunged the Chapter into CreatorsPet territory, Guilliman became fandom's chief Scrappy, with his very own mocking meme of "Spiritual Liege". In ''Heresy'' books, however, he's portrayed as responsible, paying attention to the common mortals, intelligent and actually critical of his [[BigBookOfWar Codex Astartes]], earning him more sympathy of the fans.
* Another victim of the Ultramarine codex, Cato Sicarius, finally got redeemed in ''Literature/SpaceMarineBattles''. Pre-planned as TheAce, he came across more like GloryHound until book ''Veil of Darkness'' came and turned him into rather sympathetic BrokenAce. It helps that it was the first time we've ever seen inside of his mind.
* Abaddon in ''Literature/BlackLegion''. As mentioned in Tabletop Games section, for many years he was called by the authors the worst threat to the Imperium and a formidable general, while his track record was rather... [[GeneralFailure pathetic]]. ''Black Legion'' {{retcon}}s his character into AFatherToHisMen and gives him a plenty of badass moments. He's starting to get fans now.

* Sam from the ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'' was hated by fans at first for being both generic and irritating, having a DependingOnTheWriter personality, no CharacterDevelopment and ObligatorySwearing as her main quirk. This was fixed when Creator/LawrenceMiles wrote a FixFic explaining that she was an alien creation that would be the perfect companion, explaining her indeterminate personality and making it into something tragic and slightly metafictional. She's not exactly a celebrated companion, but she definitely had more fans after ''Alien Bodies'' than before.
* The ''Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch'' novel ''The Missing'' features Dr Pulaski from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' season 2. It first of all acknowledges that Pulaski is a Scrappy, and what she thinks is a no-nosense attitude is actually unnecessarily abrasive, with Dr Crusher (who was [=DS9=]'s CMO at the time) absolutely livid about what she'd heard regarding Pulaski's treatment of Data. It then explains ''why'' she's so confrontational, and that quite often she's ''right'' to be confrontational, she just needs to learn when she isn't. By the end of the book, it actually seems a bit of a shame that what appears to be a PoorlyDisguisedPilot for a novel series about Pulaski leading a medical mission never went anywhere.

* Music/{{Megadeth}} released ''Risk'' which garnered a similar hatred as Metallica's ''St. Anger'', though for different reasons; ''St Anger'' was hated for its ghastly production quality and for the drums that made it sound like Lars Ulrich was banging on trash cans, while Risk had decent production but represented a drastic change in style (however, hardcore Megadeth fans who argue that if you judge the album as just an album and not as a "thrash metal" album that the songs are quite well written, evoke genuine heartfelt emotion, and are actually quite catchy). Rescued from the heap to a lesser extent by 'The World Needs A Hero', and to a greater extent by the band's "second golden age" (mostly with Shawn Drover, Chris Broderick, and David Ellefson) starting from United Abominations till Thirteen. Then Super Collider came out and got Risk levels of hatred again (hilariously because of the same reasons) and then they got rescued again by the release of Dystopia that returned to their know agressive style.

* After their first return in 1985, cult PostPunk group Music/{{Wire}} drew much ire from much of their fanbase by releasing a string of poppy, overproduced records, culminating in the critical disaster that was 1991's ''Manscape''. Live, however, the songs often took on a ''very'' different character, though Wire, being the contrarians that they were, never released a proper live album from this period... Until 2010, with the inception of their "Legal Download Bootleg Series", one of the first of which was [[http://pinkflag.greedbag.com/buy/21-july-1988-astoria-london-0/ an 1988 performance from the Astoria in London]]. To summarise the average fan reaction: ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Hot]] '''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic damn]]'''''.

%%* To an extent, Roger Waters of Music/PinkFloyd. His last album with the Floyd, ''The Final Cut'', was an {{Anvilicious}}, dark, polarizing album and a slow seller, and he carried the {{Wangst}} and ControlFreak tendencies well into his solo albums. He gained a certain amount of bad press over the lawsuits and public arguments over the rights to the name "Music/PinkFloyd", as David Gilmour's LighterAndSofter Floyd gained success in the late 1980's and early 1990's. By the end of TheNineties, his feelings over Music/PinkFloyd and the media cooled and he started performing Floyd-like arena shows with heavy emphasis over his former band's works, to the delight of many, with full performances of Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon and later, Music/TheWall, and slowly patched things up with his old bandmates. This culminated in the Floyd's reunion show for Live 8 in 2005, and since then he has had great success and better press lately, and his full-scale performance of Music/TheWall is a massive success.

%%* Whenever a OneHitWonder releases a new single that becomes a hit, this happens. The most notables examples being Music/JasonMraz with "I'm Yours", The Chainsmokers with "Roses", Bastille with "Happier" and Mike Posner with "I Took a Pill in Ibiza".

* In a bizarre twist: Guitars with more than six strings. 7-8 String guitars had been on store shelves since the 80's, but were popularized by bands like Korn and were indeed quite useful for creating the sound of Nu-Metal in the late 90's and early 2000's...but then Nu-Metal became very, ''very'' uncool, creating a vicious stigma around them as only "Nu-Metal" guitars. The slowly increased popularity of Progressive Metal and Djent in the 2000's and 2010's and the technical impressiveness of certain guitarists using them since brought the extended range guitar back into vogue, and now it's harder to find a company that ''doesn't'' offer at least one seven string guitar in their product lines than not.

** Half-Elfs and Half-Orcs in 3.5 were some of the worst race options a player could pick (outside of Diplomacy maximizing for Half-Elfs), with only some minor boosts to skills and immunity to sleep effects that high level characters are immune to anyways (Half Elfs) or the only race feature to make up for their unbalanced racial modifers[[note]]a net -2 with the norm +0[[/note]] being Darkvision, which other races have anyways (Half-Orc) compared to a Human's bonus feat and extra skill points. In Pathfinder both races get to pick +2 to any attribute with no penalties. Half-Elfs can pick any Skill Focus or Weapon Proficiency feat for free[[note]]neither all that great on their own, but common requirements for worthwhile things[[/note]], can pick two favored classes and have the best Bard and Summoner favored class alternatives. Half-Orcs have actual racial features and a decent range of alternate features to customize themself with.

** Pathfinder's take on Soulknife (via third party publisher Dreamscarred Press) ''finally'' reworked it to such a point that it was actually a viable choice by letting it wear medium armor, giving it full base attack bonus and good hit die, having its signature ability ''actually scale properly'', giving it a bunch of archetypes that let their mind blade be a LaserBlade, EnergyBow, ElementalPunch, [[StormOfBlades a slew of]] [[FlyingWeapon floating blades]], and more, and giving it a bunch of 'blade skills' that function a lot like rogue talents.
* The Necrons in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' were criticized for the StoryBreakerPower technology, boring play style, and lack of unique characterization. After the newest Necron codex, their technology was tweaked and they were given a distinctly different motivations along with a variety of different viable strategies.
** Not everyone would [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks agree with that]]. Many people did like the scary EldritchAbomination and EnigmaticMinion aspects of their lore, and flipped out when these were removed. The general consensus of the [[FanNickname Oldcrons vs. Newcrons]] debate seems to be "Newcron game mechanics and units are better, but Oldcron lore and their general theme is better". The Forgeworld Imperial Armour release: Fall of Orpheus helped as well, by demonstrating that it was quite possible to keep many of the enigmatic horror elements that made the Oldcron fans loved, while still keeping with the new fluff.

** [[PsychicPowers Psionics]] had been a ScrappyMechanic since the game's inception, with much grumbling about it being overpowered, underpowered, needlessly weird, and psionicist fitting in with neither [[QuirkyBard most parties]] nor many gameworlds. 3.5's Expanded Psionics Handbook saved the concept, dumping the "psionic combat" system in favor of a power point system to set manifesters apart from VancianMagic - which, as it turned out, wound up being far more intuitive, sensible, and better-designed than the clunky, oft-broken Vancian system. Add in a set of fun, playable races and classes ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and the soulknife]]), a massive amount of unique content that made an all-manifester campaign quite feasible, and being a generally more balanced alternative to the hideous GameBreaker that was 3.5's magic system, and for the first time in the game's history, "Can I play a psychic?" was met with something other than a weary groan. It's popular enough that it's even included into the [=d20 SRD=], despite being a non-core material (along with Epic rules).

** Second edition's Lunars were initially seen as this, because their take as social engineers trying to create societies that weren't dependent on the Exalted was seen as a considerable improvement over first edition's anti-civilization barbarians, but then people started noticing their flaws, particularly the Charmset, which among other things lacked anything that really dealt with social engineering, and soured on them somewhat.

** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' is hard at work with this, upplaying his slapstick ButtMonkey nature, beastmastery and acrobatics while downplaying everything else.

* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': When Faith's character was first introduced, she was perceived as a [[SmugSuper smug]] [[TheAntagonist antagonist]] to Mel, who most readers felt [[SuperpowerLottery was too powerful.]] But her development following the [[spoiler: [[WebComic/EerieCuties Layla]]]] [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/regain_your_energy incident]] and [[spoiler: Hecate]]'s attack revealed she was well-meaning (albeit [[GreyAndGrayMorality morally grey]]), causing a significant portion of the readership to change their opinion of her - with some becoming [[EnsembleDarkhorse fans of her character.]] There was also speculation that Faith was somehow mind controlling the student body, in order to seduce them; causing some readers to question whether any of her trysts could be considered consensual. The truth regarding whether her powers were at work was revealed to have occurred without her being aware of it. Faith was [[ThisCannotBe sufficiently horrified]] [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/even_her_enemies when faced with the realization.]]

* Marigold from ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' . During her first appearances she was [[AcceptableTargets your stereotypical otaku/ gamer nerd]]: far less attractive than any other character, a virgin, ridiculously slobby, a stereotypical YaoiFanGirl with bad skin and NoSocialSkills. The first story arc she was used in involved her lusting after a guy who wanted another girl (one of the main characters) instead, and was written in such a clumsy way that implied [[UnfortunateImplications otaku/geek-girls are untouchable]]. Lately, she's become a lot more likable (and less offensive), with her appearance being updated ( [[ArtEvolution or to be more accurate, "completely changed"]]), quickly getting over her crush after she learns it wasn't viable and being less mopey and self-obsessed than most of other main characters.

** Similarly, Kharisma, whose self-absorption, vanity, and contempt for others had her squarely in the scrappy zone from her first appearance. She's [[BreakTheHaughty suffered quite a bit since then]], but in the process she's gained quite a lot of sympathy from the readers. As [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/swst06142011.shtml the author put it:]] "I have to say I'm surprised by how many people actually look forward to Kharisma strips and more stunned it's not to see her suffer."

* In Sim Brother Network's "Sim Big Brother USA", Maya. Week 2, she gets in a huge physical fight with Shantel and becomes disliked. Only reason people voted to evict Shantel over her? Because Maya would make drama. However, Alex and Nicola became the new antagonists as they broke Duncan's Heart and rubbed it in his face after a night of drinking. When Duncan was near the DespairEventHorizon, Maya said that what [[EvenEvilHasStandards Alex and Nicola did was despicable]] and was there for Duncan, especially after Big Brother asked her to. She then proceeded to become a "hero" for the rest of the season with Duncan as TheWoobie and finished in second.

* ''WebVideo/{{Carmilla}}'''s Mel, Danny's rival in the Summer Society, was a truly loathed character at the start of the second season, due to her {{Jerkass}} attitude, casual cruelty towards fan-favorite Kirsch, siding with that season's bad guy, and complete brutality. However, towards the end of the season, she began to regret her actions, and offered to help the heroes out with battling the villain. The moment that rescued her for some people was when she [[spoiler:was clearly horrified at Danny's murder, and saw to it that she got a proper funeral despite her and Danny not getting along]]. ''Then'' came Season Zero, a prequel season featuring Mel before she became a Summer. That season properly rescued her, as it showed her confidence problems, her younger, dorkier self, her jumping in to defend Perry when she's being bullied, and, lastly, showing that [[spoiler:her Jerkass-ness wasn't really her doing.]]

* Creator/ProZD: In-universe in [[https://youtu.be/4ikGvLUbOuU "trying to convince your friend a character gets better later"]]. Benji-kun starts off as a DirtyCoward who continuously [[BringMyBrownPants soils himself in fright]], and evolves into a confident character who sticks by his friends. The new viewer is annoyed by the early Benji-kun and declares that he "fuckin' sucks", while the one who has already seen the show insists that he gets better.

* Chris Hazelton, author of ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'', lampshades fan reaction to the comic's resident Scrappy, Missi's, rescue from the heap in [[http://www.misfile.com/?page=1016 this strip]]. She's still getting in the way of Ash and Emily's relationship, so [[DieForOurShip she's not out of the woods yet]]. [[http://www.misfile.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/4_Concrete_Dreamscape_2_0.pdf This]] [[http://www.misfile.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/5_Electric_Dreams_2_0.pdf fanfiction]] does the same for Jenny the Second.

** Or, somewhat earlier, their revival of various '80s numbers on their 2000 comeback tour.
* Music/JamesBlunt when he appeared on ''Series/TopGear'' via a healthy dose of SelfDeprecation and good humour.
--> '''James Blunt:''' Come on you little [[PrecisionFStrike ***]]!
* To an extent, Roger Waters of Music/PinkFloyd. His last album with the Floyd, ''The Final Cut'', was an {{Anvilicious}}, dark, polarizing album and a slow seller, and he carried the {{Wangst}} and ControlFreak tendencies well into his solo albums. He gained a certain amount of bad press over the lawsuits and public arguments over the rights to the name "Music/PinkFloyd", as David Gilmour's LighterAndSofter Floyd gained success in the late 1980's and early 1990's. By the end of TheNineties, his feelings over Music/PinkFloyd and the media cooled and he started performing Floyd-like arena shows with heavy emphasis over his former band's works, to the delight of many, with full performances of Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon and later, Music/TheWall, and slowly patched things up with his old bandmates. This culminated in the Floyd's reunion show for Live 8 in 2005, and since then he has had great success and better press lately, and his full-scale performance of Music/TheWall is a massive success.
* Whenever Music/KanyeWest releases an album it almost makes you forget that he's a douche. Almost...
* Music/ChristinaAguilera rescued herself by appearing on ''Series/TheVoice''.
* Whenever a OneHitWonder releases a new single that becomes a hit, this happens. The most notables examples being Music/JasonMraz with "I'm Yours", The Chainsmokers with "Roses", Bastille with "Happier" and Mike Posner with "I Took a Pill in Ibiza".

* ''FanFic/ThanksKyubey'' does this for Kyubey, the JackassGenie[[spoiler:/BigBad]] of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' by playing the MentorMascot trope [[spoiler: ''straight'' instead of subverting it]] and giving Kyubey emotions [[spoiler: as an experiment by the Incubators in response to complaints for using humans]]. Kyubey returns the favor [[spoiler: by hitting the ResetButton, reviving Gertrud and Charlotte and [[BroughtDownToNormal bringing the Puella Magi down to normal]] and is rewarded by turning into a white haired girl. Much to Sayaka and Mami's ire]].

* [[SleazyPolitician Cornelius Fudge]] in the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' [[AlternateUniverseFic AU]] ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8569469/1/Raised-by-Darkness Raised By Darkness]]'' after seeing how badly Dumbledore screwed up placing the Boy-Who-Lived in an abusive home [[TookALevelInBadass he spontaneously grows a backbone, becoming competent]] and [[TheChessmaster calculating]]. He no longer runs to Dumbledore for advice and begins making his own decisions starting with allying himself with the Boy-Who-Lived and his Dementor guardians. He also begins to put aside his FantasticRacism [[EnemyMine for the sake of other alliances]] with so-called "Creatures" such as the Goblins.

* Surprisingly, the normally universally hated Umbridge has this in ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8914586/1/Harry-Potter-Junior-Inquisitor Harry Potter Junior Inquisitor]]'', largely because not only is she not against Harry but he's actually [[EnemyMine helping]] her discredit Dumbledore without alienating the entire student body.
** Likewise, Minister Fudge comes across as far more likable once it's shown that his plot to reform Hogwarts education is because the educations standards ''have'' fallen and Hogwarts has gone from one of the best schools in the world to well on its way to being a laughingstock. Granted his reasons are selfish ([[GlorySeeker wanting to be remembered for something after he leaves office]]) but it's nonetheless a noble cause.
* Do you hate [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Prince Blueblood]]? Then read ''Fanfic/TheBestNightEver'', where he gets trapped in a GroundhogDayLoop and ends up getting immense amounts of CharacterDevelopment before managing to break the loop. Self-entitled jerk goes in; decent, friendly, and likable prince goes out.

* [[HateSink DeStorm]] was the most disliked contestant thanks to being a DesignatedVillain and unfunny JerkAss. When he returned for season 4, he became a lot more [[TookALevelInBadass useful, badass]] and funny. He was also more willing to work together, but it didn't feel out of character. His role as the TokenEvilTeammate made him unpredictable, which gained him many fans.

* Music/{{Metallica}}, after their WereStillRelevantDammit [[JumpingTheShark shark jumpage]] between the albums ''Load'' and the [[TheScrappy critically despised]] ''St. Anger'', were rescued when they released the album "Death Magnetic," despite its production issues, to the point where fans begged for a better remix and pirated ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' DLC versions of the songs.

** The game has ''lots'' of {{Tier Induced Scrappy}}s, like [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Strike_Fighter Dark Strike Fighter]], who became one due to its ability to perform a OHK or even a FTK. However, changing the Errata, [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Card_Errata:Dark_Strike_Fighter like so]], made it playable again, shifting it from the Forbidden to Limited list.

In video games, sometimes the balance of a single character often cause them to becomes TierInducedScrappy either from being too strong or too weak. Rescued From The Scrappy Heap in this case comes in the form of patches that [[BalanceBuff rebalance the character]], ironing out some weaknesses or reducing some aspects frustrating to be on the receiving end of. A change in personality is not a necessity in this case.

* Cortana in some ways in ''Machinima/ArbyNTheChief''. In her first appearances in Season 2, all she did was [[LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone flirt with]] [[TheScrappy Todd]] while [[{{Wangst}} complaining about how awful her life is with Arbiter and Chief]] and ultimately wound up disappearing along with Todd and Travis. However come Season 7, she returns and is more outgoing and voluntarily helpful to Arbiter and Chief. This however is [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath sadly short-lived]].

** In [[WebAnimation/RedVsBlueTheShisnoTrilogy Season 15]], Jax Jonez got some detractors who deemed him an annoying AuthorAvatar (he's voiced by the writer\director) who only served to make pop culture references. The next season had him employed as a BadBoss PrimaDonnaDirector, and people welcomed the change, finding him funnier and more bearable.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':
** In [[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheShisnoTrilogy Season 15]], Jax Jonez got some detractors who deemed him an annoying AuthorAvatar (he's voiced by the writer\director) who only served to make pop culture references. The next season had him employed as a BadBoss PrimaDonnaDirector, and people welcomed the change, finding him funnier and more bearable.

In a way, this is the opposite of CanonDiscontinuity, which excludes the character from the {{canon}} entirely. Compare EnsembleDarkhorse (which is the best case scenario for TheScrappy when they're redeemed) and BadassDecay. Contrast AuthorsSavingThrow, which is an attempt to HandWave away the offending element, rather than fix it outright. See GrowingTheBeard in case you feel this way about the show itself. Might overlap with AlasPoorScrappy, ReimaginingTheArtifact, or especially ADayInTheLimelight.

* Dinosaurs were always seen as one of the more underwhelming types in the game due to a general lack of support. The most competitive relevance they ever had were the Dino Rabbit strategy in 2012, and that was less due to the viability of Dinosaur in its own right and more because the most powerful Rank 4 Xyz Monsters at the time, Evolzar Laggia and Evolzar Dolkka, which are both Dragon type, require Dinosaur monsters as Xyz Material. However, that all changed with the release of Dinomaster's Fury which introduced many powerful Dinosaur support cards. Some of the more notable ones include:\\

** Their sister archetype, the Neo-Spacians, were classically seen as hot garbage, being based on bringing out a hard-to-summon monster and a weak monster and then fusing them into a scarcely better fusion that poofed away after one turn. A new wave of support in 2018 finally made them the ultimate fusion archetype they were always treated as in the anime, making the Neos fusions much easier to summon and bringing in a number of powerhouses that actually warranted the effort.

Sadly, someone who takes AwesomenessIsAForce so far that they seem [[MarySue Sueish]] doesn't have their awesome extend out of the pages they're on, and that "sympathetic" [[CreatorsPet teen genius Wesley]] and "adorable" [[TheScrappy feisty pup Scrappy]] aren't exceptions either. Even the "cool" plot twist can go awry. What's an author to do? There's always the option of [[PutOnABus Putting Them on a Bus]] ([[TakeThatScrappy Also having]] that BusCrash is optional) or hoping to succeed with an AuthorsSavingThrow, but this character, for various reasons, just can't be done away with like that.

* The ''Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch'' novel ''The Missing'' features Dr Pulaski from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' season 2. It first of all acknowledges that Pulaski is a Scrappy, and what she thinks is a no-nosense attitude is actually unnecessarily abrasive, with Dr Crusher (who was DS9's CMO at the time) absolutely livid about what she'd heard regarding Pulaski's treatment of Data. It then explains ''why'' she's so confrontational, and that quite often she's ''right'' to be confrontational, she just needs to learn when she isn't. By the end of the book, it actually seems a bit of a shame that what appears to be a PoorlyDisguisedPilot for a novel series about Pulaski leading a medical mission never went anywhere.

* In "Literature/TheRailwaySeries": Toby, Trevor, Stepney, Oliver, Gordon (who was almost dumped into the sea by Bill and Ben), Duke, and several other minor characters were all literally saved from scrap.

* ''Literature/TheSongofAchilles'': It's a pretty popular opinion among readers of ''Literature/TheIliad'' that Achilles is the least sympathetic character in the story, with his hubris costing the lives of many. This retelling of the story paints in a more sympathetic light, though not really sparing from some of his worse traits, but by being told from the eyes of his lover, Patroclus, who sees the genuine best in him. The story also spends a lot of time focusing on him before the war of Troy, giving him more characterization and a budding romance with Patroclus.

* [=SeerKing=] does this in ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'' to most Scrappys by way of making it a RationalFic. In fact, the only one who seems to be stuck in a psudeo-Scrappy state is Suzaku, and even that's justified by establishing his BlackAndWhiteMorality as a trauma-induced mental disorder.

** The ''[[VideoGame/LEGOAdaptationGame Lego Star Wars]]'' video games of the prequel trilogy achieved the seemingly impossible feat of redeeming Jar-Jar Binks... he was suddenly a worthwhile member of the team, with useful skills, actual combat ability and perhaps most importantly, zero lines of dialogue.

** Speaking of Berrynose, his mom Daisy had been seen by many fans to be useless and refusing to fight and hunt. But come ''The Last Hope'' in ''Omen Of The Stars'', and she's seen [[TookALevelInBadass beating up a Dark Forest cat for getting near the nursery]], and fans started warming up to her. As of ''A Vision Of Shadows'', Daisy is not only the oldest nursery queen, but she's also seen hunting and fighting like the other Clan cats.

* ''FanFic/TheHillOfSwords'', a ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' fanfic by Gabriel Blessing which does this ''in spades'' for [[{{Tsundere}} Louise]]. It has been observed by some that the vast majority of reasons for Louise's Scrappy-hood can be traced back to a combination of her low self-esteem and having an idiot of a love interest who can't stop pushing her {{Berserk Button}}s and damaging her self-image further still. Gabe's response was to replace Saito with someone who would dodge said {{Berserk Button}}s and help Louise [[IneptMage get her magic working]], namely [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Shirou Emiya]]. The result sees Louise getting massive amounts of CharacterDevelopment and turning into an admirable young lady with Shirou's help. The story worked so well that it [[FandomSpecificPlot sparked the creation of an onslaught of fanfics following similar variations on the "Replace Saito with (Insert Competent Character Here)" premise]].
* ''Anime/SailorMoon Millenials'' gives [[BrattyHalfPint Chibi-Usa]] this treatment by having her come back from the future ''as a [[SheIsAllGrownUp teenager]]''. She isn't quite FutureBadass levels, but the upgrade from Sailor Chibi Moon to Neo Sailor Moon has clearly [[TookALevelInBadass done some good things for her]].

* The thorougly repugnant excuse for a prince that is [[AxCrazy Joffrey]] [[RoyalBrat Baratheon]] is given this treatment in ''FanFic/PurpleDays''. Living in a GroundhogDayLoop very quickly shatters any ideas he may have about having innate power. After several lives of HumiliationConga and ignominious deaths (during which he learns that he's indeed a bastard born of incest in the worst possible way) he briefly crosses the DespairEventHorizon... and then he talks to Ned Stark, who gives him some sage advice Joffrey takes to heart. It takes countless lives of trial and failure, learning and training, redemption and honor, but Joff's well on his way to becoming the savior king Westeros needs to survive and end the Long Night.

* ''FanFic/BlackenedSkies'' does this with several unpopular students, with the biggest case being Teruteru. While he retains his pervy tendencies, other aspects of his character are fleshed out, such as the idea that his {{Double Entendre}}s and insistence that he's a LoveableSexManiac are mostly a [[SadClown coping mechanism]] to deal with the stresses of the killing games.

* Fanfic/MarinetteDupainChengsSpitePlaylist:

* ComicBook/ThePunisher has had three failed movie adaptions and among comic book fans was widely seen as a dated relic of the UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, despite predating it by about 15 years. Then came his stint in the second season of the critically acclaimed ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'' Netflix series, which heavily emphasized his moral ambiguity, leaving both characters and viewers skeptical about where the lines between understanding him, sympathizing with him, and/or condoning his actions lay. A particularly powerful performance by Creator/JonBernthal also gave it emotional weight that the previous ones lacked. This has had the effect of winning over both mainstream audiences and comic fans alike. He was eventually even greenlit for [[Series/ThePunisher2017 his own show]].

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* More a case of Rescued From the EthnicScrappy Heap, since he hadn't necessarily been unpopular before his retool, but Mandrake's sidekick Prince Lothar in ''ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician'' started out as a very one-dimensional ScaryBlackMan with almost no lines, wearing an embarrassing leopard-skin outfit and fez (it was his "magician's assistant" costume from Mandrake's day job as a StageMagician, but as with Mandrake, he kept it on when they did their ProtoSuperhero shtick). To creator Lee Falk's credit, when the Civil Rights movement got going, he recognized the UnfortunateImplications of all this, and retooled Lothar into a well-developed intelligent character who dressed like a normal person and had a life of his own, indeed becoming one of the first (arguably ''the'' first) black characters to be treated seriously in the comics. He and Mandrake became BashBrothers, and it's telling that when ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'' came out, Lothar got equal billing with Mandrake, Comicstrip/ThePhantom, and Comicstrip/FlashGordon.
[[/folder]]

->"''Jar-Jar, you're a genius!''"
-->-- '''Qui-Gon Jinn''', ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids''

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' book ''Misfit Monsters Redeemed'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin attempts to do this]] for [[{{Reconstruction}} ten of the corniest monsters]] in [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]] history (Including the infamous [[OurMonstersAreWeird flumph]], no less.) by turning their ridiculous characteristics upside-down. The aforementioned flumphs are instead benevolent {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, lava children become [[CreepyChild child-like monsters]] rather than child-headed, the adherer's sticky bandage-like skin is instead ethereal webbing from horrible experiments by the [[GiantSpider phase spiders]], and the Wolf-in-Sheep's-Clothing's lure-growth is the puppeteered corpse of a previous meal. To put is simply, Paizo succeeded.