History RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap / Film

* ''Film/{{Cinderella 2015}}'': The Prince: He was really just a glorified plot device in [[WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}} the original animated film]]. The adaptation gives him several significant improvements.

* A rather complicated (and completely intentional) version occurred in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' with Edmund Pevensie. In the beginning of the series he was...[[BrattyHalfPint well]]...[[JerkAss kinda]] [[TurnCoat detestable]], but by the end of [[Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe the first book]] he made a [[CharacterDevelopment complete turn around]] and showed in later books that he had definitely changed for the better. A lot of people never ''read'' any further than the first book and so by the time ''[[TheFilmOfTheBook Prince Caspian]]'' came out, their hatred for Edmund was pretty deep seated. Needless to say, many people were completely blown away by seeing "bratty" Edmund behaving so maturely. The many [[Awesome/TheChroniclesOfNarnia crowning moments of awesome]] he got probably didn't hurt, either.
* ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse''
** ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': ComicBook/SteveTrevor has traditionally been the TropeCodifier of UselessBoyfriend [[DistressedDude who also needs to be saved by Wonder Woman]] and after Creator/WilliamMoultonMarston died, several writers didn't know what to do with him, which led to his appearances after ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' reduced and forgotten. The movie was able to rework his character, making him a badass spy who is able to stand on his own and be useful, rather like he was originally written in ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' and ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942''. The 2009 animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wonder Woman|2009}}'' version of Steve spent a good deal of the short running time trying to seduce Diana with snark and rogueish charm, taking attention away from the central conflict. This version of Steve is far more focused on completing his mission.

*** Steppenwolf was widely disliked for not having [[FlatCharacter any personality]], a standard motivation, [[SpecialEffectsFailure inconsistent CGI]], and a design accused of ripping off Ares from the aforementioned ''Wonder Woman''. In this cut of the film, he has more of a personality and motivation (desperately trying to get home to Apokolips by paying off his debt to Darkseid, only for Desaad to kick him when he's down every time), more consistent CGI, a unique design, and [[spoiler: almost succeeding in setting off The Unity ''and'' finding '''The Anti-Life Equation''' for his master]].
*** The Joker found himself to be the most controversial take on the character thanks to his heavily tattooed design, a lack of screen time, and later falling into the shadow of Creator/JoaquinPhoenix and his acclaimed take on the character. This time, lacking the tattoos, Creator/JaredLeto is able to delve into the true roots of the character by [[spoiler: appearing in a time AfterTheEnd and getting to interact in a very memorably creepy scene with Ben Affleck's Batman, playing heavily into their usual dynamic]].
*** The Flash, though not outright hated, found himself as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to some considering him little more than comic relief, while others found his moments of humor as much needed levity. This film gave him more moments showing his struggles, putting his skills to great use, and [[spoiler: actually saving the world by running back in time to undo the Unity and restore things to normal, creating a moment that's considered to be one of the highlights of the entire film.]] It also helps that [[spoiler: he made a cameo in ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'']] the year before, which had already set him on the path to recovery.

* The version of Franchise/{{Godzilla}} seen in ''Film/{{Godzilla 1998}}'' was so disliked that fans took to calling him GINO (Godzilla InNameOnly). Creator/{{Toho}} even had him officially renamed "Zilla" for taking the "God" out of "Godzilla." But after ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' and subsequent ''Godzilla'' comics made him a ''canonically'' separate {{kaiju}} who fought the ''real'' King of the Monsters, fans have warmed up to him on these grounds. This is particularly true after ''ComicBook/GodzillaRulersOfEarth'' turned him into a full-on VillainousUnderdog, facing up to the vastly stronger Godzilla with nothing but his tunneling skills and strategic sense. Creator/GarethEdwards, in an interview where he talks about making ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'' more faithful to the spirit and aesthetic of the original series, admitted that he finds Zilla to be pretty cool looking on its own.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek''

* ''Franchise/StarWars''
** A [=FanEdit=] of Episode I titled ''Balance of the Force'' vastly improves Jar Jar by redubbing his dialogue in an alien language and subtitled to make him into a DeadpanSnarker JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* ''Film/{{Cinderella 2015}}'':
** The Prince: He was really just a glorified plot device in [[WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}} the original animated film]]. The adaptation gives him several significant improvements.
*** He actually has a personality. And his relationship with his father here makes him even more of TheWoobie than Cinderella for some audiences.
*** He becomes attracted to Cinderella because of reasons other than her looks or apparent wealth.
*** He doesn't spend three nights dancing with Cinderella then forgets her face and voice (in several versions of the fairy tale, the step sisters almost pass for Cinderella by cutting part of their foot off to wear the shoe).

* ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'': Sulu in command redeems the U.S.S. ''Excelsior,'' last seen as the obnoxious, slickly supermodern ''Enterprise'' substitute in ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''. The appearance of the ''Excelsior'' class as a supporting workhorse ship in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' likely helped.
* ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'': Creator/PeterDavid made Captain Harriman, a.k.a. the indecisive idiot who got Kirk killed, a lot more tolerable in his tie-in novel ''The Captain's Daughter''.
** A one shot comic did the same thing: after a talk from [=McCoy=] telling him to get his act together, Harriman, when the ship was caught in a Klingon ambush and had no chance of winning, pulls off the same con Kirk did in ''Star Trek III''. Only [[ISurrenderSuckers his surrender]] involved beaming his ship's [[EarthShatteringKaboom entire load of torpedo warheads on to the Klingon ship]]. He gains a great deal of self-confidence and the respect of his crew.
* In ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'', Rachel became one of the most hated characters among the fandom for her [[IrrationalHatred inexplicable hatred of Tom]] and for just being a nuisance in general. In [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022 the sequel]], not only has she become [[TookALevelInKindness much nicer]], having a better relationship with both Tom and Maddie, she also TookALevelInBadass when helps the heroes defeat [[spoiler:the GUN agents and tries to run over her deceitful fiance with a golf cart]], earning her lots of fans in the process and making her be seen in a more favorable light.

* The version of Franchise/{{Godzilla}} seen in ''Film/{{Godzilla 1998}}'' was so disliked that fans took to calling him GINO (Godzilla InNameOnly). Creator/{{Toho}} even had him officially renamed "Zilla" for taking the "God" out of "Godzilla." But after ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' and subsequent ''Godzilla'' comics made him a ''canonically'' separate {{kaiju}} who fought the ''real'' King of the Monsters, fans have warmed up to him on these grounds. This is particularly true after ''ComicBook/GodzillaRulersOfEarth'' turned him into a full-on VillainousUnderdog, facing up to the vastly stronger Godzilla with nothing but his tunneling skills and strategic sense. Creator/GarethEdwards, in an interview where he talks about making ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'' more faithful to the spirit and aesthetic of the original series, admitted that he finds Zilla to be pretty cool looking on its own.

* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': ComicBook/SteveTrevor has traditionally been the TropeCodifier of UselessBoyfriend [[DistressedDude who also needs to be saved by Wonder Woman]] and after Creator/WilliamMoultonMarston died, several writers didn't know what to do with him, which led to his appearances after ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' reduced and forgotten. The movie was able to rework his character, making him a badass spy who is able to stand on his own and be useful, rather like he was originally written in ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' and ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942''. The 2009 animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wonder Woman|2009}}'' version of Steve spent a good deal of the short running time trying to seduce Diana with snark and rogueish charm, taking attention away from the central conflict. This version of Steve is far more focused on completing his mission.
* ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' did this to several characters, both from the overall DCEU and the theatrical cut of the film:
** Steppenwolf was widely disliked for not having [[FlatCharacter any personality]], a standard motivation, [[SpecialEffectsFailure inconsistent CGI]], and a design accused of ripping off Ares from the aforementioned ''Wonder Woman''. In this cut of the film, he has more of a personality and motivation (desperately trying to get home to Apokolips by paying off his debt to Darkseid, only for Desaad to kick him when he's down every time), more consistent CGI, a unique design, and [[spoiler: almost succeeding in setting off The Unity ''and'' finding '''The Anti-Life Equation''' for his master]].
** The Joker found himself to be the most controversial take on the character thanks to his heavily tattooed design, a lack of screen time, and later falling into the shadow of Creator/JoaquinPhoenix and his acclaimed take on the character. This time, lacking the tattoos, Creator/JaredLeto is able to delve into the true roots of the character by [[spoiler: appearing in a time AfterTheEnd and getting to interact in a very memorably creepy scene with Ben Affleck's Batman, playing heavily into their usual dynamic]].
** The Flash, though not outright hated, found himself as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to some considering him little more than comic relief, while others found his moments of humor as much needed levity. This film gave him more moments showing his struggles, putting his skills to great use, and [[spoiler: actually saving the world by running back in time to undo the Unity and restore things to normal, creating a moment that's considered to be one of the highlights of the entire film.]] It also helps that [[spoiler: he made a cameo in ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'']] the year before, which had already set him on the path to recovery.
** Lex Luthor proved to be the most divisive part of ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', with many panning Jessie Eisenberg's performance and most finding this maniacal version of the character to have little to do with the original. For his brief scene, he acts more in line with traditional versions of the character (claiming to Deathstroke that his time in Arkham helped calm him down), being a shrewd businessman with an agenda rather than a nutcase.
** Cyborg found himself hit hard with ReplacementScrappy status for taking the place of the Martian Manhunter on the team, combined with the lack of a firm character arc (much of which was due to Joss Whedon cutting out most of his scenes). This time, Vic emerged as a central character, not only giving Creator/RayFisher a chance to show off his acting chops, but establish Cyborg as a true hero down to this core.

** The Flash, though not outright hated, found himself as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to some considering him little more than comic relief, while others found his moments of humor as much needed levity. This film gave him more moments showing his struggles, putting his skills to great use, and [[spoiler: actually saving the world by running back in time to undo the Unity and restore things to normal, creating a moment that's considered to be one of the highlights of the entire film.]] It also helps that [[spoiler: he made a cameo in ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'']] the year before, which had already set him on the path to recovery.

* ''Film/Meg2TheTrench'': DJ TookALevelInBadass in between films, being fully prepared for the mercenaries invading Mana One and the Fun Island attack and DJ heroically ends up saving several lives. His "Oh, hell naw!" comments are also significantly less frequent or annoying, coming across more as valid lampshading of how dangerously absurd and [[HereWeGoAgain repetitive]] the situation is.

* ''Film/Meg2TheTrench'': DJ TookALevelInBadass in between films, being fully prepared for the mercenaries invading Mana One and the Fun Island attack and ends up saving several lives. His "Oh, hell naw!" comments are also significantly less frequent or annoying, coming across more as valid lampshading of how dangerously absurd and [[HereWeGoAgain repetitive]] the situation is.

** Azazel in the comics is one of the most hated X-villains of all time. His starring storyline featured multiple inexplicable plot twists, a convoluted plan, and bizarre Judeo-Christian imagery, and wrapped around the idea that Nightcrawler, a guy who suffered terrible persecution for looking like a demon, [[BrokenAesop was actually a demon all along]] like his father. Because of this, Azazel's appearance in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' merrily dropped every single above aspect: he's still all but stated to be Nightcrawler's dad, but like his son, he's just a mutant with teleportation powers who looks vaguely demonic rather than a full-on demon, and instead of some ridiculous storyline involving demon blood or the Pope or a fake Rapture, he's a dangerous threat for the simple reason that he's an alarmingly skilled teleporter and a merciless KnifeNut.

** Steppenwolf was widely disliked for not having [[FlatCharacter any personality]], [[GenericDoomsdayVillain a standard motivation]], [[SpecialEffectsFailure inconsistent CGI]], and a design accused of ripping off Ares from the aforementioned ''Wonder Woman''. In this cut of the film, he has more of a personality and motivation (desperately trying to get home to Apokolips by paying off his debt to Darkseid, only for Desaad to kick him when he's down every time), more consistent CGI, a unique design, and [[spoiler: almost succeeding in setting off The Unity ''and'' finding '''The Anti-Life Equation''' for his master]].

* ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'': Prior to the movie, Bumblebee was beginning to be seen as a CreatorsPet by Transformers fans due to the heavy presence he's given in prior movies and Transformers media that's drawing inspiration from such. However, as the film avoided too much merchandise, and focused on Bumblebee's genuinely endearing qualities and his role as the human protector, not to mention portrayed him as TheWoobie as he goes through an extremely vulnerable point in his life, its safe to say Bumblebee regained fan adoration

** The prince: He was really just a glorified plot device in [[WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}} the original animated film]]. The adaptation gives him several significant improvements.

* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': ComicBook/SteveTrevor has traditionally been the TropeCodifier of UselessBoyfriend [[DistressedDude who also needs to be saved by Wonder Woman]] and after William Moulton Marston died, several writers didn't know what to do with him, which led to his appearances after ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' reduced and forgotten. The movie was able to rework his character, making him a badass spy who is able to stand on his own and be useful, rather like he was originally written in ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' and ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942''. The 2009 animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wonder Woman|2009}}'' version of Steve spent a good deal of the short running time trying to seduce Diana with snark and rogueish charm, taking attention away from the central conflict. This version of Steve is far more focused on completing his mission.

* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': ComicBook/SteveTrevor has traditionally been the TropeCodifier of UselessBoyfriend [[DistressedDude who also needs to be saved by Wonder Woman]] and after William Moulton Marston died, several writers didn't know what to do with him, which led to his appearances after ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' reduced and forgotten. Together with the Comicbook/New52, where he became an ARGUS agent who acts as the government's liaison to the Justice League, the movie was also able to rework his character, making him a badass spy who is able to stand on his own and become useful. The 2009 animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wonder Woman|2009}}'' version of Steve spent a good deal of the short running time trying to seduce Diana with snark and rogueish charm, taking attention away from the central conflict. This version of Steve is far more focused on completing his mission.

** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': Before the movie's release Evan Peters' portrayal of Quicksilver was already being highly criticized for a) not being the same as Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and b) his costume, which many called ridiculous. When the people got to see him in the actual film though, the public's opinion of him changed radically after the [[OneSceneWonder Kitchen Scene]]. If anything, opinions soured a lot more on the ''Age of Ultron'' version, who didn't make near as much of an imprssion.

** Cinderella has always been one of the more divisive characters of the Franchise/DisneyPrincess line. Prior to this movie, she was frequently derided as being an anti-feminist character. This movie gave her character more depth, [[http://www.mommyish.com/2015/03/24/cinderella-is-a-tale-of-overcoming-abuse/ highlighting her as a brave survivor of abuse.]]

* ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': Before the movie's release Evan Peters' portrayal of Quicksilver was already being highly criticized for a) not being the same as Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and b) his costume, which many called ridiculous. When the people got to see him in the actual film though, the public's opinion of him changed radically after the [[OneSceneWonder Kitchen Scene]].

** The prince: He was really just a glorified plot device in [[Disney/{{Cinderella}} the original animated film]]. The adaptation gives him several significant improvements.

* ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'':
** This movie saved the X-Men movie franchise in the eyes of many fans after two [[Film/XMenTheLastStand underwhelming]] [[Film/XMenOriginsWolverine movies]], and [[Film/XMenFirstClass two]] [[Film/TheWolverine more]] that were better-received but overshadowed by the success of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (and [[FandomRivalry resented by some for not being part of it]]).
** Before the movie's release Evan Peters' portrayal of Quicksilver was already being highly criticized for a) not being the same as Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and b) his costume, which many called ridiculous. When the people got to see him in the actual film though, the public's opinion of him changed radically after the [[OneSceneWonder Kitchen Scene]].