History RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap / WesternAnimation

** [[StalkerWithACrush Sierra]] has always been a BaseBreakingCharacter, 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 CharacterDevelopment has her finally realize that she should treat {{Co|olLoser}}dy more like [[BetterAsFriends a friend]] than a prize to be won.

Pages with their own Rescued Scrappies List

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonsLooniversity'':
** Sweetie Bird was one of the most disliked characters in the original ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' series because unlike her ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' counterpart, Tweety, she acted less like a KarmicTrickster and more like an aggressor. This was especially prominent in "Let's Do Lunch" (part of her ADayInTheLimelight episode, "How Sweetie It Is"), where her rival, Furrball, was trying to ignore her instead of eat her (Furrball's status as TheWoobie didn't seem to help with this). In ''Looniversity'', Sweetie's personality undergoes a complete overhaul, as she becomes a BadassAdorable nice punk-girl who's rather sweet to her friends instead of the sadistic jerk she was in the original series.
** Obscure ''Looney Tunes'' star Merlin the Magic Mouse was once of the most hated ''Looney Tunes'' characters, due to being unimaginative, unfunny, and forgettable. It didn't help that he was introduced during [[AudienceAlienatingEra the Seven-Arts era]], where many of the more memorable ''Looney Tunes'' characters were absent. In "Extra, So Extra", Merlin gets a good showing as Buster's mentor, proving that he can be funny, entertaining, and a good teacher. It also counts as an InUniverse example, as Buster had first dismissed Merlin as boring and lame, but after a few lessons and some genuinely good mentoring from Merlin, he developed a lot of respect and admiration for the Magic Mouse, being proud to have him as his mentor at the end.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', Resident ButtMonkey Cyril won over some fans after becoming a field agent in season 3. In the seasons 1 and 2, fans consider him to be a bland accountant who caused many dumb moments and acted as [[TheLoad worthless deadweight]]. However, after becoming a field agent, [[TookALevelInBadass 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 ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. Fern writes "Happy Happenings", with the FlatCharacter 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 and 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.

* Not exactly ''Rescued'', just {{downplayed|Trope}} a bit with Chloe from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''. Some fans didn't like her in her first appearance, but found her more tolerable from her second appearance and on. Her TheAce traits were heavily downplayed, making her a regular NiceGirl instead of a "little miss perfect".
* A really weird example with Meg in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. 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 ButtMonkey, since people already disliked the character and it would give her more of a place and identity on the show. Ironically, the ButtMonkey status has really saved her with some of the fans: now people feel sorry for her, and they cheer [[ThrowTheDogABone 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.

*** 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 on his own right.

** 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]]Lampshaded in the episode "Golf War" where Mabel refers to her as a "one-dimensional-beach-blonde-valley-girl-stereotype."[[/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 manage 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 [[WordOfGod the creator admitted]] in one interview that this episode was written expressly to pull off this trope.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' 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 [[ExaggeratedTrope up to eleven]] Stinkor almost single-handedly defeats the good guys.

** One episode took a bunch of {{Captain Ethnic}}s (two of which were also Scrappies) from the ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' cartoon, retooled them, and made some of them legitimately badass. Yes, even [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway the one that used to turn into a bucket of water]] [[TookALevelInBadass went up a level]]: "Form of -- ''T Rex''!" "Form of -- tidal wave!" Downpour also showed how few limits his power had by becoming a legitimately deadly threat by simply turning into "Water." and surrounding a guy so that he ''could not breathe''. When the team was running berserk, Downpour tried to the same thing to ''[[ShootingSuperman Aquaman]]'', and [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh didn't get very far]].

** Arthur Curry/Aquaman was rescued from his own ''Super Friends'' stigma to become a blond haired viking-looking badass AntiHero who [[Awesome/JusticeLeague chopped off his own hand to save himself]] [[AndYourLittleDogToo and his infant son]] from his [[CainAndAbel evil brother's]] DeathTrap. He replaced it with a wicked-looking grappling hook, which only managed to make him look like even ''more'' of a badass. It also helps that he became quite the DeadpanSnarker, even lampshading his own ability to communicate with marine life.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' had Asami in Book 1. Many disliked her due to DieForOurShip. However, as the ''incredibly'' socially awkward Mako started to be more dismissive of her along with [[spoiler: her father being an Equalist and tried to kill her]], she became one of the more beloved characters.
** Mako recovers some of his old popularity in books 3 and 4. The show plays up his {{Socially Awkward Hero}} and {{Big Brother Instinct}} moments rather than being part of the messy {{Love Triangle}}s of season 1 and 2 where he came across as a two timing jerk to most of the fandom. His near {{Heroic Sacrifice}} in the {{Grand Finale}} helped to really rescue him from Scrappy status, [[spoiler: as did the heavy implication that he realized that Korra had fallen in love with Asami and encouraging her to go for it]].
** Surprisingly Korra herself suffers a case of this in Book 2. At the onset of the season she gained a lot of criticism for seemingly regressing in her CharacterDevelopment from the previous season and actually becoming more hot headed and unreasonable than she was previously (to the point that many fans were happy she disappeared for an episode [[spoiler: after being eaten by a dark spirt]]). After [[spoiler: hearing Avatar Wan's story and regaining her memory]] in the [[WhamEpisode Beginnings Two partner]] she became considerably more [[TookALevelInKindness wiser and humble]], apologising to Tenzin for her {{Jerkass}} treatment of him at the start of the season and thinking her decisions through much more carefully (it also probably helped that this coincided with Mako becoming the shows [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] again after [[spoiler: restarting the LoveTriangle subplot]]).
** In season 1 all three of Tenzin's children were hated for being seen as useless comedic relief and KidAppealCharacter's, along with helping fuel the romance plot. While Ikki and Meelo are BaseBreakingCharacter's, Jinora got rescued in season 2 and 3 after she [[AscendedExtra received]] a bigger role in the plot and TookALevelInBadass. Likewise Meelo's role was mostly just a source for ToiletHumour in the first three seasons but in season 4, he TookALevelInBadass becoming more serious like his father and playing more of a prominent role in finding the avatar with his siblings, which earned him a few more fans.
** [[CasanovaWannabe Prince Wu]] at the start of season 4 was initially despised due to being seen as an [[ReplacementScrappy obnoxious, less funny comic relief sidekick to Mako]] in comparison to Bolin (who at the time [[spoiler: was hanging out with [[BigBad Kuvira]])]]. However as the season progressed his CharacterDevelopment turned him from a Jerkass RoyalBrat to a JerkassWoobie with a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]] and HiddenDepths that [[HeterosexualLifePartners genuinely cares for Mako]] (best shown in the episode Reunion [[spoiler: wherein he's genuinely grateful for Mako rescuing him from Kuvira's men [[UngratefulBastard instead of complaining about Mako not protecting him properly]]]]. His TakeThatScrappy moment at Mako in the following episode (calling him out for the mess he made of the LoveTriangle in the first two books) his tendencies and [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass surprisingly clever thinking]] [[spoiler: during Kuvira's invasion of Rebublic City]] helped earn him quite a few fans.
** [[spoiler: Hiroshi Sato]] had this happen for him thanks to the brief yet memorable reappearance he makes in Book 4. Initially introduced as seemingly [[spoiler: Asami's kind and loving father]] he was quickly revealed to be one of Amon's CoDragons [[spoiler: and the Equalists weapon supplier]]. He became hated by the fandom for [[spoiler: [[OffingTheOffspring attempting to murder Asami]] after [[CallingTheOldManOut she called him out for his villainous actions]] and then destroyed his weapons bunker]] in the Book 1 finale. Come Book 4 he returns as a shell of his former self, [[TheAtoner genuinely repented for his villainous actions]] and wanting to reconnect with [[spoiler: Asami]]. While these events helped soften him up slightly with the Fandom (especially since the show Averted [[KarmaHoudini forgiving him for his actions in Book 1]]) it was his [[spoiler: [[TearJerker Tear Jerking]] HeroicSacrifice]] in the GrandFinale that fully cemented this trope. [[spoiler: He is brought back in the finale to help rebuilt, and then Co-pilot with Asami, one of the Hummingbird suits needed to take down Kuvira's Colossus. Relising that the Colossus was about to crush them [[DyingMomentOfAwesome he willingly stays behind in the suit]] ([[SoProudOfYou telling Asami that he loved her]] [[TearJerker right before ejecting her to safety]]) [[HeroicSacrifice allowing him to successfully finish cutting open the hole needed for Team Avatar to destroy the Colossus and defeat Kuvira]] [[RedemptionEqualsDeath at the cost of his own life]].]]

* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': Brainy Smurf in [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981 the original 1980s cartoon show]] was a person who nobody liked [[InsufferableGenius 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, [[Film/TheSmurfs live-action movies]], ''WesternAnimation/SmurfsTheLostVillage'', and [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs2021 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 KnowNothingKnowItAll. His insufferable tendencies have also been downplayed.

** Sandy Cheeks began as a somewhat grating and near incorruptible OnlySaneMan for the other far more flawed cast members. Following the second season however, the show began to {{lampshade|Hanging}} Sandy's somewhat excessive talents and also [[CharacterDevelopment 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 [[{{Jerkass}} callous]] or [[TooDumbToLive idiotic]] habits heavily {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': 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 CharacterDevelopment in the Wanted-arc, in which [[spoiler: he confronts his problems, [[TookALevelInBadass Takes A Level in Badass]], makes new friends, ''[[BreadEggsMilkSquick dies]]'', comes BackFromTheDead, 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 SpacePirates, and are now making their way towards Earth, with Lars serving as captain]].

** Owen , possibly. Season 2, he became an out-and-out CreatorsPet, 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 [[spoiler: he got to return, to the joy of all the "good" characters, and make it to the final four]]. However, 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 OddFriendship with [[EnsembleDarkhorse Noah]] and his breakup with Izzy. Come the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' 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.

** 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 [[MiseryBuildsCharacter fleshing out her personality]].

*** 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 [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed based on]] Music/JustinBieber. 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 maturest characters in the show despite his young age.

** In the original ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' comics, Danny Chase was Creator/MarvWolfman's [[CreatorsPet pet]]; an InsufferableGenius 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, TheFriendNobodyLikes, 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, [[spoiler:he was a preteen runaway who [[SuperhumanTrafficking tested positive for the metagene and got spirited away to Apokolips]], where his [[BrainInAJar brain was removed from his body]] and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild integrated with weapons technology that, according to Miss Martian, was killing him]]]]. It's hard to hate a victim of circumstances like that.

*** ''Aloha, Scooby Doo'' is practically a manifesto on rescuing Daphne from the Scrappy Heap. She dons a [[BareYourMidriff midriff-baring]] version of her traditional outfit - when she isn't just wearing a bikini - and the plot hinges on the world-class [[http://www.southseascinema.org/Toon%20Images/Aloha%20Scooby%20Doo%20Daphne%20surfing%202%20crop.jpg surfing abilities]] you probably didn't know she had (it is not like it would have come up often).

** One episode took a bunch of {{Captain Ethnic}}s (two of which were also Scrappies) from the ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' cartoon, retooled them, and made some of them legitimately badass. Yes, even [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway the one that used to turn into a bucket of water]] [[TookALevelInBadass went up a level]]: "Form of -- ''T Rex''!" "Form of -- tidal wave!" Downpour also showed how [[GreenLanternRing few limits]] his power had by becoming a legitimately deadly threat by simply turning into "Water." and surrounding a guy so that he ''could not breathe''. When the team was running berserk, Downpour tried to the same thing to ''[[ShootingSuperman Aquaman]]'', and [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh didn't get very far]].

** ComicBook/AntMan and to a lesser extent ComicBook/TheWasp [[NeverLiveItDown/ComicBooks 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 RichBitch, Wasp is a likable NonIdleRich GenkiGirl.
** By the same token, the show continues the trend in spin-off media of distancing ComicBook/IronMan from his "Nazi" ComicBook/CivilWar persona by toning down his {{Jerkass}} tendencies and making him an [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight anti-authoritarian]] [[ChaoticGood rebel]] who tells Nick Fury where to get off and refuses to trust or cooperate with ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}
** Ignoring the comics, ComicBook/MariaHill 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 ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' adaptation, when she [[spoiler:outsmarted the Skrulls invading the Helicarrier]], then [[spoiler:saved Nick Fury and Iron Man from the Skrull queen]].

* ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]''

** The Seven Arts-era characters Cool Cat, Colonel Rimfire, and Spooky were considered unmemorable during their original run in the series’ DorkAge in TheSixties due to their low-budget nature and basic plots. However, in ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries'', the writers utilized them in situations with the classic characters WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird in more innovative ways such as Cool Cat’s OncePerEpisode cameos, Spooky haunting a punished Sylvester who tries to prove that he exists, and Colonel Rimfire being a lost explorer in Egypt and [[spoiler:transformed into Gossamer by Dr. Moron from "Water, Water, Every Hare"]] as well as kickstarting the plot of the SpiritualSuccessor film ''WesternAnimation/TweetysHighFlyingAdventure''.

** Lola was initially loathed by the fans, who despised her [[BrattyHalfPint 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 [[JerkassWoobie sympathetic motivation behind her actions]], [[PetTheDog showed more kindhearted moments]] towards her family, and openly showed remorse when she went too far.

* ''WesternAnimation/NinaNeedsToGo'' had its detractors who hated the main character, Nina, for [[AesopAmnesia saying, "That will never happen again" at the end of every episode but it happening again anyway]]. In season three, she was given additional {{Aesop}}s that ''did'' stick, warming a lot of the viewers up to her.

** Many fans found Hooty to be an annoying comic relief character who never shuts up but changed their tune as soon as [[spoiler:[[BewareTheSillyOnes 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 OddFriendship with the newly-reformed Lilith. But perhaps his SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfAwesome is in his [[ADayInTheLimelight centric episode]] "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door", where in one night he accels the CharacterDevelopment 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.]]

** While still somewhat contentious, Lilith is far more well-received than she was when it was first revealed [[spoiler: she cursed Eda when they were both teenagers.]] Her subsequent efforts to do right by her sister, [[spoiler: [[OddFriendship sweet relationship with Hooty]], and [[{{Adorkable}} 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.]]

* For those who were annoyed by Princess Morbucks' shrill and lispy voice in the original ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', she now has a much smoother voice with her [[TheOtherDarrin new actress]] in the ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016''. She also acts less like a whiny SpoiledBrat and has more of an AwesomeEgo, making her one of the few aspects of the show even detractors like.

* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': Brainy Smurf in the original 1980s cartoon show was a person who nobody liked [[InsufferableGenius 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 KnowNothingKnowItAll. His insufferable tendencies have also been downplayed.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' made Snarf bearable by making him a RidiculouslyCuteCritter who ''can't talk''. The Thunderkittens have also received this treatment; it helps that they are voiced by actual children this time.

* Spyke from ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' was changed from an underdeveloped TotallyRadical [[TokenMinority 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 ComicBook/{{X 23}}, [[CanonForeigner it wasn't enough to get him in the comic]]. He did have a counterpart in the [[Film/XMenTheLastStand third movie]], but he was a villain.

* The LGM from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' went from annoying gag characters to [[spoiler:BigDamnHeroes when they rescued the gang from the incinerator in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'']].

* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': Brainy Smurf in the original 1980s cartoon show was a person who nobody liked [[InsufferableGenius 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 seires (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 KnowNothingKnowItAll. His insufferable tendencies have also been downplayed.

** Surprisingly Korra herself suffers a case of this in Book 2. At the onset of the season she gained a lot of criticism for seemingly regressing in her CharacterDevelopment from the previous season and actually becoming more hot headed and unreasonable then she was previously (to the point that many fans were happy she disappeared for an episode [[spoiler: after being eaten by a dark spirt]]). After [[spoiler: hearing Avatar Wan's story and regaining her memory]] in the [[WhamEpisode Beginnings Two partner]] she became considerably more [[TookALevelInKindness wiser and humble]], apologising to Tenzin for her {{Jerkass}} treatment of him at the start of the season and thinking her decisions through much more carefully (it also probably helped that this coincided with Mako becoming the shows [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] again after [[spoiler: restarting the LoveTriangle subplot]]).
** In season 1 all three of Tezin's children were hated for being seen as useless comedic relief and KidAppealCharacter's, along with helping fuel the romance plot. While Ikki and Meelo are BaseBreakingCharacter's, Jinora got rescued in season 2 and 3 after she [[AscendedExtra received]] a bigger role in the plot and TookALevelInBadass. Likewise Meelo's role was mostly just a source for ToiletHumour in the first three seasons but in season 4, he TookALevelInBadass becoming more serious like his father and playing more of a prominent role in finding the avatar with his siblings, which earned him a few more fans.

* Prior to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Mr. Freeze was a completely forgettable villain, on par with Killer Moth before the show's reintroduction of him. Turning Freeze into a truly tragic and sympathetic character, caused his popularity to skyrocket. Not only lifting him out of the heap and obscurity, but leading to him becoming a memorable and iconic member of Batman's rogues gallery.

** 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 character}}s). Because of this, she is a fan-favorite among part of the fandom, who treats her like the real star of the show.

** The Mistress received Scrappy treatment from a periphery demographic of fans who felt she was getting in the way of Warden's [[FoeYay 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 [[IJustWantToBeLoved to be longing for one good man]], and [[spoiler: wound up sleeping with Alice]], which seems to have (momentarily) killed the assumed threat of her getting in the way of shipping.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', Resident ButtMonkey Cyril won over some fans after becoming a field agent in season 3. In the seasons 1 and 2, fans consider him to be a bland accountant who caused many [[WhatAnIdiot dumb moments]] and acted as [[TheLoad worthless deadweight]]. However, after becoming a field agent, [[TookALevelInBadass 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").

** 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 [[ActuallyPrettyFunny funny]] moments. The fact that his ButtMonkey status has been [[ExaggeratedTrope upped considerably]] also gives him more sympathy from the fans.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' 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 UpToEleven Stinkor almost single-handedly defeats the good guys.

** 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 [[ActuallyPrettyFunny funny]] moments. The fact that his ButtMonkey status has been [[UpToEleven upped considerably]] also gives him more sympathy from the fans.

** Similarly, Ben's love interest Julie Yamamoto was initially hated by fans for being considered as a SatelliteLoveInterest 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 ReplacementScrappy 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 TookALevelInBadass by gaining a Galvanic Mechamorph pet, named Ship who could turn into a ship and later a PoweredArmor 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 [[HoYay Bevin]] (Ben/Kevin) or [[KissingCousins Bwen]] (Ben/Gwen).

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' 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.

* ''WesternAnimation/CraigoftheCreek'': In her initial first appearance, Wildernessa wasn't particularly popular with the fandom due to her KnowNothingKnowItAll attitude toward animals and her arrogant, condescending attitude toward Craig. [[spoiler: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 [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calling her out]] on how she treats him and others.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultimate Spider-Man}}''

* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': Brainy Smurf in the original 1980s cartoon show was a person who nobody liked [[InsufferableGenius 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 and Smurfs: The Lost Village (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 KnowNothingKnowItAll. His insufferable tendencies have also been downplayed.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' goes UpToEleven with this, by rescuing the ''human species'' from the scrappy heap. Unlike most Transformers shows, the humans don't suck this time. Agent Fowler is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, 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 [[TheMillstone rushing into situations that put everyone in peril]] and starts to contribute more to the team.