Line #114 AdaptationalHeroism/WesternAnimation


1	%%%
2	%%
3	%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
4	%%
5	%%%
6	AdaptationalHeroism in WesternAnimation.
7	----
8	!!The following have their own pages:
9	[[index]]
10	* AdaptationalHeroism/TheDCU
11	** ''AdaptationalHeroism/YoungJustice2010''
12	* AdaptationalHeroism/MarvelUniverse
13	[[/index]]
14	----
15	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}''. In [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} the movie]] Beetlejuice was clearly a villain willing to kill human beings and [[DirtyOldMan forcefully married an underage girl in her early teens]]. In the series Beetlejuice is Lydia's platonic best friend and protector, and though mischievous and likes to scare people, never really harm anyone and even risk his... em... afterlife, to save Lydia’s parents and cat in different episodes.
16	* ''WesternAnimation/BloodOfZeus'': Zeus himself is subject to this a great deal, in Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus is notorious for being a egotistical, misogynistic scumbag who [[DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal routinely rapes mortal women and getting them pregnant]] before abandoning them, often leaving them to face his wife Hera’s wrath. In the show while Zeus is hardly flawless, he’s pretty much a saint compared to the myths as his relationship with the mortal Electra is consensual and loving and after revealing himself as a God, Zeus rescues her and [[SemiDivine his son Heron]] from her abusive husband Periander. Disguised as a old man he spends his time protecting and hiding Electra and Heron from Hera, raising his son the best he can. [[spoiler: When thanks to Hera, Electra is killed, Zeus not only tried his best to prevent it before Poseidon [[YouCantFightFate stops him]] but afterwards is seen cradling Electra’s body while crying and makes sure her soul is delivered to [[{{Heaven}} Elysium]]. The finale takes this even further as regretting his mistreatment and infidelity to Hera which fuelled her FaceHeelTurn, Zeus performs a HeroicSacrifice saving her from Porphyrion, something he wouldn’t do in the myths.]]
17	* The ''Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' franchise traditionally has the titular character as a master spy who pulled a FaceHeelTurn to become a world-renowned [[GentlemanThief Gentlewoman Thief]] who steals world treasures just for kicks with her own organization called VILE. The [[WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego 2019 animated series]] shifts her into an AntiHero KarmicThief who used to work for VILE before pulling a HeelFaceTurn, now only stealing to protect items from her former colleagues and other villains.
18	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania\|2017}}'':
19	** {{Dracula}} gets a good deal of this, while still a EvilOverlord, his BenevolentBoss and PetTheDog traits are dialled up and his justified breakdown at his wife Lisa’s cruel and unlawful death of his wife at CorruptChurch succeeds [[CryForTheDevil in making him]] [[TragicVillain extremely sympathetic]]. The show’s Dracula at Lisa’s request, even walks the Earth as a man -- something Dracula from the games would never entertain. If that wasn’t enough, we never see Dracula personally kill any innocent women and children once in the show and he spares the old woman he finds mourning outside his wife’s burned home. In Season 2, Dracula has outright given up drinking blood and starves himself. His relationship with [[{{Dhampir}} his son Alucard]] is much healthier, in the games while he has a soft spot for Alucard, he has no qualms trying to kill his son if he gets in the way of his plans. In the show, Dracula loves his boy and in the FinalBattle deliberately avoids fighting Alucard mainly targeting Trevor and Sypha, only retaliating against his son when Alucard gives him no choice. [[spoiler: After almost killing his son, Dracula [[HeelRealization realises]] he’s destroying the only trace of Lisa left and breaking down sobbing lets Alucard stake him through the heart. In Season 4, Dracula is resurrected along with Lisa and given another chance at life happily becomes a RetiredMonster.]]
20	** Isaac from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'' is a much less morally complex and nuanced character compared to show. In the game he’s a [[CardCarryingVillain card carrying]] SmugSnake who always hated Hector for being Dracula’s favourite and [[KickTheDog kills his wife out of spite]] after Hector leaves Dracula’s army. In the show, Isaac is a NobleDemon with a strong FreudianExcuse to [[MisanthropeSupreme despise all humanity]] and gets along very well with Hector, only turning against his fellow Forgemaster when Hector betrays Dracula for Carmilla. In Season 3, Isaac even has a few PetTheDog moments sparing a people who don’t attack him and his army and concedes with [[CanonForeigner The Captain]] that not every human is an awful person. [[spoiler: In Season 4, not only does Isaac save half of Europe from Carmilla’s attempt at domination by taking her down, but as he says to Hector (whom he forgives) he’s decided to ditch his plan to KillAllHumans like Dracula and actually wants to give helping humanity a shot.]]
21	** Saint Germain is a HeroAntagonist in ''Curse of Darkness'' and actually fights the protagonist to test him. In the show Germain never once makes any violent action towards the heroes and later in the season actively aids them in defeating some demons that have taken over a town. [[spoiler: Inverted for Season 4 where Germain works with Death to kick start the apocalypse in order to see the woman he loves again. Except Germain pulls a last minute HeelFaceTurn and helps Trevor survive the fight.]]
22	** While he sadly doesn’t appear in the flesh, the “Pirate of the Roads” aka Grant [=DeNasty=] seems to be judging by Trevor and Sypha’s account a normal man. Unlike ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' where Grant has been cursed to be a big monster before being defeated and reverting back to normal.
23	* ''WesternAnimation/TheCharmkins'' does this with Poison Ivy. The toyline had her be a villain who tried to make everyone itch, while in the cartoon she's a mischievous TricksterMentor who helps the heroes.
24	* Muskie Muskrat wasn't completely a bad guy in ''WesternAnimation/TheDeputyDawgShow'', but he loved to play tricks on Deputy Dawg and outsmart him when the canine lawman tried to arrest him for causing trouble. In ''WesternAnimation/{{Curbside}}'', he is Deputy Dawg's loyal sidekick with his only fault being that [[AdaptationalDumbass he's an idiot this time around]].
25	* Speaking of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', Gladstone Gander is much nicer in the show than he is in the comics. This is averted in the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017 reboot]], where [[TruerToTheText he's back to being a smug jerk]].
26	* And speaking of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'':
27	** Magica's LivingShadow was a oneshot villain in the 1987 series who proved to be EvilerThanThou, necessitating Magica to pull an EnemyMine with Scrooge. Their 2017 counterpart [[spoiler:Lena]] on the other hand, [[spoiler:is an [[AbusiveParents abused]] DarkMagicalGirl who is only working as TheMole due to being bound to Magica's will, and she ultimately pulls a HeelFaceTurn (in addition to being Webby's best friend).]]
28	** In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp'', Dijon was the greedy, cowardly servant to [[BigBad Merlock]]. Here, now named Faris D'jinn, he is a noble warrior who becomes an ally of the main cast [[spoiler:after they help him find a lost genie's lamp that once held his ancestor]].
29	** ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' falls under this trope to an extent. The original was significantly more egotistical, vain, selfish, and always [[AesopAmnesia unable to remember the importance of allowing others to help him out]], in spite of the fact his sidekick and his own adoptive daughter were more than able to pull their own (not to mention he frequently belittled the former and constantly kept the latter at bay for her own safety), [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking not to mention he absolutely hates Gizmoduck]]. The newer iteration seen in this show is a genuine hero, having stepped into the role in part because he wanted Darkwing to inspire others to stand up for themselves much in the same way the InUniverse Darkwing series did for him. He still has a bit of an ego, but he's a lot more mellow, and treats Launchpad and Gosayln as equals rather than as hindrances. [[InSpiteOfANail He still hates Gizmoduck though.]]
30	* Franchise/{{Garfield}}, while remaining largely the same character in all medias, is hit with this to some extent. The comic strips usually revolve around quick gags involving Garfield's snarkiness or cruel sense of humor. The {{Animated Adaptation}}s however -- likely due to their longer, more in-depth stories -- keep most of Garfield's nastier qualities out but also more frequently show his redeeming side, turning him into more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. This is especially prominent in ''WesternAnimation/TheGarfieldShow'' where he is occasionally toned down to the point of being outright altruistic.
31	* The animated adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/GrandmaGotRunOverByAReindeer'' is a strange case where this Trope is used on a character usually thought of as a hero anyway -- in this case, SantaClaus -- but was a victim of AdaptationalVillainy in the original work. In the original song, it's implied that Santa ran over Grandma on purpose; in this version, it was a FrameUp, where he manages to [[SparedByTheAdaptation help Grandma recover.]]
32	* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'': In Literature/TheBible, [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] was a once good angel who rebelled against God and Heaven due to his arrogance and pride and after [[FallenAngel falling]] became a malevolent ManipulativeBastard who tempted Adam and Eve into eating the fruit of knowledge and then continued to tempt their descendants into performing evil deeds. Here, Lucifer's backstory frames him as a "rebellious dreamer" who simply wanted to share the gift of free will with humanity, only for it to go horribly awry, and whose views were shunned not because he was an arrogant traitor, but because [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill Heaven's elders viewed any form of free will and independence as "wrong"]]. To be perfectly fair, this ''could'' just be how [[UnreliableNarrator Lucifer and/or Lilith]] tells the story, but it lines up with other things shown throughout the series, including Lucifer's own characterization as a NiceGuy BumblingDad.
33	* Zodac in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983''. His action figure, already existent before the cartoon was made, was labelled as "Evil Cosmic Enforcer", not to mention he had the finned forearms and webbed feet common among the villains of the toyline. However, the cartoon recasts him as a supposedly neutral but mostly good overseeing character, who even delivers the [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle closing lessons]] in two episodes. Re-releases of the action figure sort of retconned his original self by simply labelling him "Cosmic Enforcer".
34	* ''WesternAnimation/HorridHenry'': The titular protagonist is a budding [[TheSociopath sociopath]] in [[Literature/HorridHenry the original books]], being shown to have attempted to murder his own brother and fantasizing about [[TheCaligula ruling the world and executing anyone who questions him]]. The animated series, however, has him display [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold some degree of kindness]], even towards his most frequent targets, and overall depicts him more akin to a TroubledAbuser.
35	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': Yosemite Sam goes from mean in the original shorts to nicer in this show. Partially justified because he's no longer allowed to use his trademark pistols, so he can't intimidate and bully people as easily as before. He's still loud, rude and thoughtless, but when it occurs to him to be nice, he's pretty decent.
36	** Marvin the Martian is far nicer guy in this series. While he does claim to want to destroy the earth and admits he'll shot you with laser gun (albeit for a good reason as he only does so if you aren't polite), he never does either of those things or anything evil in this show for that matter. We never see him try to destroy the earth and he's actually a friend of Bugs, Daffy and Porky.
37	* In ''WesternAnimation/LostInOz'', the apparent Wicked Witch, West, goes from being a villain to being Dorothy's friend with a dark side.
38	* In the original ''Literature/{{Madeline}}'' books, the gypsies from ''Madeline and the Gypsies'' seem like kidnappers who take Madeline and Pepito into their circus, and eventually hide them in a lion's suit so that Miss Clavel can't find them. The [[WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}} TV special]] instead had the gypsies tell Madeline and Pepito to go home after they come down from being stuck on the Ferris Wheel, only for the two of them to express a desire to join their circus. They also don't make Madeline and Pepito wear the lion's suit until after their own lion becomes too sick to perform.
39	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'' animated adaptation removes many of the title character's evil qualities. Not only is The Mask already downplayed in the movie from the serial killer he is in the comics, in the animated series he's now the city's hero who does not commit more robberies or any other crimes and is no longer a gangster since he decide to be a superhero after events of the film though he can be a {{Troll}} at times but otherwise he is harmless as before, he will now fight any supervillains who attack Edge City and the people who live there along with his friends as well.
40	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', the Smooze, who was a major antagonist of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986 the G1 movie]], is depicted as a more docile creature that is friends with Discord.
41	* While the four members of the Ghost Gang from the ''VideoGame/PacMan'' series are the main antagonists in most of the games, the versions of them that appear in the ''WesternAnimation/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures'' universe become his allies and act as [[DoubleAgent Double Agents]] secretly helping him against their boss Lord Betrayus.
42	* While WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} has traditionally been a truly evil villain, there are exceptions. In occasional ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'' such as "the Barnyard Dance", he would play a good or neutral figure, whilst usually retaining his gruff demeanor. In ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' and, to a lesser extent, ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'', he was played differently. In ''Goof Troop'' at least, he was a {{Jerkass}}, a ManipulativeBastard, and (as a result of the premise) an {{Abusive Parent\|s}}, but he was also shown to have standards, fight against greater evils from time to time, and have a few PetTheDog moments, making him more of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist or AntiHero. In ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'', he is [[LighterAndSofter played much more sympathetically due to the target audience being younger]] to the point where he's not even very mean and actually gets along with the other characters. This also applies in ''WesternAnimation/MickeyAndTheRoadsterRacers'' where despite playing antagonist sometimes Pete still means well. One episode of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' had a gruff but outright heroic Pete who was only positioned as a potential villain as a RedHerring.
43	* For Creator/NickJr's ''WesternAnimation/PeterRabbit series''. [[Literature/TheTaleOfPeterRabbit Peter Rabbit]] acts more heroic and less mischievous as he was in the original story. Benjamin Bunny gets this big time, since in ''Literature/TheTaleOfBenjaminBunny'' he was mostly greedy. But in the Nick Jr. series, he's sensitive and more optimistic.
44	* Similarly, [[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends Thomas]] in ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'', while still sympathetic, was much more of a self absorbed BrattyHalfPint. While the show kept up this depiction for most episodes adapted from the books, its turn to original stories slowly made Thomas more altruistic and innocent. Some other engines such as Henry and Sir Handel took a similar direction.
45	** Bulgy in the original novels was a racist {{Jerkass}} who met his karmic fate by being turned into a chicken coop. While this plot is adapted into the show, he is later restored for vehicle purposes and becomes more benevolent.
46	* Evoked with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', who the busters have apparently been [[HeelFaceTurn working with to rehabilitate him]]. They're ultimately forced to release him from the Containment Grid to face a gigantic ghastly preying mantis because, as Egon points out, the mantis is as powerful as Gozer and [[GodzillaThreshold they don't otherwise stand a chance]]. He also pops up in a couple of later episodes on the side of the Ghostbusters, albeit [[ReformedButNotTamed not without some property damage]].
47	** Slimer also changes from a minor villain in the movies to an outright HunterOfHisOwnKind FriendlyGhost in the show.
48	* Downplayed by ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' with Entrapta. The [[WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower original 1985 series]] has her as an [[AristocratsAreEvil evil aristocratic hunter]] whose backstory had her as trapped in the Whispering Woods as punishment for her crimes before being found by Catra and convinced to be an inventor for the evil Horde. The 2018 series instead begins with her as a technology-obsessed princess firmly on the side of the Rebellion, albeit more concerned with [[ForScience experimentation and research]] than anything else. It's only [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated a misunderstanding regarding her level of mortality]] that finds her in stuck in Horde territory, where she joins them after Catra is convinced she was abandoned and Entrapta realizes they're willing to support her more dangerous research. [[spoiler:She ultimately returns to the side of good, however.]]
49	** Played straight by [[spoiler:Scorpia and Catra]], however, as both of them pull a HeelFaceTurn as the series draws to a close. Bonus points go to [[spoiler:Catra]], who [[spoiler:ends the series as Adora's girlfriend]], something her original counterpart would ''never'' do. To say nothing of [[spoiler:Hordak]] (which is especially notable since this is so far the only incarnation of the character to even entertain the idea of a HeelFaceTurn).
50	* While not an "adaptation" of ''Literature/TheJungleBook'' per se, ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' does this to some of its reinvented characters from [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 the Disney film]]. In the latter Shere Khan, while FauxAffablyEvil, was a genuine force of evil and took sadistic pleasure in the idea of killing a man cub. In ''Tale Spin'' he is still sinister, but a businessman of neutral alliance, interested only in power and having a strong moral code (even siding with Baloo if someone risks offending it).
51	** Meanwhile King Louie is altered from a wily troublemaker to Baloo's best friend.
52	* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'':
53	** The titular turtles are a lot more noble [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 in]] [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 the]] [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 cartoons]] than the [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage original comic]]. The original Mirage Turtles were assembled by Splinter purely to avenge Hamato Yoshi by killing the Shredder. Not that the Shredder isn't ''bad'', but the Turtles were originally trained for the purpose of a revenge killing, whereas in the shows they are mostly fighting him because they're the good guys and he's actively doing something bad ''today''. This even goes for the DarkerAndEdgier 2003 series where the backstory is taken practically word for word from the comics.
54	** As mentioned above, in the original comics Splinter trained the turtles for the sole purpose of killing the Shredder, while all the cartoons make it clear he’s training them for self-defense.
55	** Downplayed with the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012]] incarnation of the Shredder, where his love for his daughter, Karai, is very genuine. The problem is that he has rooted himself so deep in his hatred toward the Hamato Clan, even his love for his daughter doesn't seem to matter, [[spoiler:culminating in her mutation, which he still blames on the Hamato Clan [[NeverMyFault despite him being the one using her as bait for the trap that did it]]]].
56	** Agent Bishop in the ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' incarnation is much more heroic than his previous counterpart. In the 2003 series, Bishop was an immoral, [[FantasticRacism alien-hating]] monster who was a part of the BigBadEnsemble. In the 2012 series, he's a member of the peaceful Utrom council and a faithful ally to the turtles, attempting to help them save Earth.
57	** In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', Baxter Stockman was a good-hearted but terminally naïve scientist, whose evil mostly seemed to stem from a combination of manipulation by Shredder and Krang and some form of mutation-induced brain damage. The other Stockmans in the franchise varied from "disregarding everything ForScience" to "outright monstrous".
58	** A very [[WalkingSpoiler spoiler-y example]] in ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': [[spoiler:Karai's exact motivations and relationship with the turtles [[InterpretativeCharacter varies depending on the incarnation]], but she's usually a Foot member and DarkActionGirl who clashes with them. ''Rise'''s Karai is unambiguously a force for good, having been the one to defeat [[BigBad Shredder]] many years ago.]]
59	* Many villainous characters from ''WesternAnimation/{{TUGS}}'' became friends with the Star Tugs rather than enemies in the {{Frankenslation}}, ''WesternAnimation/SaltysLighthouse''. The Z-Stacks are a prime example.
60	* In ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', while [[GoodAllAlong claiming to have been secretly working to bring peace to the galaxy the entire time, regardless of whether that's actually true or not]], Lotor displays a kinder side that his [[Anime/{{GoLion}} original]] [[Anime/{{Voltron}} incarnation]] never had in addition to that unlike his original incarnation who was a StalkerWithACrush, he doesn't show any obsession towards Allura.
61	** Not at the present with Emperor Zarkon, but as shown in the WholeEpisodeFlashback, ''King'' Zarkon was a far cry from the tyrant he was in his original [=GoLion=] and Voltron incarnations. It was through a combination of LoveMakesYouEvil and CameBackWrong that he became the remorseless monster who would rule over the universe for ten thousand years.

Context AdaptationalHeroism / WesternAnimation