Line #16 Main/AdaptationalBadass


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10	[[quoteright:280:[[VideoGame/DigDug https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/digdug2_4714.jpg]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:280:Guess the people behind ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' didn't [[{{Pun}} dig]] the original.]]
12
13	->''"I'm not really into this fighting stuff unless it's in a courtroom. ...Oh, and with words!"''
14	-->-- '''[[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]]''', playable fighter in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' [[note]]In fact, his fighting style is pretty much [[WeaponsGradeVocabulary exactly like that]].[[/note]]
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16	There are characters in the media who are known, simply put, for being less-than-dangerous. They might simply be the last competent fighter. They might be a NonActionGuy or a DamselInDistress. Worst case scenario, they're TheLoad. When danger rears its head, the character generally beats feet and lets their tougher friends deal with the problem.
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18	But then, when the work is being adapted or rebooted, the character is made a bona fide badass. The reasons for this are myriad. In some cases (especially video games) this is the result of someone who's a non-combatant in their own series appearing in a setting where fighting skill of some kind is required, overlapping with PowerCreepPowerSeep. These types of characters are the kind most likely to use tropes such as IKnowMaddenKombat, MartialArtsAndCrafts, and FightingClown.
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20	Another possibility is that characters who were reasonably competent and skilled in their original incarnations had their capabilities and accomplishments elevated in their next depiction, sometimes to an InvincibleHero or InvincibleVillain level. This is related to the BigBudgetBeefUp or SerialEscalation, the character is changed to match the intensity of the action.
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22	In some genres, particularly {{Anime}}, the use of {{Filler}} story arcs or [[NonSerialMovie Non-Serial Movies]] can help in building up characters in a television or cinematic format that they didn't get in the source material. Both major and minor characters whose abilities were varying degrees of being relatively good, okay, or just plain subpar can receive the chance to shine more in anime-exclusive arcs, added filler scenes for padding, or movies, particularly if they were underused in the source material and didn't get much of a chance to show what they were really made of.
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24	Regardless of the whys, there are two things to consider with such a change:
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26	* Sometimes a character is ''defined'' by being not the fighter: their usefulness to the team is their intelligence, [[TheHeart peacekeeping among teammates]] or being an AnimalLover. When making such a character become violent in any form, a side effect is that they appear and act brutish as a trade-off, risking fans reacting TheyChangedItNowItSucks.
27	* On the other hand, the character may have become a DamselScrappy whose only job was to get [[TrappedByMountainLions captured by the bad guys]] and give a DamselInDistress for the hero to rescue. Making them competent in a fight and no longer TheLoad can also result in a more preferred version of the character and generally a [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap more positive reaction from fans]]. There are many examples of such a change becoming a RetCanon to the original character.
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29	At its core this causes a significant dissonance with those familiar with the original character. It is not about a change in personality (MartialPacifist to BloodKnight), method of fighting (defensive staff to offensive {{BFS}}) or battlefield intelligence (DumbMuscle to GeniusBruiser), but in terms of how relevant they are ''in'' a fight. The key is how they are able to navigate through the story. Consider as a result of PowerCreepPowerSeep that Franchise/{{Superman}} himself has varied from simply "above human" in strength to near godlike, but he has always been [[FlyingBrick Superman]].
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31	As the name suggests, this is based on [[EraSpecificPersonality different interpretations between adaptations]]. TookALevelInBadass is the same concept except treated as CharacterDevelopment in the same continuity.
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33	When this is done to [[HistoricalDomainCharacter a real-life person]], then it's HistoricalBadassUpgrade. For a sister trope specializing in female characters, see {{Xenafication}}. The inverse of this trope is AdaptationalWimp. Often overlaps with AdaptationalSkill.
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35	----
36	!!Example subpages:
37	[[index]]
38	* AdaptationalBadass/AnimeAndManga
39	** ''AdaptationalBadass/DragonBall''
40	* AdaptationalBadass/ComicBooks
41	* AdaptationalBadass/FanWorks
42	* [[AdaptationalBadass/AnimatedFilms Films — Animated]]
43	* [[AdaptationalBadass/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
44	* AdaptationalBadass/LiveActionTV
45	** ''AdaptationalBadass/ASongOfIceAndFire'' (''Series/GameOfThrones'' and ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'')
46	** ''AdaptationalBadass/MarvelCinematicUniverse''
47	* AdaptationalBadass/VideoGames
48	** ''AdaptationalBadass/BlackMesa''
49	** ''AdaptationalBadass/PokemonGo''
50	* AdaptationalBadass/WesternAnimation
51	[[/index]]
52
53	!!Other examples:
54	[[foldercontrol]]
55
56	%%[[folder:Blogs]]
57	%%* ''Blog/ConstableFrozen'': [[http://constable-frozen.tumblr.com/post/105968273648/olaf Olaf]] from ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}''. Seriously.
58	%%[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Literature]]
61	* ''Literature/AngelsOfMusic'' revolves around a team of female ActionGirl detectives recruited from works of 19th-century literature. Most of them were not action girls in the original works -- we're talking people like [[Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera Christine Daaé]], [[{{Literature/Trilby}} Trilby O'Ferrall]], [[Theatre/{{Pygmalion}} Liza Doolittle]], and {{Film/Gigi}} -- let alone the WaifFu masters these versions are trained to be.
62	* When ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' was first released, the Imperial Guard in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' were a {{puny\|Earthlings}} RedShirtArmy led by [[ModernMajorGeneral idiots]] and [[GeneralRipper maniacs]] that died in droves against every foe of the Imperium. After ''Ghosts'' depicted them as a terrifyingly competent BadassArmy filled with {{Badass Normal}}s and led by {{Four Star Badass}}es (with the odd idiot and maniac thrown in for variety), this portrayal proved so popular that Games Workshop [[TookALevelInBadass near-completely changed their image]] to match it.
63	* ''Literature/GhostbustersAParanormalPictureBook'': In the book (based on ''Film/Ghostbusters1984''), Janine is another Ghostbuster instead of their secretary.
64	* ''Literature/LoomingGaia'': In the original webcomic ''Webcomic/FairyTaleRejects'', Mr. Ocean has been staying in his cave wallowing in misery for centuries when Ginger meets him. In ''Looming Gaia'', he's spent that much time as the head of a military faction opposing his tyrannical brother and is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
65	* ''Literature/OliverTwisted'': In both the original story, ''Literature/OliverTwist'', and this alternate version of it, Oliver asks for more gruel from the cook and gets locked up. For the latter version, however, that doesn't happen until after Oliver dodges a ladle, grabs it to spoon gruel into his bowl and successfully avoid the staff while announcing to the other starving orphans to get their share of additional gruel.
66	* Nor the mighty Bennett Sisters in ''[[Literature/PrideandPrejudiceandZombies Pride and Prejudice and Zombies]]''.
67	* You don't want to mess with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella in ''Literature/ThePrincessSeries'', as they have magical powers to attack you.
68	* ''Literature/QuantumDevilSagaAvatarTuner'' makes a number of people far more badass than they were in ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'':
69	** In the game Cielo was either TheLoad or the LethalJokeCharacter, depending on how you played him. In the novels he is TheBigGuy, as powerful as everyone else in combat in both physical and magic terms, with his only drawback being that as a flying demon he cannot fight all that well indoors. in fact, at the very end [[spoiler:it is him who manages to break out of Sera's control instead of Heat]].
70	** Jinana/Ushas originally merely had a few physical attacks and a LightEmUp SignatureMove that she needed help to execute. Here, she has PrehensileHair and can create several different types of unblockable [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] and an actual LaserBlade.
71	** The random encounter Atavaka is a unique High Atma depicted as powerful as some of the bosses.
72	** Harley Q was a pathetic WarmUpBoss. Now, he is a NighInvulnerable BlobMonster that takes the heroes' combined efforts to take down. After that not only is he still alive, but he [[spoiler:eventually turns into an EldritchAbomination that devours [[LeaveNoSurvivors everyone]] and everything in the Junkyard]].
73	* ''Literature/ReturnOfTheWolfMan'': In the [[''Film/TheWolfMan1941'' original movie]] altrough virtually immortal and even received offscreen many bullets, the Wolf Man never shows feats of super strength, even in the sequels. In this novel, he and his human self, Larry Talbot gained explicit superhuman strength. It's said that the Wolf Man's raw strength is superior to Dracula's own. Take note that Dracula is an OneManArmy physically, and he says that the Wolf Man is his most powerful enemy (counting armies and vampire hunters among his centuries as a vampire).
74	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': When he was originally created in the ''Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy'', the Sith Lord Exar Kun was a rather underwhelming villain: pretty much DastardlyWhiplash [-[[RecycledWithAGimmick AS A FORCE GHOST!]]-]. ''ComicBook/TalesOfTheJedi'' portrays his {{backstory}} in which he is a legitimate badass as a villain, while the POVSequel ''Literature/IJedi'' expands on his role in the original timeframe and makes him significantly more threatening while simultaneously heavily lampshading his CardCarryingVillain status.
75	* In ''Upright Magic'', a 1998 book based on a 1975 film of the same name, several characters fall under the trope.
76	** Clear Trickle in the film is just a NiceGirl who doesn’t do much plot-relevant. The one time she fights with the Fire, he is victorious and she is extremely weakened, only recovering thanks to the main heroine’s efforts. In the book, she is a PluckyGirl who isn’t afraid to eavesdrop on the villains and manages to escape when found out, and who is an equally-strong opponent of the Fire and takes him down almost singlehandedly in their final confrontation.
77	** The Fire as well. In the film, he looks menacing all right, but the only time he actually harms anyone is when he defeats Clear Trickle. When he attacks Glue Country, the locals rather easily defend themselves with extinguishers, and he is put out in a pretty anticlimactic fashion. In the book, he is the most dangerous of the villains, dries up the entire Glue Country with its residents almost dying out because of that, nearly kills the heroine by [[CruelAndUnusualDeath heating the rock she is climbing]], and is only defeated because he is too stunned to see Clear Trickle alive (he was sure he had killed her earlier), allowing the latter to outsmart him.
78	** The ogre in the film is a human-looking idiot who apparently thinks that a pretty silly VillainSong is enough to scare the heroine and runs away screaming merely because she says she isn’t scared. In the book, he is a frightening giant with some (if occasional) sparks of cleverness, and it takes quite some time for the heroine to escape from him.
79	** The Fairy of Antique Miracles in the film is just [[KickTheDog another dog to kick]] for the WickedWitch. In the book, while not the sharpest knife in the drawer, she knows enough magic and is smart enough to play subtle tricks on the witch.
80	* In 2007, the [=CGSociety=] (for Creative Digital Artists) held a contest to create images and pieces using Creator/GregBear's ''Literature/TheWaySeries'' novel ''Eon'' as a reference point. The winning trailer was titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrLo1qUkCH8 "Worlds Within Worlds"]]. In it, the frant [[NeckSnap breaks a soldier's neck]]. In the book, frants are actually rather peaceful (they're useful due to their HiveMind), and there's no danger at the moment in the book that the trailer portrays.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Music]]
84	* Music/WithinTemptation has a song called "A Gothic Christmas" which uses this for laughs. Santa starts wearing black and slays dragons while Rudolph changes his name to "Ragnagord" and becomes an EvilOverlord.
85	* Music/HeatherDale's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGvepxEl7Pw version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.]] The song that was originally about Gawain's failure became a story of how perfect he was.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
89	* [[WarGod Ares]] from [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]]. Originally, he was portrayed as a [[TheBully bully]] who could only win against unaided mortals, got his butt kicked by anything supernatural, and was casually dismissed by fellow gods Zeus and Athena. Then the Romans came around and identified him with their god Mars, making him the patron god of Rome, second in importance only to [[TopGod Jupiter]] (the Roman version of Zeus), an ideal soldier, and an all-around badass. This might make him the UrExample. In many modern adaptations, Ares is usually portrayed more in the style of Rome's Mars in order to make him an imposing and threatening character. And since those modern adaptations often have Athena retain Greek role as AlwaysSomeoneBetter to Ares, she has to become ''even more'' badass than in the source material in order to keep pace.
90	* {{Satan}}, in most Abrahamic scriptures where he appears, is a [[FallenAngel fallen angel]] whose defeat is a given from day one and whose antics on earth are basically a bully picking on the [[{{God}} teacher]]'s [[HumansAreSpecial pets]] and who can be foiled by any yokel with faith or some brains. However, theologians began writing interpretations that elevate him as a threat, more or less expanding on details that [[Literature/TheBible the Bible]] left vague. As of today, Satan is viewed as a nigh-omnipotent force of evil second only to God Himself in terms of raw power, and is only kept from creating HellOnEarth by the forces of light remaining ever vigilant. Likewise, he even has a good chance at obtaining ultimate victory at the end of days.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Podcasts]]
94	* In contrast to the myth of Perseus, where she was a standard DamselInDistress, in ''Podcast/LiveFromMountOlympus'' Andromeda helps Perseus fight Cetus with rocks and is instrumental in distracting him.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Roleplays]]
98	* Rachel ''freaking'' Garrett in ''Roleplay/ToBoldlyGoAStarfleetQuest''. Granted, that's partially because she only had one episode (Yesterday's Enterprise) of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' to work with — and she was injured! — but To Boldly Go leaves little doubt that her eventual command of the ''Enterprise-C'' is no fluke.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Theater]]
102	* In ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' and most adaptations, Scrooge is terrified at Jacob Marley's appearance and warning. In ''Theatre/JacobMarleysChristmasCarol'', after his initial shock, he's unfazed by his theatrics, gives a speech dressing him down, and kicks him out of his room with his words alone.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
106	* ''Ride/GodzillaVsEvangelionTheReal4D'': Who's the one to turn the tide [[spoiler:in the battle against King Ghiodrah]] after Godzilla is drained? [[ShrinkingViolet Shinji Ikari]], who [[spoiler:drives a katana into King Ghidorah]]. He's also the only one who accomplishes anything against Godzilla -- and it's the Godzilla of ''Film/ShinGodzilla'' he, Rei, and Asuka are up against.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Toys]]
110	* ''ComicBook/BeastWarsUprising:''
111	** Rage, a one-off cutesy jellyfish from a ''Beast Wars Neo'' manga, is reinvented as a warlord who seized control of a city. During the GrandFinale, she fights alongside her own troops.
112	** The Vehicons. In ''Beast Machines'', they were brainless mooks who exploded if they were so much as sneezed on, their main strength being sheer numbers. Here, they're TheVirus, capable of directly turning other Cybertronians into more Vehicons, destroying their Sparks in the process. Not for nothing is their rampage labelled the Vehicon Apocalypse.
113	* WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1 has a mask book to sell merchandise that includes an [[AllThereInTheManual official review]] of the movie. It includes an extra scene where Bob ''tried'' to fight the second omnidroid but it was a HopelessBossBattle. In the movie itself, the KillerRobot attacked him by surprise and started giving him a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown without Mr Incredible having a chance to process what was happening.
114	* ''Toys/SuperThings'' gives a huge upgrade to the characters of Mayor Duplus and Clowny from the [[WebAnimation/SuperThings webseries]]. In the webseries, the two of them were major civilian characters, but still only civilians, meaning they had no abilities to their name. Once ported to the toyline, they were turned into superheroes, gaining superpowers, getting to be part of a hero team (becoming one of the gold Super Rares in Mayor Duplus' case), and each getting their own nemesis.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Web Animation]]
118	* ''WebAnimation/AnimatorVsAnimation'' features UsefulNotes/ClippyThePaperclip as an enemy of the Chosen One in part 3. Here, however, he's not just an [[UnwantedAssistance annoyance]]; he's a skilled fighter, able to use VoluntaryShapeshifting to block attacks and twist his body into a tornado for a SpinAttack, wields a sword made of ASCIIArt, and was able to keep the Chosen One busy long enough for the animator to draw the Dark Lord.
119	* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' gives this treatment to '''''every''''' character, no matter what franchise, as the general rule of thumb is that the RuleOfDrama and StrongAsTheyNeedToBe conventions are averted and all characters are used at their absoute best with none of the personal or narrative handicaps from their own stories. This also means the JustForFun/SuperWeight of the combatants is scaled to other characters within their universes, which gives a serious boost to various [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]], [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel]] and [[ShonenDemographic Shonen]] reps. For video game characters, all their tools and abilites from different games are given to them even if they were one time use. Expanded material is also used for franchises so long as it doesn't seriously contriadict the primary source material, this greatly helps ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters as EU feats put them on a far greater level of power than they usually display in the films and cartoons (barring ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)]]'' of course).
120	** "[[Recap/DEATHBATTLES01E04GoombaVSKoopa Goomba Vs Koopa]]" does this to both cannon fodder enemies as they display crazy power and skill they utterly lack in the games where Mario and co can take them out easily. The ''DBX'' remake takes this even way further with Goomba and Koopa being able to destroy the moon and break reality itself in their fight.
121	** In "[[Recap/DEATHBATTLES01E14JustinBeiberVSRebeccaBlack Justin Beiber Vs Rebecca Black]]" both teen pop stars showcase amazing fighting abilites that they lack in RealLife.
122	** Downplayed in [[Recap/DEATHBATTLES02E19ChuckNorrisVSSegataSanshiro Chuck Norris Vs Segata Sanshiro]], Creator/ChuckNorris as a RealLife person is of course plenty badass, it's just that the fight takes into account the various MemeticBadass feats he has amassed over the years as well as feats from his movies and cartoons. This allows Chuck to roundhouse kick with the force of The Big Bang and punch with the third fist that is his chin.
123	** "[[Recap/DEATHBATTLES04E12SmokeyBearVSMcGruffTheCrimeDog Smokey Bear Vs McGruff the Crime Dog]]" has both {{Advertising}} amphomorphic animals as strong fighters, unlike the ads they come from where they supposed to be non-violent family friendly mascots who don't use their funny CartoonPhysics for battle.
124	** In "[[Recap/DEATHBATTLES08E11MachoManVSKoolAidMan Macho Man Vs Kool Aid Man]]", much like with Chuck Norris Wrestling/RandySavage's feats include [[Film/SpiderMan1 beating up Spider-Man]] and being able [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory to destroy planets as Rasslor]], which he (as far as we know) didn't perform in RealLife.
125	** PlayedWith in "[[Recap/DeathBattleS09E12SpongeBobVSAquaman SpongeBob VS Aquaman]]" the fight affirms that ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' Aquaman truly is the lamest version of the character [[spoiler:and doesn't stand a chance againist the god-like [=SpongeBob=]]] but regardless Aquaman still displays skills and power that he completely lacked in the cartoon [[labelnote:*]] mainy thanks to another universe Aquaman helping him out by giving him their trident [[/labelnote]] and is able to throw punches, something that wasn't even allowed in ''Superfriends''.
126	** "[[Recap/DeathBattleS09E14SauronVSTheLichKing Sauron Vs The Lich King]]" gives this treatment to Sauron. In the source books every time Sauron has had to physically fight someone, he's gotten his ass kicked. The fight however scales him to the impressive feats performed by other Maiar such as Ossë and takes some clues from the Jackson films and ''Shadow of Mordor'' games and as such Sauron is portrayed as an exceptional warrior who can easily match someone like Arthas in single combat even without his dark magic or the power of the One Ring, in comparsion to the books where lesser beings like Gil-galad and Elendil could destroy his body in battle.
127	** "[[Recap/DeathBattleS10E02SkyrimVSDarkSouls Dragonborn vs Chosen Undead]]" naturally does this to both PlayerCharacter protagionists of the respective games (''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'') not only maxing out their stats and giving them all weapons and tools they can possibly get in the game but also scales them to other characters and powers in their universes [[spoiler:giving a serious boost to Dovahkiin whom lore-wise scales to outversal dragons and gods -- resulting in Dragonborn's victory]]. In a pure combat sense they also get this compared to their games, being able move and fight in ways gameplay doesn't allow e.g Chosen Undead can try and strangle their opponent. Dragonborn in particular is able to fight like a HackAndSlash character to keep up with Chosen Undead rather than the more janky first person RPG character they are in their homegame.
128	** ''DBX'' follows purely RuleOfCool with no research involved, this allows Creator/BruceLee to beat up [[BruceLeeClone the numerous characters he inspired]] such as [[Franchise/StreetFighter Fei Long]] and [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Rock Lee]], despite said characters posessing superpowers and Bruce being just a superbly trained man who was very strong and fast by RealLife standards. Later ''DBX'' fights are vote based meaning the characters with the higher PopularityPower win, this means [[Franchise/DragonBall Gohan]] can kill Superboy and Vegeta can kill General Zod, whereas in an actual fight they likely wouldn't win againist them.
129	* ''WebAnimation/DeadFantasy'':
130	** [[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Hitomi]] has SuperStrength on par with [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Tifa Lockhart]]. In her home series, she's a BadassNormal.
131	** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Rinoa Heartilly]] is pretty much a PhysicalGod here.
132	** [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Kairi]] has all of Sora's Keyblade skills and magic, while in her home series, she's a novice. Her alter ego Naminé is pretty much Kairi's SuperMode, pulling off ridiculous stunts and displays of power, while in her home series, she never fights.
133	* ''WebAnimation/FreedomToons'': Parodied. Pintsized JewishAndNerdy right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro has [[EyeBeams hex vision]].
134	* Discussed in ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions''. Despite what ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'' would have you believe, Greek demigods rarely boasted amazing superpowers as a result of being SemiDivine. For instance, Bellerophon, son of Poseidon, is an amazing equestrian rather than having any kind of MakingASplash. In fact, the most famous Greek demigods, Heracles and Achilles, got their powers through other means.[[note]]Heracles suckled on Hera's breast, granting him godly strength, while Achilles was dipped in the River Styx, rendering him invincible save for the heel his mother held him from.[[/note]]
135	* ''WebAnimation/PowerStar'': In a stark contrast to the CowardlyLion in the games, Luigi is depicted as a stalwart warrior who stops at nothing to prevent his corrupted brother from obtaining the Power Stars and conquering the Mushroom Kingdom.
136	* ''WebAnimation/StarWarsGalaxyOfAdventures'' does this with Luke and Leia. Luke's first fight against Darth Vader reimagines him as being far more adept in lightsaber combat than he was at that point in time, and he even manages to kick his ArchnemesisDad in the face. Before being captured by Vader, Leia personally helped defend the ''Tantive IV'' and goes hand-to-hand with a stormtrooper.
137	* In ''WebAnimation/SuperMarioBrosZ'', Mecha Sonic is reimagined from a one-off Metal Sonic-based robot from ''VideoGame/SonicAndKnuckles'' into Metal Sonic's FusionDance form and becoming a OmnicidalManiac.
138	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
139	** ''WebAnimation/TransformersPrimeWarsTrilogy'':
140	*** While Windblade was a capable fighter in her debut in the ''ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse'', she's able to take down a combiner on her own.
141	** Optimus Primal was prone to TheWorfEffect in the final season of ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars''. In ''WebAnimation/TheTransformersPowerOfThePrimes'', he's able to [[spoiler:go toe-to-tow with a Unicron-possessed Rodimus Prime and win, as well as yank the Matrix of Chaos out of Hot Rod's chest.]]
142	** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersWarForCybertronTrilogy'' sees the [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Maximals and Predacons]] as equal size and on equal footing to the Autobots and Decepticons, as opposed to being smaller and weaker than them.
143	* ''WebAnimation/ToonSandwich'''s ''[[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Super-Hero-Bowl and Super-Villain-Bowl]]'' as well as ''Fanfictasia'' gives this treatment to many characters alongside AdaptationalWimp, though it's mainly PlayedForLaughs.
144	** ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' Batman is pretty badass already, but he certainly wouldn't be able to defeat Wolverine, Spider-Man and almost kill Rey like he does in the bowl.
145	** [[spoiler: [[Film/MissonImpossible Ethan Hunt]]]] diguised as [[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]] defeats both [[Film/JamesBond 007]] and [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]], despite the former being nigh-superhuman even compared to other action heroes.
146	** Jay and Kay the ''Film/MenInBlack'' are able to take out all of the Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy\|2014}} at once, this contrasts to the films where one alien cockoroach almost killed them both.
147	** [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Aragon]] with Andúri is able to overpower [[Franchise/StarWars Luke]] with his freaking lightsaber and dismember him. Granted, it appeared to be the inexperienced ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' Luke, but Aragon anywhere else would usually get swatted against a Force User.
148	** Similarly [[Series/GameOfThrones Jon Snow]] is able to kill Iceman (mistaking him for a Whitewalker), despite Bobby being a Omega Level mutant i.e. unlikely to get easily cut down by a muggle, even a skilled one like Jon.
149	** The Franchise/{{Terminator}} is able to kill both Robocop and Judge Dredd simultaneously and then crush Iron Man's head. Sure, the T-800 is badass, but nowhere near ''that'' badass.
150	** The Hulk is able to give Superman the Loki treatment (i.e smashing him into the ground repeatedly). While [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU Hulk]] is extremely strong, he still wouldn't likely be able to mandhandle [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse DCEU]] Supes like that, especially given that, unlike the comics, Hulk isn't the strongest in TheVerse of his films while Clark for the most part ''is''.
151	** Rey is pretty powerful, but nowhere as powerful compared to other Force Users in ''Star Wars'' (she needed all the deceased Jedi's spirits powering her up to beat Palpatine). Here however, she almost wins the bowl, killing Batman and even beats both [[Film/TheMatrix Neo]] and Scarlet Witch (in any other fight, Wanda and Neo would make mincemeat out of her, especially the former).
152	** Cyclops is able to use his [[EyeBeams Optic Blasts]] to shoot through Captain America's vibranium shield and put a hole through Steve's sternum. In the comics, Cap's shield can reflect Scott's blasts no problem. Doubley impressive given the Fox version of Cyclops' Optic Blasts are pretty pathetic compared to the comics.
153	** The ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' ''Velociraptor'', despite being a regular dinosaur, takes down both the Xenomorph and Venom simultaneously.
154	** Darth Vader is always badass, but this version is ''ridiculous''. He one-shots Sauron before taking down Darth Maul, his grandson Kylo, the Predator, and the Alien Queen all without breaking a sweat. In ''Fanfictasia'', Annie matches both Thor and Hela, giving them the PsychicStrangle while tanking Thor's lightning, '''''despite lightning being the very thing that kills him in the films!'''''
155	** The Wicked Witch of the West is a serious threat within ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' but not so much anywhere else, yet here she has an incredible kill streak taking down Bellatrix Lastrange, Scarecrow, Sabretooth ("Cowardly Lion"), and even goddamn Ultron ("Tin Man").
156	** The ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' version of Jean Grey's Dark Phoenix was nowhere as powerful as she was in the comics (not being able to survive a MercyKill snikt from Wolverine). Here however, she takes down pretty much everyone and is even able to match and kill MCU Thanos himself.
157	** Both Deadpool and Harley Quinn, despite being not being heavy hitters in their franchises, are able to win/survive the respective Superhero and Supervillain Bowls much to their disbelief. Though it turns out it was AllAccordingToPlan from both the heroes and villains in order to stop GreaterScopeVillain Oscar.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Webcomics]]
161	* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' actually [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/7/4/ did this]] for ''WesternAnimation/TeddyRuxpin.''
162	* The ''Manga/OnePiece'' fan-comic ''Webcomic/ReturnToTheReverie'' applies the RankScalesWithAsskicking treatment to the Five Elder Stars, who are merely seen as old schemers in canon.
163	%%* All the Sailor senshi in ''Webcomic/SailorMoonCS''.
164	* ''Webcomic/SweetLullaby'', a ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' fan-webcomic, gives unexpected moments of badassery to its characters, such as [[NonIronicClown Mime]] possessing magic powers, [[RascallyRaccoon Lifty and Shifty]]'s combat skills, [[BumblingDad Pop]] being a [[DadTheVeteran retired general]], [[spoiler:and [[TheSmartGuy Sniffles]] eating a part of an ant colony scaring away the ants]], among others. Considering the source material has all of them subjected to [[BloodyHilarious over-the-top gory injuries]] and even suffering [[TheyKilledKennyAgain gruesome deaths in a given episode]] for the ''[[MadeOfPlasticine slightest]]'' inconvenience, they're able to withstand much more this time around.
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:Web Videos]]
168	* In the character's source series, ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'''s [[EldritchAbomination The Entity]] ([[spoiler:[[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} aka Missingno]]]]) is mildly creepy if you start applying FridgeLogic, somewhere between useful and annoying if you don't, and is nigh-universally pathetic in battle to the point of usually being incapable of victory. Now, he's a horror that makes other monsters look friendly and harmless, and reduces entire worlds to nothingness. According to WordOfGod, [[spoiler:every other glitch Pokemon is just a different form of this version of Missingno.]]
169	* In ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'', Raye Penber is now so impressive that EvenTheGuysWantHim. He's also [[spoiler: Near's [[ProfessionalKiller hitman]]]] and a [[spoiler: {{Shinigami}}]].
170	* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'':
171	** Mr. Popo was never exactly useless; he even gave Goku a run for his money in [[Manga/DragonBall the original series]], but he never did much beyond that and eventually [[CantCatchUp suffered the same fate as the other non-Saiyan characters]] in the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Z]]'' series (and even most of the OutOfFocus characters were stronger than him). His Abridged incarnation, on the other hand, is a CreepyGood HumanoidAbomination and NightmareFuelStationAttendant who is implied to be the most powerful being in the universe, with the only reason he doesn't kill all the villains himself being that [[TheGodsMustBeLazy he's just too lazy]] or [[StonersAreFunny too stoned]]. Notably, the abridged version of the Garlic Jr. arc has him [[spoiler:devour Garlic Jr. and all of his henchmen, defeating them with one move]] when they attack the lookout, whereas in the source material he could only stand and watch in horror. In a ''Buu Bits'' short, [[spoiler:Popo makes Goku's Super Spirit Bomb ''triple in size'' just by raising one hand and giving a small fraction of his energy]].
172	** Tien is a lot braver and more intimidating in Season 3, with all of his interactions with Vegeta having him [[{{Troll}} making fun of the Prince's shortcomings]] without any fear of retribution, and was very eager to face off against Android 20 in a fight, which intimidated the latter so much that he backed down. The kicker is when he attacks Semi-Perfect Cell all by himself; instead of a DesperationAttack to stall him and buy precious seconds for Android 18 to escape like in the original, here he's sick of sitting on the sidelines while the more powerful characters do everything themselves, intent on proving he's still a warrior even if it means going out in a blaze of glory, with 18's escape being an afterthought. All set to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWlLp5riuzk Counterattack]] from ''Videogame/ShadowOfTheColossus''.
173	--->'''Cell''': Oh my god! It's Tien! What, was Krillin busy? ''[Tien prepares an attack]'' Come on buddy, you can't be serious. With your power level? You're no Android. You're no Namekian. And you're ''certainly'' no Super Saiyan. ''[[PunyEarthlings You're just human]]''.\
174	'''Tien''': Yeah. Well you know what?! Fk power levels! Fck Super Saiyans! '''[[AtomicFBomb AND F**K! YOU!]] [[CallingYourAttacks SHIN! KIKOOOHOOOOOO]]!'''\
175	'''Cell''': Oh, that's adora'''[[OhCrap SHIIIIIIIT!]]'''
176	*** And unlike the original, this incident is never forgotten by Cell to the point that he shows a lot of enmity with Tienshinhan when he is respectful with everyone else. And Tien is more than happy to mock him for it.
177	** Unlike in the [[Anime/DragonBallZTheReturnOfCooler original version]], Piccolo in ''Cooler 2'' is far stronger than Goku and Vegeta, wiping out an entire group of Metal-Coolers in a single blast.[[note]]This is due to Gohan not being able to turn Super Saiyan, but Dende being Guardian of Earth, thus it should take place between Piccolo fusing with Kami and the Saiyans using the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
178	* In ''WebVideo/FinalFantasyRelay'', [[QuirkyBard Edward]] of all characters helps Cecil win the 6 fights in Fabul and killed the Mom Bomb's Gray Bombs in 1 shot (along with Rydia).
179	* ''VideoGame/GundamFighter'' has it with their entirety of Gundam casts, especially girls that are harmless.[[/note]]
180	* ''WebVideo/KorraBridged'': While in the original series Amon he was a highly skilled bloodbender, here he's capable of ''internally freezing his target's blood into spikes and impaling their heart with it!'' [[spoiler: He uses this techniques to kill his brother Tarrlok and ''almost succeeds in doing the same to Korra'' (thankfully Raava steps in at the last second).]]
181	* ''WebVideo/MysteryIncorporated2022''
182	** All three of the Hex Girls are shown to have magical abilities, rather than just Thorn.
183	** Miner 49'er, [[AdaptationSpeciesChange being an actual magical entity]], is significantly more dangerous than his original counterpart. The same case applies for the Black Knight.
184	* ''WebVideo/OneyPlays'': Chris loves to characterize the normally bumbling and slightly inept WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget as an all-powerful reality warper, who can do ''anything'' as long as he says "Go Go Gadget" before making a statement, much to the amused annoyance of Ding Dong.
185	--> "Go Go Gadget my head is now forever a bone."
186	--> "Go Go Gadget gravity is now inverted."
187	--> "Go Go Gadget the air is now mayonnaise."
188	%%* In ''WebVideo/PokemonApokelypse'', being a parody of darker and edgier works, ''everyone'' becomes awesome, especially Team Rocket.
189	* Several characters in the ''[[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuyfhPMNRLMBtmPVU6xYmDA Shrek Reacts]]'' series are much better fighters than they are in canon. {{Franchise/Shrek}} can use his explosive breath as a weapon, is capable of OffScreenTeleportation and can punch missiles, [[Franchise/MonstersInc Sulley]] is a capable hand-to-hand combatant who briefly puts Shrek on the defensive during their fight and [[Franchise/MonstersInc Mike Wazowski]], a NonActionGuy in his home movie, not only manages to get the drop on Shrek but can ''[[PlayingWithFire breath fire]]''.
190	* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'' removes or alters [[ActionGirl Asuna]]'s DamselInDistress moments to keep in line with her... ''[[AdaptationalVillainy grayer]]'' characterization. She isn't inexplicably afraid of her clingy, creepy bodyguard Kuradeel in Episode 8, she's [[ManipulativeBastard manipulating]] Kirito into dueling him on her behalf to teach Kuradeel a lesson and avoid the embarrassment of a guild leader having to discipline a subordinate. And in Episode 9, she doesn't fall victim to an ISurrenderSuckers attempt, she [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] an enemy and coldly executes him herself.
191	* ''WebVideo/UndertaleTheMusical'' takes the [[ZeroEffortBoss infamously easy]] fight with Mettaton NEO from its [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} source material]], and turns it into a nearly five-minute song, on par with actual boss fight songs it covers. While [[ForegoneConclusion he still is defeated in one hit by the end]], he manages to make Frisk ''[[GlassCannon work]]'' [[GlassCannon for that hit]].
192	[[/folder]]
193

Context Main / AdaptationalBadass