Line #125 Main/ReplacementFlatCharacter


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11	[[quoteright:270:[[WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/replacement_flat_owl_house_4.png]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:270:Why round things out when you can level the playing field?]]
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17	->''"I'm a Teamster compared to you!"''
18	-->-- '''Frasier''' (to Niles), ''Series/{{Frasier}}''
19
20	When a character is known for one specific trait -- like being uptight, irresponsible, or an all-out antagonist -- but evolves through CharacterDevelopment to become far more [[RoundedCharacter well-rounded]] over time, the Replacement Flat Character is brought in to fill that void and emphasize how much the original character has grown. It's usually a plot point when the two characters cross paths for the first time; [[ShadowArchetype the original may see themselves]] in the new character and wonder if ''they'' were ever that bad (the answer is often a resounding [[BigYes "YES!"]]). If enough time passes, the new character may develop in a different direction themselves in a sort of delayed DivergentCharacterEvolution, and ''another'' Replacement Flat Character might be brought in to contrast ''them''. By this point however, the series will likely be close to ending, thus keeping this trope from continuing in perpetuity.
21
22	Compare SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute, where the original character leaves before being replaced by a similar one, and CousinOliver, when a new character is brought in to fill the role of the cute child once the previous one nears puberty.
23	----
24	!!Examples:
25
26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29	* ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'': Aoki Ko was initially a distant ice queen who did not take part in the friendly aspect of FriendlyRivalry as much as the other characters. After a good {{defrosting\|IceQueen}}, she [[TookALevelInKindness takes a level in kindness]] and becomes a friendlier and more sympathetic character. Then [[spoiler:Iwase]] decides to get into manga, and takes Aoki's old role of the cold, distant IceQueen rival, being maybe even harsher than Aoki was. It comes complete with a LampshadeHanging when [[spoiler:Iwase]] reacts to the idea of exchanging ideas with her rivals the same way Aoki did two years before.
30	* The Nagatoro of ''Manga/DontToyWithMeMissNagatoro'', while still introduced as a LovingBully as she was in the image sets she originated from, eventually grew out of it and became more overtly affectionate with her Senpai while still hiding it beneath shallow insults and teasing. To pick up the sadistic slack, her two unnamed friends became Senpai's main bullying problems, often being much more cruel to him (but not as cruel as Nagatoro was in her first image set appearances).
31	* In ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}'', Madarame is the resident {{Straw\|Character}} {{Otaku}}, uninterested in any friendships or interests outside of his otaku niche and utterly shameless about his obsessive {{fandom}} ([[{{Foil}} in contrast with]] main character Sasahara, who is more balanced and unsure just how deep down the otaku rabbit hole he wants to go). CharacterizationMarchesOn, however, and as Madarame becomes a more well-rounded person, Kuchiki is introduced. Kuchiki suffers from an ambiguous disorder and is seemingly incapable of relating to anyone or anything except through the lens of otaku culture.
32	* ''Manga/KenganAshura'': Raian "the Devil" Kure is a PsychoForHire who [[SmugSuper looks down to other fighters]] so much he refuses to use Kure Clan martial arts techniques in matches as they'd be wasted on worthless opponents and also end the fight too quickly to let him [[{{Sadist}} play with them]], so instead he relies on [[SuperMode Release]], despite it being supposed to be secret. Even his own family finds him a pain to work with, as he disregards orders and cares only about indulging his cruelty. He is one of few fighters who go into every fight with an open desire to murder his opponents (as opposed to merely have it be an option on the table). In ''Kengan Omega'' it seems he has mellowed out ''a little bit'' after [[spoiler:losing to Ohma and befriending him while helping Ohma recover from his injuries]]. He seems at least able to work with a team without openly antagonizing everyone all the time and willing to suppress his bloodlust to get Kengan's team a win in a tournament where killing is forbidden. His opponent is Alan "the King of Slaughter" Wu, a member of a renegade faction of the Chinese Wu family that Kure Clan also traces its roots to and also knows the secret of Release. Alan is everything Raian was two years prior ramped up, even bringing a knife to ensure his opponent won't be leaving alive, despite how that would cost his team a match. Their fight is used to highlight how much Raian has changed, especially once he [[spoiler:notices Alan's brother, Edward. Raian drops his sadistic persona and offers Alan to live if he surrenders. When Alan refuses, Raian utterly overwhelms him with Kure techniques, kills him, and goes chasing after Edward. Edward Wu has become Kure Clan's enemy number one, and each family member has orders to hunt him at all costs, even if they have to botch a job they were hired for. Meaning Raian is actually following orders he'd once disregard]].
33	* Happened a couple of times in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
34	** May was brought in as a brand-new starting trainer, as main character Ash was becoming a bit more mature and experienced with two regions and the Orange Islands under his belt. While the two were traveling, Ash even acted as a BigBrotherMentor to her, helping to show how far he'd come. This would later be repeated when May and her SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Dawn meet in the same Pokémon contest in Sinnoh. However, May hasn't ''completely'' changed...
35	** Cameron, one of Ash's rivals in the Unova {{Tournament\|Arc}} could qualify as another Ash-focused example, as he took all of the IdiotHero traits Ash further. {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in that Ash was effectively ''[[{{Flanderization}} his own]]'' Replacement Flat Character during this arc[[note]][[TookALevelInDumbass returning to the idiot-hero part]] of his roots, but not the {{Jerkass}} part,[[/note]] and didn't really notice.
36	** Ash's Charizard started out as rowdy and disobedient, only fighting in battles on Ash's behalf when he thought there was a WorthyOpponent to contend with. Once Ash helped him recover from being badly frozen, however, he developed a newfound respect for his trainer, and while he was still HotBlooded, getting him to fight for Ash was nowhere near as much of a struggle. Down the road, Iris acquired a Dragonite who was similarly rebellious and grouchy. The point was driven home when he developed a rivalry with Ash's Charizard.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Comic Books]]
40	* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' has Cheryl Blossom, who was introduced as a MsFanservice-type, but also as a contrast to Veronica, who had undergone enough character development that there was some need for a new version of her. Cheryl is [[RichBitch bitchier, richer]] and skankier than Veronica ever was. Veronica, although certainly being rich, bitchy, and seductive, was never outright ''skanky'', but Cheryl clearly was.
41	* After Superboy-Prime performed a HeelFaceTurn in ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal, the very next CrisisCrossover ComicBook/DarkCrisis introduced Mickey Mxyzptlk, the [[PsychopathicManChild immature son]] of [[GreatGazoo Mister Mxyzptlk]] and DC's newest StrawFan Supervillain.
42	* Originally introduced as Comicbook/TheJoker's abused girlfriend and partner-in-crime, Comicbook/HarleyQuinn eventually underwent CharacterDevelopment as more of an AntiHero and even got her own series after breaking away from him. DC later introduced a new character called Punchline, who, as an outright villain obsessed with the Joker, seems intended to appeal to fans who preferred Harley's original role and characterization.
43	* In ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'', after Usagi's cynical and mercenary BountyHunter friend Gen had been given a deep JerkWithAHeartOfGold characterization and a DarkAndTroubledPast that explained his behavior, the minor character Inukai was introduced to take over Gen's original role as the foil to Usagi, being a ruthlessly amoral and greedy BountyHunter with far fewer scruples or sympathetic characteristics than Gen.
44	* Happened to ComicBook/{{Venom}} quite frequently:
45	** Back in TheNineties, after Eddie Brock was fleshed out into a NobleDemon, Marvel had him turn into an AntiHero for a while, and decided to fill his vacant villainy niche with a new character, ComicBook/{{Carnage}}, who essentially was like Venom except with none of the redeeming qualities and even more AxeCrazy.
46	** Both [[LegacyCharacter the second and third incarnations of Venom]], Angelo Fortunato and Mac Gargan, were specifically portrayed as eviller than Brock for this reason.
47	** Likewise, during the period where the Venom symbiote had bonded with Flash Thompson and become the heroic "Agent Venom" character, Marvel had Eddie Brock become the new Toxin to act as Thompson's enemy.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
51	* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': Before becoming the blanket-hugging, gospel-quoting weirdo we all know and love, Linus started out as a baby learning to cope with the world. His younger brother Rerun was introduced to tell those sort of stories again; however, Charles Schulz didn't actually embrace the character until well into the last decade of the strip.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Fan Works]]
55	* ''Fanfic/ConsequencesAndControl'': Christopher and Samuel are far less fleshed out than their predecessors [[spoiler:Thomas and William]].
56	* ''Fanfic/LuzClawthorne'': While Odalia Blight starts out as the same ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife and HateSink she was in the original series, over time, she gradually gets fleshed out and grows into a more sympathetic character. As this transition occurs, Nicole Hieron steps up to replace her, much like how Nicole's daughter Boscha filled the same role for Amity before.
57	* In ''Fanfic/MarijuanaSimpson'', Maggie replaces Lisa as the conscientious daughter, while Lisa focuses almost entirely on smoking pot.
58	* The discontinued ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11851262/1/Miraculous-Mouse Miraculous Mouse]]'' sees resident BetaBitch Sabrina pull a HeelFaceTurn and become the main character's friend. The very next episode sees her role as Chloé's sidekick get filled by an OC named Edie, who ends up acting exactly like canon Sabrina.
59	* ''Fanfic/ThreesACrowdNaruto'': Due to Naruto's PlotTriggeringDeath, Kimura Uo becomes part of Team Seven. Much of his characterization is based off of shallow interpretations of the original roster: with Naruto's death, he became the new dead-last in their class, to the point that his graduation surprises some. He also seems to admire Sasuke much like how Sakura used to; if nothing else, he's besotted with Sasuke's IneffectualLoner attitude to the point of mimicking it himself.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
63	* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'', Buzz was given one of these in the form of [[spoiler:a newly unpackaged Buzz Lightyear toy. Like the first Buzz, he had no idea he was a toy. This only served to remind our Buzz how annoying and stuck up he acted right out of the box. "[[IHatePastMe Tell me I wasn't this deluded...]]"]]
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
67	* In ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', Ryan Evans is pretty firmly characterised as a total idiot (he's unable to read the word 'Drama' despite being in the Drama club), but in the sequels, as his role in the narrative grows, he becomes less dumb and better able to stand up for himself, and Jason (who had only a couple of--admittedly silly--lines in the first movie) takes over the part of TheDitz, for when the writers need someone to make a idiotic comment.
68	* In ''Film/TheSantaClause1'', the focus is on the relationship between the main character and his eight-year-old son, Charlie. In the sequels Charlie is a teenager, but don't worry, now he has a younger half-sister named Lucy to fit the "cute child" role but without the same emotional connection to the story.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Literature]]
72	* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'':
73	** Minerva Paradizo in book five is a ChildProdigy attempting to capture a magical being -- in this case a demon rather than an elf. The similarities are all there between her and Artemis, down to the [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming mythological names]]. WordOfGod says that her book was a DolledUpInstallment -- he had originally written it with Minerva as the protagonist, but then realized that he was basically writing a book about Artemis and just decided to bring him back as the lead character, while also establishing demons as another subspecies of fairy.
74	** Book six, being about TimeTravel, pits the AntiHero Artemis has developed into against his own pre-CharacterDevelopment past self. [[IHatePastMe He doesn't like it one bit]].
75	** Doodah Day, introduced in book 5 is basically a second Mulch Diggums. A reformed fairy criminal who lost his magic and is now helping the heroes. The main differences are that he's a pixie rather than a dwarf, a smuggler rather than a thief, and a BadassDriver with a UniversalDriversLicence (whereas Mulch, by his own admission, only has fairly basic knowledge of how to operate vehicles).
76	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': After six books of being a one-dimensional {{Jerkass}}, Draco Malfoy starts to partake in more dangerous activities then simply school bullying. Since Malfoy no longer has the time to act as a {{Jerkass}}, Zacharias Smith takes over. Zacharias becomes a JerkJock ButtMonkey similar to Malfoy in the earlier books and reveals himself to be a DirtyCoward in the final battle, a trait that is usually associated with Malfoy.
77	* In the second book of ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'', Spader, a new Traveler, spends the entire book on the same learning curve Bobby had in the first, letting Bobby show off his newfound confidence in comparison. His plot arc even follows some of the same points Bobby's did, down to [[spoiler:Uncle Press dying for him the same way that Osa did for Bobby]].
78	* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Darkstripe served as the ButtMonkey until he died at the end of the first arc. When his spirit returned to seek vengeance along with the other villains in the fourth arc, Darkstripe had managed to grow stronger because of all the abuse he had suffered and he actually posed a credible threat. Because of this, another villain called Snowtuft was introduced to be the ButtMonkey, and got pushed around and beaten up by the other characters in all but one of his appearances.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
82	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
83	** Giles became steadily more relaxed, funny, confident, modern and so on, so in time, Wesley was brought in with the intention of being worse than Giles ever was (He was named after [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Wesley Crusher]], for the record). Interestingly, Wesley then underwent a [[BadassNormal similar]] [[TookALevelInBadass transformation]] as he transitioned from ''Series/{{Buffy\|the Vampire Slayer}}'' to ''Series/{{Angel}}'', becoming a fully rounded character in time.
84	** Similarly, Anya became this for Cordelia, who probably underwent the most amount of character development in the entire Buffyverse. Though in this case, most of Cordelia's character development occurred on ''Angel'', so it was really a matter of her leaving the show and having Anya to fill in that place.
85	** Andrew Wells was this to the Xander Harris of old.
86	** WordOfGod states that Harmony was intended as "Cordelia without the life lessons", though Harmony wasn't technically a ''replacement'' for Cordelia until season 5 of ''Angel''.
87	** In a slightly meta sense Cordelia herself was this for Buffy in the earliest episodes. The shallow, fashion obsessed, airheaded ([[HiddenDepths at least on the surface]]) Cordelia as first introduced closely resembles Buffy as she was in the [[Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer movie]] and in a couple of flashbacks to her Hemery high days in the show proper.
88	--->'''Buffy:''' Before I was the Slayer, I was... Well, I, I don't wanna say shallow, but... Let's say a certain person, who will remain nameless—we'll just call her Spordelia—looked like a classical philosopher next to me.
89	** With Willow becoming more and more powerful, the writers realised that they couldn't put her in danger anymore, so Tara was introduced as the "new Willow" - shy, reserved, socially awkward and so lacking in confidence that she's afraid to speak up for herself.
90	** With her blunt outspokenness, privileged background and overwhelming sense of entitlement, Kennedy is a lot like Cordelia and Anya in their early appearances, only minus any traits that made those characters likeable.
91	* ''Series/Charmed1998'' has a rare main character example with Paige, whose major traits--being the youngest, the most gung-ho about magic ([[DependingOnTheWriter usually]]), her earlier estrangement from her sisters and [[EthicalSlut having a lot of casual relationships]]--puts her into the role that Phoebe had in earlier seasons. Given how much of a BaseBreakingCharacter Phoebe was during the show's second half, some would argue that Paige's lack of similar "growth" is a good thing.
92	* Frasier Crane was introduced in ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' as an uptight, prissy intellectual who was usually the butt of jokes. Over time, he developed and even had his [[DayInTheLimelight days in the limelight]]; for example, the episode "Love Is a Lonely Snipe-Hunter". Once he was given [[Series/{{Frasier}} his own show]] and became the central character, he had to become more complex and well-rounded, and his prissiness and bluster were slightly toned down (though still a frequent subject of jokes at his expense). Cue the appearance of his brother Niles, who was everything Frasier used to be and more -- geeky, neurotic, and the butt of (almost) every joke. Niles' actor, Creator/DavidHydePierce even described Niles as "what Frasier would be if he had never gone to Boston and never been exposed to the people at Cheers".
93	-->'''Sam:''' ''(meeting Niles)'' Wow...man, this is freaky. He looks just like you did when I met you. ''(nudges Frasier)'' What happened, huh?\
94	'''Frasier:''' ''(smiling)'' Wasn't exactly a health club you were running there, Sam.
95	* After the eponymous star of ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' grew into a confident, competent and somewhat superpowered spy, [[spoiler:his even-geekier best friend Morgan (who had been in the show since the beginning) was brought into the spy team, allowing him to be the same fish-out-of-water adventurer that Chuck used to be]].
96	* In ''Series/{{Empire}}'', right after Lucious comes to accept Jamal's homosexuality and names him as heir to Empire Records, homophobic rapper Black Rambo makes a scene at the press conference and refuses to work for a "batty boy." It seemed his only purpose was to show how much Lucious had developed, though at the very least, it's Jamal who socially destroys him in a rap battle.
97	* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': The originally spoiled, selfish Rachel undergoes character development to become more complex and likeable. In two separate episodes, we meet her two sisters who are still the spoiled, selfish people Rachel used to be. It's revealed that Rachel is the only daughter their father is proud of, precisely because of her development.
98	* April Nardini is this to Rory Gilmore on ''Series/GilmoreGirls''. Rory started out as a shy, naive, booksmart girl and gradually evolved into a confident social butterfly, at which point April was introduced. In the revival, where Rory is over thirty and April is in college, she is still this.
99	* EnforcedTrope on ''Series/TheGoodPlace'', which focuses on four deceased humans who are [[spoiler:given an IronicHell]]: asocial loner Eleanor Shellstrop, vain socialite Tahani Al-Jamil, clueless petty criminal Jason Mendoza, and dithering academic Chidi Anagonye. They all get better over time to the point that they are put in charge of recreating the initial circumstances that led to their changes with four other humans. The toughest nut to crack is Brent, a chauvinistic businessman who is as selfish as Eleanor was, as privileged as Tahani was, and as dumb as Jason was, and as self-aware as Chidi was not, with none of their redeeming characteristics and no desire to change. The DistantFinale shows that [[spoiler:even after several centuries of torture, he still hasn't made it into the real Good Place, though he seems to be making small improvements.]]
100	* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' often had to bring in new bully characters once the previous ones became too complex:
101	** For the boys, Puck was the original JerkJock. After he joined the Glee Club, Karofsky and Azimio stepped in to fill the bully roles. When Karofsky underwent his own multi-season story arc surrounding his {{gayngst}} and Azimio was unceremoniously DemotedToExtra, Rick "The Stick" Nelson was brought in and basically served as a contrast to how far Puck and Karofsky had developed. And even ''he'' became less malicious over time and came to support the Glee Club at the end of season 3.
102	** For the girls, the Unholy Trinity of Quinn, Santana, and Brittany started off as {{Alpha Bitch}}es, but all three went through massive amounts of character development and were replaced by Kitty when they (well, Quinn and Santana) graduated. Kitty herself underwent a HeelFaceTurn by the end of season four, and her former role was filled by Bree in season five.
103	* Part of {{Sidekick}} Sergeant Lewis' role in ''Series/InspectorMorse'' was being more lighthearted than the title character. When he starred in the spinoff ''Series/{{Lewis}}'', he took on a more serious stance and was balanced by his own more optimistic sidekick in Sergeant Hathaway.
104	* ''Franchise/KamenRider'': It's common for the villain in a post-series DVD movie to be a less developed {{Expy}} of one of the characters in the show.
105	** The ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' Gaiden film ''[[Film/KamenRiderGaimGaidenKamenRiderDuke Kamen Rider Duke]]'' introduces Kugai Kudo, a maniacal [[MegaCorp Yggdrasill]] researcher with [[GodHoodSeeker ambitions of godhood]]. This makes him quite similar to one of the major villains of the series, Yggdrasill's [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate chief scientist]] Ryoma Sengoku, something made all the more apparent by the fact that the protagonist of the movie is [[VillainProtagonist Ryoma himself]].
106	*** ''Film/KamenRiderGaimGaidenKamenRiderKnuckle'' features an almost invoked example. Shura is an ex-member of Team Baron looking to emulate Kaito Kumon's strength-based ideals with his own team, Neo-Baron. But because he doesn't have a true understanding of what Kaito believed and how he hoped to give strength to the powerless, Shura's philosophy ends up being a hollow MightMakesRight belief system that ultimately runs counter to the very thing Kaito was trying to achieve, while Shura himself is little more than a two-bit cowardly bully. Even his Rider form is just a black PaletteSwap of Kaito's.
107	** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': The film ''Recap/KamenRiderBuildNewWorldKamenRiderCrossZ'' introduces Killbus, the [[GreaterScopeVillain bigger, badder]] brother of [[BigBad Evolt]]. His personality is basically the same his younger brother, but with his [[EvilIsHammy flamboyance]], sadism and {{omnicidal mania\|c}} ramped up, and without the [[TheChessmaster cunning]] and [[EnemyMine depth]] that his brother had.
108	* ''Series/LeverageRedemption'': Breanna, Hardison's foster sister who takes his place as the resident PlayfulHacker, is a mild one. She's cocky and out of her depth, much like [[Series/{{Leverage}} early seasons Hardison]], as opposed to Hardison now, who runs charities in his spare time.
109	* Sawyer on ''{{Series/Lost}}'' started out a JerkAss and developed into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. In season 4, he exhibits little (if any) jerky behavior at all, but then Miles was introduced and became the replacement jerk. This is lampshaded even before it becomes blatant:
110	-->'''Miles:''' Where the hell did they go, tubby?\
111	'''Hurley:''' Oh, awesome, the ship sent us another Sawyer.
112	* The producers of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' tried a SpinOff starring yet another sleazy dad: ''TopOfTheHeap'', about Al and Peg's high school friend Charlie Verducci and his dumb but good-natured adult son Vinnie (played by a young Creator/MattLeblanc before ''Series/{{Friends}}''). But for all of Al's faults, it's always made clear that he loves his family and will put their needs before his own. Charlie, however, had none of Al's redeeming qualities and even tried ''killing his son's beloved cat'' just because it annoyed him. The show bombed ratings-wise. It was eventually {{retool}}ed, dropping Charlie in favor of the much-more-likable Vinnie, but this didn't fare much better since ''he'' was essentially just a male version of [[BrainlessBeauty Kelly]].
113	* ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'': When Mary's friend Rhoda got her own spinoff, she brought along her younger sister Brenda to take on the "less cool friend" role.
114	* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': A rare ''triple subversion''. As Regina goes through a genuine HeelFaceTurn by the end of the Neverland arc, Zelena took her place as the main "villainous witch". The triple subversion comes when Zelena seems to pull a HeelFaceTurn by the end of season five [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor only to go back to being a villain again at the start of Season Six]] (though she eventually pulls a genuine HeelFaceTurn at the end of Season Six, and stays that way throughout Season Seven).
115	* Jean-Ralphio on ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. Since the first season, Tom's character has deepened and he's been shown as sometimes being good at his government job, and very serious about Rent-a-Swag. So it's been important to hold onto Jean-Ralphio as the lazy, image-obsessed screwup.
116	* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', Rimmer ends up being his own Replacement Flat Character, so to speak: in the TV series, the "original" Rimmer gradually becomes more fleshed out and -- if not likeable -- [[FreudianExcuse understandable]]. He even shows the occasional moment of bravery, before leaving in series VII [[spoiler:to become "the next Ace Rimmer"]]. Then in series VIII he's resurrected by nanobots as his old, pre-hologram self, and is back to being "you as you used to be" as a disgusted Lister puts it.
117	** Meanwhile in the book (and less strongly in the episode "Me^2", the contrast is made between Rimmer and the copy of him that hasn't been "mellowed out" by Lister and co.
118	* In the Franchise/StargateVerse:
119	** SicklyNeuroticGeek archeologist Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) becomes steadily more physical and cool as ''Series/StargateSG1'' goes on (and the writers run out of allergy and geek jokes). During the episode "Meridian", he is [[spoiler:rendered unavailable/thought to be dead and is]] temporarily replaced by an anthropologist, Jonas Quinn who is essentially the big geek Daniel used to be, and remains an ongoing (intermittent) figure of fun.
120	** Dr. [=McKay=] starts out as a recurring ''SG-1'' character who shows up whenever there's a need for a scientist to jerkily disagree with the main characters. On ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', he ''is'' one of the main characters, so he gets some character development and Dr. Kavanagh is introduced to take over the "recurring jerk scientist" role.
121	** On the villainous side, Colonel Harry Maybourne starts off as TheHeavy of a traitorous rogue faction within the NID. But after a few seasons of character development and several EnemyMine scenarios with the heroes, he'd become too sympathetic to fill this role anymore (instead transitioning into a recurring ally, albeit one that could never be fully trusted) and was replaced in the NID by Colonel Frank Simmons, who was just as dirty as Maybourne had been but lacking any of his charm.
122	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
123	** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In season 4's "Message In A Bottle", the Doctor gets sent to a Starfleet vessel in the Alpha Quadrant, the USS ''Prometheus'', where he butts heads with the ''Prometheus'''s EMH Mark II program, who is basically what the Doctor was at the start of the series, as they try to stop the Romulans who've captured the ship.
124	** Throughout Season 3 of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', the mission to stop the Xindi from destroying Earth turns [[TheCaptain Captain Archer]] into a grittier, more battle-hardened man who has to compromise his ethics more than once. The episode that celebrates our heroes' homecoming after saving the day introduces another captain, Erika Hernandez, who's an idealistic explorer like Archer used to be. He is ''not'' happy at seeing her and dwelling on what he's become.
125	* In the first season of ''Series/StrangerThings'', Steve Harrington is a JerkJock who's disliked by most of the main cast. But Joe Keery's portrayal led him to be percieved as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, and the character was rewritten to be friendlier and see his misoginy and bullying as an OldShame. The following season introduced Billy Hargrove, Steve's rival in the basketball court, all around JerkAss and BigBrotherBully to Max. Billy is not without redeeming qualities, since his violent behavior is a consequence of the abuse he suffers in the hands of his violent father, and he eventually receives RedemptionEqualsDeath by sacrificing himself protecting Max. Following his death, Jason Carver is a second replacement character, although he comes from a different background - while Billy was a LowerClassLout who was open about his criminal behavior, Jason is a religious preppy kid who accuses Mike and his friends of being violent criminals.
126	* ''Series/{{Touched By An Angel}}'': By the later seasons Monica has undergone enough character growth that she is no longer defined by being naive and thrilled by all the new things she encounters on earth. Enter Gloria, a new angel notable for those very traits so the show can keep the dynamic going.
127	* In ''Series/{{Victorious}}'', [[TheDitz Cat]] was largely the dumb one of the group. When she got her own show, ''Series/SamAndCat'', she took a more central role. While she was still unintelligent, she was given more to do. As such, [[DumbMuscle Goomer]] was introduced to take over her role as the dumb one.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Theater]]
131	* Creator/GilbertAndSullivan manage quite a speedy one in ''Theatre/HMSPinafore''. Captain Corcoran's IAmSong firmly establishes him as a flat caricature--proud, formal, obsessed with good language, a bit susceptible to sea sickness--but rather than flanderizing those characteristics, the scene that follows gives him more depth and nuance. Ready to see what happens when he meets somebody who really ''is'' as pompous and pedantic as he initially seemed? [[UpperClassTwit Enter Sir Joseph Porter]].
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Video Games]]
135	* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'':
136	** After Olaf's CharacterDevelopment made him no longer the GeneralFailure he was in the first game, Flak was added to ''Black Hole Rising'' to fill the StarterVillain role, and is somehow ''[[DumbMuscle even more of an idiot]]'' than [=AW1=] Olaf ever was.
137	** Sonja in the first game was an UnscrupulousHero willing to use dark methods (namely, kidnapping and attacking the three Orange Star commanders) to expose the war's FalseFlagOperation for her optional arc. With her CharacterDevelopment and firmly being on the side of the heroes in the sequel, Lash was added to the villains and is essentially [[EvilCounterpart Sonja without any of her moral scruples.]] The mission "A Mirror Darkly" dissects this.
138	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
139	** An inversion occurs with two of Sonic's longtime rivals, Knuckles and Shadow. The former started off as a misguided antagonist before switching sides to being Sonic's on and off ally. And then a couple years later, Shadow was introduced as a new rival to Sonic with a [[KnightOfCerebus much more dramatic and elaborate backstory]] than Knuckles. Knuckles was DemotedToComicRelief and Shadow would have a few more years dedicated to his expanding backstory and QuestForIdentity.
140	** After Shadow's QuestForIdentity, he developed out of being the StockShonenRival he once was. Future characters would pick up that slack. The ''Riders'' games introduced Jet the Hawk, another [[TheRival rival]] to Sonic, except he's far more of a {{Jerkass}}, arrogant GloryHound than Shadow ever was, and [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk hasn't shown any development]] even in spinoff media. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' introduces Infinite, an all-powerful artificial hedgehog antagonist like Shadow, except [[CharacterExaggeration playing up the former's "edgelord" reputation]] to the point of [[ParodySue self-parody.]] (While also being genuinely sadistic with none of Shadow's HiddenDepths)
141	** After Tails developed out of his TagalongKid role into being TheSmartGuy of the group, Cream the Rabbit and Charmy Bee were created to fill in those spots. The former being a CheerfulChild and the latter being a BrattyHalfPint.
142	* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' game ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'', one of the villains is a square-haired Peridot ("[[InSeriesNickname Squaridot]]"). WordOfGod describes her as being [[TheEvilGenius quite similar]] to Peridot before her HeelFaceTurn and says that it was fun to revisit Peridot as a villain.
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
146	* The ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series has a habit of this. A common pattern is that each game will introduce new characters in the "rival prosecutor" and "young assistant" roles after those who previously filled them developed. These new characters in turn develop and grow out of their roles, and are replaced by new ones in the next game, and so on.
147	** After Miles Edgeworth's gradual HeelFaceTurn in the first game, ''Justice for All'' introduced Franziska Von Karma, the [[DaddysLittleVillain actual daughter]] of Edgeworth's EvilMentor and even more of a bratty, [[ThePerfectionist perfection-obsessed]], SoreLoser than he ever was. And while he was an AmoralAttorney, he was a mere {{Jerkass}} at worst, while her courtroom tactics involve ''physical abuse'' via a whip. Eventually she also had a HeelFaceTurn and mellowed out considerably, so future games had their own rival prosecutors.
148	** "Rise from the Ashes", a bonus episode added to the first game's [[RemadeForTheExport overseas remake]], is set after Maya's CharacterDevelopment and return to her village. It introduces a new "young assistant" character, the forensics-obsessed Ema Skye, who fulfils a similar GenkiGirl role to pre-development Maya. Ema would later appear OlderAndWiser after the TimeSkip to ''Apollo Justice'', by which point Trucy Wright had taken up the assistant mantle.
149	** After Maya became a more rounded character, Pearl Fey took on the "young assistant" and spirit medium role, also in ''Justice for All''. Unlike the late-teens/young adult Maya, Pearl is an actual child and just as naively innocent as one would expect. Like Ema, she appears [[KidHeroAllGrownUp grown up]] in the ''Apollo Justice Trilogy'', by which point Athene Cykes had taken over her role.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Web Animation]]
153	* In ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'', Strong Sad has become much more strong and confident, losing a lot of his {{Wangst}} and occasionally getting his own back on Strong Bad. Therefore Coach Z and the King of Town have filled in as "pathetic losers" in his place.
154	* ''WebAnimation/{{S\|upermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers}}MG4'': The character of Desti was used as the rival character to Meggy during the 2018-19 episodes, as a sort of flat AlphaBitch designed to just get in her way. This changes during the Anime Arc, which attempts to flesh her out [[spoiler:before [[KilledOffForReal killing her off]] in "World War Mario"]]. For ''WebAnimation/MeggysDestinyAnSMG4Movie'', her title as the arrogant rival is replaced by Team Killer Ink, a quartet of Inklings that don't even attempt to be actual characters and exist purely to [[FantasticRacism hate humans because]] and pose as Meggy's final opponent during Splatfest. To say fans were upset that such shallow characters were the FinalBoss of a ''two year character arc'', to be instantly disposed of after the fact, would [[ReplacementScrappy be an understatement]].
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Webcomics]]
158	* A variation on this happens in ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' with the protagonist, Dave, a computer {{geek}} employed by a MadScientist. Dave's early characterization revolved around his extreme geekiness and his FishOutOfWater status. As the years went by, however, his personality became more rounded and he got more and more at ease around mad science. Towards the and of the comic, [[MadScientist Helen]] creates a Dave clone who lacks the last few years of memories. Everybody else is shocked at how ''boring'' Dave used to be. (Although part of this was that the clone had a fully-functioning WeirdnessCensor, which the real Dave never did.) It is telling that when the "real" Dave [[spoiler:who just became a mad scientist himself]] meets his clone, he [[spoiler:kills him without the least hesitation]].
159	* When his AxCrazy antics started to get him in trouble and after adopting a cat as his animal companion, Belkar Bitterleaf from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' was forced to undergo CharacterDevelopment and become more likely to work with the rest of the party and show he actually cares about anything but killing. When the Order fought [[PsychoRangers the Linear Guild]] again, Belkar's new EvilCounterpart (after he killed the previous two) was a Kobold named Yukyuk, who was a Kobold Ranger with all of Belkar's old sadistic and murderous tendencies (in fact, he also seems like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of the Linear Guild's first Kobold, whose personality was exactly like old Belkar's), riding a wolf, which was Belkar's original idea for an animal companion and tries to murder Belkar's cat out of sheer cruelty. [[spoiler:Belkar's biggest show of growth comes when he decides to ''not'' kill Yukyuk, who ends mind-controlled by V, though he's made to [[{{Squick}} use his mouth as the cat's litter box]] as punishment for hurting him and later dies when V sends him to trigger some traps.]]
160	* Minor example in ''WebComic/SomethingPositive'': Mike originally represented all the worst aspects of a geek, like being whiny, misogynistic and annoying, but underwent a lot of character development over the years. In the 2016 and 2017 [[TheBusCameBack "Old Familiar Faces"]] weeks, the comic brought back a very minor character named [[DarknessVonGothickname Bloodthorn]] who acted the same way. The AltText even quipped that he was "doing [an] early Mike impression".
161	* Initially, Chad of the ''Webcomic/VirginVsChad'' memes was rude, obnoxious, and deliberately did everything the Virgin wasn't doing because cool people don't act like virgins. When his character was made more into a general BigManOnCampus and the memes posited him as unironically cool, Reddit quickly made a replacement: enter Brad, an even more obnoxious, rude bully that's never as cool as he thinks he is.
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	[[folder:Web Original]]
165	* ''[[http://www.gamearena.com.au/ Gap]]'': Tom was originally somewhat uptight and nerdy, but eventually became the relaxed character of today, and had his role filled by David.
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Web Videos]]
169	* After the HeelRealization and HeelFaceTurn of Anxiety in the season 1 finale of ''WebVideo/SandersSides'', his former role as the scary and unwanted side is often taken by the [[InSeriesNickname Dark Sides]] that were introduced in season 2. For that reason, most viewers were not surprised when [[spoiler:he confessed to have formerly been a Dark Side himself]]. Deceit also received the same treatment to a lesser extent (as of mid-2023, anyway), and around the same time, the irredeemably {{flat\|Character}} of Remus was introduced.
170	* In the early ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'' videos, Chef Pee Pee was a dimwitted chef who loved working for Bowser, but as the series went on, especially with the introduction of Bowser's son, Junior, Chef Pee Pee became smarter and grew to hate Bowser and Junior for treating him badly. Chef Poo Poo, a clone of Chef Pee Pee introduced in "Chef Pee Pee's Clone" is extremely dumb and loves to play with Junior.
171	[[/folder]]
172
173	[[folder:Western Animation]]
174	* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', Fry's ex-girlfriend Michelle wound up freezing herself after Fry himself was accidentally frozen and woke up in the year 3000, but unlike Fry, who adjusted to the future surprisingly well, she had a lot of trouble with it and eventually hooked up with an also recently-thawed Creator/PaulyShore. WordOfGod says that this episode was made because the original concept of Fry being a FishOutOfTemporalWater hadn't really worked out, because he functions ''[[LikeADuckTakesToWater better]]'' in the future than he did in the 20th century.
175	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'':
176	** [[TheDon Valmont]]'s [[TheBrute brutish enforcer]] Tohru underwent a HeelFaceTurn after Season 1 and became a more nuanced [[TheBigGuy Big Guy]] with [[GentleGiant a pacifistic streak]], [[MommasBoy a loving relationship with his mother]], and [[HiddenDepths an interest in sorcery]]. As soon as he did, Hak Foo--an unambiguously evil, musclebound brute--instantly joined Valmont's team as his replacement [[TheBrute chief enforcer]].
177	** Valmont himself underwent considerable CharacterDevelopment after he got [[GrandTheftMe possessed by Shendu]] after Season 1, found out the hard way that [[EvilIsNotAToy the dark arts are not to be trifled with]], and eventually became an antiheroic ally of the heroes. Then in Season 3, [[EvilSorcerer Daolon Wong]] replaced him as the BigBad, and quickly showed that he actually ''was'' the sort of power-mad occult mastermind that Valmont ''seemed'' to be.
178	* Amity from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' starts off as an AcademicAlphaBitch, but as the audience gets to see more of her hidden sweet side, her BetaBitch Boscha picks up the slack and proves to be an even more shallow bully than Amity was initially presented as. Amity lampshades this dynamic when Boscha starts expressing jealousy over Willow's rising popularity.
179	-->'''Amity:''' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech You know, I used to be like you, Boscha. Obsessed with status, challenging my competition, but I grew up. When will you?]]
180	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'': Cyril Sneer started out as an abrasive, money-grubbing CorruptCorporateExecutive who frequently played an antagonistic role. Over time, however, he gradually [[TookALevelInKindness became a better person]], eventually settling into a sometimes ruthless and underhanded but not malicious JerkWithAHeartOfGold who, [[ReformedButNotTamed while still avaricious]], had more lines he wouldn't cross in pursuit of wealth. Not coincidentally, at around the same time this was happening, the show introduced a new villainous businessman named Milton Midas, who had all of Cyril's worst traits and then some while lacking his redeeming qualities.
181	* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark,'' [[StepfordSmiler Butters]] was originally the ButtMonkey whom the other boys would abuse or manipulate for their own benefit. This continued even after Butters became their friend and an AscendedExtra, but it wouldn't have made sense to use him in this role for "Elementary School Musical," so [[SpeechImpediment Scott Malkinson]] was created instead. Scott is now used whenever we need a character even less cool than Butters.
182	** Also {{Inverted}}: WordOfGod says that [[ButtMonkey Pip]] [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome disappeared]] from the show largely because they realized that Butters filled the [[ThePollyanna same basic niche]] but was a more interesting character. Pip was always a CreatorsPest anyway, despite [[EnsembleDarkHorse being fairly popular with the fanbase]].
183	** During Season 19, Mr. Garrison left South Park to run for President of the United States of America, becoming a {{Trumplica}} in the process. A new character named Mrs. Nelson filled his place at school, but she received little focus until the Vaccination Special, by the end of which [[KilledOffForReal she died]] so that Mr. Garrison would get his old job back in the culmination of his RedemptionQuest.
184	* In ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', Philip the Diesel Boxcab's naive and childish (and somewhat cheeky) attitude very much replicates how Thomas and Percy were initially, who by now act as [[CoolBigSis Cool Big Bros]] to Philip.
185	* {{Inverted}} in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama:'' The series has a habit of {{Flanderiz\|ation}}ing contestants until they can't really work as characters anymore, then replacing them with a more rounded SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute. The most obvious examples are [[InformedAttractiveness Justin]] ==> [[LatinLover Alejandro]] (both use their looks to manipulate people, but Alejandro isn't ''obsessively'' vain) and [[HotBlooded Eva]] ==> {{J\|erkJock}}o (both female jocks, but Jo isn't completely [[HairTriggerTemper blinded by rage]]).
186	** While less obvious, some also believe that [[ConspiracyTheorist Shawn]] was an attempt to redo [[ButtMonkey Ezekiel]], as both are scruffy HomeschooledKids who wear a toque and struggle with {{Greed}}. If so, the difference is telling, since [[spoiler:Shawn actually wins his season]].
187	* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'':
188	** Early episodes played up Doctor Venture's status as a JadedWashout who deals with his childhood trauma through overuse of prescription medications. This aspect of the character was downplayed after the first season, as his childhood trauma was replaced with feelings of jealousy towards his brother. In comes Action Johnny, a ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' parody who's always heavily drugged out and breaks down crying whenever some aspect of his childhood comes up.
189	** Originally, Hank and Dean had some elements of a ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'' parody, with their preppy outfits, straight-laced personalities, Jock/Nerd dichotomy and naïve attempts to investigate crimes. As they underwent DivergentCharacterEvolution, they were too different from the originals and each other to function as parodies. In come the Hale twins, a DarkParody of the Hardy Boys who were implied to have killed their father. In fact, the outfits Lance and Dale wear are similar to the outfits Hank and Dean wore during the first three seasons of the show.
190	* Superboy/Conner Kent in ''WesternAnimation/{{Young Justice\|2010}}'' started off as an aloof kid full of angst and anger issues with tremendous power, who was barely willing to socialize with others. Over the course of two seasons, he grew a lot as a person and became more focused, open and kind. Season 3 then introduces Geo-Force/Brion Markov, who is in many ways what Conner was when he started, and putting him next to Superboy highlights just how much Conner has grown over the years. Many characters point out that Brion is just like what Conner used to be, himself included, and he takes Brion under his wing specifically for that reason.
191	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ReplacementFlatCharacter