Characters who were meant to be the next big thing but fell off?

[SilentStorm]

Thoma Avenir from the Magical Nanoha series, hey, let's pick up a franchise about magical girls fighting to save the world or multiverse and replace them with a literal random guy for Nanoha Force, this guy never appeared or was mentioned before but he is best friends with and beloved like a brother by popular franchise characters who really should have mentioned him before if he was that important to their lives, have him be a bit generic, also, let's give him the best weapons and have every bad guy obsessed with him and want him to join their side because everyone so loves Thoma, even the bad guys want him!

While we're at it, let's make it so that the villains are anti-magic to a point where MAGIC IN A MAGICAL GIRL FRANCHISE is completely useless, what, people watching a franchise that always used magic to fight before want to see magic being used!?

The hell kind of thing are you saying, sure, the third season introduced anti-magic but it didn't freaking make magic completely useless, it's just so that the old cast suddenly becomes useless and has to spend time training with new stuff but don't worry, Thoma who everyone likes gets into anti-magic combat really quick!

He has some fans, but mostly people who like cool powerful heroes that can do stuff while others can't, overall, he was so hated and really the series in general that Nanoha Force entered hiatus in 2013 and still has to come back, it actually seems to have killed the franchise, there were attempts at making some new movies and manga but nothing that got big like the first few series, and all of those completely ignored Thoma and any Force character or element.

 

[Biske]

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How dare you. He didnt fall off, instead they chose to keep making it the Goku show. Gohan was robbed

 

[Soapbox Killer]

City High


Billed as the next Fugees:

City High - What Would You Do? (Clean Version)

Music video by City High performing What Would You Do?. (C) 2001 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.

www.youtube.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyg5IoEv8oA

 

[TrashHeap64]

They made these guys to try and capture the magic of TMNT. Even had plans to make comics, toys, and a cartoon show at one point.

 

[PAFenix]

Thoma Avenir from the Magical Nanoha series, hey, let's pick up a franchise about magical girls fighting to save the world or multiverse and replace them with a literal random guy for Nanoha Force, this guy never appeared or was mentioned before but he is best friends with and beloved like a brother by popular franchise characters who really should have mentioned him before if he was that important to their lives, have him be a bit generic, also, let's give him the best weapons and have every bad guy obsessed with him and want him to join their side because everyone so loves Thoma, even the bad guys want him!

While we're at it, let's make it so that the villains are anti-magic to a point where MAGIC IN A MAGICAL GIRL FRANCHISE is completely useless, what, people watching a franchise that always used magic to fight before want to see magic being used!?

The hell kind of thing are you saying, sure, the third season introduced anti-magic but it didn't freaking make magic completely useless, it's just so that the old cast suddenly becomes useless and has to spend time training with new stuff but don't worry, Thoma who everyone likes gets into anti-magic combat really quick!

He has some fans, but mostly people who like cool powerful heroes that can do stuff while others can't, overall, he was so hated and really the series in general that Nanoha Force entered hiatus in 2013 and still has to come back, it actually seems to have killed the franchise, there were attempts at making some new movies and manga but nothing that got big like the first few series, and all of those completely ignored Thoma and any Force character or element.

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I used to see Nanoha EVERYWHERE. I was wondering where the eff it went. Going off your subscription, I'd totally blame this guy lol. If he was that bland & gary-stu-ish, I'd assume he was meant to be a self-insert. Glad that didn't take off.

I still need to find a means to watch this series.

 

[TheEchosOfTheCyborg]

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Funny thing about Rodimus is that he seemed to have worked... It just took a decade or so to do it.

Seriously, Hot Rod/Rodimus nearly always appears at the tops of popularity polls, both fan and official ones sometimes just behind the Big Three Autobots (Optimus, Bumblebee and Grimlock) along with Jazz, Ironhide, Ratchet, Arcee, Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack, is a regular request for new toys of him and has appeared regularly in new Transformers fiction in both the movies, comics and cartoons.

Part of is younger fans coming in any enjoying the character without the baggage of the 86 movie (I know Transformers Energon really seemed to boost his popularity with the kids at the time), his portrayal in stuff like the IDW comics helping him a lot etc. The stigma has never fully went away though as older fans still blame him for like the first... Second or so time Optimus died.

 

[SilentStorm]

I used to see Nanoha EVERYWHERE. I was wondering where the eff it went. Going off your subscription, I'd totally blame this guy lol. If he was that bland & gary-stu-ish, I'd assume he was meant to be a self-insert. Glad that didn't take off.

I still need to find a means to watch this series.

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I do like Nanoha, but Force is...well it has it's small section of fans but it's absolutely the worst entry in every way, even the art itself having trouble depicting big fights well, it actively killed the original continuity, as in, those movies and manga i mentioned were either short attempts at a reboot or alternate universes.

Thoma was also not the only issue, also, i don't even think having a guy as a main character could be an issue even if everyone else had been a girl, it's just Thoma sucked and there already was a guy that helped during fights and was actually quite popular with fans, more popular than most of the girls, Yuuno, who had been there from the start, sure, he had less magical power than Nanoha, but hey, they insisted on Anti-Magic in a magic franchise for some weird reason, so why not?

But why use the guy that has been there from the start, knows magic, can fight, already has established connections to the cast and is popular with fans when you can invent someone else?

 

[DarthMasta]

Black Adam? :D

 

[Black_Stride]

Did people really say Miles and Gwen last year?

You could argue that Marvel pushed characters on us like the Inhumans but Gwen became big despite Marvel not pushing her and the fans demanding more. Miles started off being pushed but more than earned his keep and now has a well regarded game and beloved film and is basically a major, accepted and well loved part of Spider-Man canon now.

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Despite Marvel not pushing Gwen?
She got her own book, she was in a succesful movie, she got her own "Gwen-Verse".....you think Marvel didnt push her on us?

And Miles is still a jobber.
Yes hes popular from the movie and the game, but in comics if the writers forgot he was a character no one in comicdom would notice.

 

[CaptainKashup]

Despite Marvel not pushing Gwen?
She got her own book, she was in a succesful movie, she got her own "Gwen-Verse".....you think Marvel didnt push her on us?

And Miles is still a jobber.
Yes hes popular from the movie and the game, but in comics if the writers forgot he was a character no one in comicdom would notice.

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Gwen and Miles are going to carry the next two Spider-Verse movies, sequels to one of the most beloved animated movie of all time.
They're also a trio with Pete in a hugely popular Disney show for kids.
I'd say they're doing well.

 

[Chrome Hyena]

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Ugh fuck Rodimus Prime! Son of a bitch ruined my childhood!

City High


Billed as the next Fugees:

City High - What Would You Do? (Clean Version)

Music video by City High performing What Would You Do?. (C) 2001 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.

www.youtube.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyg5IoEv8oA

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Yeah City High was a huge disappointment to me. They didn't have the same vibe or mystique or just flyness as Fugees. Hell I still rock Fugees in my Playlist.

 

[Akiba756]

The sad thing about legacy comic characters is that while they might be popular in their own right, and be kept around as a supporting cast, they never will never stay as the "main" version of said hero, because eventually, the publisher will ask themselves if bringing the OG character back will drive interest

The only case where it stuck was with Captain Marvel, for two reasons

1 no one wants to mess with the "Death of Captain Marvel" storyline, as it remains a touching personal tale
2 no one really cared about Mar-Vell

 

[Vourlis]

I mean god for 80s cartoons you could basically put a stack of them in a room, close your eyes and point, and have a right answer nearly 100% of the time. So many were meant to be giant franchises that just came and went.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

Ugh fuck Rodimus Prime! Son of a bitch ruined my childhood!

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Even as a child i used to ask my brother, why is he so whiny? Like i was like 8 or 9 when he got to the show. He was such a punk. Not even compared to Optimus either, just him.


And he was so bad ass in the movie too, the fuck happen?

 

[SirFritz]

Even into the PS2 era, thanks to the odd breakout hit, you had people trying. One that really fell off after looking like it might have a decent shot was, of course...

A million sales on the first game was an alright start, but not exactly assailing the heights any of these characters had

Second game comes and goes, TV show promised but never arrives, and 3's never even released in Europe. Now the games need kickstarters for HD rereleases, while the fellas on the left had big budget remakes that have sold in the tens of millions, and on the right has a movie that made over 300 million dollars at the box office

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There were others too like those Tak the power of juju games. Had sequels and even got it's tv show but really no one actually cared.

 

[Capt Sensib1e]

Oliver from Brady Bunch made me want to punch the TV.

 

[viral]

How dare you. He didnt fall off, instead they chose to keep making it the Goku show. Gohan was robbed

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Dragon Ball has always been the Goku show though. When has a series changing protagonists ever work out? And it's not like Gohan's arc didn't make sense, he never really cared about fighting, it would have been weird to keep pushing him. Toriyama was right that he didn't have a leading man personality and he was absolutely right in sidelining him.

 

[dancingphlower]

I really hope Luke falls off after SF6, what a loser lol

 

[Derbel McDillet]

Dragon Ball has always been the Goku show though. When has a series changing protagonists ever work out? And it's not like Gohan's arc didn't make sense, he never really cared about fighting, it would have been weird to keep pushing him. Toriyama was right that he didn't have a leading man personality and he was absolutely right in sidelining him.

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Gohan didn't go out of his way to fight, he stepped up when there was a reason to. Like most anime.

 

[Korigama]

Dragon Ball has always been the Goku show though. When has a series changing protagonists ever work out? And it's not like Gohan's arc didn't make sense, he never really cared about fighting, it would have been weird to keep pushing him. Toriyama was right that he didn't have a leading man personality and he was absolutely right in sidelining him.

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JoJo. That said, I don't disagree with Toriyama ultimately deciding against pushing Gohan as the lead.

 

[Rhomega]

Yeah kids from the prequel era love those movies too.

Fucking kids though. Don't know these children movies are ours and ours alone? We were here before them and I am pretty sure we could take them in a fight.

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I think some people unironically are like this. New characters should be run by the original fans first, and you can't change the originals. The Doctor can't be a woman. Velma can't be a South Asian lesbian.

 

[Bengraven]

Despite Marvel not pushing Gwen?
She got her own book, she was in a succesful movie, she got her own "Gwen-Verse".....you think Marvel didnt push her on us?

And Miles is still a jobber.
Yes hes popular from the movie and the game, but in comics if the writers forgot he was a character no one in comicdom would notice.

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My point is that they did not push her on us. She was a character created for a crossover that got to be incredibly popular through fan art to the point she got her own title. Maybe they're pushing her now, but they never had to. We were wanting more of her for a while.

 

[Deleted member 41651]

Married with Children attempted to make a spinoff called Top of the Heap. Every time they injected these characters, it sucked ass.

 

[Bengraven]

Married with Children attempted to make a spinoff called Top of the Heap. Every time they injected these characters, it sucked ass.

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Wasn't this just one episode?

 

[Deleted member 41651]

Wasn't this just one episode?

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Think it was 2 or three but I could be wrong. Matt LeBlanc showed up a few times though.

 

[Lord Vatek]

Gohan would have been a terrible protagonist for DBZ because he hates fighting in a series about fighting and Toriyama was right the whole time.

That is all.

 

[Dhx]

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Haha. So much this.

 

[Dale Copper]

 

[Korigama]

Think it was 2 or three but I could be wrong. Matt LeBlanc showed up a few times though.

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Around two or three Matt LeBlanc appearances, including that dedicated backdoor pilot episode.

Wouldn't be the last time they tried and failed to make spin-offs of Married with Children happen using backdoor pilots, either (Radio Free Trumaine, Enemies).

 

[entremet]

Zoroark's availability hindered it the most. Bit hard for it to become your favourite pokemon when it was very hard to even get one (You needed specific event pokemon from the previous game and transfer them over). I'd argue Zorua ended up more popular than Zoroark, we'll see if the Hisuian form changes it's fate.

Add Incineroar for the list. A Smash Appearance as well as prominent anime appearance certainly made it seem like it was trying to be pushed like Greninja. Turns out Mimikyu ended up the most popular Gen 7 pokemon in the end. Decidueye also seems to show up higher in popularity polls over Incineroar now as well.

Might as well reserve this spot for Cinderace as well.

Certainly the one getting pushed the most of the Galar Starters. Doesn't seem like it's going to stick though.

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Amazing design, though. A rabbit soccer player? So good.

Great competitive Pokemon too.

 

[Rover_]

another vote here for Black Adam...

went from being DCU's new salvation to not in future plans in like 1 month.

 

[Deleted member 41651]

Around two or three Matt LeBlanc appearances, including that dedicated backdoor pilot episode.

Wouldn't be the last time they tried and failed to make spin-offs of Married with Children happen using backdoor pilots, either (Radio Free Trumaine, Enemies).

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Ugh fuck, I forgot about the Gen X college radio spinoff attempt. Turned that episode off reaaal fast.

 

[ErichWK]

I kinda feel MCU Carol Danvers Ms Marvel. Introduced as a god powered super hero but then just flew away to fuck off elsewhere. I was really excited before the movie came out but after i just kinda roll my eyes whenever i see her. Same in midnight suns

 

[AlgusUnderdunk]

...I still have a statue of Beck sitting in my museum. Don't give up lil' guy!

 

[SlyShinobi]

Spartan Locke. The Hunt the Truth ads leading up to Halo 5 made it seem like 343 was positioning him as a potential replacement for Master Chief.

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Locke should've just been a super villain. A Spartan baddie would've been cool.

 

[Scrappy-Fan92]

Scrappy Doo was the first thing I thought of. Kids liked him, but the existing fanbase hated him, especially how it felt like Velma, Daphne and Fred were shafted for him. (Unintentionally, I believe.)

Since the live action film, he only shows up for the occasional gag of how much he sucks.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8JluYWNHQ

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Okay, putting username bias aside for a moment, it's hard to say if he counts. He successfully served the purpose he was created for and stuck around with the franchise for about a decade longer than most "sudden arrival" types like the Great Gazoo. For a time, he was the next big thing for Scooby-Doo!, he just got removed, and some of that may be more on the corporate reshuffling Hanna-Barbera's franchises went through in the 90s.

 

[The Ethereal One]

Despite Marvel not pushing Gwen?
She got her own book, she was in a succesful movie, she got her own "Gwen-Verse".....you think Marvel didnt push her on us?

And Miles is still a jobber.
Yes hes popular from the movie and the game, but in comics if the writers forgot he was a character no one in comicdom would notice.

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The comics don't matter. Most people don't read them and they don't nearly have the exposure that film, tv gives. The fact that Miles and Gwen have blown up and have made their way into pop culture in spite of the source material is proof alone.

 

[Rutger]

Dragon Ball has always been the Goku show though. When has a series changing protagonists ever work out? And it's not like Gohan's arc didn't make sense, he never really cared about fighting, it would have been weird to keep pushing him. Toriyama was right that he didn't have a leading man personality and he was absolutely right in sidelining him.

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If Dragon Ball is always the Goku show, then the Z portion of it is really bad about it because he is off screen for a majority of it while other characters go through development and then only returns when the story gets written into a corner and he needs to defeat someone.


The reason Toriyama decided he liked Goku more as the protagonist in the end is because he can be a very repetitive writer and Goku can work as a one note solution to anything.

 

[UberTag]

Does Tuvix count? I mean, if we're counting Poochie it seems only fair.