Summary
Some character development is completely ruined by mishandled movie sequels. Essentially,movie sequels have ruined characterswhen they contradict, repeat, or otherwise completely ignore a character’s arc from previous installments.Movie sequels that were not planned when the previous movie was in production are tricky,and it is difficult to write a continuation of a character arc that feels organic under these circumstances. If working against character development is inevitable, it’s probably because themovie sequel is completely unnecessary.
Unwanted upcoming movie sequels and rebootsrun the risk of undoing years of development for beloved characters.Oftentimes, sequels that ignore character development also create continuity issues,angering the fandom even more. This demonstrates a dangerous mindset where a new writer or director respects their own vision more than what the franchise is to the fans, which almost always leads to movies that don’t make sense in the broader context of the story.
9 Movie Sequels That Caused Massive Continuity Problems With The Original Films
Most big Hollywood franchises have had continuity errors of varying degrees, with a single entry in the series often causing the confusion.
10Han Solo (Harrison Ford)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Han’s arc in the original trilogy shows him learning to care about others (besides himself and Chewie) and a cause bigger than himself. Rather than leaving to pay his debts and continue being a smuggler, he returns to help destroy the Death Star and continue to help the Rebellion.Han never completely loses his roguish, scoundrel charm,which is fine as it is what makes him such a charismatic character. However, his character development presumably would have continued off-screen as he raised a son with Leia.
WhereStar Wars: The Force Awakenspicks up,it seems like during the 20 or so years Han spent with Leia, he didn’t change at all.He decided to go back to self-serving smuggling despite moving away from this in his original arc. He sort of explains himself, saying he went back to it as a coping mechanism after losing his son. However, the fact thatHan and Leiaare prepared to fight for Ben then makes his retrograde development during the time he did nothing even worse.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the fall of the Galactic Empire. It follows Han Solo and new allies, including Finn and Rey, as they confront the rising threat of Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers while seeking the elusive Luke Skywalker.
9Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot)
Fast X (2023)
In a matter of seconds,Fast Xruined or at least undermined one of the franchise’s best characters. Gisele is first introduced as a level-headed, cool criminal who doesn’t have any reason to mess up her current job by helping the protagonists, making it a pleasant surprise when she does, even though Dom has made it clear nothing is going to happen between them.One rescue from Dom and a few friendly interactions establish Gisele as a helpful characterwithout the need for an overblown arc, and she is invited back by Dom’s family for the next heist.
Gisele and Hanthen have their romantic arc, which showcases even more of Gisele’s caring side when people still might have assumed she was only in it for the money. This culminates in Gisele allegedly sacrificing herself to save Han inFast & Furious 6. However,Gal Gadot’s abrupt return inFast Xthen raises too many questions about why she didn’t go back to Han and what she is doing with Cipher. The next movie will probably offer some contrived explanation, but it will be hard to justify thatGisele let Han believe she was dead.
Fast X
Fast X is the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, featuring Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto. Released in 2023, the film follows Dom and his family as they confront a formidable adversary from their past, determined to dismantle their bonds and endanger everything they hold dear.
8Woody & Buzz (Tom Hanks & Tim Allen)
Toy Story (2019)
Woody’s arc throughout theToy Storymovies is primarily concerned with accepting change. This leads to the heartrending moment where he realizes that he has done all he can for Andy, and it is okay to let go.Toy Story 4almost immediately reverses this by showing how Woody is still hung up on Andy,as he had more purpose as Andy’s toy. It leads to another revelation that he doesn’t have to be a specific child’s toy, but still undermines the moment of him waving goodbye to Andy from Bonnie’s porch, which wasn’t the end after all.
Woody and Buzz at least get a profound goodbye, but now Toy Story 5 is likely to ruin that as well.
Meanwhile, Buzz first realizes that while he is a toy, he can still be an important leader inToy Story; he goes on to call Woody out for betraying his own ideals inToy Story 2and argues for keeping the group together inToy Story 3. Buzz still does some"space ranger"type things, making him the resident strategist.Toy Story 4then makes Buzz goofy and easily confused,destroying the best aspect of his personality. Woody and Buzz at least get a profound goodbye, but nowToy Story 5is likely to ruin that as well.
Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 is part of Pixar’s animated franchise, where Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, embarks on a road trip with old and new friends. As Bonnie introduces Forky, an unconventional toy, Woody navigates the challenges of his evolving role while exploring the wider world beyond Andy and Bonnie.
7Jean Grey (Sophie Turner)
Dark Phoenix (2019)
The Dark Phoenix storyline has been done too many times, andit always ends with Jean losing control of her mind to the villainous Phoenix and sacrificing herself to end the carnagein a moment of lucidity. Despite its blatant flaws as a movie,X-Men: Apocalypseactually seems like it is setting out to subvert this when Jean saves the day with a demonstration of exactly how powerful she is. For a brief moment, it looked like Fox’sX-Menfranchise was going to explore a positive version of what Jean could become with this power.
Then, inDark Phoenix, the same storyline ofX-Men: The Last Standplays out. Jean’s growing power gets the better of her, and she kills a close friend; then she sacrifices herself to save the rest of the X-Men.TheX-Men: First Classera features an interesting version of Jean Grey,who is reserved but gradually comes into her power. Her arc happens against the backdrop of an average movie, but it has potential.Dark Phoenixthen wastes an actress like Sophie Turner on the same story.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
The team faces internal and external challenges in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as Jean Grey transforms after absorbing a cosmic force during a space rescue mission. This newfound power tests her stability, prompting the X-Men to confront both Jean’s volatile state and alien forces seeking to exploit her abilities.
6John Connor (Jason Clarke)
Terminator Genysis (2015)
John actually has a decent character arc fromTerminator 2: Judgment DaytoTerminator Salvation. While the franchise’s third and fourth movies do not showcase its best writing, fractured moments of John’s character development that make a lot of sense come through. These movies showcase things like John being unsure about his allegedly predetermined destiny and how he makes decisions during the war with the knowledge of the future his mother has passed on to him. ThenTerminator Genysisignores everything that John’s character used to beand completely disrupts the franchise.
John becomes the villain corrupted by an external force whose death has absolutely no emotional impacton the people who would be his parents. The timeline is such a mess that it’s not clear which parts of his arc ever happened; even if they did, he’s only going to become an easily-deposed threat. Despite previously criticized sequels, theTerminatorfranchise can always make things worse for itself.
Terminator Genisys
Terminator: Genysis reboots James Cameron’s Terminator franchise by rewriting the events of the original movie. This time, Emilia Clarke’s Sarah Connor already knows why Jai Courtney’s Kyle Reese has been sent back in time, and an older T-800, once again played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, helps them in their quest to prevent an AI uprising.
8 Movie Franchises That Deserved A Better Legacy
Often the legacy of a great movie franchise can be tarnished over the years, with substandard sequels diminishing the overall impact of the series.
5Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson)
Incredibles 2 (2018)
The Incrediblesdepicts Bob Parr a.k.a. Mr. Incredible living with the consequences of lying to his family in order to be a superhero again. In the end, he has a greater appreciation for his wife and children, understanding that the dream he was chasing isn’t as important. The audience would think that Bob would not make the same mistake twice — which he technically doesn’t — butIncredibles 2doesn’t demonstrate the same level of sophisticated writing to uphold his character development.
Admittedly, Bob doesn’t go off and do more hero work, leaving the kids with a babysitter when Helen believes she can work because he is at home with them. However,he doesn’t tell her that Jack-Jack has started manifesting powers because he wants her to restore the superheroes' reputationso he can be a superhero again. Bob’s actions in the second movie don’t have the same disastrous results, but he is still completely focused on returning to hero work and gets into some shenanigans trying to make this happen.
The Incredibles 2
The sequel to Pixar’s The Incredibles, Incredibles 2 follows the Parr family as they continue to fight crime as Supers. In a world that has only recently rediscovered its need for superpowered heroes, building trust is key. However, when Elastigirl uncovers a villainous plot to discredit the Super community, the family investigates, putting the Parrs in more danger than ever before.
4Edmund Pevensie (Skandar Keynes)
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (2010)
Edmund’s characterization as reliable and focused inThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspianis largely the byproduct of Peter and Caspian taking up most of the screen time. However, it can also be interpreted as Edmund undergoing perfect character growth. He made a mistake out of pride, and he never makes that mistake again. He is an unwavering pillar in the Narnians' campaign. It would even make sense for Edmund to be haunted by the White Witch, but the movie subverts this;Peter is tempted by her, but Edmund won’t be tricked again and takes her out immediately.
With Peter no longer a part of the story in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Edmund essentially inherits his arc.
With Peter no longer a part of the story inThe Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Edmund essentially inherits his arc. He is restless in the real world, clashes with Caspian over who is in charge, and becomes the target of the White Witch’s ghost.Edmund being completely content with being the second-in-command works inPrince Caspian;he is at his best when his storyline is not driven by easily resolved drama, allowing him the chance to show off how far he has come.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Based on C.S. Lewis’s popular book series, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third film in the trilogy and takes place three years after the prior film and follows two siblings joined by the new king of Narnia, Caspian, as they attempt to save their world from all-encompassing darkness. The group will travel the seas to save seven missing lords to prepare for the coming battle.
3Neo & Trinity (Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss)
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
The Matrixshows that breaking free of the Matrix is not something accomplished easily; it is more than simply unplugging a person, and they must be ready for it. Trinity has already gone through this experience at the start of the franchise, while Neo does the same in the first movie.The Matrix Resurrectionsthen puts them right back into the Matrix,where they exist submissively for decades. The legacy sequel retreads some old ground withNeo and Trinityrediscovering life outside the system and each other.
Meanwhile, their powers are all over the place. There is a humorous moment where Neo attempts to fly, underscoring that he is nowhere near as powerful as he once was. If Trinity is the same martial arts and computer master, she doesn’t have as many chances to show it, but swiftly gains some other powers.Neo and Trinity as they are seen in this movie just aren’t as honed as they are in the original trilogy,showcasing some backtracking in their arcs.
The Matrix Resurrections
Set sixty years after The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Resurrections is a sci-fi action movie that sees the return of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne moss nearly twenty years after the release of the previous film. Neo has become a game developer who struggles to grasp reality, and his concerns are validated when a new visage of Morpheus arrives to free him from his prison - a newly created Matrix. Learning that Trinity is alive and being held prisoner, Neo will join a new rebel force to save her and confront a new, dangerous foe known as the Analyst.
2Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox)
Scream VI (2023)
Gale has proven herself to be scheming and selfish, crossing a lot of boundaries to find a good story and write her next bestseller. Despite this, she is one of the main characters and Sydney’s longstanding ally in theScreammovies.It would actually be more logical if Gale became less inclined to make a profit off of Ghostface’s activitiesover time; the biggest moment that undoes any character development she has comes in the sixthScreammovie.
The most personal trauma for Gale happens in this movie when her ex-husband and close friend Dewey Riley becomes Ghostface’s latest victim. This time it is different for Gale, which is why her promise not to write another book about it all makes sense. This promise ends swiftly when she writes another book in the next movie that gives rise to the conspiracy theory that Sam is the killer.No matter how many timesScreamfans think Gale might have changed, she always reverts to her old waysfor the sake of more drama.
Scream VI
Scream VI, the next installment in the Scream horror franchise, follows four survivors of the latest Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro in search of a new beginning. Released in 2023, the film explores their efforts to escape their past while facing new threats in a different setting.
10 TV Characters Whose Arcs Were Ruined, According To Reddit
There’s nothing as frustrating as a good character being destroyed by a terrible arc, and these Redditors point out the most egregious examples.
1Luke Skywalker
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Luke has a standard arc in the original trilogy which shows him going from an unsure protagonist yearning for adventure to a skilled warrior. He comes into his own as he masters the ways of the Jedi and is ready to take on his next challenge.The presumption for a long time was that Luke would go on to train the next generation of Jedi,butStar Wars: The Last Jedidisappoints with the reveal of how quickly Luke gave up on this dream.
Fans probably imagined Luke becoming a mentor like Obi-Wan:wise and relatively positive. This makes sense given Luke’s consistently hopeful outlook in the original trilogy. What Luke becomes instead is a jaded mentor who has to be pulled back into the action by the new protagonist after years of letting the First Order destroy the galaxy. With a character as iconic as Luke Skywalker, the fallout of his character arc being undone hurt more than most other examples.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues the saga as Rey hones her powers under the guidance of Luke Skywalker. As her abilities unsettle her mentor, the Resistance faces the First Order in a pivotal battle.
