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47 Famous Character Facts That’ll Change How You See Them

By:: Brian C. Miller; Cracked Writers

November 16, 2023

47 Famous Character Facts That’ll Change How You See Them

When you think of your favorite movie or book characters, there are probably some pretty interesting things that come to mind. For instance, you might know that Ron Weasley was originally supposed to be killed off in the seventh book of the Harry Potter series or that Draco Malfoy’s name is derived from a constellation. But what about lesser-known character facts? Below are interesting tidbits about some of your favorite characters that will change how you see them forever…

47

CRACKED.COM Jason Voorhees barely shows up in the original movie. 20 The villain in Friday the 13th is Pamela Voorhees, Jason's mother, seeking revenge for her son's death. THE Murderous Jason doesn't show up until the sequel- and he only gets his hockey mask in part three. FRI — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

46

The Smurfs were throwaway characters. The Belgian comic Johan and Peewit had been running for six years when the little blue fellas showed up as a part of a specific story. They ended SHIMES up becoming SO popular that Peyo, the comic's creator, reluctantly parked the main characters to focus on the Smurfs. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

45

Inspector Clouseau was only comic relief. The Pink Panther was intended as a vehicle for David Niven, with Clouseau as a bumbling police detective failing to catch Niven's suave thief. PANTHER But Peter Sellers' comedy act stole the spotlight, N SO the sequels dropped the crime drama and focused only on Closeau's antics. THE CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

44

CRACKED.co The Daleks were supposed to be a one-time threat. The all-evil, pepper shaker aliens were created early OHN in Doctor Who's history- and by the end of the story, OR they had all been destroyed. But they proved to be SO popular that they were brought back over and over, becoming the show's most iconic monsters. — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

43

CRACKED.COM The Smoking Man has four words in Season 1. The Smoking Man was at first just a bit player in a vast conspiracy. As the show X-11 went on, he ended up becoming Mulder's main (and unkillable) nemesis. THE — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

42

Steve Urkel was supposed to be in just one episode. The nerdy neighbor was created to take Laura Winslow on a terrible date, halfway through the first season. But Jaleel White's MAD performance won over both the producers and the audience, turning the show into a huge hit. FAM CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

41

CRACKED.COM Miles O'Brien didn't even have a name. The everyman Irish engineer was completely nameless in the first episode of The Next BE Generation, and didn't get a full name until the show's fourth season. From a mere extra, he grew up to be a regular in two different Trek series. STAR — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

40

CRACKED.COM President Josiah Bartlet was created as a background character. THE The West Wing was conceived as a show about the White House's staff, with the president only showing up every now and then. But after shooting the pilot, WE executive producers Aaron Sorkin and John Wells went Nope, this guy needs a bigger part. THE — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

39

CRACKED.COM Phil Coulson was called only Agent at first. Clark Gregg was initially UNIVERSE reluctant to take such a small, nameless role for Iron Man. The character was progressively CINEMATIC beefed up, though- up to the point of becoming the factor that unites the Avengers. MARVEL — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

38

Harley Quinn was created to wheel in a cake. For an episode of Batman: The Animated Series, writer Paul Dini needed someone to bring a big cake for Joker to burst out of he gave him a female henchman, in the style of 1960s villains. She wasn't given a backstory until some time later. BAT CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

37

CRACKED.COM Kim Wexler was more or less disposable. Kim was created as a broadly defined tempering NE influence for Jimmy McGill, with the creators open to the possibility that she might become less CA important with time. She became an increasingly complex character instead, with her own arc being one of the show's driving forces. BETTER — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

36

Fonzie wasn't even billed in the opening credits. The Fonz was written as a cliched bully, and Henry Winkler outright refused to play him that way. The producers let him have his way, SO Winkler went on to turn a bit part into an uber-cool DA dude who quickly overshadowed the show's real protagonists. HAPPY CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

35

CRACKED.COM Mike Ehrmantraut was a ast-minute fix(er). Bob Odenkirk wasn't available to shoot a scene as Saul Goodman, so Jonathan Banks was cast as a cleaner in his place. It turned out be BA to for the better, as cleaning up messes didn't really fit Saul-and the no-nonsense new character soon got a name and a regular spot on the show. BREA — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

34

Popeye was hired for just one gig, then stayed forever. In 1929, the characters of the comic strip Thimble Theater needed a crew for their boat, SO they hired this grizzled, one-eyed sailor they met on the docks. The audience loved the new character, SO Olive Oyl dumped her long-term boyfriend for him. POP CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

33

Xena was supposed to die very soon. Xena was created for Hercules: The Legendary PRINT Journeys, and was intended to kick the bucket after a three-episode arc. But the producers wanted a spin-off, and thought this new character could carry WAR her own show, so she ended up surviving- and overshadowing the original series. ALL CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Big Characters Who Started Small

32

CRACKED.COM Carrie Fisher regretted taking her most iconic role, Princess Leia. When asked whether she would have taken the role had she known the film would be big, she said: ] would never have done it. AIL. did when I was really famous was wait for it to end. — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

31

CHANNING TATUM HATED G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA Look, I'll be honest. If king hate that movie. I hate that movie, Tatum said in a Howard Stern interview. According to Tatum, he didn't want to be in the movie because the script was bad, but he was forced to do it because he signed a three-picture deal with Paramount beforehand. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

30

MARK WAHLBERG ISN'T A FAN OF THE HAPPENING In 2010, Wahlberg finally revealed his thoughts on The Happening F**k it. It is what it is. **king trees, man. The plants. F**k it. You can't blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn't playing a cop or a crook. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

29

JOSH BROLIN HATES JONAH HEX. Jonah Hex, hated it. Hated it. The experience of making it -that would have been a better movie based on what we did. As opposed to what ended up happening to it. Brolin thought the movie should have been made on a much smaller budget. He was also frustrated with massive re-shoots that occurred in a span of a couple of days. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

28

Christopher Plummer hates his iconic role in The Sound of Music. It was so awful and sentimental and gooey. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

27

THE AFTERMATH OF AFTER EARTH WAS EXCRUCIATING FOR WILL SMITH. In an interview with Esquire, Smith admitted that the film was the most painful failure in my career. It made him stop working for a year and a half. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

26

Shia LaBeouf thinks Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull was a disservice to the series, and his acting contributed. I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished. Harrison Ford wasn't happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

25

FANS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES WHO HATE BATMAN AND ROBIN. George Clooney also thinks the movie was a disaster, and he says he apologizes for it every chance he gets. He only took the role because he thought it would further his career. He even keeps a picture of himself as Batman in his office, to remind him of what happens when you make movies purely for commercial reasons. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

24

BEN AFFLECK'S HATE FOR DAREDEVIL MADE HIM DO BATMAN During an interview with The New York Times, Affleck explained why he took on the role of Batman in Batman V Superman. That's the movie I want to do. I want to be a part of that. Part of it was I wanted for once to get one of these movies and do it right - to do a good version. I hate Daredevil so much. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

23

RAY PARK IS THAT ONE GUY WHO'S USUALLY DOING MORE FIGHTING THAN TALKING. PARTICULARLY IN HIS ROLE AS THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN'S TORSO. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

22

These ghastly, thin monsters with unsettling proportions are not CGI... Conjuring 2 (2016) Mama (2013) Crimson Peak (2015) They were played by Javier Botet! Rec (2007) CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

21

The scary guy under heavy makeup is oftentimes LAWRENCE MAKOARE. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

20

CRACKED.COM Toby Kebbell is the actor who brings many of Hollywood's CGI creatures to life. Warcraft Fantastic Four Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Kong: Skull Island — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

19

CRACKED.COM In Charmed, Grams was a hippie with a young daughter in 1967, and a grandmother of two in 1975. — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

18

Cleveland Brown Jr. on Family Guy, is a skinny, hyperactive child. On the spinoff The Cleveland Show, he's an overweight, soft-spoken kid who wears glasses. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

17

In Full House, when Steve Hale was first introduced, his last name was Peters. Milk ink B CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

16

Goofy hasn't always been Mickey's dumb friend. In the '50s Disney showed him as an everyman dealing with adult issues like work, dieting, and smoking addictions. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

15

Charlie Kelly of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia GRACKED.COM started the show with no learning disabilities. of Which makes ZUEKAY his sudden iNZIGE illiteracy in three season I & more than a bit confusing. — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

14

CRACKED.COM BANE became Batman's enemy BECAUSE HE USED TO DREAM OF A BAT. CONQUER THE FEAR IN YOUR HEART AND you MAY HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU DESIRE. YOU WILL BE SECOND TO NO MAN... In the comics, Bane had suffered a recurring nightmare since childhood about a monstrous bat representing his fear. When he heard about Batman, he decided to go to Gotham City and destroy him. — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

13

In the MCU, Vision is created by uploading Iron Man's AIJ.A.R.V.I.S. into a synthetic body. Vision's comic book origin is much weirder than that. His body is crafted from the remains of the android Human Torch, while his neural processors are programmed from Wonder Man's brain patterns. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

12

BIG HERO IN THE ORIGINAL COMICS, HIRO WAS A CHILD PRODIGY WHO WAS FORCED TO FIGHT IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS ABDUCTED MOTHER FROM EVERWRAITH, AN ENTITY MADE UP OF SOULS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED DURING THE 1945 NUCLEAR ATTACKS ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI. IT WAS TOO EDGY FOR DISNEY. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

11

In The Princess and the Frog, the prince's curse is broken by a romantic kiss. In the original Grimm fairy tale, the prince's curse is broken when he's hurled at a wall by his love. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

10

Shrek hatched in was a pit and then abandoned there by his parents. NO WONDER HE HAS TRUST ISSUES. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

9

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel's voice is taken away by Ursula. In the original fairy tale, her tongue gets cut off. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

8

In Batman V Superman, Bruce Wayne is supposed to speak decent Russian. But all accounts are balanced in the end. What he ends up with is not only barely intelligible gibberish, it isn't even remotely what the subtitles at the bottom claim he said. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

7

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data holds his palette with the paints facing away, but that's totally wrong. You need to support the palette with your forearm, to keep it stable and to prevent your arm from getting tired. CRAOF — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

6

In Sniper (1993), Thomas Beckett closes one eye when aiming. A trained sniper would keep both eyes open, both to prevent overworking his aiming eye and keep tabs on his periphery. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

5

Verbal Kint is the character in The Usual Suspects who (spoiler) is secretly Turkish crime lord Keyser Soze. But the name gives away his identity. In Turkish, Soze comes from soz and can mean, among other things, talk or say. You know, to be verbal. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

4

Sirius Black is introduced in Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, a movie where Harry is stalked by a black dog. His name means black dog. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (the big dog), and is known as the dog star. The twist in the movie is that Sirius can transform into a black dog. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

3

Angela Hayes Is the name of the rose petal girl in American Beauty. Her name sounds just like Lolita's. The title character in Lolita, the iconic novel and film about an adult man obsessed with a sexualized child, was Dolores Haze. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

2

Xander is one of Buffy's best friends in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series. He's a callback to the Buffy movie. A Zander is a fish that looks like a pike. Pike is the name of the only classmate who helps/believes Buffy in the movie. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

1

Cypher is the Matrix character who kills half of Morpheus' crew in one fell swoop. the His name means devil. Cypher is short for Lucifer, and because of that has been used for numerous movie villains through the years. CRACKED.COM — Source: 32 Ace Facts About Famous Characters

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