Biggest Waste of a Character?

[Flint Marko]

Pretty much every X-men character that isn't Wolverine, Mystique, Xavier, or Magneto.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Curt Connors in Raimi's SM series.

You really think he was a bigger waste than Gwen Stacy in the Raimi series? It was sad that We never got to see the completion of the Lizard arc with him, but at least he seemed to be important to Peter's life. Gwen was an empty plot twist.

 

[Rowsdower!]

This might not count (although there have been plenty of Terminator comics), but how about John Connor in Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genysis?

Given that Connor is supposedly such a brilliant leader and all around badass that Skynet has been forced to send multiple killing machines back in TIME to kill him because he's so elusive and lethal in their present, once we finally got to meet adult John Connor, the results were... disappointing, to say the least.

In T3, we're introduced to Emo Drifter John Connor, who spends most of his time moping around, looking afraid and getting his ass kicked. Nick Stahl is a good actor, but he was so wrong for this role it's just sad.

Next up, we got what SHOULD have been the quintessential John Connor. They had the perfect actor in Christian Bale. They had a futuristic, war-torn hellscape setting, breaking away from the typical "send a robot back in time to kill John Connor" plot of all the previous Terminator films. And yet, this version just... sucked, because SURPRISE! This isn't a movie about John Connor at all folks! It's a star vehicle for Sam Worthington, so we spend most of the movie following his a**hole character around and periodically get little vignettes featuring Connor saying obvious things like "If the Terminator kills my mother before my birth, I won't exist." Such a weird thing to do.

And then of course you had Weird Evil Liquid Metal John Connor in the next movie. The less said about that nonsense, the better.

 

[Steyin]

You really think he was a bigger waste than Gwen Stacy in the Raimi series? It was sad that We never got to see the completion of the Lizard arc with him, but at least he seemed to be important to Peter's life. Gwen was an empty plot twist.

Yes. 3 films with him was a tease versus the 1 with Gwen. I always felt Gwen should have been used from the start instead of MJ, which is why I didn't give a **** about her when she finally showed up. Hell if anything MJ is a waste of a character as they should have went with Gwen.

 

[The Joker]

Connors was only in two of Raimi's movies, not three.

 

[Fincher]

This might not count (although there have been plenty of Terminator comics), but how about John Connor in Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genysis?

Given that Connor is supposedly such a brilliant leader and all around badass that Skynet has been forced to send multiple killing machines back in TIME to kill him because he's so elusive and lethal in their present, once we finally got to meet adult John Connor, the results were... disappointing, to say the least.

In T3, we're introduced to Emo Drifter John Connor, who spends most of his time moping around, looking afraid and getting his ass kicked. Nick Stahl is a good actor, but he was so wrong for this role it's just sad.

Next up, we got what SHOULD have been the quintessential John Connor. They had the perfect actor in Christian Bale. They had a futuristic, war-torn hellscape setting, breaking away from the typical "send a robot back in time to kill John Connor" plot of all the previous Terminator films. And yet, this version just... sucked, because SURPRISE! This isn't a movie about John Connor at all folks! It's a star vehicle for Sam Worthington, so we spend most of the movie following his a**hole character around and periodically get little vignettes featuring Connor saying obvious things like "If the Terminator kills my mother before my birth, I won't exist." Such a weird thing to do.

And then of course you had Weird Evil Liquid Metal John Connor in the next movie. The less said about that nonsense, the better.

Spoiler

Supposedly, the original ending had Marcus Wright disguise himself as John Connor and finish off the Resistance. I didn't like that, but I think the movie would have been better if John Connor died, and Marcus Wright disguised himself as him and turned out to be the "John Connor" who defeats Skynet. He has the temperament and skills, and his ability to interact with the machines would explain how The Terminator was reprogrammed to protect John Connor. John Connor would have still needed to live so that Wright could infiltrate and control the Resistance.

I mean, sure, it would be a controversial twist, but I treat the movies and TV shows post-Terminator 2 as riffs on the original concept, anyway.

 

[Wise]

DC = Lex Luthor and Joker.

Marvel = Dr. Doom, Baron Zemo, Galactus, Hank Pym.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I read this

This might not count (although there have been plenty of Terminator comics), but how about John Connor in Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genysis?

Immediately after that I read this

Connors was only in two of Raimi's movies, not three.

And my initial thought was "Sam Raimi directed Terminator movies? "

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Days of Future Past is one of my favorite but I was disappointed in Bishop's tiny role as a red shirt.

Having said that, Doom cleary has the most wasted potential. Audiences have no clue what a BAMF he is and it's almost criminal.

 

[Greens]

Maybe Doom is actually a wimp and the bad-ass interpretation is wrong

 

[zlucamanz]

Superman from DCEU

He lost potential to become interesting character neither he need to act evil when nesscessary or waste of death moment being unexplore deeper which kill whole great elesworld concept superman.

Now he was nothing then nobody.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

So I guess I take this question a little differently.

Poison Ivy/Mr Freeze, Galactus/Dr Doom, Rhino/Electro/Venom/Green Goblin are one way of answering. Certainly they wasted opportunities with all of them. But I'm more concerned about the characters who were used in name only and will never get a chance to be realized.

Iron Man 3 for example. The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley wouldve been phenomenal and now we'll never see it happen. (unless there's some keyser soze twist in IM4 when Trevor Slattery reveals himself as the real mandarin).

I foresee Batman and Spider-Man films in the future with good versions of the aforementioned villains. Even Fantastic Four could be salvaged 10 years from now.

But we'll likely never see Ben Kingsley get another shot as a legit Marvel villain.

Another example would be Mads Mikkelsen as a throwaway villain. Guy shouldve been cast as Dormammu, hands down.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, Mads was totally wasted as Kaisilliest or whatever his name was. Great actor in yet another totally forgettable Marvel villain role. The rest of the movie was great but not even trying to make that villain compelling when they had an actor of his caliber is criminal.

 

[Guard82]

DC = Lex Luthor and Joker.

Marvel = Dr. Doom, Baron Zemo, Galactus, Hank Pym.

If you're referring to the Joker from Suicide Squad, then yes, you're right about that. But the Joker as a character has been adapted to film much more successfully before with Heath Ledger's and Jack Nicholson's great performances in their respective movies, not to mention the Joker's great animated appearances. Overall, the Joker is not a wasted character because most of his adaptations have been great. The Suicide Squad version was the exception rather than the rule.

On the Marvel side, I thought Zemo was handled very well in CA:CW. He was well-acted and he played a useful role in the story.

Iron Man 3 for example. The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley wouldve been phenomenal and now we'll never see it happen. (unless there's some keyser soze twist in IM4 when Trevor Slattery reveals himself as the real mandarin).

I disagree with the idea that Ben Kingsley's version of the Mandarin counts as a "waste," regardless of what you think of the twist in IM3. While this version was certainly controversial with fans, being controversial isn't the same thing as being a waste. If Kingsley's character had been boring, poorly written, or poorly acted like some other movie villains, then that would have counted as wasted. But this wasn't the case. Kingsley's character was never boring in the movie; he was always interesting and entertaining, whether in the Mandarin persona or as Trevor. Kingsley did a great acting job in IM3, and critics widely praised his performance. All the people I know who saw IM3 liked him in the movie.

I also don't think Kingsley himself believes he was wasted in the movie because he seems to have genuinely enjoyed playing his role in IM3. And Marvel liked his performance so much that they had him reprise his role in the "All Hail the King" short film. So even though his version of the Mandarin wasn't everything that many fans expected, that alone doesn't make the role wasted or unsuccessful IMO.

 

[Lantern Venom]

So I guess I take this question a little differently.

Poison Ivy/Mr Freeze, Galactus/Dr Doom, Rhino/Electro/Venom/Green Goblin are one way of answering. Certainly they wasted opportunities with all of them. But I'm more concerned about the characters who were used in name only and will never get a chance to be realized.

Iron Man 3 for example. The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley wouldve been phenomenal and now we'll never see it happen. (unless there's some keyser soze twist in IM4 when Trevor Slattery reveals himself as the real mandarin).
.

INOs are always a waste because they usually don't effect that particular character alone. Not only did IM3's "Mandarin" rob Tony Stark of a personal rivalry, but IM3 omitted the Makluan tech of Mandarin's rings. At best, Marvel Studios delayed some story aspects of Iron Man and the Avengers. At worst, they've omitted them altogether.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Mandarin magic rings would have been too corny lol.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Mandarin magic rings would have been too corny lol.

We've seen the MCU embrace an alien who looks like an angry baby tree. The concept of "too corny" no longer applies.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

We've seen the MCU embrace an alien who looks like an angry baby tree. The concept of "too corny" no longer applies.

Baby Groot for comedy. Mandarin is supposed to be serious villain.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Baby Groot for comedy. Mandarin is supposed to be serious villain.

Point taken.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Baby Groot for comedy. Mandarin is supposed to be serious villain.

And the way to achieve the "serious villain" goal is to make him a cowardly numbskull with no super powers or super tech? O....K.....

 

[Drizzle]

Pretty much every X-men character that isn't Wolverine, Mystique, Xavier, or Magneto.

I'd even add Rogue, Jean, Storm, Nightcrawler and Beast to that list. Rogue was the deuteragonist in the first film, Jean was a prominent character through the first trilogy and Apocalypse, Storm was practically team leader in The Last Stand, Nightcrawler had a fair amount to do in X2, and Beast had a fairly large role in The Last Stand as well as being one of the main protagonists of the First Class trilogy.

 

[Lantern Venom]

I'd even add Rogue, Jean, Storm, Nightcrawler and Beast to that list. Rogue was the deuteragonist in the first film, Jean was a prominent character through the first trilogy and Apocalypse, Storm was practically team leader in The Last Stand, Nightcrawler had a fair amount to do in X2, and Beast had a fairly large role in The Last Stand as well as being one of the main protagonists of the First Class trilogy.

If we're talking "biggest waste", as in the singular, it seems to me that Gambit was treated as much more disposable than those other characters. That's a shame.

 

[Flint Marko]

I'd even add Rogue, Jean, Storm, Nightcrawler and Beast to that list. Rogue was the deuteragonist in the first film, Jean was a prominent character through the first trilogy and Apocalypse, Storm was practically team leader in The Last Stand, Nightcrawler had a fair amount to do in X2, and Beast had a fairly large role in The Last Stand as well as being one of the main protagonists of the First Class trilogy.

Wait.... Storm? You really would say that Storm wasn't a waste? I find all of these contentious but Id argue Storm is probably the X-men with the most wasted potential.

 

[Drizzle]

Wait.... Storm? You really would say that Storm wasn't a waste? I find all of these contentious but Id argue Storm is probably the X-men with the most wasted potential.

Only because she was pushed to the forefront in The Last Stand after Halle Berry negotiated for her to play a bigger role. She was given a lot to do in that one, for better or worse. She was underused in the other movies for sure.

I'd also say that Iceman was in the movies enough to the point where I got tired of seeing him in DOFP.

 

[The Joker]

Commissioner Gordon in the Burton/Schumacher Batman movies.