History AbortedArc / WesternAnimation

* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' Season 2 ended with ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and Comicbook/IronMan deciding that they needed to expand the team in order to face bigger threats, and the last shot showed them looking at images of a bunch of potential new recruits like Comicbook/BlackPanther, [[Comicbook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]], Comicbook/DoctorStrange, and ComicBook/MoonKnight. The Season 3 premiere then opened up with none of these characters as part of the Avengers roster, with Comicbook/TheFalcon offhandedly mentioning that the expansion plan had been canceled.

** The show's penultimate episode has Valerie discover that [[spoiler:her employer Vlad and Danny's "cousin" Danielle are half-ghost]]. The episode ends with her saying that she plans to do something with this revelation. The series finale makes no mention of this plotline whatsoever, with Valerie herself only getting a short non-speaking background cameo.

** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' had a bevy of plot threads LeftHanging, included Meltdown making a return, [[spoiler: Waspinator coming up with a plan while putting himself together]], where [[spoiler: Sari's protoform came from]], and both Lockdown and Swindle [[spoiler: escaping]]. It should be noted that the cancellation that resulted in a number of these plots threads being unresolved was a mix of Hasbro's ExecutiveMeddling and being ScrewedByTheNetwork.[[note]]''Animated'''s last season was produced as Hasbro and [[Creator/DiscoveryChannel Discovery Communications]] were planning to combine forces and create their own kids channel called [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]]. Creator/CartoonNetwork shared the rights of the ''Animated'' show with Hasbro, due to that incarnation being produced by their in-house studio. The end result was that Hasbro did not desire to continue the series when they [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime could just make a new one that they'd completely own]], and while Cartoon Network was given the option to continue ''Animated'' solo, they saw no point if they could no longer merchandise it.[[/note]]

*** This was because [[spoiler:Zuko and Katara were endgame, and Aang was supposed to free him from its worldly concerns. This was thrashed by Nickelodeon's execs, fearing a poor fan reception.]]

*** [[spoiler:Probably because romantic attachment isn't a barrier to entering the Avatar State. Is a barrier to *controlling it.* Strangely enough, Korra is able to master it with no problems whatsoever.]]

*** It's particularly notable in that the idea of [[spoiler: romantic attachment]] as a barrier to entering the Avatar State is never touched upon before or after this. [[spoiler: Multiple past Avatars are shown to have had spouses and/or children, and in the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Korra's various romantic relationships have no effect on her ability to enter the Avatar State]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'': Due to being cancelled after only two seasons, the show had a few of these. Notably, the heavily foreshadowed showdown with Surtur and the Enchantress never took place, and Maria Hill's repeated rants about a [[Comicbook/CivilWar Superhuman Registration Act]] never panned out.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' Season 2 ended with ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and Comicbook/IronMan deciding that they needed to expand the team in order to face bigger threats, and the last shot showed them looking at images of a bunch of potential new recruits like Comicbook/BlackPanther, [[Comicbook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]], Comicbook/DoctorStrange, and ComicBook/MoonKnight. The Season 3 premier then opened up with none of these characters as part of the Avengers roster, with Comicbook/TheFalcon offhandedly mentioning that the expansion plan had been cancelled.
* Due to being ScrewedByTheNetwork, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' had to abort the Shards of Equinox arc, an arc that would have focused on finding the various personality shards of Equinox that were scattered through the universe. The GrandFinale episode even made a LampshadeHanging over the cancellation of the show by being about ''getting the show cancelled''.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'': Three arcs fell victim to this; the lingering threat of King Viktor, the redemption journey of Charmcaster (whose true name is [[spoiler: Hope]]), and the possession of Elena Validus by the Hive nano chips. This was because then-series producer [[AuthorExistenceFailure Dwanye McDuffie passing away]] during production. The people placed in charge of [[WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse the following series]] outright stated they had no interest in continuing them. While that first plot got some satisfying closure through Dr. Viktor becoming himself again ([[AuthorsSavingThrow with Zs'Skayr being shown removing Xarion's soul and allowing Viktor to regain control]]), the others didn't. Elena cameoed as herself toward the end of the series with no explanation as to how she was freed of the nano chips' influence, while Charmcaster never went by her true name again and saw no escape from the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor (as the answer for what side she'd finally land on was to happen in a proposed SpinOff starring Ben's cousin Gwen, who is Charmcaster's main rival).

** Season 4 had a recurring subplot about The Mane Six rebuilding The Castle of the Two Sisters, Princess Celestia and Luna's old home, implying it may be used as a new base of sorts for their future adventures down the line. But after Twilight gets [[MerchandiseDrivenShow her own castle]] in the season finale, this plot is immediately forgotten and the old castle is only brought up one more time at the end of season 5.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', Ron Stoppable has a romantic arc with Zita Flores, a cute girl who seems to share his interests in gaming and entertainment, albeit not identically (she is a fan of sword-and-sorcery RPG's, whereas Ron is a straight FPS and Action/Adventure gamer). After two episodes and a meeting in a movie which might be construed as a first date, followed by joining forces in an MMORPG plot, she is not seen until the GrandFinale, where she's [[PairTheSpares randomly paired off]] with Felix the wheelchair guy.

** Season 4 had a recurring subplot about The Mane Six rebuilding The Castle of the Two Sisters, Princess Celestia and Luna's old home, implying it may be used as a base of sorts, for their adventures down the line. But [[spoiler: after Twilight gets her own castle in the season finale]], this plot is immediately forgotten and the old castle itself is only brought up one more time at the end of season 5.
** In the Season 5 premiere, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer both mention a Mage Meadowbrook who wielded eight magic items, which Twilight realizes the "Staff of Sameness" was not one of. This plot thread is never touched on again. When Meadowbrook appears much later, rather than being a unicorn who wields enchanted items she's [[{{Retcon}} now an earth pony more akin to a Louisianan Witch Doctor]] and said magical items aren't even referenced.

** Aang is required to [[spoiler: let go of Katara so he can master the Avatar state but he never actually does it. He spends more than a whole season agonizing over this because of his major crush on her. The series just has him abruptly and accidentally activate it by [[DeusExMachina hitting a rock with his back]]. This makes absolutely no sense because unlocking the chakras is established as a mental process. The novelization [[HandWave completely glosses over it]] with Aang's thoughts remaining on Katara even as he enters the Avatar state]].
*** It's probably notable that the idea that romantic attachment is a barrier to entering the Avatar State is never touched upon before or after this. Multiple past Avatars are shown to have had spouses and/or children, and in the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Korra's various romantic relationships have no effect on her ability to enter the Avatar State.
** The season one finale features [[TheHero Aang]] traveling to the spirit world meeting the potent character Koh the Face Stealer, who ominously says "We'll meet again," as Aang leaves. They never did, not even in the second season of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' which [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse dealt with nothing but spirits]]. [[AllThereInTheManual In a series of flash games]] that take place between seasons 2 and 3, they do meet again and Koh is more than a little eager to pay Aang back for escaping the last time they met.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'': Three arcs that progress (the lingering threat of King Viktor, the redemption journey of Charmcaster (whose true name is [[spoiler: Hope]]), and the possession of Elena Validus by the Hive nano chips) never saw their conclusion due to [[AuthorExistenceFailure Dwanye McDuffie passing away]] during production. The people in charge of [[WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse the following series]] outright stated they no interest in continuing them. Dr. Viktor became Dr. Viktor again, [[AuthorsSavingThrow with Zs'Skayr being shown removing Xarion's soul and allowing Viktor to regain control]], Elena cameoed as herself toward the end of the series with no explanation as to how she was freed of the nano chips' influence, and Charmcaster never went by her true name again and saw no escape from the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

* In the Season 2 finale of ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', Franz Hopper, in his diary, mentions that Lyoko and XANA were originally created to stop a certain "Project Carthage", a military program designed to "disrupt enemy communications". This led to the expectation that the next season would deal with the Project somewhat, while delving into Lyoko's history some more. Not so. Season 3 took off in a different direction, and other than the {{fanon}} assumption that "TheMenInBlack" seen throughout the show are from this organization, Project Carthage is never, ever mentioned again. For two seasons. Not even when the show ''ends''.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'':
** [[BigBad Vlad's]] plans with Fright Knight, the Crown of Fire, his ElaborateUndergroundBase, and his acquirement of Axion Labs. ExecutiveMeddling played a part in it all. For that matter Danny and Valerie's DatingCatwoman plotline.
** The return of [[FutureMeScaresMe Danny's evil older self]], which was heavily hinted at at the end of his sole appearance.
** At the end of the show's penultimate episode, Valerie discovers [[spoiler:that Vlad (who gave her her weapons) and Danny's "cousin" Danielle are halfas]]. She implies she'll do something about it. Come the finale and nothing happens, with Valerie having not even a single line of dialogue.

** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' had a bevy of plot threads LeftHanging, included Meltdown making a return, [[spoiler: Waspinator coming up with a plan while putting himself together]], where [[spoiler: Sari's protoform came from]], and both Lockdown and Swindle [[spoiler: escaping]]. It should be noted that the cancellation that resulted in a number of these plots threads being unresolved was a mix of Hasbro's ExecutiveMeddling and being ScrewedByTheNetwork.[[note]]''Animated'''s last season was produced as Hasbro and [[Creator/DiscoveryChannel Discovery Communications]] were planning to combine forces and create their own kids channel called [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]]. Creator/CartoonNetwork shared the rights of the ''Animated'' show with Hasbro, due to that incarnation being produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The end result was that Hasbro did not desire to continue the series when they [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime could just make a new one that they'd completely own]], and while Cartoon Network was given the option to continue ''Animated'' solo, they saw no point if they could no longer merchandise it.[[/note]]

** In the spin-off ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace The Ridonculous Race]]'', several teams that fell victims to the Ice Dancers' cheating, namely Crimson, Ennui, Emma and Kitty, wished that the BigBad duo would get their karma in a bad way. However, when they do get eliminated in the finale, [[KarmaHoudini they get no kind of punishment]]([[AntiClimaxBoss or any kind of proper sendoff for that matter]]) besides being forced to watch their rivals compete against each other.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'':

** Played for comedy when Todd gets $8 million at the end of season 3. He starts wondering what [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall interesting adventures that could lead to]], but in the very next scene, he accidentally gives it all away, making him poor again.

* Two cases in ''WesternAnimation/MaxSteel''; a flashback shows that Jefferson Smith's predecessor as CEO of N-Tek (and, by extension, the man in charge of the secret espionage division) was a man named Marco Nathanson, who bore an uncanny resemblance to [[spoiler: season one BigBad John Dread.]] According to the original producer, this was actually meant as a RedHerring, though later said by others to be exactly what it looked like, but neither interpretation is followed up on. Even more blatant, the episode "Truth be Told" features [[TheCameo real-life athlete Jeremy [=McGrath=]]] discovering that the protagonist and his friends are ex-secret-agents-turned-vigilantes, and he suggests bringing in one or two friends he has on the sports circuit who could help the heroes save the day on occasion. This is the final scene of the episode, except the episode is also the SeriesFinale. Along with [[CanonDiscontinuity half the premise of the show,]] this was never picked up on in the subsequent made-for-TV movies.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''':

** Aang is required to [[spoiler: let go of Katara so he can master the Avatar state but he never actually does it. He spends more than a whole season agonizing over this because of his major crush on her. The series just has him abruptly and accidentally activate it by [[DeusExMachina hitting a rock with his back]]. This makes absolutely no sense because unlocking the chakras is established as a mental process. The novelization [[HandWave completely glosses over it]] with Aang's thoughts remaining on Katara even as he enters the Avatar state]]. The head writer has explained that this was because he [[WhatCouldHaveBeen wanted to have Katara end up with Zuko]] but the [[CreativeDifferences creators]] and [[ExecutiveMeddling executives]] were against it.

** Season 4 had a recurring subplot about The Mane Six rebuilding The Castle of the Two Sisters, Princess Celestia and Luna's old home, implying it may be used as a base of sorts, for their adventures down the line. But [[spoiler: after Twilight gets her own castle in the season finale]], this plot is soon forgotten and the old castle is only brought one more time at the end of season 5.

** ''Action'' has Justin as the main antagonist, DJ's illegal alliance with Chef Hatchet, and Harold's one-sided friendship and attraction with Heather (which actually started as early as the post-''Island'' special). By the season's halfway point, all three of these subplots are abandoned entirely, with the first example as a result of the studio realizing too late how ineffective Justin was in this role and leading to Courtney being his hastily-chosen replacement in order to avoid rewrites. WordOfGod has confirmed that Justin's role as antagonist in the earlier episodes of ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Total Drama Action]]'' was deliberately dropped because they realized that he was way too self-absorbed to ever fully put his head in the game; his claims of being a master strategist were all his ego talking. Alejandro, a character that debuted in the following season, is essentially what they wanted with Justin.

** Owen and Izzy's romantic subplot came to an abrupt halt due to the same order of ExecutiveMeddling that broke up Gwen/Trent and Duncan/Courtney.

** In the spin-off ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace The Ridonculous Race]]'', several teams that fell victims to the Ice Dancers' cheating, namely Crimson, Ennui, Emma and Kitty, wished that the BigBad duo would get their karma in a bad way. However, when the bag guys got eliminated, they barely got any karma; they were forced to watch their worst enemies (Sanders, [=MacArthur=], Geoff and Brody) win the grand prize.

** Initially there were plans to reveal that Momo, Aang's pet lemur, was actually the reincarnation of his old Airbending teacher, Monk Gyatso. This was vaguely alluded to several times throughout the series, but ended up being scrapped.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'': Three arcs that progress (the lingering threat of King Viktor, the redemption journey of Charmcaster (whose true name is [[spoiler: Hope]]), and the possession of Elena Validus by the Hive nano chips) never saw their conclusion due to [[AuthorExistenceFailure Dwanye McDuffie passing away]] during production. The people in charge of [[WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse the following series]] outright stated they no interest in continuing them. Dr. Viktor became Dr. Viktor again, [[AuthorsSavingThrow with Zs'Skayr being shown removing Xarion's soul and allowing Viktor to regain control]], Elena cameoed as herself toward the end of the series with no explanation as to how she was freed of the nano chips' influence, and Charmcaster never went by her true name again and saw no escape the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

*** It's probably notable that the idea that romantic attachment is a barrier to entering the Avatar State is never touched upon before or after this. Multiple past Avatars are shown to have had spouses or children, and in the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Korra's various romantic relationships have no effect on her ability to enter the Avatar State.

** Season 4 had a recurring subplot about The Mane Six rebuilding Princess Celestia and Luna's old castle, implying it may be used as as a base of operations for their adventures down the line. But, [[spoiler: after Twilight gets her own castle in the season finale]], this is soon forgotten.

*** It's probably notable that the idea that romantic attachment is a barrier to entering the Avatar State is never touched upon before or after this. Multiple past Avatars are shown to have had spouses or children, and in the SequelSeries ""WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Korra's various romantic relationships have no effect on her ability to enter the Avatar State.

** Aang is required to [[spoiler: let go of Katara so he can master the Avatar state but he never actually does it. He spends more than a whole season agonizing over this because of his major crush on her. The series just has him abruptly and accidentally activate it by [[DeusExMachina hitting a rock with his back]]. This makes absolutely no sense because unlocking the chakras is established as a mental process. The novelization [[HandWave completely glosses over it]] with Aang's thoughts remaining on Katara even as he enters the Avatar state]]. The head writer has explained that this was because he [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally intended to have Katara end up with Zuko]] but the [[CreativeDifferences creators]] and [[ExecutiveMeddling executives]] were against it.