History FranchiseOriginalSin / MultipleMedia

** The series has received plenty of criticism regarding the [[EmbodimentOfVice depictions]] of the SevenDeadlySins of the Hellaverse as being {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s (such as Beelzebub, the sin of Gluttony, encouraging extreme consumption with the only people who can handle it and Asmodeus, the sin of Lust, condemning {{Love Potion}}s on the grounds that [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil "lust should not be about force"]] in direct defiance of most classical depictions of Lust also including rape. This was present since the pilot of ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'' where Charlie Morningstar's ambition is rehabilitating Sinner demons so they can go to Heaven, the difference being that Charlie was shown to be a uniquely well-meaning person in a WorldOfJerkass. Since the introduction of numerous demonic characters who are at the very worst morally complex people like normal humans, people have argued Charlie does not stand out as the protagonist anymore and that having AmbiguouslyEvil demon characters cheapens the initial overall atmosphere of Hell from being a CrapsackWorld to AHellOfATime.

* Adaptations of ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' since the late 2000s are often criticized for using Barry Allen, but giving him traits from his successor ComicBook/WallyWest. This has some precedent in the comics, but in reverse; after taking over as the Flash following ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', Wally began to develop in a way that made him superficially similar to Barry (e.g. developing a more responsible mindset in contrast to his JerkWithAHeartOfGold personality from before, and being HappilyMarried to a reporter, it helped his Flash costume at the time was nearly identical to his uncle's costume). However, at the time, Wally's similarities to Barry were surface-level and easily attributable to Wally's extensive CharacterDevelopment (such as getting married and becoming more mature, neither of which are exactly unique to Barry), and Wally remained sufficiently distinct from Barry otherwise (for instance, Iris West and Linda Park are different ''kinds'' of reporters, the former being a newspaper writer and the latter being a TV anchor). Meanwhile, Barry absorbing Wally's traits in adaptations tends to lead to him ''regressing'' as a character, and, given [=DC=] editorial's IrrationalHatred of [[CreatorsPest Wally]][[note]]Until [[Creator/DanDiDio said editor-in-chief]] was forced out of the company[[/note]], is often viewed as a crude patch job to try and mask that their CreatorsPet is in reality [[TheGenericGuy less interesting than they think]]. It even got to the point where voice actors for Wally (such as Creator/CharlieSchlatter and Creator/MichaelRosenbaum) in adaptations started being cast as Barry in ways that treated them as interchangeable. Furthermore, this has had the side-effect of harming ''Barry's'' credibility as well, stripping much of his competence and turning him into a MemeticLoser as a result.

** This criticism was already in effect as the LOTR movies progressed and even more so with the Hobbit movies, but criticism of Galadriel's showy and acrobatic battle feats are often countered by pointing to Legolas's increasingly showy and acrobatic feats in the Jackson movies as well. That being said, Legolas was already established as being a fairly skilled fighter in his own way in both the original books ''and'' the movies, and the fact that most fans today were first introduced to him through the movies anyway meant that his more showy and acrobatic side displayed in the movies wasn't quite as jarring compared to his not showing such skill in the books. But by the time The Rings of Power came out, the image of Galadriel being the type of character who largely avoids direct conflict and mostly uses magic to get things done instead of straight up physical sword fighting and similar warrior-like actions had [[AudienceColoringAdaptation become heavily cemented and ingrained in public consciousness]] by the LOTR movies, making her characterization in Rings of Power as a sword wielding Amazon style warrior seem radically different and more difficult to accept despite such a characterization [[OlderThanTheyThink having a small degree of basis in the original Tolkien source material]].

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}:''
** The biggest complaint about the majority of modern ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' material is the attempts to connect it to ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers,'' with the preferred option of treating the G1 era with a [[ShroudedInMyth mythic, mysterious reverence]] being ignored. Despite this, attempts to make more direct connections went all the way back to the original cartoon's most well-liked episodes, including "The Agenda" -- generally considered one of the best episodes of its entire run, where Ravage showed up alive and well and the entire plot is about definitively confirming that the conflict of ''Beast Wars'' is an extension of the original cartoon's conflict. And even then, the idea of the original events being mythologized was a bit odd to begin with, as the given time was [[SciFiWritersHave/NoSenseOfTime only 300 years later for a race known to live for millions.]] However, the surprise factor, the added significance to the show's events, a pivotal scene of the characters walking amazed among the giant, ancient, sleeping bodies of their ancestors, and [[OneSceneWonder Ravage as a secret agent with a Russian accent]] were cool enough to forgive the oddities. However, Ravage also poked a hole in the whole idea that the G1 cast was gone and couldn't exist in the Beast Era. This opened the floodgates for every other comic writer to reveal that, among other characters, Grimlock, Razorclaw, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Skywarp, Divebomb, Arcee, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ironhide, Silverbolt, and Prowl (''[[ContinuitySnarl twice]]'') all made it over, and pretty much every other Beast Era character to share a name with a G1 character somehow [[OneSteveLimit was that character]] even if it seemed like otherwise. From that point onward, the last generation proceeded to [[SpotlightStealingSquad take over any given Beast Era story]], pulling focus away from the well-liked ''Beast Wars'' cast and turning the original scene from gazing at their millennia-old ancestors to [[FridgeLogic looking at people who were still alive and well and who most of the cast already knew]]. From that point on, it was only a very small step to doing a story where the ''Beast Wars'' cast fought in the mythical Great War... [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Predacus which was exactly what eventually happened]].
** Many of the criticisms that fans raise about CGI ''Transformers'' cartoons (small casts, few environments) were present in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars''. Creating new character models was expensive, so the cast was kept small, and as a result the writers focused more on character development and plotting to great acclaim. Over the years, many shows emulated this model to varying degrees of success. The difference now is that the formula is familiar and the technology is no longer groundbreaking or revolutionary as it was in the '90s. It became especially noticeable during ''[[WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015 Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' which relied on MonsterOfTheWeek plots for much of its run and [[PaletteSwap recycled character models]] to populate its cast. Also, ''Beast Wars'' did a good job of justifying it with the simple answer that the cast was comprised of two small spaceship crews on a prehistoric Earth, meaning the lack of other characters or environments was well-justified... not so much in shows that take place on modern Earth and involve groups of characters that really should number more than a FiveManBand or two. Compare the lush cityscape and massive ContinuityPorn crowd shots of the 2D ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' with the recycled models and locations of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015''.
** Fans of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' tend to see the comic's later arcs, especially ''Lost Light'' onwards, as a step down from the first few years, but a lot of the problems to crop up were there from the beginning. Snarky and self-referential dialogue, absurd plots, messy treatment of relationships, slow-burning arcs, and a habit of focusing too strongly on a core cast that displaced a lot of potentially interesting characters were all present--but James Roberts had yet to obtain ProtectionFromEditors, and also had enough time to make sure his plots paid off. In later arcs, the dialogue became a WorldOfSnark, the "Megatron's redemption" arc became a PlotTumor, the plots moved from "quirky soft-sci-fi" to "flatly ridiculous", and most of the non-core cast was either written out or killed off. It didn't help that the oncoming end of the IDW continuity meant that Roberts had far less time than he seemed to be expecting to resolve dozens of hanging plot threads, resulting in the final arc having to take a lawnmower to the KudzuPlot.
** IDW had a habit of completely rewriting characters to InNameOnly levels arguably as early as Thunderwing in ''Stormbringer'', their second miniseries (from a NobleDemon leader to an insane GenericDoomsdayVillain), and continuing with things like Galvatron as a [[DecompositeCharacter separate character from Megatron]], Fortress Maximus as violent and aggressive, and Jhiaxus and Scorponok as {{Mad Scientist}}s. Japanese characters were particularly susceptible, with Dai Atlas and [[Anime/TransformersSuperGodMasterforce Overlord]] being majorly reworked from their prior appearances. This also had precedent in other fiction due to various trademarking issues, with [[Anime/TransformersArmada Red Alert]] literally being a [[DubNameChange renamed Ratchet]] and various ''Beast Wars'' characters sharing names with older figures they had little in common with. But most of the time, these rewrites were welcomed as efforts at CastSpeciation (most of the above characters were faction leaders who couldn't easily coexist with Optimus and Megatron), and oftentimes the rewritten personalities proved popular in their own right. Overlord in particular went from a generic BigBad to a gleefully violent and disturbingly powerful BloodKnight, earning him a following that surpassed his Japanese counterpart. On the other hand, the rewrite of Star Saber in the pages of ''More than Meets the Eye'' as a psychotic KnightTemplar religious extremist with basically no redeeming qualities, where [[Anime/TransformersVictory his prior incarnation]] had been a SuperRobot IdealHero, proved far less popular. Unlike many other Japanese characters, Star Saber had a decent-sized cult following that wasn't happy to see him rendered unrecognizable, and unlike prior rewritten characters, he didn't even maintain the ''allegiance'' of his original version. It didn't help that his personality wasn't interesting enough to win over new fans of him, leaving fans of ''MTMTE'' bored and fans of ''Victory'' disgusted.
** In fact, Star Saber wasn't even the first example of a previously heroic character reimagined as a straight up villain, with Sentinel Prime being rewritten as an enforcer of the corrupt pr-war Cybertron. However, Sentinel was a relatively minor character apart from being Optimus's predecessor, with his major appearance going on to influence his counterparts in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' and ''Film/TransformersDarkOftheMoon''. Star Saber, however, was the BigGood of ''Anime/TransformersVictory'', making it more apparent he was being forced into a role he wasn't made for.
** Later figures in the ''Masterpiece'' line became rather controversial for their "[[ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy cartoon-accuracy at all costs]]" mantra, even to the point of having to design extremely complex transformations to get the characters just right or short-selling things from the toys or continuities besides the cartoon. But really, the novelty of having a character who actually looked like they did in the cartoon was a major selling point in the line's early days (most characters hadn't had a toy of their original designs since the 1980s), and even the very first Masterpiece figure MP-1 Convoy (Optimus Prime) cheated and complicated its transformation in the name of that accuracy (for instance, instead of using the truck's actual grille, it folds out a fake one). However, it was still clearly designed as a toy foremost, and the "cheating" mostly served to make him look more streamlined. Compare this to MP-44, the third Optimus mold, where literally every truck part on the robot mode is fake in the name of matching the cartoon's proportions. It also doesn't help that at this point, most fans are spoiled for choice for figures that actually generally look like their favorite characters, forcing ''Masterpiece'' to double down on extreme cartoon-accuracy with mixed results.
** Bumblebee, especially in recent years, has been accused of being a CreatorsPet, to the point that virtually every Transformers medium has included him as the main character, often to levels accusing him of being a SpotlightStealingSquad. These accusations began after his popularity skyrocketed following the success of ''Film/Transformers2007''. The thing is, barring a period where he simply could not be used due to trademark reasons (and even then, he maintained a steady presence in the comics and had a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute in Hot Shot), Bumblebee has always been heavily involved in the franchise since the very beginning, where he had the second-most appearances in [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original cartoon]] behind Optimus Prime, serving as the KidAppealCharacter the same way that nearly every version since has done--including being the best friend of the main human protagonist (Spike for G1, Sari for ''Animated'', Raf for ''Prime'', etc.), playing a supporting role in Prime's inner circle, and going toe-to-toe with a lot of Decepticons much larger than him. However, a lot of those previous iterations didn't have the tendency to shine at the expense of the rest of the cast, either having spotlight adventures of his own or acting in a supporting capacity that allowed his fellow Autobots to have their own adventures, not to mention that he was treated more or less as an equal rather than a hindrance. It also doesn't hurt that the G1 iteration, who was TheBabyOfTheBunch with a bit of a DeadpanSnarker in him, was quite popular. The later Bay films, as well as a good chunk of IDW's first universe and several cartoons, tended to place Bee in a position where the focus was squarely on him; ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had him guarding Sam more so than the film dealt with the fallout of Optimus Prime's [[spoiler: temporary]] demise, he was given a significant amount of CharacterShilling and made Autobot leader in the IDW series when it was demonstrated he wasn't the most qualified for the position, and ''[[WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015 Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' focused heavily on his struggles to grow into a leader of a RagtagBunchOfMisfits at the expense of the [[AesopAmnesia constant bickering between Sideswipe and Strongarm and Grimlock's desire to be less klutzy]]. It hasn't helped that most versions of Bee since the movie tend to be based on the Bayverse incarnation (being rendered TheVoiceless thanks to Megatron and using his radio to "talk", having a muscle-car alternate mode, becoming a leader when Prime is absent), but even that iteration of the character at least had the distinction of being the first Bee in 20 years thanks to various trademark issues, and even the concurrently released ''Animated'' version put a different spin on the character, being a SmallNameBigEgo MotorMouth who learns to temper his impulses and put aside his ego. But as time went on and Bee was thrust further into the spotlight, almost always in a Bayverse inspired form, the issues became more obvious.
** [[TheHeroDies Killing off Optimus Prime]] has ended up becoming, as Website/TFWikiDotNet [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_many_deaths_of_Optimus_Prime satirized]], an overused cliche more prone to groans more often than not, especially when compared to [[ViewersInMourning the hysterical reactions]] when it first happened in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie''. As to how Optimus's death in ''The Transformers: The Movie'' managed to hold up whereas so many others didn't; first of all, the manner of death was dignified - [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing his life]] by dying in mortal combat against his ArchEnemy Megatron, as opposed to the far more contrived and/or unoriginal circumstances surrounding future deaths (most infamously, in the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel Marvel comic series]], [[StupidSacrifice essentially killing himself over harming non-sapient video game NPCs]]). And second, at the time it was not yet known whether or not it would actually stick, with him only being revived at the tail end of Season 3 of [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the show]], as opposed to future ''Transformers'' media such as ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' in which he would be [[BackFromTheDead resurrected shortly, or even immediately]] afterwards, leading to accusations of [[DeathIsCheap cheapening his death for mere shock value]].

** While it's a heartwarming and funny episode, "Loo Loo Land" has many of the hallmarks that would make the series much more divisive in the second season of WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss, such as IMP taking a job outside their usual profession, Loona having little to no screentime, an increase in character-based drama, and greater focus on Stolas and Blitzo's relationship at the expense of the other characters. Fortunately, all of these aspects are well-balanced in this episode, but not so much in later ones.

* "Franchise/Hellaverse"

** There were hints as far back as her first two-parter showing in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' that Batgirl had feelings for Batman. Later episodes featured, for instance, a DreamSequence where Batgirl saves Batman, then they attempt to kiss (before Robin interrupts the dream). Most people didn't really mind it at the time, since it pretty easily read as a PrecociousCrush and there were no real signs that Batman reciprocated. Later material helmed by Creator/BruceTimm, such as various post-''JLU'' comics and the infamous [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke adaptation]] of ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', made the pairing canon, to generally very poor reception.

** The franchise is responsible for kickstarting the depiction of Superman as a [[BewareTheSuperman distrusted]] and [[DestructiveSavior destructive]] hero in TheOughties and TheNewTens (such as ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', a number of AU stories such as ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'', and also in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse). However, the franchise's caretakers sparingly depicted the evil/destructive Superman. In the 14 year run of the franchise, Superman had been depicted as evil only four times –- "Brave New Metropolis" and "Legacy" (''Superman TAS''), "A Better World" (''Justice League''), and "The Call" (''Batman Beyond''). "Brave New World" and "A Better World" both feature rogue alternate versions of Superman who have JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope (the former has a HeelFaceTurn thanks to Lois, and the latter is part of an evil League who aren't redeemed save for Batman). "Legacy" and "The Call", meanwhile, feature Superman in moments when he is not in control of his actions. The Cadmus arc of ''Justice League Unlimited'' is also motivated by paranoia resulting from the events of "Legacy" and "A Better World", resulting in a shady, corrupt government body created to combat Superman and the Justice League. Furthermore, while Superman ''does'' cause collateral damage, [[NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech he still prioritizes saving lives and deliberately holds back, only going all in as a last resort when fighting]] {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s like Mongul or Darkseid.\\\

Over time, more writers started to use the BewareTheSuperman trope but without any sort of optimism, and it became very trendy to portray an IdealHero version of TheCape as a DiscreditedTrope. The highly popular ''[[VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs Injustice]]'' [[VideoGame/Injustice2 games]] and [[ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs tie-in]] [[ComicBook/Injustice2 comic series]] feature Superman as a main villain that has JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope from a single justifiable MomentOfWeakness into outright murderous tyranny. For example, while the Superman of "A Better World" killed Lex Luthor and lobotomized every threat he faced, there was still a justified argument for his and the League's actions.[[note]]Famously, the writers actually couldn't think of a way for Batman to win the argument with his counterpart, because [[VillainHasAPoint his reasons just made that much sense.]][[/note]] Meanwhile, the version from ''Injustice'''s alternate universe is actively seen killing ordinary citizens just to maintain his rule through terror, and also kills fellow heroes, including ComicBook/{{Shazam}}, a character that is [[WouldHurtAChild mentally a child]][[note]]to give ''Injustice'' some credit though, it did introduce a more traditional version of Superman from a universe who's more of an IdealHero and [[TheCape Cape]] to balance things out, and he's the one who defeats Regime Superman in the end, though he did get PutOnABus in ''Injustice 2''[[/note]]. Additional [[BewareTheSuperman psychotically evil]] {{Superman substitute}}s have also hit the mainstream (''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'', ''Film/{{Brightburn}}'', etc.). However, this archetype hit its limit in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, which shows Superman failing to limit collateral damage and becoming distrusted by humanity (including a dream sequence in which an evil Superman leads the armies of Apokolips). Sure, Superman still fought evil and rescued people, but he was such a depressing KnightInSourArmor that the idea of Superman as an InUniverse HopeBringer may as well be an InformedAttribute. At that point, most of the public began seeing the {{Corrupted Character Cop|y}}ies of Superman as a DiscreditedTrope in itself. It received such negative feedback that elements of ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' were incorporated into ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' in order for him to come back in ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' more in line with his idealistic depiction, although it ultimately went nowhere as Superman never made another major appearance until the ContinuityReboot button was hit[[note]]There were plans, as shown in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' and the storyboards that Creator/ZackSnyder showed, that would explain the origin of the [[BadFuture Knightmare future]] from Batman's dream in that similar to ''Injustice'', Superman would be broken into a murderous character following the death of Lois Lane. The difference is that while ComicBook/TheJoker in ''Injustice'' did want Superman to be broken by everything he lost, which included the entire city of Metropolis, he hadn't planned on Superman actually killing him and becoming a tyrant over it. ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} in Snyder's plans, on the other hand, wanted to [[BreakTheHaughty break]] Superman into vulnerability to the Anti-Life Equation so he could become TheDragon and enforce Darkseid's will on Earth as the tyrant [[TheBadGuyWins conquered the universe]], with it only taking Lois' death, much less than everything Joker did, to turn him over. This forced Batman to form a resistance with Flash going to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong with time travel to prevent this future from happening and ensure Superman could never go bad[[/note]]. While the "evil Superman" trope still has life (see the success of ''Series/TheBoys2019'' for example), the public has made it clear that it just doesn't work unless the original still has IncorruptiblePurePureness to compare, as demonstrated by the tepid response to previews of ''VideoGame/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague'' showcasing a murderous Superman, and the game's explanation for his violence (having him BrainwashedAndCrazy by Brainiac) being majorly regarded as too little, too late.

** IDW had a habit of completely rewriting characters to InNameOnly levels arguably as early as Thunderwing in ''Stormbringer'', their second miniseries (from a NobleDemon leader to an insane GenericDoomsdayVillain), and continuing with things like Galvatron as a [[DecompositeCharacter separate character from Megatron]], Fortress Maximus as violent and aggressive, and Jhiaxus and Scorponok as {{Mad Scientist}}s. Japanese characters were particularly susceptible, with Dai Atlas and [[Anime/TransformersChoujinMasterforce Overlord]] being majorly reworked from their prior appearances. This also had precedent in other fiction due to various trademarking issues, with [[Anime/TransformersArmada Red Alert]] literally being a [[DubNameChange renamed Ratchet]] and various ''Beast Wars'' characters sharing names with older figures they had little in common with. But most of the time, these rewrites were welcomed as efforts at CastSpeciation (most of the above characters were faction leaders who couldn't easily coexist with Optimus and Megatron), and oftentimes the rewritten personalities proved popular in their own right. Overlord in particular went from a generic BigBad to a gleefully violent and disturbingly powerful BloodKnight, earning him a following that surpassed his Japanese counterpart. On the other hand, the rewrite of Star Saber in the pages of ''More than Meets the Eye'' as a psychotic KnightTemplar religious extremist with basically no redeeming qualities, where [[Anime/TransformersVictory his prior incarnation]] had been a SuperRobot IdealHero, proved far less popular. Unlike many other Japanese characters, Star Saber had a decent-sized cult following that wasn't happy to see him rendered unrecognizable, and unlike prior rewritten characters, he didn't even maintain the ''allegiance'' of his original version. It didn't help that his personality wasn't interesting enough to win over new fans of him, leaving fans of ''MTMTE'' bored and fans of ''Victory'' disgusted.