History Main / WriterRevolt

* Following Black Belt's death in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', fans frequently discussed and [[EpilepticTrees made theories]] of resurrection after he gets TakenForGranite. Eventually, Black Belt is revived by White Mage. Too bad for Black Belt that part of his head was missing, and White Mage's healing spell didn't fix this; when she brought him back, [[{{Gorn}} the empty top of Black Belt's head showered White Mage in blood and gore]], and he died again. This was mostly done out of spite by author Brian Clevinger who was sick of seeing "Black Belt revival" threads on his message board. The comic solving the issue was titled "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ Now Shut Up]]" as if to further drive the point home that Black Belt was KilledOffForReal and that it was being done just to make these fans angry.

* Most of the staff of ''WesternAnimation/TheTwistedTalesOfFelixTheCat'' openly hated the [[WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatJoeOriolo made-for-TV Felix the Cat cartoons]] made by Joe Oriolo in the late 50s/early 60s for its childish tone and banal writing, and wanted the show to exclusively follow the roots of the original silent cartoons and abandon the characters and tone of the TV cartoons. Don Oriolo, Joe's son and then-owner of Felix the Cat, [[ExecutiveMeddling insisted that they at least include certain elements from it like the Magic Bag so that the show would have some kind of tie to his dad's work.]] By the time the second season started production, Phil Roman and Don Oriolo decided to take the series into a direction more in vogue with the Joe Oriolo Felix cartoons, with much more linear plotting and less surreal humor, as well as [[TheBusCameBack bringing back some of the Oriolo era characters]] like Poindexter, Master Cylinder and The Professor. This was a move that did '''NOT''' sit well with the staff--In response, "Attack of the Robot Rat" had the writers shoot back by making it a [[TakeThat very mean-spirited parody of the Joe Oriolo Felix cartoons]]. "Phoney Felix" can also be seen as a StealthParody of the retool of Season 2, with Felix [[HostileShowTakeover having his show hijacked]] by an imbecilic imposter who imitates some of the traits of Oriolo Felix, such as saying his "Righty-O!" catchphrase, singing the TV show theme song and using a (shoddy knockoff) of the magic bag of tricks. [[Recap/TwistedTalesOfFelix2x04TheFuzzyBunnyShowTheMilkyWay "The Fuzzy Bunny Show"]] also takes a shot at Don Oriolo himself for the retool, whose in-universe cartoon counterpart (named Donald) replaces Felix's show (which in-universe is already renamed [[SelfDeprecation "The Not-So-Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat"]]) with the [[SickeninglySweet unbearably cloying]] ''Fuzzy Bunny'' show and is congratulated by a network exec for it.

* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' had a few of these directed at television MoralGuardians and Standards and Practices in particular, such as the "Dickesode" with a counter in the corner keeping track of how many times ''dick'' is said (it was a ''lot'') and "G-Wiz", an extended TakeThat aimed at content dilution made more awesome with George Lowe giving an extended lesson on how making comedy family-friendly eventually makes for neutered television that pleases nobody.

** Mark Millar made a big success with ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen''. Marvel proposed he write a spin-off comic, ''ComicBook/UltimateWolverine'', but Millar wanted to make the ''Ultimate ComicBook/TheAvengers'' instead. On the other hand, Creator/KurtBusiek, the writer of the Avengers at the time, did not want that to happen, as he feared that the regular Avengers would be left under the shadow of this new comic book. As the Ultimate universe was turning into a CashCowFranchise, so badly needed by Marvel to get rid of the risk of bankruptcy, they allowed Millar to work with the Avengers. And yet, the new team got a different name, as Busiek requested, and was named "The Ultimates". Still, it was not enough for him, who resigned from writing the Avengers as a result.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Creator/PeterDavid, frustrated that an issue of ''ComicBook/XFactor'' had been hijacked by a BatFamilyCrossover, jokingly suggested for a story that ComicBook/{{Magneto}} could take the adamantium out of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. The end result was the storyline ''ComicBook/{{Fatal Attractions|MarvelComics}}''.

** [[SelfDeprecation Parodied]] in a two-issue crossover in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' where Jean Grey inadvertently swaps Peter's consciousness with Wolverine. Not only did both issues show Creator/BrianMichaelBendis apologizing for the storyline and berating the man who came up with it when Jean shows up and fixes it, Cyclops says that the whole thing seems ridiculous and unbelievable. Then Brian Michael Bendis outright states "Even ''[[SelfDeprecation I]]'' couldn't stretch this over more than two issues."

* Music/FrankZappa And The Mothers Of Invention were asked to mime for an early television appearance performing "Son Of Suzy Creamcheese" from ''Music/AbsolutelyFree''- instead of lip-syncing the lyrics, Zappa spent the entire song mouthing "you're a motherfucker" over and over again.

** Much hay had been made about the fact that [[HideYourLesbians the 24th century didn't seem to have openly gay people]], and Creator/WhoopiGoldberg protested the fact that the script of the episode "The Offspring" had her explain the concept of love to a new lifeform by saying, "When a man and a woman are in love..." She managed to get it changed to "two people"; as it was part of a holographic presentation. However, ''neither'' line appears in the final episode, according to transcripts.

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rco002.jpg]]]]

** When Dan Slott had May 'Mayday' Parker's family killed off in the ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' event, he swiftly began making Mayday more vengeful and bitter as she and her fellow Spiders faced a losing battle, going on to call the others assembled from across the multiverse "fakes" when her baby brother is abducted by the Inheritors, and that her dad was the "real one". This drew significant ire from fans and Ron Frenz in particular, who declared Slott was "no Roger Stern" and went on to point out damning continuity errors in Slott's take on Mayday. When the time came for the original creative team to tackle Mayday in a team-up book, Tom D and Frenz wasted no time at all in deliberately "adjusting" to Slott's writing style and not-so-subtly implying this Mayday was an alternative version as opposed to the one they worked on from 1998-2010. This has continued on into Mayday's backup stories during ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'', with Frenz even more incensed at the ending to ''Spider-Verse'', where she takes up Peter's old costume and declares that she's Spider-''Woman'' and that she's over it. Instead, everyone's still calling her "Spider-Girl", and she hasn't gotten over Peter's death. Finally, Marvel threw in the towel and gave in to fan demand, reviving Mayday's father in ''Spider-Gedddon', Mayday returned to her 2006-2010 appearance and reclaimed her Spider-Girl codename.

* ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' had to comply with a Canadian government directive that all CBC shows include at least some "distinctly Canadian" content. Actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas thought the directive from the CBC was asinine, and created the "Great White North" sketches as a result. These sketches had Moranis and Thomas play two dimwitted brothers named Bob and Doug [=McKenzie=], [[CanadaEh the two most cartoonishly stereotypical Canadians they could possibly create]], all to show how ridiculous the CBC's mandate was. It ended up [[SpringtimeForHitler failing to fail in this regard]], as the "Great White North" sketches became the most successful element of the show by a long shot as [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales Canadians loved this mocking portrayal of themselves]], sparking an entire album and SpinOff movie ''Film/StrangeBrew'' starring Bob and Doug.

* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'': Tyroc was added by ExecutiveMeddling from editor Murray Boltinoff. The writers had been wanting to do a black character for years, but Boltinoff blocked any attempt to even show black people in ''crowd shots.'' Tyroc was introduced to explain this, claiming that all the black people in the DCU at the time were racial separatists living on an island that disappeared regularly. Mike Grell hated Tyroc's entire concept and deliberately gave him the dumbest design and power he could imagine (he can warp reality by screaming) before writing him out. Several artists have also stated that Tyroc's [[MakeMeWannaShout scream-based]] [[RealityWarper reality-bending]] powers with effects that were tied to specific screams were difficult to properly visualize, so they avoided drawing him whenever they could get away with it.

* ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'': In the 1980s, there was a period where Creator/MarvelComics decided that they would not have gays in comics and Northstar could not be gay, even though strong hints in that matter had already been dropped. [[note]] This was due to some back and forth over UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode, which had some heavy-handed rules about what you could and couldn't depict, and Bronze Age comic writers were already in open rebellion against it, even though the publishers mandated it. Mystique and Destiny's relationship was also a victim of this policy.[[/note]] Writer Creator/BillMantlo responded with a storyline revealing he was part ''fairy'' (technically, half Asgardian elf)[[note]]His first images after he returned to the comic were him in Asgard berating himself for falling for such an idiotic lie.[[/note]]. Which is all the more hilarious when you consider that X-Men is all about equality for both different races ''and'' gay people.

* Matt Stone [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/1999/jul/02/news reported]] that when making ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', every time the [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications MPAA]] asked to cut something, they would re-submit the film with a replacement "ten times worse and five times as long". And they got away with some nasty stuff: for instance, the original subtitle was 'All Hell Breaks Loose', changed to the [[StealthPun hidden penis joke]]. Also, [[http://web.archive.org/web/20091003113304/http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/09/ps-this-is-my-favorite-memo-ever.html this]] - though the horse was replaced with coprophilia in the movie.

* Music/DavidByrne's 1992 album ''[[Music/UhOhDavidByrneAlbum Uh-Oh]]'' was one of the last compact discs to be packaged in a "longbox", a cardboard sleeve much taller than the disc itself -- the format was initially conceived so that music stores could file [=CDs=] and records in the same bins, and was also considered a theft deterrent, but was eventually phased out as it was considered needlessly expensive to produce and environmentally wasteful[[note]]The early CD-ROM video games were also packaged in long boxes, though these were thankfully phased out by the time the [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames 6th genreation consoles]] hit the market in favor of standard CD or DVD cases, for both environmental concerns and the fact that the public absolutely hated them[[/note]]. While some artists refused to let their albums be packaged this way altogether, Byrne just had the following sticker affixed to the longbox of his album:

* When ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' was ported to [=PlayStation=], Sony's policy to add achievements to every game forced Toby Fox to comply - even though he actively disliked the idea, given the nature of the game. Therefore, he deliberately made mocking achievements, awarded for stuff like: anticlimatic actions (picking up 1, 2, 3, and 4 items); reaching specific areas (that you have to go through anyway); or donating various amounts of money to a newly added Dog Shrine (which is completely useless and extremely tedious). The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port ''obliterates'' the Dog Shrine but otherwise adds actual new content with the [[OptionalBoss Mad Mew Mew]].

* The obscure [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] AdventureGame ''Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken'' has a very well-hidden EasterEgg[[note]]It requires a very complex series of button inputs over 90 minutes ''at minimum''[[/note]]. Activating it reveals a lengthy series of messages by a programmer identifying as "Hidemushi", most of which is [[ClusterFBomb a profane rant]] against his coworkers for their unprofessional behavior, identifying them by name and blasting them for being chronically late for work, getting drunk, and being unproductive sex addicts.

* That story inspired Music/ElvisCostello and the Attractions when they were the musical guest on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in 1977, a replacement for the Music/SexPistols, who had trouble getting visas because of their criminal records, whereas Costello and his band were already in North America touring. Costello had wanted to do "Radio Radio" on the show, but Columbia wanted him to perform "Less than Zero", as it was already known as one of his songs and would help him and the band sell records. They decided to "pull a Hendrix on the Lulu show" and stopped "Less than Zero" after ''two bars'', told the audience there was no reason for them to play it, and then went into "Radio Radio". In the booth the directors panicked, fearing the song would have foul language they couldn't stop. The show has been much nicer about this than the BBC was to Hendrix—he's been on since then, they did a sketch mocking it, and then Costello himself interrupted the Music/BeastieBoys on the 25th anniversary special so they could all do the song together.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': James' voice actor Eric Stuart was angry that [=4Kids=] wouldn't be paying voice actors for commercials anymore, so he hid [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TEzLbzf2CE a back-masked message in episode 130]], where James yells backward: "Leo Burnett and [=4Kids=] are the devil!"

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Creator/GeoffJohns pulled a very polite one when editor Dan DiDio forced him to eliminate his two favorite characters, ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and Kid Flash, from the Teen Titans. Superboy was killed off for [[ExiledFromContinuity legal reasons]][[note]]because of the then-ongoing legal dispute between DC and the Siegel/Shuster estates over the copyright to Superman was, at the time, tilting towards DC losing the rights to Superboy. DC reacted, naturally enough, by killing Superboy off (and having recurring antagonist Superboy-Prime change his name to Superman-Prime). Superboy's resurrection came when the courts made it clear that it was only "young Clark" Superboy who the estates might have a claim on, and other characters using the name belonged to DC. In a nice touch, the villain in the miniseries that Superboy and Kid Flash returned in? Superboy-Prime, going back to his original name[[/note]], while Kid Flash was aged up and became the new Flash (and was later killed off due to poor fan reaction). Johns continued to write the title, but the quality went downhill, and most of the stories seemed to be a meta-commentary on how much the book was missing. He wound up leaving after about a year of stories, and the title has never been the same. Interviews upon his departure made it clear that he would have still been on the title if the characters were still around. When fan reaction proved him right, Johns was commissioned to write the miniseries that brought both the characters back to life.
** Also, killing Superboy was actually the lesser of two evils. Didio originally wanted to kill off ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, the original Robin and one of DC's oldest and most prominent characters, in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. Johns pulled off a literal writer revolt and refused to write that, substituting Superboy so that a [=BigThree=] legacy would still die and that DC would at least be able to kill two birds with one stone.

* ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJasonAaron'' featured an extremely {{Gonk}}, refrigerator-shaped, rage-driven ComicBook/SheHulk that more resembled her cousin than herself. As Jen had recently come off of an extremely brutal AudienceAlienatingEra where ''[[ComicBook/Hulk2016 that exact thing]]'' happened and was resolved, this was panned by basically everyone, especially other Marvel writers. Her appearances in ''ComicBook/JessicaJones'', ''ComicBook/MarvelComicsOneThousand'', and ''her own one-shot'' all flat-out ignored Aaron's interpretation, while [[ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool Gwenpool Strikes Back]] featured "Fem-Hulk" with an unsubtle complaint about being forced to depict her as such. In her appearance in ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'', the title character points out how they're not so different these days as a BreakThemByTalking moment. In ''ComicBook/{{Empyre}}'', she acquires a hammer whose special amber, in combination with new meditation techniques learned from the Cotati survivors, allows her to shift into a much more feminine form, if still not her original muscular incarnation, that she says has all the strength of her "Fem-Hulk" form, but far greater intelligence and control. (Though this was revealed to be a Cotati wearing her skin, though it regretted pulling that one off in its final moments.) In the Immortal She-Hulk one shot, it reveals she's STILL in trauma over the Grey She-Hulk ordeal, and also dealing with the fact she may in fact be immortal, though Al Ewing showed her as far more in control of herself despite the Hulk-speak than Jason Aaron has done.
* Creator/PeterDavid's original run on the ''[[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]'' comic, from 1987 to 1998, ended when Marvel demanded he bring back the Savage Hulk. He was replaced by Creator/JoeCasey, who made changes, but put in as little of the Savage Hulk as he could (mostly just making him mute), and was on record as saying he respected David's run. Casey was never meant to last long on the title and was for the most part a fill-in writer until Creator/JohnByrne could relaunch the title, which might've been why he decided to revolt like he did.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:
** Mark Millar made a big success with ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen''. Marvel proposed he write a spin-off comic, ''ComicBook/UltimateWolverine'', but Millar wanted to make the ''Ultimate ComicBook/TheAvengers'' instead. On the other hand, Creator/KurtBusiek, the writer of the Avengers at the time, did not want that to happen, as he feared that the regular Avengers would be left under the shadow of this new comic book. As the Ultimate universe was turning into a CashCowFranchise, so badly needed by Marvel to get rid of the risk of bankruptcy, they allowed Millar to work with the Avengers. And yet, the new team got a different name, as Busiek requested, and was named "The Ultimates". Still, it was not enough for him, who resigned from writing the Avengers as a result.
** [[SelfDeprecation Parodied]] in a two-issue crossover in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' where Jean Grey inadvertently swaps Peter's consciousness with Wolverine. Not only did both issues show Creator/BrianMichaelBendis apologizing for the storyline and berating the man who came up with it when Jean shows up and fixes it, Cyclops says that the whole thing seems ridiculous and unbelievable. Then Brian Michael Bendis outright states "Even ''[[SelfDeprecation I]]'' couldn't stretch this over more than two issues."
* Creator/JoeQuesada, (then) head editor at Creator/MarvelComics, stated that the short-lived but critically-adored series ''ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}'' was not in continuity. Unfortunately for him, every writer since has written related stories, plot summaries, or character histories as though it were. Particularly funny as Creator/WarrenEllis (the original writer) wrote the series on the assumption that it was out of continuity as well and said as much in interviews. (Quesada has been opposed by everyone who has ever worked for Marvel at some point, though he does tend to listen to all parties and thus why Marvel is more creatively diverse these days than it ever used to be, though the price -- a lack of consistent continuity -- is hefty.) ''ComicBook/MightyAvengers2013'' eventually established ''Nextwave''[='=]s canon status; the characters in question did form a team by that name, and the entire comic took place in an offbeat alternate universe that the Beyond Corporation of the core universe sent them to.
* James Robinson's final issue of ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' drew attention from websites such as Bleedingcool for taking some very blatant shots at DC's then-upcoming ''ComicBook/New52'' reboot. The issue contains jabs at [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Batwing]] for getting his own title ahead of a number of DC's existing black superheroes, as well as a [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall not-so-subtle dig at fans who criticized Robinson's run]].
* When Marvel fired Joey Cavalieri as editor of the ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'' line as a cost-cutting exercise, most of the writers quit in protest. The line limped on for a while before collapsing, and Marvel wrapped things up by getting Len Kaminski to write a one-shot, ''2099: Manifest Destiny''. Kaminski was the writer of ''ComicBook/GhostRider2099'', and the opening narration makes it quite clear whose side he's on:

* In the 1980s, there was a period where Creator/MarvelComics decided that they would not have gays in comics and Northstar of ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'' could not be gay, even though strong hints in that matter had already been dropped. [[note]] This was due to some back and forth over UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode, which had some heavy-handed rules about what you could and couldn't depict, and Bronze Age comic writers were already in open rebellion against it, even though the publishers mandated it. Mystique and Destiny's relationship was also a victim of this policy.[[/note]] Writer Creator/BillMantlo responded with a storyline revealing he was part ''fairy'' (technically, half Asgardian elf)[[note]]His first images after he returned to the comic were him in Asgard berating himself for falling for such an idiotic lie.[[/note]]. Which is all the more hilarious when you consider that X-Men is all about equality for both different races ''and'' gay people.
* Creator/SteveGerber, creator of ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'', was writing two {{crossover}}s at the same time: one with ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' and Howard for Creator/MarvelComics and one with ''ComicBook/TheSavageDragon'' and ''Destroyer Duck'' for Creator/ImageComics. He got the idea of having the two parties meeting briefly in the shadows of a warehouse. Then he saw that Howard was scheduled to make appearances in some of Marvel's other comics, so he had the Savage Dragon / Destroyer Duck side of the meeting changed in that Howard gets himself cloned by a villain. In the confusion, one of the clones left the warehouse with Spidey (as seen in the Spider-Man side of the story, under the pretense that no cloning incident ever happened), while the real Howard is rescued by Savage Dragon and Destroyer Duck. The real Howard adopts the identity of "Leonard the Duck" (with his [[InterspeciesRomance girlfriend]] Beverly Switzler likewise becoming "Rhonda Martini") and makes appearances in Image Comics and Creator/VertigoComics thereafter.
* Creator/JMichaelStraczynski objected ''strongly'' to the content of ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', but was contractually obligated to write it and include the results Creator/JoeQuesada wanted (namely, the dissolution of Peter Parker and Mary Jane's marriage via DealWithTheDevil). So, he threw in Aunt May saying that it was her time to go, and Peter should just let it happen; a little girl who appears to Peter and drops anvil-sized questions about what will happen if she never is; visions of his life without Mary-Jane, all of which are rather lacking; and the little girl showing back up after the deal is made, revealing that she was Mary-Jane's unborn daughter who will now never be and saying, in essence, "Wow, you really fucked this one up, didn't you?". She also called out Peter on being a constant {{Wangst}} machine and hinted that he had a belief that TrueArtIsAngsty. He also has Mephisto proclaim that a "small part of their souls will remember what you have lost", thus somehow implying whatever Peter and MJ become on the surface is just an extension of Mephisto's spell and that the real Peter and MJ are locked away, waiting for release.
** A happy ending to the ''OMD/BND'' mess was lampshaded in MJ's speech about how "nothing could destroy the relationship", indicating that her deal with Mephisto is to ensure she can somehow remain close to him and break both pacts one day with an ace up her sleeve, as well as the wedding scene depicted in the ''Mary Jane'' TPB reprint of ''Parallel Lives'' (the annual containing the retconned wedding was not included in this TPB), indicating that a new version of the wedding will one day unfold with the pacts broken. A few months prior to ''OMD'', during his conversation with an angel, Peter is told he and MJ will overcome everything and still have kids.
*** Said conversation with an angel or God, which happened in Sensational Spider-Man, could also be a take that at the upcoming storyline. Fittingly enough the annual for the same series, which came out soon before One More Day, was all about Peter and MJ's relationship.

* When Dan Slott had May 'Mayday' Parker's family killed off in the ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' event, he swiftly began making Mayday more vengeful and bitter as she and her fellow Spiders faced a losing battle, going on to call the others assembled from across the multiverse "fakes" when her baby brother is abducted by the Inheritors, and that her dad was the "real one". This drew significant ire from fans and Ron Frenz in particular, who declared Slott was "no Roger Stern" and went on to point out damning continuity errors in Slott's take on Mayday. When the time came for the original creative team to tackle Mayday in a team-up book, Tom D and Frenz wasted no time at all in deliberately "adjusting" to Slott's writing style and not-so-subtly implying this Mayday was an alternative version as opposed to the one they worked on from 1998-2010. This has continued on into Mayday's backup stories during ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'', with Frenz even more incensed at the ending to ''Spider-Verse'', where she takes up Peter's old costume and declares that she's Spider-''Woman'' and that she's over it. Instead, everyone's still calling her "Spider-Girl", and she hasn't gotten over Peter's death. Finally, Marvel threw in the towel and gave in to fan demand, reviving Mayday's father in ''Spider-Gedddon', Mayday returned to her 2006-2010 appearance and reclaimed her Spider-Girl codename.
* Creator/GeoffJohns pulled a very polite one when editor Dan Didio forced him to eliminate his two favorite characters, ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and Kid Flash, from the ComicBook/TeenTitans. Superboy was killed off for [[ExiledFromContinuity legal reasons]][[note]]because of the then-ongoing legal dispute between DC and the Siegel/Shuster estates over the copyright to Superman was, at the time, tilting towards DC losing the rights to Superboy. DC reacted, naturally enough, by killing Superboy off (and having recurring antagonist Superboy-Prime change his name to Superman-Prime). Superboy's resurrection came when the courts made it clear that it was only "young Clark" Superboy who the estates might have a claim on, and other characters using the name belonged to DC. In a nice touch, the villain in the miniseries that Superboy and Kid Flash returned in? Superboy-Prime, going back to his original name[[/note]], while Kid Flash was aged up and became the new Flash (and was later killed off due to poor fan reaction). Johns continued to write the title, but the quality went downhill, and most of the stories seemed to be a meta-commentary on how much the book was missing. He wound up leaving after about a year of stories, and the title has never been the same. Interviews upon his departure made it clear that he would have still been on the title if the characters were still around. When fan reaction proved him right, Johns was commissioned to write the miniseries that brought both the characters back to life.

* Creator/RobertCrumb, in response to the Creator/RalphBakshi [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat animated feature]] adaptation of his character ComicBook/FritzTheCat, killed Fritz off in one of his subsequent comics. That didn't stop producer Steve Krantz from making a {{sequel|itis}}, ''WesternAnimation/TheNineLivesOfFritzTheCat''. This also led to a weird in-joke in Bakshi's ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'': "They've killed Fritz!"
* Near the end of his tenure on ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' in TheEighties, Steve Englehart was shown the door for allegedly not being enough like Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby, but the higher-ups gave him a few months to wrap things up. He wrote a story called "Dreamquest" under the alias of John Harkness, which had the FF captured by Aron, a member of the same alien race as Uatu the Watcher, and replaced with brain-washed, "action figure" duplicates that a curious Aron uses to recreate the early Lee/Kirby stories ("you want Lee and Kirby? I'll give you EXACTLY Lee and Kirby!"), regardless of the consequences to the modern Marvel Universe (such as torpedoing a nearly-completed HeelFaceTurn by the Mole Man, whom the fake FF attack without provocation, causing him to swear vengeance). Meanwhile, the stasis-imprisoned real FF have dreams that function as ultra-condensed versions of the stories that Englehart ''would'' have written; the highlight was a war between Doctor Doom and an impostor who believed he was Doom, in which both assembled teams of supervillains to fight on their sides. Once the real FF are freed, and Aron and his fakes vanquished, Franklin Richards goes to find "Harkness" to help fix the FF's now bad public image.
-->'''Franklin:''' "Mr. Harkness, you're the writer on the FF comic book these days, and it would be nice if you could write a comic to let everyone know my daddy's really a good guy--and this was all a mistake."\\
'''Englehart/Harkness:''' "I'll try. But it might take a better man than me to straighten out this mess."
** Fortunately, the follow-up writer was Creator/WaltSimonson. Whether or not he's a better man than Englehart is up to you, but he was certainly a great creator in his own right.
** In 2003, Creator/MarkWaid had reinvigorated the title with fans calling it the best run in years. They were thus shocked when it was announced Waid had been fired. It turned out Waid had refused to go along with then-Marvel publisher Bill Jemas' plan to have the FF lose their money, move to the suburbs and transform the book from sci-fi superheroics to a wacky dramedy. The fan backlash was so huge that Marvel quickly hired Waid back and the controversy may have played a part in Jemas himself leaving the company just a few months later.
** At least one version of the team's creation revealed the entire idea was a revolt on Creator/StanLee's part as well. Supposedly, Lee was [[ExecutiveMeddling pressured by his publisher]] to FollowTheLeader and write stories within popular genres at the time. Fed up with not writing stories that he wanted, Lee decided to quit the comic scene with a book that would be the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica clone that the publisher wanted (a competing superhero team book) but would be filled to the brim with AuthorAppeal. Cue the Franchise/MarvelUniverse.
* Randy Studdard (the ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' employee who created Captain Nintendo - later reworked as ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'') took this to the unlikely extreme of ''subtle'' DisproportionateRetribution. His boss wanted numerous changes, and though he negotiated down to just "turn the guy's girlfriend into a stronger character," he was inordinately offended by the idea of this re-write ("Saving fair damsels, is what heroes do. Especially saving the girlfriend!! But, no. Let’s just put this premise on the respirator in the ICU before it’s born..."), and retaliated by renaming the girlfriend "Tara Bates" - as he explained: "Tara was the home of [[Film/GoneWithTheWind Scarlett O’Hara]] (whom I consider the bitchiest character of all time) and Bates was the last name of Norman Bates of ran the Bates Motel in ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and he was, well, psycho."
* Many of the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bat-family]] (or related) writers weren't thrilled to have their book derailed to deal with the storyline ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily''. Adam Glass (''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'') ''really'' didn't like doing it (and had to because of Harley Quinn), so he ended up re-writing some of the early events of the story to show that Harley was doing this unwillingly then jumped back into his storyline as if the tie-ins didn't occur. J.H. Williams (''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'') and Grant Morrison (''Batman Inc.'') outright refused to derail their storylines for this and, thus, had no part in it. Williams would revolt again, with even more fury, when DC pulled the major dick move of denying Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer their marriage, even though the two had been in a relationship for a good long while. Williams and the rest of Batwoman's creative team were so disgusted that they straight up ''quit'', sending the comic into chaos as DC scrambled for a new creative team.
* Following the event story ''Wrath of the First Lantern'', Joshua Hale Fialkov was pinged to write both the ''[[Franchise/GreenLantern Green Lantern Corps]]'' and ''Red Lanterns'' books, but would later leave the books due to "editorial not letting him tell the stories he wanted". It's still unclear if that included a rumor that Fialkov would've been mandated to kill off John Stewart (a major GL player and one of DC's most famous black characters; and that Fialkov resigned in protest of this), but currently the hero is safe, as the main Lantern in GLC under main ''Green Lantern'' writer Robert Venditti & Van Jensen. ''Red Lanterns'' (with Guy Gardner) eventually was assigned to Charles Soule.
** As a [[DevelopmentGag nod]] to the massive controversy surrounding the leaked news of Stewart's supposedly-planned death, Venditti and Jensen's first issue opened with John triumphantly screaming "Sorry, I'm not dying today!" while taking down a group of bloodthirsty Durlans.
** Similarly, the next writer of ''Action Comics'' following Grant Morrison's run, Andy Diggle, was given a large amount of publicity and buildup, but wound up leaving the book after only a few issues were written and leaving Scott Lobdell as the writer of both ''Action'' and sister title ''Superman''. Both incidents have reignited scrutiny at DC for their editorial policies, especially after it was reported that the company would relax their numerous mandates at a major convention held in Memphis just a few weeks earlier to the announcements.
* Tyroc, of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', was added by ExecutiveMeddling from editor Murray Boltinoff. The writers had been wanting to do a black character for years, but Boltinoff blocked any attempt to even show black people in ''crowd shots.'' Tyroc was introduced to explain this, claiming that all the black people in the DCU at the time were racial separatists living on an island that disappeared regularly. Mike Grell hated Tyroc's entire concept and deliberately gave him the dumbest design and power he could imagine (he can warp reality by screaming) before writing him out. Several artists have also stated that Tyroc's [[MakeMeWannaShout scream-based]] [[RealityWarper reality-bending]] powers with effects that were tied to specific screams were difficult to properly visualize, so they avoided drawing him whenever they could get away with it.
* According to Louise Simonson, in the early 90s DC's ComicBook/{{Superman}} writers wanted to have Superman marry Lois Lane, which publisher Jeanette Khan vetoed because they weren't married in ''Series/LoisAndClark''. And then...
--> We were a little disgruntled, and then as she closed the door, Jerry Ordway said what he always says, which was "Let's just kill him." And instead of laughing it off this time, we said "Yeah... Yeah! [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman Let's just kill him!]]"
* Similarly, Creator/PeterDavid, frustrated that an issue of ''ComicBook/XFactor'' had been hijacked by a BatFamilyCrossover, jokingly suggested for a story that ComicBook/{{Magneto}} could take the adamantium out of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. The end result was the storyline ''ComicBook/FatalAttractionsMarvelComics''.
* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'': Archie, wanting to prove how serious they were with the event, instructed writer Ian Flynn to kill off at least one major character. Ian's response? Kill off [[spoiler:Team Dark (Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, and E-123 Omega)]], a group of characters he knew wouldn't stay dead for long. [[spoiler:[[ResetButton He was right.]]]]
* ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'': Black Panther's first ongoing was set in the isolationist African kingdom of Wakanda, and so naturally had a cast that was nearly entirely black. Editorial told writer Don [=McGregor=] to include more white characters. His response was to pit T'Challa against TheKlan.
* During the short-lived 2006 run of ''ComicBook/TheThing'', Creator/DanSlott wanted to have the Thing propose to Alicia Masters. The editors gave him the okay to do it, on the condition that the marriage has to be held in the main ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' series, which was being written by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski at the time. Slott's response is to simply not have the Thing propose at all. In fact, he waited twelve years until he became the writer of the main comic's ''ComicBook/MarvelAFreshStart'' relaunch to finally let the proposal happen.
* The creation of Oracle was due to this. When Creator/AlanMoore was given the go-ahead to have Barbara Gordon crippled in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' not long after the character decided to retire from heroics, this pissed off editor Kim Yale, as Barbara's paralysis was an afterthought to the story. This led John Ostrander, writer of ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' and Yale's husband, to reinvent her at Yale's request.
* Creator/GrantMorrison writing ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority'' was due to this - they had learned that Creator/DanDiDio wanted to make Superman a far-right authoritarian figure and they approached Dan in wanting to mitigate the damage that could have happened. Thankfully, [=DiDio=] was tossed out soon after.

* The ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series. In the early stages of the series' development, Creator/{{Capcom}} thought that the new Mega Man's design was a complete overhaul from the original. Creator/KeijiInafune, the "father" of the series, was forced to make a second X with a design that would be more familiar to fans of ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}''. Inafune didn't discard the original design, however, and made him into a supporting character instead. What happens next? Inafune made it so that ''his'' X would [[SpotlightStealingSquad figure more into the storyline]] than the second X. Moreover, in an irony of what Capcom envisioned, he also became [[EnsembleDarkhorse more popular with the fanbase than the "second" X himself!]] Any fan should know this story by now (that first X became Zero, for people who haven't caught on yet.)

* ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' had to comply with a Canadian government directive that all CBC shows include at least some "distinctly Canadian" content. Actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas complied by creating the "Great White North" sketches. These sketches had Moranis and Thomas play two dimwitted brothers named Bob and Doug [=McKenzie=], [[CanadaEh the two most cartoonishly stereotypical Canadians they could possibly create]]. It ended up [[SpringtimeForHitler failing to fail in this regard]], as the "Great White North" sketches became the most successful element of the show by a long shot as [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales Canadians loved this mocking portrayal of themselves]], sparking an entire album and SpinOff movie ''Film/StrangeBrew''.

* ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' had to comply with a Canadian government directive that all CBC shows include at least some "distinctly Canadian" content. Actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas complied by creating the "Great White North" sketches. These sketches had Moranis and Thomas play two dimwitted brothers named Bob and Doug [=McKenzie=], [[CanadaEh the two most cartoonishly stereotypical Canadians they could possibly create]]. It ended up [[SpringtimeForHitler failing to fail in this regard]], as the "Great White North" sketches became the most successful element of the show by a long shot, sparking an entire album and a SpinOff movie, ''Film/StrangeBrew''.

* ''Series/{{SCTV}}'''s "Great White North" sketches were added to comply with a Canadian government directive that all CBC shows include at least some "Canadian" content. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas complied... by playing the two most cartoonishly stereotypical Canadians they could possibly create. The pair became the most successful element of the show, sparking a hit single and a SpinOff movie, ''Film/StrangeBrew''.

* Following [[spoiler:Black Belt's death]] in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', fans frequently discussed and [[EpilepticTrees made theories]] of resurrection... the issue was solved in a comic conveniently titled "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ Now shut up]]".

* Kevin [=DuBrow=], lead singer of Music/QuietRiot, was less than thrilled about doing a cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize" (originally released by Slade), so he decided to make his singing voice as grating as possible. He stated that he, as well as the rest of the band, failed to make it bad, nailing it instead. The song became a hit and the album was the first #1 metal album (only to be displaced by MJ's ''Thriller'').

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'' has an in-universe example, where the titular character (a mystery novelist) begins the series having violently killed off his long-running character. It is hinted that, along with boredom, he did so to annoy his ex-wife and publisher, and had been growing tired of Storm for some time by that point already. Immediately lampshaded by several characters, and an ongoing joke ''[[OnceDoneNeverForgotten six seasons later.]]''

* The writers behind ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'', frustrated with the toy company backing the show canceling it due to poor toy sales, had Minky Momo get run over by a toy truck and die.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' seems to have done this to some degree with the [[GenderBender gender-flipped]] "Fionna and Cake" cast, who became insanely popular among the fandom before ever appearing in an episode. When they finally appeared in a BizarroEpisode, a TwistEnding revealed that [[spoiler:the whole thing was a story written by [[StrawFan the Ice King]]]]. WordOfGod even admits this was a last-minute change.
-->[[spoiler:'''Ice King:''' So, what did you think of the fanfiction I wrote about you guys?]]

* Music/WeirdAlYankovic:
** Music/WeirdAlYankovic's record label once insisted that he include a parody of the then-hot new single, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" for his ''Dare To Be Stupid'' album. Al himself didn't want to and responded to the pressure by [[StylisticSuck intentionally making the parody, "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", as lame as possible]]. Weird Al fans widely consider it his worst song by a wide margin, which is quite the achievement for Al.
** In the same album, they wanted him to do a straight cover of a song (as in, not a parody). So he covered the theme to ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle''.