Line #70 Main/ReimaginingTheArtifact


1	%% This page's examples section is alphabetized. Please maintain this. The troper collective thanks you.
2	%%
3	You have an ongoing serial or a [[TheVerse Verse]] of some kind. In the canon of that work is an element that [[TheArtifact has become an embarrassment]] or is just plain out of date, one that has been abandoned or is in severe danger of being abandoned. CanonDisContinuity is what happens when that element is written out. [[TitleDrop Reimagining the Artifact]], on the other hand, is what happens when you try to make that element ''work'' with the overall tone of the serial.
4
5	To qualify, the element must have either been abandoned or been treated purely as TheArtifact.
6
7	If the problem was with an ArtifactTitle, this strategy may result in a retroactively JustifiedTitle.
8
9	Related to TookALevelInBadass, {{Reconstruction}} (when something similar is done for a trope or genre, rather than a character or concept), EvolvingTrope (when a trope as a whole, not just individual examples, is revised to accomodate modern sensibilities) and RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap. See also CerebusRetcon, where something similar happens mid-story. Also related to GrandfatherClause, where TheArtifact or DiscreditedTrope is kept in a LongRunner because it's so ingrained within the work's mythos that it is impossible to dispose of, but this trope can be used in later installments or adaptations to justify keeping said DiscreditedTrope. May also involve a ReplacementArtifact if something thought to be TheArtifact was first removed, found not to be, and then replaced with a tweaked version.
10	----
11	!! Examples:
12	[[index]]
13	* ReimaginingTheArtifact/ComicBooks
14	** ReimaginingTheArtifact/TheDCU
15	*** ReimaginingTheArtifact/{{Batman}}
16	*** ReimaginingTheArtifact/{{Superman}}
17	** ReimaginingTheArtifact/MarvelUniverse
18	*** ReimaginingTheArtifact/MarvelCinematicUniverse
19	[[AC: Western Animation]]
20	* ''ReimaginingTheArtifact/DuckTales2017''
21	[[/index]]
22	[[foldercontrol]]
23
24	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
25	* In ''Manga/DragonBall'', the Great Ape element of Saiyans largely disappeared after the end of the Saiyan Saga in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''. Future ''Franchise/DragonBall'' media brought it back in different ways.
26	** Goku becomes a Golden Great Ape in ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' after regaining his tail and using the Earth as a substitute for the Moon. Since it can only be used by Super Saiyans with their tails, Golden Great Apes are basically Super Saiyan Great Apes, but with the drawback of having near-uncontrollable rage. More importantly, controlling the rage is a necessary stepping stone to achieve the even greater power of Super Saiyan 4, which draws its strength by using the nature of the Great Ape form in a Saiyan's smaller humanoid state. Even still, Baby Vegeta as a Golden Great Ape is still more than a match for Super Saiyan 4 Goku.
27	** While Broly doesn't become a Great Ape in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'', he's stated to have a unique genetic mutation that lets him tap into the power of one in his base form, which comes into play for his "Rage" form. And slightly earlier in ''Super'', when Goku uses his Ultra Instinct form, the voice of his Great Ape self overlays his regular voice (particularly when yelling).
28	* Tomoki Kuroki from ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'' was at the beginning of the story the protagonist's main confidant, being her brother and one of the few persons she could talk with (and the only male one at that). However, given their relationship was also very vitriolic, with Tomoki barely being able to stand her for more that a little while, he didn't have much of a role once more recurring characters were introduced and Tomoko actually managed to make friends so she didn't need to pester her brother anymore. As such, he went OutOfFocus for many years until [[spoiler:he became the romantic target of the KnightOfCerebus [[AlphaBitch Sacchi]], among other girls]].
29	* In ''Manga/OsomatsuKun'', Iyami was a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed refence to Tony Tani, whose get-rich-quick schemes and loud attitude made him a BreakoutCharacter among fans. When he was reintroduced in ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'', the dated references were turned into him being a former star who clings to 60's humor as a reminder of his GloryDays, and his schemes were made a result of the Matsunos literally robbing him of house and home. "Iyami-san is Troubled" addresses this aspect of his character, and even further states that he was DemotedToExtra in season 2 because the writers couldn't figure out how to keep reimagining him.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
33	* In ''ComicStrip/MadamAndEve'', eight-year-old Thandi was originally introduced as the baby sister to Eric's college girlfriend Lizeka. However, with Eric and Lizeka written out of the strip, Thandi has been [[RetCon retconned]] as Eve's cousin who's moved in next door.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Fan Works]]
37	* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'' encourages originality in a collaborative attempt at WorldBuilding a unique depiction of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]] and the world at large. Countless gimmick figures from G1 and G2 have been reimagined by countless writers as unique, varied subpony types:
38	** Sparkle Ponies are either mutants, or hybrids with [[AncientAstronauts the Visitors]], and are major players in the setting once Dazzleglow returns. The Visitors themselves are based on the unmade Celestial Ponies.
39	** Secret Surprise Ponies are {{Mutants}} with a natural BagOfHolding in the form of a biological pouch on their back with magic similar to a giants' that contains a PocketDimension. This allows them to store basically anything they want in a given situation, and even act as living personnel carriers.
40	** Perfume Ponies have mutated scent glands which enable them to emit various smells. With training, this ability becomes HeartIsAnAwesomePower (for instance, they can imitate the smell of Dragon Sneeze Trees, which dragons are, [[MeaningfulName as the name indicates]], allergic to).
41	** In canon, Happy Tail Ponies have special spinning tails. ''Codex Equus'' depicts them as having a mutation that allows them to magically manipulate their tails like an extra limb, which explains why certain ponies in the show have {{Prehensile Tail}}s in contrast to most others. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Zecora are all Happy Tail Ponies, just to name a few.
42	** Rainbow Ponies have multi-coloured hair, and they can control light and rainbows, hence their name. Their hair and appearance are biological solar panels that absorb light and convert it into energies, but there are faulty genes that make this ability lethal to the individual. The majority of Rainbow Ponies are treated as heroes. The most famous of them is Rainbow Dash herself, [[AchievementsInIgnorance though she doesn't know this]].
43	** The [[ArtifactOfDoom Alicorn Amulet]] that Trixie found in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E5MagicDuel Magic Duel]]"? It was initially created to increase the strength of magically weak ponies so that they could stand equal to powerful-born ponies. It was ''supposed'' to just be an AmplifierArtifact... but its wearers [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters would end up using their boosted magic to do evil deeds and blame something else for it]], which eventually led to the Amulet itself becoming corrupted.
44	* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'': While he's still a VR genius who [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame locked ten thousand people in a video game to have at each other]], Akihiko Kayaba is drastically overhauled to fit the GagDub and FixFic elements of the series. He has come to genuinely hate every single player due to their stupidity they show for their situation instead of being just apathetic, giving everyone a very real sense that he could kill them at any point for any reason. It's shown that his ''SAO'' game itself is very buggy and stale compared to what everyone was expecting, due to him focusing on the VR experience. Finally, this Kayaba [[spoiler: didn't actually mean for anyone to get killed in the first place, but was so out of his mind staying awake to finish the game on time (ChristmasRushed being an unfortunate real-life scenario as it is) that he didn't realize a glitch was killing players until it was too late. SanitySlippage made him just roll with it and trap everyone to save face]].
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
48	* Mr. Ping from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'' was originally written to be Po's stern boss before they decided to change him to be his father because one of the storyboard artists [[RuleOfFun thought it would be funnier]]. Because of this, the final movie has the strange situation where a panda is the son of a goose without ever been acknowledged. [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2 The sequel]] turns this into a major plot point.
49
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
53	* ''Film/KingKong2005'':
54	** ''Film/KingKong1933'' depicts Kong as being a largely [[KillerGorilla mindless and violent monster]] who kidnaps the girl just because of MonsterMisogyny. Subsequent films, but especially the 2005 remake, have taken into account that gorillas are actually very intelligent and mostly peaceful herbivores. This remake plays up the tragedy by showing Kong accepting sacrifices only because he's the LastOfHisKind and desperate for any sort of socialization. Both the [[Film/KingKong1976 1976]] and 2005 remakes depict Dwan/Ann as being far more sympathetic of Kong's plight rather just screaming in terror for the whole ordeal. Both remakes also make the subtle implication Kong let Dwan/Ann live, while all the native sacrifices perished, not because [[MightyWhitey she's white]], but because she asserted herself and entertained him, while the native women probably just went passively to their deaths.
55	** In the original film, the film crew is at one point attacking a vicious, amphibious, and apparently [[AscendedToCarnivorism carnivorous]] ''Brontosaurus''. In large part due to ScienceMarchesOn and movies like ''Film/JurassicPark'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', discrediting the idea of all dinosaurs as being {{Prehistoric Monster}}s, and [[AquaticSauropods sauropods being water-dwelling animals]], have made the idea of a savage, swamp-dwelling ''Brontosaurus'' utterly ridiculous, so the 2005 remake split the scene [[DecompositeCharacter into two different creatures]]; the swamp monster into a giant predatory fish, and the ''Brontosaurus'' part changed into a stampede of the sauropods being chased by a pack of huge [[RaptorAttack raptors]], thereby menacing the crew without actually being aggressive.
56	* ''Film/ShinUltraman'': In the [[Series/{{Ultraman}} original series]], the monster Zetton's most powerful attack was the "one trillion degree fireball". While it was was depicted as a simple ball of fire in the show, a one trillion degree hot fireball would have [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale easily wiped out the entire solar system]]. In the movie, Zetton was reimagined as a robotic superweapon, designed to wipe out entire planetary systems using its fireball.
57	* ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'': In the games, Eggman's name is a reference to his bizarre body shape -- his fat, round torso and long, thin arms and legs making him look like an egg. However, in the film he's played by average-sized Creator/JimCarrey, and no attempt is made at making him look fat. The name is instead coined by Sonic in reference to the machines Eggman controls, many of which have sleek white and round designs that resemble eggs. [[spoiler: TheStinger also reimagines the subtler details of Eggman's bizarre design; his nose is red because it's sunburned all to hell, while his ridiculous mustache is implied to be the result of his [[SanitySlippage jump off the deep end]]. In addition to looking rather like his previous mustache, only hideously uncombed.]]
58	* ''Film/StarTrek2009'':
59	** Dr. [=McCoy=]'s nickname from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', "Bones", comes from the term "Sawbones", which was an old nickname for doctors. Since the term has fallen from the parlance, the film has Kirk call [=McCoy=] "Bones" because, in his introduction, he explains that he's joining Starfleet because "[[DivorceAssetsConflict The ex-wife took the whole damn planet]] in the divorce. All I've got left is my bones."
60	** Similarly, simply having an African American woman as a major character was revolutionary and progressive in the 1960s, but current criticisms would point out that Uhura was "answering the phones" while the white male leads went off on adventures. This criticism wasn't strictly fair, but that didn't stop the Kelvin Timeline films from making sure to point out that Uhura's linguistic skills were extremely valuable and elevating her to an ActionGirl along with the male leads. When dealing with completely foreign cultures, often for the first time, whoever "answers the phone" better be a gifted speaker for your people.
61	** In TOS, female officers wore miniskirted uniforms as a symbol of women's liberation when the show was originally made the 1960s. To modern audiences, this can come across as sexist, so the 2009 film shows the female officers in both skirt and pant variants, with some wearing a skirt-and-pant combination.
62	* Although ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'' was treated by Lucasfilm as an embarrassment that would never again see the light of day, elements of it still made their way into the canon. Chewbacca's family, named the unfortunate "Malla", "Itchy", and "Lumpy", had their names retconned as nicknames akin to "Chewie", with their full names being "Mallatobuck", "Attichitcuk", and "Lumpawarrump". Likewise, the Wookiee holiday of "Life Day" is mentioned from time to time in ExpandedUniverse works, and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Boba Fett]] (first introduced in an animated short in the Holiday Special) went on to become a major supporting character with a huge fan following. Life Day would even be brought into official ''Franchise/StarWars'' canon with an offhand mention in the first episode of ''Series/TheMandalorian''.
63	* In Creator/DanielCraig's first two ''Film/JamesBond'' films, ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'', the filmmakers made a conscious effort to abandon many of the campier aspects of the TuxedoAndMartini genre, like the flamboyant villains and the advanced gadgets. As such, series mainstay [[GadgeteerGenius Q]] was nowhere to be seen. But when Q was reintroduced in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', Craig's third outing, he got a notable modern update as [=MI6=]'s tech-savvy MissionControl with a talent for [[PlayfulHacker computer hacking]], as well as being [[YoungerAndHipper aged down significantly]] to contrast him with the more traditionalist Bond. Though he ''does'' have the obligatory scene where [[OncePerEpisode he supplies Bond with a list of new gadgets]], his computer skills are his primary talent. As the film is quick to point out, having a tech-savvy spy is ''still'' [[{{Reconstruction}} a huge asset in an age of digital espionage]], even if he doesn't [[MythologyGag build exploding pens]].
64	* The 2005 version of ''Film/TheProducers'' reimagines the actor playing Hitler in the play from the spaced out hippie LSD (Lorenzo St. [=DuBois=]) in the 1967 version to the CampGay director, Roger De Bris. LSD was such a product of late '60s counterculture that Creator/MelBrooks thought he just wouldn't work in a modern context. De Bris is in the original movie but due to the time period, had to be more AmbiguouslyGay and kept on the sidelines. Since having an explicitly gay character was more accepted in 2005, Brooks felt like it made more sense for him to play Hitler.
65	* ''Franchise/{{Monsterverse}}'':
66	** Mothra is reimagined as an ancient superspecies with biological abilities, as opposed to an outright goddess with explicitly magical abilities. That said, depending on the audience's perspective, it can be seen as a case of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane.
67	** Mechagodzilla joins the franchise in the fourth entry ''Film/GodzillaVsKong''. With its original mecha-like form tonally clashing with the grittier, more-grounded Monsterverse, the mechanical monster receives a full-on redesign more closely resembling military weaponry crossed with the Terminator, and is depicted as a CompositeCharacter with Mecha-King Ghidorah as he is controlled by [[spoiler: Ghidorah's brain]].
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Literature]]
71	* In Literature/HarryPotter, the later books often mused on the nature of death and how no magic could bring back the deceased. This became somewhat awkward when you remember all the ghosts floating around Hogwarts and interacting with the other residents. Rowling lessened this somewhat with a [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix conversation between Nearly-Headless Nick and Harry]], where Nick explains how choosing to become a ghost makes you know nothing of the secrets of death, and how it's just a feeble imitation of life, and he even contemplates how it might have been better to have gone on.
72	* ''Literature/StarTrekTheCaptainsOath'' has to do some work with Gary Mitchell, asking why in a professional organization like Starfleet they've got a guy like him operating on the bridge of one of their starships, after fifty years of (real life) society moving on. Kirk's own reputation also takes hits from it, since Gary's his friend, and with Kirk's own ImprobableAge it looks like a bad case of nepotism. But at the same time it's shown that, unprofessional attitudes aside, Gary is also good at his job and a good person... adding extra pathos to his eventual fate.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
76	* Jessica Andrews was TheArtifact back in ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'', as the romantic subplot involving her was deleted from the movie, making her character irrelevant in the final cut (to the point, she's PutOnABus with little fanfare before the third act starts). The fifth season of ''Series/CobraKai'' gives her a SmallRoleBigImpact for the franchise as a whole by being the one who introduced Amanda to Daniel.
77	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
78	** A combination of this and AscendedFanon lent plausibility to the biggest narrative conceit of ''Series/DoctorWho'': that even when the characters stop off somewhere for totally innocent reasons, they will inevitably encounter not just trouble, but extraterrestrial trouble. Fanon for years has been that the TARDIS, which is a [[SapientShip living being]], purposely drops the Doctor off in places and times where he is needed. This was heavily implied to be true throughout the revived series, and is eventually explicitly made canon in "The Doctor's Wife".
79	** The TARDIS' police box design. At first, in TheSixties, it wasn't anachronistic, but nowadays, characters ask "What is a 'police public call box?'" and the broken chameleon circuit, though part of the setting from day one to a smaller degree[[note]]The First Doctor noticed the TARDIS hadn't adapted to its new location once they ''left'' present-day Earth, and it was the first sign that something was wrong. They wound up with the more pressing problem of not being able to control their destination. Much of the black-and-white era of the series has a YouCantGoHomeAgain situation, as they make seemingly random jumps with no way home as we'd see in later shows like ''Series/QuantumLeap'' or ''Series/{{Sliders}}.''[[/note]], is sometimes a running gag (It's fixed! ...and its new form is not under the Doctor's control, highly inconvenient, and at least you know where to ''enter'' the police box version. It's fixed! ...and when it scans the area and decides on an "appropriate" form, it's always a police box. Or Donna can fix it with her new Time Lord knowledge! ...which is about to burn out her brain, and what comes next is ''not funny.'') and the Doctor has at least once admitted that he could probably fix it if he really wanted to, but likes it the way it is. They also introduced (and [[TropeNamer named]]) the idea that the TARDIS has a PerceptionFilter that makes people not notice it even if its apparent form isn't period-appropriate.
80	** The Daleks had suffered some extreme VillainDecay by the end of the Classic series, becoming quite easily explodable and harmless even in great numbers, as well as having no agency thanks to the introduction of their leader, Davros. This was not helped by the species being a UK cultural meme for forty years -- impressions of their obnoxious, squawky voices and jokes about their use of [[SpecialEffectsFailure plungers]] [[ImprobableWeaponUser as weapons]] and (imagined) inability to climb stairs[[note]]They went back and forth on the 'stairs' thing. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase The Chase]]" featured three Daleks appearing on the same level, but one being seen at the top of some steps while the others were below later; how it got up there wasn't addressed but it ''was'' clear that no, stairs will not stop them. Yet, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E1DestinyOfTheDaleks Destiny of the Daleks]]" had them unable to make a similar climb and the Doctor needling them about it. We first see a Dalek hover in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]", very late in the original series' run. Of course, when you're dealing with time travel, such inconsistencies can perhaps be explained by Four having met an earlier model than One and Seven.[[/note]] were something of a hack comedian standard routine. The new series reintroduced the Daleks in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek Dalek]]", in which we find out that the Dalek race was on the brink of annihilating the Doctor's race, and the Doctor had to commit genocide against both species in order to save the universe itself -- the Dalek in the episode gets a much less shrill, much scarier and much more expressive voice than the original series Daleks had, is treated realistically as the death machine that it is, and incorporated elements from the very first Dalek serial (such as the idea of Daleks as objects of pity as well as revulsion) in order to make them just as terrifying as they had first been forty years ago. Throughout both Creator/RussellTDavies' and Creator/StevenMoffat's showrunning of the revival era, there's also been an added emphasis on delving into the psychology of the Daleks and the Doctor's relationship with them. (For example, they claim they grew stronger in fear of him. He's tempted by them to lose his temper several times, and also ponders in private whether he could maybe redeem them one day, somehow.) This effort helped the Daleks return to the sort of nuance and cred they had as antagonists back in the 60s and 70s. And Davros, previously overused in the classic era after his first appearance, has had a guest role in only two revival-era stories so far, one in each showrunner's era. Tellingly, these Davros stories were critically well-received, both for Davros' rare resurgence and the quality of writing put into him as a villain. (Also, Davros sometimes overshadowed the Daleks, Dalek stories at the height of his overuse being more "Davros stories with Daleks as his {{Mooks}}." The revival appearances do the same for him as they did for the Daleks themselves, taking him back to his roots. Davros was introduced as the scientist who created the Daleks but was betrayed and killed by them, and reintroduced as the Daleks feeling they needed his genius as they had become creatively stagnant - his second story was more "scientific advisor" than "lord and master;" he was their weapon and not the other way around. Davros' new series appearances have him as ''very'' much the character from that second appearance - his knowledge is one of the best weapons in their arsenal, rather than them just carrying out his plans.)
81	** Several other classic-Who races that'd been fairly lame from the moment of introduction, such as the Silurians, Ice Warriors, and Zygons, have likewise been re-vamped into something much more formidable by the revived series, making them scarier in some cases and more tragic or multifaceted in others.
82	** The concept behind the Nimon - aliens based on the Minotaur of Myth/ClassicalMythology - is used again for the central alien in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E11TheGodComplex The God Complex]]", this time creating something more complex and tragic than the original take.
83	** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E8ColdWar Cold War]]" is a whole episode written to explore the stereotype about ''Doctor Who'' monsters always being easily outrunnable MightyGlacier creatures with movement impeded by the actors' [[PeopleInRubberSuits unconvincing rubber suits]]. It reintroduces an Ice Warrior, an old-school monster who fits this description, and reveals that what was assumed to be his body is in fact his armour. The armour impedes his movement just like the monster costumes do in real life, and once he's shed it, he is a ''lot'' faster.
84	** The Cybermen started out fairly scary for the 60s, with their emotionless desire to convert other beings into more Cybermen. As time went by, less focus was put on the assimilation aspect of their personalities, and they became generic robotic soldiers, often openly displaying emotions as well. When they reappeared in the new series (as parallel universe counterparts that never had the originals' {{Weaksauce Weakness}}es), much more focus was placed on the BodyHorror and LossOfIdentity aspects of their nature, making them scary once more. This includes a direct InternalHomage to their big moment of the Classic series ([[TechnicallyLivingZombie slowly emerging from tombs]]) in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven Death in Heaven]]". The way of defeating them went from 'throw gold coins at them' to 'give them their emotions back,' creating heart-wrenching scenes of Cybermen screaming in agony, dropping dead, or outright exploding as they were destroyed by the sheer horror of what they'd become. (However, VillainDecay set in once again as this became easier and easier to do.)
85	** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E11WorldEnoughAndTime World Enough and Time]]" also did a helluva reimaginging of the infamously shaky first Cyberman costumes. In their first appearance, they looked exactly like what they were: a talented and creative but budget-constrained effects studio's attempt at rendering a robot costume out of grey cloth and whatever assorted tubing and mechanical parts they had hanging around the workshop. For the most part, this was accepted and looked past by audiences who decided "that's just what robots in the Whoniverse look like," and once the show was able to do better, the Cyberman costumes improved considerably. "World Enough and Time," however, gave an origin story to those early costumes... in-universe, they actually '''are''' what they look like, only in this case, they're the end-products of the first crude and BodyHorror-filled Cyber-conversion process... the "grey cloth" is the surgical garments they wear to hold their bodies together, and the "random machine parts" are the life support systems keeping them alive.
86	** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E7TheCelestialToymaker The Celestial Toymaker]]" is generally considered an unfortunately racist episode, contaning as it does the only appearance of the n-word in ''Doctor Who'' as well as a villain played by a white guy dressed as a stereotyped Chinese mandarin (although possibly not actually in yellowface). Later appearances have tried to turn this into an issue with the ''character'' rather than the episode, with the narrator of the [[Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations novelisation]] of the MissingEpisode "The Nightmare Fair" sardonically referring to "a technician in a white coat who looked distinctly as though he had the better right to the eastern style wardrobe", while "[[Recap/DoctorWho60thASTheGiggle The Giggle]]" outright portrays him as a racist who likes doing "comedy" accents.
87	* Ryan Howard of ''Series/{{The Office\|US}}'' eventually lost his role as the newcomer, and went through an arc that saw him become a CorruptCorporateExecutive and then fall from grace. Despite having no storyline to advance, he stuck around because he was played by an executive producer on the show. Later seasons remedied this by making the character into a satire of a hipster, thus giving him something unique to do again.
88	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
89	** The old [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS-era]] Klingon foreheads were simply dismissed as [[WatsonianVersusDoylist old budget-level alien makeup effects]] and style evolution... until the [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]] episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E06TrialsAndTribbleations Trials and Tribble-ations]]" brought attention to it by juxtaposing Worf (undercover) next to some old-style Klingons. He said "It's a long story" and the Klingons "don't talk about it with outsiders", making the difference an in-universe affair. Come ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', a season 4 episode finally gives an explanation: they are the result of a badly botched attempt to match human [[{{Transhuman}} augments]] with Klingon augments of their own, but it went horribly awry and caused a terminal viral disease. The cure involved a blend of human DNA to undo the damage, which had the side effect of loss of cranial ridges for a few generations. Reconstructive surgery is mentioned, hence ''specific'' Klingons showing up in the TNG era with the forehead ridges they hadn't had in their original appearances.
90	** Series prior to ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' couldn't decide whether Romulans had ridges on their foreheads or not; ENT- and TNG-era Romulans had ridges, TOS-era and [[Film/StarTrek2009 Kelvin timeline]] Romulans didn't, and even in ''TNG'', Spock was able to pass himself off as a Romulan without adding ridges. ''Picard'' reveals that this is a facial feature unique to "northerners".
91	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' took some of the more [[AerithAndBob "Aerith"]] names of the [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 original series]] characters (Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, etc) and turned them into fighter pilot callsigns.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
95	* The {{Code\|OfHonor}} used to be the rule of law Wrestling/RingOfHonor was built on. Refusal to follow it resulted in penalty, with the more grievous violations making one eligible to dismissal from the promotion. Eventually, the flaws in such a system became apparent and the code was done away with, except fans wanted it back. So the code returned but was less "law" and more a CharacterAlignment tool to further flesh out wrestlers.
96	* "Women Of Honor" was a broad term referring to any woman working for Wrestling/RingOfHonor. There were always wrestlers among them, but women on ROH shows were [[ManipulativeBastard better known]] for [[GuileHero their scheming]]. Actual women's divisions did not get started until 2007 and 2008, both of which were mostly handled by Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}}. After Sinclair Broadcast Group purchased ROH in 2011, ROH and SHIMMER decided to operate separately and every woman, [[TheSmurfettePrinciple aside]] from Embassy hanger on Mia Yim, was dropped by ROH. SHIMMER still existed, but it turned out some women ''liked'' working for ROH and they had the support of a [[VocalMinority small but loud]] portion of fan base. ROH brought them back soon enough but took awhile finding a purpose for those more interested in wrestling than managing. It tried using Pro Wrestling Revolution's Women's Division in SHIMMER's place (didn't work out), it tried calling in competitors from [=SEAdLINNNG=] (didn't get many) and eventually settled on branding Women Of Honor as a competitive division with its own live shows and title belt.
97	* Nicolas Danserau and Stu Grayson (real name Marc Dionne) first came to prominence in Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} as the video game-themed luchadore tag team "Wrestling/TheSuperSmashBrothers", calling themselves "Player Uno" and "Player Dos". When they later signed with Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling, they ditched the Super Smash Brothers gimmick, instead developing the new gimmick of "Wrestling/TheDarkOrder"--a shadowy brainwashing {{cult}} under the leadership of a mysterious figure known as "The Exalted One" (eventually revealed to be [[Wrestling/LukeHarper Brodie Lee]]). But as a nod to their previous gimmick, they kept the numerical motif, and Danserau continued to call himself "Uno". To fit it better with the Dark Order's theming, Danserau renamed himself "'''Evil''' Uno", and it was explained that their numerical scheme came from every member of the Dark Order being [[YouAreNumberSix assigned a number]] indicating their rank in the organization relative to the Exalted One, whose rank was "Zero". Uno's ranking was "1", while Grayson's was "2".
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
101	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' took some cues from ''Pathfinder'' in its fifth edition, re-imagining many of the same weird old monsters into something a bit more functional.
102	** A good example is the half-orc issue. Second edition ignored the half-orc due to complaints of MoralGuardians, third edition brought them back, but there has been many controversies about half-orcs being potentially children of rape. Subsequent editions and spin-off games portray them differently:
103	*** 4e replaced them initially with Dragonborn as the new 'big guy'. Later, it established that half-orcs have multiple origins, among which there's a project of an army built by hobgoblins to combine the best traits of humans and orcs.
104	*** In ''Pathfinder'', many orcs mate with humans willingly... to eventually improve the orcish race and dominate the world. Also, a male half-orc can mate with a female half-orc, so they are a race all by themselves!
105	*** In Thirteenth Age, Orcs arise spontaneously when nature is defiled, and half-orcs are nature's response to that.
106	*** In 5e orcs, unlike goblins, create huge hordes inviting giants, ogres and human barbarians, allowing the potential for consensual relationships. The introduction to half-orcs in the rulebook also mentions the possibility of arragned marriages between human villages and orc tribes as part of peace agreements.
107	*** Earlier, Arthaus's 3E Ravenloft products had re-skinned half-orcs as a PC race called "calibans". Real orcs aren't actually native to the setting, but pregnant humans may give birth to calibans if they're exposed to curses or other malign eldritch forces.
108	** In the earliest editions of D&D, the Githzerai were a highly chaotic race who lived in [[RealityIsOutToLunch Limbo]] because it matched their desire to never be controlled. When ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' rolled around, the Githzerai character Dak'kon became so popular the entire race was rewritten to follow his general philosophy and be a generally Lawful society with a penchant for being monks.[[note]]They were previously said to be "monastic", but that was just their social structure, not their character class -- although, even then, it was observed in-universe that this wasn't very chaotic.[[/note]] So to explain why a Lawful race would want to live in the most Chaotic plane, it's said that they see Limbo as the ultimate spiritual test... and the place being nigh-impossible to properly invade sure didn't hurt.
109	** D&D 5e also brought back the obscure Flumphs (Lawful Good flying psychic jellyfish) and gave them a niche as probably the only trustworthy monsters in your dungeon crawl, who often have a lot of useful information on whatever supernatural nasties you're facing (Flumphs are passive telepaths who tend to pick up on the thoughts of monsters they live near).
110	* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': In-universe example: within the Sentinel Comics universe, old and out-of-favour {{Blaxploitation}} kung fu hero Black Fist was given a lengthy TimeSkip, a much more weary demeanour and a garage and retooled into older, grimmer, much less funky kung fu hero Mr Fixer.
111	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has several bestiaries dedicated to re-imagining various monsters; in particular, ''Misfit Monsters Redeemed'' is purely this trope, as they chose the least popular monsters from the Gygax era and attempted to make them work. For example, the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (a carnivorous tree stump with a rabbit-shaped lure) can now take any dead body and puppeteer it to draw victims closer. This was inspired by their revamp of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' Goblins, who are generally just treated as fodder, as they lack the "technical skills" that they have in other works.
112	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
113	** In earlier editions, there was a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Eldar]] Ultramarines Librarian by the name of Illiyan Nastase. As the setting developed and the Imperium's attitude of AbsoluteXenophobe was codified, Illiyan was quietly dropped for no longer making sense (not only would the Ultramarines have struggled not kill such a hybrid on sight, let alone induct him into the Chapter, the vastly differing biologies between Eldar and Humans would have made such a hybrid impossible, and the Space Marines had been rewritten as surgically modified SuperSoldiers making induction improbable even if the hybrid ''did'' exist). However, in the Dark Imperium trilogy an Aeldari Farseer liaison to Roboute Guilliman by the rather similar name of Illiyanne Natase is introduced. The name plus his role working closely with the Ultramarines cast Illiyanne as an attempt to update the Illiyan concept while working with the newer canon.
114	** Back when the game was simply a SettingUpdate to regular ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'' but InSpace, there was a faction called the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Squats]], which were [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Biker Space Dwarfs]] which Creator/GamesWorkshop infamously discontinued and declared CanonDiscontinuity for over two decades due to them feeling that they were not doing the archetype justice. While Squats would be quietly reintroduced to the setting through mentions in the background and miniatures in the SpinOff ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'', a full Squat faction would not be properly reintroduced until 2022 with the Leagues of Votann, an offshoot faction and [[HumanSubspecies highly derived subspecies]] of humanity that has better preserved LostTechnology from the Dark Age of Technology, specifically supercomputers which they venerate as ancestor gods. It was also revealed that the name "Squat" was a pejorative term used by the Imperium, with the actual name they use for themselves being "Kin". As a telling sign that Games Workshop is trying to do the Space Dwarf archetype justice this time around, one of the first revealed units for the faction is the Hernkyn Pioneer, a reimagining of the infamous Squat trike as a more robust HoverBike.
115	* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'':
116	** One of the main card types are Normal Monsters, given that they have their own card frame. There was a time when the bulk of your monsters were normal, and a time slightly more recent when you had a few to serve as muscle, but thanks to power creep that doesn't really happen anymore. Over the years there have been attempts to make them more relevant, such as Heart of the Underdog and the Hieratic and World Chalice archetypes. Their success has varied.
117	** Similarly, there are many iconic monsters that, due to PowerCreep, are now laughably weak. Every so often, the game comes out with a "retrain" of one of them, which is a new, more powerful card representing the same character. In recent years, the game also has a tendency to create "legacy support" cards which are designed to work with these older monsters, with the intention of making them more relevant in the current metagame.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Theatre]]
121	* ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark'' had a very TroubledProduction, undergoing a major ReTool after the longest preview period in Broadway history. Presumably to save money, many aspects from the original show, directed by Julie Taymor, were reimagined after she was fired. The most notable is probably [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Arachne]], a CanonForeigner who originally [[CreatorsPet got three songs, usurped Green Goblin as the villain, had a redemption arc and was in a]] LoveTriangle with [[OfficialCouple Peter and Mary Jane]]. Since the Green Goblin was the best-reviewed aspect of Taymor's version, the retool promoted him to BigBad while Arachne became Peter's spirit guide.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Toys]]
125	* ''ComicBook/BeastWarsUprising:''
126	** Similar to the examples from Comic Books, ''Uprising'' reimagines the Targetmasters, one of the later gimmicks of the original toyline where the main toy came with a transforming gun. In ''Uprising'' lore, the Targetmasters get an upgrade - the team-up uses the Sparks of both partners to boost the gun's power phenomenally. And then [[MadScientist Thunderwing]] learned of an even darker aspect: He altered the effect so Targetmasters could drain the life out of anything and everything nearby. Suddenly, both sides realized the Targetmasters had to be [[ThePurge taken out]]. So they were. Three hundred years later, the few remaining Targetmasters have to live in hiding, in case anyone learns what they are and tries to use them for their own ends.
127	** Beast modes. In the original ''Beast Wars'', they were adopted because the cast needed them to survive without suffering energon overload, not a problem for the ''Uprising'' cast since they're still on Cybertron. But partway through the story, Megatron realizes that Maximals and Predacons still suffer the same fuel inefficiencies as their AbusivePrecursors, so he devises the Beast Upgrade. With that in place, both Maximals and Predacons become able to metabolise fuel the way humans metabolise food, rather than having to live off energon. The Beast Upgrade goes from a justification to why the toys are what they are to something that helps the Resistance start winning their war.
128	** The Maximal insignia, which in all fiction beforehand was just there, with no comment on the change from the Autobots. One story mentions that it's a stylized Cybertronian wolf's head, after the hound of Maxima, the first Maximal, used as a rallying symbol after her death (neatly also explaining the name "Maximal" - they're the followers of Maxima).
129	** The symbol of the Vehicons, an oddity among Transformers insignias for not looking like a face of any kind, gets a note in the grand finale when Knock Out ruminates on its symbolism -- not a face, but a stamp, representing the lifelessness the Vehicons bring.
130	* One of ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s original "trademarks" was mask collecting, toys knocking off each other's masks and replacing them with other collectible items. The mask collecting aspect and play features were phased out in favor of projectile gimmicks, and some buyers even complained that the masks came loose too easily (missing the fact that that was their point), but masks remained an important part of the character designs and the lore, so their connections were redesigned to be sturdier. In fact, some masks weren't even traditional mask pieces, and could only be taken off by disassembling their figure's head. Later still, masks were temporarily replaced by helmets.
131	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Megatron originally transformed into a highly realistic Walther P38, but due to a number of factors such as the in-universe impracticality of turning into a handheld weapon, several incidents of police offices mistaking the toy for a real gun, and realistic toy guns being less socially acceptable since the eighties, modern interpretations of Megatron will transform into a tank, a jet, or both. His tank vehicle mode is the most commonly used alt mode since a tank is basically a giant gun on wheels.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Video Games]]
135	* In the ''Franchise/{{Ace Attorney}}'' series, a frequent RunningGag that doubled as a plot point (or plot ''armor'', in a sense) involved Phoenix coming out of devastating accidents or brushes with death with barely a scratch. Apparently, the developers grew bored of writing those gags, because by the time ''Spirit of Justice'' takes place, Nick’s age has caught up to him and that game’s running gag is ''his constant back pain''. He even goes so far as to take a dead man’s painkiller medicine…[[spoiler: inadvertently giving himself and Apollo a Hail Mary that saves their defense in the final trial (even though it ends up being completely wrong).]]
136	* While [[http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sqn3p9 reflecting on]] ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}''[='s=] first chapter, Creator/TobyFox acknowledged that the ACT/FIGHT system mostly felt like a holdover from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', as the decision to handle combat encounters peacefully or violently no longer had a major impact on the story. This is likely the reason why future chapters allowed you to recruit enemies as residents of Castle Town by showing them mercy, giving the mechanic a new purpose.
137	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
138	** The [[CatFolk Khajiit]]'s appearance [[ArtEvolution changed]] between ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', and again between ''Daggerfall'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', becoming steadily more cat-like. Lore from after ''Daggerfall'' explains this by establishing that there are 17 known distinct "sub-breeds" of Khajiit, and which sub-breed a Khajiit kitten will grow up to be depends on the phases of Nirn's [[WeirdMoon two moons]] under which the kitten was born.
139	** A similar explanation exists to explain the [[ArtEvolution changing appearance]] of the [[LizardFolk Argonians]] throughout over the course of the series. According to the lore, the Argonians worship a species of [[WiseTree sentient]] (and possibly {{omniscient}}) trees known as the Hist. Argonian hatchlings drink the sap of the Hist to grow, and the Hist can communicate with the Argonians via visions transmitted in the sap. Sensing the upcoming Oblivion Crisis and the trials that would follow, the Hist recalled nearly all of the Argonians in Tamriel to their homeland and began to change them physically, [[TookALevelInBadass making them into more effective weapons of war]].
140	** Cyrodiil, the setting of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', was described a dense tropical jungle with {{Mayincatec}} elements in earlier games. The developers made the conscious decision to go against this established lore in order for ''Oblivion'' to have more of a MedievalEuropeanFantasy feel, making the setting in a temperate forest land. In-universe, this change is explained in obscure texts as [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]] [[CosmicRetcon terraforming the region]] as a reward for the [[BadassArmy Imperial Legions]] who served him so well in life as Emperor, making it a more comfortable place to live. When the developers of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', a prequel taking place roughly 500 years before the events of the main series, dismissed this inconsistency as a "transcription error", FanonDiscontinuity was declared among lore junkies. Others rationalized that Talos' changes to the landscape were retroactive, making it so that Cyrodiil had ''always'' been temperate.
141	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' had earlier games featuring four Crystals which acted as {{MacGuffin}}s, each attuned to an elemental force and being a source of great power. As this trope became stale, later games started to use them in more creative ways that allow Crystals to remain important to the story in a less-dated way.
142	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has the [[SummonMagic Espers]] turn into shards of magical crystals when they die, which the party members can equip to learn magic. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' did the same trick with Materia, described as crystallized [[TheLifestream Lifestream]], the spiritual energy of the planet, and so does ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' with Spheres formed from pyreflies. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' uses a concept very similar to the Lifestream with a cycle of souls that are reborn over and over, and they originally came from a Crystal in the planet's core.
143	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' referenced the Crystal mythos of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' with a Crystal Pillar said to come from the moon, and it can summon monsters from the moon down to the planet.
144	** As part of RevisitingTheRoots, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' feature more traditional Crystals as gemstones that hold tremendous power. The main plot of ''XII'' actually centers on TheEmpire researching how to create artificial Crystals just as powerful as the original ones created by divine forces.
145	** The ''Franchise/FabulaNovaCrystallisFinalFantasy'' series focuses on Crystals in modern and sci-fi settings. The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' trilogy concerns fal'Cie, god-like beings who are implied to be sapient crystals at their cores and form bio-mechanical shells as defenses, and they grant [[TheChosenMany l'Cie]] eidoloths, crystal shards that contain their [[SummonMagic Eidolons]]. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyType0'' depicts the traditional Four Crystals but associates them with TheFourGods instead of the elemental forces, and each grants its nation a particular boon, such as Concordia's crystal granting its people the ability to commune with and control dragons. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' depicts the Crystal as a treasure from [[PhysicalGod the Astrals]] gifted to the House of Lucis to use its power to rule over the world, and only those of royal blood or those who swear oaths to them may wield its powers.
146	** ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' has Cosmos grant power to her chosen Warriors, which will eventually manifest for them in the form of a Crystal. As a MythologyGag, each of the assembled hero's crystals resemble the kind from their original game, such as Terra from ''VI'' getting a Magicite shard while Cloud from ''VII'' gets a Materia orb.
147	%%Expand these entries or remove ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyExplorers'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'', ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight The 4 Heroes of Light]]'', etc, all feature the original Crystals myth in more modern ways.
148	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has several elements that were once used and abandoned or never made it past the conceptual stage but were given a new purpose later on:
149	** The developers toyed with the idea of having primals that would roam about and could be captured by a Free Company if players defeated it, allowing them to summon the primal into battle whenever they wanted. The idea never came to be due to the balancing nightmare it would bring plus having an entire server's worth of players all trying to fight the primals at once. The idea would be revisited in the Heaven-On-High Deep Dungeon where players can find Magicite that can summon a primal that can kill all enemies on the current floor.
150	** Due to all jobs getting a major rework in every major expansion, some skills are no longer useful or have no place in the reworked balance, thus they get cut. Some of the cut skills get reused in other content like Eureka or the Variant Dungeons where balance for the players isn't a priority.
151	** Early on in ''A Realm Reborn'', several dungeons had branching paths that could contain different items or enemies. Because players would always [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome pick the quickest path or one with the least resistance]], the developers opted to make all dungeons linear with no branching pathways. By ''Endwalker'', the idea of dungeons with branching paths would be revisited in the Variant Dungeons where each path has their own set of enemies/bosses and puzzles.
152	** When the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion was being developed, the developers came up with the idea of the Warrior of Light being intangible upon arriving on the First and being unable to interact with the denizens of that world. The idea was scrapped since it caused issue with the story, but it would later be revisited in ''Endwalker'' where [[spoiler: the Warrior of Light is sent back in time to the unsundered world and cannot be seen or heard by the ancients due to their very thin aether.]]
153	* ''Series/MortalKombat'': The franchise's infamous PaletteSwap ninjas, initially conceived as a way to create new characters while [[SerendipityWritesThePlot conserving limited memory]], dominated the franchise's 2D era. When the games went 3D, the ninjas were all made [[DivergentCharacterEvolution visually distinct]] from each other and it was unnecessary to add more, since the newer consoles had much more memory to play with. Since then, only four new characters with the "masked ninja" or "cyberninja" aesthetic have been added to the series: Frost, Skarlet, Triborg, and Tremor. As for the classic ninjas, most of them now have maskless alternate costumes, or are even maskless by default unless it's central to their character (like Mileena being a ButterFace).
154	* The typewriters and [[SaveToken limited ink ribbons]] that were used throughout the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series up until the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 fourth installment]] would be brought back in the form of tape recorders and limited cassette tapes for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7'', keeping with the game's theme of getting back to the series original heavy emphasis on slow foreboding horror as opposed to action.
155	* Maria, the main Law representative of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE'', eventually started appearing in other games in the franchise, starting with ''Strange Journey Redux''. Since Idea Space and the Neo Messians are absent in these games, she's used as a stand-in for the Virgin Mary instead.
156	* ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI''
157	** The "Soul Charge" mechanic that had last been used in ''Soulcalibur III'' returns, but instead of providing a quick buff in attack power to a character's next attack, functions more akin to a SuperMode. It can only be activated at the cost of one bar of super meter, but provides various buffs for several seconds while active. This, in addition to its instant activation also makes it more practical, where Soul Charge in previous games were rarely used due to leaving players wide open to attack while charging.
158	** Soul Chronicle mode combines elements of single-player modes from previous games: in addition to having a main narrative in the same vein as "Story ~1607 A.D.~" from ''V'', it also contains various side stories occurring in the same time frame as the main story that focuses on individual characters and their exploits, not unlike arcade modes from earlier games and "Tales of Souls" from ''III''.
159	* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'' features two of these:
160	** The Omniwrench, which had become useless since [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando the second game]], was given an overhaul in this one. The previous game, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction Quest for Booty]]'', had already worked on this by giving it some gadget functionality, which was expanded here to allow you to pull Shields off enemies and have it involved in the Hydra Tank boss fights. In addition, Ratchet is now able to run and throw the wrench at the same time, which on top of a wider hitbox makes it ''much'' more useful for smashing crate stacks and small enemies.
161	** The Charge Boots were very useful when introduced in ''Going Commando'', but by ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction Tools of Destruction]]'' they were included more out of obligation than usefulness. Come ''A Crack in Time'' and they have been reimagined into the Hoverboots, able to be toggled with a single button press, can take turns much more naturally, and let you jump off ramps and pads for platforming action. In addition to being more interesting it allows them to be used in tight spaces (''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assault]]'' kept the trend by reducing it to a single button press).
162	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' regularly gives updates to characters whose initial concept has ended up kind of out-of-place now that Runeterra has a detailed, worked-out history as opposed to being a place where slapped-together pop culture fantasy concepts beat each other up because Reasons. For example, Pantheon was ''hugely'' out of place, as an extra from ''Film/ThreeHundred'' who drew his entire look from a culture that did not exist on Runeterra; he has since been tweaked so that he's still a buff dude with a spear, but he now looks like a character from Runeterra as opposed to a Spartan warrior who happened to find himself in Runeterra. Fiddlesticks, who ''did'' kind of have a place but wasn't particularly unique, was reworked from a fairly generic ScaryScarecrow to an AncientEvil that has been feasting on fear since the dawn of humanity. League fans are still waiting on announcements for other reworks for characters seriously in need of them like Cho'gath[[note]]who is basically the Violator from ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' with a quick paint job and has nothing in common with the current aesthetic of the Void he hails from[[/note]] and Corki[[note]]who is basically a goofy take on a WWI fighter pilot and doesn't even look like the species he's been {{Retcon}}ned into being[[/note]].
163	* ''Videogame/SonicForces'':
164	** Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone, both zones from the original Genesis titles, are reimagined for the game. Green Hill Zone has gained a desert because of Eggman, which includes new locations. Likewise, the place is filled with robot leftovers everywhere due to the countless fights Sonic and Eggman had over the years. Chemical Plant Zone, likewise, has a story justification for its inclusion, now becoming the space-port towards Eggman's Death Egg.
165	** The Wisps, the colorful aliens from ''Videogame/SonicColors'', became a mainstay in further games in the series. This is despite the fact that they left for their homeworld by the end of ''Colors'', and outside of one mobile game, their presence has never been justified. ''Forces'' uses them, this time imagining them as allies to the Resistance with the use of the Wispon, a weapon that channels their power for all members of the Resistance - including the playable Avatar.
166	* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerIII'' does this to one of the Kislevite Legendary Lords. Back in the early days of ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'', one of the named characters mentioned in the Kislevite background was quite literally Literature/BabaYaga lifted straight out of Myth/SlavicMythology. With the massive lore update that Kislev received in the leadup to the game's release, this character was reintroduced into the lore as Mother Ostyanka. The ''Shadows of Change'' DLC would see this character become UnseenNoMore, and as a sign of her undergoing DerivativeDifferentiation she rides into battle not on a chicken-legged house but on a sleigh pulled by the monstrous Things in the Woods.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Web Original]]
170	* ''Podcast/DiceFunk'''s creator Austin Yorski has talked at length about how his campaigns frequently alter things from the normal ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' books that he considers silly, problematic, or nonsensical. This is most notable in Season 5 which is based on ''{{TabletopGame/Spelljammer}}'' and overhauled large parts of its lore, most notably [[spoiler: changing the Witchlight Marauders from monsters made by Orc shamans, into Reigar who have been mutated by the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification World of Forms]] and renamed Maxwells.]]
171	* As a long-term collaborative fiction project that has undergone some pretty big paradigm shifts, the ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has a small handful of these.
172	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-148 SCP-148]] was originally a metal alloy which blocked psychic energies without any side effects or downsides, and was used to make some of the [[TailorMadePrison holding facilities]] for other [=SCPs=]. Wiki site members decided this was boring and rewrote it so that it has such extreme downsides that no one uses it for anything.
173	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-049 SCP-049]] is one of the most well-liked [=SCPs=] ''outside'' of the community, but was one of the most disliked within, being seen as a heavy handed attempt at horror that lacked the intrigue or fear factor most modern pages have. It previously alluded to an illness that showed no signs of existing and at some point created fast zombies. In 2018, djkaktus, one of the biggest contributors to the site, retooled it into a mysterious character that may be delusional or [[TheCassandra knows about a real disease but no one believes him]], and creates passive zombies. It got in-depth interview logs that give it character and depth, and generally created a much more interesting read while keeping the most famous elements from the original.
174	-->'''SCP-049''': I… you are all sick, but I… I can ''save'' you. I can save all of you, because I… I am the cure.
175	** The Tale series of [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/ecceperago Ecce Perago]] and [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/annon Annon]] provided a possible explanation for why the various [[CreatorsPet Author]] [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Characters]] who appeared so often in early SCP articles are now rarely seen: [[spoiler: They got promoted and are the current Overseer Council nowadays.]]
176	** The [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/lolfoundation-hub-page Lolfoundation canon]] similarly tackles the early author avatars. It reimagines the more lighthearted stories about their antics as having been from the perspective of [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness perception-altered reality warpers]], whose "fun" is unknowingly causing near-apocalyptic levels of collateral damage.
177	[[/folder]]
178
179	[[folder:Western Animation]]
180	* The villains in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' are named after each animal they're based on--Lizards, Jackals, etc.--instead of them all being called "Mutants", and often get new names that while still based on their animal, are a bit more imaginative (Vultureman becomes Prefect Vultaire.) Third Earth is populated by many animal races and the Mutants' equivalents are drawn from them.
181	* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
182	** Cutie Marks in the ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' franchise have existed since the first generation and have since been TheArtifact; even in the original series and comics, they were just there because the toys had them and they were never discussed by the characters. If you were a show-original pony, you didn't have a mark because it wasn't necessary (from a toy-selling point of view) to give you one. It wasn't until [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 Generation 3]] that they were acknowledged by the characters and given their name, and only in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship Is Magic]]'' did they actually have a purpose in the story other than just sort of being there, now representing a pony's special talent and calling in life. Getting one in childhood is used as a stand-in for puberty and someone who helps you figure out the meaning of yours is sort of like a guidance counselor.
183	** As an example, consider the Cutie Mark Crusaders, consisting of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They spend half of the series trying to obtain their Cutie Marks. Despite showing many, ''many'' talents, they finally earned them in Season 5, and soon discover their purpose of helping other ponies discover theirs.
184	** The Friendship Reports in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' were originally meant [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle as a recap of the episode's events]], but began to be phased out near the end of Season 2 and were practically non-existent in Season 3. In Season 4, the concept was brought back after the main cast found the Princess' old diary and decided to keep one for themselves.
185	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' happens in an AlternateContinuity where all the secondary characters from the ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'' movies are living in the Central Park Zoo at the same time. With this is mind, the overall idea of King Julien being.....well [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything a King]] doesn't really make much sense given there's only two other Lemurs and whatever the events of the movies happened or not is left ambiguous. The show sort of handwaves by turning it into another facet of his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} personality, with him believing to be the king of the whole zoo rather that just of the lemurs, is also heavily implied this version of King Julien doesn't fully understand what the title actually means besides the fact that it gives him some superiority to the other animals.
186	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', because of the AnimationAgeGhetto, couldn't actually show the heroes slice and dicing with their weapons, at least, not against foes who were flesh and bone. What to do to compensate for the lack thereof? Simple. Turn opponents such as the Foot Soldiers into [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman robots]], so that slicing and dicing can be shown freely.[[note]]Hey, at least they didn't SetSwordsToStun.[[/note]] In [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 the 2012 series]], where multiple things from the 1987 series are reimagined to be less silly, the robots are revealed early on to be adaptive, and can challenge the heroes. It's also justified: The heroes keep beating up the Foot so much, they can't recruit any more minions!
187	* In the original ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' series, Nanny is Allura's overprotective Arusian caretaker who constantly fusses over the princess's safety and is bent on keeping her away from danger. ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' re-imagines her as Dayak, the Galran governess who raised Prince Lotor, and a BloodKnight SadistTeacher who considers skipping out on her lessons to be an insult worthy of a DuelToTheDeath.
188	* The Land of Dreams' SeriousBusiness approach looked proportionate in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'', where they were dealing with Zordrak directly and the level of menace was treated seriously. After the show turned into a HarmlessVillain formula with [[TheDragAlong the Urpneys]] however, their war-like methods looked more out-of-place melodramatic and even mean-spirited. The last third of the series added a far more dangerous reason for Zordrak wanting the stone to justify their aggressive vigilance with it, and also revised the Noops into more comedic MirroringFactions for the Urpneys to even back the sympathy value a little. At least one instance they reverted back to their original malice was treated as petty in-universe and ended with Frizz and Nug [[ATasteOfDefeat pranking them back as karma]].
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192	* Historically black colleges and universities ([=HBCUs=]) in the United States were founded in the 19th and early 20th centuries when most other colleges wouldn't admit black students.[[note]]The one exception is the University of the Virgin Islands, an HBCU by default since the Islands themselves are majority-black[[/note]] When all schools in the US were legally desegregated in 1954, those that were founded to educate black students were dubbed ''historically'' black. [=HBCUs=] will admit students of all races, but African-American culture remains their central focus.
193	* Western Union started out in the 1800s as a telegraphing company--including money transfers--that printed money orders on the side, then in the 1900s it became a money order company that sent telegraphs on the side. But by 2000, telegraphs had long become obsolete and several retail chains began offering their own money order services, plus e-commerce and debit cards had caused money orders themselves to wane in relevance just as much as checks have. In the 21st century, the bulk of Western Union's business has been in money transfers, particularly international transfers to recipients in poorer countries who might not have access to apps like [=PayPal=]. Most ethnic grocers in the US offer money transfer services via Western Union for this exact purpose.
194	* King County, UsefulNotes/{{Washington}} - the county that UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} is located and of which is the county seat - went through an interesting variation of this trope between 1986 to 2007. To provide context, King County was originally named after then-incoming Vice President William R. King (who had served under President UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce) when it was established in 1852. In the century since, however, King had been subject to retrospective scrutiny due to his ownership of slaves, which caused King County to understandably distance themselves from their former namesake. However, King County still wanted to keep its name, so in 1986, it voted to [[RenamedTheSame keep the name itself]], but [[NameMeaningChange change the King who it was named after]]. The (new) King in question? UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr - a man who embodied the antithesis of what William R. King stood for - of course.
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Context Main / ReimaginingTheArtifact