Contrasting Sequel Main Character / Live-Action Films

From a wacky teenager who constantly needs saving to a badass adult who does the saving.

Examples of Contrasting Sequel Main Character in live action films.

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• The DC Extended Universe version of Batman, compared to the Christian Bale interpretation of the character. He's presented as an older, experienced Batman, whereas Bale's version had an entire film devoted to his origin. He also operates in a more fantastical world, and does not appear to have a Thou Shall Not Kill principle, unlike Bale.
  • Both modern versions of Batman differ from the version introduced in the original 1989 Batman film and its three sequels. The Michael Keaton Batman was a little more awkward and eccentric as Bruce Wayne, in contrast to the Bale and Affleck versions who were both charming, one-percenter yuppie types. A crucial difference is that, while the other two make sure to devote equal time to both Batman and Bruce Wayne, it's implied for the Keaton version that "Bruce Wayne" is little more than a mask to protect his identity as Batman, rather than the other way around. Unlike Bale, Keaton's version is fully willing to outright kill his enemies if necessary, and unlike Affleck, he's occasionally even smiled while doing it. Keaton’s Batman is himself this as well to the Adam West version of Batman from the 1960s.
• Jack Griffin in The Invisible Man (1933) is rude and aggressive to everyone he meets right from the start, used the invisibility formula on himself willingly to try and further his scientific career (with the somewhat sympathetic motivation of wanting money so his fiancee didn't have to marry a poor man—but he only states this to her, so it's not entirely clear how much he was really thinking of that or of personal gain), and most characters (with the exception of his fiancee) dislike and distrust him. While it's suggested he was a better person before taking the Psycho Serum, we never actually see what he was like as the film starts with him already very much affected by the formula, and as it affects his mind even more over the course of the film he becomes an outright mass-murderer. In contrast, Geoffrey Radcliffe in The Invisible Man Returns is established early on to be a kind and gentle character, beloved by his servants and employees as he is strongly concerned for their safety and working conditions, and only reluctantly taking the formula because he was wrongfully imprisoned for a crime and needs to escape and find the real murderer. When we first meet him he has only just taken the formula and it's not yet affecting him much; while he begins to get similar ideas to Griffin about taking over the world later in the film as it affects his mind more, he doesn't act on them, only killing one person (the villain). Their fates similarly contrast: while Jack Griffin, after committing various horrible crimes and turning everyone against him, is hunted down and killed by the police, Geoffrey Radcliffe succeeds in clearing his name and defeating the villain, and is saved from death by a literal crowd of people volunteering to donate blood for him as he is so beloved by everyone who knows him, getting a happy ending with his fiancee.
• Several characters in Jurassic World seem deliberately written to contrast similar characters from the original Jurassic Park (1993), as Jurassic World is the first film in the series that doesn't reuse any of the principal characters from the first movie. ^note  B.D. Wong reprises his role as Dr. Henry Wu to provide continuity, but he had only a few minutes of screen-time in the original, and his only role was explaining how the breeding process worked.
  • Claire Dearing, an emotionally distant thirty-something workaholic who meticulously obsesses over the park's profits, contrasts John Hammond, an eccentric elderly showman who starts the park to realize a personal dream. Where Hammond is a loving grandfather, Dearing is introduced as the child protagonists' aunt, and she's too devoted to her job to consider having children. Notably, Claire shares Hammond's all-white wardrobe, and she's also asked to watch two children while their parents are going through a divorce. Lampshaded by Simon Masrani in one scene, when he gets sick of Claire spewing financial figures at him.
    Masrani: When John Hammond entrusted his park to me, never once did he talk of profit. "Spare no expense!", he always said.
  • Owen Grady, a cheerful, idealistic Fluffy Tamer, contrasts Robert Muldoon, a grim, cynical Great White Hunter. Notably, both of them have special relationships with the velociraptors, but where Owen tries to train them by forming bonds based on mutual respect, Muldoon merely sees them as worthy adversaries and wants to see them all exterminated. Owen likes kids and is a former Navy man, unlike scientist Alan Grant.
  • Muldoon was trim, blunt and direct, and he wanted to kill the raptors, but Hoskins is big, superficially chummy, and wants to exploit them. Visually, Muldoon wears loose, worn, practical outdoor clothes in earth tones, while Hoskins wears an spotless, too-small earth-tone shirt, with less practical black slacks and a fussy little goatee; he's not really someone who gets his hands dirty.
  • Lowery Cruthers, a slovenly computer geek with an authority problem, is written to evoke Dennis Nedry. But while Dennis betrays his superiors for personal profit ultimately dies trying to escape the park, Lowery stays loyal to his boss and ultimately risks his life to stay behind and save Owen and Claire. Notably, Claire chews him out for having a cluttered workspace, just like Ray Arnold did to Dennis in the original.
  • Masrani is a lot more of a hands-on owner than Hammond was. While Hammond acted like the grandfather he was, Masrani is a confident - arguably a bit childish - and wants to make the park fun and profitable. When the I.Rex escapes, Masrani personally pilots the helicopter that tries to take it down. Also, Hammond actually survived his debut movie to die, presumably, of old age. Masrani not so much. In a sense, he combines Peter Ludlow's cold-blooded business pragmatism with Hammond's idealism.
• In the prequel film to Orphan, Orphan: First Kill, there are many contradictions between the families Esther ends up with in the films, Colemans and the Albrights.
  • Tricia to Kate: The matriarch protagonists that clash with Esther. While Kate is low-functioning and more prone to distress, making her easier to manipulate by Esther, Tricia is more composed and is able to see through Esther's disguise, forcing Esther to reveal her true self and work together with her.
  • Allen to John: The oblivious patriarches and the targets of Esther's affections. While John was the only one of the Colemans to die and was an Asshole Victim, Allen was the last of the Albrights to die and was Too Good for This Sinful Earth.
  • Gunnar to Daniel: The Big Brother Bullies of the adopted Esther. While Daniel is horrified at Esther's true nature and tries to protect his sister from her, Gunnar refuses to take responsibility for his sister's murder and blackmails Esther into keeping quiet.
  • The real Esther to Max: The cute innocent girls who end up suffering by the Dark Secrets of a family member. Max looked up to Esther as a Cool Big Sis, only for Esther to abuse her into complying with her crimes and eventually tries to kill her and her family. The real Esther Albright was very close specifically to her father, only for her brother to accidentally murder her in a sibling squabble and her mother to cover it up, apparently favoring Gunnar over her.
• James Franco's Oscar "Oz" Diggs, the protagonist of Oz the Great and Powerful, bears this relationship to Judy Garland's Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is a pure-hearted, relentlessly optimistic farm girl who's unshakably loyal to her friends, always tells the truth, and spends the whole story eager to get back home. Oscar is a cynical Guile Hero and a master showman who uses illusions to his advantage, he spends the first act of the movie as a stubborn loner, and he ultimately elects to stay in Oz permanently as its ruler.
• For the Alien prequel Prometheus, Ridley Scott intentionally avoided making Noomi Rapace's character Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw too similar to Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ellen Ripley. While Ripley was a working-class engineer and single mother just looking to make an honest paycheck, Shaw is a bookish archaeologist driven by her thirst for scientific knowledge, and she's romantically involved with her crew-mate.
• The first Predator 's main character, Dutch, is a burly, patriotic commando with strict ethics who starts off with a loyal team containing a Sixth Ranger Traitor who manipulated him into doing his dirty work. Predator 2's main character, Harrigan, is a middle-aged, anti-heroic black Cowboy Cop who doesn't play well with others but is ruthless in hunting down the Predators when they come into his territory and after his people. Predators's main character, Royce is a mercenary and Blood Knight, a thin loner, doesn't care about most of the others on his "team", and at one point betrays them to flush out the Predators.
• Star Wars:
  • The prequel trilogy showed Anakin Skywalker to be this towards his son Luke. Both are raised on desert planets, but whereas Luke had a happy family life on a farm with loving parental figures, Anakin was born into slavery with just his loving mother. Luke didn't really angst over the death of his family (he was upset, but since they continually kept him from leaving, he embraced the freedom their death granted), while Anakin's grief over losing his loved ones set him on his Start of Darkness.
  • The Force Awakens' new Power Trio (Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron) are set up as counterparts to Luke, Leia, and Han from the original trilogy in varying ways:
    • Poe is a dashing, dark-haired ace pilot with a sardonic streak, like Han, but is already dedicated to La Résistance, like Leia. Like Leia, he is also the one who is captured by the First Order.
    • Finn is a heroic everyman like Luke, and puts up a valiant effort with a lightsaber (the same one that Luke used). However, he initially wants no part of the Resistance, like Han (albeit for different reasons: Han answers only to himself, while Finn is an ex-Stormtrooper who wants to get as far away from the First Order as possible).
    • Rey is a courageous Action Girl like Leia, but her origins are closer to that of Luke's; he was a farmhand living a humble life on a desert world, while she was a mechanic eking out a living on a harsh Scavenger World, and both are interested but hesitant in taking up the Call to Adventure before getting swept into it by the end. She's also a fledgeling Jedi with a strong connection to the Force, and is much more adept with a lightsaber than Finn. She also differs from the previous female leads, Leia and Padmé, by not being royalty or from a privileged background.
    • BB-8 is a droid who serves the rebellion, like R2-D2, but as opposed to R2's tall and cylindrical "trash can" design with blue highlights, BB-8 is short and spherical with orange highlights. He's also much smaller, faster, and more agile than R2, and while R2 is primarily part of Those Two Guys with C-3PO, BB-8 works alone without another droid partner. In addition, while R2-D2 is The Gadfly who loves messing with and pranking his comrades and has little obvious affection for anyone, BB-8 is more of the Consummate Professional who spends less time joking around and shows a great deal of respect both to those around him and to R2, whom he seems to idolize. There's also the fact that R2 was mostly a Non-Action Guy while BB-8 is more of an active combatant, even hijacking an AT-ST at one point in The Last Jedi.
  • Jyn Erso continues this trend in Rogue One. Unlike the Skywalkers or Rey, she has no questions as to her origin and believes in the Force from the beginning, yet is a cynic who initially doesn't want to get involved. Ironically, despite being given a lightsaber crystal, she has no Force abilities herself and is the first protagonist in a Star Wars film to not be on the path to become a Jedi. She is also the first main hero of a film to die in the movie she first appeared in.
  • K-2SO is this for C-3PO. Threepio is a shiny golden, human-sized Non-Action Guy and Cowardly Lion, while K-2SO is a black-armored droid much taller than a human and with non-humanoid proportions who is The Big Guy of the team who seems to relish combat. Whereas Threepio is more of a polite, if stuffy presence to his allies who has a tendency to freak out in combat situations, K-2SO is a totally blunt enforcer who is distrustful of his comrades and remains unfailingly sarcastic even in the midst of battle.
  • DJ in The Last Jedi is deliberately set up in contrast to Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back. While Lando is a clean, elegantly dressed black man in bright clothing with a mustache, DJ is a shabbily dressed hobo in dull rags with scraggly Perma-Stubble played by Latino actor Benicio del Toro. Lando is a smooth-talking politician who cares deeply for the people of his city enough to reluctantly strike a deal with the Empire, whereas DJ is a total loner on the bottom rung of society's ladder, who believes that the First Order and the Resistance are essentially the same. Most crucially, while Lando comes to regret working with Vader and eventually joins the Rebel Alliance, DJ is on the heroes' side from the very beginning but betrays them without a second thought to save his own skin.
• Similarly to the Batman example, every cinematic version of Spider-Man has made sure to make its version of Peter Parker subtly different. Tobey Maguire's version was a rather pathetic awkward nerd who developed the Spider-Man persona to win the heart of the girl he loves, and differed from his successors by using organic web-shooters. Andrew Garfield's incarnation was more of a handsome, charismatic geek who had a slightly darker personality than Maguire, and started as a vigilante hunting down the man who killed Uncle Ben. His Parker was unique in that his powers had a direct connection to Oscorp. And finally, Tom Holland's performance is a young, Wide-Eyed Idealist who's inspired by the other superheroes around him to do good in the world, and shares his secret with others. Holland is also both the first Spider-Man actor who's even remotely close to Peter's actual age and the first to play him in a world where other superheroes exist. All of them have had different love interests thus far (Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacey, and Liz Allen (and later Michelle Jones), respectively.) All three of them even get to meet in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where the differences are made the most obvious.
• Every cinematic version of Superman has had different interpretations over the decades, each of them having different ways to portray the Superman/Clark Kent dichotomy. Christopher Reeve's Superman was a light-hearted, old-fashioned kind of hero reminiscent of the Silver Age who merely used the Clark persona as a facade. Brandon Routh's version was mostly similar to Reeve's, albeit a bit quieter and more introspective, what with him returning to Earth after a five-year-long journey to Krypton, questioning his relevance in the 21st century and having a son out of wedlock with Lois Lane. Henry Cavill's portrayal is the most flawed and morally conflicted version of Superman, constantly mindful of the effects his actions have on humanity and questioning his place in the world. Another difference from Reeve and Routh is that Cavill portrays both Superman and Clark as the "real person", with the issue of a Secret Identity not addressed until the end of Man of Steel. In the sequel, the difference between Clark and Superman becomes a bit more obvious, with Cavill playing Superman in a stoic and patient, sometimes stern, manner, and Clark becoming more dynamic and assertive.
• When making the 2011 prequel to The Thing (1982), the director understandably didn't want to make his protagonist too similar to Kurt Russell's memorable character. The solution was to contrast Russell's performance as an experienced, scruffy, alcoholic anti-social helicopter pilot with a young, less experienced but professional-minded female student of paleontology.
• The Transformers Film Series seems to be headed this way with Transformers: Age of Extinction, which replaced Shia LaBeouf's long-time protagonist Sam Witwicky with the new character Cade Yeager, played by Mark Wahlberg. Where Witwicky was a middle-class suburban Kid Hero, Yeager is a middle-aged working-class single father who works as a mechanic in rural Texas. Bumblebee seems to be upholding the tradition with Charlie Watson, in addition to being the first female protagonist of the series, she's a Working-Class Hero like Cade but is only slightly older than Sam was in the first movie.
• Ghostbusters (2016) subtly frames the members of its all-female Ghostbusters team as Foils of the team from the original 1984 Ghostbusters, resulting in them being recognizable stand-ins with their own distinct personalities.
  • Erin Gilbert to Peter Venkman. Like Venkman, she's initially the least enthused about busting ghosts, and joins the team after losing her university teaching gig. But where Venkman was a self-centered, slovenly, Brilliant, but Lazy Anti-Hero who started the Ghostbusters to turn a profit, Gilbert is idealistic, ambitious, and highly professional, and she gets into busting ghosts to help people. While Venkman was The Charmer who often used his charisma to get his way, Gilbert is the most shy and socially awkward of the group in spite of her determination and leadership skills.
  • Abby Yates to Ray Stantz. Like Stantz, she's The Heart of the group who's initially the most enthused about busting ghosts, she brings the most knowledge of the paranormal to the table, and she's known for her enthusiasm and energy. But while Stantz was somewhat reserved and shy, and had to be convinced by his friend Venkman to use his paranormal knowledge to start a business, Abby is the most confident and outgoing of the group, and she's the one who convinces Gilbert to start a paranormal investigation business.
  • Jillian Holtzmann to Egon Spengler. Like Spengler, she's The Brains of the group who brings the scientific know-how that makes busting ghosts possible, and knows much more about "hard" science and engineering than her companions. But while Egon was a stoic and somewhat emotionally stilted genius who felt more comfortable around science experiments than around people, Holtzmann is a quirky, fun-loving Bunny-Ears Lawyer who's the most laid-back of the crew, and regularly makes jokes in dangerous situations. She's also something of a Blood Knight, and tends to charge into danger faster than any of her friends.
  • Patty Tolan to Winston Zeddemore. Like Zeddemore, she's the street-smart, working-class Token Minority of the group who joins the Ghostbusters to assist on missions, despite lacking the others' specialized scientific skills. But while Winston was openly apathetic about the paranormal, and only joined the Ghostbusters because they offered him a steady paycheck, Tolan volunteers to join the team because she believes that they need her skills, and she's initially their first client after she witnesses a haunting in the New York Subway. Lampshaded, when it turns out that her uncle is played by Ernie Hudson.
• The Godzilla franchise has this and Contrasting Sequel Antagonist with its title character: the original Godzilla was a Tragic Monster, the Showa incarnation was a villain who eventually let go of his anger and became a hero, the Heisei incarnation was an indifferent No-Nonsense Nemesis, the MonsterVerse version doesn't even seem to hate or even bear a grudge against humanity (even going out his way to avoid hurting people deliberately — unless you're arrogant enough to try to make a weapon using the skull of one of his enemies), the Godzilla of Shin Godzilla's mere existence as an radiated creature is a tragedy onto itself and the Godzilla of the anime trilogy can and will actively destroy anything in his way — and that's without getting into the Godzillas of the reboot-happy Millennium series.
• Assassin's Creed (2016): The movie is set the same year as Assassin's Creed II: Discovery, which means Aguilar and Ezio Auditore are contemporaries. Aguilar, like Ezio, is an Assassin, wears a hood, has hidden blades and parkours his way through his city. Both Ezio and Aguilar are Multi Melee Masters and confront the Templars-led Spanish Inquisition at the time of the Granada War (Ezio does in Discovery). However, Aguilar's origins are very much a Mysterious Past while Ezio's are well established, Ezio's lavish white and red outfit reflects his Florentine nobleman origins while Aguilar's darker and more humble outfit has Moorish influences (since he comes from the Emirate of Granada). Also, Ezio didn't have one of his fingers severed during his induction in the Brotherhood, and Aguilar doesn't wear a Badass Cape.
• Prince Akeem from Coming to America is this to both protagonists of Trading Places, which takes place in the same universe:
  • Eddie Murphy's other character, Billy Ray Valentine, was a poor man who's suddenly thrown into the world of the wealthy. Akeem is a wealthy prince who throws himself into the world of the working poor.
  • Louis Winthorpe is a snobby wealthy man with prejudiced attitudes towards the poor and becomes miserable without his wealth. Akeem is kindhearted and has grown weary of being pampered in wealth and welcomes a break from it.
• In A Fistful of Dollars, Joe is a laid-back, bearded man with slightly unkempt clothes who doesn't express his feelings much. In For a Few Dollars More, Colonel Mortimer is polished, well-dressed, and even more level-headed by contrast. As a Contrasting Prequel Main Character, Tuco from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is hot-tempered, impulsive, and even more unkempt than Joe. Joe himself seems to change throughout the trilogy; he's more impetuous around Mortimer and more level-headed around Tuco.
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has a Contrasting Prequel Main Character in Newt Scamander to Harry Potter:
  • Harry is given insanely high expectations as The Chosen One and is forced to live up to them. Harry's son Albus is an Inept Mage who loathes the fame and prestige his family's legacy has brought him. By contrast, Newt Scamander is born to a normal wizarding family and is forced to work his way through a crappy job at the Ministry before a stroke of luck allows him to jump at the call and pursue his dream job. Additionally, Newt has a genuine love for magizoology, while Harry (along with Ron) only ever took Care of Magical Creatures as a favour for Hagrid. Also, like Harry, Newt never finished his education at Hogwarts. However, while Harry chose not to return in order to pursue Voldemort's Horcruxes, Newt was expelled after either causing or taking the blame for a life-threatening incident involving a magical creature. Furthermore, Harry began the series as a child while Newt is already an adult when we first meet him.
  • Harry also never realized / questioned Dumbledore's manipulations until the final book; the only thing Harry ever questioned him about was his continuing vouching for Snape. Newt knows Dumbledore is manipulating him, calls him out on it and demands answers (which he does get in the extended cut of "Crimes of Grindelwald").
  • Harry is an outgoing, adventure-loving Gryffindor whereas Newt is an introverted, level-headed Hufflepuff.
  • It takes Harry six years to see his Love Interest, Ginny, as more than his best buddy’s little sister. Newt takes a liking to his eventual wife, Tina, instantly.
  • Harry is an [only child (not by choice of course as he was only fifteen months old when his parents died) and Newt has a brother named Theseus.
  • Newt and Harry, however, do share some similarities. They both stick by what they believe in no matter what, don’t give in to the Fantastic Racism in the series, and are particularly close to Dumbledore.
  • Tina, oddly enough, is the most similar to Harry of the Fantastic Beasts cast. She's got a similar Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! outlook on life to him. She's an Auror who veers into being a Cowboy Cop like him. They're both dark haired half-bloods and she was in her school's equivalent to Gryffindor.
• In Hocus Pocus, the teenage protagonist is Max, an ordinary boy who's recently moved to Salem from California and who doesn't believe in witchcraft until he gets caught up in it. In Hocus Pocus 2, the protagonists are two girls named Becca and Izzy, who have lived in Salem all their lives, are deeply interested in witchcraft, and eventually realize that they are witches.
• The Planet of the Apes series:
  • Taylor, of Planet of the Apes (1968) is a cynical, bitter Jerkass misanthrope put in the awkward position of having to argue in favour of humans.
  • Beneath the Planet of the Apes's protagonist, Brent, may seem like a Suspiciously Similar Substitute but he is consistently a lot more idealistic than Taylor - especially since Taylor has gotten a lot worse since the end of the first film. Brent is also the last human to be a protagonist in a film of the original series.
  • Escape from the Planet of the Apes focuses on the chimpanzees Doctors Zira and Cornelius, supporting characters in the previous films. Zira is hot-tempered but intelligent, assertive but loving, while Cornelius, though of comparable intelligence, is a lot more laid-back and easygoing, though as we see, both are perfectly capable of going to extreme lengths to protect those they love.
  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes focuses on their son, Caesar, who takes almost as dim a view of humanity as Taylor did. In a franchise whose protagonists so far have been astronauts and scientists, Caesar is relatively uneducated, with a background at the circus. While his parents prided themselves on chimpanzee pacifism, Caesar ends the film by leading a violent ape revolution against human oppression. Given that he is played by Roddy McDowall, the same actor who played Cornelius in the earlier films (except for Beneath), this kind of contrast was definitely called for to prevent the characters from becoming indistinguishable.
  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes shows an older, calmer Caesar, trying to build an ideal society rather than simply tear down a bad one. This forces him to be a much more cerebral character than he was in Conquest, and he starts to increasingly resemble Cornelius by the end of it as he tries to find non-violent solutions to the problems around him, including trying to see the best in humans - something he has a lot of trouble with.
• Sequel-remake Halloween (2018) has a counterpart for almost every character in the original film, but most of them go in entirely different directions.
  • Laurie is contrasted to her granddaughter Allyson. Laurie was shy, bookish, and spends Halloween babysitting, while Allyson spends the night at a party with friends. Laurie is mostly an Action Survivor, while Allyson actually manages to one-up all previous franchise leads by setting traps for Michael Myers.
  • Laurie's friend Vicky is set up to contrast with Annie by being a genuinely caring babysitter towards her charge. This does not save her.
  • Dr. Loomis gets split between podcaster Aaron Korey and psychologist Dr. Sartain. Korey is a Decoy Protagonist who dies in his second scene while Sartain is actually a Contrasting Sequel Antagonist for Terrance Wynn in 5 and 6, a deranged lunatic obsessed with Michael who enables his killing spree.
• The first two Halloween films focused on Laurie, a shy teenage girl, but Halloween III: Season of the Witch's main character is a grouchy, divorced male doctor with a drinking problem.
• The Purge Universe:
  • James and Mary Sandin from The Purge are a suburban couple with little combat experience who initially try to stay out of The Purge rather then getting involved in it. The Purge: Anarchy, on the other hand, has Leo Barnes, a One-Man Army Anti-Hero who willingly participates in The Purge.
  • Eva and Cali also serve this to the Sandins. While both of them are Action Survivors who get involved in the Purge despite their attempts not to, James and Mary are a white middle-class husband and wife, while Eva and Cali are a Latina mother and daughter pair with a working-class background.
• In contrast to Eddie Brock and Michael Morbius from the previous Sony's Spider-Man Universe films who were anti-heroes with a Horror Hunger, Cassandra "Cassie" Webb from Madame Web (2024) is a more traditionally heroic (if notably antisocial at first) character who is gifted powers she didn’t expect and chooses to use them to protect the innocent.

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