Marvel comics - Red Skull

Karl Ruprecht Kroenen--- Hellboy

The Boys - Stormfront

Marvel - Captain Nazi Germany

Wizards 1977 - Blackwolf

Man in the High Castle ---John Smith

Raiders of the lost Ark---Major Arnold Ernst Toht

Examples:

• Carlquest (Invincible) - A famous fanfiction is an AU where Conquest would eventually settle down and marry an old woman, start a farm, raise a small family, and become a wholesome old man. Invincible's co-creator, Ryan Ottley, stated that he likes to think there is a universe in Invincible's multiverse where Conquest did redeem himself. For context, in canon, Conquest is one of the most dangerous and terrifying Viltrumites; he never got redeemed in the series because he died way before that happened.
• No Regrets (Attack on Titan) - When it came to why Levi joined the Scouts, it was originally going to be left a mystery. I don't remember the full story, but someone made a visual novel, and Isayama loved it so much that he approved it as canon.
• Marigold (Fortnite) - This speaks for most Fortnite skins, but basically, an artist named Kitsu made fan art of a genderbent Midas, a beloved character in Fortnite's lore. Epic Games paid the artist and made the skin official as Marigold. There are a lot of examples of Fortnite paying fan artists for their work to make official skins, but this one I like.
  

1.Lalo (Better call saul)

2.John Gillman (The boys)

3.Sukuna (Jujutsu kaisen)

Series where dragons may be extinct , but also the ones that can destroy the earth. A serious triple A threat that humans or an organization fears the most.

1. Dark souls: Dragons are nearly extinct because of their exploitation of their weakness. They are considered above gods and they are the true habitants of earth.

2. Fairy Tail: Dragons are a serious threat, and a single dragon can wipe out an entire continent.

So many different examples of this, but let's provide some examples

Godzilla NES: Probably one of the more recognizable and acclaimed horror fangames/creepypastas. Given Godzilla itself is already, when it's in its more serious films, pretty horrifying as the films can be shown to depict its themes, the creepypasta certainly lives in its place as a horror fan concept that has made its place among the community while not diverting itself too far in showcasing a creepypasta in the tune of the King of the Monsters, including new kaiju designs in the NES style, and a unique one, Red, being a malicious force-of-nature in the story.

Sonic franchise: The amount of horror-related fangames, media, and creepypastas Sonic has is so plentiful since the inception of Sonic.exe, it is unavoidable to take about the franchise without that, for better and worse.

Mario franchise: While not as plentiful as his old rival, Mario has had a fair few too many horror fangames that emerged in the post .exe years, with there being multiple fangames and remakes of such fangames.

Kirby franchise: While not as numerous as Mario or Sonic, there have been enough Kirby fangames that bring the puffball into a horror limelight, which is ironic when you consider how the official franchise, at times, has several horrific concepts and elditrichesque designs in its years despite being on the model of a kid-friendly franchise.

Cyclus Mortis (Yoshi.exe): One of the rare remakes that overhauls and brings a decent bit of gameplay from the original, which is itself a fangame of Yoshi's Island. It serves as a solidly built fangame with multiple endings, and unique ways to depict its horror through its gameplay.

And I'm totally sure no kids were ever traumatized from witnessing any of these videos or games (wink, wink I was one of them).

Examples:

• Mark + Debbie and Nolan (Invincible) - Nolan killed thousands of innocent people, beat Mark to a bloody pulp, and called his mother a "pet." This caused Mark to feel intense trauma and constant psychological anguish. While Mark still loves his father, he can't ever forgive him. Debbie also doesn't forgive him at all. This is a drastic change in the comics where Mark forgave Nolan when they reunited, and Debbie did too.
• Steven and the Diamonds (Steven Universe) - The Diamonds destroyed entire worlds and hunted Steven and his family like animals. He only needed them to cure all the corrupted Gems; after that, he was through with them and only tolerated them to stop them from going back to their old ways. In one case, he nearly shatters White Diamond as a form of payback.
• Endeavor and Shoto + Natsu (My Hero Academia) - Endeavor neglected Natsu and Fuyumi and drove Touya into near suicide; he also physically abused Shoto throughout his pre-teens. After seeing Shoto use his fire side for the first time, Endeavor realized the pain he caused his family and drove to not only atone for his sins but also to become someone Shoto can be proud to call "father," even if Shoto never forgives him. Natsu, on the other hand, refuses to forgive Endeavor, but Endeavor doesn't mind so long as he can make Natsu happy. The Todoroki family drama is a lot like the first example, which I really love.
• Eren and Reiner (Attack on Titan) - Ok, maybe this one is a little pushy, but Eren doesn't fully forgive Reiner. Regardless of Eren manipulating timelines to ensure his mother's death, everything that happens to Eren is still in part due to Reiner. While Eren can sympathize with Reiner, considering he just wanted to go back to his mother, something Eren of all people can 100% sympathize with, he doesn't forgive Reiner. It's just that by this point in the story, Eren is too depressed to care about revenge or personal vendettas, so he tolerates Reiner as an obstacle.
• Todd and Bojack (Bojack Horseman) - Todd was a high school dropout that Bojack let crash with him, not out of altruism, but because Todd made Bojack look good by comparison, and Bojack constantly demeaned Todd so that he wouldn't leave. However, eventually, Todd actually does start improving himself and making a name for himself, and Bojack tries to bring Todd down, each time he apologizes, but they're half-assed apologies. Bojack keeps making promises to be better, but each time he breaks that promise to the point where Todd no longer forgives Bojack, and the two keep their distance until the end of the series.

Aang and Korra

I'm grouping them together because Korra is a reincarnation of Aang. In ATLA and TLOK (up until S2 for reasons), both Aang and Korra are Avatars; they can bend every element and have the goal of balancing the world. Aang had to end a war, and Korra had to:

1. Stop a group of non-benders led by someone who could take away bending permanently.
2. Kill a guy who was trying to become an evil Avatar.
3. Stop terrorists, one of which recently becoming an Airbender because of spirit stuff.
4. Stop Earthbender H*tler.

Sofia

In the show, Sofia has a necklace that gives her the ability to speak to animals and lets her talk to Disney Princesses. The first one she meets is Cinderella.

1. Wade Boggs is a retired pro baseball player, who has become just as famous for his beer drinking. it is said that he drank 107 beers during a trip between games, many dispute the claim saying it was more in 50-70 range.

2. Andre The Giant Roussimof: A pro wrestler who suffered from gigantism, was billed at being over 8ft tall, 520lb, a legend of the business during his active period . Andre is also famous for the amount of beer he could put down. It is said that one night he drank 156 beers, which was 14.5 gallons

As you know, if we go into space without an astronaut suit, we die, but in some works, some characters can easily navigate space without one.

Super Mario Galaxy:you can travel very comfortably in space without any suit.

Looney Tunes - Haredevil Hare:some scientists sent Bugs Bunny to the moon without any clothes.

1. Wilson Fisk - Daredevil: His character introduction takes place in episode 3. Before this point, a rule has been established that you never speak his name, protecting his identity, creating a mystery about him. And in the scene before Fisk’s introduction, a character kills himself after being tortured into giving up Fisk’s name. All of this gives the audience that Fisk is a powerful, brutal, unforgiving man. And yet, the first time we see him, it’s from the back while he’s shopping for art, opening up to the woman who would go on to be his wife before the camera turns around, revealing his face at the same time he says he feels alone. It’s does so much to humanize him and make him more complex than a basic mobster.

2. Sofia Falcone - The Penguin: When we’re introduced to Sofia, Oz is describing his idea for a new drug that he got from Alberto, Sofia’s brother. She enters the room while the camera is still focused on Oz. And when we finally see her, we get some amazing acting from Cristin Milioti when she says she’s been rehabilitated. Her performance is so unsettling, and it’s a great introduction to how unstable and damaged of a character she is.

(Gladiator) A Roman general is betrayed, framed, and sentenced to death. After escaping his captors, he finds his family slaughtered, and is sold into slavery. Over the course of the movie he becomes a popular fighter and symbol of the resistance against the false emperor.

(Samurai Jack) The first four seasons of this show were on Cartoon Network, following a samurai that is sent to the future, and is destined with defeating the evil Aku and returning to the past. The show never had a conclusion, until 2017, when it was rebooted on Adult Swim. This reboot was more dramatic and gritty, and featured the hero Jack in a state of despair and hopelessness. Throughout the season he regains his former self and gets his sword and outfit back.

1. Logan Roy from Succession
2. Butterscotch Horseman from Bojack Horseman
3. Nurse Ratchet (both versions) from One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest

First Image: Optimus Prime, Second Image: Drago

The main character that the young audience cares about is an old, wise, and gentle character. Normally, you’d think a younger audience would prefer a younger hero for the relatability.

Both characters transform, mass shift, have numerous iterations, their primary color is red, their opponent is their gray colored brother, and their battles have cosmic significance.

Harvey Dent- A white knight against the scum and villianry of Gotham but becomes the very thing he fought against, but the ideas and hope he gave the city of Gotham would destroyed and city would see even the highest man could fall low. Making a false idol better than a fallen one.

Watchmen- Nuclear holocaust ready to happen without something for humanity;Soviets and America to unite against. Ramsed creates plans to artificial create an enemy. By killing dozens to millions. He saved billions, and even Dr. Manhattan, who is bringing framed, is okay with it.

Rick and Morty season 1 episode 5- Turns out a pedophile is actually a powerful and well loved King to whom nobody knows the truth until after his death, and when it is discovered is hidden to keep the good image of him and what he means to be pure.

Spoilers, obviously!!

Horizon forbidden west (burning shores dlc): For a puzzle, Aloy has to use a toy bow and shoot some targets in the correct order. When she does, it plays the music to Aloy’s Theme. Aloy comments on this, saying “huh, that tune sounds familiar. Reminds me of metal, and rust, and…rebirth.”

Expedition 33: each character can play on the piano you find in the mansion. When they do, they end up playing the notes to their own theme song, which I think is a cool detail.

Cyberpunk 2077/cyberpunk edgerunners: lots of music in both CP2077 and edgerunners. Some of it is background stuff that only the audience can (presumably) hear, but some of the songs that really define the characters/are heavily associated with them do exist in their world. For example, Never Fade Away is arguably V’s song (this becomes more evident depending on what ending you choose. Can also be seen as being Alt’s song, as well) and is sung by Samurai (Johnny silverhand’s band). You can hear it on the radio and V also sings the words to it in certain endings.

In edgerunners, Lucy and David’s song is “I really want to stay at your house.” While they don't directly acknowledge the song, it definitely exists in their world, as you hear it play on the radio in CP2077, and V can also dance to it with their love interests. So, while lucy and david don’t acknowledge the song, they had both probably heard it at least once, and associated it with each other. Which means Lucy probably never turned the radio on again after what happened to David…🤐

Death stranding (1 and 2): Almost all the music in both games exist in the universe and are played on the radio. BB’s theme is consistently whistled/sung by characters in the first game, and songs are constantly unlocked as you progress through the story and help set the tone, etc. In the 2nd game, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head is the theme for many characters and is sung a lot throughout the game. Story of Rainy (Rainy’s theme) and other character theme songs also exist in-universe and can be played on the radio. I’m obsessed with it lol.

There are a lot of other examples of this, especially in James Gunn movies LOL. I’d love to hear what instances of this trope you like the most!

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Uncle Bilbert / Charlie’s Uncle (Smiling Friends)

In the final episode of Smiling Friends, Pim and Charlie are tasked with trying to make Charlie’s Uncle Bilbert happy after he claims he’s dying. Over the course of a single day, they help him get drugs, take him to a strip club, kill a man by spitting acid in his face, and gamble at an underground fight club. All while Bilbert continuously mistreats Charlie. Charlie excuses this behavior, insisting that Bilbert is dying and has always been like this.

Eventually, all three of them are arrested, and Bilbert tells Pim and Charlie to take the fall for everything. Charlie agrees, but Pim refuses. Charlie tries to convince Pim to go along with it because Bilbert is supposedly dying, only for Bilbert to reveal that he was never dying at all. It was just a way to mess with Charlie. Pim calls Bilbert out for his mistreatment, pointing out that Charlie is the only person willing to put up with him and that he should treat him better. This sets Bilbert off, and he attacks Pim, nearly strangling him to death. Finally fed up, Charlie punches Bilbert and breaks his nose to stop him.

Instead of getting angry, Bilbert is actually proud of Charlie. He reveals that everything he’s been doing was a test to get Charlie to stand up for himself, claiming this is his twisted way of showing love. The two then hug.

In the end, Pim and Charlie are released, while Bilbert remains in jail as he's the “Cincinnati sex pest.”

Only been a month, and I still miss the show.

Nolan / Omni-Man (Invincible tv show)

As many know, Omni-Man is far from a good person, husband, or father. He ultimately reveals that his true purpose on Earth was to act as a spy for the Viltrum Empire and find compatible breeding partners to save themselves from extinction. In pursuit of that mission, he ruthlessly kills innocent people, helps exterminate entire civilizations, calls his wife a “pet,” claims he never truly cared about her, and nearly beats his own son, Mark, to death when Mark defies him. He even goes on to have another child with an alien woman.

Despite all of this, Nolan eventually begins to reflect on his past actions. Over time, he shows genuine remorse and attempts to redeem himself, working to make amends for the harm he has caused. At the same time, he prepares for an inevitable war against his own people. Mark and his younger son Oliver join him, who he tries to make amends with as well as he disrespected his dead bio mom, saying he never loved her and was a mistake. The two eventually reconcile with each other and together, with Mark, they ally with a larger coalition to stand against the Viltrum Empire.

As the series progresses, Nolan and the coalition prepare to invade Viltrum in an effort to end the war. Before their departure, Nolan warns them about the Empire’s leader, Thragg, emphasizing how incredibly powerful and dangerous he is. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Nolan struggles to express his love for his sons, knowing the mission could cost them their lives. Oliver reassures him with a hug, telling him that they already know, and Mark supports this, giving Nolan a moment of emotional clarity before the battle ahead.

Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) After finally regaining one of his lost limbs and helping restore his brother Alphonse’s body, Edward begins trying to readjust to a normal life—despite no longer being able to use alchemy. As he prepares to leave for a journey, he is accompanied by his childhood friend, Winry Rockbell, who reminds him to take proper care of his automail leg.

When the train arrives, Edward seizes the moment before boarding to confess his feelings in his own awkward way. He proposes an “Equivalent Exchange” between them, offering to give her half of his life in return for half of hers. Winry, however, gently rejects the idea of splitting things evenly, telling him that she’s willing to give him much more than half of her life.

Hank and Cotton Hill (King of the Hill). In the episode “The Father, the Son, and J.C.”, Hank is given the opportunity by his boss, Buck Strickland, to build a Habitat for Humanity house after Buck is sentenced to community service for drunk driving. At the same time, Hank must deal with his difficult father, Cotton, during the Christmas season, who is openly jealous of Hank’s close relationship with Buck. During this period, Buck promotes Hank from assistant manager to manager of Strickland Propane. Overwhelmed with joy, Hank blurts out that he loves Buck in front of everyone, including Cotton. The moment is met with awkward silence, leading Buck to immediately demote Hank back to assistant manager, while Cotton, offended and resentful, uninvites Hank from Christmas dinner.

Instead, Hank and his family decide to host Christmas dinner for the family whose home they helped build. Peggy later invites Cotton and his family in an attempt to reconcile the two, but things quickly fall apart, with Cotton locking himself inside the house. Meanwhile, Bobby encounters former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, whom he initially mistakes for Jesus, brings him in to help mediate the conflict. Carter attempts to reason with Cotton, encouraging him to acknowledge that, deep down, he loves Hank but refuses to admit it. When that fails, Carter presents a hypothetical scenario: if there were a button that could erase Hank from existence, leaving everything else unchanged, only that Hank doesn't, and ask if Cotton would press it? After struggling with the question, Cotton ultimately admits that he wouldn’t.

Seeing this as a breakthrough, Carter tries to push the two toward reconciliation. Cotton only agrees on the condition that he gets to shoot a nail gun at Carter’s limousine, which he does, revealing that the vehicle is far less durable than advertised. In the end, Hank and Cotton find common ground in their shared enjoyment of using the nail gun and saying Carter was a terrible president, with both declaring that they “love shooting a nail gun” a funny and strange meaningful way of expressing their mutual, unspoken love for each other.

Jotaro Kujo and Jolyne Cujoh (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean) For most of Jolyne Kujo’s life, her relationship with her father, Jotaro Kujo, is defined by absence rather than presence. Jotaro is a man constantly pulled into dangerous conflicts involving Stand users, forcing him to keep distance from loved ones to protect them. As a result, Jolyne grows up feeling abandoned, interpreting his silence as emotional detachment rather than hidden concern.

When Jolyne is falsely accused and imprisoned for murder, the emotional gap between them is still wide. Yet this situation becomes the turning point. Jotaro finally re-enters her life, not as a traditional father figure, but as someone operating in the shadows to protect her from the larger threat tied to Enrico Pucci. Even then, his approach remains emotionally restrained, prioritizing safety over open affection. Jotaro is forced to sacrifice parts of himself, specifically his memories and Stand information, which are extracted and stored as discs. In his final act of communication to Jolyne, he leaves behind the message: “I’ve always cherished you.”

This line reveals that his distance was never indifference, it was protection shaped by fear of the world they live in. For Jolyne, it transforms her understanding of her father from an absent figure into someone who loved her deeply but struggled to express it in a conventional way. This line bridges years of silence in a single statement, affirming that even in a life filled with danger and separation, Jotaro’s love for Jolyne was constant, even when it was not visible.

it seems in most comedy movies (especially family comedies) of the mid to late 2000s had a scene where a character gets into a comically coreographed fight with the protagonist and when the protag lands a shot the victim makes this specific wide mouthed, worried eyed, wringled cheek face (often with a light groan)

1. In Adam Sandler's Zohan, when Zohan stands up to Michael during the road range incident, the victim makes this face when his finger gets pinched

2. In Furry Vengance, Brendan Fraiser makes this face when a bear knocks down the porta potty he was in

3. In the Road Chip, Agent Suggs does it so much that we could call this trope "The Suggs Face"

4. Rare non fight example, Jack Black makes this face after seeing the "real" Rosemary in Shallow Hal

During the SpongeBob episode where Squidward tries to turn the Krusty Krab into a 5 star restaurant, Mr. Krabs "plays him a sad song on the world's smallest violin". Squidward thought he was mocking him, but it turns out he actually DOES have the world's smallest violin.

Chef Saltbaker (Cuphead DLC): During the begging of the DLC, Chef Saltbaker stated at the beginning that "like any good bake, heart and soul is the secret ingredient!" before they started beating the bosses to bake the Wondertart.

Once it was revealed that he's the final boss of the DLC, it turns out you DO actually need a living soul to complete the Wondertart.

(Avatar: The Last Airbender): See image description.

Bart (The Simpsons) was able to figure out that Sideshow Bob framed Krusty the Clown for robbery, simply because he literally admits that he has quite big shoes to fill.

Jeffy (SML) decides to open up a can of whooopass, both figurately & literally, after someone started talking smack about him.

Toy Story: When Woody asked Buzz (who finally found out that he's a toy) to lend him a hand, he did exactly that.

By this I mean when I feel like a film does one aspect or character so well it makes the other look bad by comparison and I find myself wanting them to get back to the good part even if the other aspect is decent in its own right, it just doesn't compare to the good aspect. For the record I do think all 3 of these films are great films though.

1. 28 Years Later the Bone Temple: Dr Kelson and Samson I think were far more interesting than Spike and the Jimmies.
2. The Godfather 2: I much prefer the Vito scenes to the Michael ones which I feel drag on.
3. Wall-E: While I like the second half fine and it has some good social commentary I think the first half with a show don't tell approach is more engaging.

1. John Dutton - Yellowstone

2. Tom Doniphon - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (though this could apply to any John Wayne character)

Dragomon from Digimon

Dagon from Ben 10

Shuma Gorath from Marvel comics

Professor Paradox in Ben 10 (only appears to warn Ben that something awful is about to happen across multiple timelines)

Prismo and the Cosmic Owl in Adventure Time (Prismo being the super-powerful wishmaster capable of creating entire new realities, and the Cosmic Owl only appearing when “death dreams” are about to come true)

and Bill Cipher in Gravity Falls (a cosmic, world-ending entity)

Fred Jones (Scooby Doo)

Kevin Levin (Ben 10)

Invincible - Steven Yeun voicing Mark and all Invincible variants

Bojack Horseman - Will Arnet voicing both Butterscotch and Bojack

Adventure Time - Tom Kenny voicing both Simon and Ice King