# Movies/TV with characters that aren't in the source material. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930 "2012-06-03T13:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/1 "2012-06-03T13:53:49Z")
Miss Tessmacher from Superman the Movie. Black Vulcan was invented for the Superfriends and wasn’t a DC Comics character. Also Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog. And the Wondertwins were introduced in the TV show before their debut in the comics. Got anymore? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/2 "2012-06-03T14:33:12Z")
Oooh! I have one! Jessica, teenage vampire, on True Blood. She, and her whole story, were made up for the TV show. There are probably a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/3 "2012-06-03T14:43:13Z")
Harley Quinn was originally created for the Batman cartoons, but worked so well that they put her into the comics. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/4 "2012-06-03T14:43:20Z")
Ros the Exposition Whore from _Game of Thrones_. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/5 "2012-06-03T14:47:36Z")
There probably ought to be some spoiler protection somewhere in this thread, but there’s one obvious one that comes to mind- Ros the hooker in Game of Thrones is nowhere to be found in the books, and neither is Talisa the healer chick that’s seducing Robb Stark. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/6 "2012-06-03T14:54:13Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > Miss Tessmacher from Superman the Movie. Is that Lex Luthor’s moll, as portrayed by Valerie Perrine? ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/7 "2012-06-03T14:55:49Z")
Klinger in M_A_S\*H. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/8 "2012-06-03T14:56:24Z")
> [@bump](#): > > There probably ought to be some spoiler protection somewhere in this thread, but there’s one obvious one that comes to mind- Ros the hooker in Game of Thrones is nowhere to be found in the books, and neither is Talisa the healer chick that’s seducing Robb Stark. Talisa is basically Jeyne Westerling. I don’t really understand why they changed her name and station (?) For the series, but she’s essentially Jeyne. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/9 "2012-06-03T15:07:26Z")
Inspector William Henderson was first in the 1940s radio version of “Superman” and then in the 1950s “Adventures of Superman” TV series. He didn’t appear in the original source, comics, until 1974 > **[Inspector Henderson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Henderson)** > > Inspector William Henderson is a supporting character in Superman comics published by DC Comics. > Along with comic books, Henderson has made appearances in various television shows like Adventures of Superman where he was portrayed by Robert Shayne. The character was portrayed by Damon Gupton in the first three seasons of the live action Arrowverse series Black Lightning. > Inspector Henderson is a police inspector who first appeared in the 1940s radio series The Adventures of Superman, in which h... ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/10 "2012-06-03T15:17:12Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Is that Lex Luthor’s moll, as portrayed by Valerie Perrine? Yeah. Wikipedia has it spelled Teschmacher. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/11 "2012-06-03T15:18:43Z")
Chloe Sullivan and Pete on _Smallville_. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/12 "2012-06-03T15:21:13Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Chloe Sullivan and Pete on _Smallville_. Pete was in the comics first. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/13 "2012-06-03T15:27:12Z")
Wybie from the movie “Coraline” does not appear in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/14 "2012-06-03T15:49:25Z")
The BBC’s _Sherlock_ has featured many characters from the original stories–updated for the 21st century. Sherlock & John–now on a first name basis with each other. Plus brother Mycroft, Inspector Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, the notorious Irene Adler–and Moriarty! In the pilot, Louise Brealey had a small part as Molly Hooper, the patholotist/morgue attendant with a crush on Sherlock. ACD tells us that Holmes had beaten corpses in the morgue to gather evidence; surely, none of the attendants would have been female! The showrunners liked her & have used her in both series. In the last episode, she appears to have played a part in Sherlock’s miraculous escape… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/15 "2012-06-03T15:57:43Z")
The main characters of **Haven** were not in _The Colorado Kid_. Minor characters on the show similar to the main characters of the short story were, however. How about the main (fully human) characters of **Silent Hill**? I remember hearing that the movie isn’t based on any of the games specifically. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/16 "2012-06-03T16:53:52Z")
I’ve been recently re-reading the Dorothy Sayers’ mystery, _Five Red Herrings_ and thinking about the TV version done in the '70s with Ian Carmichael as Peter Wimsey. The TV version introduces a teenaged girl, a niece of one of the suspects who helps Wimsey with his investigation–a role reminiscent of Hillary Thorpe in _The Nine Tailors_. There is no character like this in the book; the nearest would be a much younger girl, the daughter of the same suspect, who appears in one scene but takes no greater part in the story. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/17 "2012-06-03T17:03:17Z")
In the animated adaptation of _Watership Down_, there’s a doe rabbit named Violet whose sole purpose is to be caught by a hawk about 15 minutes in (presumably to impress the viewer with the dangers of their journey). It’s not a big deal but it seems sort of pointless since they’re in danger soon enough anyway and detracts from the later point in the novel that the group who set out to start a new rabbit warren was all males. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/18 "2012-06-03T17:36:52Z")
> [@DonLogan](#): > > Klinger in M_A_S\*H. Also, Colonel Potter, BJ, Charles, Nurse Kellye, Igor, Rizzo, Zale, Sidney Freedman, Col. Flagg, and Donald Penobscot. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/19 "2012-06-03T17:45:39Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > I’ve been recently re-reading the Dorothy Sayers’ mystery, _Five Red Herrings_ and thinking about the TV version done in the '70s with Ian Carmichael as Peter Wimsey. The TV version introduces a teenaged girl, a niece of one of the suspects who helps Wimsey with his investigation–a role reminiscent of Hillary Thorpe in _The Nine Tailors_. There is no character like this in the book; the nearest would be a much younger girl, the daughter of the same suspect, who appears in one scene but takes no greater part in the story. They kinda had to do something, as this is the weakest of the novels, and needed something extra. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930/20 "2012-06-03T18:31:15Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Inspector William Henderson was first in the 1940s radio version of “Superman” and then in the 1950s “Adventures of Superman” TV series. He didn’t appear in the original source, comics, until 1974 > > [List of DC Comics characters: H - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Henderson) Similary, Jimmy Olsen first appeared on radio before comics. The same with kryptonite. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-with-characters-that-arent-in-the-source-material/623930.md?page=2)