# Worst tacked on character or sub-plot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224 "2004-11-17T07:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/61 "2004-11-18T21:40:32Z")
You combined K.C. (blonde) with Roger Phillips (brunette, played by Ted McGinley), who directly replaced Ritchie in 1980. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/62 "2004-11-18T21:49:08Z")
Piper Laurie’s sub-plot in “The Hustler.” ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/63 "2004-11-18T22:51:41Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > You combined K.C. (blonde) with Roger Phillips (brunette, played by Ted McGinley), who directly replaced Ritchie in 1980. Ted McGinley played Richie? What? I’ve rarely watched any episodes of Happy Days and am only 22 but that seems blasphemous, even to me. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/64 "2004-11-18T23:16:17Z")
> [@Number Six](#): > > I can’t recall a single “lame subplot” built around her being in a chair. You stopped watching too soon (or not soon enough). There was a whole subplot where she got to walk though wiz-bang technology or some such. She was beating someone up, but (surprise) something went wrong, and she ended up on the floor while whatshername finished the baddie off. I give Charles Xavier a pass, by the way. I haven’t read any of the comic books, but in the movies he’s just in a chair and that’s that. ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/65 "2004-11-19T00:19:37Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I guess I’ve gone completely insane. I know I saw at least one Happy Days where some blonde guy had replaced Ritchie. Totally horrible. I thought he was Ritchie’s brother Chuck. Anybody know what I’m talking about? Okay let us clear this “Happy Days” stuff up. Chuck was Richie’s older brother during the first season. He promptly disappeared. Ted McGinley, the king of shark jumping, and Crystal Bernard were brought in when Ron Howard left the show temporarily, and when Erin Moran went off to do the spin-off “Joanie Loves Chachi”. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/66 "2004-11-19T00:40:00Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > You stopped watching too soon (or not soon enough). There was a whole subplot where she got to walk though wiz-bang technology or some such. She was beating someone up, but (surprise) something went wrong, and she ended up on the floor while whatshername finished the baddie off. > > I give Charles Xavier a pass, by the way. I haven’t read any of the comic books, but in the movies he’s just in a chair and that’s that. Ah, therein lies our problem. I assumed you were talking about the long-running comic series. I wasn’t aware that it existed in any other form. Is this a movie or tv series you’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/67 "2004-11-19T03:22:15Z")
I never understood “Superman’s pal” Jimmy Olsen. He wasn’t exactly a sidekick, certainly wasn’t a best friend Superman could hang out with, and didn’t deserve an ultrasonic watch. If Superman needed an impetous friend to constantly get into trouble and need rescuing, that was Lois Lane’s job. And Jimmy’s girlfriend was Lois’ sister, an even more unnecessary character. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/68 "2004-11-19T06:56:38Z")
Scooby Doo was the dog that single-handedly saved Saturday morning cartoons. Thus, interjected into almost all cartoons for the next decade was some kind of Scooby Doo ripoff. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/69 "2004-11-19T07:06:46Z")
> [@Number Six](#): > > Ah, therein lies our problem. I assumed you were talking about the long-running comic series. I wasn’t aware that it existed in any other form. Is this a movie or tv series you’re talking about? [Birds of Prey TV series](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312098/). Didn’t last long at all. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/70 "2004-11-19T07:11:17Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I never understood “Superman’s pal” Jimmy Olsen. He wasn’t exactly a sidekick, certainly wasn’t a best friend Superman could hang out with, and didn’t deserve an ultrasonic watch. If Superman needed an impetous friend to constantly get into trouble and need rescuing, that was Lois Lane’s job. > > And Jimmy’s girlfriend was Lois’ sister, an even more unnecessary character. Jimmy existed for the same reason as Robin and Speedy (Green Arrow’s ward). The writers wanted a teenage boy in their comics to give their primary audience–teen boys–someone to identify with. It wasn’t really possible to give Superman a sidekick in the traditional sense. Sidekicks were sometimes younger trainees (Robin and Speedy) and sometimes girlfriends (Hawkgirl and Bulletgirl), but they all tended to have the same abilities as the title character, although to a lesser degree. Superman’s origin prevented this, so they stuck in a teen pal to stand in the reader’s stead as Superman’s pal. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/71 "2004-11-19T07:13:30Z")
“Wonder Twin powers activate!” Um, yeah. And let’s see… Star Trek: TNG actually did the right thing and _dumped_ the added-on precocious kid. (Actually, I’ve never heard what happened - was Wil Wheaton fired, or did he leave of his own accord?) Bat-Mite? ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/72 "2004-11-19T07:17:49Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > [Birds of Prey TV series](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312098/). Didn’t last long at all. Ah, I see now. It appears to be another one of those adaptations that kept the title and character names and threw out everything that made the source material interesting in the first place. I wonder how it is that I never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/73 "2004-11-19T07:25:52Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > “Wonder Twin powers activate!” > > Um, yeah. > > And let’s see… Star Trek: TNG actually did the right thing and _dumped_ the added-on precocious kid. (Actually, I’ve never heard what happened - was Wil Wheaton fired, or did he leave of his own accord?) > > Bat-Mite? According to one of his books, he left on his own. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/74 "2004-11-19T07:36:09Z")
And have you ever visited [Wil Wheaton’s web site?](http://www.wilwheaton.net/) He’s a [Grade-A dork!](http://www.wilwheaton.net/mt/archives/001156.php)😃 ---
**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:** [November 19, 2004, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/75 "2004-11-19T07:41:44Z")
Wil Wheaton is my hero. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/76 "2004-11-19T08:03:49Z")
> [@capacitor](#): > > Yvonne Craig turned Barbara Gordon/Batgirl into a Green Kangaroo–a role that was tacked on that wound up, thanks to brilliant acting, stealing the show positively. She did it before Judy Bloome even wrote the book on it. > > How about some other examples of Green Kangaroos? Well, The Fonz would certainly count. He stole the show from that sap Richie. And though I wouldn’t consider it a _positive_ example, I’d have to say Steve Urkel does, too. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/77 "2004-11-19T08:43:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Bruce Willis’ girlfriend in Pulp Fiction. Her only purpose was to forget the watch and annoy me. Oh hell yes. Didn’t you just want to slap the crap out of her? > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Poochie the Dog is the classic satirical version, And don’t forget the Indian casino Simpson’s episode, where Bart has a vision and afterwards wonders why the vision included an unrelated story about his parents searching for gold. The casino managers’ reply: “Maybe the spirits thought the main vision was a little thin.” 😃 > [@](#): > > but almost any child under 13 is by default an annoying tack-on, with the single largest exception being Newt from _Aliens_. Newt was mostly lame…mostly. And you’re all forgetting the biggie - the black guy in Ghostbusters. Oh, and anything with Tom Arnold. That guy was _born_ tacked-on. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/78 "2004-11-19T08:58:16Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Newt was mostly lame…mostly. Blasphemy. Her knowledge of the air ducts is what allowed Ripley and Hicks to escape. Plus she competes with Hudson for the best lines in the movie: “They mostly come at night… mostly.” “It won’t make any difference.” “They’re _dead_, all right? Can I go now?!” And when Hudson says “Well, whyn’tcha put _her_ in charge?!” it doesn’t seem like that bad an idea. Although the “endangered child” bit is a movie cliché, this time it wasn’t the child’s own stupidy/curiosity that created the crisis. Newt falls down an airshaft when Gorman’s grenade goes off, through no fault of her own. Heck, when a facehugger comes after her, she has the presence of mind to push a table forward and trap the thing’s tail, gritting her little teeth the whole time. And you call that “lame”? Have you no soul? ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/79 "2004-11-19T09:04:59Z")
Chris Tucker’s character from _The Fifth Element_. His sole purpose is to dress like an idiot and shriek Bruce Willis’s character’s name. “Corby Corby Corbycorbycorbycorby waaaaaah!” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224/80 "2004-11-19T09:08:59Z")
> [@Middlecase](#): > > X-Men? Ironside? Ummm… {running out of examples} Christopher Reeve? Any number of 1990s animated kids shows? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tacked-on-character-or-sub-plot/275224.md?page=5)