7 Stupidest Ways Movie Characters Were Written Out of Sequels, Ranked

A movie finding success can be a blessing and a curse. Of course, becoming a box-office smash or a critical darling means that all the blood, sweat, and tears from the crew were worth it. However, things can get complicated when it’s time for the sequel. The first roadblock is finding the right idea, because not every film sets up a follow-up in its final moments. There’s also fan expectations to worry about because, whether the powers that be like it or not, they’re the ones spending their hard-earned cash on a seat in a movie theater. But once the writing process is done, it’s usually smooth sailing, as the band should be back together by then.

Unfortunately, not every production has the easiest team getting every cast member from the last movie to sign on the dotted line. There are numerous instances of actors backing out of sequels due to money or scheduling issues. It’s then up to the writers and the director to make the absence feel organic, but that doesn’t always happen. Here are the seven stupidest ways movie characters were written out of sequels, ranked.

7) Mikaela Banes (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)

Sam Witwicky finds himself in way over his head in the first two Transformers movies. The war between the Autobots and Decepticons comes right to his doorstep, and he has to take it in stride, trying not to die while helping Optimus Prime and Co. Thankfully, he has his really cool girlfriend, Mikaela Banes, by his side.

At the end of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Mikaela once again professes her love for Sam, and the two are happier than ever. However, by the time Transformers: Dark of the Moon rolls around, Mikaela is gone, having broken up with Sam in between films. It’s hard to believe a couple that went through an alien conflict together would call it quits.

6) Lori Collins (Ted 2)

John Bennett seems like a nice enough guy in the first Ted. He treats his girlfriend, Lori Collins, well and phones it in at his lame job, which is as much as anyone could ask for. John’s only real red flag is that he has a talking stuffed bear that always gets him in trouble.

In Ted, Lori initially tries to drive a wedge between Ted and John. But she comes to realize that they’re a package deal, so she agrees to marry John and embrace Ted. The movie’s narrator then ties up the whole thing by revealing that John and Lori live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Ted 2 goes back on its predecessor’s word by revealing that the couple got divorced.

5) Ali (Karate Kid 2)

Daniel LaRusso has more on his plate than most teenagers in Karate Kid, participating in a karate tournament against a dojo that shows no mercy. Daniel isn’t alone in his fight, though, as he has his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, and his love interest, Ali Mills, in his corner.

After sparking a romance in Karate Kid, Ali is missing from the sequel, which isn’t all that unusual, as teenage romance doesn’t always last. But their breakup was far from normal, as Daniel reveals that Ali left him for a football player and crashed his car. Cobra Kai sets the record straight, revealing that Daniel wasn’t telling the whole truth, but it’s still hard to move past.

4) Dwayne Hicks/Newt (Alien 3)

Surviving a horror movie is an impressive feat, especially when terrifying aliens are running around. In Aliens, Ellen Ripley, Lance Bishop, Newt, and Dwayne Hicks survive the Xenomorphs by the skin of their teeth, going into cryo-chambers ahead of their long journey to their destination.

Rather than allowing Hicks and Newt to wake up peacefully, Alien 3 kills them in the first couple of minutes during a crash landing. The loss of her friends deeply hurts Ripley, but that doesn’t make up for their lackluster endings.

3) Agent L (Men in Black II)

Tommy Lee Jones is an expert at playing guys who are just too old for their jobs. In Men in Black, he portrays Agent K, who hunts aliens and takes a recruit, Agent J, played by Will Smith, under his wing. By the end of the movie, it’s clear that K is going to hang it up, paving the way for another person to stand beside J.

A coroner, Laurel Weaver, finds herself in the middle of the alien plot in Men in Black and takes an interest in learning more about them. She joins the MIB and looks ready to become one of its best agents. However, in Men in Black II, she’s gone, having returned to her life at the morgue.

2) Steven Hiller (Independence Day: Resurgence)

Will Smith and aliens are two peas in a pod. In Independence Day, rather than trying to understand the extraterrestrial lifeforms like J, Steven Hiller makes it his mission to send them packing, as they threaten to destroy all of Earth. Like most Smith characters, he comes out victorious, helping destroy the mothership.

Independence Day: Resurgence decides that it’s not going to bother to explain why Hiller isn’t around, so it reveals that he died while piloting a new kind of ship. The focus shifts to his stepson, Dylan, who teams up with some familiar faces and new ones when aliens start causing trouble again.

1) Duke (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)

Duke isn’t in a very trusting mood when he meets the titular team in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. They eventually bury the hatchet, though, and stop an evil organization led by Duke’s ex-fiancée’s brother, Rex Lewis. By the end, Duke is a member of the Joes and ready to protect the world by whatever means necessary.

Unlike most of the characters on this list, Duke returns for the sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation. He doesn’t last very long, dying in an explosion only a few minutes into the film and handing the spotlight to Dwayne Johnson’s Roadblock. It’s an incredibly lackluster ending for a great character that could’ve just been busy elsewhere.

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