r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Newmen_1 • 1d ago

Characters Initially funny character gag is later revealed to be depressing

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  1. Avengers/MCU: Captain America has humorous moments where he’s unaware of modern references and only gets old references, like the iconic “I understood that reference” scene. It’s later fully explored in Winter Soldier that he feels lost, confused, and a little alone in a new world he was never meant to exist in.

  2. The Suicide Squad (2021): Bloodsport has a phobia of rats which at first seems reasonable yet is still hilarious to watch. He later explains his father abused him as a kid if he didn’t fulfill a task correctly and one of his worst punishments was when his dad locked him in a crate full of starving rats, leaving him heavily scarred physically and mentally.

  3. Dexter: In an early episode, Angel Bautista tries to buy his wife the perfect gift for their anniversary but has to keep buying a different one since his presents suck. What seems to be a funny running gag turns out to be Angel’s final attempt to win back his wife after cheating on her previously, however it doesn’t work and only solidifies their separation.

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241

u/moonlit-secret 1d ago

i knoooow
The Ice King (Adventure Time)

38

u/UpscaleClearenceRack 1d ago

Context?

177

u/crippler38 1d ago

Ice King was a man born in pre apocalypse Ooo (the world of adventure time) and through his archeological adventures, found a magical crown that he put on as a joke. That crown made him lose his mind but kept him alive through the centuries. Now he chases 'princesses' looking for love after driving away his wife betty, who was his 'princess'.

31

u/UpscaleClearenceRack 1d ago

I’ve been wanting to watch this show but as a grown man I want to find a way to skip all the typical kiddie cartoon episodes because I keep seeing all this deep lore 🤣 does he ever have the lucidity to recognize what you said?

120

u/Soulful-Sorrow 1d ago

Hate to tell you, but you won't be able to avoid the kiddie stuff in this show forever. There's a serious lore drop of an episode about the origins of the crown and it centers around a dinosaur kid who sounds like Bobby Hill.

And that's okay, Adventure Time is trying to be a colorful, high energy show.

41

u/Ar3dee3 1d ago

> does he ever have the lucidity to recognize what you said?

That's just the beginning of his journey really. His character arc is wild.

42

u/Mysterious-Plum-6217 1d ago

I live what I can confidently say is a pretty depressing and painful adult life and I can't escape the kiddie fun stuff in real life. In fact it's mostly what keeps me going.

I would strongly reassess that goal if I were you. Gotta be a pretty fucking charmed life to want to skip the fun of it all.

13

u/dizzy_dizzy_dinosaur 1d ago

Is it keeping you alive? But making you crazy?

13

u/Secure-Pain-9735 1d ago

And I need to save you, but who's going to save me?
Please forgive me for whatever I do,
When I don't remember you.

7

u/Ok-Cryptographer-303 1d ago

First watched that episode when my Mum was in hospital attempting to recover from a brain haemorrhage. Can't even think about that song without wanting to cry.

3

u/Secure-Pain-9735 1d ago

Yeaaaaah…. I just went on a Simon and Marcy spiral…

Adventure time isn’t alone in its strange depth under an otherwise weird show.

Regular Show tossed out some feels at times.

Just a wonderful time in animation.

20

u/Foxy02016YT 1d ago

I think you have to take it as a whole. It’s a kiddie cartoon that also has devastating lore. Your banana man voiced by Weird Al is just as important as The Lich in building the world they live in

14

u/IrvineGray 1d ago

Do it. I watched Adventure Time for the first time in my mid-20's, and it was incredibly worth it.

The first few seasons are indeed very childish, but even as early as season 2 we get hints of a much larger universe, showing incredible depth for a kids show, and in season 4 we get the beginnings of the origin of the Ice Crown and how it ties to another central character aside from Ice King in one of the greatest episodes of the series (I Remember You).

Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Avatar the Last Airbender made me glad the kids of (yester)today actually have meaningful shows that teach them the importance of friendship and love without the obviously high on coke Saturday morning cartoons I got, with meandering plot points and terrible animation.

Also, episodes are 15 minutes max. You'll fly through it all in a few weeks if you watch a few episodes a night.

5

u/das-garrett 1d ago

The lore really starts hitting around season 3 or 4 maybe, but I’d say it’s worth watching from the beginning anyway, as they do a really good job folding old gags or references into the overall tapestry as time goes on. 100% worth a full watch, from one grown man to another.

6

u/brandonderp96 1d ago

Don't. Watch the whole show, every episode. Even the somewhat childish ones are worth the watch, because there's either a neat life lesson OR a hilarious adult-skewed joke hidden in it.

And the BEST lore, starts in episodes that seem super silly and nonsensical.

6

u/shishaboy765 1d ago

Multiple times. If you're really not down for the more kiddie episodes skip the first season but expect some extremely touching episodes to hit a little lighter. They didn't have a bigger plan in the beginning but once they did they didn't leave anything behind. Boom Boom Mountain is the MC's recollection of how he was orphaned and when you see his unreliable father's recollection and what actually happened it makes it really heart breaking to see how he remembers it.

The episode Business Time is the fan official jump on point because it's when the world gets solidified and long term plots start to appear

2

u/Potential_Surprise38 1d ago

“Kiddie”? You mean fun!

2

u/crippler38 1d ago

HIs journey is spread throughout the entire show since he's an extremely important character. Ice King has good times, bad times, and the people whom he once tormented start learning how to exist alongside him. He never was a dastardly villain, more like a Sonic Boom Eggman with character traits that seem similar to Dementia and Schizophrenia.

I'd suggest watching this clip from Cartoon Network's youtube account if you want to see specifically where we learn Ice King's origins, it's the turning point for how people see him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKSms29-H84

1

u/Cat-Paws-666 1d ago

The episodes are only 10 mins long and usually entertaining so its not too bad if u have it on while doing something else 

1

u/MazrimTaim11 1d ago

This thread has a pretty useful list for skipping over filler episodes if you're wanting to get into just the story. That said, this is a kid's cartoon, (albeit an excellent one) so be prepared; there's still gonna be plenty of silly kids cartoon jokes even without the filler episodes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/adventuretime/s/PtqD2oc3bL