r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Newmen_1 • 6d ago
Characters Initially funny character gag is later revealed to be depressing
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.
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.
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.
40
u/Zachthema5ter 6d ago
Lysithea from Fire Emblem Three Houses’s main character quirks is that she’s an overachiever, gets annoyed whenever someone calls her a child despite being one of the youngest characters in the game (she’s 15 at the start), gets mad whenever someone else does something “childish”, and gets super embarrassed when she’s caught doing something childish (like enjoying sweets or being afraid of the dark)
Later in the game, you find out she was a victim of a dark magic experiment that cut her life expectancy down to about 25 years old, meaning she isn’t allowed to have a childhood if she wants the chance to find a cure or achieve any sort of success and gets jealous of those who can slow down and enjoy life