When it comes to movies, the most important characters are generally those that are considered
to be the leads.
Whether they be the titular character; such as characters like Superman, Batman, Bridget
Jones or Mary Poppins, or characters who are clearly the star; like Marty McFly, Freddy
Krueger, Annie Wilkes or Ellen Ripley - it's generally very obvious which character is
the most important in any given movie.But that's not always the case.
Looking back on certain movies, characters who weren't given the top billing are often
a lot more important than you might think.
Whether they were integral to the plot, or were merely being introduced for a bigger
purpose that you weren't aware of at the time, you might be surprised at just how important
certain characters are - even, in some cases, some incredibly minor ones - and that's what
this video is all about.
Here are ten characters in famous movies who were more important than you realized.
Phil Coulson in The Avengers The Avengers are the backbone of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe and their movies are the biggest attractions for the franchise's audience,
so it's easy to think that the likes of Captain America as their leader, Tony Stark as their
financial backer, or Thor and Hulk as their big guns - all of whom have had titular movies
- are the most important characters in the franchise.You might also think that Nick Fury
is the most important character, due to him spearheading the initiative to bring the Avengers
together - but remember that he actually failed.
It was actually the death of Phil Coulson - a relatively minor character in the MCU
movies - that made them start operating as a coherant unit.
When you consider that Coulson was only meant to be a one-time character after his first
appearance in Iron Man - and he wasn't even meant to be given a first name in the franchise
- that's pretty impressive on the part of actor Clark Gregg.
Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy was all about the
titular team.
Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket and, in particular, Star-Lord stole the show.
And you'd be forgiven for thinking that they'll be the most important characters going forward
- but that's not the case at all.Karen Gillan's Nebula wasn't even the secondary villain - Ronan
and Thanos were the two most important villains in the movie - and Nebula could easily have
been considered by audiences to be gone for good, given her exit scene at the end of the
movie.
But that's far from the case.
Not only will she switch sides to join the titular team in the 2017 sequel, but she could
also be a key character in the Infinity War movie saga.
In the comic books, it was her that removed the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos' possession
and returned reality to how it was before - don't be surprised to see that happen on
the big screen.
Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars When you think of the original Star Wars movie,
the most important characters you tend to think of are undoubtedly the likes of Luke
Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia - but where would any of them be without Alec Guinness'
Obi-Wan Kenobi?It's not like he was a nothing character, but you rarely look at him as vital
to the entire plot - but he certainly was.
Here's a list of a few things that wouldn't have happened without him.
Luke would never have joined the Rebels and saved the galaxy.
Leia would never have had anyone to go to for help and, thus, the Rebel plans would’ve
been discovered.
Luke would never have left Tatooine and probably would’ve been killed.
The droids would’ve been caught and disassembled.
Han, and by association Chewie, would have been hunted down and frozen in carbonite by
Jabba much sooner.
Basically, the whole movie breaks down without Obi-Wan.
Blind Al in Deadpool Just like in the comic books, Ryan Reynolds'
Deadpool shares a house with an elderly lady called Blind Al in 2016's live action movie
based on the character.
In the movie, Al is a minor character, only appearing in a small number of humorous scenes
and, unlike in the comic books, Deadpool is relatively nice to her.But Al is a much more
important character in the wider world of Deadpool lore.
Not only did Wade Wilson let her go, after having been paid to kill her, in his pre-Deadpool
days, but she also acts as his guide, with the intention of keeping him on a somewhat
heroic path and helping him to better himself.
Moreover - and rather excitingly - she actually potentially ties the Deadpool movie and, subsequently,
the entire X-Men movie franchise, to the MCU, as she was an old girlfriend of Captain America's
back in the days of World War II!
The Clock Tower Lady in Back to the Future Okay, now let's get into some really minor
characters whose impact on their respective movies was actually pretty huge, starting
with the "Clock Tower Lady" in 1985's brilliant Back to the Future.Played by Elsa Raven, she
was the lady who interrupted Marty McFly and Jennifer's kiss outside the Hill Valley clock
tower to tell them how lightning had struck it back in 1955, giving Marty a flyer with
the exact date and time the strike occurred.
If it wasn't for her, Marty would have got permanently stuck in 1955 and would only have
been able to reach 1985 again via the natural passage of time.
Terry in Back to the Future Part II In 1989's Back to the Future Part II, Terry
- played by Charles Fleischer - is the guy in 2015 trying to collect a donation from
Marty.
His only scene in the movie sees him commenting on how he'd like to go back in time to bet
on the Cubs winning that year's World Series at 100-1.That one comment starts the whole
Sports Almanac plot and is the reason Doc, and later Marty, go to 1885 in Part III, which
results in Clara Clayton being saved from falling into a ravine and Jules and Verne
Brown existing.
If it wasn't for Terry, Doc would have disassembled his time machine after he and Marty had returned
from 2015.
The Neighbour Kid in Home Alone The entire plot of the first Home Alone film
revolves around Macauley Culkin's Kevin McCallister being left at home alone when his family go
on holiday to Paris - but it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for a very minor character.When
the McCallisters are running late on the morning of their flight, a young neighbour comes over
to watch them leave, annoying the driver of one of the vans taking them to the airport
and telling the family to bring him back something French.
While he's nosily going through their luggage in the back of one of the vans, he gets mistaken
for Kevin during a headcount, which is what results in him being left home alone.
The Guy in Peter McCallister's Coat in Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York
In the Home Alone sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, there was a character who was
even less prominent than the neighbour kid in the previous movie who was equally as important
to the movie's plot.In the airport scene, when Kevin gets separated from his family,
Macauley Culkin identifies a man as his father, Peter, because he's wearing a coat identical
to his.
If it wasn't for that man - who didn't even have any lines and barely had any noteworthy
screen-time, Kevin wouldn't have boared the plane to New York and the entire movie wouldn't
have happened.
The War Department Clerk in Saving Private Ryan
In 1998's superb Saving Private Ryan, the entire plot of the movie is kicked off by
one woman typing up condolence letters in an office.
She has only around a minute of screen time and, although she speaks, her voice isn't
heard at all - but she's integral to the whole story.Through sheer coincidence, the clerk
- played Valerie Colgan - types up the three brothers' letters at once and brings them
to the attention of her superior.
In spite of her tiny part, it is her actions that inspire the government to arrange for
the fourth brother - the titular Private James Ryan - to be brought home.
Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad No matter how you look at it, Harley Quinn
was undoubtedly one of the most important characters in the Suicide Squad movie, but
did you truly realise just how important?
We doubt it very much.Harley's inclusion is the main reason that two other massive characters
in Batman and The Joker were able to be included, which is a huge deal.
Also, as a crazy sociopath bordering on the line between hero and villain, she's a bona
fide rival to Fox's hugely popular Deadpool.
She's also a marketing gold-mine, given the merchandise and costumes she will sell.
And, most importantly, she's opened the door for more female leads in comic book movies,
which have been sadly and sorely lacking up until now.
Thanks for watching our video of ten characters in famous movies who were more important than
you realized.
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