Deleted Scenes That Would’ve Totally Changed A Movie's Main Character
List Rules Vote up the scenes that put the movie's protagonist in a new light.
Plenty goes into the making of a movie, especially if it's a blockbuster. While we like to believe our favorite films are the result of a singular vision, there are numerous people involved in deciding what moments make it to the final cut. Sometimes, the jettisoned scenes completely change the plot of a film or reshape a character's arc. Fortunately, deleted scenes and director's cuts have given fans a glimpse of these lost moments from cinema's biggest hits.
Often, the scenes are cut to reduce a film's running time. Other times, a creative clash is the reason behind the alteration. Regardless, these choices can fundamentally change a film - or simply reduce a character's growth. Whether it's a kind gesture or the reveal of a major plot point, these deleted scenes offer a very different read on some of our favorite movies and the characters in them.
Character And Film: Ellen Ripley, Aliens
Deleted Scene: After learning she's been in stasis for decades, Ripley asks Burke for news of her daughter. It turns out she passed two years ago - at the age of 67.
How It Changes The Main Character: This piece of information affects Ripley as a character across the franchise, but for Aliens, it explains why she's so protective of Newt, the orphaned girl she discovers on LV-426. This is likely why Newt was included in the narrative in the first place.
This information also completely changes Ripley's motivations and makes her trip aboard the Nostromo in Alien even more tragic. As Ripley tells Burke, "I promised her I'd be home for her birthday. Her 11th birthday."
Character And Film: David Levinson, Independence Day
Deleted Scene: David explains he can decode the alien's language and use tech from Roswell to make his Macintosh computer capable of uploading a virus to the mothership.
How It Changes The Main Character: This scene shows how much of a genius David is, but more importantly, it fills a major plot hole that viewers have wondered about since the film's 1996 release: How the heck can the humans give a virus to an alien operating system?
Character And Film: Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Deleted Scene: After Peter has quit being Spider-Man, his dad approaches him in a cemetery. Richard Parker reveals he's not only been alive this whole time and watching his son grow, but he also faked his demise to protect his own life.
How It Changes The Main Character: Given how much was already crammed into this film, the scene in question only would have complicated things further. It also would have changed Peter's motivations for returning as Spider-Man at the film's ultimate end.
The reveal that Peter's dad is still alive also amps up the conspiracy and thriller elements woven into the script, for better or worse.
Character And Film: Thor Odinson, Thor
Deleted Scene: After making breakfast for his new friends, Thor asks for one of their mugs. He brings it to the diner they were previously at and gives it to the proprietor to replace the one he had smashed earlier, apologizing for his behavior in the process.
How It Changes The Main Character: Though it's not a major moment, it's a nice callback and further illustrates just how much Thor has changed since coming to Earth. Given that the entire plot of the film revolves around Thor becoming a better person, his humility and thoughtfulness in this scene speak volumes for his character.
