Interpretative Character: Difference between revisions

[[File:rsz_cheshires_946rsz cheshires 946.jpg|link=Alice in Wonderland|frame|The Cheshire Cat, from [[Alice in Wonderland (Disney1951 film)|surreal]] to [[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|spooky]] to [[American McGee's Alice|GAH!]]]]

{{quote|''"Batman's rich history allows him to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. To be sure, this is a lighter incarnation, but it's certainly no less valid and true to the character's roots than the tortured avenger [[Parental Abandonment|crying out for mommy and daddy]]."''|'''Bat-Mite''', ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]''}}

Contrast [[Captain Ersatz]], where a variation of an [['''Interpretative Character]]''' is introduced as a new character, and [[Expy]], where a new character is designed around the defining tropes of another non - [['''Interpretative Character]]'''.

== [[Live -Action TV]] ==

* ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' has ''thousands'' of different interpretations for all the characters. They all have their cores; Dorothy wants to get back to normalcy, the Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man wants a heart, and the Cowardly Lion wants courage. There is a Good Witch and a Wicked Witch who approaches Dorothy when she arrives in Munchkinland. The Wizard of Oz is a scary illusionist and big fat liar. The things they do and how they accomplish them vary quite a bit with each interpretation.

* From the ''[[Halo]]'' videogamevideo game series, John-117/Master Chief. Psychopathic super soldier? Traumatized, bitter warrior? A victim of the UNSC's ruthlessness? A badass antihero? A morally upright, heroic and compassionate figure? While the books usually portray him negatively or as a victim (with the exception of his infamous action hero personality in ''The Flood''), the games are generally more ambigiousambiguous.

* ''[[My Little Pony]]'' is a big example. Take Rainbow Dash for instance; Rainbow Dash at her core is a female pony with a rainbow colored mane. However, her G3 incarnation is a girly girl fashionista thatwho isn't able to fly and only cares about clothes. Rainbow Dash from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' on the opposite is an [[Tomboy|athletic girl]] who is well known for her awesome physical feats of speed like the [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|sonic rainboom]]. But she couldn't care less about "fashion"; in other words she is her own [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]]. The reason why ''My Little Pony'' characters are such good examples of interpretative characters is because they are all, in the end, defined only by their color scheme and hip-symbol. That is why a character like for instance Rainbow Dash can have one personality in the one version and a completely different personality in another version while these radicaly different interpretations are still considered variations of the same character.

** Megatron. For any kind of villain you've ever seen, there's a Megatron for that. He's been [[Transformers Film Series|a brute]], a [[Beast Wars|brilliant manipulator]] [[Beast Machines|and chessmaster]], [[Transformers Animated|a one-bot army and far-thinking master planner]], an [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise|energy vampire]], and [[Transformers Generation 1|an extremely 80s cartoon villain]] with a high-pitched voice and schemes like "I know how we can get more energy! Let's build this giant cannon to knock the Moon out of orbit, build a device to control the tides in the Moon's absence, and ''then'' use all that power to flood a canyon that contains a hydroelectric generator that we built." He's also tried [[Omnicidal Maniac]] on for size once (in {{spoiler|[[Transformers Cybertron]]}}, his true plan proves to be to use {{spoiler|the black hole}} to eradicate the whole universe, then rebuild it in his image. He ''is'' always [[The Determinator]], though.

** Ironhide's been an [[Transformers Generation 1|old and Southern minivan]], [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise|stealthy and Southern truck]], a [[Transformers Energon|young and not Southern truck]], [[Transformers Film Series|a truck who really loves his guns]] (fitting an American Deep South stereotype despite not having the accent), and most recently [[Transformers Animated|young, Southern, and... a vehicle that's trying really hard not to look like a repaint of Ratchet's pre-Earth alien-ified ambulance mode]] [[What Could Have Been|who probably would have traded that alt-mode in a truck]].

** Wheeljack has his share of changes per continuity. In G1 he's a [[Gadgeteer Genius]] whose inventions have a varying degree of success. In ''[[Transformers Armada]],'' he is an Autobot turncoat who sides with the Decepticons. In ''[[Transformers Prime]]'' he's a member of the Wreckers, a [[Badass]] [[One-Man Army|One Bot Army]] who can take on multiple cons all at once.

** Ultra Magnus tends to be a high-ranking, powerful soldier connected to Optimus Prime in some way, sometimes being his brother. His characterization primarily comes from the rank of Supreme Autobot Leader somehow. In G1 he feared and avoided such responsibility despite being well cut out for it, in ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' he was jealous of Prime for being chosen to be leader, and in ''Animated'' he ''already was'' a responsible leader who saw potential in the young rookie known as Optimus Prime.

** Sentinel Prime is far more vague, not even having a concrete basic visual design unlike most of the above, but somehow relates to being Optimus Prime's superior somehow. In G1 he doesn't have much of a characterization beyond dying and passing the Autobot Matrix of Leadership to Optimus, but was brought back for ''Animated'' as a complete and utter [[Jerkass]] who keeps rubbing it in Optimus' face that he is in the Elite Guard whereas Optimus is just a maintenance bot despite the fact the Optimus sacrificed his chances for the Elite Guard for him. <ref>Originally Rodimus was meant to be in this role, [[Executive Meddling|but that name being associated with such a jerk didn't sit well with Hasbro.]]</ref> In ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]'' however, he is Optimus' highly respected predecessor and mentor whom he brought [[Back Fromfrom the Dead]] in hopes of ending the war {{spoiler|only to find out that he is a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] with [[A God Am I]] tendencies who [[Big Bad Duumvirate|allied with Megatron]] long ago in a plan to send [[Doomed Hometown|Cybertron]] to [[Earth]] and restore it using Earth's resources and [[Puny Earthlings]]}}. Notably, the two recent depictions of Sentinel Prime tend to play [[Actor Allusion]]/[[Ink Suit Actor]]. ''Animated'' Sentinel was voiced by [[Townsend Coleman]] and is basically [[The Tick (animation)]] in Transformer form, whereas ''DOTM'' Sentinel is modeled after his voice actor [[Leonard Nimoy]], and even shares a line with [[Star Trek: The Original Series|Spock]]