Top 10 Characters Who Saved a Movie Franchise

WatchMojo

From struggling series to box office gold, these characters turned it all around! Join us as we celebrate the heroes and villains who breathed new life into their respective franchises. Whether through gritty reboots, fresh perspectives, or game-changing performances, these characters proved to be exactly what their series needed.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the MVPs who gave these

00:11struggling movie franchises a necessary win with audiences.

00:1610.

00:21Daniel Craig's James Bond – James Bond franchise

00:29Given that countless iconic actors have played this character over the decades, you'd think

00:33Bond would always be a popular property.

00:36Unfortunately, even Mr. 007 can't escape the occasional rut or two.

00:42During Pierce Brosnan's tenure, the agent became a joke.

00:45Goofy gadgets, campy characters, tired tropes, Bond was suddenly a caricature of himself.

00:52So, when Daniel Craig took over, it was a satisfying return to form.

01:06The spy went back to his darker roots and, in turn, brought the franchise back to glory.

01:11His debut film, Casino Royale, broke all kinds of records at the box office and was nearly

01:16universally praised.

01:18Turning a property dark and gritty isn't always a fix, but in this instance, it was.

01:2340,500,000 all in.

01:269.

01:27Lawrence Gordon – Saw franchise

01:29This beautifully chaotic franchise started incredibly strong as a series of films rooted

01:39in psychological warfare and trickery.

01:41Eventually, Jigsaw's death traps devolved into just a bunch of gore for the sake of gore.

01:46The franchise, all about sinister games, needed a new game plan.

01:50That's why they brought Dr. Gordon back into the fray.

01:53A Saw OG, Lawrence came back in the seventh movie.

01:57You know, the one that was in 3D and marketed as the final chapter, even though it wasn't.

02:04You are perhaps my greatest asset.

02:08Anyway, his return got all of the fans talking, giving the movie a much-needed boost at the

02:13box office.

02:14He might not have been the best doctor, but he was certainly an interesting character.

02:18You survived.

02:208.

02:21Naaru – Predator franchise

02:23In a series where the Predators are the main attraction, the film about the prey would

02:27ironically be the franchise's saving grace.

02:30Naaru was a breath of fresh air for this IP.

02:33The Comanche warrior fought a Predator in the 1700s and managed to kill it.

02:40Prey was just the kind of project this brand needed after 2018's The Predator received mixed

02:45reviews.

02:46The pivot to Naaru was also an innovative choice.

02:49By making her story a period piece, it showed that Predator could work in any era.

02:56In fact, future installments might follow suit and take the Predators to other different

03:00points in history.

03:01Naaru isn't just a badass warrior.

03:04She's potentially the blueprint for how this franchise can print money.

03:08Naaru isn't just a badass warrior.

03:137.

03:14Owen Davian – Mission Impossible Franchise

03:15I'm scared.

03:16I'm scared.

03:17I'm scared.

03:18I'm scared.

03:19I'm scared.

03:20I'm scared.

03:21I'm scared.

03:22I need you to step out.

03:23No, it's fine.

03:24It's fine.

03:25It's fine.

03:26I always spill red wine on my white custom-made shirt.

03:27Heroes are great, but sometimes the villains are the real stars of the show.

03:31While Mission Impossible got off to a promising start, a disappointing sequel could have killed

03:36this franchise.

03:51The menacing bad guy played by legendary actor Philip Seymour Hoffman utterly changed the

03:56game.

03:57To say he knocked it out the park would be an understatement.

03:59Owen created chaos unlike any other and is widely considered one of the best villains Mission

04:04Impossible ever had.

04:06Keeping this franchise going could have been an impossible mission, but it's continued

04:09to live on.

04:10I told you I was going to kill you in front of her, but I'm going to kill her in front

04:15of you.

04:166.

04:17Bumblebee – Transformers Franchise

04:19Any more questions you want to ask?

04:26Though he's always been a popular fixture of the live-action Transformers movies, Bumblebee

04:31Spinoff was the shot in the robotic arm this franchise needed.

04:46His movie was a triumph and signaled a shift from Michael Bay's vision to something new.

04:52The quirky Autobots show the critics that there's more than meets the eye with Transformers

05:02IP.

05:03The 80s theme, heartwarming coming-of-age project would be the perfect vehicle, pun intended,

05:07for him.

05:09Now, with more movies on the way, the brand has a chance to evolve into something greater.

05:175.

05:18Imperator Furiosa – Mad Max Franchise

05:21Centered around an apocalyptic future where car culture has been taken to the next level,

05:25it's either ride or die.

05:36There was a lot to love about Mad Max, but after Beyond Thunderdome, the IP drifted into

05:40obscurity.

05:41When the franchise was revived with Fury Road, Furiosa helped set things back on track,

05:46showing there was still some gas left in the tank.

05:50A woman always forced to make the best out of bad situations, she gave audiences a different

05:57kind of action hero.

05:58While she's not the only factor for the success of Mad Max, her reception in Fury Road and

06:03the release of her prequel in 2024 proves that she's a hot commodity.

06:184.

06:19Luke Hobbs – Fast and Furious Franchise

06:24This action-packed franchise has always served as great popcorn flicks, but things went into

06:29overdrive with the introduction of Luke Hobbs and Fast Five.

06:33The special agent has played both ally and adversary to Dom Toretto's crew, entertaining

06:37the masses ever since.

06:385.

06:39Just keep all your men out of sight.

06:40When they drive that truck in here, I want to come crashing down on them like the walls

06:43of Jericho.

06:44His introduction marked a real shift from what the Fast and Furious was to what it is now.

06:49Instead of just high-speed races, now there were death-defying heists and evil organizations

06:54to fight.

06:55In short, Hobbs was like a nitro boost for the IP.

06:58With the spin-off Hobbs and Shaw, he's shown that he's a valuable asset for the brand.

07:02You said some really compelling things, and I mean that black Superman thing, that really

07:06got me.

07:07I love that.

07:08What are you, death, stupid, or both?

07:093.

07:10Khan, Noonie, and Singh – Star Trek Franchise

07:17The first Star Trek film didn't necessarily taint, but the franchise clearly had taken a

07:22misstep.

07:23So, to course correct, fans were treated to the sequel The Wrath of Khan.

07:26As soon as audiences saw the titular Khan up on the big screen, they basically couldn't

07:31get enough of him.

07:32It wasn't just that his film was considered the best one Star Trek ever did.

07:53Khan also became the measuring stick for all other Trek bad guys.

07:58He was a villain who was simply a cut above the rest, and his stories elevated Star Trek

08:02like no other.

08:03It's safe to say that Khan's a pretty big deal.

08:05While the DCEU ultimately ended earlier than Warner Brothers probably would've wanted,

08:06it's undeniable how much of a light in the darkness Wonder Woman was for them.

08:10She was a welcome change of pace.

08:17Her debut movie was a roaring success at a time when they had major duds, giving fans glimpses

08:24of the potential this cinematic universe had.

08:25The only other hero who arguably came close to saving the DCEU was Aquaman.

08:29His own movie garnered critical praise and over a billion dollars at the box office.

08:36At the end of the day, Wonder Woman is a character who lifts people up.

08:43That positivity was such a necessary difference from all of the grim dark we were treated to

08:50before.

08:51They're everything you say, but so much more.

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09:27The Merc with a mouth is a character unlike any other.

09:34The fourth wall Breaking Minutes proved to be a major highlight for Fox's X-Men universe.

09:52The franchise definitely had many hits, but it also had some absolute misfires.

09:57That's why when Deadpool came onto the scene, it gave Fox a clear leg up on the competition,

10:02providing a superhero genre with an innovative R-rated edge.

10:12Deadpool is so successful that you can argue he saved two franchises at the same time.

10:17With the release of the third Deadpool movie, he and Wolverine gave a satisfying send-off to the Foxverse

10:22while simultaneously giving the MCU some much-needed adrenaline.

10:30If you really think about it, Deadpool is basically the savior of multiple flagship IPs.

10:37Are there any other blockbuster saving superstars we missed?

10:50Put some respect on their names in the comments down below.

10:53There's no going back.

10:54You've changed things.

10:56Forever.

10:57Tomorrow.

10:58lah a

11:00right.

11:02You've changed the map.

11:03Better?

11:04You've changed those things better.

11:06The night really wants to hop up on.

11:08–

11:09For you, if someone wants to hop in, you need to get more近 travest Library of handpes

11:10from looks ever and in.

11:12What he really says.

11:13Under the earth, the next time he tends to do.

11:14I'm going toieve a beautiful ordinance and you gonna maybe get more sharp Barrick of handp Sir.

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