20 beloved movie characters that were mistakenly left out of sequels

Even though it wasn’t a success when it was first released in 1993, Hocus Pocus would go on to become something of a cult classic, and its zany story about three sinister witches whose plots are foiled by a trio of teenagers became a cultural touchstone for Gen X and older millennials. Three decades later, it got its very own sequel, and while it was a pleasure to see Winifred, Sarah, and Mary back in action, the sequel didn’t include the teenage members of the cast. It’s a disappointing omission, and many still hope they will return for the promised third film.

Short Round is one of the most beloved characters in the Indiana Jones franchise, and much of the character's appeal stems from the uniquely poignant performance delivered by Ke Huy Quan. There's also an undeniable chemistry between Short Round and Indy. It's thus more than a little disappointing that he didn't even make a cameo in the third film or, for that matter, any of the others. Given that this character remains one of the most beloved in the entire series, it's a bit of a wasted opportunity, particularly since so many other characters were brought back at one point or another.

Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike  is a fascinating look at the lives of male strippers, and it features some extraordinary performances from the likes of Channing Tatum and Matt Bomer. The main character of the film, however, is actually Adam, who becomes a protege of Tatum’s Magic Mike. Even though their relationship and its complications are a major part of the film, Adam is nowhere to be found in the sequel, Magic Mike: XXL. Adam’s absence is all the more glaring considering how many of the first film’s cast returned for this, including not just Tatum but also Bomer (but not, notably, Matthew McConaughey).

In both Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,  much of the humor stems from the three-way dynamic between Bridget and her two lovers, Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. In the third film, however, Daniel supposedly died in a plane crash, which means that the movie lacks Hugh Grant’s signature brand of charisma. However, there are hints at the end that Daniel might have survived his plane crash after all. Thus, he might one day return to once again flash his dazzling smile and wreak who knows how much havoc with Bridget and her long-awaited happiness with Mark.

Speed could have only been made in the 1990s, focusing as it does on a bus that goes out of control thanks to a terrorist. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have some decent chemistry in the film, and the strength of their performances helps elevate the premise's slight ridiculousness. This film was enormously successful, but the same could not be said for the sequel, which only saw the return of Bullock, with Reeves'  Officer Jack Traven nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, even Bullock's tremendous talents weren't enough to save it from being savaged by audiences and critics alike.

Pirates of the Caribbean remains one of Disney’s most successful franchises, and much of its initial success was due to the combined star power of Johnny Depp,  Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom. Though the trio appeared in the first three films in the series, the fourth installment, On Stranger Tides, was remarkable because it did not feature either Bloom or Knightley, though obviously no one could replace Depp’s Jack Sparrow. Though it would go on to be a success, it’s hard to shake the feeling that something essential is missing from the film. They both make a brief appearance in the fifth film, and whether they will return for the sixth remains to be seen.

One of the most notable characters introduced in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is Mutt Williams, who is revealed to be the son of Indy and Marion Ravenwood. Though he is an important character in the film, he’s actually absent from the sequel, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and for a very sad reason. He was actually killed in the Vietnam War. This is quite a devastating blow for both Indy and Marion, and a rather ignominious way to deal with a character who was only in one film before meeting his demise.

The Austin Powers films are some of the actor’s best film works, and they are very raunchy and very funny. At the end of the first film, Myers’ Austin ends up with Vanessa, and the two seemingly set out on a life of adventure together. In the sequel, The Spy Who Shagged Me,  however, Vanessa is revealed to have been a deadly fembot and ends up self-destructing. The rest of the film focuses instead on Austin’s ongoing battle against Dr. Evil and his burgeoning relationship with the new heroine, Felicity Shagwell (portrayed by Heather Graham).

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is an undisputed masterpiece of sci-fi filmmaking, and it is populated by fascinating characters, each of whom has their own arc and development. Even though Thufir isn’t a main character per se, he is still an essential part of the Atreides household, and in Frank Herbert’s original novel, he plays a key role in subverting the Harkonnens from within their own ranks. Unfortunately, his scenes were cut from Dune: Part Two, and while the film still makes sense even without him, it’s hard not to wish that the director had found some way of including him, even if it would have made the film a bit longer.

By now, Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is a key component of the Fast & Furious  franchise, so much so that it’s almost impossible to think of the films without him. Indeed, for much of its run, it was one of the major selling points, as was the bond between Dom and Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner. One notable exception to this was 2 Fast 2 Furious, which starred Walker but not Diesel, though the latter would return several years later in Fast & Furious. The third installment of the franchise is particularly notable for including neither Walker nor Diesel in minor roles, and their absence highlights just how important they are to the franchise’s appeal.

Even though it is sometimes overshadowed by Disney’s other hits of the 1990s, A Goofy Movie has come to occupy a special place in the hearts of many millennials. Film fans will remember that one of the key characters in the film is Roxanne, who serves as Max Goof’s major love interest. Strangely, even though the two manage to get together in the film, she’s nowhere to be found in the direct-to-DVD sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie. However, given that the whole movie is about Max going to college, perhaps it makes a certain kind of sense that Roxanne doesn’t appear.

Tremors is a rare horror comedy that works, precisely because it does such a good job of keeping the two elements in perfect balance. It certainly helps that it includes a stacked cast, including a young Kevin Bacon, who plays Val McKee and has a friendly rivalry with Fred Ward’s Earl Bassett. While there would be several sequels to the first film — and while some of the cast would reprise their roles — the first one was the only one that included Bacon’s character. As a result, none of the others ever come close to recapturing the unique charms of the first film.

Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien was not only a terrifying piece of sci-fi/horror filmmaking; it also gave birth to its own franchise. In one of the series' later entries, Prometheus, Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw is one of the most important characters and, indeed, becomes one of the few survivors. However, she perishes off-screen in between Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, presumably by the rogue android David, who then uses her body to continue his biological experiments. Though a chilling revelation, it still seems a rather ignominious way to say goodbye to a main character. 

The chemistry between Karen Allen and Harrison Ford is intense and palpable in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but, as fans know, she was absent from both Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. The former makes sense, as it’s actually a prequel to Raiders, but it’s still sad not to see her in The Last Crusade.  After all, it would have been a true highlight to see Karen Allen get to share the screen with both Ford’s Indy and Sean Connery’s Henry Jones, Sr. Fortunately for fans of the character, she does return to the franchise in both Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny. 

Thor remains one of the most beloved MCU characters, and one of his most enduring relationships has been with Jane Foster. However, Natalie Portman’s character has been notably absent from several films in which Thor has been a central character, including Thor: Ragnarok. There’s definitely a great deal already going on in this film, so it makes sense that she would be excised and she would later go on to reappear in Thor: Love and Thunder. However, given that she is Thor’s most notable love interest, having her be absent in one film just to appear in another is more than a little jarring. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes breathed fresh life into one of Hollywood’s longest-running franchises. While the center of the story is Andy Serkis’ chimpanzee revolutionary Caesar, the main human character is James Franco’s Will Rodman. He plays a very prominent part in the first film, but he is, unsurprisingly, completely absent from the sequel, which takes place after a virulent strain of Simian Flu has eradicated many humans. His absence is sad, and it clearly affects Caesar, who actually goes to their old home to recover from a wound, where he looks at videos of his former friend. Sometimes, a character becomes an even more powerful presence because of their very absence.

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan breathed fresh life into the Rocky franchise with Creed, and the first two films in this new series explore the sometimes fraught relationship between Rocky and his protege, Adonis Creed. However, while Rocky was present in the first two films, he was absent from the third. Narratively, this makes sense, as the second film saw him reuniting with his son and, one can assume, moving so he can be closer to him. While his absence gives Adonis, the character, and the franchise a chance to go in some new directions, it will never be the same without the man who started it all.

Casey Jones has long been a key part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, and he played a particularly important part in the first live-action film, released in 1990. However, he did not make a return for the sequel, which, in general, leaned far more into slapstick than its predecessor. Though the film still manages to succeed — these are the Ninja Turtles, after all — but even so it’s just not quite the same without Casey there. Fortunately, he does return in the third installment of the series, though he is largely confined to babysitting the four Japanese warriors who are transported to the present.  

Sam Neill and Laura Dern were instantly classic characters when they appeared as Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler in the first Jurassic Park film. However, they were notably absent from the sequel, The Lost World, which focused much more on Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm. While it’s understandable that they would be sidelined — they aren’t present in Michael Crichton’s novel, which served as the basis for the film — it’s still not quite the same without them. They were such an essential part of the unique chemistry of the first film that The Lost World just never quite recaptures what made the first such an indelible part of the sci-fi film canon.

Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm was one of the best characters in the original Jurassic Park film, and he was also one of the most enjoyable aspects of the rather forgettable sequel The Lost World. However, he was left out of the third entry in the franchise, Jurassic Park 3, and the film is poorer for lacking his signature wit and cynicism. Malcolm wouldn’t return to the franchise until Jurassic World Dominion, by which point he is now employed by the sinister and evil corporation Biosyn. He’s still the same irascible character as always, and his return is more than welcome.