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Total Paid $40

Slightly adjust a character's backstory to change an entire movie plot for $4

Posted by Alex Sinclair in Film & TV

What if the cave Bruce Wayne had fallen into had been a little damper and was therefore populated by frogs rather than bats? Sometimes the slightest differences can change the course of history.

For this bounty, we want you to think up a tiny change to a character's backstory that would have dramatic consequences for the plot of the film. Explain your change and tell us how the movie would have been different.

Feel free to enter this bounty with text, but bonus points will go to anyone who expresses their change with the aid of a new movie poster!

already paid

$40 / 40

Reward details

This reward closed to entries at 11:01am on April 23, 2024 but you can still reply, react, and join the conversation below! If you’d like to enter other rewards which are still open, click here.

Created at 10:07am, 16th April, 2024. Page last updated at 2:44pm, 16th May, 2024.
Deadline at 11:00pm, 22nd April, 2024.

NeoKazuho 4/22/2024, 5:15:45 AM

One alteration to a character's backstory in the "Harry Potter" series that could change the entire plot of the movies would be adjusting Severus Snape's motivations and allegiance.

In this alternate version, Snape is still a former Death Eater, but his loyalty to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix is less driven by his love for Lily Potter. Instead, Snape is motivated by a personal sense of justice and regret over his past actions as a Death Eater. He joins the Order out of a deep-seated desire to make amends for the harm he caused. Without the love-based motivation for protecting Harry, Snape's relationship with Harry and Dumbledore becomes more complex and ambiguous.

Below might be the plot Impact:

Snape's Relationship with Harry: With his connection to Harry's mother removed, Snape might treat Harry more harshly or be less protective of him. The evolving relationship between Snape and Harry would reflect a gradual shift from hostility to respect based on Snape's commitment to redemption.

Snape's Loyalty to Dumbledore: Snape's allegiance to Dumbledore would be more focused on their shared goal of defeating Voldemort, without the personal aspect of his love for Lily. This could make his interactions with Dumbledore more business-like and less emotionally driven.

Role in the War Against Voldemort: Snape's sense of justice and redemption might lead him to take more active measures against Voldemort's followers. He could play a more visible role in the resistance, engaging in direct confrontations with Death Eaters.

Snape's Sacrifice: Snape's sacrifice at the end of the series would be based on his commitment to a greater good rather than a personal promise to Lily. This could make his final moments more focused on his journey from darkness to redemption, giving him a more prominent arc of personal growth.

By changing Snape's underlying motivations, the plot takes on a more complex tone, emphasizing themes of redemption and justice rather than solely focusing on personal loyalty and love. This adjustment could lead to new character dynamics and alter the interactions between key characters in the series.

Sturmer 4/20/2024, 6:08:08 PM

Bruce Wayne as a Criminal Boss: A New Batman Narrative

In this altered narrative, Bruce Wayne uses his intellect and vast resources not to don the cape and cowl of Batman, but to become a powerful figure within Gotham's criminal underworld.

This approach keeps his original ultimate goal intact - ridding Gotham of crime - but his methods are drastically different. He seeks to dismantle the system from the inside, manipulating both the criminal and legitimate aspects of the city.

Infiltrate, Manipulate, Dominate.

Alex SinclairMod4/22/2024, 8:43:31 AM

Sturmer

Nice. This reminded me of another great 'what if?' narrative. Have you ever read Superman: Red Son? The plot was centred around the question: 'what would have happened if Superman crashed in the USSR instead of the rural US?'. It's quite the wild ride and also features a very cool take on Batman.

Sturmer 4/22/2024, 9:29:58 AM

Alex Sinclair

Nope, when I was developing it, I had a specific saying in mind that served as the foundational concept:"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Laser-Bicep 4/19/2024, 2:02:30 PM

What if in Lord of the rings.

legolas didnt miss the beserker orc. and they absolutely rinsed the orcs at helms deep.

Also gandalf had less of a love for the halfings leaf and arrived sooner with the riders of rohan.

Alex SinclairMod4/22/2024, 8:41:02 AM

Laser-Bicep

FirestormGamingTeam 4/18/2024, 5:23:53 PM

Stargate - Original Film

If Daniel Jackson had not stayed on Abados, the entire series' premise would have changed as they never would have foud the cartouche and would be back to random dialling addresses instead of having thousands of addresses to explore.

So, yeh, one tiny detail could have changed the entire point of the films/series

Lanah Tyra 4/18/2024, 5:40:47 PM

FirestormGamingTeam

oh that's a good one

FirestormGamingTeam 4/18/2024, 5:49:12 PM

Lanah Tyra

Thank you :)

Lanah Tyra 4/17/2024, 10:10:23 PM

Odin actually tells Loki he's adopted and raises the boy with full knowledge of his frost-giant heritage and powers. Of course we could trust the God of Mischief to be... well mischievous, but without the events of the first Thor movie and him feeling betrayed by Odin, he most likely wouldn't end up beside Thanos, who would then have to collect all the Infinity Stones himself.... Would Thor still end up with the Avengers just on a different route? Would Loki join them as well? I would have loved to see Loki fighting against Thanos from the beginning. And imagine all the teasing and mischief he would have done as an Avenger.

0ffworld 4/17/2024, 6:40:43 PM

Zombieland, minus the jokes

Instead of assembling a human crew to survive in a zombie apocalypse and do funny stuff, Woody Harrelson's character Tallahassee is already a zombie - or slowly turning into a full fledged one - unless he can somehow stop the mutation.

So rather than a really dumb comedy (They have their places, I admit. I'm not a superfan, but somehow this movie came to mind.), this is a gritty survival horror story. Will he make it in the end? Probably not.

Makster 4/16/2024, 9:32:50 PM

Chihiro ends up indulging in the food like her parents and ends up like a pig aswell. There are three scenarios:

The film is from Haku's perspective as we learn more about his why he went under Yubaba's tutelage and the jobs she has him do. Eventually sensing Chihiro's presence as a pig and then him working off her debt or tricking Yubaba into freeing the family
Chihiro as a pig is assisted by a spider spirit to the bathhouse and the guests are amazed at a pig's ability to write on web, so Charlotte's Web
Animal Farm (this is the bad ending where they retain their pig form but end up wearing their human clothes)

Dean 4/16/2024, 1:30:47 PM

Mr Bean's Holiday - but Mr Bean learnt to talk in his earlier life, and things just yet smoothly and he had a nice Holiday.

Makster 4/16/2024, 9:23:38 PM

Dean

Oddly this would only work if Mr Bean learnt French (sorry to do the Cinema Sins thing of poking plot holes in an imaginary movie scenario)

Paul 4/16/2024, 12:20:06 PM

The Matrix, if Thomas Anderson (Neo) didn't follow "Allice down the rabbit hole".

As a reformed hacker Tom found himself in a dead end office job.

Bored and unforfilled he slipped back in to his previous life but unfortunately he was caught. In exchange for leniency, he was to support the FBIs new cyber crime team code named Matrix. This started off poorly, with many tempting chances of escape and access to valuable FBI files. However the team grew together and solved many cases.

The main story is one such case later exposed a major terrorist plot to free a fanatic leader and assasinate a high ranking FBI angent at the Colonial State Bank Centre. As the terrorists arrived they were taken by surprise and killed in a shootout. They had with them dufflebags full of guns, ammunition and a bomb.

Thomas stayed on with the FBI for many years beore moving on to lecturing at the FBI school.

https://twitter.com/Gooch1359/status/1780208996080603438?t=Ne_uey5sfcf199Nk76kF_A&s=19

Makster 4/16/2024, 9:24:30 PM

Paul

I'm glad Laurence Fishburne will continue to be in this alternate version the film (it'll make up for his absence in The Matrix 4)

Paul 4/17/2024, 8:24:46 AM

Makster

I thought it would be cool if the crew was still doing things in the background but were seen as the villains.

antibird 4/16/2024, 11:22:01 AM

Qui Gon focuses on his mission and leaves the 9 year old Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine. No Darth Vader. Alters the plot of like 9 movies!

Alex SinclairMod4/16/2024, 12:36:43 PM

antibird

Aha, great idea. But now we want to know what the galaxy would have looked like if Qui Gon never picked him up! Would Palpatine have discovered Anakin? Would Anakin have developed force powers? What would happen to the republic?

antibird 4/16/2024, 1:48:34 PM

Alex Sinclair

Qui Gon would still be killed by Darth Maul, Obi Wan would 'kill' Maul and then take a different Padawan, Palpatine would continue to infiltrate the senate and become Supreme Chancellor, the Jedi would realise he is a Sith, then Mace Windu would kill Palpatine before Order 66 is issued. In the meantime, Anakin would carry on in Tatooine getting more and more angry and sandy but, following his mothers death, he would turn to the Hutts and a life of crime. He would become their number one mercenary/bounty hunter.

Makster 4/16/2024, 9:36:13 PM

antibird

I would have thought his life of Podracing would catch up with him and then end up in a bad crash, becoming paraplegic and relying on his hand built protocol droid C-3PO to help him with the rest of his days.. But then I remembered he crashed Watto's old pod and there's no way a Toydarian would trust the boy with another one..

Retro Stu 4/16/2024, 11:26:56 AM

Given the example I wanted to try and avoid a super hero movie premise so I'm going with: Primrose Everdeen was an only child.

Without Katniss to volunteer as tribute, without her blossoming relationship with Peeta, without that triggering the disquiet against the Capitol, with no rebellion the world would have remained the same and the games would continue to take place.

Pendalorian 4/17/2024, 7:58:36 PM

Bend it like Beckham but they were boys...

mar1gold 4/18/2024, 2:28:31 PM

If the main character in Whiplash got into rock as a kid instead of jazz, he probs would have just joined a cool lil band or something heheh

Asim 4/21/2024, 6:40:07 PM

Ash Dad is around

Ash Ketchum is the strongest kid in the world. Ash is just not a 10 year old boy starting his adventure, Ash's Dad was a professional boxer who helped train 10 year old ash to be a mean lean fighting machine that even hitmonchan is afraid of. The same plot happens where mewtwo escapes and tries to take over the world with his clone pokemon and lures all the best pokemon trainers in the world to his island

However due to Ash's absolutely ridiculous strength and boxing abiilty, when he punches mewtwo. He knocks them out. Movie over, He never dies, he becomes the strongest pokemon trainer & human in the pokemon world

No one messes with this 10 year old boy, not even men

Alex SinclairMod4/22/2024, 8:45:37 AM

Asim

Asim -great entry, but it looks like you've hit 'reply' rather than 'submit to this bounty'. We can't award replies, and this bounty is closing soon, so please re-enter if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a prize

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