Surprise Supporting Characters That Make Good Movies Even Better!

Everyone has their favorite side characters. Some folks, like myself, gravitate towards them to the point that they become more exciting than the leads. But this list is not a list of them. These are characters we didn't even know we needed until they showed up somewhere around the halfway mark in what seemed to be an otherwise competent motion picture. Some rolled in with a specific plot function, some were crucial to the resolution, some were wild detours that nearly defined the movie. It's a bit of an abstract concept but stay with me.

- Paul

Cousin Eddie

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The movie had already been plenty funny up to the point of his arrival, that wasn't really in question. But the real triumph here is that the momentum of the plot (not that there really is one) had reached a crescendo as the house lights began functioning, and for about a minute everything in the story had been resolved, and Eddie and his family begin the second act on the spot, creating a new (though ridiculously trivial) dynamic to the ensemble. 

The Brain Gremlin

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

In the first movie we get to see them play cards and shoot guns and eat things, and that was the basis of their personality. Cut to the sprawling spectrum of character traits in this sequel that are apparent even before they become genetic supervillains. And then beyond the mayhem and destruction, we get a literal antagonist - a leader to the creatures and even more of a Final Boss than Mohawk - and suddenly we have actual quotable Gremlin lines (to be mimicked with perfect Felix Unger inflection). 

The Cenobites

Hellraiser

Sure we all love them, but were they truly integral to this initial setup? If they didn't look so damn cool I'd vote 'nah'. It's hard to approach this movie with fresh eyes -- even when it was fresh these bondage demons became the movie's biggest marketing tool. So imagine, for a moment, going blindly into this film and becoming engrossed in the story with its heroes and other monsters, and suddenly these motherfuckers show up in an ominous fury of wind and lightning and exposition. Their brief shadowy reveal at the very beginning was a total mistake. 

Harlan and Marlon

I Love You to Death

Every shade of this movie is dark and it casually balances moments of lighthearted silliness and poignant melancholy, and amongst the heartbreak and various murder attempts it maintains its superior Comedy status. Then we literally hire two new characters to enhance the nucleus: in reality, a pair of drug addicts who're paid to kill someone, and William Hurt and Keanu Reeves play them like Cheech & Chong, and so the balancing act becomes that much more impressive. 

The Emperor

STAR WARS Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

We become aware of his existence in Empire, but for as ominous as that was it proved largely inconsequential. And then somehow, Palpatine returned. Darth Vader had become the culturally iconic villain, but apparently the conflict between he and Luke involved an added Third Party, and suddenly STAR WARS became something new; it had a decrepit warlock who could shoot lightning from his hands. 

Mike Pipper

The Final Sacrifice

In the structure of the actual movie, this grizzled hermit eventually shows up to provide the exposition - a common character assignment, nothing special. But through the lens of Mystery Science Theater he has the same effect as the Cousin Eddie approach: the movie was already adequately ridiculous and Troy and Rowsdower provide ample entertainment, so who knew we needed the add-on of this rootin' tootin' cartoon character. 

George Hanson

Easy Rider

You know. The "Nicholson Bike Movie"? To those who don't have a deep lust for this movie like I and others do, it's easy to forget that Jack is merely a detour in this odyssey, but a memorable and necessary one. For the duration of his screen time we're certain that he's just part of the dynamic now, and it's a shame (particularly for Hopper and Fonda) that he wasn't because he seemed to have it all figured out, and he was here long enough to enlighten us about America, Freedom, and Aliens.