12 Movie Franchises That Ruined Their Iconic Character

5. Hannibal Rising (Hannibal Lecter)

Hannibal Lecter is one of the most iconic movie characters of the last three decades, in large part thanks to Anthony Hopkins' unforgettable, Oscar-winning work on The Silence of the Lambs and his sublime performance in the more uneven Hannibal and Red Dragon.

2006's Hannibal Rising, then, pulled a Halloween and served up a prequel explaining how Lecter became the maniac with a taste for human flesh we came to love him as.

Adapted from franchise author Thomas Harris' novel, the film rips away any and all ambiguity about Lecter, revealing his cannibalistic tendencies to be the result of a traumatic childhood culminating in him being force-fed his own sister in a broth. Charming.

In addition to the movie dispassionately explaining how Lecter obtained every iconic aspect of his look and persona, it's also hamstrung by a terrible performance from Gaspard Ulliel, who sure ain't on Hopkins' level.

Ultimately it reduces Lecter to pop psychology and tacky torture porn, a far cry from the classy, visceral appeal of even the lesser other Hannibal films. While the character was at least redeemed with Mads Mikkelsen's tremendous recent TV portrayal, the movie version sadly suffered a most undignified demise.