12 Recent Movie Sequels That Outrageously Ruined Great Characters

It's hard to think of any recent occasion where a creator sabotaged one of their own beloved characters more than Ricky Gervais did with David Brent in David Brent: Life on the Road.

Previously, David Brent (Gervais) was a fantastic tragicomic creation, and a perfect lead for one of Britain's finest-ever sitcoms. He was a hilariously cringe-worthy character and Gervais struck a flawless balance with him. Brent was unlikable in a measured way, so that audiences didn't feel bad for laughing at him, but Gervais intelligently made him a tragic figure and imbued him with a certain warmth that meant you could still enjoy spending an episode with him.

The David Brent in the later film, however, is almost a completely different character. This Brent is so socially inept and so over-the-top cringe-worthy that it's almost impossible to laugh at him. Instead, he only induces pity, especially since other characters are so mean to him for no apparent reason the whole time.

Worse still, this is a terrible middle finger to the flawless ending for the character in the show. At the end of The Office, Brent has met a woman he likes, has stood up to the show's antagonist (Ralph Inesson) and is finally acting in a more mature way; he even manages to make his colleagues laugh for the first time.

But in the movie, Brent has completely regressed and it seems like things never got better for him at all, making the film a miserable experience.