9 Video Game Sequels That Took Away Your Favourite Character

8. Gears Of War 4 - Marcus Fenix

By the end of the Gears of War trilogy - where fans had banked close to 100 hours across three campaigns and TONS of 3am-reaching Horde sessions - Marcus Fenix took off his iconic do-rag, and Gears was done.

Original developers Epic moved on; lead creative Cliff Bleszinski the same, and if anything, we certainly didn't want another Gears of War Judgment, where it felt like Microsoft were trying to cash in on the rise of Nathan Drake archetypes by front-loading something with Damon Baird.

For the next generation of Gears, it would require the next generation. Step forward, Marcus Fenix's son, JD Fenix.

Did It Work?

Not even for a moment.

JD was harmless enough, centring the story and his character motivation around how he's not Marcus Fenix, but this should've been a way to make him loveable. Instead, it just made you yearn to play as the original crew.

It didn't help that every time Marcus was on screen he stole the show, leaving JD to feel like Gears of War doing an Uncharted impression.

Gears 5 finally found its footing with fellow newcomer Kat chasing her own lineage and role in the creation of the Locust. JD, though? He was redesigned to tragically be a clone of his father.

You could even choose to let him die near the end, and I have to imagine The Coalition are totting up player data to see which choice will be canon in Gears 6.