Characters That Quietly Disappeared

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[ImGandalf]

Imagine making fun of your own character to make people think you're on their side.

[georgspielberger]

Speaking of Fairly Odd parents

Timmy's best friends Chester & AJ were almost completely gone before making appearances in S10

[irkenpony]

Not gonna lie thought mermaid man and barnacle boy were gonna be mentioned, because the characters just kinda silently vanished sadly after their VAs passed away, their likeness is here and there, but the characters themselves aren’t used anymore, probably out of respect to not replace them.

[stellarktg]

Ross's son Ben didn't disappear, he was mentioned by Phoebe in season 10, Ross just started to pay less attention to him, but it's fine bcs Ben has a family. Visual absence may be because of the troubles with its cast(?) but anyway, he wasn't replaced and Ross has 2 children in the plot

[jah_p]

Ben, Ross Geller’s son on Friends, appeared sporadically throughout the show’s earlier seasons but was noticeably absent in later seasons. Here’s what likely happened:

Ben’s Early Role in the Series

• Ben is introduced in Season 1, following Ross and Carol’s divorce. Carol (Ross’s ex-wife) and her partner, Susan, raise Ben together, with Ross remaining an active part of his life.
• Ben is played by different actors as he ages, most notably Cole Sprouse in Seasons 6–8.

Disappearance in Later Seasons

• After Season 8, Ben is never seen or mentioned again. This led fans to speculate about the reasons for his absence. While the show doesn’t explain it directly, here are some theories:

1. Shift in Focus to Emma

• Emma, Ross and Rachel’s daughter, is born at the end of Season 8 and becomes the central child character for the rest of the series.
• This could explain why Ben’s appearances dwindled, as the writers may have wanted to simplify storylines involving Ross’s children.

2. Limited Storytelling Opportunities

• Ben’s role on the show was often used for comedic or situational plots, such as pranks or misunderstandings. As the series progressed, the focus shifted more to the main cast and their evolving relationships.

3. Real-Life Production Choices

• The decision to reduce Ben’s appearances might have been logistical. Cole Sprouse, who played Ben, later mentioned in interviews that his character faded because the storylines simply didn’t require his presence.

Fan Theories

• Some fans joke that Ross “forgot” about Ben after Emma was born, playing off Ross’s sometimes questionable parenting moments.
• Others speculate that Ben’s absence symbolizes how blended family dynamics were not fully explored in the show.

While Ben’s disappearance remains a minor mystery, it’s likely a combination of storytelling and production choices rather than an intentional omission. Fans still fondly remember Ben’s moments, like his “Prank Master General” antics with Rachel.

[Thatonebro]

I hope Sam doesn’t get removed next season

[RabidLeech.]

Don’t forget Lyman from the Garfield comics, some say he’s locked up in Jon’s basement…

[samuelnichols]

Let’s be real. Toadsworth was looking pretty old. Chances are… he died

[BobbyJCFHvLichtenstein]

Bendy was absolute menace bro. I remember him actually making me so mad lmao

[somerandomdude]

"Pretty cool right?" was the biggest insult i've ever heard💀

[Dante_Fr]

They got rid of Sparky and Poof when Chloe was added because the crew thought there were too many characters. Yeah, cause you kept adding characters, ruining the character dynamics, and flanderizing all your characters 😭😭😭

[Cosmic_Lemon]

Rachel Wilson from TAWOG showed up in the background of some episodes and had one major role in the episode The Party and then she was gone. They removed her because the creators didn’t like her. But the in-universe explanation is that she went to college.

[coastaku]

Ms.Pacman was actually one of the first ever rom hacks, so this makes sense

[BigBrownMemes]

Just call me Scrappy because I can't doo this anymore 😭

[damashep]

Flatts and Bendy shouldn't be on this list because they were both 1 time characters.

[futurewario]

Scrappy Doo turned evil 😈 in The Scooby Doo movie & got life in prison.

[CrazyCharacter]

Fun fact: flats can actually be seen an in episode of season 13 of SpongeBob. I forgot the name of it, but it was about a bikini bottom parade, during the parade flats is seen for a second, hidden in the background.

Another fun fact: season 13 holds so many references to old episodes and characters. To the point where even Denis (the bounty hunter from the SpongeBob movie) can be seen.

[PotatoGurlSasha]

Disappointed Ben and Emma never met. It could have been a subplot about Ben feeling jealous about Emma.
They joked that after Emma was born, Ross's parents was happy to have their first grandchild, but Ross reminded them about Ben.

[junchan_]

Rex from victorious, suddenly disappeared in the last season 😢

[shortsking]

" Scrappy scoob was SCRAPED "
- Sam