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People Reveal Which Characters They See Completely Differently In Adulthood

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The things we believe we see when looking through the prism of innocence. We watch our favorite characters, whether they be fiction or flesh and bone, on the daily in childhood and they make us feel safe or euphoric.


They are some of the people who get us through the journey of life, in good times and bad. Sadly though, when we mature we're forced to see our favorite partners through an adult's spectrum and once nostalgia wears off the effects can be catastrophic. Or enlightening. Or it all stays the same and we briefly relive our happiest times.

Redditor missluluh wanted people to share... What character did you view totally different as a child vs. as an adult?

Sweet sweet Helga...

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Not sure if this has already been mentioned but Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold. As a kid, I thought she was a weird girl. As an adult, my mind was blown when I realized how neglected she was. Her mom was an alcoholic and her dad was a narcissist who favored Olga and made her the golden child. Most of the characters have pretty sad stories honestly. That show was deep and I never realized it as a child.

Snozzberry123

BIG D!!!

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Donald Duck. As a child I thought he is lazy AF and just boring. The older I get, the more I can identify with him.

PengPeng-Penguin

Rocketfam... girl you know it's been a long, long time.

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Team Rocket.

As a kid they were just the goofballs appearing constantly for slapstick humor and episode drama.

Re-watching the series as an adult they are actually a lot more endearing pair than any of the main cast and get a fair amount of development and depth throughout the series. And that's not including the puns and jokes that slipped by me in my childhood.

Chefofbaddecisions

Oh Robin...

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Daniel Hillard from Mrs. Doubtfire

Kid Me thought it was unfair that his wife would leave him and take the kids when he was such a hilarious, fun guy. Adult Me thinks "Yeah, there are multiple good reasons why she divorced you, Daniel."

peanut507

The man is a saint!

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Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace. That kid really is a destructive force of nature, and his parents don't do crap to stop it.

DP487

Hank needed a hug too...

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Hank Hill. Growing up I thought Hank was just kind of an a** to his kid for no reason. Now I realize that he's got a whole host of emotional issues caused by his upbringing, even if he doesn't do much to address them. He's really doing the best he can and usually comes around in the end.

Paranoidas

That girl needed some discipline.

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King Triton. As a kid, you look at him as the powerful and oppressive father who is preventing Ariel from getting what she wants. As an adult, you realize more and more how stupid Ariel is and how much he is trying to actually protect her.

SMG329

An original badass...

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Mulan.

Growing up Asian I felt a connection to the character but in a way that children would (i.e. she was rebellious, she was cool since she could wield a sword, and she was praised at the end).

As a full grown man now I see her as someone who just wanted to help out her parents regardless of what people said. Sure she was a woman and people practically looked on her even going so far as to shame her and her family just because she wanted to prevent her father from having to go out to fight in his old and injured state. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do and show all the morons who say you're not worth it that you are and that they have no control over you.

Dried_Squid_

We love you Nani!!

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Nani from Lilo & Stitch.

As a kid she was the overly strict "mother", and always overly angry, while Lilo was the poor lost kid who was blamed for everything.

As an adult, the film is heart-breaking. Nani is herself a young kid doing her best to keep her family together, under the worst circumstances, and she's become one of my favorite characters of all time just for how relatable she is.

PintsizedPachyderm

We all become the squid...

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Squidward.

I too have worked in the service industry. I was also grumpy and miserable doing it. You either quit a Spongebob or work long enough to see yourself become a Squidward.

kmagsy

It wasn't all about baby... the character...

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It took me a long time to realize what was up with Penny Johnson in Dirty Dancing. As a kid I just thought she had a stomach ache or something, only recently did I realize she was pregnant and had a botched abortion.

tootonyourparade

Ned Stark... whoops... I mean his twin!!

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Boromir. As a kid, I judged him as weak for not being able to resist the ring and as foolish for not liking the plan of the Council. As an adult, I realize that his weakness is the weakness of almost all mortals. Very few people could resist the Ring. Also, Gondor was in the most immediate danger and had been bearing the brunt of Sauron's power for the longest time. As the next Steward of Gondor, his people's safety was his first concern. In the end, he shows his quality by sacrificing himself for the hobbits. He really exemplifies the best and worst parts of men.

Peas_through_Chaos

Well Doh!

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I used to think Bart Simpson was cool. Now I'm sure he's heading straight into a lifetime of incarceration.

I_are_facepalm

Woody's darkness...

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Woody from toy story.

He was always a fun toy but now I see his desperation to be played with and his jealousy when Andy plays with someone else. He is actually quite a dark character if you think about it.

And also the fishing rod with barbie legs, it looked fun when I was young but now I know it was a hooker =)

petunius

Give the little boy inside a hug...

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Cyclops from the X-Men

As a child: Boring tighta** who doesn't respect Wolverine's awesomeness and doesn't deserve Jean.

As an adult: Brainwashed child soldier who was given too much responsibility too young and consequently holds himself accountable for everything, constantly screws up, but keeps on trying to do the right thing.

He's still a terrible husband, of course, but that's part of his constantly messed up.

BillybobThistleton

Team Ned!!

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Ned Flanders. When I was young I thought he was naive and a pushover. As an adult, I see that he had so much compassion in his heart that he selflessly gave to Homer and tolerated his abuse in full knowledge of how others viewed him. Also, the way he weathered adversity and defeat gives me pause to this day. I will probably never attain that level of inner certainty, but I can admire it with great respect and adulation.

ComplainerMike

Lois knew best!

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Lois, the mom from Malcolm in the Middle.

When I was a kid I thought she was an awful fun killer. Now that I'm an adult, I see those kids were destructive monsters and she was a saint comparatively.

PM_ME_YOUR_BURDENS

Only a bada** can pull off the glass slipper look...

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I thought Cinderella was the worst Disney princess as a kid. I thought she was boring and a wimp for not running away from her awful family, and I thought the story was terrible for promoting her reliance on a dude to save her.

As an adult, I recognize Cinderella's bravery for simply enduring abuse and staying kind and optimistic through it. Poor girl just wanted to go to a damn party.

helium_hydrogen

It's always the bad boy...

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I saw The Phantom of the Opera live when I was around 6-years-old. I had a crush on The Phantom and couldn't figure out why people didn't admire his genius mind and gorgeous voice. Now as an adult, yes Raul is boring as all hell, but he wouldn't have controlled Christine and subjected her to a life of isolation.

WendyAlenkoShepard

He sure is dreamy...

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Han Solo. As a kid- he's an ace shot, his swagger makes him cool, his best friend is a wookie, he has the best ride in the galaxy, and in the end he gets the girl. As an adult- hoooly shit is this guy ever putting up a front. He never has any idea what he's doing from moment to moment. His only friends are constantly exasperated by him (Chewbacca arguing with Han in untranslated Wookie, Princess Leia calling him on his bullshit), he's massively in debt to a dangerous gangster, and his ride is always falling apart.

Still the best character though.

ajrawings

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