History Main / DevelopmentGag

* Bishop of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' was originally intended to be Filipino, but was changed to be Black instead. The 2021 ''ComicBook/MarvelsVoices: Identity'' one-shot pays homage to this in a story where he teams up with the Filipina heroine Wave, and immediately professes to be a huge fan of hers.

* Harper Row plays a major role in Cassandra Cain's return during ''ComicBook/BatmanAndRobinEternal''. At the start of the ''ComicBook/New52'', Harper was created as a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replacement for Cass]] after ScottSnyder was denied permission to use her in his ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' run.

* In an early ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'' story in ''Strange Tales'', a generic character is called "Frau Lieber". Writer Creator/StanLee was born Stanley Lieber; he had assumed a PenName specifically for writing comics [[note]]and short prose stories included with comicbooks[[/note]] and ended up sticking with it.

* In a ''Franchise/TheFlash 80 Page Giant'' story with the conceit that the DCU version of Creator/MarkMillar is quizzing Wally West for story ideas, Wally mentions the comics used to make up names for heroes with secret identities, only to have to change them when so many went public. Millar replies that the only one they're really embarrassed about is calling [[ComicBook/GreenLantern John Stewart]] "Jefferson Washington". In fact, Stewart was very nearly named "Lincoln Washington" by Julius Schwartz.

** ''Comicbook/SupermanRedSon'' ends with the reveal that [[spoiler: Kal-L did not come from an alien planet, but from Earth in the far future]]. This was one of many proposed origins for Superman when Seigel and Shuster were trying to sell the concept in the early thirties.

* Zauriel was introduced in Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/JLA1997'' run, with Morrison originally intending to make him the new Comicbook/{{Hawkman}} after the previous iterations of the character had been declared too much of a ContinuitySnarl. While this didn't happen, there have been several nods to the original intention for the character, such as Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} mistaking Zauriel for Hawkman during their first encounter, or Zauriel later guest-starring in the ''[[Comicbook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]]'' arc that reintroduced Hawkman and claiming he thought Hawkgirl was an angel like him.

* In a ''Franchise/TheFlash 80 Page Giant'' story with the conceit that the DCU version of Creator/MarkMillar is quizzing Wally West for story ideas, Wally mentions the comics used to make up names for heroes with secret identities, only to have to change them when so many went public. Millar replies that the only one they're really embarrassed about is calling [[Comicbook/GreenLantern John Stewart]] "Jefferson Washington". In fact, Stewart was very nearly named "Lincoln Washington" by Julius Schwartz.
* Dark Beast's armored costume from ''Comicbook/UncannyXMen2013'' is an unused design David Finch came up with for Creator/BrianMichaelBendis' ''Comicbook/NewAvengers'' (possibly intended for Ronin).

* Bishop of the ''Comicbook/XMen'' was originally intended to be Filipino, but was changed to be Black instead. The 2021 ''ComicBook/MarvelsVoices: Identity'' one-shot pays homage to this in a story where he teams up with the Filipina heroine Wave, and immediately professes to be a huge fan of hers.
* In the first pages of ''Comicbook/FlashpointBeyond'', Batman has broken into one of Rip Hunter's old bases, with the usual Rip Hunter Chalkboard of Foreshadowing. The first thing on it is "5G" scored out, with "Averted" written next to it, referring to a proposed reboot that got replaced by ''Death Metal''.

* The initial concept art of Comicbook/SpiderMan's black costume featured a red spider emblem instead of the more familiar white one that was eventually used. The original design appears in the 2024 ''Sandbox/WeaponXMen'' mini-series, where it's worn by an alternate reality version of Comicbook/MilesMorales.

* Creator/StevenSpielberg had hired [[StopMotion go-motion]] expert Phil Tippett to do the ''Film/JurassicPark'' dinosaurs. Then [[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] did an awesome demo of computer-generated dinos. The exchange when Spielberg showed Tippett said demo ("You're out of a job", "Don't you mean extinct?") became a dialogue in the movie.

* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'': The [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original idea]] was for [=BoBoiBoy's=] SignatureHeadgear to be a HatOfPower with 3 eyes, but [[https://youtu.be/sfyh2ztjdRk?t=143 the idea was rejected as impractical]] and also too scary. The 3 eyed cap would make a return in the ''[=BoBoiBoy Galaxy=]'' episode "Copy and Paste" as uncanny EvilKnockoff clones of him would bear caps with 3 bugged-out eyes.

* The initial concept art of Comicbook/SpiderMan's black costume featured a red spider emblem instead of the more familiar white one that was eventually used. The original design appears in the 2024 ''Weapon X-Men'' mini-series, where it's worn by an alternate reality version of Comicbook/MilesMorales.

*** In early drafts for ''VII'', Barrett was the SacrificialLion who would be murdered by Sephiroth instead of [[ItWasHisSled Aerith]]. In ''Remake'', [[spoiler:Barrett ''does'' get killed by Sephiroth, only for [[TimePolice the Arbiters of Fate]] to intervene and revive him. Not coincidentally, this is roughly the point where its made clear the game is ''not'' actually a remake, but a StealthSequel of sorts.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Sulley calling Celia "Celia-Welia" (in response to her saying "Sulley-Wulley") isn't just a throwaway [[AffectionateNickname pet name]]; during the movie's development, Celia was a two-headed monster, with the other head being named Welia.

* The initial concept art for Comicbook/Spider-Man's black costume featured a red spider emblem instead of the more familiar white one that was eventually used. The original design appears in the 2024 ''Weapon X-Men'' mini-series, where it's worn by an alternate reality version of Comicbook/MilesMorales.

* ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' for the UsefulNotes/WiiU brings back the "transforming vehicles" aspect that was originally planned for the cancelled ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' nearly 20 years prior. This fact was even acknowledged by Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto during the game's debut at E3 2015.

* In ''Knight-Tyme'', one of the first games released for the 128k UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, the ship's computer is called Derby IV. "Derby" was the development codename for the 128k Spectrum itself.

* Quite a few UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube titles have dolphins in them due to the fact the [=GameCube=]'s code name was "Dolphin." A well-known yet subtle example is ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', which takes place on Isle '''[[BilingualBonus Delfino]]'''; true to [[GratuitousItalian its name]], the island resembles a dolphin.

** Your player character's precinct has a WalkingDisasterArea BuddyCops partnership consisting of DumbMuscle Mack "The Torso" Torson and the feeble but calculating Chester [=McLaine=], who serve as ThoseTwoGuys in conversations with the Precinct/visions via the Esprit de Corps skill. Seems a little like a SimilarSquad to your player character's NobleMaleRoguishMale partnership with Kim Kitsuragi? The game that became ''Disco Elysium'' was once intended to be a buddy cop RPG called ''Torson and [=McLaine=]'', but the characters changed hugely in development.

** The earliest known footage of the game, revealed in a forum post released in February 2014 (over two years before the game's release), includes [[https://tcrf.net/images/1/1a/Undertale-startroomearly.png a screenshot]] where the [[HelloInsertNameHere name of the fallen child]] is conspicuously shown as "Chara." What most would assume is [[GenericName a placeholder name (an abbreviation for "Character")]] is in fact the ''only'' hint creator Creator/TobyFox ever gave of the [[spoiler:significance of the name Chara, which is the CanonName of the fallen child - the ''original'' fallen child who was taken in by Toriel and Asgore years ago.]] In fact, without this added bit of context, [[spoiler:most players would assume that they're naming the PlayerCharacter on the naming screen, who is instead later revealed be named Frisk.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'': The character Tug, a hulking, dark-furred bear voiced by the late Creator/MichaelClarkDuncan, was in fact, based on an early version of the character Koda (whom in the movie is a young bear cub voiced by Creator/JeremySuarez), where he was originally going to be portrayed as an adult bear named Grizz, and was even going to be voiced by Duncan much like Tug in the final movie, before he was made younger than Kenai to make it easier for Kenai to learn his lesson from being turned into a bear.