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Blink and you'll miss these extremely important characters.
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00:00Whether they accidentally set the film's plot in motion, provided a main character with important information or went on to
00:06become far more important in hindsight, these characters are all seen so unremarkable that you'd be forgiven for forgetting they
00:13even existed in the first place. Some of them don't even have names. Let this be a lesson to all
00:19of you, just because you only have a small part in something, that doesn't mean you can't make a whole
00:23load of difference.
00:24Here with movie characters who mean more than you think. The Security Guard in Wayne's World
00:30Now this one is cheating a little bit because the whole point of Chris Farley's character in the first Wayne's
00:36World is that he's a spoof of every other character on this list.
00:40In the 1992 comedy classic, Wayne and Garth are trying to get the attention of a record producer whilst at
00:46an Alice Cooper concert. They have no idea where this man is, but luckily for them, a well-informed security
00:52guard has all the answers.
00:54Farley's character knows everything about the producer's whereabouts, which helps our heroes find him and kicks off the main events
01:00of the film.
01:01Wayne's World plays with several movie tropes, and the side character who serves to dump exposition on the audience stereotype
01:08is no exception.
01:09Wayne, played by Mike Myers, even turns to the audience at home and remarks how strange it is that the
01:15guard knew so much.
01:16If this had just been a gag at the expense of movie writing cliches, this moment would have been just
01:21fine.
01:22The fact that it also moves the plot along shows what a well-crafted movie Wayne's World actually is.
01:28If only there was a word beginning with E that could summarise it.
01:31Serath
01:32The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions
01:34Serath is one of the coolest characters from the Matrix sequels.
01:39Though it's also fair to say that most viewers simply think of him as, you know, that badass martial artist
01:46program who protects the Oracle and who also holds his own against Neo.
01:51However, there are some sly hints throughout the films that Serath is far more than just a strong fighter.
01:59Chiefly, he claims to have defeated Agent Smith in the past.
02:03Which, in conjunction with Morpheus telling Neo in the first movie that everyone who stood their ground against an agent
02:11had died.
02:12That suggests Serath's more than just your average entity.
02:15In Revolutions, Serath is also referred to as Wingless by several characters and called Judas.
02:22While that's everything the movie gives you about Serath's mysterious past, the Wachowskis-directed MMORPG, The Matrix Online, delve deeper
02:33into Serath's backstory.
02:35Speculating that he was an agent in the very first version of The Matrix.
02:39Mitch Murphy in Home Alone
02:41It's a well-known fact that children ruin everything, but this is an instance of an annoying kid actually giving
02:47us something good for a change.
02:49For those of you who don't know, which should be none of you, Home Alone is a Christmas classic that
02:54turns a case of child negligence into a laugh-a-minute family adventure.
02:58The extended McAllister family are in a rush to board a flight to France and, in the confusion, leave young
03:04Kevin behind.
03:05A series of events leads to this happening, but the main one is caused by a child by the name
03:10of Mitch Murphy.
03:12Mitch is the McAllister's neighbour and is nosing around in the vans taking their stuff to the airport.
03:17He gets mistaken for Kevin during a head count, which is why Macaulay Culkin's character was accidentally forgotten.
03:24Well, we say accidentally. We all know his mum and dad really couldn't stand him.
03:28If Mitch hadn't been sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, then Kevin's encounter with the Wet Bandits would never
03:34have happened.
03:35His house would have been robbed and the McAllisters would have never reconciled with their son.
03:39Nice work, Mitch. You're still annoying, though.
03:41Tracker Peg, Django Unchained. You might remember that Quentin Tarantino's regular stuntwoman collaborator, Zoe Bell, had a small role in
03:52Django Unchained.
03:53There, she played a Candyland tracker, Peg, who wears a red bandana over her face.
03:59Tarantino lingers on Bell's face for just long enough that it feels like she's about to become a significant player
04:08in the movie.
04:08But, mere moments after she's seen looking at a photo, Django bursts in the door and guns her and the
04:16other trackers down dead.
04:18Bell was asked about her character on the movie's press tour, and she confirmed that, yes, she was originally supposed
04:25to have a much larger role,
04:27which would have included an exploration of her backstory and also a fight scene.
04:33Furthermore, she added that the character's lower jaw was missing, hence the red bandana.
04:38The Factory Worker in X- Apocalypse
04:40The third in the prequel series, Apocalypse reveals early on that Magneto is living out his days in peace as
04:47a humble factory worker in Poland.
04:49He's got a wife, a kid that can talk to animals, and a sweet beard. What more could a mutant
04:53want?
04:55Unfortunately, it is said mutation that gets Mags into a whole lot of trouble.
04:59Whilst at work, an accident occurs that almost crushes one of his colleagues under a giant metal urn.
05:05Magneto uses his powers to save the man, alerting those around him to his abilities.
05:10This then leads to the police trying to arrest him, which leads to the death of his daughter, which leads
05:14to him joining Apocalypse and his four horsemen.
05:17In short, if that one bloke had been a bit more careful, then all the destruction in this movie would
05:22have never happened.
05:23And more important, we would never have got Dark Phoenix.
05:26Doctor Terence Wynn Halloween
05:29For most people who've seen Halloween, chances are they haven't made it all the way through to Halloween 6.
05:36And so, you'd be forgiven for thinking Robert Phelan's Doctor Terence Wynn was merely an extremely minor role with little
05:45to no significance in Halloween.
05:47I mean, other than to give crazy Sam Loomis somebody to rant at, there was ultimately way more going on
05:55with the Wynn character.
05:56In John Carpenter's 1978 original movie, Doctor Wynn has barely two minutes of screentime, as Michael Myers escapes Smiths Grove
06:05Sanitarium.
06:06With that, Terence Wynn is a forgotten figure, but his importance is finally detailed in the sixth Halloween picture, The
06:15Curse of Michael Myers.
06:17After the mysterious Man in Black had broken the shape out of prison at the close of Halloween 5, The
06:24Revenge of Michael Myers,
06:25that unknown figure is revealed to be none other than Terence Wynn, now played by Mitch Ryan.
06:32Here, it's revealed that Wynn heads up the cult of Thorn that has guided and protected Michael over the decades.
06:40The Typist in Saving Private Ryan
06:42One of the earliest examples of Matt Damon needing his backside saved in a film, the brilliant Saving Private Ryan
06:49had audiences fighting back the tears when it hit cinemas in 1998.
06:54Spielberg's wartime masterpiece tells the tale of a group of soldiers sent behind enemy lines to save, well, Private Ryan,
07:00a young trooper played by Mr. Damon.
07:03Why is James Ryan's life worth sending good men on such a dangerous mission? Does he have important information? Is
07:09he a skilled fighter? Does he owe somebody money?
07:12Well, nope. The answer is good old PR.
07:15James was one of four Ryan brothers who joined the military to fight in World War II. The other three
07:21were all killed in action, so the army decide that they're not going to be seen letting a mother lose
07:26all of her sons under their watch.
07:28This detail is noticed by a typist working for the Department of War. She just so happens to be the
07:33one who typed up the three brothers' condolence letters, which she reports to her superiors. Without her, this movie wouldn't
07:40even have a title, let alone a plot.
07:42Sylvia Trench, Dr. No, a minor love interest for Sean Connery's 007, who appears briefly in the first two Bond
07:50films, Dr. No and From Russia With Love. Ultimately, she has an extremely important role though.
07:58She helps to establish one of the series' most iconic mainstays because she's directly responsible for Bond's now customary signature
08:07introduction, Bond, James Bond.
08:09Upon meeting her, Bond asks Sylvia her name, and she replies, Trench, Sylvia Trench. But when she asks the same,
08:17he somewhat mockingly retorts in the same fashion, in a manner that immediately became Bond's indelible catchphrase.
08:26It's easy to forget that James Bond didn't just invent that colourful delivery all by himself, but was inspired by
08:32Sylvia Trench, who had an everlasting impact that still endures over 50 years later.
08:39Terry in Back to the Future Part 2
08:42Marty McFly is a proper villain, isn't he? He'll do whatever he can to stop himself being erased from history,
08:48but change in the past so your dad ends up rich and famous? That's just fine.
08:52It's no surprise then that McFly attempted to repeat this time travel trickery in Back to the Future Part 2.
08:58When he and Doc travel to 2015, Marty buys a sports almanac containing the results of every major sporting event
09:05from 1950 to 2000. He plans to place bets on the matches, knowing full well their outcome.
09:10Doc persuades him otherwise, but an elderly Biff overhears this conversation and snatches the almanac for himself. Thus, the events
09:18of the film play out.
09:19Despite being an objectively terrible person, Marty doesn't actually come up with the betting idea himself. He got that from
09:26Terry.
09:26An old man who pesters Marty for a donation, Terry comments on how he would have liked to have bet
09:32on the Chicago Cups winning the World Series at 100 to 1 odds. This inspires Marty, which leads to everything
09:38we just mentioned.
09:39Remember kids, gambling is bad and Marty McFly is not a good role model.
09:44The Clock Tower Lady Back to the Future Back to the Future is an unforgettable movie for many reasons.
09:52But no matter how many times you've seen it, it's incredibly easy to take for granted a character without whom
10:01Marty McFly would have been trapped in the past.
10:04Mere minutes into the movie, Marty and Jennifer are accosted by a woman asking them to donate towards the cause
10:13to prevent the damaged Clock Tower, which was struck by lightning, from being restored.
10:17In order to make her go away as fast as possible, McFly quickly hands the lady some cash.
10:24Before she leaves, she gives Marty a flyer which he pays zero attention to.
10:30Yet later in the movie, this flyer becomes vital to Marty.
10:34The flyer, you see?
10:36It has the exact date and time of the lightning strike which Marty needs in order to facilitate the DeLorean
10:44travelling back through time to his present.
10:47In this respect, the Clock Tower Lady is one of the film's most vital characters.
10:53Without her pestering, Marty McFly would have ended up forced to naturally live out three decades of time in order
11:01to return to 1985, which would have been a major bummer.
11:04Andy's Mum in Toy Story
11:06Ah, Toy Story. The age old tale of a jealous cowboy trying to murder an idiot spaceman all because a
11:13small child likes him more.
11:14The first adventure of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang delighted audiences when it was released in 1995,
11:19but none of this would have come to pass if a certain lady didn't make a certain shopping trip.
11:25On the surface, Andy's Mum plays a pretty small role in the first Toy Story movie and the franchise as
11:30a whole.
11:30She has barely any screen time and doesn't even get a first name.
11:34However, it's thanks to her that the entire saga plays out the way it does.
11:38After all, she's the one who buys Andy the Buzz Lightyear action figure. If she hadn't have swung that surprise
11:44gift on her son for his birthday, then Buzz would never have met the toys and Woody wouldn't have tried
11:49to murder him.
11:50And actually, while we're thinking about it, she's also the one who organises the yard sale in Toy Story 2
11:55and she's the one who puts the toys in the garbage in Toy Story 3. Clearly, she's more powerful than
12:01we first thought.
12:01Shelly Finkelstein
12:03Friday the 13th Part 3
12:06On the face of it, poor Shelly Finkelstein is just another unfortunate lamb to the Jason Voorhees slaughter.
12:14In Friday the 13th Part 3, Shelly is a chubby prankster who ends up with his throat cut by the
12:19hulking horror icon.
12:20But, Shelly contributes something major to Jason's core mythology. You see, Shelly was the original owner of the hockey mask
12:29which Jason would later steal from him and make his own.
12:33The grand irony here, of course, is that while Shelly desperately wanted to be something more than a nobody, he
12:41ultimately gained notoriety in death by providing Jason with surely the most distinctive aspect of his famous attire.
12:49So, well done Shelly, you did it.
12:50Louis Dodgson in Jurassic Park
12:53Louis Dodgson is a man working for one of the rivals of John Hammond's Jurassic Park.
12:59He bribes Dennis to steal fertilised dinosaur embryos from the park's labs, even showing him how to store the stolen
13:05goods in a special gimmick spray can.
13:07Dennis loves that can, by the way, maybe a little more than he should.
13:11This shady deal sets off the catastrophic sequence that leads to dinosaurs running amok and killing dozens of innocent people.
13:18Dodgson may only have a brief part in the Jurassic Park film, but he's got a much larger role in
13:23the original novels.
13:25Also, anyone who has seen the god-awful Jurassic World Dominion will recognise him as the main baddie in that
13:31film.
13:31He's the leader of Biocin, a corrupt company charged with the containing of dinosaurs.
13:36So, there you have it, one tiny role led to a huge part in a billion dollar movie and it
13:41only took 19 years to get there.
13:44Not the Dominion used original actor Cameron Thor, poor guy.
13:47Dr. Milton Isaacs Independence Day
13:50Essentially a glorified extra, John's story's Dr. Milton Isaacs isn't even particularly acknowledged in Independence Day.
13:58One person who does have a major part to play is Brent Spiner.
14:02As Area 51 scientist Brackish Okun, spying this character is compromised by an alien.
14:09After performing an autopsy on the otherworldly creature, or attempting to, things go awry when said alien wakes up and
14:15takes control of Okun's mind.
14:18From there, poor Brackish ends up in a coma.
14:21Fast forward a bit and by the time Independence Day Resurgence rolled around, Okun finally wakes up from his coma
14:28and finds he has a unique psychic connection to alien life.
14:33What we the audience only find out towards the very end of Resurgence though, is that Okun had been watched
14:40over for those 20 years by his partner, Dr. Milton Isaacs, who unfortunately ends up dying by the time Resurgence
14:48ends.
14:485. Murtaugh and Mulroy in Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl
14:53Appearing in two films from the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Murtaugh and Mulroy are both Royal Marines who
14:59eventually end up as pirates.
15:01When we first meet the bumbling pair, they are guarding the HMS Interceptor in the first movie, The Curse of
15:07the Black Pearl.
15:08It's here that they encounter Jack Sparrow, who attempts to outwit the pair in order to steal the Royal Navy
15:13vessel.
15:14Fortunately for Jack, he'd have a harder time trying to outwit a pebble.
15:17Murtaugh and Mulroy, no idea which one is which, get into an argument about the authenticity of the Black Pearl
15:23legends, which gives Jack time to board the ship.
15:26They eventually notice and confront him, only to be interrupted by Elizabeth Swann falling into the sea from the clifftop.
15:32Since neither of the guards want to go in after her, Captain Sparrow makes the save himself.
15:37This led to Jack meeting Elizabeth, which in turn gets him arrested, and the rest, as they say, is history.
15:43They may not have a brain cell to share, but these two endearingly stupid best buds are responsible for one
15:49of the biggest film franchises of the modern age.
15:51Ho Yinsen Iron Man
15:53Captain Doctor Ho Yinsen has a small role in the first half of the first Iron Man movie.
16:00And as such, it's easy to forget just quite how massive his contributions were to ultimately saving the entire universe
16:10from Thanos.
16:11Yinsen is effectively the co-creator of Iron Man, not only helping Tony Stark create the Mark 1 suit, but
16:19also assisting with the creation of the miniature arc reactor, which stops shrapnel travelling towards Tony's heart.
16:26If that's not enough still for you, Yinsen eventually sacrifices himself to allow Tony to power up the Iron Man
16:35suit, escape from Afghanistan, become an awesome superhero, and eventually sacrifice his own life to stop Thanos in Avengers Endgame.
16:44It goes deeper than mere causation though, because Yinsen's dying words to Tony were,
16:50Don't waste your life. Yinsen just might be the real unsung hero of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Honestly, the
16:59dude started everything.
17:01Bolvan in Star Wars
17:02Lots of small details happen in Star Wars that change the course of the series.
17:07What if the Jedi Council had just let Qui-Gon train Anakin?
17:10What if BB-8 never ran into Rey?
17:13What if Luke and Leia never discovered they were related and got together?
17:16Actually, no, that one's gross. Forget that one.
17:19But perhaps the biggest coin flip moment in the whole Skywalker saga came in the very first film to be
17:24released.
17:25After Darth Vader and his troops stormed Tantive IV looking for the Death Star plans,
17:30R2-D2 and C-3PO managed to flee on an escape pod with a plan stored in R2's hard drive.
17:36An Imperial officer, who it turns out is called Bolvan, receives word that one of the escape pods has been
17:42jettisoned.
17:43Instead of destroying it, he tells everyone to hold their fire and that it must have short circuited.
17:48In doing so, the officer lets R2 and C-3PO go, which eventually leads to the downfall of the Galactic
17:53Empire.
17:54If Bolvan had been more thorough, the Death Star plans would have never reached the Rebellion
17:59and Luke Skywalker would have never found his destiny. Talk about a bad day at work.
18:05Switch
18:06Switch isn't a particularly fleshed out character in The Matrix, though she has a distinctive look
18:11and gets a few memorable scenes in the first half of the movie. That's before she gets murdered by Cypher.
18:17The Wachowskis originally had far more adventurous plans for the character.
18:23As actress, Belinda McClory was initially only supposed to be playing half of the role.
18:29In an attempt to play with the idea of residual self-image in The Matrix, Switch was to appear as
18:35a woman when jacked in,
18:37and a man in the real world, hence the name Switch.
18:40Unfortunately, as is often the case, the studio balked at this idea, and so the Wachowskis decided to cast an
18:48androgynous woman in the role instead.
18:51The DNA of the original intent is clearly still there though, and to take it further, presumably reflected the Wachowskis'
18:58own struggles with gender identity,
19:00leading to them both transitioning into women in recent years.
19:03Stan Lee in the MCU
19:05When it comes to legends of the entertainment industry, there are few who stand taller than the late, great Stan
19:11Lee.
19:12Marvel's big boss man, and the mind behind some of the world's most famous superheroes,
19:17Lee became famous all over again through his cameos across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
19:23Delivery Man, Bus Driver, Smithsonian Guard, Hugh Hefner, Stan played them all,
19:27but his most important appearance was saved for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
19:32Whilst Rocket and Kraglin are bouncing around space, they pass a group of strange-looking individuals talking to a man
19:38in a spacesuit.
19:39The man is Stan Lee, of course, but who are the weird big-headed aliens?
19:44They are the Watchers.
19:46The Watchers are extremely powerful beings tasked with observing the events of the multiverse without interfering.
19:52Lee acts as their source, filling them in on all the goings-on that he has seen on Earth.
19:56This confirmed the long-running fan theory that Lee's many cameos were a sign that he was a Watcher.
20:02It's a beautiful moment that not only pays off years of speculation,
20:06but also places Stan amongst the most powerful creatures in the universe, where he belongs.
20:11Be the way, that the Earth moves?
20:11The Walls have come.
20:11I'm really sad to see a lot because I'm really proud of the world.
20:11Let's get started.
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