Quote Originally Posted by Tzigone View Post
Don't think this has been mentioned but "secret reveal about the past" - often a previously unknown child or sibling. An innocuous or coincidental event that turns out to have actually been designed. Usually a way to make a new character automatically important by having a prior connection to the hero, instead of just actually building up the importance of the character bit by bit. It's often a shortcut to me, and annoying (especially when it's a retcon that conflicts, rather than adds to, previous events). And I really would like to see more stories moving forward from the here and now, rather than rewriting the past or bringing in alternate or future versions of characters.
Especially when the previously unknown character happens to arrive on the scene just as a mysterious new villain is making our hero's life miserable. Hmm, I wonder who the villain will turn out to be...