If your memory has been a little shaky lately, don’t worry because it’s time to celebrate “I Forgot Day.” This fun holiday was created to allow people to make up for everything they forgot in the past. Whether you’re in hot water for missing an anniversary or blaming yourself for forgetting to read more, don’t worry; this holiday allows us to find comfort by making up for lost time. Unfortunately, as book lovers, we have a tendency to forgive but not quite forget when it comes to book adaptations. In honor of “I Forgot Day,” here are five characters that were forgotten when the books became movies or TV shows.
Spoiler Alert: This article may contain spoilers for those who have not read The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Outlander, and Harry Potter.
The Hunger Games – Madge Undersee
The most important detail to remember about Madge is that she is the one who gifted Katniss the symbolic Mockingjay pin. Madge visited Katniss before she departed for The Capital and asked her to wear the pin to remember her. It would later be revealed that the Pin originally belonged to Madge’s aunt and deceased Hunger Games tribute Maysilee Donner. The movies show Greasy Sae gifting the pin to Katniss, but this moment pales in comparison to Madge’s involvement.
Madge wasn’t a character that stood out for her bravery or acts of rebellion, but instead for her friendship with Katniss. Katniss was definitely not a social butterfly, so it’s surprising to find out she was friends with the mayor’s daughter, of all people. Madge and Katniss’s friendship deepens in the 2nd book as Katniss teaches her to shoot a bow, and Madge returns the favor by playing the piano.
Unfortunately, Madge and her family were among the victims of the District 12 bombing leading Katniss to lose yet another friend. Movie fans would have been heartbroken to learn about Madge’s death as she played a role in creating the Mockingjay persona by gifting Katniss her pin.
Lord of the Rings – Tom Bombadil
Tom was an enigma from the moment he was introduced. We have no doubt movie fans would appreciate his brief appearance. He first appears commanding Old Man Willow to release the hobbits, demonstrating he is a force to be reckoned with. Tom’s control over Old Man Willow itself was a shock, but Tom kept us on our toes with more secrets. The biggest surprise about Tom was his immunity to the effects of the ring. Tom can not only see Frodo while he’s wearing the ring, but also wear the ring without disappearing.
Although Tom’s exact age and race are never revealed, we can’t help but wonder who Tom really is. How can a man treat a ring of power so casually? Unfortunately, we never get the answers we seek as Tom sends them on their way, but not before gifting them each a barrow blade. One of these barrow blades would later hold a special significance as its magical properties allowed the witch king to be defeated.
The movies are praised for being one of the better adaptations, but we can’t help but yearn for Tom’s whimsical storyline and contribution to the witch king’s defeat.
Game of Thrones – Victarion Greyjoy
House Greyjoy suffered many losses when the book got adapted, but one of the most prominent losses was the fearless Victarion Greyjoy. The show does focus on the Greyjoy rebellion, but Victrarion’s role in burning Lannister ships is given to his brother Euron. It’s ironic that the brother he hated the most would take on this accomplishment in the show.
Victarion held a deep hatred for his brother, who betrayed him by impregnating his 3rd wife. Victarion’s shaky sense of honor wouldn’t allow him to become a kinslayer, so he murdered his own wife instead. Euron would later take control of the Iron Islands, leaving Victarion to unwillingly serve him. Victarion finally found his chance for revenge when Euron sends him on a journey to propose to Daenerys Targaryen. Victarion vows to make Daenerys his wife, leaving for Meereen with a dragon-binding horn in tow. We have to admit this encounter would have been interesting to see in the show.
Harry Potter – The Gaunt Family
It’s not uncommon for backstory information to be cut from adaptations, but this one was particularly hard to swallow. Voldemort’s mother, Merope Gaunt, was constantly abused by her father, Marvolo, and her brother Morfin before they wound up in Azkaban for abusing muggles. Merope ended up falling in love with the muggle Tom Riddle and even used a love potion to secure his love. This story was bound to end in tragedy as Merope released Tom from the spell, and he left her and the baby. Merope passed away soon after leaving, Voldemort an orphan.
Between the reveal of the Gaunt’s pureblood ideals and his parent’s tragic history, it seems like Voldemort was destined for villainy. These scenes would have definitely made the films more impactful.
Outlander – Ewan Cameron
Although Ewan wasn’t one of the most impactful characters of the series, his presence was still memorable. Ewan was involved in the Jacobite Uprising and was charged with handling the Intelligence Operations at Edinburgh Headquarters. We all saw Ewan as just another background character, so we were surprised at how his story developed. Our fondness of Ewan grew after he pulled a nearly dead Jamie from the fields of Culloden. This caused Jamie and Ewan to parallel each other as they both fought in the Jacobite Uprisings, but Ewan faced execution while Jamie escaped. The last we saw of Ewan was him walking into his own execution.
Readers did not expect Ewan to reemerge in the series, but 20 years later, his relationship with Margaret Campbell brings him back into view. Margaret Campbell is introduced with severe PTSD that is later revealed to be linked to the Jacobite Rising. She fell in love with Ewan and began passing him information she learned from family letters. When Margaret learned about the current state of the war, she fled north to meet Ewan. Unfortunately, Margaret was too late to see Ewan and also fell into the hands of British soldiers. Margaret was sexually assaulted and left for dead, leaving her in a permanent catatonic state.
The tragic fate of these two lovers is still fresh in all of our minds. We have no doubt it would have had viewers shedding some tears.
We’ve done our forgotten characters all the justice we can for now. Pick up one of these series today and start reading to appreciate these five forgotten characters or to discover more.
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