As is the case with so many long-running franchises, after an actor has played a character for a certain amount of time, they end up getting replaced by another actor. But in some rare cases, those actors return years later after their replacement, as jarring as that might be.
There are many different reasons why actors don't return to a role for a sequel. It could be because of creative differences, because the studio isn't satisfied, or it could even come down to salary negotiations. However, whatever the case may be, those actors sometimes end up reprising the roles that they made iconic, and that usually happens after disappointing audience reactions to their replacements.
James Bond (Sean Connery)
If it wasn't for Connery first portraying the character, it's a possibility that James Bond would never have become the billion-dollar franchise it is today. The character may be written as a classy, charming secret agent, but few could have depicted the character in such a way that Connery did. And while there are so many other actors who should be James Bond, Sean Connery remains the best.
However, after You Only Live Twice in 1967, Sean Connery left the franchise that he had helped become iconic. He was replaced by George Lazenby, who unfortunately lasted for only before one movie until Connery returned for his swan song, Diamonds Are Forever, in 1971.
Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire And Andrew Garfield)
The most recent example of actors who returned after being replaced is in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it's completely unprecedented in so many different ways.
Though there were tons of subtle clues about the Spider-Man multiverse, it was obvious from the very beginning that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were going to reprise their roles as Peter Parker. However, it was still rip-roaringly exciting even if it was predictable. And not only did they return to the franchise, but they were given the send-offs they deserve and they acted alongside Tom Holland, the current Spider-Man actor.
Pink Panther (Peter Sellers)
Inspector Clousseau (Peter Sellers) wasn't the protagonist in the original Pink Panther in 1963, but he was the best thing about the film, which is why he was made the main character for every following feature.
With Sellers being such a unique comedy actor, he made the role his own, but in 1968's Inspector Clousseau, he was replaced by Alan Arkin. As great of an actor as Arkin is, he just couldn't capture the magic and energy that sellers did. However, Sellers returned to the role seven years later, and he portrayed the dim-witted detective for a further three movies.
Bourne (Matt Damon)
Matt Damon had was the star of the original Bourne trilogy, but after his story arc was all-wrapped up in Ultimatum, he was replaced by Jeremy Renner in the series. Renner was in a different role and even though the movie is called The Bourne Legacy, there's no Jason Bourne to be seen. Renner's entry in the series proved to be a disappointment, though it wasn't completely his fault, as the film lacked the creativity and thrills of the first three Bourne movies.
But after the failure of Legacy, in 2016, Damon returned to the most iconic role in his filmography. The movie is simply titled Jason Bourne, but, ironically, despite Damon reprising his role and celebrated filmmaker Paul Greengrass even returning to the director's chair, it received even worse reviews than Legacy.
Fast & Furious (Vin Diesel)
Before the Fast & Furious series became a globe-trotting, high-octane action franchise, the original film was a crime drama with street racing. And one of its big appeals was the bromance between Brian O'Connor and Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel.) But due to creative differences, Diesel didn't return for 2 Fast 2 Furious.
While 2 Fast 2 Furious is underrated, there was clearly something missing, and that was Diesel's commanding presence. Thankfully, he returned for a cameo in Tokyo Drift, and then became the face of the franchise again by the fourth movie.
Batman (Michael Keaton)
The Flash is one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, but that's hardly because of the Flash. The superhero has almost become the secondary character in his own movie, as all the excitement about it revolves around Michael Keaton's return as Batman. It marks the longest stretch of time between an actor leaving a franchise and then returning, as Keaton last put on the cape and cowl 30 years ago in Batman Returns.
Funnily enough, it doesn't seem like Keaton will ever star in another Batman movie, as the two movies he's returning for are The Flash and Batgirl. However, it'd be great to see him in a Batman Beyond-like movie where he plays the mentor to a younger, more rough-around-the-edges Batman.
Aladdin (Robin Williams)
While Will Smith did a decent job of playing Genie in the remake, as he put just enough of a spin on it so it didn't seem derivative of Robin Williams' performance in the original, there's no topping the comedy actor's voice work. Aladdin is one of the best Disney movies thanks to Williams' comedic performance.
Though many might not have seen them, there are two direct-to-video Aladdin sequels. The first of the two is The Return of Jafar, which replaced Robin Williams with Dan Castellaneta, who famously voices Homer Simpson. However, Williams did return for the third movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
Halloween (Jamie Lee Curtis)
Jamie Lee Curtis wasn't replaced by another actor as Laurie Strode in Halloween, it's just that the series kept going and going without her. But after her presumably last appearance in the series in Halloween III, she returned 16 years later for Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and then Halloween: Resurrection.
And, funnily enough, Curtis exited the series and returned a second time too, as she returned in the soft reboot, 2019's Halloween, 16 years after that. And that came after her character was portrayed by a different actor in Rob Zombie's remake.
xXx (Vin Diesel)
Outside of Fast and Furious, Vin Diesel is the face of another franchise, xXx, which doesn't come close to the popularity of the nine-movie-long franchise, but has a just as interesting of a timeline.
Just like the Fast and Furious series, Diesel left the xXx series after the first movie, and he was replaced by Ice Cube in the second movie xXx: State of the Union. Though Ice Cube was playing a different character, the action movie again didn't feel the same with Diesel's absence. Diesel then returned in the appropriately titled xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
Universal Soldier (Jean-Claude Van Damme)
Universal Soldier isn't exactly a huge blockbuster franchise, and few people would have even heard of it, but it was successful enough to go on for 20 years and last for six movies. The first movie stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and is a sci-fi-action cult classic, but he was absent in the second and third movies, which instead had Matt Battaglia in the lead role.
Though the series isn't considerably critically acclaimed, the second and third movies were especially negatively received. But, thankfully, Van Damme returned for every movie thereafter, and the Battaglia-starring movies aren't even considered canon anymore.