Iconic Characters Who Never Met On Screen

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20-06-2025

Whether it is movies or TV, we can all agree that great characters make a story great. When a cast is so stacked, it can sometimes be easy to forget that certain characters from the same story never share screentime or interact.
Here are 21 examples of famous characters from the same movies and TV shows who somehow never actually met on screen:
Doc Brown & Biff in Back to the Future
In Back to the Future, the main character Marty McFly shares several scenes with Doc Brown and Biff. Yet, those two characters never interact in the entire first movie. Since Doc was away from the school for all but one scene, it makes sense that he never encounters the high school bully. A back-and-forth with them, past or present, would have been interesting.
Jesse Pinkman and Walt Jr. in Breaking Bad
The fact that Walter White's "business" partner and his son never shared a scene shouldn't be too shocking, but Pinkman did have other interactions with the family. For full perspective, both characters appeared in ALL 62 Breaking Bad episodes. They never shared a single interaction.
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
That's right. The main hero and villain of the original trilogy never meet on screen. Luke isn't even presented as the hero for the film's first act, and Vader has less than twenty minutes of screentime. Luke witnesses Obi-Wan's demise at Vader's hand, but other than that, these two never share a moment until the third act of Episode V.
Ned Stark and Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones
They stayed loyal to the book. Game of Thrones almost has too many characters to keep count of, but it's hard to believe two of the most prominent actors never interacted. The two favorites out of the gate, but only one made it past Season 1. Location is no excuse, because these two characters never seem to cross paths. Ned's dislike for the Lannisters could have something to do with it, and it seems, in the end, his head was in the right place to think that.
Steve Rogers & Pepper Potts in any of the MCU movies
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so enormous that many characters never share screen time. Still, since Pepper Potts is part of the O.G. Iron Man and plays a pretty large role in Tony Stark's story, it's shocking she never interacted with "The First Avenger." It would have been interesting to see emotionally for Stark's character...but also, there was that whole "Civil War" between the two heroes, so maybe it was for the best.
Frank Costanza & Newman in Seinfeld
Seinfeld is known for their hilarious one-off characters, but there are some recurring characters that gave memorable moments in the series. There is George Costanza's dad, Frank, who has no "serenity now." And then there's Newman, Jerry Seinfeld's rival and Kramer's friend. Newman and Frank are arguably the two funniest (and unhinged) side characters in the series, but they never share an iconic moment.
Arwen, Eowyn and Galadriel inThe Lord of the Rings trilogy
Yup. All three prominent women in the LOTR trilogy never interact. Shocking to think about, but since all three are seen along the journey and rarely leave their setting, it's not hard to understand how they never met. The closest we got was the final ceremony for Aragorn, and Eowyn and Arwen are a few yards apart. Perhaps they gave each other a "knowing nod" to say "sup."
Michael Scott & Robert California in The Office
Fans of The Office were hot (that's what she said) following the departure of Steve Carell's character Michael Scott. James Spader's Robert California still left his mark on the show. While it was not surprising that Michael and his replacement never interacted, a brief encounter was still possible.
Michael Corleone and Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II
This one feels like a cheat, but Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were two of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. Sure, their characters are in two separate periods, and a time travel moment would have made zero sense, but it's amazing we didn't even get an interaction in that final flashback scene at the end (obviously with Marlon Brando as older Vito). Again, big asterisk with this one, but it still qualifies.
Korben Dallas and Zorg in The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element isn't the only film in which the hero and villain don't share screen time, but it stands out more than others. And by stand out, their lack of confrontation proves the film carries itself through story and action well enough to go unnoticed.
Vegeta and Chi-Chi in Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z fans know just about every fight like the back of their hand, but it often goes unnoticed that two major players never meet. Vegeta appears in 129 episodes while Chi-Chi appears in 109, yet they never have a meaningful interaction in the original series. Other series don't allow that to happen again. The two share a few moments in shows like Dragon Ball Super.
Steve Murphy and Pablo Escobar in Narcos
Another one with decent logic behind it. Detective X looks for Suspect Y. With the plot of the show in mind, it makes total sense that we never see a scene with Steve Murphy and Pablo Ecscobar.
Draco Malfoy & Sirius Black in the Harry Potter franchise
You can put Harry Potter character names outside of the core three on a dart board, and there is a good chance they never interacted. So, in my very Jeremy way of deciding things, I picked the adult and student who had a lot of importance to the plot, but never shared a scene. That's right, Malfoy's father will be hearing about how he never came face-to-face with Harry's (almost wrote uncle, lol) godfather, Sirius Black.
Stringer Bell & Bubbles in The Wire
The Wire is another show where you could pick several characters, but for this list, I picked Stringer and Bubbles. Stringer appeared in 37 episodes, while Bubble appeared in 52. Through all the episodes their appearances crossed over, they never once had a scene where they interacted.
Frozone and Syndrome in The Incredibles
So much for top-shelf monologuing. The interaction between Frozone and Syndrome would have been hilariously legendary. Obviously, Syndrome is aware of Frozone and even targets him in the final fight, but they never share a meaningful scene. It's a shame; they are both big personalities. (Still waiting on that Frozone spinoff)
The Wizard and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz
"Her sister was a witch!"In the Wizard of Oz, we get one scene with Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West, but we never see the green nightmare meet the green fraud. We never even see their "real world" selves cross paths. Both are HUGE to the plot, but the Wizard's true form is hidden throughout the film until she melts, so it makes sense.
Hannibal Lector and Detective Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs
Of everything on this list, this entry makes the most sense. Crawford almost immediately eludes to Clarice that he wouldn't get the information needed from Hannibal since he knew him and hated him. Hannibal had little screen time generally, but a run-in between these two would have been interesting.
Barbosa and Davey Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
The two main non-ETC villains in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy are Captain Barbosa and Davy Jones. Both have a large presence in the third installment, yet we never get to see them go toe-to-toe. They stand across from each other in At World's End, but these two juggernauts never interact.
All three leads in No Country for Old Men
This example isn't by accident, and it's what makes the story of No Country for Old Men so special. Other than the motel shootout scene, Anton Chigurh and Llewyn Moss never share a scene together, despite them being the main protagonist and antagonist. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, on the other hand, can't seem to catch up.
Max and Will in Stranger Things
Stranger Things features many young characters from "The Party" members to other students, whom we all watched grow up over the seasons. With all the turmoil Will went through in the first season and Max in the second, it feels like there is a story somewhere there, but neither has shared a meaningful interaction leading into the final season. Who knows, maybe Stranger Things 5 will see them off on a quest where they can bond over their struggles.
I haven't seen every TV show or movie, so can you think of two characters you love who never interacted despite being in the same story? Comment below!