All right, ranting time! Mostly just as a rundown so people don't look at this and go "huh?!" which I know you will anyway.
Ok, the Persian has been horribly, awfully neglected. Poor, sweet daroga! And the Siciliano and On Ice versions were just plain mean to him! Poor dear. I personally like the Persian and think he's very underrated. Yeah, he was a walking plot device, but he was a COOL walking plot device, dammit!
Mama Valerius. If you knew what kind of hell it was just to find an ILLUSTRATION of her, you'd know why I chose her as my top most abused char. She is ONLY in the Leroux. That's pretty bad, considering even Jammes, Sorelli, and the Shade in the Felt Hat get tossed into some phan phic! She's basically Chrstine's mom, and SHE is the reason why our darling little Sweedish angel is still stuck firmly in Never Never Land. While she is not an immediate driving force to the plot, having only two scenes in the novel, she is none the less quite important to the dept of backstory, of which I am an avid archivist. So, yeah. So some love for Mama!
Mme Giry. All right, so she got a better part in a lot of the newer productions than the psycho box keeper with the Epic Hat of DOOM! But I kinda like her in the crazy old biddy role. Crazy old biddies are fun! Just watch Arsenic and Old Lace!
Count Philippe. Another oft forgot and rather tormented individual. Poor shmuck didn't even survive the Leroux when only 3 people got killed in the whole book! (not bad for a thiller/horror novel) And a lot of times when he does get drug out, he's made to be this awful, overbearing, drunk, leering, pervvy, creep of a man. So he was waaaaay too clingy to station and his good name in the book. Big whoop. He loved his little brother a lot and honestly was probably only trying to look out for his best interests. <3 for Philippe. Oh yeah, he's another it's a witch to find a piccy for. The one there I believe is him looking for his brother from the 1925, but I could be wrong.
Meg Giry. Another one who both benifitted and became cursed in the newer adaptations. She got a bigger role all right, but she also got rather turned into a slut. And now a goth. Leave my lil Meg alone, ALW you letch! Anyhow, pic is apparently from LND and Meg is apparently now shopping at Pop Gothic like the rest of the emo kids.
Joseph Buquet. This guy REALLY gets screwed over. I mean, he dies, he gets made into a drunk, a letch, a creep, or just REEEEEAAAAALLY annoying. In the book he was a sober, quiet stagehand. And people listened to his account of Erik's face because he wasn't prone to gossip or making up outlandish tales. And the poor sot still got killed. Though, it was probably his own fault for poking around where he shouldn't have. If you find a trap door in the 3rd cellar DO NOT go in! Bad ju-ju!
La Carlotta. Almost got to feel bad for her. Don't get me wrong, she can be an icy bitch, but she's earned it. In the Leroux she was described as a handsome woman with a whole lotta technique, but no real feeling. So she sang well, and was not a fat cow. She also worked her way up to the top, clawing and stomping on people the whole way I'm sure. She started singing in seedy pubs and didn't give a flip about it. By the time she hit the Palais Garnier as a true diva she was jaded beyond all recognition from her life experiences. And then this snotty little nobody shows up, backed by a very powerful patron's lil brother and some uppity ghost and she's just supposed to take it?! Yeah, I really am not quite kosher with how in most modern versions she's depicted as a talentless hack, or some aging unattractive bint. The woman worked hard and was just too damn stubborn for her own good. I mean, she has the guilt from the chandelier, plus the horror of that whole toad thing on her. That's bad enough.
As for the rest of everyone, I didn't feel the need to list Erik, Raoul, or Christine as we ALL know what kind of BS treatment's they've gone through. Especially Erik and Raoul. (Oh those poor boys! *hugs Erik. Raoul's got Christine to snuggle up to so screw him*)
Anyhow, there is my rant. Anyone who made it all the way through, kudos!

It's tough to say...they all got mutilated to hell or completely forgotten.

I'd have to say Meg though...our new Gothic slut. *grumbles*

Yeah, our poor forgotten secondary players. *salutes* The random junk that gets retained from the novel is really odd in some cases though. I mean, Meg appeared ONCE for all of about two minutes in the novel, and Buquet was dead at the start, the action opened with finding his body. But someone like the Persian who is integral later in the story gets ignored. And as superfluous as Raoul's big brother kind of is, I still rather like him. And it adds an additional element to the Christine/Raoul relationship. Not only is there Erik to contend with in order for them to achieve their happily ever after, there is Philippe and all that he represents in terms of family, duty, and station.
If I had any talent at editing and such I would find myself bound and determined to make my own phan philm of the Leroux. But I don't, and I doubt I could get the people for it.....Though I can think of absolutely perfect locations.....
Damn.
Now I'm going to have this meandering around the back of my mind as a potential pet project if I can figure a way to pull it off! GAH! I don't have TIME for epic pet projects!