>>53892194I don't really get the sense that Max was ever supposed to be in the spotlight for very long. He has a couple episodes centered around him throughout AG, but for the most part, his role is to act as a (mostly comedic) foil for Ash, May and Brock to various degrees. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I can't say that the Max-centered episodes are particularly memorable, but his bants with the other three made me appreciate him a lot more than people often give him credit for.
That being said, I remember thinking around the turn of Battle Frontier that they could've kayfabed a reason for Misty to stay on, and replaced either Max or Brock. Since Brock was coming back for DP, it's not like he'd have been missed for very long, and he could've gotten a cameo episode when they go through Pewter at the end anyway. They could've also replaced Max though, and done May, Ash, Brock and Misty. Either way would've shilled Kanto more than they ended up doing, which was a big waste for BF.
