The Red Sea Sharks
Rastapopoulos, a recurring villain in the series who had last appeared in "The Red Sea Sharks", made a return in "Flight 714 to Sydney". In his interviews with Numa Sadoul, Hergé noted that he was consciously shifting the nature of the villains in the book, relating that "during the story, I realised that when all was said and done Rastapopoulos and Allan were pathetic figures. Yes, I discovered this after giving Rastapopoulos the attire of a "de luxe" cowboy; he appeared to me to be so grotesque dressed up in this manner that he ceased to impress me. The villains were debunked: in the end they seem above all ridiculous and wretched. You see, that's how things evolve". Other characters that Hergé brought back for the story were Skut, the Estonian pilot from "The Red Sea Sharks", and Jolyon Wagg, who is depicted watching television at the very end of the story.