User blog comment:TimeSoul/Ridley/@comment-5623885-20141104013714/@comment-860254-20141108014442

Dr. Mario, Lucina and Dark Pit were added at the end of development as extra characters. They weren't initially planned as anything more than alternate costumes.

As for his fireball attack... it's still a flamethrower - it'd likely act the same too. Plus Mario has a fireball attack. So does Luigi.

Anything he does with Ridley would upset 90% of the people who wanted him in. Like with you, if he had a flamethrower instead of fireball, you, and probably a lot more, would be angry. I mean, I doubt Sakurai cares, but whatever.

But seriously, why do you want him? What's so special about him? I want Alex Roivas because Eternal Darkness is an underrated game that's pretty much been forgotten. Plus, with her magic attacks, she can summon zombies to attack for her, making her a unique character. Ridley.... he's pretty much just a flying version of Bowser.