Eh, I'd say that depends on both the character and the author. F'rinstance, take Alfred. Say you're writing BATMAN, and you get and love Bruce and Dick and Selina and the whole crew, but Alfred just doesn't click for you. Well, you probably shouldn't do a whole Alfred-centric story, then. But you can't leave him out entirely, he's Alfred. He's way too centric to the Batman mythos to just vanish for the duration of your run. So you have him pop in every now and then for a panel or two... not enough to even get to characterization, much less get it wrong, but enough that he's there, providing continuity and flavor to the story, satisfying the audience's sense that it's not Batman without Alfred.
Then there's the fact that working with a character is often the best way to start getting and being comfortable with him. IIRC Gail's said that about Barda, in fact, that she didn't really see the point of her on the team but came to really enjoy writing her. Not every writer is capable of doing that, obviously, and even those who are aren't capable of it with every character, but initial disinterest is hardly a death knell.
Plus with the Wondy franchise, honestly, character assassination is better than limbo for pretty much anyone outside the royal three. If you can't make it through two consecutive runs as visible cast, odds are astronomically against you ever being seen again, in-character or not. :/