So let me get the situation straight on the veterans (overlooking how likely they are unless their likeliness keeps them from being liked).
We want

back because... he was a unique veteran?
We want

and

because we want the face of stealth games, back and because... The Ice Climbers were unique veterans? But we don't speak of them much because difficulties that everyone is trying to drill into everyone's head that there is a 100% chance that they will keep them out of the game.
We don't want

and

because "reps", and popularity.
We don't want

because we have

, and people get the
wrong idea that they are the same thing.
We don't want

even though he has the most potential to be unique because he was a joke character as well as a clone in Melee.
Honestly I don't find Ridley all that menacing looking. (Even less now that I know he sounds like a bird in two of his appearances. A very annoying bird.)