Leaving aside personal preferences, who is the most iconic character in New Vegas that is more likely to pop up in a future Fallout game?
We had Harold who made his way to the spotlight in FO1 FO2 and FO3.

We have the original Dogmeat who came in at FO1, then the "non-canon" Dogmeat who could be met in a special encounter in FO2 as an easter egg, then we have FO3's Dogmeat who was not related to the first two.

We have Marcus who made his first appearance in FO2 and now again in FONV.

And Ian was suppose to make an appearance in FO2 but was cut later on.

And we have the one's I'm starting to get really [censored] sick of, BOS and NCR.

BOS who has been in FO1 FO2 FO3 FONV FOBOS and FOT.
And NCR who has been in FO1 (well, they weren't called NCR at the time but that town evolved into NCR so it's only fair to include) FO2 and FONV.

Enclave who has been in FO2, FO3 and remnants in FONV.

And then Khans who have reincarnated two times, originals in FO1 names Khans, the new gang New Khans in FO2 and the latest entry Great Khans in FONV.

So.

The point of all of this is: Who do you think is going to be an iconic character/faction to return in future west coast or east coast games?

Personally, I'm sad that they killed off Harold in FO3, and that Marcus in FONV... Really wasn't needed... I thought that Marcus would be the one character in New Vegas who could really confirm to us some canon events in FO2 and instead he briefly mentions the Chosen One.
So yeah, I don't see why they needed Marcus in this one at all. Fan service? Whatever, still no point in bringing him back.

So who do I think is iconic enough to reappear in future games?
Legion and NCR of course.
Whoever wins in canon both of these are sure to return at some point either weaker than before or stronger than before.
House on the other hand is kinda glued to the spot and I don't see how he could reappear.
Neither can I see Yes Man reappear.

But an Iconic character?
It depends on when the next game is set, how far into the future.
If it's only a decade or less then I guess it could be any human.
But from the mutants.
It wouldn't surprise me if we got to see the Bright Brotherhood in a future title and their prophet, Bright himself.

I'm thinking Boone, would probably be one, after all his quest felt like it was the most fleshed out.

and maybe the Van Graffs but not really sure about this one :shrug:

No-Bark Noonan!

I'm thinking Crimson Caravan, Gun Runners and Van Graff family in some form. The NCR and Ceasar's Legion. The Kahns in some form, (either way you played their quests, some of them survived). As for individuals, I'm not sure. Marcus maybe, anyone else would really depend on how far in the future the game is set.
On the East Coast, some form or combo of Lyons BoS and the Outcasts. The remaining Enclave. The Institute, even though they were only breifly mentioned in FO3. Again all this depends on how far in the future the game is set.

Any of the companions really, whose stories have a bit of "wherever I may roam" kind of feel to them. I think all of them are searching for direction and meaning in their lives.

Boone still struggles with the death of his wife and his experiences at Bitter Springs, and could spend the rest of his life hunting down CL through the Wastes. Cass definitely needs direction now that Cassidy Caravans is gone and she's gotten revenge on the main parties. Veronica is always looking to the outside world to help improve the BoS. Raul is an old ghoul, and like other ghouls, lives several 'reincarnations' of their lives during their long lifespans. Lily struggles with keeping her memories and ridding herself of her Stealthy Boy induced (perhaps even mutation and premutation induced) mental illness. Arcade seems like he would like direction on what to do with his life in a post-Enclave wasteland. They could all be returning characters, depending on the time span between New Vegas and the next full Fallout setting.

Rex and ED-E are robots, so they could live on indefinitely, I suppose.

I would have to say Boone, and for mutants Lily, and for Ghouls, Raul. You got Boone who by all accounts has the deepest and most detailed quest line. Lily's quest effected her in an extreme way, I could see her back in. Raul, he had the most difficult to trigger, at times, but I can definetly see him back, as either the master repairman or marauding knight.

my list.

The Misfits- the group of N.C.R soldiers that were talented but could not work together.

Aaron Kimble- if its cannon that he lives, then i can see him being mentioned.

Mr.house- he will be mentioned, but probably never shown.

The Van Graffs- not the twins in freeside, but the family as a whole.

Joshua Graham- He will probably end up in a DLC

If we are talking ANY characters (EXCEPT COMPANIONS) I'de have to say No-bark, Because he would seem too know alot.. And travel but I don't know..

Tabitha, Um, Caesar, Lanius, The Burned Man, I mean come on.. He's the burned man..

And if companions i would have to say: Arcade Gannon, I mean really, He was supposed to be in Van Buren and would have seem to have played a bigger role than in this game, Plus he is a FoA and if I remember right, They move alot, Aside from him i would say ED-E (Because it is on its way to Navarro, So who knows, We may get another game near V13.) and Cass.

Isn't the burned man just an unmeetable npc?

House is pretty iconic. Also, I'd love to know more about No-Bark, so I hope he's mentioned again in the future.

No.

He's supposedly a Companion/Antogonist in Honest Hearts (A possible DLC some people have uncovered in the GECK)

That'd be sick, one of those in neither support to Legion or NCR.

Never heard of this until now! I would love to learn more about Joshua Graham as there was some build up around this character that we never got a chance to see.

Jericho!

I say this only because he was my favorite npc in Fallout 3, I realize that in the grand scheme of things he didn't have any impact. I honestly don't remember a lot of the details sharply enough from the previous titles to come up with one from them.

Well he wouldn't be in support to Legion seeing as how they burned him alive and threw him down the grand canyon.
Never mind, Gabriel==Fail. :facepalm: at self.

Its okay lol.

But Joshua Graham, It'd be suprising if he ended up being that one traveler guy in Trading Post 188. :vaultboy:

As soon as I was reading your post I was thinking Bright Brotherhood / Jason Bright too. The quest seemed to point this direction.

But honestly, I didn't find the bright brotherhood very interesting, same goes double for Jason Bright. Just another band of ghouls that need saving. Glad we got the option to sabotage the bright brotherhood.

I think a great character that could be included in a future game would be a reformed member of Ceaser's Legion, one of the higher ups like Inculta or someone like that. I think an NPC like this could be a really dynamic character

So Joshua Graham is what you're saying...

There's a chance there will be one, called Ulysses.

And I could see Veronica or Boone making a comeback in later games.

Not quite. J. Graham. Interesting character, but is too defined, seems like his values /agenda would be set in stone.

I was thinking of a type of Legion character that is basically neutral but is pulled toward evil to sustain their survival but still realizes much of what they do is immoral.

Is this Uyleses or J. Graham? I don't know enough about either to really know.

I'm pretty sure a handful of angels lost their wings when Uyleses was cut from from the games.

We sorely need a legion companion in FNV.

It'd be nice with two Legion companions, one that shoots NCR and Powder Gangers on sight (Opposite of Boone).
And one who is with legion but knows how to keep his [censored] together and not attack on sight. (Like Cass)