Can a missed trigger target something that was not on the battlefield when it should have triggered?

The correct answer is based on the fundamental rules of Magic: The Gathering and how triggered abilities interact with the game state. When a triggered ability is meant to target a specific object, it can only do so if that object was present on the battlefield at the time the trigger goes off. If the object was not on the battlefield when the ability was supposed to trigger, the ability cannot target it due to the game's requirement that all targets must be legal at the moment of the trigger's resolution.

For example, if a creature has a triggered ability that says, "When this creature enters the battlefield, target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn," but the target creature was not on the battlefield when the ability was supposed to trigger, the ability fizzles and cannot affect that creature—even if it enters play later in the turn. This ensures that the game state remains consistent and that abilities accurately reflect the conditions they were designed to interact with.

The other options imply possibilities where a triggered ability could extend to target creatures that were not present during the trigger's activation, which is not how the game is designed to operate. Detailing the rules surrounding targeting and triggers helps maintain clarity in game mechanics and preserves the integrity of play.