Your favorite fictional characters

[mattperiolat]

Thought this might be a fun topic. List off your favorite fictional characters, top 5, top 3, whatever floats your boat. You can use movies, novels, comics, whatever, just have to be totally fictional. Oh and please justify, don't just list. Curious to see thought process behind the selections.

For me, my top 5 look like this, from 5 to 1:

5. Batman

From an avenger to a campy Caped Crusader to the Dark Knight of Gotham, this is the guy you always hope is looking out for you because, by God, he will see justice done. His interpretations vary in style, especially in the comics he originates from and the core idea can be a little muddied to make him more palitable to the world at large, but he is quite simply a guy in a suit who wants to make sure that whatever happened to him happens to no one else.

Plus, he has an awesome car.

4. Obi-Wan Kenobi

The wise old man with the keys to the past that you lose all too quickly, but is still around in some form as a spiritual guide. Of course, years later, we find out he was in his day incredibly awesome both as a character and as a warrior. Novels have fleshed out Obi-Wan more, but even going by just the movies, he is a deeply rich character that, even with his faults, still believes in what is right and that good will eventually win out. Both a symbol of heroism and faith, I suppose.

3. Frodo Baggins

I almost tied him with Bilbo, but Frodo is a more fascinating character because of his flaws. He know what the right thing to do is, but he is both tempted to do something else and doing the right thing wears him down to the point of despair. In a way, he is the most human of all the characters on the list, which makes him the easiest to relate to. Doing the right thing is never easy and it requires sacrifice along the way. We can only thank goodness for friends along the way to make sure we succeed, because, after all, no one in the world can do it alone, no matter how hard we try.

2. Darth Vader

Alright, he was a kid who wined a lot and who became an emotionally repressed man, but we still still liked him along the way. This is another case of repressed emotion leading to a downfall, resulting in a physically and emotionally scared individual who has nothing left but his hate.

And that's when the ass-kicking starts, complete with theme music.

I have often heard that a story is only as strong as its villain. If that is true, no wonder Star Wars does so well. A mysterious man in black with incredible powers but a serious breathing problem. That breathing is ironically the only thing that sometimes reminds us he is, in fact, a man and not a machine. It would have been easy to leave him just the demonic man in black bad guy that needed to be beaten to win in the end, but that would be too easy. Make him complicated and then try and see if there is a way to reach the man behind the mask.

For all the complaints about the prequels, Star Wars is truly the story of Darth Vader and his rise and fall and (spoilers) redemption. He is a weird combination of our worst nightmares and fears about ourselves and yet, you want to be redeemed as he was, finding that small spark inside that can save you. Makes him fascinating and just all around an awesome character.

So, how do you counter such a dark character? For me, it's easy. With my #1 pick, the ultimate example of good:

1. Superman

He's not from around these parts. His home and background has been lost in time and space. And yet, an alien finds humanity in humble backgrounds and with incredible gifts, becomes a paragon of virtue and of hope for an entire world. He hides behind a mask of meekness so he can be a man, but when needed, boy, can he be super.

Great theme music too, a ying to Vader's yang, if you will.

Superman can mean anything to anybody. If you need inspiration, look to a man who cannot be hurt who can fly. If you need hope, that simple 'S' symbol means as much as anything. For an adopted child or an immigrant to a new land, he can show you that you can be whatever you want to be with the right ethics and belief system.

He's super. 'Nuff said.

Who's next?

[Son of a Pregnant Dog]

Ikari Shinji

Most people totally hate this character, so it'd be kinda pointless for me to defend this choice. But I found Shinji the most relateable character I've ever experienced in fiction.

[Disaster Report]

3. Hanaki Guriko - from a manga called Worst, that's about Japanese high school turf wars. All of the characters are delinquents and sport sort of a punk/rockabilly fashion. Big pompadours, etc. Guriko is a womanizing goof-off, but he's also the strongest guy in town. As such, he's targeted for fights, since taking him out would instantly make a name for whoever beats him. But he always seems to get challenged while he's talking to a girl on the phone, or coming out of a public restroom, and he routinely lays out multiple people all at once, while talking hilarious shit at the same time.

2. Scrooge McDuck - mostly from watching tons of DuckTales as a kid. He's more of a jerk in the comics but still likable, but I like how on DuckTales he seems stern but more agreeable and fun.

1. Golgo 13 (Duke Togo) - Most people know him from the NES games, title character of the long-running manga series, it's also had a couple of animated movies, a couple of live action movies, and a recent tv series. He's an assassin that pulls off insane shots with sniper rifles, and often finds his way in and out of seemingly impossible situations. He's kind of like the Japanese equivalent of James Bond, but better.

[Deleted]

Definitely the Strawhat Crew.

Those are the people I would gladly go on a years-long trip with.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Sonic the Hedghog: It stems out more from his cartoons and comics rather than the games. I thought the SatAM show was a good example of giving young audiences some credit.

Lonesome Rhodes: He's a stand in for Arthur Godfrey, but he also fits the profile of a lot of popular commentators.

Arnold Rimmer: Somehow you feel bad for him and hate him at the same time No easy feat.

Mrs. Frisby/Brisby: In both the book and the film, here's someone that does what they need to do even though they're scared to death.

Superman: Mostly because of his general optimism about people.

[biafra]

Roland of Gilead.

Michael Corleone.

If my baby were to have been a boy his name would have been Michael Roland.

John Marston and US Marshall Raylon Givens are two of my favorites right now.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Samwise Gamgee: The true hero of the LotR series but he gets no credit. Without him, Frodo would have bumbled around and gotten hopelessly lost before either starving, falling victim to Smeagol or just giving up and dying. It was Sam who kept Frodo going and truly saved Middle Earth

Captain Wolf Larsen: One of the most intriguing characters I've read. He's a strong, brutal, bully but he's got a complex set of beliefs that make him great to read. He pairs off so well against the main character who believes in altruism so is a complete opposite.

Molly Hayes: My favourite comic book character. She's a cute, 11 year old girl whose got superstrength, once beat up Wolverine and once gut-punched The Punisher. She's awesome

Kevin Mask: He's just . . . cool. Villainous and brutal but also with a strong sense of honour. Plus he looks awesome too.

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: Such a well developed character. Loved how he slowly progressed from a bumbling, cowardly Watcher in Buffy to becoming a competant assistant in the early seasons of Angle to becoming a complete badass from mid-season 3 onwards. One of my favourite Angel moments was when Wesley pulled out a shotgun and a handgun in a battle against The Beast

[mcclanahan]

5. Data (Star Trek: TNG) what better than an android that teaches a class in humanities

4. Sabin (Final Fantasy 6) the perfect muscle head in any video game what more need be said

3. Casey Jones (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) more from the comics though he was always a favorite in the movies aswell, being the one person that Raphael truely trusted

2. Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) this is more from the comics than the series, mainly from one issue where he nearly beat Michaelangelo to death for no real reason

1. Q (Star Trek: TNG, DS9, VOY) from his first apperance in TNG I loved his attitude and the sheer amount of power he had, always playing the perfect foil to Jean Luc Picard

[default]

1. Snake Plissken

The epitome of the anti-hero and my personal favorite of that group. The style was all his own. His beliefs and outlook on life were awesome as well.

2. H.M. Murdock

He showed me at a young age, and I'm sure many others, that you could be weird and at the same time fit in and be cool/a badass. Not to mention it was just some of the best acting and writing on television, period. The whole was he crazy/wasn't he was just great stuff.

3. Bill Overbeck. A true fighter and survivalist. Wise with years, he always seemed to know what to say from joking around to motivating "his troops". Plus his angst and anger were emoted awesomely.

[Pervy Stone Cold]

Atticus Finch- All the good virtues of being moral, this man embodied.

Also on a light-hearted note, I like how good his name fits with the Lollipop song....

Atticus......Atticus..... Ahhhtti-Atti, Atticus..... Atticus..

[darthalexander]

Darth Vader. Darth Sidious. I'm a serious Sith mark.

Roland (The Dark Tower Series). Ronald Flagg (from various King books).

Chaingang (from the Rex Miller series).

Andy Sipowiciz, Frank Pembelton. Munch. (Three great cops).

Locke, Ben (LOST).

Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, Spectre.

Kane, Conan, Jon Snow (at least so far in the Game Of Thrones books - I'm barely into the third book), Tyrion Lannister (ditto).

I could list a quite a few actually.

[Chainsaw]

[Creeper The Limo Driver]

Eric Cartman (South Park) - A cold, heartless, manipulator without anything resembling a conscience. Laughing at Scott Tenorman after tricking him into eating his parents while licking the tears off of his face. YES! SWEET DELICIOUS TEARS! Love it.

Spider-Man - I dunno when they turned Peter Parker into a loser because in the early days he was a total pimp going from one hot chick to the next. Intelligent, a ladies man and flies solo. He's like Batman with a day job. Also, great roster of villains.

Dexter Morgan - Blood spatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killing vigilante - because 1 awesome gig just wasn't enough. Intelligent, works alone, never panics and gets shit done.

Bobby Goren - Impossibly smart, works alone and is always one step ahead of the perp he's after. Sets them up, knocks them down. Greatest detective since Batman

Batman - Because he's the goddamn Batman. Best rogues gallery, incredibly smart, a ladies man, works alone, will karate your face off and somehow had the foresight to develop a spray shark repellent... which he eventually needed.

Harley Quinn: Just cause. ♥

[strykerdarksilence]

Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, BJ Hunnicutt.

Frasier Crane, Niles Crane, Martin Crane, Roz Doyle.

Dale Cooper.

Atticus Finch.

Q. Jordi La Forge. Data.

Fiddler.

All of the Daria cast.

All of the Futurama cast.

[DiBiase is Good]

Oz Osbourne (from Auf Wiedersehen Pet)
At first seems like he has no redeeming qualities. Cheats on his wife, ignores his son, fights anyone who isn't English, permanently badmouths the country that is paying his wages. But as the show goes on, he starts to show that he does have a sensitive side and would do anything to protect his friends. He's also hilarious.

Homer Simpson
He's capable of being extremely selfish, sometimes seems to mistreat his wife who dotes on him and ignores his family to spend time drinking with his mates. Yet he has a heart of gold and always comes though at the end. As Marge once said "Homer Simpson, you are a strong finisher".

Samwise Gamgee
As was listed earlier, he is the true hero of the LOTR series. He keeps the quest going when all seemed lost and he gets a truly deserved happy ending.

James Bond
Because he's so f***ing cool. Gets to travel all over the world and drive fast cars, gamble, drink and screw. And then he gets to save the world.

Indiana Jones
Because he's Indiana Jones!

[ellisdee]

Fox Mulder. I'm like him in so many ways. But i'm not in the FBI.

[Bang Bang Bart]

- Spider-Man: Despite the One More Day stuff, I still am a Spidey fan. I think what does it for me is that his problems outside of supervillains and stuff are a big part of his life, and despite the constant nagging of a douchebag newspaper writer (now Mayor of New York!?), he still continues to do the right thing.

- Scott Pilgrim: I like him mainly because his character development over the course of 6 graphic digests is wonderfully done. He's a likeable asshole who's willing to erase the "asshole" part of that and goes through a whole lot just to be with the girl of his dreams.

- Captain America: For a guy who dresses up in the American flag, he's awesome, and he's more of a hero who stands for what right, even if he has to stand up to gods, aliens, and beings who would more than likely kill an ordinary human.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

5. Darth Vader - He's Darth freaking Vader.

4. Indiana Jones - He's Indiana Jones.

3. Lex Luthor - The greatest criminal mastermind of all time, he's the archenemy of Superman, his DNA helped make Conner Kent, and he's a former President of the United States. All that could be enough, but what gets him this high, is that he wants desperately to be the savior. He views Superman as the evil one, and wants everyone to see him as the savior. With how smart he is, and everything he's accomplished while working against Superman, you wonder what he could accomplish if he were to go against his evil ways. Lex is a complex character.

2. Obi-Wan Kenobi - For my money, he's the true hero of the Star Wars saga. He's the one that smoked Darth Maul, General Grevious and beat Anakin in the prequels. And in the Original Trilogy he knows he can't beat Vader, and the Empire, so he sacrifices himself to lead Luke on the quest to defeat Vader and the Empire. He knew Luke could do it, and he couldn't, so he guided Luke.

1. Superman - The superhero. He's the ultimate example of the American Dream (not Dusty Rhodes), he's proof that an immigrant can come to new land and achieve the greatest in human potential. What makes him the superhero is not his powers, it's what he does with them. He could rule the world like a god, but it never occurs to him. Because of his parents, he refuses to use his powers for evil, and holds himself up to a higher moral code for that reason. This is someone who constantly wants to be a normal person, but will always give it up, because he has these powers and is the protector of those that can't protect themselves. It's something he took on, because he could.

The Superman symbol, is a symbol of hope, peace and justice.

[Goldenbane]

Spider-man: Sadly, in recent years, a lot of my love for the character has vanished, but every now in then, in games like Shattered Dimensions, I once again see the character that I fell in love with. Spidey always tries to do the right thing. He sticks by his friends and loved ones no matter what. His villain gallery is possibly one of the strongest in all of comics, second maybe only to Batman. When written correctly, Spider-man's powers make him nearly unbeatable.

The Mighty Thor: While I don't understand Marvel's fetish with jobbing him out to the Hulk all the time, Thor is the man! When the villains buried the other heroes under 3 billion tons of mountain in the Secret Wars (yeah...the real Secret wars, not that stupid crap called Secret Wars involving Nick Fury and Luke Cage against Latveria or whatever!), it was Thor who kicked their asses. Thor doesn't lay down for stooges like Nice Fury or SHIELD. He doesn't cow tow to the idiots in the press. Thor is noble and always does what is right. He supports his allies, but isn't afraid to go against them when they are wrong.

She-ra: People will roll their eyes at me for this, and make fun of me probably, but they really don't understand. She-ra is the truest hero I've ever seen. She's very much like Superman...noble, heroic, and kind. She always attempts to find the nonviolent solution to any problem and only fights when she has no other choice. She-ra always offers a chance to the villains, even if they spit it back in her face. The fact that she at least tries is incredibly brave. Unlike Xena: Warrior Princess, She-ra isn't a bitch. If one of her friends picks up a weapon and tries to help her, she doesn't turn it down or make them feel stupid or useless. She encourages them and leads them...guiding them to do the right thing.

Luke Skywalker: All he wanted was to go to Tashi Station and get some f***ing power converters...and because of that, he's eternally labeled a pussy. It was Luke that blew up the first Death Star. It was Luke that trained under Yoda and went up against Vader even though he knew he was going to lose. It was Luke who finally turned Vader and destroyed the Emperor...and thus the entire Empire. Luke pretty much kicked Boba Fett's ass too, now that I think about it, Han might have gotten the final hit, but Luke was foiling him the entire time. If all this still makes Luke a wimp, then I don't want to see what makes someone strong. I guess being frozen in Carbonite or getting killed accidently with a stick. Whatever.

Javert: This guy is a total asshole, and yet he stands for nothing but law and order. Even though his pursuite of Jean Valjean becomes personal, at no point does he ever want to kill Jean...he just wants to return him to prison. Whenever I think of Dungeons and Dragons, and Lawful Neutral, I immediately think of Javert. He's not trully a bad guy, but he's certainly not good either. I just kinda like him and sympathize with him at times, even though I'm rooting for Valjean. This is one character that I can't quite thoroughly explain my like for...I just kinda do.

[boozermike]

Connor and Murphy MacManus / The Boondock Saints

Eric Draven / The Crow

Eddie Brock / Venom