Close your eyes and think about some of your favorite book and film characters, Pandas. What are they? Heroes, villains, antiheroes… or something else entirely? The beauty of enjoying entertainment through reading, art, and visual media is that you delight in the story from your own unique perspective. No one else sees and feels the story and characters quite like you do. The words and visuals resonate with you in a distinctive way.
However, some people firmly believe that there is an overwhelmingly ‘right way’ to interpret popular stories and characters. The crowd over on r/AskReddit feels that people generally tend to idolize way too many fictional characters without ‘getting’ the entire ‘point’ of their stories. From The Joker to Light Yagami and beyond, these redditors think that these characters deserve no sympathy at all.
Scroll down to see which fictional characters they singled out and why they believe nobody should idolize them. Do you agree or disagree with their opinions, Pandas? Let us know in the comments! And if you feel like opening up to all the other readers, why not tell us who you look up to for inspiration in media and why?
#1
Joker. And all those cringe posts on Facebook that's just pictures of him saying s**t like "I got your back in the darkest times" my dude he doesn't have anyone's back that's the f*****g joker
Image credits: Unknown_Captain
#2
Peter Pan, he flies into kids windows and kidnaps them.
Image credits: B00dle
#3
The Punisher
Image credits: Nonsenseinabag
Let’s be frank for a moment: there will always be disagreements on how to interpret certain story elements, character arcs, and what the writer/artist intended to put on the screen and on the page. It’s like asking who’s cooler, Batman, Superman, or Spiderman.
However, by getting involved in these discussions, setting up our arguments, and countering others’ opinions, we get a bit closer to the truth about what makes characters stand out, what types of stories and tropes we prefer, and why.
You’ll hardly ever come to a satisfactory conclusion in arguments over fiction (especially if you’re on the internet!), but sharing your ideas and interpretations can help you get your own thoughts in order. Things get very interesting once you move past the, ‘I don’t like character X/I think that opinion Y is wrong, and I’m the only one who’s right!’ phase.
#4
Scarface. So many wannabe gangstas and rappers with Scarface shirts and posters.
Image credits: Leeser
#5
Scrolled for ages and couldn’t see anyone saying Ross and Rachel from Friends, although I guess maybe it’s fair to say that the “point” of their story wasn’t that they were absolutely toxic for each other. I remember a time in the late nineties to mid noughties when every dating profile and every MySpace page had some variation of “I’m just a Rachel Green looking for her Ross Geller”. Despite the fact that Ross was a gas-lighting, possessive, jealous wanker and Rachel was a needy, stuck-up, indecisive user of people and the only one who had the balls to tell her so was Hugh Laurie in a cameo. And she clearly didn’t listen because she just kept getting worse and worse after that.
Image credits: Wakkahama
#6
I'm ready for the downvotes, but my honest opinion is Snape. Dude was a jealous, racist, and condescending a*****e. Dude was straight up bullied and we get his perspective so we feel sympathy for him, but the dude was straight up in the wizarding world's kkk. Somehow he's loved because he loved Harry's mom, switched sides, and was a double agent. I get the whole redemption arc but he was still acting selfishly and I don't get why people think he's such a hero. He's a complete a*s to Harry for no reason other than 'your father was an a*s to me so f**k you.'The guy literally walked over his unrequited love's HUSBANDS dead body to sob over her death. Could you imagine if you knew a guy in high school who joined the kkk, had the most incel crush on you, and was so obsessed with you that he cradled your dead body after walking over your husband's dead body?
Image credits: frustrated_pen
While a quick scroll through social media will show you a ton of extremely cringy Joker memes that should be avoided like the plague, it’d be unfair to write off the character entirely. Yes, he’s pretty much a violent psychopath who (depending on which version of the Joker you have in mind) gets up to everything from silly pranks to some truly dark and mind-breaking stuff that nobody should ever fall victim to.
He’s definitely not a hero and shouldn’t be idolized. He’s also not just a psychopath. It’s not wrong to feel at least some sympathy for villains and antiheroes sometimes. Some aspects of their character and their motivations might make them relatable. Things aren’t just black or white in modern and postmodern media unless you’re telling a very traditional Good vs. Evil story. Gotham, we feel, has enough space for some more nuance and shades of grey. If a character is written well and is more than just two-dimensional, it's normal to at least understand where they're coming from, even if you're not fully on their side.
In the opinion of yours truly, what makes a villain compelling is that their goals and motivations resonate with us. We see a part of ourselves in them and their actions. We’re forced to come to the stark conclusion that even though we want the heroes to win and save the day, that victory isn’t as morally clear-cut as it might initially seem.
#7
Bojack Horseman from Bojack Horseman.
Image credits: waitthatstaken
#8
Walter White. You're not supposed to root for the murderous, ruthless, self-centred, ego maniac drug lord by the end of the series. People do.
Image credits: NDStars
#9
Tyler Durden, hands down.
Image credits: sazerrrac
Real life is messy, chaotic, and complicated. People are incredibly rarely purely good or evil. Stories and characters that manage to capture a fraction of that while keeping the audience entertained can go very far.
You could argue that just as much as fictional characters shouldn’t be idolized, they also shouldn’t be immediately demonized. Besides, it’s often hard to know what the ‘point’ of a particular story is when we don’t have access to the unfiltered thoughts and intentions of the creators. Moreover, once you finish a story and let it loose upon the world, it’s no longer just your creation. Everyone who reads or watches it adds to the worldbuilding whenever they share their interpretations.
So, yes, to put it bluntly, evil characters obviously shouldn’t be idolized… but perhaps the reason they are is that they’re written so well that they work like mirrors, reflecting a part of the audience and society back at them. A part that may be uncomfortable for many to even think about.
#10
I teach high school computer science. My first year was the year Rick and Morty came out. Every one of my students was convinced that they were Rick. I’m so glad they’ve moved to all being weebs now. The Rick gang was insufferable
Image credits: mofukkinbreadcrumbz
#11
Vito Corleone, and by extension, Michael.Vito had to flee his home as a little boy to escape a mafia boss who wanted him dead. He gets to the US, but because of discrimination against Italians and another mafia boss stealing his job for his nephew, he's forced into crime so he can take care of his family. He joins The Life, and he's good at it.
But because of that life:
- Sonny is murdered
- Michael goes into exile
- Michael's first wife is murdered
- Fredo has a breakdown
- Connie goes off the rails after her abusive husband is killed
- Michael's second wife leaves him
- Fredo betrays Michael
- Michael has him killed
- Michael's daughter is killed
- Michael's son hates him
Even more tragic? MICHAEL ALMOST ESCAPED THAT LIFE.
EDIT: 90% of y'all are agreeing with me and the other 10% are proving my point.
Image credits: fangirlandproudofit
#12
Woody from toy story. Guy's ego is larger than the moon
Image credits: Torqyboi
Psychologist Lee Chambers told Bored Panda during an earlier interview that part of the reason why people enjoy watching entertainment that covers the darker side of humanity is due to our evolutionary journey as human beings.
“For the majority of our existence, we were prey and always hyperaware of threats to our safety, which created a negativity bias that we are drawn towards. But in today's safe and often sanitized world, we are rarely threatened significantly, and the ability to explore evil, frightening and gruesome entertainment is one of the few ways we can visit this part of humanity while remaining safe and comfortable,” he shared his thoughts about forms of entertainment like the spectacularly popular true crime genre.
“There is a level of novelty to it, it removes boredom quickly, and it helps us to discover our emotional limits while understanding the minds of those who go beyond social norms and potentially gaining knowledge of how we might avoid being victims ourselves. They also offer closure, with many stories ending with the mystery being solved, and the criminal being brought to a level of justice.”
#13
Light Yagami.So many people forget that Death Note basically shredded whatever redeeming qualities he had for the sole purpose of spreading the message that power corrupts/absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only thing that anyone really seems to talk about regarding his character is that he’s awesome, handsome, and polite, and even the former was a facade.
Image credits: More___Yogurt
#14
Ferris Bueller. Looking back he just seems like a lazy manipulative teenager who bullies his suicidal friend into riding and eventually crashing an expensive car, not to mention harassing his principal who was a jerk but was just trying to do his job.#15
Love Quinn from You.I can’t believe how many people worship her character. I have to tell myself that the people praising her actually KNOW she’s an insane, psychopathic, manipulative murderer, and their admiration of her is actually rooted in how well developed her character is and how refreshing it is to see a female villain instead of just another innocent victim. I have to tell myself that to sleep at night. Because there’s no way people actually admire HER, as in who her character was. There’s no way they can justify her actions or want to be anything like her. Right? Lol.
Image credits: DirtStreet3135
"It [the story] can take us on an emotional rollercoaster, have us trying to solve the puzzle and test our fear in a controlled way. The permission to explore evil is powerful, as we so rarely get the chance elsewhere, and in itself, it is healthy and normal in moderation," the psychologist told Bored Panda.
"The challenge we face is the fact that consuming too much of this can desensitize us, and cause us to become less empathetic to the suffering of others, more fearful of our own environment, and potentially be more likely to use aggression ourselves. It can also cause us to be triggered by our own previous adverse experiences, make it harder to manage our own emotional balance, and increase our stress levels, so moderating our consumption is something we should have front of mind, even when we get embroiled in the latest series that is pulling us in."
#16
Michael Scott? I mean, I know people don't "idolize" him. But overall he's so damn likeable that we all like him, and probably all think he's actually a caring, loving boss.But in reality he throws his people under the bus quite a bit and always puts himself first.
That said, I can't help but love the guy.
Image credits: NaughtSleeping
#17
scott pilgrim, hands down.
Image credits: spazzxxcc12
#18
Sephiroth. There are thousands of simps for this guy, myself included; even tho he’s the main antagonist of Final Fantasy 7 and killed a s**t ton of people
Image credits: ToaNinjaNuva
#19
Rorschach from Watchmen. The whole point of the character is he’s a mentally deranged and violent lunatic obsessed with right wing conspiracy theories. He’s an idiot. Even at the end of the book he gathers all this information that can expose the villains crimes, he sacrifices his life to make sure the truth gets out and to do so he sends the info to some no-name local rag that spends half their time reporting on the lizard people and nonsense like that. It’s a character people should cringe at and instead the idiots Rorschach was written to mock think he’s the ultimate badass.
Image credits: SomeBloke94
#20
Homelander from The Boys comes to mindWhat I am referring to is that there was an article that was published about some fans who genuinely thought Homelander, who is supposed to represent white supremacy ideology and toxic masculinity ideals, was actually a good guy in the show. It took them until the third season to find out that he was actually the bad guy and people were big mad about it. It blew my mind that they went through two seasons and thought Homelander was a good guy......
So that was who came to mind first with this prompt.
Image credits: biochemnerd12
#21
Patrick Bateman.The memes today are undermining how brutally narcissistic, inhuman and soulless he really is. The novel made me puke every few pages.
He himself admitted the only emotions he was left with was greed and disgust.
He is among the peak consumerist in a consumerism driven society.
Image credits: rukthor
#22
Greg heffley. Guys a little sh*thead.
Image credits: Unable_Violinist3966
#23
Thomas Shelby Peaky Blinders.
Image credits: Phillyfrom312
#24
Alex from A Clockwork Orange.The point of the book (to my reading) was that you can't force natures hand. All the rehabilitation in the world couldn't make Alex grow up, only Alex could. And he did. In the end, it was not a glorification of violence.
Image credits: zCYNICALifornia
#25
Jerry from Tom and Jerry. He's a f****r, Tom is just defending his house
Image credits: PapuMsterioso
#26
Tom from *500 Days of Summer*Really liked the character and could associate myself with him in my younger self but he's living in his fantasies more than understanding his reality.
Image credits: CrackerGuy
#27
Romeo and Juliet
Image credits: Why_So_Slow
#28
Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye. He wasn’t being refreshingly rebellious, he was crying out for help. He was probably mentally ill, and definitely emotionally scarred by his brother’s death and the unhealthy way his parents handled that tragedy.
Image credits: GoingOn2Perfection
#29
Not a character, but as a South American, it is disgusting how drug lords are being venerated due to some media about them that have come out in recent times, especially the series Narcos.There are people tattooing the image of Pablo Escobar! A genocina son of a b***h who is responsible for the murder of thousands of people, created a civil war for pure economic interest and only now is Colombia resurrecting the s**t that this man did. It's like getting a tattoo of Hitler.
Image credits: DELAIZ
#30
Not actually fictional but- The Wolf of Wall Street
Image credits: Infinite_Occasion
#31
Hannibal Lecter. Not everyone will admit it, but they cheered when Lecter escaped from the cops in Silence of the Lambs by wearing the one cop's face...Because Jonathan Demme painted Lecter almost as the protagonist opposite of Buffalo Bill's antagonist. So, we put aside the fact the man was a cannibal who had murdered multiple people and eaten them...we rooted for Lecter, because we liked him better...#32
Phantom of the Opera. Rejection does not give a person a free pass to manipulate someone into loving him or her. Don't get me wrong; I don't hate him- in fact, I sympathize with him because no one likes rejection and abuse, of course. Boy, is the musical character a hero compared to his portrayal in the book, though, and the character is actually far darker than any adaptation may be able to portray accurately! (Not to knock on Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber, of course; I'm just stating that the Phantom is far darker than I think *anyone* would be able to capture completely.)ETA: 1.5K karma??? Oh, boy, I had no idea Lord Webber's work was *that* controversial as compared to the book, but I did know the real Phantom was a lot darker....
#33
Jay Gatsby.#34
Your man Grey from the Fifty Shades books.**Disclaimer** My flatmate had all 3 books and I read them as a method of procrastination from uni work. I also cleaned out all the kitchen cupboards, so that shows the frame of mind I was in.
Why is he seen as a wonderful, sexy, man of your dreams? He's a narcissistic misogynistic d******d. He targeted a young naive girl and groomed her for his own enjoyment.
Image credits: MadWifeUK
#35
Archie Bunker - I hear boomers admiring that he didn't care if he offended people as if that's a good thing. In reality, the character was specifically written as a satire of the small-minded middle class bigots who think they're so clever when they know so little.#36
Travis Bickle"You talkin' to me?"
#37
Joker & Harley are still idolized as an example of crazy passionate love despite it being clearly established as an abusive relationship. It’s a shame the movies had to cut out most of the really bad Joker abuse because then maybe the point will be driven homefrom Bored Panda https://bit.ly/3B9WKtI
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