Most Interesting Fictional Characters

[SterlingNorth]

This thread is simply for the interesting characters from film, television, books, popular, obscure, whatever. The characters whom you'd like to know about. Characters whom are cooler than cool. Maybe those who'd you like to have a cup of coffee with, and find out why the act the way they do. I just want to place the restriction that they can not be real life people, living or dead. I do not want tortured logic just so you could list Jesus or Moses. Also, do not assume I'm culturally literate. Name the character, from what work that character is from, and why you think the character is cool.
(an if the character is from a movie or television show, it also helps to list the actor who portraying said character)

I'll open the forum with my picks.

• Dr. Theodore Morris (played by Dennis Haysbert) "Now and Again" (TV 1999-2000)-- For those who missed this recently cancelled show from CBS, the premise of this romantic, sci-fi fantasy is that insurance salesman, husband, and father Michael Wiseman was killed by being hit by a subway. Actually, his brain was saved and placed in a "Bionic Man" type superbody.
  Dr. Morris was the lead researcher and developer of this body. It is also his job to keep Michael focused on his duties for the US government and not on his family. He is a very logical, calm and collected person. He doesn't lose it even when he is angry. He is very book smart, but seems to be unbelievably dense in real life non-scientific affairs. For example, he always underestimates Michael's will to be reunited with his family. (Actually, I imagine him to be similar to David B. except for the street-smarts verdict.)
  
• Ranma Saotome "Ranma 1/2" (Japanese TV 1989-1994)
• Birdy Altirra & Tsutomu "Tetsuwan Birdy" (1996 TV) --There's always a certain amount of absurdity to be involved when the lead change genders but can't help it. This is the main plot twist in these anime titles. Ranma is the victim of a magical spring. Water serves as the catalyst. Cold=girl, hot=boy. But sadly enough, that's the least of the worries. His father is crazy, most of his friends want to cause him harm. His 'girlfriends' do cause him harm (particularly Akane). In as the case with many similar series, he also attracts the insane enemies like flies to honey. I'd be curious as to how he handles the insanity.
  Tsutomu seems to be the Charlie Brown of anime character. He's a very bright Japanese high-school student, but life never seems to give him a break. He has the persistent hang dog near the edge of depression look on him. Kinda' like me at that age. However, he accidently gets involved in an intergalacted fight. How? He's accidently killed by the intergalactic on-duty officer with the unorthodox methods, Birdy. Well, innocents can't be killed in the line of duty, especially when the death was caused by an extraterrestrial. The UFOlogist might sieze on this evidence. (nothing for KO) So to save the kids life -- and to serve as a unique punishment and plot twist -- Birdy is forced to share her body with him. (Remember the Steve Martin movie "All of Me." It's pretty much like that, except physical transformations are involved also.) Why is Birdy so, reckless and hot-headed? I'd like to know. Why is Tsutomu is so morose? I'd like to know also. Because the series is abandoned after episode four.

Now that I've frightened you with my selections, (I've got more, but these are the most normal ones I can come up with at 1am) go right on and post. Have fun. Be creative.

SterlingNorth
_{Today's episode has been brought to you by death, resurrection, and gender confusion. This post has been partially funded by the "Institute for the Study of Self-Identity". What is your's?^TM}

[Saint Zero]

Cowboy, from Hardwired. Doesn't lose his cool, and keeps his plan going until the end. Wonderful Book.

I could start a flame war with my pick for _Least Favorite Fictional Character_ but I'll wait for the thread.

[Czarcasm]

Woodrow Wilson Smith aka Lazarus Long, from the book Time Enough For Love.

[Kiva]

Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy L. Sayers' detective.

Samuel Weller, from Dickens' Pickwick Papers.

Ford Prefect

Sherlock Holmes

Mara Jade

[SPOOFE]

Gandalf the Grey/White (depending on when you read the books) from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings series. An ultra-powerful being hiding behind the guise of a crazy old wizard (most of the time). He finds amusement everywhere, and has a strength beyond that which his mortal body has. And he's not anal, either... not entirely.

I would also be intrigued with meeting Wedge Antilles, from the Star Wars trilogy (the GOOD trilogy) and the X-Wing books. He's one of those characters who's old beyond his years, with more experience than he should have... and he's fun, t'boot. Actually, just about anyone from the X-wing series ('cept Bror Jace... he was an ass).

[Flutterby]

Okay for me I'd have to go with

• Sydney from Pretender and played by Patrick Bauchau. I'd really like to ask him why he stayed with the center when he knew what they were doing. (Was it really just for Jarod? Or his own personal reasons?) And why did he not leave when Jarod had escaped? To be his connection back in? Or so he could easily keep track of where he had been and what he had done? I could understand the latter but not the former. Jarod could get in whether or not Sydney was there and he would always call to talk to him no matter where he was because Sydney basically was his father.
  
• Lessa from Dragonriders of Pern. I really want to talk to her about Dragons and possibly meet Ramoth..
  
• Killashandra from the Crystal Singer trilogy. I'd like to know about crystal singing and the planets she's visited (as long as it wasn't a violation of the Hepatite Guild..)
  

Hmm thats all I can think of right now. I'll get back to you if I think of any others I want to meet.

[Annie-Xmas]

Kinky Friedman from the Kinky Friedman mysteries.
Dr. Zhivago
Dr. Who (Tom Baker)
Malder & Scully from the X-files

[Goose]

Tanis, Dragonlance Choronicles- He was the wise leader who kept the party of opposites together. Even Raistlin would listen to Tanis and Tanis wasn't nearly as powerful as Raist. Plus he was a Bastard Half-Elf which is enough problems right there. I want to know what he saw in Kit and why he chose Laurana.

Mr. Clark, Without Remorse, Rainbow Six- I just want to drink a cup of coffee with this man and know his views on gun control and hippies.

Theo Bell, Clan Novel Brujah- Any Vampire would do, but if I had a choice I'd want to talk to this Brujah. He is in your face and tough and I'd want to know his thoughts on the whole undead thing. Is it a curse or a blessing?

[RealityChuck]

Death -- both the Terry Pratchett version and the Neil Gaiman one.

Ebeneezer Cook from THE SOT WEED FACTOR

Tyrone Slothrup from GRAVITY'S RAINBOW

Sherlock Holmes

Krazy Kat

[as_u_wish]

My top pick--Lord Peter Wimsey is already taken. And my second--Lessa of Pern. I shoulda stayed in bed.

I will nonetheless offer:

Nero Wolfe (Rex Stout's NYC detective)

There are a lot of minor characters around (like Treebeard and Puddleglum and James Bond's buddies in Q branch) that I'd like to know more about, but that's probably a whole 'nother thread.

[AuntiePam]

I'd love to spend a week or so with Leonard Pine and Hap Collins. Joe Lansdale's creations -- redneck Renaissance men, they are.

[PunditLisa]

The winner, hands down, is Gus from Lonesome Dove. A cowboy. Funny, clever, a man's man. I'll never forgive Larry McMurtry for killing him off. Cretin.

Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series. Mmm-mmm. An ideal male as envisioned by a female. Can quote Shakespeare AND swing a mean broadaxe. Plus, he has an accent, ye ken, and can fill out a kilt. Gawd, I'm getting horny.

Moses from the Bible. God speaks to him. Need I say more?

Darth Vader from Star Wars - turns to the dark side, then back again. Great storyline, great character.

Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind - dashing, loyal, charming, but an achilles heel. Ya gotta love that in a guy.

[ThisYearsGirl]

Andy Dufrense from "Shawshank Redemption"--how could you not totally fall in love with him?

I can't remember his name, but the guy who played the drums in Pagan Kennedy's "The Exes." I thought he was clearly the coolest character, but he only had a few pages dedicated to him.

James from Elizabeth McCracken's "The Giant's House."

Everyone in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried."

[Czarcasm]

Y'know, on second thought I'll change my vote.
The greatest fictional character broke his first bronc and became the blood brother of a Blackfoot Indian medicine man by the age of six. At age sixteen, he traveled to the farthest reaches of Asia. One year later, in 1928, he left school and returned to the Orient.
In 1929 he resumed his schooling and took up atomic and molecular physics. During his college years he became a national correspondant and photographer for the most distinguished aviation magazine of his time.
Today, he is considered to be one of the most acclaimed science fiction writers of all time, a field he revolutionized.

Can anyone name this fictional character?

[Goose]

Slythe

I thought it was Indy Jones until it said Sci-Fi writer. I don't know but I want to add Indy Jones on my list now.

[Kallessa]

Corwin from Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series--one of my all time favorites, very cool. A warrior
in the true sense of the word, a gentlemen, and a philosopher, albeit a reluctant one. And he's
part of a great family!

John Carter from E.R. Burroughs "Warlord of Mars" series--a Virginia gentlemen, with the spirit
of the Warrior in his soul. It's the accent, combine it with a sword--I'm a pushover.

Han Solo--arrogant but vunerable, who could want more?

Coren from Patricia McKillip's "Forgotten Beast of Eld"--a great book by a great author. For
that matter, I wouldn't mind spending time with Sybel from the same book. He's just an all
around romantic hero, willing to give up his vengence for his lady, ready to fight for her heart, a
and forgive when her pride gets in their way.

Rumpole from John Mortimer's books. Because I like lawyers.

And, of course, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, and Paddington
Bear, 'cuz girls just want to have fun.

[Sealemon88]

A couple off the top of my head:

Obie: from The Well Of souls series. He's a sentient computer with a reality changing apperatus. His character seems very interesting and moral, esp. considering the power he wields.

Jesse, from The Preacher comic book series. He's a down to earth character with the word Of God (Hmm. seems to be a patern here).

Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman.

Sten, from the sci fi series. Also, from the same series, I'd like to meet the immortal emperor,

[Sealemon88]

Paksennarion(sp?), from The Deed Of Paksennarion. A female paladin (Holy warrior), she faces trails and tribulations that knock her down, but never break her. A strong, moral, female character in a sword and sorcery series. Pretty cool.

Martha Washington, from Frank Miller's Give Me Liberty graphic novel series.

[mazirian]

Can anyone name this fictional character?

El-Ron?

[Czarcasm]

Ding-ding!
mararian wins the booby prize. I had my doubts about L. Ron Hubbard as a fiction writer, until I read his biography in the back of Battlefield Earth.

[Kiva]

Goose wrote:

I thought it was Indy Jones until it said Sci-Fi writer. I don't know but I want to add Indy Jones on my list now.

I can't believe I forgot Indiana Jones!


as_u_wish wrote:

My top pick--Lord Peter Wimsey is already taken.

You can have him on alternate weekends, Easter, and Guy Fawkes Day.

[Narile]

Havelock Vetinary, the Patrician of Anhk-Morpork. One of the great manipulators of fiction. He adapts everything to his plans...that is if he hadn't already planned it to happen that way.

Sealemon88, Paks did get broken in the second book...she got better though.

Drzzt might be interesting to meet and talk to.

Cadfael....He is one whom I'd love to meet, especially since Nero Wolfe isn't available anymore.

[Narile]

*Thwap to the forehead.*

Forgot another -

Lord D'Arcy. How would you like to be a detective in a world of magic? Others have done the idea also, but Randal Garret did it first and best.

[SarumanRex]

In case it isn't obvious from my username, I think the evil wizard Saruman from Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is a great character. He begins his life as the single greatest force for good in all of Middle Earth but before it's over he becomes infected with the evil of the world and is consumed by it. By the end he is a withered husk of what he once was, but still capable of evil "in a small mean way" as Gandalf put it.
Most people admire the good wizard Gandalf (or the embodiment of all that is evil Sauron) but these characters are pure fiction like Santa Claus or the boogey man with no basis in reality. When you're a kid they drive your imagination but as you get older you realize how one dimensional they are. The real hero of the story is, of course, Frodo and the real villain IMHO is Saruman.

[Johnny Angel]

I think villians make the most interesting heroes. The willingness for an amoral person to stand up for something or somebody is a lot more powerful than for a person for whom morality is not even an issue. Take, for example:

The Continental Op, as he is at the end of Dashiel Hammett's The Dain Curse.

Phillip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's drunken misanthrope who time and time again busts his ass to help out people who can't pay what his services are worth.

Leon from the movie The Professional, who kills without remorse, but is somehow enobled by his humility and his capacity for caring.

Mr. White from Resorvoir Dogs who sacrifices himself for a fellow thief, who turns out .

Jimmy from Laws of Gravity who gets in trouble because he won't turn his back on a friend just because he's an asshole.

[labdude]

The winner, hands down, is Gus from Lonesome Dove. A cowboy. Funny, clever, a man's man. I'll never forgive Larry McMurtry for killing him off. Cretin.

You took my pick, and I was so sure noone would pick Agustus. We must be soulmates. Meet me at the church tommrow.

michael

[Kilgore Trout]

Kilgore Trout.
Alex, Our Humble Narrator.
Cecil Adams.

[Flutterby]

I thought of a few more that I wanted to talk to as well.

• Veralidaine Sarrasri Or Daine for short from The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce. I'd like to talk to her learn what its like to be the child of a god and a woman who was made a goddess and what its like to have wild magick and talk with the animals etc
  
• Alanna of Trebond and Olau (sp?) from the Lioness Rampant series by Tamora Pierce I'd like to know what it was like to learn to be a knight and a mage and maybe talk with Jonathan and George while I'm there. (The King and ex prince of thieves respectively)
  
• Masterharper Robinton I can't believe I forgot about him I mean look at him a wonderful guy, singer, greatest man on Pern. (At least according to some people) It would be wonderful to sit down with him for some Benden White and talk the night away about whatever comes to mind. (Was I the only one who cried when he died? Please tell me not.)

[PunditLisa]

labdude, you didn't say WHICH church.


Lisa, waiting a bolt of lightning to strike Kilgore Trout...

[Fleetwood]

Travis McGee
Inspector Frost

[Rosebud]

Igraine, from Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. Her lineage, her choices, the fact that she lived in a castle (Tintagel)... other characters get more attention in that book, but she's a key figure.

I'd like to spend a day with any of the women in Richard Adams's book Maia.

And, of course, I'd love to meet Harry Potter

[Ukulele Ike]

I'm gonna go with The Bellman, from Lewis Carroll's great verse epic The Hunting of the Snark.

One can see he is wise the moment one looks in his face.

Also, he's the guy I'd want at my elbow if the Snark is a Boojum. True, he wasn't much good to The Baker, but the Baker had driven the poor Bellman half-mad due to his limited abilities (he could only bake bride-cake, for which we may state no materials were to be had). Plus he keeps a Beaver, who had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck, though none of the sailors knew how.

-- Uke, charming with smiles and soap

[annalamerino]

Sherlock Holmes. Smarter than Cecil, and sometimes carries a gun.

[labdude]

labdude, you didn't say WHICH church.


Lisa, waiting a bolt of lightning to strike Kilgore Trout...

de one at da end of de street. I waited and waited all day. I just wanna be loved. Is that so wrong.

michael

[Dumbguy]

I was going to say Gus and Phillip Marlowe, both of which have already been mentioned. I hate being average.

I just read the sequel to Lonesome Dove, and it was not nearly as good, mostly because of it's pronounced Guslessness.

[rackensack]

I'm gonna go with The Bellman, from Lewis Carroll's great verse epic The Hunting of the Snark.

One can see he is wise the moment one looks in his face.

Also, he's the guy I'd want at my elbow if the Snark is a Boojum. True, he wasn't much good to The Baker, but the Baker had driven the poor Bellman half-mad due to his limited abilities (he could only bake bride-cake, for which we may state no materials were to be had). Plus he keeps a Beaver, who had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck, though none of the sailors knew how.

-- Uke, charming with smiles and soap

...he had only one notion for crossing the ocean, and that was to tinkle his bell. And there's that business of the bowsprit getting mixed with the rudder sometimes. Not exactly the sort of flexible responsiveness to circumstances one might wish for from one in his position.

[vandal]

Here is the list that immediately comes to mind...

• John Clark - Leader of Rainbox Six team in Tom Clancy's novel, Rainbox Six.
  
• John Connor - Leader of the human resistance in the Terminator series.
  
• Jules Winnfield - Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction. So did he go on that "mission" or what?
  
• Lt. James Curran - Michael Biehn in Navy Seals. What a freakin genius.

Hopefully, more to come later.

[Eposia]

[*]Masterharper Robinton I can't believe I forgot about him I mean look at him a wonderful guy, singer, greatest man on Pern. (At least according to some people) It would be wonderful to sit down with him for some Benden White and talk the night away about whatever comes to mind. (Was I the only one who cried when he died? Please tell me not.)[/list]

Not.

There are too many favorite characters to list them all, but I'll try to name a few...

Lady Sally McGee , from Callahan's Lady and Lady Slings the Booze, by Spider Robinson. Not a famous author, but quite good.

Heris Serrano, from the series by Elizabeth Moon which includes Winning Colors (can't remember the rest right now...)

The Rowan, from the Talent series by Anne McCaffrey. Also Tirla, same series, different book.

Mrs Murphy, the cat detective in the mystery series by Rita Mae Brown (also a great author -- her fiction stuff is better than the mysteries...)...(first book was Wish You Were Here)

Also, going with the felines, the cat in the book Summon The Keeper, by Tanya Huff (one of the funniest books I have ever read)

Skandranon, from the Black Gryphon series by Mercedes Lackey.

Vlad Taltos, from the Jhereg series by Steven Brust. Also Sethra Lavode, same series.

In addition, some great ones have already been listed, like Jules, Paksennarion, Lessa, Killa, Robinton, Corwin, Indy, etc.

[Kakkerlak]

Guess I've been laying off the fantasy for too long; I don't recognize 70% of these characters or books.

Last winter I couldn't get Owen Meany out of my head. The hero of John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a remarkable intepretation of the apostle Paul.

And then there's John Galt. My whole engineering career, though not exactly earth-shattering, has been because I picked up a copy of Atlas Shrugged when I was seventeen.

[betenoir]

Gee, I thought I'd be the only one to mention Rocketman (AKA Tyrone Slothrop)
And also Neil Gaiman's Death. And Dream. Delirium I've already met.
And while we're on comics, John Constantine (Hellblazers), and King Mob (Invisibles)

And...
Dr. Benway
Kilgore Trout
Humbert Humbert
Sr. Stephen
and Gregor Samsa (after)

[JavaMaven1]

The thing is, I haven't read any fiction book is so long, I'm really trying to think of fictional characters--and all I'm coming up with is Anne Rice ones...

Lestat, from the Vampire Chronicles
Mona, from the Mayfair Witches Trilogy

from movies--it HAS to be Indiana Jones (really well-written hero, Joseph Campbell would have been proud)

my favorite people from my non-fiction reads have been Queen Elizabeth I and M.F.K. Fisher.

[Satchmo]

Well, someone already mentioned Lazarus Long, so I'll have to go with Mycroft Holmes from Heinline's 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'.

Also Louis Wu from Niven's 'Ringworld' and Beowolf Shaeffer from various 'known space' stories.

And as a slght hijack, groups of interesting characters you'd like to hang out with. I've got two similar groups that come to mind: the buckaneers that work with Buckaroo Banzai and the group surrounding Doc Savage. Oh great, now I've got to go home and search through boxes of old books.
<sigh>

[barton]

Hmm. Here's a few...

Felix, the near-invincible scout in John Steakley's Armor, and the amoral Jack Crow from the same book.

Thomas C., the Unbeliever, from Stephen Donaldson's two over-the-top but brilliant trilogies. A great anti-hero.

The mysterious, uber-powerful Count Fenris from Dune. I've never wanted to know more about a secondary character.

Someone mentioned Nero Wolfe - how about the master of disguise, Saul Panzer? What does that guy do with that talent when he's not working for Nero and Archie?

I forget his name, but Vlad Talto's sidekick from Steve Brust's novels - starts with a K, I think - with his hilarious, completely unexplained ability to remain unnoticed, i.e. "Um, I'm right here, boss..." Hard to kill a guy if you can't notice him sitting next to you.

Corwin from Amber is a good pick, but I think his brother Random is more fascinating. A professional jazz drummer, hanglider, and poker player becoming King of all Order? That's RZ for you.

This could get very long so I'll stop now.

[gobear]

My picks:
Capt. Harry Flashman--He's a liar, womanizer, poltroon, and accidental hero who always manages to show up at famous 19th century military engagements from the Sikh War to Little Big Horn. He's the protagonist of a series of humorous historical novels by George MacDonald Fraser.

Oliver Wiswell, from the eponymous novel by Kenneth Roberts.
He's a Yale student who fights the American Revolution on the Loyalist side.

Judge Dee, from the mystery novels by Robert van Gulik. He's
a wise magistrate administering justice in Tang China.

Horace Rumpole, as played by Leo McKern in the TV shows based on the stories by John Mortimer. He quotes Wordsworth,
drinks and smokes too much, and always defends the innocent and not-so-innocent against the British legal system.

[wevets]

How about Ace Rimmer from Red Dwarf?

Or Miyamoto Usagi from the, er... Stan Sakai's comic books (can't spell the title)

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

Kosh

[Indiana Jones]

My two favorites have already been mentioned: Indiana Jones (obviously) and Louis Wu from the Ringworld novels. Also John Christian Falkenberg. And Legolas and Gimli son of Gloin.

[Nightingale]

My vote goes to Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, with Honorable Mention to Rhett Butler. She is one of the most comoplex, sometimes-you-hate-her-but you-can't-help-loving-her characters ever created.

[Edwardina]

The ones I want to actually know:

1. Spenser, from the novels by Robert B. Parker
2. Donald Shimoda, from Illusions by Richard Bach
3. Adoan, from the Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
4. Jean-Luc Picard, from Star Trek: TNG
5. Jubal Harshaw, from Stranger In A Strange Land, and others by Robert Heinlein
6. Richard Rahl, from The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
7. Lan, from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
8. Mythos/Adam Pierson from Highlander the TV series
9. Daniel Jackson from the movie Stargate
10. Marcus from Babylon 5
11. Aslan, from the Chronicles of Narnia
12. Skink, from Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
13. Constable Benton Fraser, from Due South the TV series
14. Rick O'Connell from the movie The Mummy
15. Maximus from the movie Gladiator

[Rincewind]

The Discworld series is full of interesting characters.

Death and the Patrician have already been mentioned.

I'll add

Commander Samuel Vimes
Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson
Granny Weatherwax
and my namesake, Rincewind the Wizzard