What fictional characters do judge most (and least) trustworthy?

Cafe Society
1

In the current Walking Dead thread, Human Action writes:

This thread is not about The Walking Dead in general, or Michonne’s mute psychopathy, or how hot Laurie Holden is. Those are all worthy topics, particularly, the last, but if you want to talk about them you should go to the linked thread, unless you’re posting cheesecake of Laurie Holden of course, because, damn, that girl has some nice wheels. No, this thread is about the trustworthiness of fictional characters. The question is this:

You’re in a given fictional universe of the action/adventure type, and you come across Heroic Character X apparently about to assault or murder someone you had heretofore trusted. Absent evidence, what characters are you going to trust on principle and immediately, and thus be willing to await an explanation given at that character’s convenience? Contrariwise, who are you most likely to be suspicious of and want an immediate explanation from?

In the Immediately Trust category, I’m going to nominate Jethro Gibbs, from NCIS. If, while in the NCISverse, I turn a corner and see Gibbs holding a gun on Barack Obama, I’m going to think, “Holy crap, Barry really was the Manchurian candidate!”

In the Probably Suspicious, I’ll nominate Xena. If I turn a corner and see Xena’s latest reincarnation about to disembowel the president, I’m likely to think, "Damn it, woman, you backslid again? (I’m not going to try to stop her, though, as I want to live.)

But that’s just me. Anybody else

Incidentally, the spirit of the thread calls for us to restrict ourselves to heroic characters. If you turn a corner and see the Joker about to shoot someone you’ll surely assume it’s an unjustified murder unless the victim is, I dunno, the Joker or somebody. That said, I expect this caveat to be ignored by post 10, so I’m only including it so I don’t have to rant later.

2

Dammit, Skald, get the frak out of my head. I would totally have said this if I had thought of it first.

As for untrustworthy, it’s going to be Gregory House, MD. I wouldn’t trust that man with the combination to my old high school locker. He can practice medicine on me if my life’s in danger, but I want someone with a Taser standing right behind him.

3

As I have told you before, I am not in your head. I have quasi-telepathic nanobots in your head transmitting certain pieces of information on a regular schedule. And they’re there for [del]RhymerInc profit because of contract you signed at gunpoint[/del] for your own good.

4

In the completely untrustworthy category, I’d say Mr.Morden from Babylon 5. Even before he says a single word, he just oozes sleaze. And then once the,
“What do you want?”-s start pouring out, I wouldn’t even bother saying “nothing” before leaving for fear that he’d fulfill that request and make the universe cease to exist.

5

Immediate Trust for Factual Situations: Sherlock Holmes from the BBC re-boot. Brains almost totally divorced from distortions caused by empathy or emotion. Not anyone I’d want for a friend, but if there’s facts, I’m going with whatever he says.

Immediate Trust just because: Michael Carpenter from the Dresden Files novels. I’m not a Christian, but I want to be on that man’s team.
Immediate Distrust just because: Mal from Firefly. Poor dude is constantly picking fights cause he’s peeved, and just generally getting shit wrong. Good heart, but not wrapped up too tight. He’d be able to convince me he’s right if necessary, but my immediate response is “Oh Lord, what’s he gotten himself into this time.”

6

Immediately trust Sam Vines or Carrot Ironfoundersson.

7

Immediately Trust: Horton
Probably Suspicious: The Cat in the Hat

8

Immediately trust: Batman
Probably suspicious: Roland of Gilead
Immediately distrust: Mason Verger

9

I wouldn’t automatically distrust Mal, and I’d be inclined to believe him once he explained himself, but I’d need him to do just that. Unless he were pointing a gun at Jane or Simon, or Kaylee, that is. In the first case, J’d assume Mal was in the right unless I had enormous evidence otherwise; in the second I’d assume Simon had started something he couldn’t finish but I might try to talk Mal down; and in the third I’d say “What the fuck is wrong with you, Cap’n? Kaylee is not to be harmed for any reason! Now put down the gun before I shoot you in the back!”

(I would not say any of that if I were in Mal’s eyeline for obvious reasons.)

Zoe, on the other hand: immediate trust, nearly but not quite at the Gibbs level.

I’m with you on the latter two, but Batman? When was the last time that he was both entirely stable and not an asshole?

For comic book characters: Wonder Woman, Captain America, Thor, and Storm all get the default benefit of the doubt.

10

Trust - Sam from LOTR
Distrust - Gollum

11

Especially in light of Crazy Steve Batman in All Star Batman and Robin, your point is not without merit. Keep in mind though that, other than the odd Elseworlds, I’m not a regular reader. My mental picture of Batman is how he was portrayed in the 70’s and early 80’s as the writers made a deliberate effort to leave 60’s camp Batman behind, but before The Dark Knight Returns was published and Crazy Steve was conceived. I’m also strongly influenced by how he was portrayed in BTAS. That Batman was a good egg. For a character with as many different versions as Batsy has, I guess I should have specified which Batman I’d trust.

12

Gollum’s not a hero. But then, I did predict people would ignore that part of the OP.

I’m not sure about Sam. I can think of at least one major incident when Sam’s instincts were wrong.

I’d trust (the book versions of) Gandalf, Aragorn, Faramir, Elrond, and probably Merry out of hand; whoever they were holding the sword on has just been revealed as a servant of Morgoth, and I’m just late to the party. Legolas and Gimli may have lost their tempers at an insult to Galadriel. Pippin may well be mistaken; Eowyn may be trying to commit suicide-by-proxy; Boromir and Frodo may be ring-influenced, depending on the point in the story.

Oh, I’m sure I’ve made worse mistakes.

Ignoring the Adam West version (too different from any other to be reconciled), my experience of Batman begins with the Englebert/Aparo version in the 70s: specifically the Joker fish story. That Batman isn’t an asshole, but you can push him too far. Even then it was clear that his no-killing rule isn’t an ethical stance like Superman’s; it’s because he knows that once he starts, he’s not gonna stop till the Justice League puts him down.

13

but what if Jethro is about to break Natalie Portman’s clavicles? Then what?

Immediately Trust – Arya Stark - Possible insane, but she’s never been wrong. And only one murder of pure convenience that I can recall.

Immediately Suspicious – Daenerys Targaryen - Much to hormonal. Easily deceived and/or manipulated.

Immediately Distrust – Sansa Stark - A starry-eyed fool. She is definitely someone’s catspaw. Probably Littlefinger’s.

14

I ignored the part that all three choices are supposed to be heroes. So let me ammend my list to replace Mason Verger with Rick Deckard as one I would immediately distrust.

15

I’m not sure whether to be mildly flattered or mildly dismayed by the attention this shows to my posting history. Just to be safe I’m sending someone over to rummage through your drawers, install key loggers on all your computers, et cetera.

With the exception of pre-op transexuals who have murdered an NCIS agent, Gibbs is unlikely to do violence to a woman. I think Portman would be very hard for him. I don’t know exactly how old she is but I would guess early 30s, and having recently done the math I believe he is in his mid-fifties. (Enlisted the Marines in '76, presumably anyone from 17-19). He’s going to see an attractive woman of her age and think “Kelly,” and have a hard time initiating any conflict. If he’s managed to do so, it means that he’s just found out she killed Abby or that she’s a vampire or something.

16

Is Bill O’Reilly a fictional character?

17

Immediately trust: Captain America. He’s pretty much the poster boy for “Lawful Good” alignment.

Immediately distrust: Gaius Baltar and Tom Zarek.

18

Immediately trust: Captain Horatio Hornblower.

Suspicious of: Richard Sharpe.

Immediately distrust: Harry Paget Flashman. :smiley:

19

Immediate trust: Atticus Finch. The only drawback there is that he’s so completely, morally upright that he might not be as helpful in situations that call for a certain . . . flexibilty.

Immediate distrust: Iago, 'cause obviously.

20

Seven bloody hells!! It looks stalker-ish typed out like that. I swear, clavicles and Portman and Skald just seems to have created some sort of weird mnemonic in my head. Now I’m going to have self-esteem issues. I need a drink.

and I run Windows so all of my computers already have keyloggers.

Trust - Daredevil
Suspicious - The Punisher
Don’t Trust - Deadpool