# Is there a fictional character more popular than Sherlock Holmes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211 "2014-08-22T15:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/41 "2014-08-23T18:56:54Z")
> [@nachtmusick](#): > > The Protagonist The Narrator ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/42 "2014-08-23T18:58:03Z")
I went searching for some help on this topic and found [The 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time](http://fandomania.com/100-characters/) and thought I’d post the link before reading it. Anybody know of a more “reliable” list somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/43 "2014-08-23T19:02:57Z")
Hey, do we get to count Prince Charming double for _Cinderella_ and _Snow White_ plus arguable bonus points for _Sleeping Beauty_? That dude gets around. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/44 "2014-08-23T19:46:42Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I went searching for some help on this topic and found [The 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time](http://fandomania.com/100-characters/) and thought I’d post the link before reading it. Seems to cover a lot of the above bases: King Arthur loses out to Robin Hood, both fall short of James Bond, all of them _are_ Sean Connery; strongmen like Hercules and Beowulf make the list, but are outclassed by brainy Odysseus; Sherlock makes the Top Five, but isn’t in Batman’s league; and so on for Tarzan and Dracula and et cetera. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/45 "2014-08-23T20:40:18Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Seems to cover a lot of the above bases: King Arthur loses out to Robin Hood, both fall short of James Bond, all of them _are_ Sean Connery; strongmen like Hercules and Beowulf make the list, but are outclassed by brainy Odysseus; Sherlock makes the Top Five, but isn’t in Batman’s league; and so on for Tarzan and Dracula and et cetera. I’m curious how SDMB (at least those of us playing in this thread) would slice up that 100. I know I only have maybe 20 of that list that I would even rank in my own favorites, and I’d be including Dexter and House and the like. Omar would be close to Sherlock for me! Should we start a new thread for that purpose or just post our own Top Ten from that list here to see where it might go? Anyway, I 'm going to think seriously about which ten from that 100 I would include in the Most Popular List. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/46 "2014-08-23T21:23:04Z")
To save others the hassle of reducing those pages to one list, here are the **The 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time** in one stack: ====================================== 1. Dr. Sam Beckett 2. Lois Lane 3. Hellboy 4. Patrick Bateman 5. V 6. Raistlin Majere 7. Aeryn Sun 8. Guybrush Threepwood 9. Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski 10. Kermit the Frog 11. Barney Stinson 12. Hermione Granger 13. Dr. Doom 14. Ayanami Rei 15. Squall Leonhart 16. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce 17. Boba Fett 18. Jayne Cobb 19. The Flash 20. Dorothy Gale 21. Alice 22. Magneto 23. Calvin 24. Ash Williams 25. Death 26. Omar Little 27. River Tam 28. Samwise Gamgee 29. Hercules 30. John Carter 31. Deadpool 32. Dexter Morgan 33. Eric Cartman 34. Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy 35. Tarzan 36. Catwoman 37. Holden Caulfield 38. Yuna Braska 39. Aquaman 40. Doctor Strange 41. Yoda 42. Optimus Prime 43. Huckleberry Finn 44. Ellen Ripley 45. Mickey Mouse 46. Bilbo Baggins 47. Tom Sawyer 48. Dr. Gregory House 49. Green Lantern 50. Galactus 51. Ebenezer Scrooge 52. Veronica Mars 53. Bugs Bunny 54. G’Kar 55. Captain Ahab 56. Solid Snake 57. Dream 58. Conan 59. Cloud Strife 60. John Crichton 61. Jean-Luc Picard 62. Beowulf 63. Fitzwilliam Darcy 64. Iron Man 65. Cthulhu 66. Mario 67. Severus Snape 68. Gandalf 69. Atticus Finch 70. Laura Roslin 71. Joker 72. Aragorn 73. Odysseus 74. Elizabeth Bennet 75. Scarlett O’Hara 76. King Arthur 77. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace 78. Merlin 79. Robin Hood 80. Wolverine 81. Malcolm Reynolds 82. Frodo Baggins 83. Homer Simpson 84. Frankenstein’s Monster 85. Hamlet 86. Han Solo 87. Luke Skywalker 88. James T. Kirk 89. James Bond 90. Dracula 91. Indiana Jones 92. Mr. Spock 93. Harry Potter 94. Spider-Man 95. Darth Vader 96. Sherlock Holmes 97. The Doctor 98. Buffy Summers 99. Superman 100. Batman ====================================== Do what you will with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/47 "2014-08-23T22:10:40Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Not Wong Fei-Hung? That seems to be the name in every Chinese kung fu movie set in the past. He was a real person. He was a Chinese folk hero comparable to say Wyatt Earp. In fact both lived to the 1920s. I’m not 100% sure it’s true but I believe more movies have been made of him than any other historical figure, with Jack the Ripper coming in second. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/48 "2014-08-23T22:28:47Z")
If he counts as a fictional character rather than a historical one, the Devil has more IMDB credits than Santa Claus and King Arthur put together: _Faust_ this, _Daniel Webster_ that, and on through from Peter Cook to George Burns to Tim Curry and et cetera. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/49 "2014-08-23T23:12:20Z")
Maynard G. Krebbs Eddie Haskell ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/50 "2014-08-23T23:30:56Z")
I see that Superman is #2 on that list. I once read that he is the fictional character with the longest run of continuous publication. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/51 "2014-08-23T23:34:02Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I see that Superman is #2 on that list. I once read that he is the fictional character with the longest run of continuous publication. Pretty sure both the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician have him beat. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/52 "2014-08-24T04:59:47Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > To save others the hassle of reducing those pages to one list, here are the > **The 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time** in one stack: > > ====================================== > > 1. Dr. Sam Beckett > > 2. Lois Lane > > 3. Hellboy > > 4. Patrick Bateman > > 5. V > > 6. Raistlin Majere > > 7. Aeryn Sun > > 8. Guybrush Threepwood > > 9. Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski > > 10. Kermit the Frog > > 11. Barney Stinson > > 12. Hermione Granger > > 13. Dr. Doom > > 14. Ayanami Rei > > 15. Squall Leonhart > > 16. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce > > 17. Boba Fett > > 18. Jayne Cobb > > 19. The Flash > > 20. Dorothy Gale > > 21. Alice > > 22. Magneto > > 23. Calvin > > 24. Ash Williams > > 25. Death > > 26. Omar Little > > 27. River Tam > > 28. Samwise Gamgee > > 29. Hercules > > 30. John Carter > > 31. Deadpool > > 32. Dexter Morgan > > 33. Eric Cartman > > 34. Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy > > 35. Tarzan > > 36. Catwoman > > 37. Holden Caulfield > > 38. Yuna Braska > > 39. Aquaman > > 40. Doctor Strange > > 41. Yoda > > 42. Optimus Prime > > 43. Huckleberry Finn > > 44. Ellen Ripley > > 45. Mickey Mouse > > 46. Bilbo Baggins > > 47. Tom Sawyer > > 48. Dr. Gregory House > > 49. Green Lantern > > 50. Galactus > > 51. Ebenezer Scrooge > > 52. Veronica Mars > > 53. Bugs Bunny > > 54. G’Kar > > 55. Captain Ahab > > 56. Solid Snake > > 57. Dream > > 58. Conan > > 59. Cloud Strife > > 60. John Crichton > > 61. Jean-Luc Picard > > 62. Beowulf > > 63. Fitzwilliam Darcy > > 64. Iron Man > > 65. Cthulhu > > 66. Mario > > 67. Severus Snape > > 68. Gandalf > > 69. Atticus Finch > > 70. Laura Roslin > > 71. Joker > > 72. Aragorn > > 73. Odysseus > > 74. Elizabeth Bennet > > 75. Scarlett O’Hara > > 76. King Arthur > > 77. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace > > 78. Merlin > > 79. Robin Hood > > 80. Wolverine > > 81. Malcolm Reynolds > > 82. Frodo Baggins > > 83. Homer Simpson > > 84. Frankenstein’s Monster > > 85. Hamlet > > 86. Han Solo > > 87. Luke Skywalker > > 88. James T. Kirk > > 89. James Bond > > 90. Dracula > > 91. Indiana Jones > > 92. Mr. Spock > > 93. Harry Potter > > 94. Spider-Man > > 95. Darth Vader > > 96. Sherlock Holmes > > 97. The Doctor > > 98. Buffy Summers > > 99. Superman > > 100. Batman > > ====================================== > > Do what you will with it. 🙂 Who put this list together?!? Not only are there a number of names I don’t even recognize, there are some I _do_ know whose presence baffles me! :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/53 "2014-08-24T06:44:00Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Who put this list together?!? Not only are there a number of names I don’t even recognize, there are some I _do_ know whose presence baffles me! :dubious: 😕 Whoever it was was obviously a _Firefly_ fan. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/54 "2014-08-24T07:42:37Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Seems to cover a lot of the above bases: King Arthur loses out to Robin Hood, both fall short of James Bond, all of them _are_ Sean Connery; strongmen like Hercules and Beowulf make the list, but are outclassed by brainy Odysseus; Sherlock makes the Top Five, but isn’t in Batman’s league; and so on for Tarzan and Dracula and et cetera. > [@Zeldar](#): > > I’m curious how SDMB (at least those of us playing in this thread) would slice up that 100. I know I only have maybe 20 of that list that I would even rank in my own favorites, and I’d be including Dexter and House and the like. Omar would be close to Sherlock for me! > > Should we start a new thread for that purpose or just post our own Top Ten from that list here to see where it might go? > > Anyway, I 'm going to think seriously about which ten from that 100 I would include in the Most Popular List. > > Anybody else? > [@terentii](#): > > Who put this list together?!? Not only are there a number of names I don’t even recognize, there are some I _do_ know whose presence baffles me! :dubious: 😕 > [@Weedy](#): > > Whoever it was was obviously a _Firefly_ fan. The answer to “who put this list together?” must be at [Fandomania » About](http://fandomania.com/about/). I just did a search on “Most popular fictional characters” and it was among the hits that came back at Yahoo! And since it seemed to have a wide assortment of names I went ahead and posted a link to it before I had even read the list. It was rewarding to me in that Sherlock Holmes is among the Top Ten as well as about 25 others I might have included on my own list if I had started from scratch. As I said when I posted the list, “Do what you will with it.” And that does include ignoring it. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/55 "2014-08-24T08:03:18Z")
[Ronald McDonald is more recognizable than Jesus Christ](http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/mcdonalds-bigger-than-jesus-christ/2012096.article) Take THAT John Lennon! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/56 "2014-08-24T12:45:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If you count amateur productions and fan fiction, I’d have to go with God. > [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Jesus. … As we’ve ruled in other similar threads, calling God or Jesus is effectively trolling – it’s an effort to start a religious debate that’s not appropriate for Cafe Society. If you want to have that conversation, start a new thread in GD. No warnings issued. **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/57 "2014-08-24T14:54:46Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > Orpheus > The “Devil” Could you mean… …SATAN?!? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/58 "2014-08-24T15:25:16Z")
Just for laughs here’s my selection of a Top Ten from that 100 list: 1. Huckleberry Finn 2. Tom Sawyer 3. Robin Hood 4. Tarzan 5. Atticus Finch 6. James Bond 7. Dexter Morgan 8. Dr. Gregory House 9. Omar Little 10. Sherlock Holmes For clarity, Holmes is my #1, and Finn is #10. The numbers are from that 100 list. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/59 "2014-08-25T19:19:20Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Pretty sure both the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician have him beat. I’d never heard of Mandrake, but, looking him up, I see you’re correct (on both counts). I didn’t realize The Phantom had been in uninterrupted publication (though I knew he was older than Superman). I don’t remember where I read the Superman statement. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/60 "2014-09-02T00:28:55Z")
Bumping to add that there’s a comic character who’s had a longer continuous run in print than Superman or the Phantom or even Mandrake: a square-jawed gunman with a yellow overcoat, a wrist communicator, and a reputation for having killed more men in the line of duty than any other law-enforcement officer in the United States. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211.md?page=4)