# Pick a fictional character to get you through the post-apocalyptic world. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316 "2010-09-19T20:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/81 "2010-09-21T11:55:45Z")
Fiona from Burn Notice or, Lornette ‘Mace’ Mason from Strange Days. (Sarah Connor was also a good choice, upthread) All three are good to have by your side when the going gets rough AND, ahem, well, you know. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/82 "2010-09-21T15:24:50Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > > [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](#): > > > > Doc Savage > > Strong candidate. > > But, I’d go with a left-field choice. > > Lex Luthor. > > He’d have a functional society going inside of 2 weeks. No access to super-tech. And, depending on the version, he’s not necessarily in the best physical shape. Moreover, if it IS a version who’s in shape, he may well decide to murder and eat you if that gives him the best chance to survive, which the likes of Michael Weston, MacGuyver, and Tarzan will not. Not to mention that it’s almost certainly his fault, the result of some scheme to murder the Justice League gone awry. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/83 "2010-09-21T15:26:54Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > > [@Paranoid\_Randroid](#): > > > > I suppose there are three kinds of answers: > > > > 1. Someone to help you fight off those who seek to prey upon you. I suspect that he may count as super-powered, but I’d go with Brock Samson – frighteningly competent, can fight off hordes of well-armed opponents bare-handed, and (if brusque) not really a bad guy. If that’s unacceptable, then maybe … movie Rambo, or perhaps John McClane. > > > > 2. Someone to help you survive/rebuild. MacGyver and the Professor are both good choices. > > > > 3. Someone with whom to – um – _begin anew_, if you catch my drift. I’m not much into kids, but if the responsibility falls to me, then I suppose a circa-1990 Helen Hunt would be acceptable. > > Oohh, Oohh! I pick Fairuza Balk! Of course, Michael Weston is now out as part of my traveling group, as I’d literally have to be the Last Man on Earth. If Michael is there, Fiona is almost certainly there. If she’s alive, he’s not going to abandon her. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/84 "2010-09-21T15:46:41Z")
Why all the love for Tarzan, I’d go with the Phantom. Comfortable in civilization and the outback. Smart, strong, language skills, good at camoflage, better dresser than Tarzan. Laura Croft - great protector and and … well you know. CMDR DATA - probably fails the superpower thingy but he’s got strength, intelligence, logic, and a real strong desire to keep his humans alive. Spock would be good too. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/85 "2010-09-21T15:56:40Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Why all the love for Tarzan, I’d go with the Phantom. Comfortable in civilization and the outback. Smart, strong, language skills, good at camoflage, better dresser than Tarzan. > > Laura Croft - great protector and and … well you know. > > CMDR DATA - probably fails the superpower thingy but he’s got strength, intelligence, logic, and a real strong desire to keep his humans alive. Spock would be good too. The latter two are clearly disqualified as having super-powers. And Tarzan could take the Phantom with a toothpick. (I speak of book Tarzan, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/86 "2010-09-21T17:18:19Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > > > Oohh, Oohh! I pick Fairuza Balk! Of course, Michael Weston is now out as part of my traveling group, as I’d literally have to be the Last Man on Earth. > > If Michael is there, Fiona is almost certainly there. If she’s alive, he’s not going to abandon her. I like your thinking, but I can’t take the chance that something might happen to Fiona, and that Fairuza will be comforting Michael shortly thereafter. It’s gotta be just me and Fairuza. In fact, I might have to send some second amendment discouragement in the general direction of any would-be friendly survivors I find along the way, male or female. Can’t take the chance. /Not yours! //Apparently, I’m the crazy guy in those movies. ///Still not yours! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/87 "2010-09-22T15:00:29Z")
I’ve changed my mind. Woodrow Wilson Smith would have found a way to get his ass off-planet before the apocalypse, so I think I’ll go with Remo Williams. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/88 "2010-09-22T16:35:16Z")
Jack Reacher from the Lee Child novels. > **[Jack Reacher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Reacher)** > > Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child, a 2012 film adaptation, its 2016 sequel, and a television series on Amazon Prime Video. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the US Army's military police. Having left the Army at age 36, Reacher roams the United States, taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations. > As of 1 November 2022\[update\], 27 novels plus some short stories have been published. Th... ---
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/89 "2010-09-22T16:58:43Z")
The Professor is not a great choice. > [@](#): > > GythaOgg : > > I want The Professor from ‘Gilligan’s Island’. Easy on the eyes and can build almost anything from coconuts and palm trees…head to a tropical climate and we’re set to rebuild! All that and he still couldn’t fix a hole in a damn boat! ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/90 "2010-09-22T17:36:03Z")
I like Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin for this. If they befriended me, they would actually help me stay alive, unlike (for instance) Remo Williams, who would happily kill anyone in the world except Chiun. They are highly skilled at wilderness survival, and Willie in particular would be great for jump-starting civilization. And, if my wife was killed in the apocalypse, Modesty would probably sleep with me, so I would have that going for me. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/91 "2010-09-22T17:36:41Z")
> [@Paranoid\_Randroid](#): > > I suppose there are three kinds of answers: > > 1. Someone to help you fight off those who seek to prey upon you. I suspect that he may count as super-powered, but I’d go with Brock Samson – frighteningly competent, can fight off hordes of well-armed opponents bare-handed, and (if brusque) not really a bad guy. If that’s unacceptable, then maybe … movie Rambo, or perhaps John McClane. > > 2. Someone to help you survive/rebuild. MacGyver and the Professor are both good choices. > > 3. Someone with whom to – um – _begin anew_, if you catch my drift. I’m not much into kids, but if the responsibility falls to me, then I suppose a circa-1990 Helen Hunt would be acceptable. My choice comes close to filling all three answers - Bobbi Morse, Marvel’s Mockingbird. Although she’s unpowered, she’s a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, probably has trained in hand-to-hand combat with some of that world’s best, and a has a Ph.D. in Biology. And she’s much too good for Clint Barton. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/92 "2010-09-22T18:50:11Z")
Han Solo. Comfortable in the sorts of hives of scum and villainy one would expect in post-apocalypse scenarios. Loyal to his friends. Plenty of charisma to help get himself out of bad situations. Willing to shoot first (!) when his charisma is not enough. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/93 "2010-09-22T23:04:49Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > I like Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin for this. If they befriended me, they would actually help me stay alive, unlike (for instance) Remo Williams, who would happily kill anyone in the world except Chiun. They are highly skilled at wilderness survival, and Willie in particular would be great for jump-starting civilization. And, if my wife was killed in the apocalypse, Modesty would probably sleep with me, so I would have that going for me. I came in to make this very choice. I’m a straight female, so I’m hoping Willie will keep me warm at night. (From the very first panel, I have adored Willie Garvin. He’s right after Mr. Perfect (aka Archie Goodwin) in my personal pantheon. Archie, however, is much less likely to be useful after a holocaust.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/94 "2010-09-22T23:48:49Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I’ll go for the fictional Chuck Norris, although I think he’s disqualified by the OP. If he’s Walker, Texas Ranger, then he’s probably qualified. Also tough, resourceful, righteous, and completely free of any tragic flaws, psychological quirks, dark secrets, or moral conflicts. Which means, in a post-apocalyptic scenario, he’s dead in 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/95 "2010-09-22T23:53:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > 1. No characters who themselves come from a post-apocalyptic world, like Mad Max. What about Alice in _Resident Evil?_ She does start out in a pre-apocalyptic world, then survives the apocalypse and kicks ass. And, of course, A) and C), Milla Jovovich. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/96 "2010-09-23T00:00:31Z")
> [@limegreen](#): > > Well, since **TruCelt** ’s stolen the perfect answer (Jamie Fraser), I guess I’ll have to go with the Bearkiller guy (Mike Havel – who’s dead, but I suppose for this could be resurrected, and de-aged back to the incident). Same objection, or not, as to Alice from _Resident Evil._ ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/97 "2010-09-23T00:12:15Z")
Several have mentioned Tarzan, but nobody has mentioned John Carter of Barsoom. He might not have Tarzan’s bushcraft, but he’s at least as badass, he never loses a fight, and he never fails any challenge in any situation however exotic. Of course, if you’re a woman, bear in mind that he will never cheat on Dejah Thoris, nor give up hope that she is still alive somewhere. (He once waited for her while she was trapped in a dungeon for a year.) And if this is apocalypse-on-Earth, he can’t do his famous 30-foot leaps. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/98 "2010-09-23T00:12:35Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > Han Solo. > > Comfortable in the sorts of hives of scum and villainy one would expect in post-apocalypse scenarios. > > Loyal to his friends. > > Plenty of charisma to help get himself out of bad situations. > > Willing to shoot first (!) when his charisma is not enough. Even better: Indiana Jones Indy is skilled in wilderness survival, a great fighter, smart, multilingual, & nows enough about how primitive societies work to build a functioning one! Indy be the winnah! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/99 "2010-09-23T01:04:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Several have mentioned Tarzan, but nobody has mentioned John Carter of Barsoom. He’s at the very least a superhero, and quite possibly a god (my personal pet theory is that he is actually literally Mars, the Roman god of war). Being an expert at absolutely every form of combat, even ones he’s encountering the first time, and never losing a fight ever, I could maybe, possibly, accept as “badass human”, but he also appears to be immortal, he can travel between planets just by wishing it, and he easily mastered both telepathy and the blocking of same. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316/100 "2010-09-23T01:43:19Z")
Flashman. No matter what happens, he always comes out smelling like roses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-fictional-character-to-get-you-through-the-post-apocalyptic-world/554316.md?page=6)