# The SDMB top 50 Movie Heroes List **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 5, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806 "2003-06-05T12:56:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Homer\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Homer\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/21 "2003-06-05T18:46:35Z")
Gandalf Yoda Indiana Neo Bond ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/22 "2003-06-05T20:13:27Z")
Mentioned already **Will Kane** - High Noon **Rick Blaine** - Casablanca **Westley** - Princess Bride (and another nod to _Inigo Montoya_) **Ripley** - Alien, Aliens Not Mentioned… **Luke Jackson** - Cool Hand Luke You just can’t kill his spirit. ---
**Author:** ![Quack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e99b99/32.png) [@Quack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quack)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/23 "2003-06-05T23:03:07Z")
I like Atticus at #1, I’ve seen the movie twice and read the book twice. Atticus is wonderfully portrayed by Gregory Peck, and he’s a great character as a hero. I like the Captain (I forget his last name…the one played by Tom Hanks) from _Saving Private Ryan_. Others on my list would be Jules Winfield from _Pulp Fiction_, Woodward and Bernstein from _All the President’s Men_ (in my opinion, one of the best stories ever told), and Giovanni Ribisi’s character (the protagonist) from _Boiler Room_. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/24 "2003-06-06T00:21:55Z")
Errol Flynn’s **Robin Hood** , the quintessential swashbuckler **Atticus Finch** **Indiana Jones** **Han Solo** **Louise Sawyer** from _Thelma and Louise_. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/25 "2003-06-06T01:15:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life ect ect. \*\* Ect ect? Sounds like Jimmy Steward had a guest appearance in _GhØstbusters_ or something. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/26 "2003-06-06T01:21:19Z")
And I can’t believe that no one has suggested **Dr. Ellie “I am _this_ close to biting your head off!” Arroway** from the 1997 movie _Contact_ as one of the great movie heroes. I mean, she takes on _all of humanity’s short-sightedness_ and _wins!_ Kinda. ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/27 "2003-06-06T02:18:54Z")
1. Rick From Casablanca - The classic tortured American hero. 2. Sgt. York - I just love this movie. 3. Jimmy Stewart in Its a Wonderful Life - Again I like my heroes to be flawed. 4. Marge Gunderson from Fargo 5. Luke Jackson from Cool Hand Luke ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/28 "2003-06-06T12:13:17Z")
Damn how could I forget… I’m dropping my nomination for Will Kane and replacing it with Max Rockatowsky (MAD MAX) Here is a character that sank to the very depths of hatred and revenge and over three pictures finds himself again and shows himself to be a hero (Albeit a reluctant one) And man can he drive! ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/29 "2003-06-06T12:20:19Z")
1. Indiana Jones - for reasons already made clear in this thread. 2. Frodo Baggins - I’m surprised no-one’s put him on their list yet. A man of no great stature, no great strength, no great experience, no fighting skills, someone who just wants to sit around in the woods and eat, and he shoulders the responsibility of the entire world. That’s the stuff heroes are made of. 3. Rick Blaine - I wish I could be like that. I really do. 4. Luke Skywalker - I’m a warsie, 'nough said. 5. Spider-Man - the very essence of “with power comes responsibility”. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/30 "2003-06-06T14:55:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Ect ect? Sounds like Jimmy Steward had a guest appearance in _GhØstbusters_ or something. \*\* Nah, he’s got a rabbit hair in his throat. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/31 "2003-06-06T15:53:16Z")
Hmm, this _IS_ harder than doing the villains. 1. **Gandhi** from, er, _Gandhi_: hey, he’s Gandhi, for pete’s sake. 2. **Max Rockatansky** in _The Road Warrior_: “You want to get out of here? You talk to me.” 3. **Indiana Jones** , _Raiders of the Lost Ark_: he hates snakes and bugs, but to his credit, he doesn’t let that stop him. 4. **Superman** : for managing to restrain himself from using his X-ray vision on babes in the street. 5. **Ripley** from _Alien_ and _Aliens_: layin’ the smackdown on acid-blooded nasties from one end of the galaxy to the other, at least until the steam went out of the franchise. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/32 "2003-06-06T19:40:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kingpengvin \* > **Max Rockatowsky (MAD MAX) Here is a character that sank to the very depths of hatred and revenge and over three pictures finds himself again and shows himself to be a hero (Albeit a reluctant one)** We don’t need another hero! ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/33 "2003-06-06T22:10:49Z")
1. **Indiana Jones** from _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ - an article on a website about screenwriting described it very well: he fails at just about everything in the movie, but he fails _spectacularly_. 2. **Sanjuro** from _Yojimbo_ - The whole movie is built around how much of a bad-ass Toshiro Mifune is. And it ends up being one of the best movies of all time. That’s how much of a bad-ass he is. 3. **Clarice Starling** from _Silence of the Lambs_ - a much more interesting character than Hannibal Lecter, IMO, because she’s completely believable. She’s dealing with sexism and “class-ism” on top of having to deal with a pair of serial killers. Jodie Foster’s best performance ever. 4. **Ripley** from _Alien_ and _Aliens_ - not even the crappy 3rd and 4th movies in the series could lessen her character. 5. **Jack Burton** from _Big Trouble in Little China_ - he’s basically just a parody of the action-movie hero, but is more believable and a lot more interesting than any of the “genuine” heroes. And I really wish the Wallace & Gromit movies had been feature length, so I could name Gromit. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/34 "2003-06-06T22:46:43Z")
Well I’ll put in some plugs for some obviously unpopular, but IMHO deservin’ heroes: 1. Shaft: Cuz’ he’z a complicated maaaaannnnn, an’ only his woman kin underst-AAA-aaannnnd!!! 2. Barbarella: She’s got a spaceship shaped like a pair of lips, burned out the orgazmatron! But most importantly, she makes climbing out of a spacesuit sexy. 3. Animated John, Paul, George & Ringo: They saved Sgt. Pepperland from the Blue Meanies, and they know that All You Need Is Love! 4. Buckaroo Bonzai: No matter where you post, there you are…posting. 5. Godzilla: Also should be on the villain list, but hey, he whomped the asses of Mothra, Ghidra, Megalon, Mecha-Godzilla, and the Smog Monster. That’s a lot of saving the world for one guy in a rubber suit. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/35 "2003-06-06T23:11:50Z")
1. **Indiana Jones** , of course 2. **Mad Max** 3. **Chief Brody** (Roy Scheider) from _Jaws_. 4. **Neo** 5. **Nathaniel, “Hawkeye”** from _The Last of the Mohicans_. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/36 "2003-06-07T00:36:42Z")
**Atticus Finch**? He was not even the best hero of _To Kill a Mockingbird_. It is **Boo** , who overcame a severe case of social anxiety disorder to save the kids’ lives, and somehow not make that corny. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/37 "2003-06-07T01:00:33Z")
The other 4: 1. Gladiator 2. Lou Gherig 3. The Tramp in _City Lights_ 4. Oskar Schindler ---
**Author:** ![AmyG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@AmyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmyG)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/38 "2003-06-07T04:15:50Z")
In no particular order, because I don’t know that I could rank them: 1. \Ash\ from the \Evil Dead\ movies. He has great heroic quotes. Gimme some sugar, baby! 2. Popular opinion is mine, as well. \Indiana Jones.\ 3. \James Bond.\ 4. \Yu Shu Lien.\ OK, I had to look up the actual name on IMDB, but Michelle Yeoh’s character in \Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon\ kicks ass \and\ has just about the most affecting love story I’ve ever seen. 5. \Buckaroo Banzai\ is the most well-rounded hero that I can possibly imagine. He’s a scientist, a race car driver, a rock star, a surgeon, and a comic book star. He appears to have his own militia, and he definitely has his own video game. The President himself seeks Buckaroo’s input on matters affecting the fate of the earth. Short of founding a major world religion, I’m not sure what more he could do to earn the title. ---
**Author:** ![AmyG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@AmyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmyG)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/39 "2003-06-07T04:18:58Z")
Oops! You would think those big buttons at the top of the posting screen would have reminded me not to screw up the formatting. Please, do not let my poor use of not-quite-brackets affect your perception of the fine characters on my list. I am sure Buckaroo Banzai would have posted flawlessly. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806/40 "2003-06-07T06:07:29Z")
**Indiana Jones** - Raiders of the Lost Ark **John McClane** - Die Hard **Lone Starr** - Spaceballs **Doc Holliday** - Tombstone **Honey Roy Palmer** - Diggstown Although I’m satisfied with these now, I’ll probably have five different heroes in mind tomorrow morning. I can only seem to come up with heroes in action movies tonight, not sure why…it’s not even my favorite Genre. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-top-50-movie-heroes-list/179806.md?page=3)