Because I talked about doing this before, but never got the motivation to write up on my choices until now.
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Scrooge McDuck
I always find it interesting to discover which one of Disney's fab five (or six, if you count Daisy) suits the fancy of a certain person. Now, while I can't think of too many males that fancy Minnie or Daisy, it's otherwise hard to determine which particular character might be favored by someone. Be it Mickey's charm, Donald's irritation, Goofy's likable stupidity, or Pluto's agreeable canine traits, there's a lot to go with these characters.
Despite my love of dogs, my favorite of these characters has always been Donald. Goofy's shorts were more varied and had higher highs, but I just tended to really like a good Donald short if one was on. The guy may have a massive temper issue, but that's hilarious, and he has enough of a heart to balance out his less likable traits.
But one reason I side with Donald is thanks to one man- Carl Barks. While Barks had his own strong history with Disney's theatrical shorts, it's pretty clear that he will forever be remembered for his work on their comics, where he worked almost exclusively with the duck and his nephews. We never really got to meet Huey, Dewey and Louie's parents, but Barks put it upon himself to extend Donald's family, as to help add shades to the character that despite not being present in the cartoons, have soon made their way into his and the studio's vast history.
You know where this is going. While Barks created a handful of memorable characters that happened to be a part of Donald's family, by far his most famous creation has to be Donald's extraordinarily rich yet shockingly frugal uncle, appropriately named Scrooge McDuck. While Scrooge initially appeared in one of Donald's stories in 1947, the character proved popular enough to star in his own stories, even gaining his own title. Donald and the nephews would join him in many stories, but Scrooge's character was enough to make them stand out.
Barks was a gifted artist and writer, one who was able to elevate these stories, which were supposedly made "for children", and add in rich enough textures to make them feel fresher than your usual kids comic would. Be it a decisively painted stroke, a neat little twist or two added to a tropical location for the characters to traverse, or sometimes even a corny line that works in its own way to ease tension, there was always something extra added in most of his stories to make an Uncle Scrooge comic work. Many comic fans from all over the world seem to have agreed with me, as numerous others have been taking the character and putting him into tight adventures ever since, sometimes emulating Barks, sometimes not.
And of course there's DuckTales, the beloved cartoon which took considerable inspiration from his stories. In hopes of not outshining the character of Scrooge, Donald, who was usually a big part of Barks' tales, was written out, the odd appearance aside, while adding in a few new colorful characters to pace things up. Needless to say, the show did not need Donald to be a smash.
But hey, I'm not here to teach a history lesson. What about the character stands out for me?
I personally just love how greedy Scrooge is. He almost literally has all the money of the world, but still isn't content with his wealth. This explains why Scrooge is so unlikely to donate any considerable chunk of his fortune, and also makes for some GREAT gags, which tend to be made either with or at him.
Despite that, the reason Scrooge goes on his epic voyages isn't entirely due to his lust for cash. As old as he is, Scrooge McDuck has a serious lust for life, and loves traveling all over the world to discover great wealth and even greater adventure.
Of course Scrooge has a heart and loves his family, so I won't touch too much on that aspect of his character. If he didn't, then he would be a villain. Or basically, Glomgold. That said, one scene I do love which highlights Scrooge's softer side comes from the very last episode of DuckTales, in which he needs someone to watch over gold-imprinted versions of his nephews. To get little Webby to stay by while he takes other matters, Scrooge calmly talks to Webby and goads her into taking on such a big duty. It helps greatly, and gives a little girl some much-needed confidence, in a way that only a loving uncle can do.
But besides that, Scrooge is a funny, sometimes inspiring, sometimes painful, almost always entertaining character. One that I'm greatly fascinated by, and love to see get his day whenever he can. Easily worthy to be a part of my top 10 characters.
Also, when the remastered game comes out, please do check it out. It's going to kick-ass.
More to come!
Great post and thread idea! I would post my favorite characters, but I don't want to get in the way of your list, so I'll sit on that for awhile.
Scrooge is probably my favorite Disney-related character.
This topic is of to a very good start: Scrooge is indeed a great character and I'm looking forward to see the rest of your list. Like Foggle I'm going to wait awhile before posting my own favorite characters.
Too broad a topic for me, so I'll start with subsections.
Top 10 Detectives:
10. Sam Vimes - Doesn't let werewolves get in the way of investigation.
9. L - Would've solved the case if it weren't for almost serendipitous planning on Light's part.
8. Harry Dresden - If Peter Parker took up magic instead of webs.
7. Henry Gordon Jago - Wish Moffat would at least give him a nod.
6. Rorschach - Hurm.
5. Hercule Poirot - Though I suppose this rank has been spoiled by how much I've enjoyed David Suchet's incarnation.
4. Sherlock (Cumberbatch incarnation) - He's got the style of Jeremy Brett combined with the bravado of Basil Rathbone, all on top of the calculations of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic.
3. Renee Montoya - Why not Batman? Good question.
2. Lester Freamon - Draft dodging peace freaks, huh?
1. John Constantine - Jackass with a heart of pure gold who drinks enough whiskey to kill a village of Irishmen while being able to make almighty demons stumble by his path. A class act through and through.
Aww, no love for Marlowe?
Quote from: Avaitor on May 15, 2013, 10:51:19 AM
Aww, no love for Marlowe?
Or the Continental Op, the original man with no name.
Speaking of great detectives, Gordanius the finder from Stephen Saylor's books is a great character as well.
Perhaps I should go with the doctor's idea and do a top ten for each category I can think of instead. Have to think about that.
Avaitor, looking forward to number nine.
I wanted to do a favorite animated characters list but I guess this takes that over. I haven't read your list yet due to me not wanting to possibly consider changing some of my choices just yet. I'll read it right afterwards. OK:
Favorite anime character:
1. Yusuke Urameshi (Possibly my favorite fictional character period.)
Cartoon:
1. Daffy Duck
2. Batman
And Hawkgirl (also my favorite suerperheroine), Dale Gribel (sp?) and Peggy Hill in an undecided order but I do know I like Dale more than Peggy due to Gribel being my favorite KOTH character.
Comic book hero:
1. Deadpool. I feel like I need to get to know any other candidate for this part of the list better. Spider-Man was my favorite for a long time due to watching the cartoon as a kid but I've barely read any of his comics. Green Arrow, Hal Jordan and Daredevil are somewhat favorites but I don't know where to place them. And for The Hulk...ah fuck it..
2. Planet Hulk...or whatever you call him from that comic. My first time reading a full Hulk arc and I haven't read much else on him. I'm sure this counts as a different version of him so I didn't just say Hulk.
Comic book villains
1. Deathstroke (Deathstroke Full Cycle. Nuff said.)
2. The Joker
3. Lincoln Red Crow (also my favorite crime boss character of any type of medium.)
And my list shows that I need to read more books and watch more movies. :sweat:
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 15, 2013, 11:51:32 PM
Dale Gribel (sp?)
It's Gribble. And I love JL's take on Shayera too. :)
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Count Dracula
Yes, I went with Bela Lugosi's take on Dracula for the picture, but this is more of an all-encompassing choice, arguably with Stoker's writings being the most important.
Few books have sinked into my skull like Dracula did. Going with an epistolary writing format is tough to pull off, but it works quite well in this particular novel. The way we're able to read into the minds of the cavalcade of cooky characters is quite killer (try saying that 5 times fast). Of course, while we learn plenty about Jonathan, Mina, Lucy and Van Helsing, we're not meant to go inside the mind of the titular count, but only see how these characters experience his peril. Granted, by today's standards, the novel is quite tame, but it still chills as well as the best of them. There are relatively few literary periods and styles as appealing as Victorian-era Gothic, with this being one of the obvious highlights.
Now what do we learn about Dracula through the numerous letters and journal entries collected in this book? The man is charming, highly charismatic, and quite civilized, being able to hold conversations and impress the majority of his castle's inhabitants. This doesn't exactly make up for his vampiric lifestyle, but hey, that's what makes him so fascinating.
blah blah blah, he's one of the first villains of his kind in this form of literature, blah blah blah, very influential villain, blah blah blah. Obviously Dracula's impact on storytelling is present and a big part about his character's appeal, but hey, importance not why I like these characters. I like Dracula because of his combination of class and barbarism. That's pretty much it.
Then again, one reason for the character's eternal popularity is how easy he and his story is to adapt, which is a big part of my personal love for Dracula. Be it Lugosi, Christopher Lee, or even Gary Oldman, there have been plenty of great turns on the character over the years. To the point that I'm even intrigued about, if not fully excited for, NBC's upcoming show for the character.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 15, 2013, 11:51:32 PM
1. Yusuke Urameshi (Possibly my favorite fictional character period.)
Call it Justin Cook's version of Yusuke Urameshi, and I agree with you. That's not to say that Nozomu Sasaki doesn't do a great job in the role among the Japanese voice cast, but as far as I'm concerned, Justin Cook just brings SO much more personality to the character. I don't care if its added dialogue and changes some of the original Japanese meanings of some of the lines. It just sounds so damn natural that in many cases you would swear that this show was originally written for an English audience, even if its just FUNi's old bad-habit of heavily Americanizing the script dialogue. Either way, we still got a very intelligent and entertaining script, all the same, and Justin Cook did a (mostly) great job with his delivery, with maybe just a few stumbles and hiccups here or there.
Also, I always loved that Yusuke, unlike most other shonen protagonists, generally never came off as some moral goodie-two-shoes who had to have everything add up to some impossibly perfect ideals. The dude was actually more stone-hearted than Sensui when it came down to it. I mean, when he fought Doctor he had some hesitation at taking a human life, but showed that he was clearly willing to go through with it if he had to, and then after fighting Sensui he downright admitted that he didn't care if some evil people had to die. There are good people in the world and then their are scum-bags, so as far as Yusuke was concerned, just let the evil fuckers die.
Now, I have to admit, he isn't exactly a deep or complex character, but I admire his personality and attitude towards life. He's the type of character, though, that you could only really appreciate to his fullest if you both have a liking for shonen, but also hate the typical generic protagonist who are treated like complete saints when it comes to their morals. Togashi is good at making his characters more morally grey than pure light-hearted. That said, Yusuke at the end of the day was unquestionably a good guy. Gon from HXH, on the other hand, once you get to know more about him is actually far more morally grey than any other shonen protagonist that I have ever seen.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 16, 2013, 02:35:11 AMCount Dracula
Good choice. Honestly, while I never found Dracula scary, myself, I still remember the character just for how fascinating he is. I love how deep and rich his back-story is in regard to his mythology, and also how unlike the typical horror movie monster or villain, Dracula has a very eloquent and pseudo-civilized ambiance to him that makes him so unique compared to any other iconic horror figure out there.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 16, 2013, 02:35:11 AM
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Count Dracula
Yes, I went with Bela Lugosi's take on Dracula for the picture, but this is more of an all-encompassing choice, arguably with Stoker's writings being the most important.
Few books have sinked into my skull like Dracula did. Going with an epistolary writing format is tough to pull off, but it works quite well in this particular novel. The way we're able to read into the minds of the cavalcade of cooky characters is quite killer (try saying that 5 times fast). Of course, while we learn plenty about Jonathan, Mina, Lucy and Van Helsing, we're not meant to go inside the mind of the titular count, but only see how these characters experience his peril. Granted, by today's standards, the novel is quite tame, but it still chills as well as the best of them. There are relatively few literary periods and styles as appealing as Victorian-era Gothic, with this being one of the obvious highlights.
Now what do we learn about Dracula through the numerous letters and journal entries collected in this book? The man is charming, highly charismatic, and quite civilized, being able to hold conversations and impress the majority of his castle's inhabitants. This doesn't exactly make up for his vampiric lifestyle, but hey, that's what makes him so fascinating.
blah blah blah, he's one of the first villains of his kind in this form of literature, blah blah blah, very influential villain, blah blah blah. Obviously Dracula's impact on storytelling is present and a big part about his character's appeal, but hey, importance not why I like these characters. I like Dracula because of his combination of class and barbarism. That's pretty much it.
Then again, one reason for the character's eternal popularity is how easy he and his story is to adapt, which is a big part of my personal love for Dracula. Be it Lugosi, Christopher Lee, or even Gary Oldman, there have been plenty of great turns on the character over the years. To the point that I'm even intrigued about, if not fully excited for, NBC's upcoming show for the character.
Great choice. I would probably consider Dracula the greatest villain in all of fiction. As for what my favorite Dracula is, Lugosi is great and iconic. But I actually would likely pick Klaus Kinski from Nosferatu the Vampyre (the remake of the Nosferatu silent film). His portrayal of the character is so ugly and creepy, but you actually kind of feel sorry for him... That's also one of my all time favorite movies, by the way.
And I have to give an honorable mention to Max Schreck from the original Nosferatu. Only difference is that, as we all know, he was given a different name in that (the remake essentially corrected this issue and renamed him Dracula).
I typed my Top 9 list of favorite fictional characters (http://astralcity.blogspot.com/search?q=Goldstar%27s+Top+9+Favorite+Characters) on mine and Silverstar's blog (Silver's list is on there also). It's top 9 because I couldn't think of an even 10. I'm just going to link to it since I'm too lazy to re-type it here.
Pretty cool lists! I'm not too surprised to see you both have Daffy top your lists.
And you remind me that I need to watch more Night Court, Goldstar. ;)
Night Court is great.
Good picks, guys.
You can tell how great of a character Dracula is when they based an entire genre of fantasy around his origin story. I've never been much of a fan of vampires because little is usually done with them where their weaknesses are kept (their weaknesses being the whole point of vampires in the first place) which leads to poor writing. But Dracula is still the best of them all and at his best he is one creepy villain.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 16, 2013, 02:07:49 PM
Pretty cool lists! I'm not too surprised to see you both have Daffy top your lists.
And you remind me that I need to watch more Night Court, Goldstar. ;)
Yeah, we're both definitely more Daffy than Bugs. :sweat:
Night Court was 1 of my shows back in the day (up until the last couple of seasons, anyway), but I haven't seen it since the show's brief run on TV Land. Perhaps I should either check out the DVDs or see if the episodes are on Netflix.
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Death (Sandman's incarnation)
C'mon guys, it's not hard to write a good female character. At least, it shouldn't be. There are ultimately more males on my list, probably because I am one, but I will gladly name drop a few women that I admire greatly.
Like this little lady here. Death, or the Reaper, is a character that has been used in multiple different perceptions over the years, from a stock-looking take with a uniquely Swedish sense of humor and admiration of chess, to a wacky little guy with a Jamaican accent, but in Neil Gaiman's beloved comic series, the angel of death is portrayed as a Gothic-prone girl with her own wit, yet a heart and thirst for understand that makes her stand out among not just other takes on the myth, but comic characters as a whole during this period.
What makes me so fascinated with Death in Sandman comes from her actions. She will act out her job, as to take those whose time on earth is up into the afterlife, but she also makes it a habit to visit said person as they are born to make it all a bookend. This method is both morbid and heartfelt at the same time, as this use of her power gives Death a greater insight into whose life she is taking away. You can usually even see her talking to her subjects, as she escorts them to their eternal future.
Death's fashion sense and personal interests are also important for her character, as they should be. While wearing the typical garb of a young Gothic woman, this seems to be more out of obligation than by personal choice. Death is shown to be interested in the mortal world, as she's even a huge fan of Mary Poppins, which is always a plus in my eyes. With this, it's obvious that she is aware of modern fashions, and anyone with even the slightest awareness of dressing tastes can tell that darker clothing and ankh necklaces tend to bring out the look of the occult. Death's acceptance of this trend shows her willingness to maintain her duties, while keeping up with the present day.
There's a lot to love in Sandman. If you haven't read any of Gaiman's great comic series, for the love of all that's good, please do. Death's appeal alone is worth the price of admission.
Good list so far, Aviator. You've clearly put a lot of thought into these. Kind of wish I had put Scrooge McDuck on my list.
@Goldstar: yeah, Night Court used to be the shiz. It kind of petered out in its' last couple of seasons, but when it was good, it was really good. My favorite characters on NC were always the acerbic bailiff ladies: Selma (Selma Diamond), Florence (Florence Halop) and finally Roz (Marsha Warfield). They often said what I would've said if I had been thrust into those kinds of wacky situations.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 16, 2013, 02:05:04 AM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 15, 2013, 11:51:32 PM
Dale Gribel (sp?)
It's Gribble. And I love JL's take on Shayera too. :)
Thanks. Shayera became my favorite before I started really appreciating all the things that makes her a great character. It started out from how she acts during (Yeah, the screaming :D But it's cool.) Meanwhile there's dry ass JL Wonder Woman and the fact there aren't that many good superheroines which made Hawkgirl stick out to me. Seriously, while watching cartoons as a teen, there was pretty much just WW, TT Starfire and Raven...and Shebang to choose from. :wth:
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 16, 2013, 10:10:32 AM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 15, 2013, 11:51:32 PM
1. Yusuke Urameshi (Possibly my favorite fictional character period.)
Call it Justin Cook's version of Yusuke Urameshi, and I agree with you. That's not to say that Nozomu Sasaki doesn't do a great job in the role among the Japanese voice cast, but as far as I'm concerned, Justin Cook just brings SO much more personality to the character. I don't care if its added dialogue and changes some of the original Japanese meanings of some of the lines. It just sounds so damn natural that in many cases you would swear that this show was originally written for an English audience, even if its just FUNi's old bad-habit of heavily Americanizing the script dialogue. Either way, we still got a very intelligent and entertaining script, all the same, and Justin Cook did a (mostly) great job with his delivery, with maybe just a few stumbles and hiccups here or there.
Also, I always loved that Yusuke, unlike most other shonen protagonists, generally never came off as some moral goodie-two-shoes who had to have everything add up to some impossibly perfect ideals. The dude was actually more stone-hearted than Sensui when it came down to it. I mean, when he fought Doctor he had some hesitation at taking a human life, but showed that he was clearly willing to go through with it if he had to, and then after fighting Sensui he downright admitted that he didn't care if some evil people had to die. There are good people in the world and then their are scum-bags, so as far as Yusuke was concerned, just let the evil fuckers die.
Now, I have to admit, he isn't exactly a deep or complex character, but I admire his personality and attitude towards life. He's the type of character, though, that you could only really appreciate to his fullest if you both have a liking for shonen, but also hate the typical generic protagonist who are treated like complete saints when it comes to their morals. Togashi is good at making his characters more morally grey than pure light-hearted. That said, Yusuke at the end of the day was unquestionably a good guy. Gon from HXH, on the other hand, once you get to know more about him is actually far more morally grey than any other shonen protagonist that I have ever seen.
Oh yeah, Cook's Urameshi is what I meant. He brings so much personality to the character.
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Daenerys Targaryen
I brought up my point about how some writers have trouble with writing women in my last entry because it's a fair point. A lot of writers do struggle, and tend to either needlessly glorify, or shame, their female characters. I like what George R.R. Martin has to say, though- "you know, I've always considered women to be people".
Many like Tyrion Lannister, and so do I. Doug even put him in his own top 10 list, but my two favorite characters in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones are female- Arya (who might make my top 20), and our Khalessi. Here's a character with a lot on her plate. A rich family history full of leaders, but plagued by inbreeding and plotting to keep them down. By the end of the first book and season, Dany ends up as one of the last survivors of her house, and keeps her quest for family dominance going over the rest of the series.
Daenerys has a lot on her plate besides keeping her family name strong. In the first book and season, she loses her unborn child as well as her husband, a pain that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Even early on, Dany shows her willing strength to expand and act upon her duty, even resulting in her giving her douchebag brother the crown he deserves.
Actions like these lead to her quest to buy and train an entire soldier to keep her reign and maintain her duties as a queen, adding such rules as turning any rapists into eunuchs as part of her command. At various points in the series, Dany will remember losing her love and family, but still moves forward regardless, all but confirming her strength and integrity.
There's plenty to love about Dany as she keeps her best face forward during her struggles. She's pretty much all that's left for House Targaryen, and while the other houses do end up losing important members, Daenerys remains as powerful as ever throughout. This just gives me plenty to admire for the character, easily one of the strongest on my list.
Also, she's a mother of three dragons, the last living in Westeros. I love dragons, and Dany owns the last remaining ones. Can't say that doesn't give her major points in my book.
For some reason I've never really liked the portrayal of Death as someone whose perky. Can't really say why.
His #1 will be Michelle Tanner from Full House.
Quote from: ShadowGentleman on May 17, 2013, 05:10:16 PM
For some reason I've never really liked the portrayal of Death as someone whose perky. Can't really say why.
Kind of agree. It might be because it's so common and there isn't a lot of wiggle room for characterization beyond winking or nodding.
Not perky per say, but definitely not traditional.
I'd say my favorite version of Death is either Pratchett's or Bergman's. Love the scene in The Seventh Seal when the actor decides to spend the night in a tree so that the wild animals in the forest can't get to him, only for Death to appear and saw the tree down.
"I've got a performance."
"It's canceled. Because of Death."
Daeny's fine, but there are some female characters in Thrones that I like more than her: Arya for example and both of the Tyrell ladies (Margery and her grandmother). Let's see; Brienne's pretty good too and Cersei is fun in a "love-to-hate" sort of way. I heartily disliked Sansa in the first books, but she started to grow on me in A Feast For Crows. That said, were I to rank the women of the series in order of preference, I'd probably put Daeny above both Sansa and Cersei.
I couldn't deal with Sansa in the first book and season, but the more she realizes how awful Joffrey is and adapts into her own person, the more I've grown to appreciate her. She's moving up towards my favorites. Cersei isn't awful either, but I can't forgive her for allowing Joffrey to grow up to be the royal brat he is.
Brienne and the Tyrell's are fine as well, yes. And last week's episode has even helped Ygritte to climb up higher on my list ("Girls see more blood than boys").
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Captain Nemo
James Mason. The end.
yes, I will go this lazy for now. But my top 5 is coming up, so you know that I'll go crazy there.
Verne's greatest character. One of fiction's greatest characters.
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Silver Surfer
Of all of Stan Lee's characters, the Surfer is among his very favorites, one of the ones he loved to write for the most. And he's definitely up there for me, as well.
His story is pretty simple. Norrin Radd, a distinct inhabitant of the crime-free planet Zenn-La, is bored of being handed everything to him in his utopia. And why not? If you have nothing to fight for to gain, life can be dull. All of this is wont to change, though, as Galactus...
Fuck it. Y'no what? I don't feel like writing. I like the Surfer, and that's all you need to know.
I hope the rest of this is coming soon. :SHOCK:
And you better write more next time.
I've been trying to write up my next entry, but it physically hurts me to try to write in detail anymore. Sorry.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 24, 2013, 01:29:27 PM
I've been trying to write up my next entry, but it physically hurts me to try to write in detail anymore. Sorry.
Sorry to hear that, man. Carpal tunnel?
Quote from: Avaitor on May 24, 2013, 01:29:27 PM
I've been trying to write up my next entry, but it physically hurts me to try to write in detail anymore. Sorry.
You can always just post the rest of your picks even if you don't want to write about them. ;)
Quote from: Foggle on May 24, 2013, 05:43:18 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on May 24, 2013, 01:29:27 PM
I've been trying to write up my next entry, but it physically hurts me to try to write in detail anymore. Sorry.
You can always just post the rest of your picks even if you don't want to write about them. ;)
I dunno, gimme a couple of days, and I might try again.
Why doesn't someone else try to share some of their favorites for a change? The more, the merrier!
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Top 10 Body Hair of Carl Brutananadilewski
10. Right foot hair.
9. Left foot hair.
8. Left forearm hair.
7. Right forearm hair.
6. Mustache - Could be bigger.
5. Scalp hair - Should shave.
4. Right shoulder hair.
3. Left shoulder hair.
2. Crotch hair - It's so shy, that you can't even see it. Kawaii. :3
1. Chest hair.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 24, 2013, 10:13:03 PM
Why doesn't someone else try to share some of their favorites for a change? The more, the merrier!
I was gonna' wait for you to finish, but aight. I'm not good at writing long pieces about stuff like this as you know, so don't expect any essays. :blush:
#10
10. Handsome Jack
Assuming my list hasn't already been invalidated by listing someone from Borderlands as one of my favorite characters, I'll say that I love everything about this guy. He's a complete bastard in every capacity, tricking the protagonists into screwing themselves over multiple times and doing some other unforgivable stuff, but nearly everything that comes out of his mouth is absolutely hilarious. Dameon Clarke's fantastic voice work adds a lot to his unlikeable likeability, and the fact that it's almost impossible to decide whether you love or hate Handsome Jack makes him one of the most memorable villains I've ever seen.
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#9
9. Lord Bowler
It's hard to outdo Bruce Campbell in his own show, but the amazing Julius Carry (R.I.P.) as Lord Bowler is what really made The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. awesome for me. He's an excellent foil for Brisco, and aside from his unique fashion sense, it's the little things Carry brought to the character that made him truly great - such as his imposing manner of walking about, or that distinctive laugh. Nearly every scene with Lord Bowler in it is comedy gold, but occasionally the show slowed down and delivered an unexpected moment like this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqTjqmDxQ_c) that made me love him even more, and eventually cemented Bowler as one of my favorite characters of all time.
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#8
8. Deadpool
A lot of people probably think Deadpool is just a schizophrenic, trigger-happy version of Spider-Man or something, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He actually has a lot of depth, and is by far one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel universe; when a great writer gets a hold of him, magic happens. I mean, yeah, I'd be lying if I said the humor wasn't one of my favorite things about the character, but Deadpool is so much more than that. He's morally conflicted, self-loathing, and depressive, but masks all of that with his snarky quips and abrasive attitude toward his "friends" - that he wish came without the quotation marks. In that regard, despite his ability to regenerate parts of his body when he gets hurt, he's one of the most realistic and endearing anti-heroes ever.
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#7
7. Cassandra Cain
Cassandra Cain is the coolest Batgirl and the most interesting member of the Bat Family. I mean, I've always had a huge man-crush on Batman, but Cass is a very unique character who, when written well, represents the absolute best of what one can do with the comic book medium. When she's first introduced, she is mute and illiterate, and seeing her develop these basic skills is very interesting to say the least; but the coolest thing about this is that, as she don't really talk so good, there are a lot of opportunities to forgo any sort of exposition and just let the artwork tell the story. Carefully planned camera(?) angles, facial expressions, and body language are more important than ever, and while I don't feel that very many of her stories used these elements to their full extent, the ones that did feature some of the most intriguing moments in any medium. Oh, and she's kinda' fuckin' badass. Too bad DC hates her and she'll never appear in the New 52. (FYI One Year Later never happened. IT DIDN'T OKAY)
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#6
6. Dale Cooper
Few television protagonists are more recognizable than FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper. His endearing quirks and instantly likeable personality complement the eerie surrealism of Twin Peaks very well. His interactions and relationships with the other characters are a pleasure to behold, and while the series itself may not have had the most consistent run, one thing never changed; how ridiculously loveable Kyle MacLachlan' Dale Cooper was.
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#5
5. Kenzo Tenma
I'm not one of those guys who gets "feels" very often, but gotdamn, Dr. Tenma's misadventures always get me misty-eyed. Every time he helps make someone's life better, I contemplate turning my own life around and figuring out some way I can be as excellent of a man as him. This is one of those situations where unflinching idealism is neither obnoxious nor stupid; Tenma's brilliance and earnestness make him the greatest comic book superhero of all time.
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#4
4. SHODAN
SHODAN (that's Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network to you) is a lot like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, but about 500% more evil. She's also the scariest antagonist ever put into a video game. BUT FOGGLE HOW CAN A COMPUTER BE A GREAT CHARACTER OR IN ANY WAY TERRIFYING? Her ever-malfunctioning voice alone - provided by the exceptionally talented Terri Brosius - is nightmare fuel in itself, but SHODAN's uncompromising awareness of her (and your) actions, well-deserved hubris, and constant taunting always ensure the player knows that they are but an insect in comparison to the glory that is a villainous sentient artificial intelligence. After all, she runs the ship... you're just running through the ship. As we move ever closer to a future filled with omnipresent computers and the potential for such AI programming, the knowledge that System Shock 2's events could eventually become reality makes it one of the few horror games to actually get scarier with age.
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#3
3. D'Angelo Barksdale
I struggle to think of a single more realistic, better written character than D'Angelo Barksdale (except for maybe some other fellas from The Wire!). Even as part of a huge ensemble cast, D's story arc was easily the highlight of the first one and a half seasons for me. His mixture of conventional and street intelligence leads to so many great moments, such as the famous chess scene, while his developing disillusionment with the game - despite his strong dedication to family - is heartbreaking to watch... though not as heartbreaking as what happens later. Larry Gilliard Jr. absolutely sells the role in every scene, and I'm saddened that I've never seen him in anything else. If you can watch The Wire without feeling something for D'Angelo, I'm sorry to inform you that your soul has gone AWOL.
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#2
2. Excel & Elgala
I don't think it's cheating to give a comedy duo a single spot on my list. While Excel and Elgala are funny on their own, they truly shine when they're able to play off each other. Unlike most duos, there's no silly guy/straight [wo]man dynamic here; they're both probably at least somewhat insane, and their banter frequently boils down to who can one-up the other when it comes to zaniness. That said, they're crazy, not stupid, so their battles of wits are almost always genuinely witty rather than just dumb or weird for the sake of it. Both characters have respectable traits in spite of their quirks (Excel's over the top dedication to hard work, El's heavily veiled and often misplaced compassion), and while they clearly detest being together, there's also a sense that they realize how they're probably each other's only real friends. There's a lot to love in the Excel Saga manga, and the Excel/Elgala dynamic is one of my favorite parts.
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#1
1. Gaius Baltar
The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica was a frakkin' fantastic show, and if I could pinpoint just one reason to watch it, it'd have to be a certain posh scientist. Portrayed immaculately by the wonderful James Callis, this slimeball is probably the most interesting fictional character I've ever encountered. The lengths at which he'll go for self-preservation are downright hilarious, the question of whether or not he has any remaining sanity is riveting (for the first three seasons, at least), and the way in which he eventually makes every single other character hate him is undeniably fun to watch in a trainwreck sort of way. While he often shows compassion and seems to want the best for everyone, his flaws always prevent him from truly becoming a good person. Yet, under it all, he isn't actually bad either; he makes so many mistakes, burns so many bridges, and often lets his arrogance control him, but... does he truly deserve to die for that? Baltar's a fascinating character, and often the highlight of any given episode - considering just how good the rest of the show is, that's high praise indeed.
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Great list! I love seeing D on the list myself.
And no, it isn't cheating to have two characters on a single slot, as long as you have a logical reason to do so. I mentioned this before, but my top 2 choices will be ties.
You know, I never got around to see Brisco. I should do that one of these days.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 27, 2013, 05:41:44 PM
Great list! I love seeing D on the list myself.
And no, it isn't cheating to have two characters on a single slot, as long as you have a logical reason to do so. I mentioned this before, but my top 2 choices will be ties.
I have Mega Man and Jesus in one of my slots. Is that logical?
Lol at calling Tenma a superhero.
Batgirl debuted in the shitty No Man's Land arc and I remember her talking in that. I used to think she was the worst DC character ever, a bad anime character in the Batfamily, an emo and overpowered.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 06:42:32 PM
the shitty No Man's Land arc
QuoteI used to think she was the worst DC character ever, a bad anime character in the Batfamily, an emo and overpowered.
Motherfucker I will cut your cock off and feed it to you.
I don't remember if she talks in that arc though. I will have to read it again.
Sounds about as entertaining as her crying about her daddy issues. :blush:
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 06:53:01 PM
Sounds about as entertaining as her crying about her daddy issues. :blush:
So you mean it'll be the best thing that's ever happened to you? :sly:
Obviously someone who likes a shitty hero such as Green Arrow would have awful taste in comic books. Oh boy, some pussy who shoots a bow at people. *yawn* :thinkin:
I'll try again, but I'm going brief.
#4-
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Rhoda Morgenstern
Let's see, Rhoda. The break-out star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, to the point that she won her own spin-off, which beat the predecessor in the ratings for the three seasons they were both on air. A character that helped Valerie Harper to win 3 Emmys from TMTMS, and one from her own snow. And still one of the best.
But why Rhoda? Well, for the first four seasons of the show, she kept Mary Richards in check, and reminded audiences that not everybody on the screen is perfect, despite what her best friend might make you think. Sure, plenty of TV characters could be brash, impulsive, sometimes even just moronic, but I can't think of too many others before Rhoda that were as upfront with their insecurities, and only a handful are able to have fun at themselves for said flaws as well as she does. Despite how she feels about her weight, her personal appearance and general awkwardness, Rho's able to crack fun at herself like it's nothing, which is inspiring even today.
Not a whole lot to say other than that I find Rhoda hilarious and heartwarming, but moreso on Mary Tyler Moore than on her own show. A domesticated Rhoda just isn't as much fun, but I do appreciate how the creators realized this and had her and husband Joe split up. The ratings slipped, but the later episodes of the show that I've seen are more fun than the earlier ones.
It also shows you how important the character is when the outcry of Valerie Harper's cancer announcement occurred. Many still see her as Rhoda, and are shocked to think that we're going to live in a world without Mary's Jewish best friend. I know I was.
Yay, you're continuing! :swoon:
I haven't really seen any MTM, but I guess I should.
Quote from: Foggle on May 27, 2013, 06:58:04 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 06:53:01 PM
Sounds about as entertaining as her crying about her daddy issues. :blush:
So you mean it'll be the best thing that's ever happened to you? :sly:
Obviously someone who likes a shitty hero such as Green Arrow would have awful taste in comic books. Oh boy, some pussy who shoots a bow at people. *yawn* :thinkin:
Oliver Queen has been to Heaven. Where have you been, bitch?
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 07:16:44 PM
Quote from: Foggle on May 27, 2013, 06:58:04 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 06:53:01 PM
Sounds about as entertaining as her crying about her daddy issues. :blush:
So you mean it'll be the best thing that's ever happened to you? :sly:
Obviously someone who likes a shitty hero such as Green Arrow would have awful taste in comic books. Oh boy, some pussy who shoots a bow at people. *yawn* :thinkin:
Oliver Queen has been to Heaven. Where have you been, bitch?
I went to Whataburger a couple days ago.
Quote from: Foggle on May 27, 2013, 07:19:25 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 07:16:44 PM
Quote from: Foggle on May 27, 2013, 06:58:04 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 06:53:01 PM
Sounds about as entertaining as her crying about her daddy issues. :blush:
So you mean it'll be the best thing that's ever happened to you? :sly:
Obviously someone who likes a shitty hero such as Green Arrow would have awful taste in comic books. Oh boy, some pussy who shoots a bow at people. *yawn* :thinkin:
Oliver Queen has been to Heaven. Where have you been, bitch?
I went to Whataburger a couple days ago.
Those are 12 times better than Heaven. You win. I'll go read Batgirl: A Knight Alone and maybe go learn how to shoot a bow somewhere.
Quote from: Foggle on May 27, 2013, 07:12:31 PM
Yay, you're continuing! :swoon:
I haven't really seen any MTM, but I guess I should.
Me too.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2013, 07:24:40 PM
Those are 12 times better than Heaven. You win. I'll go read Batgirl: A Knight Alone and maybe go learn how to shoot a bow somewhere.
:joy: :joy:
Quote from: Foggle on May 27, 2013, 05:30:48 PM
#5
5. Kenzo Tenma
I'm not one of those guys who gets "feels" very often, but gotdamn, Dr. Tenma's misadventures always get me misty-eyed. Every time he helps make someone's life better, I contemplate turning my own life around and figuring out some way I can be as excellent of a man as him. This is one of those situations where unflinching idealism is neither obnoxious nor stupid; Tenma's brilliance and earnestness make him the greatest comic book superhero of all time.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F68r4O3C.jpg&hash=98d11c230062728dcc6b65eaed30625a836adc95)
This a thousand times over.
But, believe it or not, Tenma isn't my favorite character from Monster (he's a close 2nd). Wolfgang Grimmer is actually my personal favorite, and he has many qualities that are comparable to Tenma, while he is also so different from him. I'll elaborate on why I like him so much as a character later, though, when I feel less lazy (AKA; probably never ;) ).
Eva is my favorite character from Monster. I think Martin might rank up there, too.
Honestly, you could probably fill a whole list with only Urasawa characters.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 27, 2013, 10:54:23 PM
Honestly, you could probably fill a whole list with only Urasawa characters.
True that.
Depending on how I feel at the moment my favorite character from Monster is either Grimmer or Johan. Lunge is also great, there were times when I really disliked the guy but he was nonetheless a very intriguing character.
Great list Foggle, I especially liked that you included Dale Cooper and SHODAN on it.
Lunge is probably my favorite.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 27, 2013, 10:47:55 PM
This a thousand times over.
But, believe it or not, Tenma isn't my favorite character from Monster (he's a close 2nd). Wolfgang Grimmer is actually my personal favorite, and he has many qualities that are comparable to Tenma, while he is also so different from him. I'll elaborate on why I like him so much as a character later, though, when I feel less lazy (AKA; probably never ;) ).
Quote from: Pharass on May 28, 2013, 08:28:09 AM
Great list Foggle, I especially liked that you included Dale Cooper and SHODAN on it.
Thanks guys! :) I hope you'll help me
troll critique GSF's list once he posts it.
I'm glad we can all agree that gunswordfist is the most "meh" user of this forum, and the one we can probably do without.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 28, 2013, 02:26:47 PM
I'm glad we can all agree that gunswordfist is the most "meh" user of this forum, and the one we can probably do without.
If I was 'meh' then I wouldn't be getting multiple, frequent mentions, you ass kicker.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 28, 2013, 03:01:36 PM
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 28, 2013, 02:26:47 PM
I'm glad we can all agree that gunswordfist is the most "meh" user of this forum, and the one we can probably do without.
If I was 'meh' then I wouldn't be getting multiple, frequent mentions, you ass kicker.
That's the worst comeback I've ever heard.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 28, 2013, 06:02:07 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 28, 2013, 03:01:36 PM
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 28, 2013, 02:26:47 PM
I'm glad we can all agree that gunswordfist is the most "meh" user of this forum, and the one we can probably do without.
If I was 'meh' then I wouldn't be getting multiple, frequent mentions, you ass kicker.
That's the worst comeback I've ever heard.
I meant to say ass kisser, but go ahead and beat up Foggle. :blush:
I'm just going to reveal my third choice, and not really talk about him.
#3-
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Magneto
But don't worry, I'll write up about my top 2 soon, and I'll get into greater detail, since I have a lot to say about them. I also think that I'll share some of my honorable mentions, before I go into those:
Joan Holloway
Arya Stark
Ed, Edd n' Eddy
Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Colonel Sherman T. Potter
Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Hans Landa
Jack Skellington
Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewsk
iReginald "Bubbles" Cousins
C.C. "Buddy Boy" Baxter
Gandalf
The Joker
Lou Grant
Sylvester
Now, can you guess what my top characters are going to be?
Sonny Munroe and Angela from Barney & Friends.
But that'd require leaving out Mitchie and Princess Rosalinda!
Quote from: Avaitor on June 03, 2013, 02:30:32 PM
Now, can you guess what my top characters are going to be?
I'll go for the safe bets, Daria and Daffy Duck. :P
Of course, I think you said before that your top two choices will be ties, if I remember correctly, so I dunno.
#2-
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Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck
I may be more of a Daffy guy, but I do love Bugs a lot myself. If I could take anyone's irreverent sense of humor at adversity combined with strength, I'd have to go with him. How great would that be? I mean, just look at how he takes on Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian or whoever gets him in a wrong mood. And he's always hilarious.
Then there's Daffy. I'd have to say that the only sides of him that I'm not crazy on are the 60's shorts where he'd try to capture Speedy Gonzales, or the later, more commercial products you'd see him in. But Tex's original, wacky as all hell interpretation of the duck? Classic. Clampett's expansion of Daffy and his frequent meshing with Porky? Yes please. The later greedy take no his persona? Great! The combination of all of the above in Duck Dodgers? Quite underrated.
And yes, I do love his feud with Bugs. I can't say that it's my very favorite, but obviously I have to talk about it.
I love them both separately, but they're nearly as great together than not. Bugs works as a great straight man and an irritated schemer as opposed to Daffy's black and white arrogance, and nearly every short with them in together works thanks in part to their chemistry. Watching "Ali Baba Bunny" again the other day just reminded me of their overall strengths together.
I also put them together because it just seems to fit, based on the Bugs-Daffy complex. You want to be Bugs, but you wake up and you're Daffy. You can arguably say the same about Mary and Rhoda, or Professor X and Magneto, but there's nary a greater compare-contrast of life than putting these two side by side.
I never would have guessed. ;)
Fuck it, I'm going to try for #1 now. Here we go.
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Barney Stinson wasn't going to be the way he was. Craig Thomas and Carter Bays initially wanted a Jack Black-type to play this character, a sloppy, arrogant, pseudo-ladies man that got lucky every once in a while. Your basic breakaway character. He could've been funny, and knowing Bays and Thomas, they would have built on this character quite well if it lasted.
Then entered Neil Patrick Harris. About as far away from a Jack Black type as you can get. But by some miracle, Thomas and Bays saw a new angle on their character in Harris's audition, which made them go with NPH, this recently-outed side actor, to play Barney Stinson.
Together, they created a monster.
Comedically, for one thing, what can I say that eight seasons haven't? His resume (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKX9QhmGqVs). My god. Barney's commitment to achieving a lifelong of awesomeness is insane. Then there are his many, many Playbook tricks. It's amazing how many of his crazy schemes to attract women work, some of which include him pretending to be a statue in a museum, "coming back" 50 years from the future to warn a girl that sleeping with the present-day Barney will save the universe, and talking like a baby boy. The even crazier part? Even though his friends will cheer Barney on during his craziest schemes, when he treads towards downright misogyny, which is surprisingly rare, he is never once vindicated by the gang, and he is able to learn his lesson the hard way. Which often makes for even funnier results.
You have Barney's childish tendencies. His magic tricks. How he considers the villains of movies to be the heroes (but let's be real, who doesn't root for Hans Landa?). His deeply layered logic (see: the Ewok theory and "Choo + choo= train"). His Get Psyched Mix (both versions). And this.
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Barney is a very funny character. Even people that don't like the show wouldn't knock this notion. But anyone with a marginal bit of history of the show can tell you that's more than just laughs to Barney's character. For every recurring joke, for every tick, there's a deep-seeded history to go with them.
Barney's desire to suit up started after Shannon, his first love, left him for a businessman during their hippie phase. After this, it became a character flaw to Barney to not look at your presentable best 24/7.
His promiscuity comes from after his first time, which was with a friend of his mother's, a former prostitute. This was suggested to the both of them by his brother, shortly after Shannon left him, and premature "praise" from the woman after Barney's first go made him build himself up into a sex god, until he finally became one. It still takes a few times to rock a cougar or two, but it's what Barney is best at, as many will agree. The fact that his mother was also a prostitute in her time helped toward this as well.
Barney's innocence and logical twisting was brought on by his mother, who tried to make the world as safe for her sons as possible. This includes covering up why none of his classmates came to his birthday parties (damn you, Postmaster General!), wh Barney was too awesome to play on the basketball team, and what happened to his "Uncle Jerry". Also why he thought Bob Barker was his dad, but that's another thing entirely.
Barney's issues with women, relationships, and abandonment? It isn't obvious by now? The amazing thing is, Barney has definitely changed since the very first season. He still fools around, occasionally relapses, and acts childish, but his heart is in a better place. Barney's more overt, he's sharper, and more heartfelt than before. A big reason to thank all of this?
Who I'm tying him with.
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I don't think it's too much of a surprise that Barney is a great character. Neil Patrick Harris is an incredible actor, and brings such life to every little line. What's far more surprising is that Robin Scherbatsky, the little plot twist that made the show's pilot as memorable as it is, has grown into as strong of a persona as she is now.
Robin initially started as a bit of a fifth wheel, the new girl in a well-formed group. The perfect bouncing board to expand upon the group's crazy stories. It didn't take much time for Robin to have her own stories to share with the gang, and she finally got to expand as her own character.
What is there to Robin as a character? She's stubborn, but open. Strong, but still broken. Sardonic, but not as sharp as she thinks she is. And did I mention she was a teenage pop star in Canada during the mid-90's? Cobie Smulders is able to make all of these aspects feel authentic, and typically hilarious, and in no time she became one of my favorites on the show.
Robin Scherbatsky is in many ways the quintessential modern day woman, but Bays and Thomas are too smart to shove this in your face ala Murphy Brown, or to frequently humiliate herself to "make her human" like Ally McBeal. She just... is. Like the rest of the gang, aside from Barney, Robin has been fighting her way to her dream job over the course of the show, which happens to be an elite news anchor, and by now, she's at a big news station and had her share of reports on the screen, like it was nothing. The funny thing is, she didn't even have to deal with much adversity because of her sex or even her nationality. There were plenty of struggles, but all ones that could happen to everyone, and Robin has made it through by the end.
What makes Robin so popular among fans, besides her music, is her conviction to not have children, something she has stuck by over the course of the show, from beginning to now. It was one of the biggest deal-breakers between her and Ted, as well as her brief relationship with Kevin the therapist. And despite Ted's feelings for her, this is what causes him to stay back at the end of the day, and why we know that she isn't the mother.
It even went to the point that we discovered that Robin can't have kids. Her reaction to this was a little controversial, since some found it unrealistic that someone as strongly against childbirth ("I like cars, but I wouldn't want to push one out of my vagina!") would be so openly distraught towards a loss like this, as she was in the episode this was revealed, but from what I've discovered over the years, news like this will be likely to affect you no matter who you are. If there's one thing people hate, it's to be told that they can't do something. Seeing Ted hold Robin and having him dry her tears as "Highway to Hell" plays along to newly-lit Christmas lights still remains one of the sweetest moments I've seen in all of TV.
Then there's an aspect that I don't think is addressed enough on the show- Robin's growing appreciation of her femininity. As we learn, her dad was not ready to have a daughter, and he didn't really raise a daughter. It's only until around the time she put on a blonde wig and started to sing about malls and beavers with Alan Thicke that this started to change. We see Robin embrace girlier clothing, make-up and the like with more ease on a subtlety growing basis, all making logical sense for the character.
Robin can make me laugh, she can make me sad, and she can be inspiring. But why am I siding her with Barney? Because, one way or another, they're just meant to be together. Barney wants a girl with daddy issues, which Robin has in spades, and Robin wants someone who's willing to take their time with a relationship but knows what she wants. Ted is firmly in the latter territory, but I think that Barney has grown to prove both at this point. Even then, Neil and Cobie have insanely strong chemistry together.
This is what Robin looked like when Barney and Ted first met her.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages1.fanpop.com%2Fimages%2Fimage_uploads%2FRobin-Scherbatsky-cobie-smulders-1035841_1012_550.jpg&hash=cbd74aaeb8d027965febab7b1077e51e7d0d0b56)
This is them 8 years later.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2F43d61b648a1d803ece72bc37f4f2914b%2Ftumblr_mfcjtvH8BN1qa3emao1_500.gif&hash=6fbc56c6c131eb95b5466f342e28b2af79ac3740)
And these are my two favorite characters in all of fiction, separately and together. I hope you enjoyed seeing my list!
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2F52f37fc2bd327a21498c87ba0a0a918e%2Ftumblr_mmgbauO85x1s85x8bo1_500.gif&hash=23e85434ce8b1fe9cbaf6408b0148e0b229ddfa5)
:happytime:
He is most definitely the highlight of the show, and Robin as well is very funny. Without them the show would merely be watchable.
Very nice final post, lots of detail! :o Sadly, I'm only passingly familiar with your favorite characters, so I can't really comment on them at all.