Unlikeable main characters

ZXSpectrum said:
I think this is intentional. I haven't seen the Sopranos but i think its probably similar to Sons of Anarchy and Mayans. Its written in a way that in some small part of you can empathise with the main characters because of their story, charisma and that's how the character survives. Stand back and look at it objectively they are all murdering scumbag gang members whose only loyalty is to the MC. They kill other gangs but also women, children, innocents and police with little to no remorse and relatively minor consequences other than the way they die that being what they live for. Sutter is a master of this sort of writing and characterizations.
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The Shield is similar, Vic and Shane in particular.

Just remembered Forest Whitaker was great at acting such a horrible character from that show.
 
mrgubby said:
I read all the Covenant books and enjoyed them but hated the character that much I've never been able to reread them :D
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I tried reading the first one, but it went in a bin at a railway station after about 15 minutes. Life is infuriating enough without reading in my downtime becoming so as well. I’ve enjoyed reading engineering theory and mathematical textbooks far more than this book.

I can’t remember binning another book in 45 odd years of reading for pleasure. I’ve had a bunch that took a little while to get into, but never to the point of thinking “**** this!” and yeeting the offending tome into a bin.
 
Anakin in the prequals, know it all in the 1st, whiny emo in the 2nd, whiny spoilt brat in the 3rd, awfully written character with ridiculous reasons for turning to the dark side.
 
I think the OP meant characters who aren't intentionally unlikeable, but thread seems to have gone off on a bit of a tangent.

Intentionally unlikeable characters - The whole cast of 'It's always sunny in Philadelphia'

Absolute narcissists, but funny as ****.
 
Pretty much any character in Sons of Anarchy.

I mean we are supposed to like these people but even the main character who is trying to get the bike gang to go straight - murders his way through each series along with the rest of them - even several gun fights where innosent bystanders get mown down without any comment.

It was good TV drama just with zero empathy for any of the characters - couldnt of cared less which of them got offed.
 
ZXSpectrum said:
I think this is intentional. I haven't seen the Sopranos but i think its probably similar to Sons of Anarchy and Mayans. Its written in a way that in some small part of you can empathise with the main characters because of their story, charisma and that's how the character survives. Stand back and look at it objectively they are all murdering scumbag gang members whose only loyalty is to the MC. They kill other gangs but also women, children, innocents and police with little to no remorse and relatively minor consequences other than the way they die that being what they live for. Sutter is a master of this sort of writing and characterizations.
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The characters in Gomorrah spring to mind - a really good series and highly recommended. If you take a step back, the characters are exactly as you describe!
 
Thought of couple more both from the same movie.

Begby and sickboy from trainspotting, begby was nasty and sickboy was just a utter ****
 
Dis86 said:
Watched a few things recently where I've realised I just cannot stand some of the main characters in them.
Particularly with horror/suspense films and kids where they seem to exist to do nothing but imperil the other characters. All too often i find myself sat there just thinking the kid needs a slap.
I can't tell if it's just poor writing or a deliberate plot route.

Any films/shows/characters that stand out for you?

Ross in friends and Ted in how I met your mother are 2 main characters that are just awful people.

The girl in the war of the worlds. I prayed that she would just get disintegrated.
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Ross is an absolute ****, I wanted him to die in multiple 'ross' escapades, unfortunately he didn't, damn that sit-com genera.
The actor plays the role so well, you actually want to spend all day hammering nails into him, same when he portrays the 'sick' animal in Madagascar, again you want that giffafe to die, horribly, we were short changed when he didn't jump into that volcano.
I think David Swimmer is excellent at portraying character I would wish to die horribly.
 
bazzabear said:
I had this problem with a film that everyone in the world except me loves - Sideways. The two protagonists are both such self absorbed bellends I really struggled with it.

And of course the obvious - although it's entirely deliberate - the Wolf of Wall Street. A film which is basically all about a complete and utter tossbag boasting about what a complete and utter tossbag he was, and how he completely got away with it.
This one I watched and enjoyed, but hated at the same time.
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V true, and Leo was magnificent, if the character wasn't such a hateful ****, i think he would have an Oscar for that role.
 
Vandle said:
Breaking Bad - Hated them all except for Hank.
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The irony is Hank is kind of introduced as the Jock, the bully, the guy who only cares about himself and will take the **** out of anyone that doesn't conform to his stereotype as a way of inflating his own self-importance. Then as the show evolves you realise he's actually the barometer, the person who fundamentally wants to do the right thing but has some insecurities. The watershed moment is Walt Jr's birthday when Walt is trying to assert his authority by tipping alcohol down his throat and Hank, the guy you picture as the "man's man" party animal saying woah woah woah hold on a minute fella, he's had enough.
 
Brie Larson ( captain marvel ). Why ?

She comes across as narcissistic, condescending and her character has no real arc, doesn’t experience any real hardships, has no real weaknesses. It screams spoilt child at birth

critical drinker did a episode on her on you tube Go watch it for more info
 
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Destination said:
Ross is an absolute ****, I wanted him to die in multiple 'ross' escapades, unfortunately he didn't, damn that sit-com genera.
The actor plays the role so well, you actually want to spend all day hammering nails into him, same when he portrays the 'sick' animal in Madagascar, again you want that giffafe to die, horribly, we were short changed when he didn't jump into that volcano.
I think David Swimmer is excellent at portraying character I would wish to die horribly.
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Have you seen Band of Brothers? :p
 
not-Galadriel in amazon's not-Tolkien LARPing debacle.

Michael Burnham in STD.

Brie Larsen in Captain Marvel.

I mean there's literally thousands of thoroughly unlikeable main charachters, but isn't it the point they're supposed to be? Like David Thewlis in Naked for example? Or everyone in Succession?

Surely the thread would have made more sense if it has been about unlikeable mains who you're supposed to be rooting for?

Just a thought.
 
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