QOTD

[avenueyew]

Tooth continues painful, not in the humour of trying to battle with it for words today so part one in a series of ? question of the day: 

Can you name a character in a book or movie that provoked a really strong pro or against reaction in you, more than usual?  Is there any work of fiction you think would be improved by taking a particular character out of it completely?

Comments

[korpikuusi]

Harry fucking Potter.

[alays]

I found Harry more annoying with every further book.

[alays]

There are a few characters that I found really hateful although I wouldn`t remove them from the book. There is Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and there is Nathaniel in the Bartimaeus series. Kind of difficult to remove Nathaniel as he is one of the two main characters.

[gothwalk]

There are always characters in ensemble pieces who'd improve things by not being present, although that's generally more true in movies than books. There are vast sections of George R.R. Martin from which you could remove whole battalions of characters, and I'm not sure anyone would even notice, but since they're almost universally unpleasant, it'd be hard to choose one.

Ward in Agents of SHIELD was a very-much-hated character for me, and in my recent watching of S3 onward, I was a bit surprised by how very visceral that was. I don't even remember S1-2 enough to say exactly where that came from, but I nearly snarled when he appeared on screen.

It's rare, though, that there's a character I dislike AND who could usefully be removed - mostly the ones I dislike most are pretty crucial to the plot.

Cyclops in X-Men, though. Would anyone notice if he was removed?

[bastun]

I hated Ward with a passion, even before we knew he was... with who he was... but I think it was mainly down to the actor being so incredibly wooden!

[bastun]

Pro: Tyrion, in GoT. I just love the character. Aiken Drum, in The Saga of the Exiles. The trickster who will become, literally, the archetypal Trickster.

Anti: Ward from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as per previous comment. Jar Jar Binks - though he at least redeemed himself by being the literal, direct cause of Palapatine coming to power; clearly a Sith agent all along!

[kareina]

I think that the Clan of the Cave Bear books, and Ayla's life, would be better off without Jondlar. His jealousy, possessiveness, fragile ego, frequent failures to communicate, and ease with which he can cross the line into violent pisses me off every time I read them, and I haven't even been willing to read the last one in the series a second time because of some of his more objectionable moments. Sure, between episodes he tries to be a good guy and charming, but it all comes across as naught more than a facade.

I could really do without the whole story arc in the Mammoth Hunters that teaches that "even in a culture where it is ok to love multiple people one is still supposed to have a 'one true love' that is worth giving up everything for, no matter how much of an ass they show themselves to be, and, in fact, the more of an ass they are before you give in to what they want, the better it is supposed to be. No, thanks.

No offence to the rest of the people suggesting expendable characters, but compared to Jondlar, Harry is only a little fucked up.

[vikinginireland]

I can't name her, or the book she was in, something about Mars or the Moon?
A SF book with an, according to the author, unattractive woman who pined for the hero, did ballet hidden away from everyone else, and died. The portrayal was fatphobic and misogynistic. The character herself would have been fine if the author had done better by her.

[vikinginireland]

That's for the second question. The negative reaction was reserved for the author.