Fictional Characters #8 - Hero Collection

Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford in Star Wars and assorted sequels)

Several of my favorite movie lines of all time belong to this character.  “Wonderful girl! Either I’m going to kill her or I’m beginning to like her.”  As a kid I always wanted to be Han Solo’s other sidekick, and that feeling has never quite gone away.

Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean and assorted sequels)

From the moment he steps off his sinking ship onto the dock, Jack Sparrow makes me laugh.  Is he a nut job?  Absolutely.  Morally questionable?  Absolutely.  Entertaining?  Absolutely.

Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman in X-Men and assorted sequels)

In my opinion Wolverine is the runner up in the “Who’s the best super hero” debate.  (Tracy would probably put him in first place, and I’ll forgive him for that.)  My first real exposure to the X-Men world was this film, and they rightly put Wolverine at the heart of it.  The grouchy, slouchy demeanor combined with his protective affection for Rogue was a heroic combination.  Plus, how cool or those claws?

Aragorn (played by Viggo Mortensen in Fellowship of the Ring and assorted sequels)

We have a joke at our house that if Tracy has any competition (which he doesn’t) it’s Aragorn.  It’s not just the swash buckling sword fights, though I always love those, Aragorn is humble, kind, and devoted to his true love.  How can you not like a guy like that?

Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark and assorted sequels)

I have Raiders of the Lost Ark practically memorized and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  If I ever own a dog, it’s going to be tough not to name him Indy.

Fictional Characters #7 - Literary Lasses

Jane Eyre (from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte)

I’ve read this book several times, but it had been awhile, so a few months ago I downloaded the audio version from the library, and found myself hanging on every word.   While the romance in it is good stuff, I found myself even more moved by Jane’s absolute confidence in herself and her convictions even though she is “poor and plain” and has grown up without anyone to love or take care of her. 

Jo March (from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

I think it’s interesting that Jo is played as the unconventional one of her sisters, and yet she’s the protagonist and the one that I think most girls in America identify with.  In fact, I remember my grandma telling me that she always liked Jo.  Plus Jo wants to be a writer.  So of course, she makes my list.

Thursday Next (from The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde)

The Thursday Next novels are difficult to describe, part mystery, part urban fantasy, but not really either.  They’re set in a world where literature is as popular and mainstream as professional sports.  One of the best things about them is the character of Thursday Next, a literary detective with a quirky past and even quirkier family, she’s the glue that makes these wacky novels work.

Elizabeth Bennet (as played by Jennifer Ehle in the mini-series Pride and Prejudice)

I’ve written before about the fact that I struggle to read Austen, but I generally love the movies they make from Austen.  The very best of those is the BBC’s 1995 miniseries of Pride and Prejudice.  I’ve heard a lot said about Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy, and don’t get me wrong, he does a great job.  But in my opinion, the movie only works as well as it does because Elizabeth is so likeable.  Believable for her time period and yet completely accessible for modern women.  It’s just lots and lots of fun.

Rory Gilmore  (played by Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls)

It’s not often I’ve had the experience of watching network television and wishing I was as well read as one of the characters. While I might not have always agreed with her life choices, it was nice to see the depiction of a teenage girl whose primary goal in life was to get the best education she could

Fictional Characters #6- A Mom, Some Dads, and other Dudes in Charge

Lorelai Gilmore (played by Lauren Graham on Gilmore Girls)

One of the things I love the most about Gilmore Girls is the depiction of an intelligent, hard working mom who is her daughter’s best pal and biggest fan -  maybe because I’m lucky enough to have a mother like that. (Thanks Mom!)

Atticus Finch (played by Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird and from the book by Harper Lee)

The American Film Institute ranked Atticus Finch as the number one hero from American film.  Yes, that's partly because he’s a crusading lawyer fighting for a black man in the Jim Crow south. However, Atticus is also a hero because he’s a terrific father.   One of my favorite lines, “If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”  

Charlie Swan (from the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer)

One thing I enjoy about the Twilight books is that the adults aren’t played as ogres.  One of my least favorite things about the Twilight books is that Bella lies to her father, because he’s clearly such a first rate guy, laid back, patient, and willing to put up with a lot of crap from his teenage daughter.  Speaking of Twilight…

Carlisle Cullen (from the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer)

I have a theory that beyond the obvious love triangle, the reason that these books are so popular with girls are the number of really good men that Bella has in her life.  Not only does she have two great boys to choose between, but she also has two extra "families" to get to be a part of.  There are great father and brother figures coming out of the woodwork (or um…woods) in these books.  Of these, I think the most intriguing is Carlisle Cullen, a man so determined to be good that in spite of being a vampire, he’s a doctor.  Talk about willpower and determination.

Aslan (from the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis)

The only animal on my list (well, unless you count Chewbacca), but then Aslan isn’t really an animal so much as a symbol of sacrifice, faith, love and hope.  And he's a talking lion.  Cool.

Captain Picard/ Professor Xavier (played by Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: the Next Generation and X-Men)

These are really the same character aren’t they?   I mean I know there are subtle differences, but one thing is clear.  If you’re headed into unknown territory, in either a spaceship or a superhero battle, you clearly want a character played by Patrick Stewart in charge.

Fictional Characters #5 - The Super Club

It had to happen, everyone who knows me knew that it did, right?  So I decided to lump them all together, with the exception of Lex, who clearly belonged in the Villains category. 

Superman/Clark Kent (best played by Christopher Reeve in Superman)

I almost listed these as two separate characters.  In some version Clark Kent is the disguise, and in other versions Superman clearly is.  Yet at heart they are all the same. I’ve been thinking about why this character is so interesting to me, and there are a lot of reasons, but I think the main reason is that in most stories, as in real life, power corrupts.  Superman however, is depicted as being the most physically powerful person on the planet,  and yet largely, to borrow a word from a recent episode of Smallville, “incorruptible."

Lois Lane (best played by Margot Kidder in Superman)

When I was a teenager, this is who I wanted to be when I grew up.  As a grown up, I’ve realized I’m not quite that willing to incur the wrath of those around me.  Still, when I feel nervous I try to channel my inner Lois Lane, and sometimes it actually works.  

Perry White (as played by Lane Smith in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)

The only Perry White that is really dear to my heart is Lois and Clark’s Lane Smith.    It’s probably why when I think of a Perry White catchphrase I think not of the standard “Great Caesar’s Ghost” but Lane Smith’s boisterous “Great Shades of Elvis!”  When Lane Smith died a few years ago, I was honestly sad for a moment.  He was tough and cranky, but also funny and vulnerable, truly becoming a key player in the series, rather than merely “the boss”. 

Chloe Sullivan (as played by Allison Mack in Smallville)

As I’ve said before I have a serious love-hate relationship with Smallville, but the computer hacking, girl-next-door Chloe is Smallville’s true contribution to the Superman universe.  I also think she’s an example of a character that was so surprisingly good, the writers and creators of the show didn’t know what to do with her.  Five times more interesting than their Lana Lang, I still think we should have had a year or two of a Clark and Chloe relationship.  There’s no law that says that Clark didn’t have a girlfriend between Lana and Lois, right?  I’ve always thought the writers and creators of Smallville missed the boat on that one. 

Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow (as played by Justin Hartley in Smallville)

This guy deserves his own show, or at least better material. (Another reason for the “hate” part of the love-hate relationship).   Still, if I laugh out loud while watching Smallville, 10 to 1 it’s over something this guy said, and he’s the only character from Smallville who helped inspire a character in one of my own books.  

Fictional Characters #4- Salt and Pepper - As In, They Come As A Set

All of these characters could make this list on their own merits, and yet as romantic-sparks-flying teams they are even better, besides it seems almost impossible to write about any of them without mentioning their other half.

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in X-Files)

I have a legitimate, somewhat serious phobia about UFO’s and yet X-Files is one of my favorite shows of all time.  Why?  Because the complex and slow building relationship between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully had me hooked week after week.  It wasn’t just about the romantic part, some of my favorite “relationship” episodes come early in the series, when it’s almost exclusively their ability to rely on each other no matter what. 

Sorcha and Red (from Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest)

This story is really Sorcha’s, and she carries it, with a determination and grit that comes from love, but Red is one of the serious stand-up guys in fiction, a Clark Kent for the Middle Ages, trying to do right by everyone he cares about. He isn’t perfect, but he’s perfect for her.  This isn’t the easiest read, these characters go through so much grief, but it’s one of my favorite romantic stories ever. 

Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson (from the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters)

[Small spoiler alert]  Yes, their initial meeting in Crocodile on a Sandbank is lots of fun, and I especially love that it’s Amelia’s brain that first gets Emerson’s attention.  However, what I really love is that in the eighteen (I’m not kidding) books that follow it, nobody makes married life look more fun, romantic, enduring, and interesting than Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. 

Rick Castle and Kate Beckett (played by Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic in Castle)

These two are fairly recent entries on this list, and in fact it was after watching an episode of Castle that I started thinking about doing this list for my blog.  They remind me a bit of Mulder and Scully, though with more humor and more flirting, which is a big compliment coming from me.  Besides, Rick Castle is a novelist, and that’s always going to earn a character extra points in my book, pun intended. 

Belle and The Beast (from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)

This has always been my favorite fairy tale, maybe because it’s one in which it’s the girl who truly does the saving.  However, I recently, and finally, bought this movie on DVD and I was once again struck with the fact they couldn’t have written a version of Belle more designed to suit me if they had tried.  Yes, Robin McKinley did “book worm” Beauty first, and that’s a big part of it.  However, Belle is also a character that, while she clearly loves her father, is a bit uneasy with everyday expectations, something I’ve always struggled with myself.  And The Beast is perfect, all bluster and no bite (except when it comes to the bad guys) who manages, in spite of his fearsome looks, to come off as awkwardly sweet.    

Fictional Characters #3 - Best of the West

As I’ve written in previous posts my earliest love of history came from stories of the American West, and as you can tell from the last entry in this category, “western” characters continue to be some of my favorites.

Laura Ingalls (played by Melissa Gilbert on Little House on the Prairie, and from the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder) 

Ok, so this is a “fictionalized” character.  There really was a Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she did an incredible job of turning the story of her life into a series of books that one little girl from Idaho adored.  I also remember being so sad when the Little House series ended my Dad had to console me with the fact that it would always be on in reruns. 

Jimmy Hickok (played by Josh Brolin in The Young Riders)

Yes, again there was a real James Butler Hickok, but I think it’s safe to call this depiction a fictional character.  In re-watching the series as a happily married grown woman, I was still impressed with how strong and interesting Hickok is as a character.  One episode, “The Peacemakers”, is carried almost entirely by the character of Hickok and is so compelling I felt like I was watching a classic western movie, instead of an episode of a sometimes cheesy 90’s western. 

Kicking Bird (played by Graham Greene in Dances With Wolves)

Being a Native American historian, I’ve had to live with so much academic analysis of Dances With Wolves that it’s almost impossible for me to see it as just a movie anymore.  However, the highlight of this movie, in my opinion, is Graham Greene’s portrayal as Kicking Bird.  He’s determined, smart and funny, and creates one of the least stereotypical and most enjoyable Indian characters on film.  Greene’s also behind another of my favorite Indian characters, Joseph from Maverick. 

Gus McCrae (played by Robert Duvall in Lonesome Dove)

In my opinion, in all the best and worst ways Lonesome Dove is the epitome of the “western”.   And while Tommy Lee Jones’s Woodrow F. Call is the epitome of the western hero, I think it’s the character of Gus that gives this story its heart.  

Annabelle Bransford (played by Jodie Foster in Maverick)

Do not ask me why I love this character so much.  I can’t even explain it myself.  She’s dishonest, manipulative, and gambles for a living.   Yet, when I saw this movie I thought, “If I could have been a movie actress, just once, that’s probably the part I’d want to play.”     

Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit)

Forget Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin (which is saying a lot, considering my above comments). The thing that makes this movie amazing is the character of Mattie Ross.   With the possible exception of Whale Rider, I don’t think I’ve seen another film whose portrayal of a teenage girl was so compelling.  She’s the true “western” women in a pint sized package.

Fictional Characters #2- The Sidekicks

Sometimes the sidekicks are as good as, if not better than, the hero or heroine they hang out with.

Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson in the Harry Potter films)

Yes, I love book Hermione too, of course, but when I see Hermione in my mind I see the movie version.  Book smart, a little bossy, and courageous to the end.  Though it’s a little bizarre to look up to someone who is younger than you and fictional, Hermione has a spot on my heroes list.

Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew in the Star Wars films)

Ahh, Chewie.  How is it that a character who can’t actually talk can be so funny and endearing?  He may be a “walking carpet” but there’s no one I’d rather have co-piloting an interplanetary spaceship.

Samwise Gamgee (played by Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings trilogy)

It’s no surprise that the chubby and diligent Sam is my favorite of the hobbits.  One of my very favorite moments from this trilogy is Sam’s speech from the end of The Two Towers, “It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger … But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come…. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something…That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”

Alice Cullen (from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer)

A best friend with total loyalty, unlimited funding, killer fashion sense (pardon the pun), and the ability to see the future, what more could a girl ask for?  If I could be a fictional character for a day, Alice Cullen would be in the running.  I mean, forget being rich and seeing the future, the girl is graceful.  I’d like to try that for one day.

Hugo “Hurley” Reyes (played by Jorge Garcia on Lost)

“Dude. Dude? Dude!”  Other than the ability to convey an entire thought with the inflection on a single word, I love Hurley because he snuck up on me.  Yes, of course, I instantly sympathized with the overweight character, but still, Hurley appeared to be simply the plucky comic relief to more serious characters like Jack and Sawyer.  Instead he ended up ruling the universe, in a manner of speaking, and he deserved it.