When we think of what a hero should be, a few characteristics come to mind: kind, compassionate, empathetic, strong, fast, intelligent, and having a solid moral ground to stand on. But, of course, nothing is perfect, not even Superman, though he is one of the real heroes. Some heroes aren’t exactly what we think we’ll get when we sit down with glassy, fixated eyes and watch the likes of James Bond only to realize that he is just another sneaky man who uses anyone in his way. Then you can look at some others, like Howard the Duck, and understand why he is not exactly a textbook hero.
Heroes have pasts and feelings, too. Some are ridiculously rich and have never had to worry about much of anything. Some are super smart and cannot stand mingling with ordinary people because they can’t help but think of those “normal people” as idiots. These are issues any human might face, and since we are all from different genes, in different households and schools, and grow up uniquely from any other human, it goes to say that sometimes what we consider to be a difficult person to get along with might be that way for a reason. Look at some of the biggest villains;many are bad guys for a reason, and it all boils down to their feelings and how they have been treated or raised. Enough playing Devil’s Advocate; let’s dive into those hard-to-buddy-up with movie heroes.
Mad Maxisn’t precisely a fuzzy, feel-good movie franchise; it’s dirty, rotten, and downright awful at times, and the main character is not someone that would likely spend one minute being kind to you or chatting it up. Instead, he is feral and ruthless and literally exists for vengeance for what happened to his family. He isn’t looking for friends. Also, he doesn’t speak very often, especially in the newer Max Mad movieMad Max: Fury Road. He has been played by two of the greatest actors in history, who might just be a bit friendlier than our character. Mel Gibson was the Mad Max we all grew up with, and Tom Hardy is our current War Boy subtracter.
12James Bond
James Bondmay be one of Hollywood’s most lucrative action heroes, but he’s also been portrayed as incredibly misogynistic and willing to do anything to catch the bad guy, even using countless women and discarding them like trash. He buddies up to any attractive female and treats them like objects. He isn’t known for doing nice things or for having any friends. He’d be an elitist regarding his fancy Beretta and his vehicles, which, let’s face it, are most of the reasons anyone loves James Bond. He’s just a fancy, schmancy scumbag. However, James Bond has been played by some really fantastic actors such as; Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. It is likely that each of the actors has higher morals and better sense than the fictional James Bond.
Related:James Bond: Best Performances in the Franchise, Ranked
11Edward Cullen from the Twilight Saga
Edward Cullen fromThe Twilight Sagais another one of those quiet elitists that think every human is beneath him, which to some degree is entirely understandable, having been alive for way too long at a mere 104 years old. He is very proud of his knowledge of basically everything but is seething with self-hatred. A rich boy who spends all day and night hating himself and everyone around him that is a human isn’t going to be someone you go for coffee with and chat about your dreams. Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen inThe Twilight Sagaand has also playedBatman, Cedric Diggory inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Jacob inWater for Elephants, along with roles in many other films.
10Peter Venkman
Yet another full-of-himself jerk who basically thinks he’s super cool and that, secretly, everyone loves and desires him. Peter Venkman of theGhostbustersalso doesn’t seem to understand anything about consent and takes advantage of it when she is possessed. Not only that, but he doesn’t listen to her when she point blankly says no to his advances on her before she was possessed. I guess this was a time when you make someone uncomfortable enough times that you’ll wear them down just enough to say yes just to get you to leave them alone. This would be one friend you’d rather be without, and it would be incredibly tiring listening to him boast about himself constantly.
Bill Murray may or may not be an outstanding human, the verdict is still out on it, but he is an amazing actor and funny-man. Murray has starred in so many fantastic movies that it’s hard to keep track of them all! Some of the movies areCaddyshack, Zombieland, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation, Stripes, What About Bob?, Scroogedand so many more.
Bruce Wayne as Batmanwas raised in a wealthy household and, as a child, lost his parents. He had no friends and never seemed to do anything to relax. In all of the Batman movies, Wayne never seems to be happy. In fact, he seems to lack a personality altogether. He wouldn’t care for conversation or be empathetic to everyday human life. He is clipped and professional but does not seem to know the meaning of fun. He would probably stare out the window and wish to return to his mansion while you talked about your life. Haven’t we all felt that way at some point or another?
Batman is yet another of those roles that has attracted a slew of very talented actors throughout the years, like; Adam West, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson. Who doesn’t want to be Batman when they grow up? You just know that each of these actors really wanted the part so they would have bragging rights to driving the infamous Batmobile.
8Cher from Clueless
Cher fromCluelesswas a cool rich kid who didn’t lack thelatest clothing or beauty. She had everything and got everything. She also took on a girl who she thought she was better than and “fixed” her as a project, much like having a doll. Unfortunately, Cher was exceedingly rude to everyone that wasn’t in her clique and didn’t show an ounce of remorse for it until the very end of the movie. Also, she’s a creep for being in love with her stepbrother, which would undoubtedly make for an awkward conversation. Looking down on people and shaming them for who they are is so not cool. Alicia Silverstone brought this character to life and did an amazing job of it.
Unfortunately, young girls everywhere wanted to be just like Cher. Everything from thigh highs to the saying, “what if” made its way through the masses of underaged girls and likely drove parents insane. Alicia Silverstone has always seemed like the kind of person that would be the exact opposite of her role as Cher inClueless. Silverstone has starred in other movies, such as;Batman and Robin, The Crush, Excess Baggage, The Babysitterand much more.
7Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka fromCharlie and the Chocolate Factorywas a madman genius who ran an upscale and super private candy factory. He didn’t like children and barely contained his lack of enjoyment when they came to his factory. Wonka didn’t seem concerned with children getting into trouble and disappearing after “accidents” at his factory and laughed when Veruca Salt turned blue. But, of course, it was his factory, and he made the rules, but he could have been much kinder to children since that’s who keeps his business alive and popping. Without the masses of starry eyed children begging their parents to buy candy bar after candy bar, all of which were hoping to be one of the lucky kids to find the Golden Ticket, Willy Wonka would have been broke and not quite so snarky when he was knocked down a notch or two.
The actors who have taken on the role as the insane Willy Wonka have been Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, and they’llsoon be joined by Timothee Chalemet. Wilder’s version was much less creepy and much more wholesome than Depp’s version, but what would we expect with Tim Burton directing the movie? Depp has been in many movies and more so, many Tim Burton movies such as;Alice in Wonderland, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland, Edward Scissorhands, Finding Neverland, Blowand many more. Wilder has starred in a slew of movies, as well, which includes;Alice in Wonderland, Woman in Red, The Frisco Kid, Blazing Saddles, World’s Greatest Loverand more.
6Ferris Bueller
From an adult or parental perspective, Ferris Bueller fromFerris Bueller’s Day Off,is a kid who is a grade-A jerk. He is precisely the type of kid that pushes their principal to retire or their parents to lose their minds. Bueller is the type of kid that parents do not want in their homes, touching their fancy automobiles or their daughters. One can only hope that Bueller one day has children that are just like he was, only with present day issues. Everywhere he goes, he causes enormous problems, complete destruction, shrugs it off, and walks away. Kids are all punks, but this one is a notch past that point. High school kids who lie become adults who lie and that is certainly not what anyone needs.
Matthew Broderick is a really great personality and actor and thankfully is reportedly much kinder than Ferris was, though, maybe at that point Broderick fit the part well. Broderick has also starred in such movies as;Ladyhawke, Biloxi Blues, Addicted to Love, The Cable Guy, Inspector Gadget, The Lion King,and more.
Related:Cobra Kai Creators Tease Upcoming Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Spinoff
5Tony Stark AKA Iron Man
Tony Stark, also known asIron Man, is not a very friendly guy. He does improve throughout his time alive, but not by much. He is wealthy and intelligent and has no patience with anyone not in those categories with him. He is a snarky know-it-all and is only capable of thinking of himself, for the most part. Stark is your quintessential “Alpha Male” with the boisterous, obnoxious, and flamboyant traits that one sees in such a man who beliefs his status makes him more powerful than you. Towards the end of his time, he did some wonderful and compassionate things and sacrificed himself to save others, but he took his time getting there.
Robert Downey, Jr. is no stranger to the “Alpha Male” lifestyle and attitude but similar to his role as Iron Man, he saw error in his ways and righted himself before it was too late. Downey has been in many movies withIron Manbeing one of his most notable. Some of the other movies Downey starred in are;Due Date, Sherlock Holmes(another know-it-all jerk-from what we know),A Scanner Darkly, Shaggy Dog, Natural Born Killers, Air America, Up the Academy and Weird Science, just to name a few.
4Howard the Duck
Howard the Duckhas a bad attitude and does whatever he wants. He isn’t a particularly nice duck guy, either. He comes from a different planet and is now stuck on Earth, where humans eat ducks, treat them poorly, and have very little compassion for their feathered friends. Howard isn’t amused by that and ensures everyone knows his distaste for humans and Earth. He is fowl mouthed, sexualizes every attractive woman, and doesn’t seem to play by anyone’s rules except his own. He doesn’t generally even listen when someone talks unless they are speaking about him or something to benefit him. Overall, he is probably the most unlikeable Marvel character. The voice behind the duck is none other than Ed Gale who starred in such movies as;O Brother Where Art Thou, Child’s Play, Chucky,andSpaceballs.
