Are you ready to disagree with people about your favorite fictional characters? Maybe say something rude and nasty in the comments because they made this list? Then, we’ve got you covered.
I stumbled into an exciting conversation with controversial opinions about fictional characters who are terrible and have zero business being glorified. I mean, some of these are pretty common opinions, but others will shock you. Here are THEIR top confessions.
1. James Bond
Are you a fan of Bond? James Bond? According to this forum, he has no business being glorified or looked up to in the least bit. A critic writes: “James Bond isn’t a nice guy, particularly in the books and some of the earlier movies where some of the stuff he does with the Bond girls would be considered sexual assault.”
2. Glinda the Good Witch
Glinda the Good Witch knew how to send Dorothy home but put her life in danger to kill the Wicked Witch of the West for her! A commenter adds: “Also, she’s shady AF. Dorothy tells her that she thought witches were old and ugly, and she laughs and says that’s only bad witches. Good witches are beautiful. THEN…THEN she asks Dorothy. ‘So, are you a good witch or a bad witch?’”
3. Gina Linetti
Another character people believe is undeserving of the glory is Gina Linetti from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. A user elaborates: “She’s played off as that brazen unpleasant person who is actually kinda nice, but I don’t see the second part.
She’s just incredibly unpleasant and arrogant and puts down everybody around her. I don’t get how any of the characters can actually like her or even tolerate her. I find her to be incredibly grating. When I met people like her in real life, I did everything to stay as far away from them as possible.”
4. Mary Poppins
What? Numerous people agree with one who spouts: “Mary Poppins. In the movie, she has some good points. In books, she is a perfect Victorian nanny who is a mean, vicious tyrant who embodies all the bad Victorian beliefs about children and child-rearing.
She also keeps gaslighting the children about the magical adventures they have together. Not even a wink or a nudge, just flat-out denial. At least they had each other to confirm they weren’t going mad.”
5. Tom Haverford
Tom Haverford from Parks and Recreation is called out multiple times as a horrible human being. One elaborates: “Such a massive slimeball. He’s the only character from that show that I can name off the top of my head that I actually hated. Even the antagonists were generally entertaining. Tom wasn’t even that for me.”
6. Batman
Batman! Oof, don’t tell my husband! Someone clarifies he is “A billionaire who spends his nights darting around his messed up city with corrupt authority figures, in a car unattainable by any normal person, mostly seeking revenge against a mentally ill man who killed his parents as a child all because the mentally ill man was convinced that society had completely left him behind. When he’s not doing that, he hides out at a country estate far removed from the everyday ills impacting life for everyone else.”
7. Indiana Jones
Another film critic nominates, “Indiana Jones. I love love love the movies, but he’s not exactly a good guy. He had a relationship with a 15-year-old girl when he was an adult. He also steals artifacts and often leads to the destruction of historical sites. To be fair, that’s pretty on point for an archeologist in the 1930s/1940s.”
8. Kevin Arnold
“If you rewatch The Wonder Years, Kevin Arnold is almost a terrible friend and a really selfish person,” suggests one. Numerous forum members agree with this assessment. Do you?
8. Daniel LaRusso
I never thought Daniel LaRusso from one of my all-time favorite films, The Karate Kid, would make this list, but here we are. Someone suggests, “He’s incredibly self-centered and probably the original ‘nice guy,'” before another fan jokes:
“Sweep the leg, Johnny!” A third adds, “He even goes so far as to have his elderly janitor neighbor assault you and your friends while Daniel is off making time with your girl.”
9. Ted Mosby
Ted Mosby from the sitcom How I Met Your Mother is attacked heavily in the thread. He constantly sabotages Robin’s relationships and obsesses over her. However, I’d say Barney Stinson was the bigger problem in the group. I think Marshall is the only standup one.
10. Rose DeWitt Bukater
Another critic had a lot to say about Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic, but I’ll summarize. This user despises Rose because she is marrying a man for money, then has an affair. She jumps off the lifeboat before not allowing Jack onto the “flotsam” that had plenty of room.
Finally, they state, “Fast-forward 70 years because we’re not done. Bill Paxton spends his whole life looking for a 500-million dollar diamond that she’s got hidden away somewhere. Does she tell him this? NOPE. Does she even lie about it, telling him they didn’t bring the diamond onto the boat so he doesn’t waste his whole life?
NOPE. Instead, she sits there and tells a story while everybody stares at her, the center of attention. And at the end of the movie, she throws the diamond overboard.”
11. Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert from The Office is one of the more beloved characters from the show. However, numerous people agree that “He’s one of the laziest people in the company and spends all of his time harassing the only hard-working person in the office or hitting on a coworker with a fiancé.
Through his infatuation with said coworker, he breaks up with someone at a work party he brought her to, leaves another girlfriend behind in NYC, and then once he wins the coworker over, he makes huge decisions without consulting her beforehand.”
12. Zack Morris
Hello childhood, we meet again. A user explains Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell is the worst. “He lied, he cheated, and he scammed people over and over. He manipulated everyone around him to get what he wanted, including his own friends.
Some of his schemes were just wrong. Remember when he sold video yearbook tapes of the Bayside girls as date videos to other schools to make money? Creepy.”
13. Daniel Hillard
Daniel Hillard, a.k.a. Mrs. Doubtfire, receives a lot of negative attention in the forum. Someone explains, “You are out of work. The judge is going to give you three months to get it together with a neutral liaison and then revisit custody after that time period. You go and commit fraud and psychological abuse to your ex-wife, kids, and her new companion.”
14. Jessica Fletcher
Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote was labeled an “Interfering old croan who regularly gets involved in investigations in a way that would see the case kicked out of court.”
Others suggest, “If murders are happening all around you on a weekly basis, you might be the murderer.” Finally, someone adds, “Jessica Fletcher, greatest serial killer ever. She always blamed someone else and told it all from her point of view.” Haha, what do you think about this one?
15. Hawkeye Pierce
Another critic nominates, “Hawkeye Pierce from MASH. He’s childish and egocentric. Phony with women, he’s made a play for every nurse in the unit. Notice how when a new nurse shows up, they warn her about him?
He has to be the best at everything. Whenever Winchester shows him up? He has a tantrum about it. He lives for hero worship. There’s a lot to like about Hawkeye but really watch him sometimes. He’s a jerk.”
16. Ferris Bueller
Ferris Bueller gets a ton of grief in this thread. Someone clarifies, “The dude ruins pretty much everyone’s life. He ruins Cameron’s relationship with his parents and ‘proposes’ to Sloane but then says he’ll struggle to not forget about her in college.
He takes advantage of his parents, drives his sister absolutely mental, tricks the entire school into thinking he has a grave illness, practically ruins the life of Mr. Rooney (probably the most deserved, but still), hijacks the German heritage parade, steals the reservation of the Sausage King of the Midwest… and that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.”
17. Jacob Black
“Jacob Black in Twilight” is noticed as being deplorable. Someone says, “Dude has a massive crush on Bella and takes advantage of the fact that she is in a deep depression. Doesn’t let her speak when Edward calls for her. Kisses her without her consent. Constantly starts problems. Emotionally manipulates her into making out with him. Then falls in love with her daughter?”
18. Michael Scott
Michael Scott from The Office is about as bad as they come, and many forum members believe he has zero business being loved. True as that may be, it’s one of my favorite shows, and he has redeeming qualities. I’m sure in real life; I’d find him insufferable.
19. Dr. Peter Venkmar
“Maybe it’s rose-colored glasses of my childhood, but I remember Dr. Venkmar (Bill Murray) in Ghostbusters being this funny guy who was clearly the hero,” one admits. “But watching it again, he’s a creepy jerk who messes everything up by not being able not to be a jerk for 30 seconds.”
20. Homer Simpson
Countless people admit that Homer Simpson doesn’t deserve to be revered. One clarifies, “Homer is a terrible husband and a bad father, but he doesn’t do it maliciously and has some incredibly tender moments with his children.”
21. Sheldon Cooper
Bazinga! Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is often held in high regard. However, this forum finds him annoying and notes he would be miserable to be around in real life. My husband and I love the show, but he frequently says, “Yeah, that’s not funny in real life.”
22. Ross Geller
Why does everyone always hate on Ross? Ross Geller from Friends is called out numerous times as a character that shouldn’t be glorified. One disgruntled member clarifies, ” Idiot can’t even stay loyal to one woman and acts as if he is the victim.”
23. Peter Pan
“If you take a step back and analyze his life, Peter Pan is definitely a narcissistic, psychopathic dictator,” claims one. “I think there was one passage in the original material that said that the Lost Boys weren’t even allowed to KNOW anything Peter didn’t know. Impressive that Disney managed to turn the character into a hero.”
Others note that in the original story, Peter Pan killed his Lost Boys when they got too old, or “if he thought that they had too big an advantage in a battle. He’d kill his own comrades to keep things ‘fair’ and ‘interesting.'”
24. Tony Stark
Hard disagree, but Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man, is repeatedly called out as a terrible human being in the forum. One notes, “In the Iron Man films, he’s a real narcissistic driven lunatic jerk who literally was a rich playboy and a superhero.” However, several others suggest that he is much worse in the comic books and that the Marvel films paint him in a nicer picture.
25. Dorothy Gale
OK. I’ve never heard anyone reference Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz as problematic. However, one moviegoer explains, “Her house lands on someone, killing them, and then helps herself to take their shoes. Then gets mad when that person’s next of kin wants those shoes back.”
On the contrary, another film buff writes, “Dorothy didn’t take the shoes. They appeared on her feet, and she couldn’t take them off. She was legitimately sorry and offered to return them when the Wicked Witch of the West first appeared.”
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.