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20 Characters from Movies

& TV Shows Who Are
Actually Problematic
All the characters we used to love but now, we realise they’re
kinda awful...

Marcy Miniano ! Mar 10th, 2021

There’s a famous line from the 2008 film The Dark Knight
that goes, “You either die a hero or you live long enough to
see yourself become the villain.” The same could apply to
some fictional characters who were supposed to be the
‘good guys,’ but actually might not be. Or to put it more
accurately — those whose questionable behaviour didn’t
age well amid the current era of accountability. It then
makes you wonder how these crowd faves have gotten
away with it for so long; but hey, let’s chalk it up to not
knowing any better back then. 

That said, we’ve re-examined some of the most popular

fictional characters from movies and TV shows — and
whether or not they were actually decent enough human
beings. In other words, would these be people we would
actually like if we met them IRL? Or would they be
someone we’d rather not be in the same room with? So,
don’t expect this list to include characters who are already
deemed antiheroes or villains, to begin with. (Looking at
you, Don Draper, Anakin Skywalker, and Cersei Lannister.) 

Writer’s note: I made it a point not to include living characters

from movies with potential sequels and currently running TV
shows! At the end of the day, I still believe in possible character
development and redemption, no matter how long overdue. 

Problematic fictional characters from

popular TV shows
1. Chuck Bass – Gossip Girl

Granted, nobody in the show was actually a good person

and — despite their impeccable taste and style — they all
had more issues than Vogue. But this guy’s record is hard to
beat: multiple attempts at forcing himself on women,
manipulation, and even trying to sell his girlfriend for a
hotel. And sure, you might say that he eventually
redeemed himself in the end. But while we’re all for
character development, none of his misdeeds was ever
really addressed. Which begs the question: what was the
point, really?

2. Rory Gilmore – Gilmore Girls and Gilmore

Girls: A Year in the Life

As much as we’re all for flawed yet complex characters,

there just aren’t enough reasons to excuse Rory’s terrible
behaviour. She starts out as a straight-A do-gooder with so
much potential… only to throw it all away! Honestly, it was
quite disappointing to watch her make one questionable
decision after another on the Netflix spin-off; from acting
all entitled with her dream job, to having an affair with her
engaged ex-boyfriend. And to think that this is someone
who had all the privilege and connections to set her up for
success.

3. Ezra Fitz – Pretty Little Liars

Not gonna lie, he was arguably the best-looking male love

interest in the show. In fact, many teenagers who watched
it would say that he and Aria Montgomery were such an
adorable couple. Uhm, sure, I guess if you don’t factor in
that he knew she was a high school student from the very
start and went through with their relationship anyway. It’s
predatory no matter how you look at it. And if this were
IRL, he would probably be locked up in prison for preying
on teenagers, rather than actually marrying them later on.

4. Olivia Pope – Scandal

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Let it be known that I actually used to look up to her,

especially when I watched the series during my uni days.
But looking back on it now, she’s the epitome of the Toxic
#GirlBoss with blatant disregard for her staff’s feelings.
Oh, and the fact that she would move heaven and earth
(and ruin lives) for someone as unremarkable as Fitz? Sure,
he was the President, but let’s be real — she was way too
good for him.

5. Barney Stinson – How I Met Your Mother

BRO

At first, he might seem like that really funny and cool guy
that you’d love to be friends with. If anything, many would
say he’s the most entertaining one in the show — until you
realise just how gross his actions are. For starters, he lies
to and tricks nearly every woman he meets just to get
laid… and even wrote an entire playbook on it! This dude is
as misogynistic as they come, and while Robin Scherbatsky
was far from the best character, she certainly deserved
better.

6. Rachel Berry – Glee

As early as season one, she has always been the worst kind
of a young diva who felt entitled to the spotlight. Seriously,
if we had a dollar for every time she whined about her
talents being ‘wasted’ and how her star ‘shines too bright’
— we’d have enough to buy COVID-19 vaccines for even
the most remote parts of the globe! Unfortunately, she
never grew out of this bratty mindset even in season 6,
when she impulsively skipped a Broadway performance for
an audition in Los Angeles.

7. Zack Morris – Saved by the Bell

Among the problematic fictional characters we’ve listed so

far, this dude is basically the epitome of white male
privilege. The fact that he got into Yale — despite barely
applying himself in school — is seriously one of the worst
messages to send to kids. He was also quite nonchalant
about cultural appropriation and emotionally abusive
towards Kelly Kapowski. And to top it all off, he was a
terrible friend who was either constantly competing with
them or trying to date them.

8. Carrie Bradshaw – Sex and the City

As much as I love her style (most of the time), she was the
absolute worst among the four leads. Not only is she messy
with both her love life (who in their right mind chooses Big
over Aidan?) and her bank account, but she’s also a terrible
friend. Remember that time when she got mad at
Charlotte for not lending her rent money? Or when she
sent Aidan to help an injured Miranda? And these are just
the tip of the iceberg — that is, her failing to see how
insignificant her problems are in the grand scheme of
things.

9. Daenerys Targaryen – Game of Thrones 

Of course, how can I leave out the most divisive of fictional

characters in recent TV history? Anyway, here’s my take:
her eventual descent into madness was no shocker. Sure,
the show presented her as a sympathetic underdog for a
long time. But even then, she has always exhibited a sense
of entitlement to the Iron Throne, while masking her
mission in righteousness and ‘freeing’ the Westerosi. Yep,
never mind the fact that the father she’s trying to avenge
was a tyrant who, frankly, had it coming.

Also read: 7 Airbnbs That Were Featured in Movies & TV Shows

Fictional characters from movies who

aren’t really the ‘good guys’
10. Rose – Titanic

Let’s keep this short and simple: there was totally enough
space for both her and Jack on that floating door.

11. Edward Cullen – Twilight Saga

Bella Swan might have gotten a lot of flack for being

utterly bland (hey, not her fault she was written that way),
but at least she wasn’t a centuries-old vampire who went
for a literal 17-year-old. Not only was Edward a creepy
stalker (pre-dating Bella), but he was also clingy with zero
boundaries (once they were together). Oh, and remember
how he tried to restrict her friend group, just because he
didn’t get along with or approve of them? Yep, the ‘00s
were clearly the heyday of the cold and brooding bro kinda
fictional characters…

12. Gabriella Montez – High School Musical

Can we talk about how her being the supposed smart girl
barely even manifested, save for her wearing a lab coat in
the first movie and getting into Stanford in the finale?
Seriously, she spent most of the time just whining and
depending on Troy. And, of course, let’s not forget about
her constantly stealing roles from Sharpay — someone
who basically dedicated her entire life to theatre!

13. Ferris Bueller – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The ’80s was obviously the era of mean and inconsiderate

teenage guys starring in high school-set movies. It didn’t
help that these fictional characters don’t even have any
justification (you know, at least a backstory) for why they
act like that; something that probably wouldn’t fly as well
in 2021. But yes, Ferris seems like the cool and fun-loving
rebel, but later on, you realise that he was plain selfish.
Have you seen the way he treats his girlfriend, Sloane, and
his supposed best friend, Cameron?

14. Ariel – The Little Mermaid

Now, let’s move on to Disney characters who totally gave

the wrong message to many young children. But okay,
where do we even begin with this particular Disney
princess? From giving up her voice just to be with someone
she hasn’t met, to trying to trick him so they’d live happily
ever after; these are just the tip of the iceberg. Suffice to
say, good ol’ King Triton had every reason to be concerned!

15. Prince Phillip – Sleeping Beauty / Prince

Florian – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Yes, I definitely did just lump these two in the same item.
Come on, anyone who says it’s easy to tell them apart is
lying. Anyway, back to the matter of problematic fictional
characters — ever noticed that the ‘true love’s kiss’ was a
recurring theme in early Disney movies? This would have
been perfectly fine if not for the fact that these two dude-
bros literally kissed an unconscious woman. Hence, the
dangerous message it sends: consent doesn’t matter if
you’re rich and handsome.

16. Peter Pan – Peter Pan

He technically kidnaps children, he cut Captain Hook’s

hand off and fed it to a crocodile, and he just laughed when
the mermaids tried to drown Wendy. And he’s still
supposed to be the good guy? Well, okay then…

17. Janis Ian – Mean Girls

Some of you have already heard of this, but for the benefit
of those who haven’t: Janis is the real villain, not Regina
George. The latter is obviously a horrible human being, but
at least she was self-aware. Janis, on the other hand, is the
fake-woke type who would talk about social justice and
then slut-shame someone in the same breath. She’s in total
denial about her manipulative behaviour and
unfortunately, she wasn’t a good friend either! Remember
when she outed Damien to Cady literally a few seconds
after introducing themselves? Or how she basically used
the unassuming Cady as a pawn? Not cool.

18. Noah Calhoun – The Notebook

You guys, he literally threatened to kill himself if Allie

doesn’t go on a date with him. I don’t know about you, but I
think if this were someone who wasn’t as cute as Ryan
Gosling, it would definitely be deemed as downright
manipulative.

19. Sophie Sheridan – Mamma Mia! 

Personally, I’m a fan of both the musical and the movie

adaptation. Yet I still can’t wrap my head around how her
actions could be justified. Who invites three men (none of
whom she has ever met) to her wedding, just because one
of them could be her biological dad? And the fact that she
did this after reading private entries from her mom’s diary
and never bothered giving anyone a heads up! Let’s be real
— IRL, this would’ve been an absolute disaster.

20. Sutter Keely – The Spectacular Now

Personal story time: Miles Teller is one of my all-time

celebrity crushes, and yet I still wanted to strangle this
character throughout the movie. So, you know, he’s that
insufferable. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to
sympathise with someone who nearly killed his girlfriend
due to drunk driving and leaving her in the middle of the
road. Oh, and to top it all off, he straight up ghosted her
after all that. Way to go, my dude.

Also read: 47 Upcoming Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2021

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Are there any other problematic fictional characters that

you believe should be on this list? If so, we’d love to hear
your own ‘hot takes’ on our Facebook page! 

On a different note, we’ve also previously written about

movies and TV shows whose characters aren’t such lost
causes. You know, just in case this piece has got you jaded
or something…

All images are credited to IMDb.

movies shows

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Marcy Miniano

A fast-talking caffeine-dependent
wordsmith, Marcy has never been
one to shy away from sharing a good
story or two. If...

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