Top Ten Male & Female Characters (2013)

[redbrunja]

A year ago I listed my top ten favorite male and female characters, in order.

It was brutal.

And even at the time, I knew that there was no way that list was going to stay static.

So may I present, Redbrunja’s Top 10 Male and Female characters, 2013.

(To save time, I’m only providing commentary for characters who are either new to the list, or have moved up or down it in noteworthy ways.)


Top Ten Male Characters

10 Stiles Stilinski

I don't talk about Stiles much, but in pretty much every scene he's in of Teen Wolf, you can count on him being interesting and having the best lines.

9. Ron Swanson

8. MCU's Steve Rogers

This is all fandom's fault.

7. Elementary's Sherlock Holmes

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when I believed that there could never be an incarnation of Sherlock Holmes that I could even stand to watch, much less adore. And then there was Johnny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes. A man who is held accountable for his actions, a man who is striving to be not just the best detective, but the best person he can be, a man who is actually struggling with addiction, a man who prizes the people around him and the emotional relationships he has with them, a man who actually cares about the victims of a crime, a man who is HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ACTION BY HIMSELF AND THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM, A MAN WHO DOESN’T GET ANY PASSES IN LIFE FOR BEING A GENIUS.

Also, canonically, Moriarty is the great love of his life, because MORIATRY IS IREN ADLER. Sorry, that’s just never getting old.

6. MCU's Tony Stark

5. Han Solo

Formative space pirate.

4. Clint Barton

Aw, Clint, what are you even doing at number four?

3. Jack Bristow

2. Mal Reynolds

1. Zuko

Top Ten Female Characters:

10. Leslie Knope

As I said recently to qualapec, "I love Leslie so fucking much - her explicit feminism, how her feminism is centered around building other women up, and her relationships with everyone - Ann and Ron especially - are so epically supportive and hilarious and awesome."

9. Jaye Tyler

8. Sydney Bristow

7. Kate Argent

I knew I wanted a Teen Wolf lady on this list and I pretty much immediately realized that it had to be Kate. Her presence electrified the show and made me give Teen Wolf a second try. (Third try was the one that stuck, fyi. My relationship with that show is complicated.) Kate Argent is a violent, gloriously effective, competent, snarky villain. She's complex and has multiple facets (most notably her love and affection for Allison, and the understanding that the BEST way to protect Allison is to give her knowledge and confidence and training) while still being a complete black hat.

As a sidenote, Kate Argent is one half of the one good boy/bad girl pairing I viscerally ship.

6. Faith Lehane

It’s a rocky road to redemption and Faith wrecked herself in a deliciously masculine way (with actual fax cold-blooded murder) and then clawed her way back to righteousness.

5. Regina Mills

4. Kate Bishop
If ever there was a character who the phrase 'I'm the hero of the story; I don't need to be saved,' was made for, it would be Kate Bishop. It helps that I feel like every writer who's been allowed to use her character signed a contract that said, "I understand that Kate Bishop > everyone else."

3. Cameron (The Sarah Conner Chronicles)

2. Adelle DeWitte

1. Natasha Romanoff

Remember how last year I speculated that Natasha was only on this list because I’d seen Avengers so recently? False. Time and reading her comics has only made me love Natasha more.

Coming up, Top Ten Pairings and Top Five Friendships.

Comments

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

You should! It's so much fun. A challenge, but a lot of fun.

[daxcat79.livejournal.com]

Elementary is epic. Epic I say!!!!!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

So damn epic.

[streussal.livejournal.com]

Steve Rogers is a good person who doesn't like bullies and MISSED HIS DATE due to being a man out of his time. So yes, good choice. (I actually rate Thor above all the Avengers on your list, BUT. They are also pretty great. ...well I don't really have feelings on Clint, outside of Natasha, but I think that's because I haven't read any of his comics.)

A man who is held accountable for his actions, a man who is striving to be not just the best detective, but the best person he can be, a man who is actually struggling with addiction, a man who prizes the people around him and the emotional relationships he has with them, a man who actually cares about the victims of a crime, a man who is HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ACTION BY HIMSELF AND THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM, A MAN WHO DOESN’T GET ANY PASSES IN LIFE FOR BEING A GENIUS.

Actually the best version of the 'genius white dude detective who breaks rules because genius'. (You know, the kind with the genius wrangler.) The show handles his shit so much better than other shows of it's type. (The Mentalist, for example. I mean Patrick Jane is supposed to be something of a sociopath, but a major problem for me is that it seems like no cases would ever be solved without him.)

I fangirl the ladies of Teen Wolf from afar. I've watched a fair amount of fanvids for a show I don't actually watch, hmmm.

Faith had the best redemption arc in the Buffyverse and probably the best in any series I've seen really. I think it's because people remembered the shit she'd done and continued to hold her responsible for it? (Which a lot of male characters of her type really aren't.) Hmmmm.

CAMERON. ADELLE. <3

Also, I was just looking at your list from last year, and your Derek love reminded me of how good TSCC is. Because Derek is probably my least favourite of the major characters (not just Sarah, John, Cameron, and Ellison, but also Jesse, Riley, Catherine Weaver, Savannah, and John Henry). But I still like him and think he's well-written and acted! I just personally prefer these other characters. Which I think says a lot about the quality of the program.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Steve Rogers is a good person who doesn't like bullies and MISSED HIS DATE due to being a man out of his time. So yes, good choice.

Thank you!

well I don't really have feelings on Clint, outside of Natasha, but I think that's because I haven't read any of his comics.)

He really isn't in Avengers enough to get a super-detailed sense of his character, and his backstory with Natasha is different enough that I felt the need to separate MCU from Marvel comics.

(The Mentalist, for example. I mean Patrick Jane is supposed to be something of a sociopath, but a major problem for me is that it seems like no cases would ever be solved without him.)

I watched the pilot and wanted nothing more than to slap that man until my palms bleed. He was such a smary douche I was actually happy his wife and daughter were dead.

Faith had the best redemption arc in the Buffyverse and probably the best in any series I've seen really. I think it's because people remembered the shit she'd done and continued to hold her responsible for it? (Which a lot of male characters of her type really aren't.) Hmmmm.

To be honest, I think that Faith's arc is so good because it's pretty much exactly like a male redemption arc done well (it compares nicely with Zuko's). Honestly, redemption arcs are SO OFTEN fucked up, regardless of the characters gender (although I think women's have less redemption arcs and those arc tend to fail in different ways than male's).

CAMERON. ADELLE. <3

The fiercest of fierce ladies.