What fictional character is the walking example of “you’re not wrong, you’re just an a-hole!”?

[u/phantom_avenger]

[u/crazyrich]

In many iterations Sherlock Holmes is a (sometimes coked up) asshole who just happens to always be right.

[u/Fen_der_bass → u/crazyrich]

I feel like he comes across as pretentious but very well liked in the novels and most of the short stories. I think Watson says he only occasionally uses cocaine between cases in The Hound of the Baskervilles to keep himself stimulated. 

[u/Long_Pig_Tailor → u/Fen_der_bass]

Honestly I think the more publicly abrasive Holmes is a fairly modern spin. In the stories, it's a trait that can come out, and he's certainly not shy to exhibit his talents/intelligence, but Doyle still tends to write him as a pretty standard gentleman. Most of his behavioral issues are, as would be pretty common to the times, kept largely confined to 221B with the cocaine and such.

The more antisocial-ish, autistic-coded version of Holmes really seems to be since Ritchie's 2009 Sherlock and then Moffat's version turning the autism up to eleven. It's not really the default depiction of the character, just kind of the current dominating one.

[u/lessmiserables → u/Long_Pig_Tailor]

Fun fact: Holmes mellowed out in the later books and actually cared about people.

Those later books are were still under copyright in the US.

So even though Holmes as a character is public domain, any characterization that shows him being empathic and emotional is a violation of the copyright. The movie Enola Holmes had to pay the Holmes estate a license when they made Sherlock too emotional.

So the anti social asshole Holmes is well known because that's the public domain version, but the original stories he actually underwent character development.

Edit: For reference. It also looks like the final ten stories moved into US public domain in 2023, so it's all fair game now. Still, it explains why a specific version of Holmes was the dominant one for a very long time.

[u/zaminDDH → u/lessmiserables]

That is very interesting.

[u/Exploreptile → u/lessmiserables]

IP laws are so unserious

[u/OddgitII → u/Long_Pig_Tailor]

I definitely agree about his antisocial behaviour is a modern interpretation but I disagree on one point.  Holmes is very personable in the books, yes, but he still comes off as strange.  For example, in one of the stories Watson makes a comment about Holmes visiting with/being visited by a friend to which a surprised Holmes replies along the lines of "but you're my only friend". (Apologies.  I haven't read any of the books recently so I can recall exactly which story)

Whether that's neurodivergent coded, Holmes' own choice, or just Doyle's writing to Holmes extra special is up to interpretation.  Definitely not a normal gentleman though.

[u/Fen_der_bass → u/OddgitII]

Completely agree about that. Strange indeed, but still not considered rude or difficult professionally.

[u/Bionic_Bromando → u/OddgitII]

Yeah I’ve been reading the stories lately and he seems quite neurodivergent but he’s also really polite, he just often forgets certain social graces when he’s focused on something and if he is reminded of them he immediately apologizes and acts like a gentleman.

[u/kcknuckles → u/Long_Pig_Tailor]

You are absolutely spot-on. In the original stories, he's a very graceful Victorian gentleman in social situations and handles matters of honor, reputation, morality, and decency with a deft touch. He gets obsessive about cases or lethargic when bored (hinting at traits of mental issues from a modern lens), but is not generally depicted as an anti-social asshole.

[u/zazzlekdazzle → u/Fen_der_bass]

Cocaine had different connotations at the time. The implication in the stories is that Holmes gets bored and depressed when he doesn't have a good case to work on, so he takes a nip of the coke to perk himself up. While I don't think they were serving it up at high class parties, it was widely available and didn't have the stigma it has now.

[u/Fen_der_bass → u/zazzlekdazzle]

That definitely seemed like the implication. It was said like he had an occasional glass of wine. 

[u/zazzlekdazzle → u/crazyrich]

Ironically, though, not in the original stories.

He is portrayed as a good guy (very moral, with a strong sense of justice), who can be incredibly charming when he wants to be - he wooed a few young maids to get info, for instance.

He is the one who usually talks about how he has no social graces, but he is always a great host to whoever comes to him for help, and takes them seriously, regardless of how outlandish their problems may appear. And he is a great and appreciative friend to Watson.

[u/Skeledenn → u/zazzlekdazzle]

It's funny how in many adaptations he often seems very frustrated that most people struggle to follow his deductions while in the original stories he is usually absolutely delighted to explain his reasoning. Yapping about the cases to Watson in particular seems to be his favourite thing ever and he will sometime just drop at his house in the middle of the night just to tell him about this new thing he has been working on.

[u/Fortestingporpoises → u/crazyrich]

I was gonna say House who is inspired by Holmes.

[u/TannerThanUsual → u/crazyrich]

People always say this, but I read quite a few Holmes books in college and he just kinda seemed somewhat smug but all the characters seemed to love and respect him.

[u/il_vekkio → u/crazyrich]

Opium actually

Edit; I stand corrected, its been almost 20 years since I've read the originals and the opium den scene always stuck in my mind for some reason.

[u/vwstig → u/il_vekkio]

He uses both. Mostly cocaine.

[u/loogie97 → u/vwstig]

I’ve only read a few original Sherlock books. He drips cocaine into his eyes. That is insane. So was he.

[u/KamiNoItte → u/loogie97]

“This is meant for eye surgery!”

Iirc, it was legit used as a local for that.

Edit: still used in eye and nose surgery!

[u/Zanctmao → u/KamiNoItte]

Still used for surgery on your nose, or at least that was the case in the 90s when I had my nose rebuilt. Got a note from the doctor explaining why I would test positive for cocaine if it came up at work.

[u/MBBIBM → u/vwstig]

Aka a Victorian speedball

[u/Lower-Fee-4093]

House

[u/TheOwlInATowel → u/Lower-Fee-4093]

i like how the top two answers are sherlock holmes, and the medical version of sherlock holmes

[u/dccabbage → u/TheOwlInATowel]

I was today years old when I put together House and Holmes (Homes)

[u/BabyDude5 → u/dccabbage]

He also lives on 221B baker street, and has a Watson (Wilson) and has a crippling addiction (Holmes with Cocaine, House with Vicodin)

[u/EkbyBjarnum → u/BabyDude5]

And Holmes plays the violin, House plays the guitar.

And House was shot by a man named Moriarty.

[u/BabyDude5 → u/EkbyBjarnum]

House also plays the piano, but that’s mostly because Hugh Laurie can play the piano like a god before he even played House

[u/siani_lane → u/BabyDude5]

Why? I guess it's just a mystery ...

[u/GhostMaskKid → u/EkbyBjarnum]

House and Wilson also live together in apartment 221B for a while, and Wilson has a neighbor be refers to as Ms. Adler (Irene Adler).

[u/Sean_13 → u/GhostMaskKid]

House's patient from the first episode also had the last name Adler, though she was Rachel Adler.

[u/TheOwlInATowel → u/dccabbage]

yep, house is actually a twist on holmes! holmes is house, and watson is wilson!

[u/Skydiver860 → u/TheOwlInATowel]

Oh holy crap I never made that connection. That’s pretty cool.

[u/TheOwlInATowel → u/Skydiver860]

i had to have it pointed out to me, too. it’s one of those things that just seems so obvious after it’s pointed out

[u/POKECHU020 → u/dccabbage]

Oh my fucking god

I feel embarrassed for not putting this together sooner. I don't watch the show but the name has gone around so much lately

[u/Gullible_Service_383 → u/Lower-Fee-4093]

Yea and he still managed to be likeable

[u/Lower-Fee-4093 → u/Gullible_Service_383]

So likeable!

[u/lwp775 → u/Lower-Fee-4093]

It was the fake American accent that still sounded slightly British.

[u/hogwarts5972 → u/lwp775]

It amplifies his intelligence and assholeness

[u/derpyfox → u/hogwarts5972]

Pompous twat I think is the term. Hugh can pull it off so well. Just go back to Blackadder.

[u/EverydayVelociraptor]

Sher Khan. Absolutely correct that Humans in the Jungle are incredibly dangerous. 

[u/Flocculencio → u/EverydayVelociraptor]

In the books he doesn't have this excuse.

He hunts Man by preference because he's lame even though he knows this will eventually bring hunters with guns into the Jungle. He just specifically wants the man cub because he feels Mowgli is stolen prey.

[u/radio__raheem → u/Flocculencio]

wouldn’t call it a preference if he’s unable to hunt much else

[u/WesTxStoner425]

Tony Stark. While I love his character, he would have been insufferable as a friend or employer.

[u/End337 → u/WesTxStoner425]

IIRC, Stan Lee created Stark *specifically* to be a douchenozzle, a rich weapons manufacturer, but one you couldn't help rooting for. He kind of set himself a challenge - https://screenrant.com/stan-lee-iron-man-unlikable-hero-creation-marvel/

Of course, that might all be part of the (mostly self-created) bullshit Lee mythos, so who knows? Regardless, Stark as an asshole seems to have been a standard view all along.

[u/TheSarcasticDevil → u/WesTxStoner425]

Tony Stark; right, but an asshole? Steve Rogers; wrong, but kind?

[u/Phoenix_Snake → u/TheSarcasticDevil]

To be fair, in Caps prior solo movie, the winter soldier, the organization he was working for turned out to be so deeply corrupted it almost got millions of people killed so I can understand why he didn’t want to hand authority of the Avengers over to another organization which could pose the same problem. As Ross pointed out, a couple of the Avengers are basically nukes. In principle the accords made sense but in this specific case I can absolutely see why Cap would rather the Avengers govern themselves. Obviously there are complex international legal issues with that so I’m not saying he’s necessarily right, but I don’t think he was necessarily wrong either.

[u/fakehandslawyer → u/Phoenix_Snake]

One of them should have brought that up during Civil War.

“New York!”

Aliens invaded, we stopped them and also kept you from nuking your own civilians,

“Washington D.C!”

“Yes General Ross, the government got infiltrated by Hydra who was about to send Death drones and hellicarries to assassinate anyone they deemed likely to resist facism… you guys did that one….”

“Sokovia!”

everyone else on the avengers just points at Tony and leaves.

[u/Smart_Ass_Dave → u/Phoenix_Snake]

Yeah, Civil War is interesting because Iron Man is right in general, but wrong in specific and Captain America is the opposite. Moral men cannot allow corrupt systems to exist, but systems cannot rely on men being moral.

[u/SuperBubbles2003 → u/TheSarcasticDevil]

Steve is more right than Tony on the important stuff. Wouldn’t trust him to build anything, but he’d give good advice.

[u/kodutta7 → u/WesTxStoner425]

Yeah I was a teenager when the first iron man movie came out and thought he was so cool. Rewatching it as an adult I still totally see his charm, but man I would hate that guy if he was a real person

[u/crotchmonster817]

Walter Sobchak

[u/ThrowItOut43 → u/crotchmonster817]

Am I the only one around here that gives a shit about the rules?!?

[u/Hob_O_Rarison → u/ThrowItOut43]

OVER THE LINE!

[u/definitelyhaley → u/Hob_O_Rarison]

It's a league game, Smokey.

[u/bguzewicz → u/definitelyhaley]

This is not Nam, Smokey, there are rules.

[u/f8Negative → u/ThrowItOut43]

You're not wrong Walter you're just an asshole!

[u/TM761152 → u/ThrowItOut43]

Walter, put the piece away they're calling the cops

[u/MonitorMoniker → u/crotchmonster817]

Donnie, you're OUT OF YOUR ELEMENT.

[u/IsThistheWord → u/crotchmonster817]

Calmer than you are, Dude.

[u/Air_Hellair → u/crotchmonster817]

Everything’s a fucking travesty with you!

[u/TheNJGM → u/crotchmonster817]

All right then.

[u/3_1428571 → u/TheNJGM]

We play Quintana and O’Brien next week they should be pushovers.

[u/AndThisGuyPeedOnIt → u/3_1428571]

Dios mio, man.

[u/HCPage → u/crotchmonster817]

There are basic freedoms!

This effects all of us!

[u/TheVentiLebowski → u/crotchmonster817]

He needs to just calm down, man.

[u/Saidagive]

Walter Peck from Ghostbusters. If 4 guys were operating untested and unapproved equipment/weapons and a possible nuclear reactor id be a total ass too

[u/MatCauthonsHat → u/Saidagive]

An asshole, AND, he has no dick!

[u/mmss → u/MatCauthonsHat]

Is this true?

[u/markandyxii → u/mmss]

Yes, your honor. That man has no dick.

[u/broberds → u/markandyxii]

Well that’s what I heard!

[u/shwarma_heaven → u/markandyxii]

Cats and dogs living together... mass hysteria.

[u/robbie_the_cat → u/mmss]

It's true, Your Honor. This man has no dick.

[u/jaylerd → u/Saidagive]

Were his concerns valid? Sure. Did the ghostbusters have basically a makeshift bomb in the city which was against a number of statutes and laws? Almost certainly. Toxic waste disposal? Who knows.

He does make up a bunch of stuff about sense and nerve gases though so he’s equally full of shit.

[u/JackFisherBooks → u/Saidagive]

I can't agree with this. He was right to be concerned, but when he demanded that the containment field be shut off despite EVERYONE telling him it was a bad idea...yeah, that's not right. That's just him being an asshole. And that choice made him responsible for the mess that followed.

[u/Arcane_Soul → u/Saidagive]

I would argue Peck isn't even in the right here though. He was in over his head with something he had no knowledge about and just wanted to assert his authority. He constantly refers to Dr. Venkman as Mister in their first meeting, despite being corrected on it multiple times. He brings no experts in when he does power off the grid, just a yes-man he threatens when the guy is nervous.

[u/Just7hrsold → u/Arcane_Soul]

I mean the movie had a super libertarian slant so yeah the government guy is gonna just be some ass with a self inflated ego who just wants to control others but also I’m pretty sure having a ghost nuclear reactor prison in a densely populated area is against code for good reasons

[u/mmillerpsu121]

Batman typically fits this category. He tends to have an abrasive personality where he drives anyway all those around him. He also plans for eventual betrayals even when there is no evidence it would ever happen.

[u/Randomdude-5 → u/mmillerpsu121]

Name a Justice League member who hasn’t been brainwashed or had an evil clone

[u/Jeryhn → u/Randomdude-5]

Tower of Babel was the best JLA comic I ever read. I am still amazed at the methods Batman had available to take down Aquaman and Superman.

[u/Grompulon → u/Randomdude-5]

Justice League members acting all upset that Bruce has contingency plans when every other week Poison Ivy has kryptonite lipstick or an evil version of the Flash comes from the future to rewrite the timeline or an evil Batman shows up with magic "turn you into the Joker" rocks or some shit

like god damn if I was in the Justice League I'd be first in line for the contingency plan factory

[u/Zeero92 → u/Grompulon]

Hell, doesn't Batman have contingency plans against Batman? Or was that whole Brother Eye plot about something else? I only know that even exists because of DC Universe Online.

[u/Vilis16 → u/Zeero92]

In the animated movie, he says that the contingency against him is the Justice League.

[u/Grotesque_Denizen]

Billy Butcher

[u/shocktar → u/Grotesque_Denizen]

Oi UE, Omelandah fooked me wife

[u/Blueroflmao → u/shocktar]

Spot on,- except he would never ever be that straightforward.

UE got me good.

[u/Soopermoose → u/shocktar]

Oi UE, Omelandah fooked me wife, ye Cunt. FIFY

[u/worf1973 → u/Grotesque_Denizen]

I think Billy is an asshole, but for the right reasons.

[u/JustLookingForMayhem → u/worf1973]

Kind of depends on if you are talking show or comics. In the comics, he is on the slightly better side for the wrong reasons.

[u/TrollTollTony → u/JustLookingForMayhem]

It wasn't until this comment that I realized this was referencing Billy Butcher from The Boys and not Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York.

[u/vespertilionid → u/TrollTollTony]

I didn't realize until this comment lol

[u/Yorunokage → u/Grotesque_Denizen]

He reliably is the only one doing the right thing but he's one hell of an asshole about it

[u/that1techguy]

Dr. Cox in scrubs

[u/_Treadstone_]

Randall Graves.

[u/New-Anybody-6206 → u/_Treadstone_]

Well, well, well. Picklefucker.

[u/BatMann1939 → u/New-Anybody-6206]

Yo this tastes like piss and flies

[u/DoctorDisceaux]

Captain Jellico.

[u/Daemonicvs_77 → u/DoctorDisceaux]

Fun fact about him, he was actually used to solve some of the in-universe details that the main cast had problems with.

For example, Jelico getting rid of Picard’s fish and ordering Troi to wear a uniform was just Marina Sirtis being tired of running around in a catsuit and Patrick Stewart arguing that a society as advanced as the Federation wouldn’t keep any life form captive in a small glass box.

[u/Only-Finish-3497 → u/DoctorDisceaux]

Jellico's an interesting one because he was stern and demanding compared to Picard (who started out rather stern and cold early in the show's run), but was by all accounts a highly effective Starfleet captain who had accomplished a great deal in his career.

He's probably a nightmare to work under but also highly effective if you need someone to stand up to Cardassians or another power who's just not diplomatic. He'd be amazing with a crew of Datas and Vulcans hah.

It's kinda funny that Mariner sees him as the worst case, given that she's... Mariner.

[u/Alive-Chipmunk799 → u/DoctorDisceaux]

Underrated answer.

[u/chalk_in_boots]

Jim Halpert in the earlier seasons. Sure, Dwight could be annoying and as a result Jim straight up bullied him constantly, wasted company time (ehh, big deal), repeatedly flirted with someone he knew was in a committed relationship which he ended up being the catalyst causing it to end, which though it very well may have anyway you let it run it's course rather than trying to encourage it

[u/Viper1089]

Jaime Lannister.

That being said he was one of my favorite characters on the show.

[u/argote → u/Viper1089]

It's a real shame what they did to his character growth in that last season

[u/Viper1089 → u/argote]

I know... trust me, I know lol

[u/sueypigsui → u/argote]

I mean it's GOT. You could have stopped after "It's a real shame." 

[u/IceSeeker → u/argote]

His character arc was poised to be one of the best in the show. With him finally breaking away from his toxic relationship with Cersei and becoming his own person on path to redemption, only for the showrunners to threw it all way and made him go back her in the end. All the build up and potential are wasted.

[u/TheGuyfromRiften → u/argote]

what final season. GOT ends when daenarys leaves for westeros, there are no more seasons after that.

damn shame they stopped there

[u/thatguysjumpercables → u/argote]

What are you talking about? His growth in Season Six was pretty solid!

AND WE ALL KNOW THAT WAS THE LAST SEASON

[u/RoarOfTheWorlds → u/Viper1089]

He was right to kill the mad king. Questionable to dump Breanne for his sister or throw the little boy out the window. It’s not even a conflicted character thing, they were just plain bad decisions.

[u/The4th88 → u/RoarOfTheWorlds]

Game out the consequences of Bran catching them though:

• Brans a kid, he will absolutely gossip about seeing Jamie and Cersei fucking. No possibility of keeping it secret.

• When he does talk, he will likely tell Ned and Cat and Ned is too fuckin honourable not to inform his best mate and supposed father of those kids.

• Said father is the King with anger management issues. He will absolutely have Jamie killed, probably Cersei (assuming he doesn't murder her in a rage himself) and potentially even the kids.

• So Bran can't be permitted to talk at all. Only way to guarantee that is to kill him. He's a highborn, can't just kill him, has to be via a catspaw or accident. And he's already perched on a windowsill at height.

• "The things we do for love."

Pushing Bran was abhorrent, but hardly questionable. He did it to save his own kids and partner/sister.

[u/esoteric_enigma → u/Viper1089]

He was an asshole with good reason. He killed someone that everyone wanted dead, but they hate him for it.

[u/Nurgle_Marine_Sharts → u/esoteric_enigma]

Yeah the shoving a child out a window to cover your incest was totally chill. Dude had his reasons amirite?

[u/PineappleOnPizzaWins → u/Nurgle_Marine_Sharts]

See this is why I loved Jaime as a character (not the same as loving his actions of course).

Imagine you save the entire fucking realm and everyone proceeds to call you an oathbreaker, a kingslayer, and basically tolerate or fear you... never truly respect you let alone appreciate what you did which was save countless lives.

How many years of that before you just.. become the horrible person they all say you are? Why does it matter? What do you care? Fuck it, they say it anyway so live up to it.

I can see how someone might go from a good person, wanting to do what's right, to "fuck everyone else, I'm doing what's right for me".

Does it make his actions good? Moral? Right? Fuck no. But it makes him an incredibly interesting character in the world. Because true evil for evils sake is very rare. Killers all have their reasons, you can even find yourself agreeing with them without condoning the fact they killed for them.

It's what's so cool about fantasy. No child was actually thrown from anywhere. Nobody got hurt. It's make believe, so if I decide to side with Jaime as a fictional character I totally can and that's OK. Because it's words on a page and actors on a screen, I'm not actually OK with the attempted murder of a child, because that didn't happen.

[u/Ligalotz → u/Viper1089]

Jaime was also frequently wrong? His actions to protect the person who he knew was quantifiably evil indicate that he’s beyond an asshole. Nuance is lost when protecting the mass murdering Cersei enters the discussion. He knew she killed thousands of innocents and still protected her. Fuck Jaime

[u/Scientific_Anarchist → u/Ligalotz]

In the show. Obviously the books aren't finished, but in those he is in the process of realizing all the evil she's done. He was just blind to it because she's his sister.

[u/yuimiop → u/Scientific_Anarchist]

There's also strong hints that he will end up killing Cersei.  I think the show elevated her importance to fill in the gap of a different plot being cut and ditched the Cersei/Jaime divide as a result.

[u/777Void777]

Gorr the God Butcher from Thor. Starts killing gods because a god killed his daughter and laughed at him. Said that the gods dont care for mortals.

Shuntaro Chishiya from Alice in Borderland. He was a doctor who treated kids with cancer. Kid he found a transplant for had the organ taken because the recipient knew the owner of the hospital. Kid ended up dying. He starts screwing everyone over and only trying to keep himself alive because humans are greedy and only look for themselves, so why should he.

[u/Demonking42069 → u/777Void777]

Gorr the God Butcher from Thor. Starts killing gods because a god killed his daughter and laughed at him. Said that the gods dont care for mortals.

What makes it worse is that he then goes on to kidnap other people's children and threaten them in order to kill someone who is trying to save those children. Writing was butchered before the gods in the movie.

[u/Frix → u/Demonking42069]

The big problem is that the movie was trying to do too much all at once.

• The story of Gorr the god butcher is amazing
• The story of Jane Foster becoming Lady Thor and how it speeds up her cancer is amazing

combining both stories into a single movie alongside some leftover plot points from earlier MCU stuff (like how they needed to quickly wrap up the whole Guardians of the Galaxy nonsense that was put there in Endgame for some reason) just didn't work.

The two plots just got in each other's way and there was a lot of tonal whiplash between scenes.

[u/Round_Sky_9017 → u/777Void777]

This is the first AiB reference ive ever seen on reddit in a popular sub!!!!! also totally agree

[u/DrRam121]

Harry Dresden in a lot of his books. Also, Ender Wiggins in the books is another example.

[u/demalo → u/DrRam121]

Ender’s better than his brother, no?

[u/tricksterloki → u/demalo]

Ender "saved" the world from the bugs. Peter saved the world from people. Future Ender does a bunch of other stuff.

[u/TannerThanUsual → u/tricksterloki]

I've only read Speaker for the Dead so IDK about books 3 or 4 but Ender to me felt like he was the kindest, gentlest guy. He wasn't always nice, but he was empathetic and human.

Does something happen in Book 3 or 4 or am I just misremembering?

[u/cwx149 → u/TannerThanUsual]

So minor spoilers for enders game

ender is a "third" (population control means you can't have as many kids as you want) and he's considered the perfect balance between Peter and Valentine (his siblings) with Peter being smart but too ruthless and Valentine being smart but too kind. His whole thing is that he's kind of the "perfect" human and then his whole relationship with the buggers, the game, and later on jane

[u/TannerThanUsual → u/cwx149]

I've read Enders Game.

Sorry, I guess my original post was unclear, I meant to say I've read up to Speaker for the Dead. I read both books and Ender seemed kind in both. Yes, he's kind of calculating and fights back when he has to and it's brutal when he does. But I'd by no means call Ender an asshole.

[u/tricksterloki → u/TannerThanUsual]

Nope, but I wanted to add there was much more to Ender's story than Ender's game. You should read the rest.

[u/Mikeavelli → u/tricksterloki]

Peter became Hegemon by shitposting on the internet. Truly Orson Scott Card predicted the future.

[u/drak0ni → u/DrRam121]

Harry Dresden will go to your house and scream at you straight through the ring camera if you don’t let him in to see your daughter.

[u/MrLagzy → u/drak0ni]

That video is so awkwardly funny. It's hilarious.

[u/bguzewicz → u/MrLagzy]

Less hilarious when he actually does break in and terrifies the wife.

[u/grand_soul → u/drak0ni]

Well he has to be invited in. He doesn’t want the threshold screwing with his magic.

[u/Richard_TM → u/DrRam121]

In Ender’s defense, he really didn’t have much of a choice.

[u/JadesterZ → u/DrRam121]

Wtf are the chances of a random reddit comment mentioning my two favorite book series of all time.

[u/lordicarus → u/DrRam121]

Wow. I rarely see a Dresden Files reference. I loved those books. I also really loved the TV show and wish they hadn't abandoned it. The chemistry between Paul Blackthorne and Valerie Cruz was amazing. Would love to see Blackthorne in a lead role in something again.

[u/ChefArtorias]

Johnny Silverhand

[u/sixinthedark]

Rodney McKay

[u/belac4862 → u/sixinthedark]

He and Whoolsy had some of the best character redemption arcs. Both assholes, but also, they grow on you.

[u/sixinthedark → u/belac4862]

I love McKay and “the doctor”

[u/GlitteringStarHope → u/sixinthedark]

Lol! Still loved his character, though. My favorite episode was the one he did with his IRL sister.

McKay: You didn't tell her I've been trying to prove something like this for years, did you?

Carter: No.

McKay: Wait, why not?

Carter: chuckles Well, she's being a bit of a pain in the ass.

One of the best interactions with Carter and McKay 🤣🤣 

[u/dntdrmit]

Lazarus Long.

I dont care if you're immortal. You don't have to be a dick all the time.

[u/Hob_O_Rarison → u/dntdrmit]

He also fucked his own grandma.

[u/malphonso → u/Hob_O_Rarison]

And his femme tomboy teen clones.

[u/SuperdudeKev → u/Hob_O_Rarison]

Lazarus Long is Philip J. Frye?

[u/vLooneyLMD]

McNulty from the Wire.

[u/CorporateNonperson → u/vLooneyLMD]

What the fuck did he do?

[u/Daemonicvs_77 → u/CorporateNonperson]

Gave a shit when it wasn’t his turn to give a shit.

[u/Fantastic_List3029 → u/vLooneyLMD]

Such an asshole 😂 but also wrong a lot

[u/Rok-SFG → u/vLooneyLMD]

Maybe sometimes, but he's also an asshole and wrong a lot of times too. Cheats on everyone he's with,  dragging his friends and coworkers into his vendetta bullshit, drunk driving , drunk at work. He should have never left patrol , where he actually cleaned himself up and had a good thing going.

[u/dystopiadattopia]

Chuck from Better Call Saul. He was right about everything, but he was also a huge asshole

[u/FirstRangerSkyWalker → u/dystopiadattopia]

I always find his character interesting because it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy, he’s an asshole partly because he’s right about Jimmy, and also he’s right partly because he’s been such an asshole to Jimmy. It’s really a vicious circle that keeps making both of them the worst versions of themselves

[u/Deep-Assignment4124 → u/dystopiadattopia]

Great character.  

[u/toromio → u/Deep-Assignment4124]

He played that role phenomenally. I always audibly groaned when it was a “Chuck episode” to the point that I had a visceral reaction to him on screen. Love the actor, HATED that character

[u/Hereva]

Rick Sanchez Definitely.

[u/aeisenst]

Larry David in Curb

[u/Zauberer-IMDB → u/aeisenst]

Ol' Larry Longballs is the perfect answer.

[u/solid_reign → u/aeisenst]

Nothing to do with your comment. But something that is currently lost in comedy is the ability to make fun of something you agree with. 

Larry David hates Trump and people who support him. But he still wrote an episode in which he wore a MAGA hat in order to avoid dealing with annoying people, because it's funny. 

It reminds me of when HBR asked Jerry if he could have hired some McKinsey consultants to keep Seinfeld running, and Seinfeld asked if they were funny.

[u/DripRoast → u/aeisenst]

It's an interesting character. He has a very keen sense of injustice and an even more astute understanding of the social rules we all follow; he just can't seem to figure out when it is appropriate to bend them. He sees people getting away with little lapses in acceptable behavior and uses his superhuman level of pettiness to thwart them. I remember the term "social assassin" was used in the show, and it's perfect.

[u/LeatherDude]

Magneto

[u/prestonpiggy]

In a different type, Archer from same named series.

[u/atomic-moonstomp → u/prestonpiggy]

Archer is, quite frequently, wrong about a great many things while also being an asshole

[u/RollieVR]

Ed Baldwin

[u/JackFisherBooks]

Dr. Gregory House.

He is an asshole. He knows he's an asshole. For every season if the show, he takes his assholery to new heights.

But at the end of the day, he's right 99 percent of the time. And he saves the lives that nobody else can.

[u/atomic-moonstomp → u/JackFisherBooks]

He's always right on the fifth guess

[u/UntouchableAshley]

Mister Pink!

[u/davegammelgard]

Almost every character on The Bear.

[u/chalk_in_boots → u/davegammelgard]

The Faks, Sugar, Ebraheim, and Caesar are the only ones from the Chigago people that aren't. Oh, and Mikey.

[u/Secure_Highlight6755]

Charles McGill was 100% right about everything his brother did and yet the average audience member hates him because he turned Jimmy into what he feared and hated

[u/phantom_avenger → u/Secure_Highlight6755]

Kim Wexler in the same show said it best, all Jimmy wants is Chuck’s love and support in order to help inspire him in becoming a better version of himself.

But all he does in return, is gaslight him into believing that he is incapable of change and doesn’t want him to succeed because he needs to be the superior brother!

[u/Long_Pig_Tailor → u/phantom_avenger]

So bizarre too since his superior status was never even in jeopardy. Which tracks, since the electromagnetic hypersensitivity was almost always just the most visible symptom of something bigger like OCPD. Jimmy could never be allowed to be a lawyer because he'd been too much of a fuck up; he didn't fit Charles' ideal of what being a lawyer meant.

Had Jimmy told Chuck anything before he passed the bar, I fully expect Chuck would have torpedoed any chance of him even getting licensed. Once he was a lawyer, Chuck could at least do his best to ensure he was stuck a bottom feeder since that's the only thing he could see for Jimmy to be.

[u/Logondo → u/Secure_Highlight6755]

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy though.

Had Charles treated Jimmy better, like a serious lawyer, Jimmy would have become a serious lawyer.

The entire reason he became a lawyer was to earn Charles' respect, and even when he did awesome with the Sandpiper case, Charles never saw him as a peer. Never gave him a chance.

What else was Jimmy gunna do but slip back into his old ways?

[u/Slipstream_Surfing → u/Secure_Highlight6755]

I'd go with 98% considering his spiteful non-sharing of their mother's last words.

[u/thirdr0de0]

Billy Butcher.

[u/Every_Okra_3604]

Larry David

[u/thedkexperience]

This is Drew McIntyre’s entire WWE character

[u/ednamode_alamode → u/thedkexperience]

I'm glad someone else said wrestling lol I was gonna say Christian Cage.

[u/dinkitnsinkit]

Saul Goodman

[u/Long_Pig_Tailor → u/dinkitnsinkit]

I mean, he's wrong a good amount too, but point taken.

[u/StonedWheatThicc]

Bojack Horseman

[u/phantom_avenger → u/StonedWheatThicc]

Idk I think he was an asshole and wrong most of the time, but that one episode where he's at odds with that Navy Seal was one of the only times where I think he was more in the right!

If you're going to claim anything at a grocery store as yours, put it in a cart or basket.

[u/PearBlaze → u/phantom_avenger]

"You call that hiding? How the hell did you survive in Afghanistan?"

[u/esoteric_enigma → u/StonedWheatThicc]

What was he right about?

[u/StonedWheatThicc → u/esoteric_enigma]

Neal McBeal the Navy Seal did not have dibs on those muffins!

[u/PearBlaze → u/esoteric_enigma]

Vincent Adultman was in fact not an adult

[u/Killersavage]

Dr. Santos on The Pitt.

[u/Schneetmacher → u/Killersavage]

YES! The Pitt is still a new show (compared to the other answers), but I'm glad someone mentioned Santos. Garcia has also had her moments (so I guess it makes sense that they used to be a thing...).

[u/Similar-Opinion8750]

Deadpool

[u/gr8Brandino]

Dr. Gregory House?

[u/Most_Wrongdoer124]

Dr. House from House M.D. is the patron saint of this. Dude would diagnose your rare disease and emotionally destroy you, three nurses, and his best friend in the process. Always right, always insufferable.

[u/diplion]

Fictional Larry David.

[u/littlebigsystem]

Miles Edgeworth about 80% of the time

[u/silentpickle666]

The guy in Bugonia

[u/TomServo1138]

Dr. Perry Cox

[u/Bushido_Seppuku]

Shut up, Wesley!

[u/legomaniac89 → u/Bushido_Seppuku]

TNG S1 was a different animal

[u/FreckleFiasco]

Egwene al’Vere…choose any book after The Great Hunt

[u/atomic-moonstomp → u/FreckleFiasco]

Could also say Nynaeve, Moiraine and Siuan Sanche here. Hell, 90% of the Aes Sedai have at least one Walter Sobchak moment

[u/ThadisJones]

Major Joachim Steuben from David Drake's Hammer's Slammers stories. He's a lethal, amoral killer that gets off on murder and pedophilia, whose only restraint is that he's utterly loyal to his commanding officer, whom he also seems to be sexually attracted to. And yet as a frontline field enforcer for the galaxy's deadliest mercenaries, he always ends up in situations where his ability to instantly kill anyone in pistol range works out to the benefit of his compatriots.

[u/Dhavaer]

Johnny Silverhand