Unlikely/Hesitant Heroes - Know any good fictional ones?

[Tyche]

Michael Scolefield from Prisonbreak on FOX. Brilliant engineer devises a plan to break his falsely accused brother out of death row in a prison by intentionally getting caught robbing a bank and being thrown into that same prison.

Don't know if you could make the gregory house argument, as he's far from reluctant, but certainly a drug addicted doctor that rolls with a cane is unlikely.

King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". They killed the Rabbit of Caerbannog with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!

[Norelco]

You forgot Shrek, at least in the first movie.

[Kael]

Willow Ofgood from the movie Willow - Farmer Dwarf who wants to be a wizard.

Also Madmardigan from Willow as well.

[Ziero]

One artsy:

Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption. He was an ordinary man, just a simple common banker who never did anything amazing or incredible his whole life. Until he was arrested, tried and sent to prison for a crime he honestly didn't commit. From inside the jail, he began fighting the system, changing things for the better, working for a cause instead of just living day to day. He went from a little nobody with nothing special to a man who could change his own fate, and the fate of all those around him. He had no intentions of being anything, but when faced with a dire, bleak situation he rose to prominence and stood up for his beliefs and helped make the lives of all those around him, people who Society itself had given up on, that much better.

One mainstream:

Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk. He was just a scientist doing what scienstists do, but after his accident and gaining his powers all he wanted to do was "cure" himself. However, time and time again Bruce would have to call on his inner beast to save the day and protect the innocents around him. He didn't want to fight, and there were many times he had to make the choice to keep the powers he was given to protect those in need as opposed to ridding himself of the Hulk's "curse". But he always chooses to be the hero, to help the helpless, because it's the right thing to do.

and one off the wall:

Dark Schneider from Bastard! He was, for all intensive purposes, a villain. A man who tried to conquer the world. But he was defeated and sealed away inside a newborn baby. He spent the next 14 years being raised as an innocent child who knew nothing of his past life, until one day his power was needed to save their kingdom. When the seal was broken, and the 14 year old boy transformed into the evil Dark Schneider, he was going to destroy those who sealed him in the first place, but the memories and feelings of the boy inside him caused him to help out those in need. And while he is a total bastard, he continues to fight against evil and protect the innocent for whatever reason happens to cross his mind. Often proclaiming himself to be the purest form of evil as he saves the day against those who are trying to destroy the world, he's a reluctant hero in the very sense that he's actually a villain who protects the innocent and helpless.

[Norellicus]

Sam Vimes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Isiolia]

Guts from Berserk perhaps. Depends on what you mean. Technically he falls under the Byronic hero archetype...however, that's kind of what you're looking for anyway. Basically the kind of guy that always gets a raw deal, and has the personality that reflects that.

In a similar, though perhaps less dark context would be Conan the Barbarian (I mean, I don't think Conan got whored out as a kid, had his girl raped in front of him by his ex-best friend, etc).


Yorick from Y: The Last Man would easily qualify.

Lucifer from Sandman and the spin-off series Lucifer would probably work as well, for obvious reasons. In some ways, it's one of those "be careful what you wish for" type results, which may not be heroic...but at the same time, some things that "have" to be done get done by him, for one reason or another.

The Preacher comic series may work too, though mostly due to less-than-heroic behavior than motivations.

For a more family-friendly comic, Bone comes to mind. Basically cartoon-type brothers who get lost and wind up in a more realistic fantasy setting. The focus would be mostly Fone Bone (the main character), who would be very comparable to Frodo from LoTR.


anyway, a few off the top 'o my head

[Beckwin]

the Clint Eastwood character from Gran Torino. initially hates the people he becomes a hero to.

[wyrmtung]

Hero with Dustin Hoffman is the first thing that came to mind. Very underrated movie that is deeper than you may think.

And I looked up this reference the other day: Sergeant York. It's based on a RL World War I war hero.

Here's the plot from wiki:

Alvin York (Gary Cooper), a poor Tennessee hillbilly, is an exceptional marksman, but a ne'er-do-well prone to drinking and fighting, which doesn't make things any easier for his patient mother (Margaret Wycherly). He undergoes a religious awakening and turns his life around, assisted by Pastor Rosier Pile (Walter Brennan).
When York is drafted into the army for World War I, he tries to avoid induction as a conscientious objector due to his religious beliefs. His status as a true conscientious objector is rejected since his church has no official standing and he reluctantly reports for army basic training. During basic training, his superiors find out that he is a phenomenal marksman and promote him to corporal.
York still wants nothing to do with the army and killing. A sympathetic commanding officer lectures York about text from a U.S. history book. He gives York temporary leave to go home and think about fighting to save lives. York wants to read the U.S. history book and the officer gives it to him. He tells York that after his leave if he still doesn't want to fight he will discharge him from the army. York reads the book, decides he will serve his country and reports back for duty. York decides to leave it in God's hands, but still doubts he can kill someone because of his interpretation of the bible.
His unit is shipped out to Europe and participates in an attack. Pinned down by German fire and seeing his friends being shot down all around him, his self-doubt disappears. Owing to the large number of casualties, York suddenly finds himself placed in charge. He works his way around behind German lines and shoots with such deadly effect that the Germans surrender. Then, York forces a captured German officer (Charles Esmond) at gunpoint to order the Germans still fighting to surrender. He and the handful of other survivors end up with 132 prisoners. York becomes a national hero and is awarded the Medal of Honor.
York later explains that he did what he did to hasten the end of the war and minimize the killing.

And for a more current reference, there's Chuck on NBC.

[zoobernut]

Ender from the Enders Game series. He is an extremely reluctant hero doesn't want to help with anything eventually gets pulled in and comes out successfully however he is broken after that and is not the same person he does not become an unstoppable force but is reduced to hiding and eventually disappears to a space colony far away.

Edit: Yes to both examples above too, Dustin Hoffman in Hero is very reluctant as well as Chuck. Though Chuck is less of the reluctant hero in the latest season.

[GeneJackit]

Hitchcock used a lot of reluctant "heroes" in his films...Cary Grant in North by Northwest, Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo and Rear Window.

[Darkslitter]

-Neo, matrix movies
-the guy in the da vinci code, but it's a bit better in angels and demons
-guy in Wanted
-luke in star wars
-anything vin diesel has ever been, but specifically pitch black/cronicles of riddik series

[Odesseiron]

Paul Kersey in Death Wish, played by Charles Bronson

[HAcoreRD]

I can't think of a more reluctant hero than Shinji Ikari, lead character in Neon Genesis Evangelion

His father runs Nerv, a militaristic organization to prevent future invasions by "angels" effectively aliens, who are battled by Nerv pilots in giant mecha (called Evangelions). The technology is complicated but in short very few can actually pilot them due to the statisical unlikelihood that someone could actually "synchronize" with the Evangelion.

Shinji is almost literally thrown into an emergency situation where he is torn between sending a previous near-comatose pilot and going into an Evangelion with no training or exposure and huge abandonment issues related to his father who by this point he hadn't seen in years.

He struggles to find reasons to continue, recognizing that he is one of a rare few that can pilot the Evangelions (particular unit 02, his Evangelion) but at one point even runs away due to psychological strain. Later in the series this is all undone, Shinji never having been particularly stable in the first place. That being said he does have moments of extreme heroism, diving into a volcano (still inside his mecha) to retrieve a comrade, returning to battle despite openly admitting he has no personal desire to pilot the mechas and suffers inside terribly each time he does.



I could go on, but with 20 of these I would think this is enough

you can start here for any additional info or PM me, I've been rewatching the series again lately

I thought Shinji was Eva 01, as Asuka was Eva 02, Rei was Eva 00 and their loser friend who got one shotted was Eva 03?

[Heian]

I thought Shinji was Eva 01, as Asuka was Eva 02, Rei was Eva 00 and their loser friend who got one shotted was Eva 03?

EVA 00 was Rei, Rei also attempted to Sync with 01 but failed
EVA 01 was Shinji
EVA 02 was Asuka
EVA 03 was Toji which was corrupted by an angel and had to be destroyed via Unit 01 with a dummy plug because Shinji refused to fight.

[Onigami The Yagudo King]

Shinji Ikari is the best example of this archetype no doubt. But thats why more people gravitated toward the series, it was different, some one who was special actually didnt want the responsibility for once, and didnt believe in himself. Not every hero is a superman

[gamez]

Almost every main character in the manga/anime Gantz fits the roll in one way or another through the first volume or two and the reluctance to become a hero is huge and reoccurring.

[Kaelia]

Almost every main character in the manga/anime Gantz fits the roll in one way or another through the first volume or two and the reluctance to become a hero is huge and reoccurring.

GANTZ!!! I loved that anime, never got to finish it though.

[Deftscythe]

Tavi from the Codex Alera series

In Tavi's world, everyone can manipulate the elements of nature to one extent or another through the use of furycraft, which for the purposes of this post can be taken to mean magic. People don't turn on lamps, they will fire into them; they don't turn on a faucet, they will the water up through the pipe. The upper strata of his society have powers that make them more like Greek gods than humans.

Tavi himself is alone in the world as the only human without any crafting whatsoever. He's unable to so much as draw himself a bath and is at the mercy of any bully who wants to pick on the freak. Despite what is essentially a deformity. he finds himself again and again in a position where he has to play a hero.

In the first book he stumbles across a plot to start a war between his nation and another and spends the novel dodging members of the other nation as well as hired assassins from within his own, and not only does he succeed but he turns the course of battle and saves not only his own life but thousands of others. He succeeds against super-powered beings with nothing but wit and perseverance.

[Kwijiboe]

Sorry if someone else mentioned it.. but my favorite is def. Capt. Mal Reynolds from Firefly.

[thestalkmore]

Damn this is for an English class and nobody is using examples from literature?

Faillll