Why These 10 Fictional Characters are Idolized, Explained Psychologically

Many of these characters’ popularity can be oversimplified as “they’re badass/awesome/similar adjective”. But the truth is each of them have specific fleshed-out personality traits that many people want for themselves to accomplish various goals in their lives. A lot of characters are initially appealing, but these became classics because they’re developed with complex, but very real personalities that average people desire.

If you love any of these 10 characters, maybe you’ll learn something about yourself by taking a look at the personality traits they possess…

King Schultz’s Way With Words

Dr. King Schultz, the second main character in Quentin Tarantino’s western Django Unchained instantly became a fan-favorite for his role as a mentor for Django, not to mention the excellent performance by Christoph Waltz. This is also the reason why Waltz’s Colonel Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds was also loved by audiences, but while the Nazi general was a straight-up villain and therefore hard to relate with, Schultz has not only a heart of gold but, more importantly, an impeccable way with words.

This is first wonderfully displayed in the first scene he’s in where he “collects” Django and later in the saloon scene; where he manipulates situations to the outcome he wants by using only his communication skills. He deceives people with a masterful vocabulary, which allows him and Django to get through most of the events of the movie. Django and Schultz even explicitly discuss their acting method later in the film. And in the final climax, it’s when this deception constructed with words fails that the main characters get into real trouble. Having top-tier communication skills like this is key to achieving many goals in life, so therefore people admire this trait in others. Schultz is also charming and funny, like many other characters that aren’t as popular.

Walter White’s Overcoming of Fear

It’s no secret that Walter White will be adored by fans for a long time to come. The most interesting aspect of this reality is that Breaking Bad is a show about a good guy turning into a villain. The reason people keep rooting for an increasingly evil individual has been the subject of many debates. The simplest explanation is that the show starts with Walt at his lowest point, being the subject of constant humiliation and ridicule so seeing him overcome that is appealing. But it goes beyond that.

The driving force behind every one of Walter’s moves is acting in spite of fear. He says more than once he’s lived 50 years in fear, and it’s when this ceases to stop him from acting that he’s able to get things done. This is addressed directly in the show especially in the first season and is even address by White in the eight episode of season 2, “Better Call Saul” — “Fear is the worst of it. You get out there and you kick the world right in the teeth”. Lacking fear is utopic, but acting in spite of fear is a trait admired by people all around the world.

Rorschach’s Principles

Watchmen is a graphic novel and movie adaptation that features a wide array of superheroes, yet the most remembered, quoted and overall idolized is the ruthless vigilante Rorschach. He’s named after the mask he wears which is designed like a Rorschach test — a psychological evaluation that shows people abstract objects and they must say what they see. The Rorschach test is based on a psychological belief that the world has no meaning other than what we project on it. This idea is carried out thoroughly by the character Rorschach, who sees the world in the same black and white patterns that make his mask.

“There is only good and evil, and evil must be punished. Never compromise, never surrender”, Rorschach himself describes accurately depicting his vision. Humans, tainted by a world that is very much shades of gray and complex aspire to live up to the principles that guide Rorschach. This is very difficult because the reality of the world corrupts people, but they admire someone that isn’t influenced by these subtleties. This incorruptible persona is one of the reasons so many people like Batman, and in fact writer of Watchmen Alan Moore described his vision of Rorschach as “what Batman would be in real life”.

Gregory House’s Use of Reason

Dr. House’s highly oiled wit and sarcasm is the initial appeal of the character, but long-time viewers of House M.D. learn to appreciate his observation and deductive reasoning skills above all else. The unique connections House makes, many of which are key to solving his complex medical cases (which he refers to as “puzzles”) are a skill many people wish to develop. He applies his objectivity (or as close as a subject can get) not only to medicine but also to the very human problems he and the other characters of the show face.

Every House episode has a sub-plot beneath the medical case that usually presents a social or philosophical dilemma to make the audience think. House’s unique, uncompromising and mostly unbiased inputs are key to the strong bond the audience feels to the character. He seems to be selfish and arrogant, but usually ends up giving the most honest, helpful advice to other characters. What he struggles with is applying his high standards to himself, but nobody’s perfect. His complexity carried the show for 8 years far more than specific plot-points. He’s that guy that says what’s on his mind, that’s usually socially disruptive but deeply true and what needs to be said.

Barney Stinson’s Manly Attributes

No, not just that he seduces women. Joey Tribbiani from Friends was a ladies-man, but How I Met Your Mother’s Barney Stinson is the epitome of what every man wants to be, which includes but is not limited to sleeping with many beautiful women. Stinson is, like most sitcom characters, not overly complex; but it’s not the character himself that made him such an icon but how strongly he allows for people to project themselves into him. He exposes many traits men have that are normally considered peculiar and therefore sometimes hidden and showcases them in a character that is designed to be “awesome”.

His biggest interests are the decidedly un-cool laser-tag and magic tricks. He’s not gruff and muscular, but rather skinny with small features and a high pitched voice. Yet that combined with his unbelievable creativity and charm makes him an “alpha male” character much more relatable than the traditional ladies-man. He also develops and grows up considerably throughout the show which gives him a substantial amount of depth especially for the genre. But none of this depth would matter if the bases were not what they are. As it stands, Barney Stinson is one of the most quoted fictional characters in history.

Frank Underwood’s Detailed, Long-Term Plans

Kevin Spacey’s Netflix politician is one of the most beloved television characters of this new decade and, contrary to what you might think, it’s not just because he’s a ruthless manipulator that stomps on people to get what he wants. Frank Underwood’s (and House of Cards’) very first scene was probably deeply thought-out as it’s a great first impression of the overall core of the character: “This country needs someone who can do the unpleasant thing. The necessary thing.” This monologue is paralleled with Underwood killing a dog, but it’s the “do the necessary” concept that tickles many people’s subconscious. Frank does what he needs to do, developing complex, long-term plans with many details that he carries out efficiently. “I know what I need to do. This will take a long time and many sleepless nights”

This kind of detailed development of a plan of action mandates hard work, dedication and discipline which are traits many people wish to develop. It’s no coincidence Underwood has a strong military backstory, usually associated with instilling this kind of productivity-based behavior. Underwood is appealing as an anti-hero, of course, but also as a guy who always knows exactly what to do and say to slowly turn the gears in his favor.

The Wolf of Wall Street’s Celebration of Pleasure

While the real-life Jordan Belfort may be inspiring to some, the focus here is on the adaptation Martin Scorcese developed for his film The Wolf of Wall Street. Belfort taps into a worldwide desire: the desire for hedonism, for pleasure, even to the point of excess. Excess of money, of success, of drugs; of whatever gets people off (these are the most mainstream examples, which is necessary for a movie to be successful). While he may not be exactly a role model, he does help us to accept the basic human reality that we are creatures of instinct at heart.

We enjoy Belfort’s escapades right down to him intoxicated to the point of slugging over to his car because we know we also seek pleasures like this and can think of many times where it backfired on us. Even if everyone, including the film itself, knows that the Belfort lifestyle is doomed to end in turmoil, accepting the desire is there instead of running from it can help us know ourselves better. If the desire wasn’t there, we wouldn’t enjoy seeing DiCaprio’s character. He goes too far and yet we still project ourselves in him, that says something (other than DiCaprio is a great actor).

Spider-Man’s Sacrifice of Selfishness

There is more than one superhero on this list because the very notion of a superhero, thematically speaking, is an individual with strength, moral and beliefs higher than what regular humans can aspire to. This is why they’re universally popular. However, some of these characters are more human than others, and few superhero stories are as compelling as Spider-Man’s.Spider-Man is the world’s most popular superhero and that’s not just because he’s a teenager that his main demographic can relate to. There’s a very down to earth human struggle encased in the Uncle Ben plot, which is best addressed in the comic line Superior Spider-Man: “If it wasn’t for Uncle Ben, I would’ve become Doctor Octopus (a villain)”.

It makes perfect sense. Peter Parker was always picked on, bullied and disrespected by his peers. If an average kid like that gained superpowers, he would use them for his own personal gain to get money and fame, because deep down he’s driven by resentment like a lot of people in real life. The incident with his uncle allowed him to mature past that selfishness and learn responsibility, a very concrete transition from childhood into adulthood that is part of the human experience.

Master Yoda’s Spiritual Wisdom

The Star Wars franchise gave birth to a slew of pop-culture icons but few are as interesting on a thematic level as Master Yoda. His heavily Buddhist-based teachings are what made the concept of the Force such a phenomenon. Moving things with our minds and lightsaber fights are appealing, but the idea of a living energy that binds everything on the planet together clicked for audiences worldwide. It’s no coincidence that the Yoda training scenes in Dagobah from Empire Strikes Back are some of the most memorable in the franchise. It’s also why fans got so upset when the prequels replaced this concept with the Midiclorians, a biological explanation of the Force. It demystified the Force and Yoda’s teachings, most of which are based on real philosophies and religions.

While Buddhism, Hinduism and overall spiritual growth has become quite mainstream lately, that wasn’t the case in the late 70s when Empire Strikes Back aired. The fact that the character is about spiritual growth is accentuated in Yoda’s appearance. He is designed as a little goblin to challenge the preconception that a Jedi Master, described to us as a great warrior, should be tall and huge. That’s the basis of the Force and of Yoda’s popularity — true strength (force) is internal and goes beyond the physical.

Iron-Man’s Intelligence & Social Skills

If Barney Stinson was the epitome of the aspirations of the modern man, Tony Stark represents the utopia of the modern superman, much more so than Superman himself. And unlike Stinson whom mostly men identify with, Stark knows no gender limit. He’s a genius and a social wizard, the most desirable combination of skills in the modern world and two qualities very hard to combine because of their very nature. People inclined to think might have a harder time developing social skills, and the opposite is also true, where socially adept people sometimes aren’t as enticed to develop strong thinking patterns, just from not being by themselves too often). Stark also operates inside essentially a robot suit to boot, you can’t get much more modern than that.

The parallel with Superman accurately demonstrates what modern society values in individuals today versus just under 70 years ago. Think of when the Christopher Reeve Superman movies aired compared to when the Iron-Man movies aired. The Superman generation valued truth, justice and a strong set of morals, while the Iron Man generation values personal development and skills, success and accomplishing personal goals. Tony Stark is, at heart, a builder, and building a future is probably the strongest human aspiration in this digital age of self-expression and uniqueness.