The 11 Greatest Characters of 2015

All great years have great fictions — it’s the only way humans can make sense of them. And all great fictions have great characters. The following are just a few of the great characters that were either launched or maintained this year. These, we’re sure, are to become future icons. (At least, for a certain type of person.)

11. Lola Fishko (“Mistress America”)

Faced with the near-impossible task of looking after her (soon to be) step-sister, Brooke, Lola is caught in the throes of jealousy — Brooke is one of the elite that float through life, eternally confident. But people are complex, and Lola finds herself changing to be more like Brooke; though, as she states in a confrontational scene, she’s still Lola, just “in a different direction”. Everybody has the potential to be kind or cruel — even the shy.

10. Venus (“We Know the Devil”)

Venus just wants to see: in the climactic scenes of her route, she tears off her skin to reveal the eyes beneath. She’s a poignant portrayal of growing up trans in a world that doesn’t want you and a body that you don’t want, designed by the also-trans Aevee Bee. It’s important that marginalised groups have the opportunity to tell their own narratives and it is only with this power that tolerance can spread.

9. Kimmy Schmidt (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)

Kimmy Schmidt burst onto our screens (and into New York) after being imprisoned in a basement for 15 years by a cult leader. But she didn’t let that stop her. Eternally bubbly, Kimmy was the star of some of the most hilarious adventures to hit the web this year. And really, isn’t being hilarious what it’s all about?

8. That Genderbending Vampire Mobster (“Art Angels”)

While the real mobster has generally faded out of sight, the idea of a mobster has stuck to us. It’s impossible for anyone to tell why, but the sign that it had mythologised came late 2015 with the arrival of Grimes’ Art Angels. Moreover, the character of the genderbending vampire mobster (from “Kill V. Maim”) toyed with conceptions of gender and sexism in a compelling and unique way.

7. Alexander Hamilton (“Hamilton”)

Hamilton has reached a rabid level of fandom this year — and though that has its downsides, it doesn’t come without its good parts. One of these good parts is raising the profile of what is potentially the most important musical for generations: through recasting the founding of America into a PoC-driven affair, Lin-Manuel Miranda recasts America as a PoC-driven affair — and in this period of increasingly racialised hate speech, we need that more than ever.

6. Jessica Huang (“Fresh Off the Boat”)

PoC have long been treated as humourless — they can be pitied, or wise, or even laughed at. But white audiences are never laughing with PoC. Fresh Off the Boat (and its kissing cousin, Black-ish) are changing this perceptions. Jessica Huang is a capable, affectionate and intelligent mother. Yet, even more groundbreaking, is the fact that she’s funny.

5. Gretchen Cutler (“You’re the Worst”)

When we were introduced to Gretchen, she seemed fun, vibrant and independent. In Season 2, we were introduced to Gretchen again: she has depression. You’re the Worst brings one of the most realistic depictions of depression for years; her boyfriend can’t fix it and it has happened before. (Suddenly, her self-deprecation — such as admitting she’s “the worst” — is thrown into a new light.) You’re the Worst has a history of treating mental ilnesses with sensitivity and wit — another of its main characters has PTSD. With this, it has set itself apart from its peers, and created a space where neurodiverse characters are treated with respect and empathy. And thank god for that.

4. Jane Villanueva (“Jane the Virgin”)

Donald Trump has made infamous and unforgivable statements in his road to political success — and in the political climate he’s created, positive representation of Latin@s have become more important than ever. Jane Villanueva is the most prominent example we have right now of a well-rounded Latin@ character, and her household (though exaggerated) reflects the current climate for Latin@s: her grandmother is going through the laborious green card system, how to maintain your culture in a world that doesn’t care and the struggle of Catholicism in an increasingly secular world. Jane the Virgin has brought Latin@ identity to the masses and it’s become a small relief from the insidious hate speech of Donald Trump (and more oblique forms too).

3. Imperator Furiosa (“Mad Max: Fury Road”)

This year Imperator Furiosa’s was the face that launched a thousand feminist thinkpieces: the sight of a woman in charge was so startling she quickly became iconic. The “Mad Max” franchise has always been about mythologies, and with Fury Road, George Miller and company have added a new archetype to the Hero’s Journey: the Imperator.

2. Jessica Jones (“AKA Jessica Jones”)

Jessica Jones is the first Marvel superheroine to headline her own piece of media. In the broader world, she’s the first major character to have PTSD from a non-combat cause. She was complex, and AKA Jessica Jones was a character study filled with action and a fast-moving plot — pleasing both Marvel fans and drama fans. Even further abroad, she brought consent to the masses: her battles with Kilgrave represented the battles that women and other minorities go through daily with people in power. In a year where that’s becoming more important by the second, Jones filled a much-needed gap in the world of entertainment.

1. Sadness (“Inside Out”)

The Sadness of Inside Out is intensely amusing: she knows Riley’s psyche better than anyone, she’s prone to densely worded psychological theses and she gives up far too easily. But even more than that, she shows a new state of psyche in popular media. For too long, sadness (and emotion in general — but sadness especially) has been sidelined in favour of happiness. But, as Inside Out shows, this state cannot continue. It’s hurting all of us to stifle sadness.