A movie can have a cool setting and a well-written script, but it will never take off if it lacks interesting characters. A protagonist must be carefully chosen and developed, since it’s their job to reach the public’s more emotional side. As such, they are very commonly depicted as easygoing individuals with a high moral compass. That makes the character feel more relatable to the audience, bringing them closer to the movie’s events as a whole.
But people are different. The old-school depiction of the “role model” is no longer an unchangeable consensus, and the public yearns for characters with flaws and failures that are as inherent as any of the “good” qualities. The following list gathers some protagonists with unusual backgrounds that may not be relatable to everyone, even though they may also be admired by legions of fans.
10 Rorschach from Watchmen (2009)
Alan Moore’s celebrated graphic novel Watchmen was adapted to the screen in 2009, directed by Zack Snyder. The film depicts a retro-futurist America where superheroes are a common element in society. Some of the most powerful ones are part of The Watchmen, a dysfunctional group that, despite their potential, fails to agree on what is the best way to protect people. One of its members is Walter Joseph Kovacs, known by the alias Rorschach, due to the patterns formed by his mask.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
Walter’s mother was a prostitute that despised him as a child. Due to his mother’s line of work, he was constantly bullied by older kids, which forced him to react violently. Growing up in disbelief of humankind, he started to fight crime by his own means. One day, after catching a criminal who had raped and killed a little girl, feeding her to his dogs, Rorschach butchered the assassin with a cleaver. He would later state that “Walter Kovacs died that day”. Rorschach was his true face and identity from that day on.
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9 Cliff Booth from Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, the ninth film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, is an ode to the closing years of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In the movie, aging actor Rick Dalton tries to make his way in the industry, all while having to deal with hippies, money-grasping film executives and Charles Manson’s fanatics cult. In his endeavor, Rick is always sided by his loyal stunt double, Cliff Booth.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
While not much is known about Cliff, he does seem to have a more interesting background. He would earn a spot on the list only by the fact that he fought with Bruce Lee (and nearly won) backstage. Moreover, there are rumors around the studios saying that Cliff murdered his own wife. Whether this is true, the fact is that Rick’s influence helped him somehow, which is probably the reason Cliff agrees to be his personal fixer.
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8 Tallahassee from Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland was directed by Ruben Fleischer. In a world devastated by a zombie outbreak, Columbus, a nerdy college student, survives by following a set of rules and avoiding conflict whenever possible. But Tallahassee, a man he pairs up with, has a different approach to this matter. He takes particular pleasure in slaughtering every single zombie that comes his way. The more creative and/or brutal a kill is, the better.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
Before dressing up in his cowboy attire and going on a rampaging zombie kill-a-palooza, Tallahassee was not like this at all. He revealed his particular hate for zombies comes from the fact they took Buck from him. Columbus initially believed Buck to have been a puppy, but was surprised by learning that Buck was actually Tallahassee's infant son, who he took care of in the utmost loving way.
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7 Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The thrilling action epic directed by George Miller is a continuation of the Mad Max series starred by Mel Gibson. With Tom Hardy playing the title character, Max is compelled to join forces with Imperator Furiosa, former wife of the despotic warlord Immortan Joe. She intends to take Immortan’s enslaved “wives” away from him, to a haven known as the “Green Place”.
What Makes Her Backstory Unusual
Furiosa lost her left arm in unknown circumstances, which led her to use a mechanical prosthetic. Formerly part of female warriors known as the “Vuvalini of Many Mothers,” she was taken by Immortan Joe but later despised for being infertile. Praised as a prominent female leading figure, Furiosa’s story will be explored in her standalone film, set to be released in 2024.
Stream it on Hulu
6 Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The Millennium series is an award-winning crime novel saga created by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. David Fincher was tasked to direct the first English-spoken adaptation of the first Novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The mentioned girl is Lisbeth Salander, a gifted hacker employed to spy on investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. A turn of events leads Lisbeth into a plot involving killings, sex scandals, and some of Sweden’s most powerful individuals.
What Makes Her Backstory Unusual
"Rough" is an understatement to describe Lisbeth’s childhood. Sick of witnessing her father beating and abusing her mother, she tried to burn him alive. After being sent to the state’s custody, she spent her youth running away from foster families’ homes, and always having to defend herself from physical and sexual harassment, becoming socially estranged as a result.
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5 Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Created by author Thomas Harris, Hannibal Lecter is probably known by most audiences for his role in The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demme. A formerly respected psychiatrist, Dr. Lecter was also a serial killer who cultivated the habit of eating his victims. After his arrest by the FBI, he was consulted by other agents on the hunt for other criminals, so they could try to make an idea of how an assassin’s head functions.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
Hannibal Lecter is unusual enough as it is, but his origins also provide a unique background. A descendant from noble families from Italy and Lithuania, he was very well-educated in his youth. However, from a young age, those who sought trouble with Lecter often found themselves on the dinner menu.
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4 Beatrix “The Bride” Kiddo from Kill Bill (2003)
One of Quentin Tarantino’s most iconic characters came from the director’s homage to martial arts movies, Kill Bill. Beatrix Kiddo, an alleged former assassin, wakes up from a four-year coma and sets on a quest to get her revenge on Bill, her former love interest. Bill tried to kill Beatrix on the day they were supposed to get married, which coined the alias “The Bride.”
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
As part of The Deadly Vipers, an all-female assassin squad led by Bill, Beatrix was his most esteemed killer and lover. Before her assassination attempt and coma, Beatrix went through an arduous training with elder martial arts master Pai Mei. Her routine included lessons like picking flies with hashi sticks, throwing powerful punches one palm away, and the infamous, forbidden heart-exploding technique.
Rent Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 on Apple TV+
3 Wolverine from X-Men (2000)
From the myriad of notorious characters that integrate the MCU, Wolverine definitely stands out, partly because he predates the franchise and may outlast most of the other characters in it in terms of legacy. X-Men, from director Bryan Singer, brought a re-imagined character, played by Hugh Jackman. In the film, Wolverine is a reclusive mutant who lives as a nomad, wandering through the roughest parts of North America, until he is asked by Professor Xavier and his X-Men to join the team.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
Non-comic book fans may have been left in doubt when Wolverine mocks Professor Xavier for calling him “boy.” In fact, Wolverine was born in the 1830s, but the regeneration abilities that heal his body also allow him to age at a way slower rate. He killed his own father unknowingly, and took part in many of the countries’ bloodiest conflicts throughout history. In the current storyline, Xavier and Magneto attempted to recruit him before, and got a pretty impolite answer.
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2 Tyler Durden from Fight Club (1999)
Based on the novel by author Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club was directed by David Fincher. The story follows a boringly ordinary man who has been suffering with severe insomnia for months. At one point, he meets Tyler Durden, a man who possesses all the qualities he doesn’t. Together, they start a kind of “social therapy,” consisting of gathering a few men and beating the heck out of each other – until the movement starts to get bigger.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
Viewers find out during the film that Tyler and the narrator are the same person. That would be unusual enough for the list, but a few extra elements are worth being cited. Like during his “insomnia” nights, when he worked on some part-time jobs, leaving his “fingerprints” in the most graphic ways. Like working as a projectionist and inserting obscene images to the reel, or as a waiter, leaving whichever bodily fluids he could spare on the guests’ dinner. Not to mention, of course, his soap bar business, made from "pure, rich fat."
Rent it on Apple TV+
1 Leonard Shelby from Memento (2000)
One of Christopher Nolan’s first endeavors in cinema is a good showcase of the filmmaker’s potential that would be widely recognized in the subsequent years. Memento tells the story of Leonard Shelby, a man who suffers from a chronic shot-term memory loss, thus unable to create new memories. According to his account, this problem started after he as his wife were attacked by criminals who murdered her and plunged him on the head, which caused his issue.
What Makes His Backstory Unusual
Due to the film’s unconventional narrative, Leonard’s backstory is actually Memento’s central point. As the story reverses, viewers learn that Leonard is actually the one responsible for his wife’s death. His amnesia led him to apply several insulin injections to her, causing an overdose. As a way to deal with his grief and guilt, Leonard chose to create someone to blame, which leads him to be on a constant ghost chase. As such, Leonard’s unusual, ugly backstory compels him to repeatedly create a new, fake one, much easier to cope with.
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