"Unlikable" characters and how they're rather too often female

[mollyringle]

I greatly admired this post in defense of the "unlikable" female character"We forgive our heroes even when they’re drunken, aimless brutes or flawed noir figures who smoke too much and can’t hold down a steady relationship. In truth, we both sympathize with and celebrate these heroes... But what we love about many male heroes - their complexity,

Comments

[shanmonster]

I think some of my favourite female characters are the villainesses. There's Livia from I, Claudius, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, and the Marquise de Merteuil from Les Liaisons Dangereux. All so deliciously wicked, and not particularly likeable people.

[mollyringle]

True, when they make "unlikable" go all the way into "villain," it often makes them even more charismatic! Ah, the Marquise--such a great part.

[naill_renfro]

It's easier to make a beloved "unlikable" villain, regardless of gender; all they have to do is chew scenery in an entertaining way. Azula. Saruman. Cruella DeVil. Any Disney villain(-ess, if we want to be archaic) ever. Any of several versions of Hades

[mollyringle]

Excellent examples. Loki too, for beloved crazy villains

[naill_renfro]

Cordelia's a good example; she's so amusingly unlikable that it's impossible not to love her. I also prefer Buffy to Faith, not because Faith is the Bad One but because she's the "Bad One," and too much of a creator's pet. (Although I do love all the Faith/Mayor interactions.)

For likable/unlikable/loathsome from Sherlock, there's Watson, Sherlock, and Mycroft. Martin Freeman is automatically likable, in his sardonically put-upon way - that's what makes him a perfect Bilbo Baggins. Sherlock is likably unlikable, like Cordelia. And Mark Gatiss as Mycroft is unlikably unlikable - or am I the only viewer waiting to see him get his comeuppance? (Though somewhat less disconcerting than Stephen Fry's naked Mycroft…)

[mollyringle]

I had to pause just now and ask myself if I'd have liked Faith better if she were a guy. But no, I suspect I'd still find that character's decisions annoyingly stupid and bad on the whole. Faith/Mayor was weirdly cute and intriguing, though. He was like her evil Watcher.

Oh yeah, Mycroft is just a common snob. He and Sherlock both are snobs, of course (that's the main part of their family resemblance, along with their usual coldheartedness), but at least Sherlock's a brilliant amusing snob, whereas Mycroft is just snotty. Moriarty was great fun, though, speaking of chewing the scenery.