Nightwing
C'mon, who doesn't love the fabulous flying Dick Grayson? Snarky, cool, and every bit as badass as (and far more likable than) the Dark Knight, it's a shame DC rebooted everything and did away with Dick taking up the Cowl. Also, get Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Batman v. Superman. You know he's perfect.
Wolverine
Despite being oversaturated as all hell, Wolverine was popular for a reason, bub. As a kid, something about his defiant, ruthless attitude made me take notice when compared to the other X-Men. Also, he did give us one of the best comic book movie casting decisions of all time.
Thane Krios
The deadliest assassin in the galaxy, Thane's religious attitudes and aloof nature made him one of Bioware's best characters. Slowly picking apart his personality was one of the highlights of Mass Effect 2, and his final battle in Mass Effect 3 is an example of Bioware's skill as writers when they're not cramming garbage down our throat. You will be missed, siha.
Han Solo
Harrison Ford's best character (suck it, Indy!), Han Solo is a badass gun-slinging rouge in a world of space wizards, who has the audacity to question the powers of all those space wizards. And he gets the girl and saves the day. Why does everyone say Luke is the hero again?
Louis "Lou" Bloom
Less a man and more a bottomfeeder clinging to whatever profits him most, Lou Bloom is a character whose Joker-level brilliance, determination, and charisma should be inspiring, but instead come off as horrific. Like the accidents he films, he's incredibly difficult to look away from.
Jesse Pinkman
The best character in a show of great characters, Jesse's love-hate relationship created one of the most interesting father-son dynamics ever, and his redemption gave everybody something to root for as Breaking Bad got darker and darker. He's everything Jason Todd could be, if DC's writers could get their act together. Plus, he's the show primary provider of comedy. (Magnets, bitch!)
Rorschach
It's a good thing Alan Moore wasn't allowed to use The Question and had to make original characters instead. The Batman of Watchmen, Rorschach shows what happens when a black-and-white worldview combines with a ruthless sense of justice. Bitter and nihilistic until the very end, Rorschach doesn't stop believing in the truth and nothing but. Maybe that's a worldview we all should have.
Rust Cohle
Far more than his depressed demeanor suggests, Rust is a man who's given up on the human race, and probably life in general. Rather than take him seriously, True Detective goes out of it's way to mock (and ultimately) disprove him, making him something of an odd man out. At the end of the day, Rust ain't a bad man. Just the only man brave enough to admit his own flaws.
Gustavo Fring
A dark mirror of Walter White, Gus Fring is a man who hides his own monstrosity under a calm and polite facade. Seemingly friendly, the mere presence of Gus instills fear into every character, and even the audience. The perfect example of a villain who doesn't need to go over-the-top, Gus is the best of Breaking Bad's (fantastic) set of villains,
Old Man Logan
It's Wolverine, except old and thoroughly finished with being a superhero. It's unfortunate that the character is being dragged through the Secret Wars dimension-hopping nonsense, and Fox's general dickishness has made making a perfect Old Man Logan movie impossible, because Mad Max with Wolverine is an amazing idea.
Spider-Man
When I was a kid, I used to get old Spider-man comics from the newspaper, and was crushed when they stopped. Point is, I (like a lot of kids) got into comic books through Spidey, and he's incredibly easy to empathize with regardless of age. And y'know what? I liked Superior Spider-Man. Come at me, internet.
The Trinity Killer
Dexter Morgan's deadliest foe, the Trinity Killer is a character stooped in tragedy, but is never so sympathetic you forget how evil and broken he truly is. He works, both on his own and as a representation of a possible future for Dexter. His final moments are easily the show's highest point.
Samwise Gamgee
The true hero of Lord of the Rings, Sam is strong-willed, loyal, and pure of heart, raising the question of why Gandalf didn't just give him the ring.
Walter White
An anti-hero who corroded horrifically before the eyes of the audience, Walter White is a) one of the greatest performances by any actor and b) one of the few characters in TV history to change over time to the point where he's unrecognizable. Easily one of the greatest character arcs on television.
Max Rockatansky
In a world without heroes, Max is a man who does his damndest to focus on survival, but his sense of heroism always wins out. Choosing to step in and risk his neck, but never losing his sense of pragmatism, Max is the ultimate survivor.
Deadpool
While he's gone through a bit of overhype in recent years, Deadpool is a blast to read. Who knew a character that could do anything he wanted would be so much fun? While his game was pretty meh, and his first film outing was crap, I'm excited to see if Deadpool can break through nerddom and become a household name.
Dr. Horrible
A socially awkward mad scientist with supervillian aspirations, Dr. Horrible is Joss Whedon's best character, and Neil Patrick Harris's performance makes the character's fall into true evil incredibly poignant. And rather than give this character the sequel he deserves, Whedon chose to make Agents of SHIELD. Great.
Phillip Jennings
Loving family man by day, ruthless Soviet spy by night, Phillip has slowly grown into the heart of The Americans, largely due to his conflicting loyalties to Russia and his increasing love of the American way of life. As his wife grows more dangerous and unlikable, he becomes the opposite.
Loghain Mac Tir
Loghain's brilliance stems largely from his inital setup as a dastardly one-dimensional bad guy, because it makes the slow reveal that he's far more than meets the eye all the more effective. A man who gave everything (even the love of his life) for his kingdom, only to watch it seemingly decay under an incompetent ruler, Loghain is noble, well-intentioned, and way better than Alistair, making it barely a decision when the game forces you to choose between them.
Jon Snow
Jon's interesting to me because he's the only Stark that manages to stick to the moral code and come out more or less unscathed, He's a character operating with some level of honor, while everybody else is playing a cuthroat game of life-or-death.
Ezio Auditore Di Firenze
One of the greatest character arcs in anything ever is Ezio's turn from an inexperienced and cocky teenager to a grizzled mentor. Easily the most interesting character in Assassin's Creed.
Ellie
In a genre of grizzled, cynical survivors, Ellie stands out because she manages to be an idealist without being naive. She's also snarky, badass, and funny, but in a real, human way.
Ellen Ripley
The badass sci-fi hero, Ripley is a take-no-guff survivor of anything the galaxy throws at her, and she's the crowning achievement of James Cameron's career. Here's hoping Alien 5 doesn't ruin her anymore than the other sequels did.
The Driver
The brilliance of the Driver is the mystery of him. When we're introduced to him, we see a cool-headed, stoic, badass professional. But as time goes on, he becomes more and more human, falling in love and killing a foe in a brutal fit of rage. It's a shame Nicholas Refn is a jerk who makes bad movies, because this character should be in everything.
Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden was one of the first characters who I was really interested in, largely due to the fact that he's so charismatic you fail to realize he's a hypocrite who's far worse than whatever it is he's fighting. It's still my favorite Brad Pitt performance in my favorite David Fincher film.
Plastic Man
The idea of being able to do whatever you want, with the only limit being your imagination, is very appealing to me. And unlike a certain green idiot named Jordan, Plastic Man can and will do anything. He's also a hell of a lot of fun, and our only hope of stopping a rouge Martian Manhunter. Awesome.
Aquaman
Aquaman gets bullied so relentlessly that he's on this list largely out of pity. And because he's a badass. But mostly pity.
Nick Valentine
Valentine is an example of Bethesda's skill and creativity at creating characters, given that he's a friendly, good-hearted, robot detective and one of the main character's first allies. Sounding like a 40's detective may have something to do it.
Superman
Truth, justice, and the American way. I love Superman because what he fights for are far more interesting and honest than "Crime took my family so fuck crime." He's a man who loves everything, and does everything he can to bring hope and inspiration to the people of Earth. And, no, he would not lose a fight with Batman. That's over in at best a couple punches.
