It is often the case that we see certain movies do well only because the fans fell in love with one of the characters in the movie. Usually, this character that inspires such inspiration and we are the primary protagonists in a movie. However, there are times when the supporting cast is much more interesting than the typecasted primary protagonist. Here are 11 times when we loved a character so much that we couldn’t help but wish for a standalone movie with the said character leading the charge.
Furiosa – Mad Max Fury Road
A spiritual reboot and sequel to the 90s mad max movie titled thunder dome, fury road re-introduced audiences to the character of max in a dystopian post-apocalyptic nuclear infested America. Max was a cop before all this apocalypse shit went down. Now? Now he’s a survivor. Played by the jacked up Tom Hardy, the audiences witness as max leads a group of woman away from the clutches of an evil warlord who holds dominion over the masses by maintaining control over a large reservoir of water. Although fans absolutely lived the iteration of max in this film, what intrigued their interest, even more, was the character of furiosa, the badass woman warrior left her mark on the fandom and Charlize Theron’s portrayal of the Imperator left us gasping for more.
Walter Sobchak – the big Lebowski
It is pertinent to note that although the movie was not exactly what one would call a hit on the box office, The Big Lebowski has certainly made its mark on the popular culture by infiltrating mass media and memes. If you’re on social media chances are you’ve seen John Goodman’s character Walter Sobchak cocking a gun in your face. The character’s signature mood swings were one of the highlights of the movie and the main reason why John Goodman became an immortal part of the millennial’s culture of memes. Walter Sobchak’s calm and collected attitude and fiery anger were like two sides of the same coin and Goodman switches between them seamlessly, it would not be crazy to envision a solo Walter movie, a prequel to The Big Lebowski, perhaps.
Maximus – GladIator
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is a completely different kind of action movie. It’s a feature film which combines storytelling elements with ancient kings and empires. A good old gritty action movie plot rescinded into a Roman epic. The Russell Crowe starer won hearts as much as it inspired awe from the audiences. One character who stands out, in general, is Maximus, and although he dies at the end to finish the story arc a retelling of Maximus’s days as a military leader in the Roman legion would be something that the fans will eat up. I mean, it seems rather prudent to hope that we will get a movie like this because Hollywood seems to be lacking in epic battle movies with men in sandals in the recent year. I know I would welcome a shift in tone of movies from sci-if to history, tell us in the comments if you agree.
Bill – kill Bill vol 1 & 2
The case of the bloody bride is perhaps one of the goriest in the books of Quentin Tarantino. The director has shaped an image of Beatrix Kid as the ultimate killer driven by nothing but unrelenting resilience and raw effort and determination. The bloody bride takes on the might of Bill and her assassins, she is probably one of the greatest scripts that the master ever wrote. But the movies are so great not because of Uma Thurman’s protagonist, the movies are so good because of imposing villains and their head, Bill. If you wish to know how to do a revenge saga correctly take a point from Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2, although Bill’s generals and soldiers are intimidating and visibility evil, the boss himself seems anything but. We see a humble and proficient man who is tired of life and is now devoting the remainder of it to help raise Beatrix’s daughter. The speech by Bill on Superman and Batman is arguably one of the highlights of the second movie. If Quentin Tarantino ever decides to continue the saga of the bloody bride it might be interesting to see a movie from the perspective of the antagonists.
Eddie valiant – Who framed roger rabbit
When the concept of Who Framed Roger Rabbit was pitched I’m sure the producers thought that this would be a movie for kids. Something that the parents could bring their kids to so they can watch the cartoons come alive and experience a story where cartoons do exist with humans. However, the movie is anything but a kid entertainer. It is riddled with sensitive content that can leave its mark on an impressionable mind. From sexual innuendos to murder, death, bribery, conspiracy and profiteering there is not much that Who framed roger rabbit leaves out. And the movie does this in classic detective-movie style. It has a very private eye-esque feel to it. Although the movie is presented from Eddie Valiant’s perspective it can hardly be called an origin movie. In fact, one of the things that make the movie so interesting is Eddie’s ambitious past and unclear loyalties. An origin movie for this redeeming everyday hero is definitely something that the fans would look forward to and welcome on the silver screen.
Patches O’Houlihan – DoDgeball: a true underdog story
The character of patches is brought to life by none other than Rip Thorne and Hank Azaria in the movie Dodgeball: A true underdog story. The slapstick comedy timing of Azaria is arguably the most memorable moment from the movie. The tape of Patches O’Houlihan in his retro years as an ADAA champ is arguably one of the greatest comedic moments in the entire plot of the film. Perhaps it’s only because fans wish to see another Dodgeball movie, but we would welcome any feature-length presentation with The characters of Patches at the helm in the Dodgeball universe. Because any such project will only do one thing, ensue hilarity.
Ursula – the little mermaid
Apparently, the desecration beauty and the beast was not enough to satiate the sadistic tendencies of the executives at Disney, because the studio is reportedly working on a live-action adaptation of The little mermaid. If you can read this Disney then I hereby only have one request for you, PLEASE DON’T! I’m serious, we don’t want a live-action Ariel leaving her underwater kingdom to go look for a prince rather we will enjoy an Ursula origin story much more. I mean we know that Ariel is a mermaid but what in the world is Ursula, an octo-woman? a squid human? It’s all very ambiguous and has been left as such by the writers in a deliberate attempt to conceal facts. Well, I request these writers to open their cards and hit us fans wi a meaningful Ursula origin story, something that substantiates her motives and Modus Operandi beyond the claim that she is simply “evil”.
Winston Wolfe – pulp fiction
Pulp fiction is arguably one of the most badass movies ever written by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino is known for taking the standard characters and framing them into their most lovable and popular form but in a way that captures the masses. His character Winston Wolfe from Pulp Fiction is the standard representation of fixer from old gangster movies. A fixer is basically an underworld operative who normally disposed of and misappropriates incriminating evidence on behalf of his client or guides a client on the steps to take to avoid legal implication for their actions. When the character of Jules and Vincent Vega get into trouble for a random death in the back of their car due to the fault of Vincent, their boss sends in The Wolfe. The Wolfe is the most badass fixer you’ll ever come across in mass media and surely a memorable character, I guess what I’m saying is that I’ll at home the hell out of a pulp fiction prequel revolving around Wolfe.
Jean Baptiste – The fifth element
The fifth element was a movie for the ages, the chemistry of Milla Jovovich and Bruce Willis was second only to the magnificent portray of Jean Baptiste by Gary Oldman. Most readers may know this man from the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, but before the old man took up the mantle of the righteous cop in Gotham city he was a menacing and scheming industrialist and ruthless corporate leader from the future. The fifth element’s Jean Baptiste not only engages the audience but also tempts us continually to support his cause, this kind of moral ambiguity and self-questing approach is exactly what constitutes a great villain. If the writer can make the audience question their morals just by presenting a character to them then they have fulfilled their intended purpose. A jean Baptiste standalone movie would definitely have a lot to say and can even include a short cameo from Bruce Willis himself.
John Hammond – Jurassic park
The instructional orientation video from Jurassic Park ( the first installment) is arguably one of the most impactful scenes in the franchise. We see an old John Hammond explain to the characters and the audience alike how his company has genetically re-engineered dinosaurs from DNA extracted from parasite fossils. The science resides on the brink of fiction but the premise is gripping enough for the audience to ignore the loopholes in the plot. This is the reason why we, as Jurassic Park fans, want to see want inspired the character of John Hammond to take up the mammoth (pun intended ) task of bringing back the dinosaurs. The massive scale of the beasts was second only to Hammond’s passion for his park and science, an origin story might be the way to go to revitalize the franchise.
Morpheus – The matrix movies
When we as audiences were first introduced to Morpheus via Neo’s eyes and perspective all we wanted to do was find out who this man sitting across us is. The man, who was later revealed to be a prominent figure in man’s resistance against the machines that subjugated them, was arguably the most interesting plot device in the first movie. Acting as our tour guide, instructor and a pseudo-narrator for the audiences Morpheus spent the first movie being the ultimate wise man for neo’s fresh talent. He was the one who believed in Neo’s power and it was Morpheus himself who acted as the cornerstone of Neo’s awakening. However, we never did find out much about the past or origin of Morpheus, all we get are some cryptic references in the second movie that indicate that Morpheus has been an arduous follower of the oracle and that’s about it. There is so much depth to Lawrence Fishburne’s character that is yet to be explored, maybe a solo movie can change all that.
