Snape was, and is, so much more than you expect him to be as well. I remember before the last book came out, Borders/Waldenbooks did a promotion with these two-sided posters, cards, etc. One side said "Snape: Friend?" and the other said "Snape: Foe?" and there were debates over which he really was.
Dumbledore (JK Rowling) - eccentric, extremely powerful but still makes mistakes. you all know him. don Juan (Carlos Castaneda) - just hilarious and very wise and scary indian sorceror guy. Paula Myo (Peter F Hamilton) - interesting background and probably the character with the most character development in his books. she's genetically-engineered to be an incorruptible super-cop and never failed to close a case, except one. that she's still working on... after 150 years. I wish I could post more on this thread but I realise I don't really pay attention to the characters in novels... more the setting and plot. Even though I read a lot of books, none seem to really... stand out. Weird. I have a lot of favourite characters from TV shows though.
Turin from the Silmarillion Thorin Oakshield from the Hobbit Eowyn from Lords ofthe Rings Snake Plissken from the novelization of Escape from NY (very good indeed!) Ahab from Moby Dick Christine from Stephen King's Christine Cuthbert Allgood from the Dark Tower Casaubon from Eco's Pendulum Dr.Merva Kynes from the warchronicles of Keitarn and Gideon
The only fictional characters that I take any interest in are those who possess some traits which I desire to emulate. Now, given that they are fictional characters, sometimes the traits that I find attractive are superhuman or on the border of the fantastical, such as Sherlock Holmes's deductive reasoning abilities, or Batman's athletic prowess. But nonetheless, I actually do try to attempt to achieve some semblance of their awesome abilities, even if it is not at the same level that they display in the novels and comics.
My favorite characters ever are probably: Tyrion (Spelling?) Lannister from GoT. Just a great character. Ugly, dis formed, humane, almost kind, misunderstood, treacherous, and witty. George R. R. Martin just makes amazing characters. Durzo Blint from Night Angel trilogies. Mentor, immortal, professional Badass. Death from The Book Thief. Haunted, world weary, and fascinated by humans. The narrator from Everything Matters! a second person narrator, awesome book.
In my opinion, Lyra and Will from the His Dark Materials Trilogy. The most beautifully crafted child characters in known fiction. Enough said.
Jean Valjean from Les Miserables.... He lived simply but was thankful for what he had. He loved and was charitable to others. He had faith and lived in peace.
One of my favourite characters found in a novella is Nettie Ashford (Holiday Romance, Dickens). Delightfully quaint.
Lucy and Peter from the Chronicles of Narnia. Susan always annoyed me and Edmund never made a good impression on me. Peter and Lucy are always the ones to believe in the magic of Narnia first.
I rather liked Lucy and Peter too of CoN. I'm especially fond of Simon from Those That Hunt The Night. A vampire novel that doesn't suck (pardon the pun). xD
The BBC version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe ruined Lucy for me, the actress who played her irritated the heck out of me, and i watched it before I read it. As for my favourites, number 1 has to be Harry Flashman, because he's so deliciously awful. I'd love to have the power to write a character who has almost no redeeming features (apart from being handsome!) but still has the reader rooting for him to survive. I also have a soft spot for Kenzie & Gennaro, from the Dennis Lehane P.I. series. they seem very real, and I like their resilience and sense of humour.
I've always loved Bilbo from the Hobbit, just because of his imperfectness. Also, I've always had an infinity for Mina Murray and Johnathon Harker in Dracula. If I was to write about a "perfect" couple I write about them. Plus, they're both so fearless while at the same time absolutely terrified; I think that makes them good characters. I've always loved Odysseus' and his family. Again, they're what I draw upon when looking for "pure" familial relationships. And, when I was probably 10, I read the first 3 Stephanie Plum books (I was visiting my Grandmother and snuck them off her bookshelf), and I've always admired Stephanie Plum, haha.
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Portray that perfect sense of adventure and fun you have as a kid -- the things they do are things I would have done, or loved to have done, as a kid.
The Doctor, Doctor Who. Utterly incredibly character, everything I could ever ask for in a character. Knows everything and yet gets confused and makes mistakes like everyone else.
Shogun's protagonist: Captain John Blackthorne for his adventureous spirit and love for 17th century Japanese culture. A novel worth reading by James Clavell (1975).
Fever Crumb from the book of the same name. Her emotion filled emotionlessness (if that makes sense) is wonderful. Awesome character developement there.
Spider-Man. He represents the ultimate adventurer for me but not without depth and loss. Also, Repairman Jack. He gets out of any situation creatively. I like him more for his brains in his job than in the situations more in tune with the plots of his seriers, but when he's on the job, I love reading his MacGyver-level resourcefulness.
Bartleby! Yes! Thanks for the reminder! Also, Tarrou from Camus' The Plague. Prospero from the Tempest. Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice is hilariously awful! Um, um um... I'm blank now! Have to think about this.
Pretty much the entire 1st Tanith Regiment from Gaunt's Ghosts by Dan Abnett, especially Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt. Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Captain Marcus Wester from The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham. Stan Markowski from Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis. Richard Sharpe from The Sharpe Series by Bernard Cowill. The Doctor from Doctor Who. (Unfortunatly, I haven't seen much of the old-who, so It's going to be 9/10/11 for me.) Gideon Coxall from The Age of Zeus by James Lovegrove. Richards and Klein, the main characters of Reality 36 by Guy Hayley. That's all for now. I'm sure some others will pop up.
