What are your least favorite "Unintentionally Unsympathetic" characters?

Sleeping with the Enemy. Loved Julia Roberts. And the movie is more nostalgia for me but still - the woman wants to escape a seriously abusive husband by - cutting an inch off her hair, wearing the same color wig, throwing her wedding ring into her own toilet and expecting it to flush? And not getting swimming lessons out of town so that when she fakes her own death they're not ringing up her hubby. She doesn't even change her name. It made the character look simultaneously clever and flighty.

I also had a whole rant on Blubber by Judy Blume. I thought Jill Brenner was one of the most unlikeable characters ever for a children's book. Although Wendy's made to look the instigator the more you read it Wendy only plays off on Jill's reactions. It's as though Wendy would have picked another target but then Jill has to dress as a flencer and then seems 'surprised' when Wendy suggests they strip blubber - which is exactly what flencers do. Linda's never made to be a full character, she has no interests, no talents, only bad traits, and isn't given an ounce of sympathy. In fact Jill when she has the tables turned on her garners all our sympathy though she doesn't experience one tenth the abuse. It's a very strange book. It doesn't really seem to be promoting anything but watch your own ass - which would be fine I suppose in an adults book but rather cold stuff for middle grade fiction.

 

And middle-aged white women (Kathleen Kennedy included.)

 

Simba

 

Oh Rey, so much potential. I was intrigued by her origin story until I learned her grandfather was. Why couldn't she just be the daughter of junk dealers? That would have made her more poient as a character because she starts out as less than even junk.

But getting back on topic, that's a lot of the issue with these characters is that they do often have good set ups. It's just the author is often unaware of how the protagonist's actions are coming off to the audience.

 

The characters I hate the most are the ones who do stupid things over and over to push the plot forward. I usually end up rooting for them to die.

 

every time :~(

 

I would have been fine with her being a Skywalker. I mean the protagonist of each trilogy has always been a Skywalker. How are you going to have a trilogy in the Skywalker saga that barely has anything to do with the actual Skywalkers? I thought the "Skywalker who didn't know she was a Skywalker" angle was a pretty good one. But the "Palpatine who takes the Skywalker name without developing a meaningful relationship with anyone who bears the name?" Come on. Have her take Leia's name. You know, the person who actually trained and cared for her, unlike her uncharacteristically grumpy brother. Or Han's name— wait, that's also Ben's name. Never mind.