I was tagged by Heather from BitsNBooks and Adriana of AdrianaGabrielleWrites to name my 10 Favourite Characters On Screen. I’ll be taking from television, movies and games, rather than the usual literary discussion. It’s hard to choose from so many awesome screen characters, but here are my top ten (in no particular order).
Jason Bourne
I wasn’t a fan of the books, but Matt Damon’s recreation of the assassin was incredible. He’s confident and skilled, but despite being a deadly weapon for the CIA, the viewer never has anything except empathy for this poor amnesiac who just wants Treadstone to stop hunting him down.
Sherlock Holmes
Of the many Sherlock incarnations throughout the years, Robert Downey Jr’s is probably my favourite. Roguish, charming, an expert fighter and investigator, he embodies both Sherlock’s original brains and every part of his subsequent legends.
Vaas (Far Cry 3)
Say what you will about the Far Cry series, but Michael Mando deserved every one of those BAFTAs for his performance as the mentally unhinged pirate warlord of Rook Island. Despite having a relatively small amount of screen-time in Far Cry 3, he’s easily the most memorable villain you’ll ever play against.
Benjamin Linus![ben-lost[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.brettmichaelorr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ben-lost1-300x150.jpg)
LOST had a varied cast of many different people, and although its wandering storyline may have lost (heh) its way, Ben – serving as a main antagonist for a long time – was conniving and untrustworthy, and altogether a fantastic character, somehow managing to convince the viewer that his cause was just.
Jack Sparrow
Who doesn’t love the swashbuckling rogue of the seas? An anti-hero with a streak of hero, who does almost everything for his own benefit in his misguided search for immortality and glory, Johnny Depp’s part-bumbling, part-insanely-lucky pirate is incredibly iconic, and never anything short of delightful to watch.

Bourbon (Metro 2033)
Guiding the main character of Artyom through several tunnels and close encounters, this ex-bandit has been trying to turn a new leaf, and his rough personality combined with his genuine care for Artyom, makes him one of the best NPCs in the whole game, and an iconic character in the Metro series.
Raymond Reddington
Despite having a solid acting career earlier in his life on Boston Legal, James Spader has launched himself into a new role as the enigmatic, manipulative and ultimately deceitful Reddington. In much the same was Ben Linus, the viewer is tricked into thinking the master criminal is actually a ‘good guy’, when all along he’s just furthering his own agenda.
Edmund Blackadder
This list needs some laughter, and Rowan Atkinson’s comedy series, Blackadder has it in spades. Over four generations, Edmund is a despicable, selfish, manipulative, callous, and ultimately all-around horrible human being willing to do anything to try and advance himself in life – but fails miserably every single time. Surrounded by imbeciles and continually losing status as the seasons go on, Blackadder remains one of my all-time favorite characters to laugh with (and at).
Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin’s Creed)
Almost all Assassin’s Creed players can agree on this – Ubisoft’s Ezio trilogy was the best arc out of the entire AC universe, and remains to this day, as one of the best character development stories in gaming. Taking a young, hot-headed Italian on a mission of revenge, rebellion and eventually knowledge, Ezio Auditore is a likable, confident rouge who grows into a powerful Assassin who demands respect and awe.
You should have known that a FRINGE character would sneak onto my list, and taking out my tenth spot is John Noble’s impressive performance of Walter Bishop, a once-genius scientist reduced to a shell of his former being, and a man who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders – in more ways than one.
Tagging Time!
It’s hard to think of people who haven’t done this tag by now. If you’ve already completed the tag, please ignore this!
Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer || Heather @ SemiLegacy || Alyssa @ Insanity Inc.
February 22, 2015 at 8:01 am
YOU LIKE LOST. AND BEN. WE ARE NOW BESTIES IT HAS BEEN DECIDED. oh yes.
Ahem.
I really, REALLY loved Ben. xD I loved his whole character development, and his arc, and ugh, that alternate timeline Ben, tho. Lost was full of amazing characters (Heck, I did this and Desmond made the list) but Ben’s one of my favorites. *fangirls*
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February 22, 2015 at 9:55 am
YAY! BESTIES! 😀
Ben and Richard made the show for me. Thanks for reading!
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February 22, 2015 at 9:56 am
YAY! Besties! Ben and Richard were my two favorite characters on the show. Thanks for reading!
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February 22, 2015 at 12:56 pm
Holmes. Sparrow. Bishop. Really though, Walter Bishop made the list for me because he is incredible and has an incredibly unique perspective of the world around him—but, that being said, I think the three characters that I recognized all have an interesting kind of madness to them. They’re brilliant, but they’re mad, and that inner turmoil and intelligence is exactly what makes their stories fascinating.
So yeah, you have epic selections, amigo.
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February 22, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Walter Bishop proved that nobody is past redemption – and his willingness to break the laws of physics themselves to save his son is still one of the most heart-warming and intriguing plot lines of all time.
Thanks for stopping by!
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February 22, 2015 at 1:11 pm
I knooooooooooooow. Very Jesus of him, though…. *runs away with too many ideas*
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February 22, 2015 at 1:15 pm
His storyline reminds heavily of the anime/manga Fullmetal Alchemist, where two young boys break the sacred laws of Alchemy in an ill-conceived attempt to bring their mother back – one losing his arm and leg, the other losing his entire body as punishment. I love the idea of just how far people are willing to go to save the ones they love, and how they deal with the consequences of that.
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February 22, 2015 at 2:03 pm
This is a pretty good list (even though I have no idea who the gamey ones are!). I really liked Ben on ‘Lost’ too. I’ve actually just recently finished watching the whole series from start to finish, and I really enjoyed the ups and downs of his character. He was probably one of the most in depth characters on the show.
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February 22, 2015 at 2:05 pm
*winces at the phrase ‘gamey’*
Ben was definitely the highlight of the show for me. I couldn’t quite figure him out.
Thanks for stopping by!
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February 22, 2015 at 2:19 pm
I love Sherlock, Jack, and Walter! Thanks for sharing!
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February 22, 2015 at 6:52 pm
No problems, thanks for stopping by and reading!
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February 23, 2015 at 10:37 pm
Definitely agree on Jack Sparrow, even though I haven’t seen all the films yet! 🙂
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February 24, 2015 at 6:23 am
You should watch them, they’re fantastic! They’re filming the 5th film down here, in Australia actually! 😀
Thanks for reading!
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February 25, 2015 at 9:11 pm
I don’t know many of these — but YES, YES, YES to Ben. He was SUCH a great character. But I love that show dearly so perhaps I am a little bias. 😉 Great list, and thanks again for tagging. 🙂
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