100 Greatest Fictional Characters #10-6
We collected input from hundreds of visitors to the site, convention attendees, and industry professionals to compile the list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time. You can see the beginning of the project here, where you’ll also find an index of all the results to date.
Today we bring you the next five in our list of 100.
10. Indiana Jones
Appears In: Indiana Jones series
Created By: George Lucas
Indiana Jones is the ultimate adventure hero, inspired by the pulp serials of old. As a college professor who moonlights as a whip-wielding archaeologist, Indy espouses intelligence combined with action, making him an iconic and unforgettable adventurer.
Voter Comments: “Mal Reynolds, Han Solo and Indiana Jones… what awesome guys. Life would be quite an adventure with any of them at my side.” – Ginny Keller
9. Mr. Spock
Appears In: Star Trek
Created By: Gene Roddenberry
The child of a human and a Vulcan, Spock straddles the line of the familiar and the foreign. Through his unfamiliarity with his own humanity, as well as his struggles to understand and conform with his Vulcan roots, Spock embodies the spirit of Star Trek and, truly, of science fiction in general.
Voter Comments: “He’s been boldly going where no one has gone before since the late ’60s and engaging us all with his irrefutable logic and curiosities over human behavior. To think, the producers wanted to get rid of the ‘guy with ears’!” – Serena Gulledge
8. Harry Potter
Appears In: Harry Potter series
Created By: J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter is the titular hero in J.K. Rowling’s series of fantasy adventures. As a character, Harry is believable and relatable, but his greatest impact has been as a symbol for literature. The Harry Potter novels brought countless kids back to reading and made books fun again.
Voter Comments: “7 trillion kids can’t be wrong. Harry Potter is a remarkable character because you get to watch him grow from a child to a young man.” – Dax Collins
7. Spider-Man
Appears In: Marvel Comics
Created By: Stan Lee
Arguably the most popular character in the Marvel universe, Spider-Man is one of the first superheroes to show flaws. Brainy and downtrodden Peter Parker is a character most comics fans could understand personally, so his transformation into Spider-Man strikes a fantastic and common chord that was missing from prior comic heroes.
Voter Comments: “While Superman and Batman might predate Spidey, he brought superheroes into the realm of the everyman. The nerdy kid from Queens was instantly relatable to anyone that picked up a comic book. Most important, he taught us one of the most beautifully succinct and important concepts in all of superherodom: with great power comes great responsibility.” – Roo Bots
Note: 6.7% of the Spider-Man vote called specifically for his alter ego, Peter Parker.
6. Darth Vader
Appears In: Star Wars series
Created By: George Lucas, Ralph McQuarrie, and Ben Burtt
Darth Vader is one of the most recognizable and feared villains in the history of cinema. Everything from his iconically raspy breathing to his sinister and quasi-robotic / quasi-samurai character design lends to his air of menace and evil.
Voter Comments: “Putting the prequels to the side, OT Vader is the ultimate bad guy and has not been matched in film for over 30 years now.” – James B (FilmRot.com)
Note: 2.8% of the Vader vote called specifically for Anakin Skywalker.
The list continues tomorrow with a look back at the previous 95 characters, leading up to next week’s reveal of the top 5 greatest fictional characters of all time!
Previous five: #15-11
Check out the next character revealed, #5!
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:35 pm
YAY!! kudos for the Harry, Vader, Spocck, and Indy mention… must read more (if you notice i didn’t say Spidey, and that would be because I’m not much of a Marvel buff)
January 18th, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Anyone else disturbed by Sephiroth’s absence from this list
April 2nd, 2012 at 2:07 pm
nerds get lifes