Booster Gold is unironically my favorite superhero. He's a lovable jerk who has developed alot since his days of betting on his own football games and working as a security guard in the future.

Basically scumbag characters are unpredictable. And when they’re unpredictable in fiction, you can throw them into so many entertaining hijinks, even if their actions are terrible.

We love wholesome characters because they're ideal people We love scumbag characters because they're real people

My personal favorite scumbag character: John Constantine. I can never get enough of seeing him throw away the lives of people close to him for the greater good. I don't know why. Because most of my other favorite characters are paragons of kindness and selflessness like Captain America and Superman.

Varrick is one of my favourites, he's such a terrible yet charming person in TLOK at first but he slowly becomes better whilst maintaining his charming and loveable personality.

Honestly, one of my favorite scumbag characters has to be Dan from Dan Vs. He's a petty, angry, vindictive little man who is absolutely sure everyone in the world has wronged him, and is on a mission to get revenge for every perceived slight. It shows that he's often in the wrong, and even when he's actually right about something his obsession with vengeance often comes back to bite him in the butt one way or another. It's basically the polar opposite of My Name is Earl.

I'd argue Emma Frost is (or at least was) a scumbag. Generally we'd laugh with her but maaaan she was mean and did some despicable things. And I'm saying this despite her being my fave X-Men character.

Well written antagonist and Scumbag protagonists are relate to the audience becuase they’re characters who represent our bottled up emotions and ideals

I love Rattrap from the Beast Wars Transformers series. He's the exact definition of the scumbag archetype you described. He's barely a good guy, he's really only a hero because that's what team he's on, but he has no good intentions at heart. Combined with him being comically glum and also being clowned on a lot and he's very charming when on screen. Yes I will preach Transformers everywhere I go also Drake you should read the IDW Transformers comics

Guy Gardener is great, he's so different from every other super hero and I love it.

Characters that are jerks with a heart of gold

I object to Space Dandy being called a “Scumbag” he’s selfish and can be a bit of a jerk, but he’s not a scumbag, at his core, he’s a good and kind person

Guy is a good example of how to write assholes. Because it has now become a theme to punch him in the head when he gets to be too much. Remember, assholes can do funny shit, but 99% of the time they've gotta be punished for their behavior

I actually like jim because he's less of a douche than Walt and his hostility is funny and justified

I've never quite been able to stomach a scumbag character, especially when they were the protagonist. The closest I've come is Harold Hill from Music Man; Booster Gold, Saul Goodman, Rick Sanchez, they all irritate me and I can't watch them in action. Which is weird, because I also like villain protagonists, and those guys are scumbags in actions if not so much in character. Something I'll have to unpack more later, but it's also something I'm aware of when I choose stories I want to engage in.

Steve from stranger things is my favorite scumbag character, and is one of the best characters in the show. He starts the show selfish and arrogant, but slowly becomes one of the most selfless characters in the show.

While you don’t discuss Anime often, Dragon Ball’s Vegeta is a great example of this type of character. Especially in the Freeza Saga, he’s a wild card that acts purely for his own pride and goals, independent of the heroes and villains. He’s a terrible person, but very fun to watch.

Daffy Duck from the Looney Tunes show is most likely my favourite scumbag character. He’s not sorry for anything he does and he doesn’t learn when he’s punished.

I like this new kind of video, it was a pretty fun new look that still feels on brand to Comic Drake

One of my most favorite jerk characters is Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants. It’s just so brilliant that he thinks everyone around him is so uncivilized and moronic while he hardly ever admits to being a narcissist.

Bojack was a ROUGH watch for me. However a very necessary and inspiring one. My favorite scumbag character of all time has to be John Constantine.

This reminds me of the magnificent bastard trope. So I think these type of character also works best, when charismatic.

Saul Goodman is such a great character

Max Lord during the Kieth Griffin JLA era is my example. He was greedy and oh so slimy slime but had that '80s excess charm that made me like him.

Rick being turned into an literally me character has been a blight on society

Hey Drake, can you please make a video on Guy Gardner examining his character and his growth over the years. He's an awesome character and I'd really love to see him get some love as one of the most complex characters in DC

John Constantine and Billy Butcher

I still can't believe Rick and Morty had the most on-the-nose "HEY, RICK IS A TERRIBLE PERSON" moment...and fans STILL missed the point. You can tell they were getting desperate.

“It was me, Barry.”

Booster gold time travel adventures are awesome

Endeavor from My Hero Academia is one of my favorite scumbag characters. He starts off as a horrible person, abusing his children and wife, but he eventually learns to overcome his jealousy of All Might--especially after he becomes the number one hero, but it's not what he expected. He begs his family for forgiveness, but many of them won't give it to him. Instead, after saving his son who *still* won't love him, Endeavor realizes that he will never be given forgiveness, so he must earn repentance.

It’s really cool to see you bring your knowledge of comics and other stories to bare on analyzing the basics of these stories.

My absolute favourite scumbag is Butcher in The Boys, he's an amazingly well written character, show and comic

Hi I’m Saul Goodman, do you know that you have rights?

as long as there is some kind of redemption and growth then yeah these characters can be quite good even if people often miss the point of these characters

Scumbag characters are like online resellers: we hate them, but we can't live without them

I just love downright evil characters who are showmans and keep the viewers on their toes. Frieza and Doflamingo are two such characters and I can't keep my eyes off the screen when they appear!

My favorite jerk characters are the guards from Das Experiment (2001), a German thriller based on the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. You see them go from average joes not taking the experiment seriously to a pack of abusers who keep the prisoners under their thumbs and will do anything to hold onto power. It makes me wonder what I would do if I was given free reign like that...

Please don't let organizations like Omaze sponsor you anymore. They're not good. They're wasting a portion of the money you give them by taking a certain amount of it for themselves. (Because duh, obviously, or else they couldn't exist) And they have terrible odds in their lotteries. (Because otherwise they couldn't exist) So by going through them you're being both a terrible charity giver *and* a terrible gambler. If you want to give to charity, give to charity. If you want to gamble, then gamble. (Though I'd advice you not to on principle) Don't do this halfway nonsense. It's an extra step that just adds inefficency and an extra layer of people that needs to be paid before the money can be used on your *actual* goal. I understand sponsorships can be attractive, but please remember that what you're endorsing reflects on you as well as them. By letting companies like Omaze use your brand you damage it by association. For now I'm assuming this is an honest mistake and that you simply haven't grasped the economic reality of these kinds of parasitic companies yet, and that their nature simply haven't been pointed out to you. That can only go so far however. I'll lose a lot of respect for you as a content creator if I begin to think that you don't care what you promote through your channel and voice. That in turn has further consequences that can, eventually (if the process isn't reversed through one of a plethora of different options), make me (and probably several others that feel the same way) stop watching.

Keep those essays going as much as you like ! Your perpective on mental health allows you to talk about so many interesting choices of writing with a welcome sens of critique. Tldr : you are wholesome and thoughtful

3:08 That's a mood, I hate drama but keep getting into pointless arguments and am outspoken about people I don't like (especially people who wronged me like the owner of this FFXIV FC I was in who stabbed in the back and booted me, not because I broke any rules but because some aholes were whinging over _completely petty_ things behind my back), though sometimes I will omit details if I feel like not omitting them is more trouble than it's worth and some people I just don't talk about at all.

Shut the front door! I love Booster Gold, I am super happy he is getting some attention. There's a running gag on the Justice League cartoon where no one wants to work with him and they try to avoid him. He has such a great bond with Blue Beetle in the comics too.

Great Video, I pretty much agree with everything you said but man the edgelords who think any of the scumbags in this video are deep or have a point are the worst

Great video! I like the range of characters that you used for examples!

As an Tokusatsu fans,we're glad having great one such as Shin Dan Kuroto, Evolt, Juggler, and many mores

Do we look towards them to feel better about ourselves, or do we truly admire their confidence and don't give a fuck attitude.

What's so funny about the Rick and Morty pickle Rick episode is that I saw a short that literally had Rick's monologue to the therapist. But they cut out the bit where she dissects him in front of his family. In the comment section you have people saying how true and badass he is lol.

This was a great video man, loved every second of it

Its funny how you used Batmam for that skit when it seems he's one of the few people who respects and understands Booster. Always down for more Blue and Gold!

Imo my favourite style of writing is the type that makes everyone a bit of a scumbag and everyone a bit of a hero. The hope of seeing selfish arrogant characters do something heroic always speaks to me

Haven’t finished this video yet banger vid so far and I absolutely love Space Dandy and loved the reference!

We are complex, bundles of incoherent thoughts and paradoxal little creatures, aren't we !? I love media that take this premise head on without trying to be dichotomic.

The thing about scumbags is, they don't get hurt but people they know do get hurt or worse, killed. Saul Goodman, I'm watching you(!)

I love 'scumbags' and also fascinated with our love for them - I normally phase it characters we love to hate (or perhapswe hate the fact we love them). I tend to find if they have some level of humour they tend to be loved rather than hated. Take The Boys as an example: Homelander vs Butcher.

BOO$TER!!! He's my favorite superhero, too. I literally cried with joy when Gunn announced the Booster series! BTW, great shirt! I have one, too! ⭐

Honestly the best scumbag in fiction in my opinion is Travis Touchdown from the No More Heroes series or Abridged Kirito from Sword Art Online Abridged.

I like Loki especially the mini/maxi-series LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD is which the whole story involve to rebrand himself into a hero, yet the universe is against it.

I love your input on mental health and how pop culture can teach us true human behavioral that can overcome us to grow

For the first half or so of the video I was just waiting for you to bring up Bojack. He's probably the most well written scumbag character I've ever seen

I LOVE SPACE DANDY! The character and the show, super glad to see it get a shout out here... yeah!

I thought this was gonna be a video on Homelander. Would love your take on The Boys. Good video tho

As indicated by my (current) icon in a huge fan of Metalocalypse and while my favorite character as you could probably tell is Offdensen for being the voice the reason (…and being generally awesome) I still live Dethklok being a dysfunctional found family. Helps that they have somewhat of a redemption arc in Doomstar Requiem that’s about them trying to become better more, empathetic people in other words basically overcoming toxic masculinity.

Premiering on the same day as the last half of the last season of better call Saul nice

These characters are infuriating yet interesting at the same time

This video will help me with my writing, thanks man.

For me, its a character by character basis for this. I mean depending on how you see it, my favorite comic characters are Daredevil and Batman and those 2 while usually seen as morally righteous, can also be complete assholes.

Booster gold is genuinely my favorite character out of fiction. I would die to prove that I am his number 1 fan. I would kill to protect his reputation. I am not sober but I will become for him. He is my god. I worship him. I love him so much.

Of course, a large part of it is because they're fictional. They're not actively hurting you or others. But there is always something redeeming or charming about them (at least my favorite ones do, heh). They have to be carefully written, though... Otherwise, they just come across as like Christian Grey, and we don't need more of them. I think 'scumbag'/'asshole' characters are fascinating, much like cases with true crime, because it delves into the human psyche, what makes people tick, how they react to certain things, etc. And because these characters are not real, it's a safer way to explore that.

6:55 this bit about scumbag characters being vessels to learn/explore life long versions remind me of the archetype of the tragic character in Ancient Greek literature, characters whose fatal flaw was their doom. The scumbag character might be a modern evolution of that archetype.

Well and smartly done.

my thought's exactly

6:03 I know it’s a bit out of pocket, but one of, if not MY FAVORITE examples of this is Transformers 2005 IDW Starscream. Just read the wiki, trust me.

There's a comic from Rick Remender called THE SCUMBAG about a guy who's a drug using,sex obsessed, foul mouthed creep, and just happens to be the only one who can save the world. It's pretty fun and awesome.

Good episode 👏

Great video

Great video drake.

My Favorite scumbag character is Barney from HIMYM. He's so cool.

I don't know if he exactly fits the definition, but my favorite villain of any fiction is handsome jack from the borderlands games he is one of those characters that is just very interesting and fun to listen to even though he is genuinely an evil person he is somehow still likable.

Dr.Wong was my fave character she a real one

I love this video because it csn be use as a good analysis for the MHA character mineta

Irredeemable Ant Man, Eric O'Grady remains Irredeemable

So, funny coincidence: I work at a Burger King, and one day I had to make food for a mobile order. When you order on the website or the app, the customer’s name pop up. And guess what: a customer named Rick Sanchez order a Whopper, with NO pickles. Funniest shit I’ve ever seen.

Off-topic, but shoutout to my favorite scumbag character, Travis Touchdown

could you make a video on booster gold? (if there isn't one already) it would be really cool to hear more abt himm

Darkwing Duck would probably count as a scumbag character, which is odd to say. I mean, he is an attention-seeking narcissist with an ego the size of a blimp who flips out at people whenever his own own incompetence or recklessness are to blame, yet his heroism still stems from a strong sense of morality.

Your point about liking fictional characters that would be insufferable if they were real reminds me of my feelings towards Deadpool. As an “early adopter” of that that character and a huge fan of the Joe Kelly run, I liked it when the comic book world treated him the way we’d treat someone like him in real life: an obnoxious jerk that you wouldn’t want around, and an irresponsible killer. He also seemed to behave the way he did to hide a tortured soul and low self esteem. But then as Deadpool became more popular with readers, Marvel started putting him in more things, and heroes and other characters started tolerating his horribleness. He became the trigger-happy jerk that more righteous characters inexplicably teamed up with. In short, he went from a scumbag that I liked to one that I didn’t.

I think a great Scumbag dynamic is having 2 with conflicting interests interact. A great example is the antics between Spider and Drifter in Destiny 2. They work together because they're know they're better off in business but their self interests often get in the way and lead then to trying to 1 up each other.

Seinfeld is an interesting one what with the gang being jerks and selfish assholes But hey in the end they get punished so…lesson learned

I love booster gold

Scumbag characters are combined with three to four traits that make them interesting pieces of character whom we can enjoy. A) The potential of Redemption: If an asshole character has the opportunity (Whether they act on it or not) for redemption, then they are not a static character. This potential for growth is simply one of the most basic ways of making an audience interested in a character. B) Charisma: Most real life assholes are assholes because they specifically LACK charisma, but scumbag characters ooze charisma (Usually) and are thus, appealing. And also, their assholeness is often not directed at the audience. C) Plot complications: A scumbag character is designed to either fit an antagonistic role, or perfectly serve as an antagonistic force for any plot, and even if THEY Themselves are the protagonist, they'll often find their own methods being a hinderance to themselves. D) Character personality rounding: Scumbags are often a great way to round out the cast. The villain to the heroes, the lancer to the leader, the bully to the good natured nerds, or simply the one character we love to hate. So if anything, they're likable because they help change the dynamic of a cast or at the very least, shine a light onto what the good characters are compared to. You can't be wow'd at how nice Adora is without local cat girl sending the world into an irreversible apocalypse. Or how good Supes is as a hero without evil supes showing what potential for being a dickhead he has.

Hey Drake, nice vídeo. To tell you the truth, i believe you nailed it. Everything that i love about these type of characters, you said it. Regardless that you think about these cliche, the jerk is always fun to see or read. Also, he/she can be a dynamic characters that you can anything: antiheroe, sympathetic villain or flaw protagonist. Despite liking the heroes with straight me, I prefer the jerk overall. These is why My favourite Ant-man is Eric O'Grady. Yeah he is a scumbag, but i love him for it. These same goes to Guy Garder and Booster Gold.

Jensen Ackles or Joel McHale as BOOSTER GOLD would be amazing

Booster Gold is definitely my favorite scumbag as well. But who is also not to be despised is John Constantine. Even though John Constantine is close to anti-hero and almost a villain at times.

I freaken adore Booster... XDDD

Well, there’s the fantasy of acting the way you sometimes want to but don’t because you know it’ll hurt others… the fantasy of all the jerks in your life getting their comeuppance… the bizarre human impulse of “respect the hustle (not the hustler)” where we are impressed by the skill & gumption it takes to pull something off, even as we recognize that anyone who even attempts it is a terrible person… I think you also get a really interesting window into a creator’s mind when a character is so deeply yet realistically flawed. I reread Going Postal last year for the first time since I was a kid, and it really struck me how *angry* Terry Pratchett was when he wrote it; there is a simmering rage & disgust towards the main character, all his tropes, and the systems he uses/participates in under every page in that book.

One of my favorite scumbag characters is Javier from the Spanish series Gran Hotel. His bad decisions constantly land him in hot water with his family, the police, and others. Some of my favorite antics from him include him hiding his wad of opium (that he was going to sell) from the police in a cooking pot. This resulted in everyone who ate the soup that night being intoxicated AND he no longer had the opium to sell, so instead of admitting that he no longer had it, Javier sold a wrapped up chunk of ham to his customer, which the customer got upset about when they found out. Another scumbag I love is Belkar from the Order of the Stick webcomic. He started out pretty mean, but he’s proven that he’s capable of change in baby steps over the course of about a decade that the comic has run so far

Billy butcher and Batman hit that criteria for me haha

Guy Gardener's space ass song is beautiful

Namor is one of my favorite scumbag characters

When Drake mentioned scumbag characters, I first thought of Dr House, then Guy Gardener. I think House fits this description quite well because you understand why he acts like a jerk and hates life and people but he still cares deep down and does his job well.