10. Beast Boy ('Teen Titans')
My fave cartoon from my teen years gets a shout-out. Beast Boy is like Bart Simpson, only more subdued and has a stronger grasp on right and wrong, and on empathy. Although his role in the show is primarily to be the Butt Monkey, the chew toy, someone for the writers to dump all their bad luck and frustrations on, it is surprising how well developed Beast Boy is. For a character so often depicted as being useless despite the fact that, as a shapeshifter who can turn into any animal ever - even extinct ones - he should be the most powerful member of the team, he has the most subtle development out of the other Teen Titans. From the first season we see that the green shapeshifter isn't violent or gung ho about crime fighting - in fact, he'd prefer to talk things out, use words instead of fists to solve problems. That is incredible: This TV and video games-obsessed child with no parents and, as far as anyone knows, not much in the way of middle school education, sees the value of words, rather than fighting indiscriminately, He holds no prejudices or grudges. Beast Boy may not have much brains, but the prankster has a big heart. He is kind, and genuinely learns from his mistakes and goes out of his way to help fix them himself. I find him adorable. We don't know a great deal about Beast Boy's background or origins in the cartoon, but we can presume it to be as tragic as any superhero origin. But he keeps a big smile, tells bad jokes, and tries to cheer everyone up regardless. The Changeling isn't to be dismissed as merely the comic relief, for though he is silly, the youngest of the Titans hides a lot of tragedy inside him, which he doesn't want to bother anyone with. In the fifth and final season, focused on him, we even get to see him as a leader. And the final episode, like it or hate it, might as well be titled, "Life sucks, Beast Boy, but such is life, so move on". The season is about the development of the comic relief character. Beast Boy is growing up, and the last episode concludes that in a tearjerker; disappointing only in teaching kids the lesson, "That's life, best be prepared for it". How deep. Garfield Logan is becoming a man, now. It makes me wonder what kind of a hero he would grow up to be. Now I know that his character in the comics is very different from the cartoon, though I haven't read any 'Teen Titans' books, but this entry is about the Beast Boy in the cartoon I grew up with. (the abomination, 'Teen Titans Go!', does not exist, it didn't happen, and it's a detriment to my mental health if I'm forced to believe otherwise). Anyway, here's to Beast Boy: A growing boy, and a growing hero.
9. Spider-Man
My favourite male superhero of all time. And he's from Marvel. It's strange that I haven't read many comics about Spidey, aka Peter Parker, yet I grew up watching the cartoons, films, and promotional stuff, and I loved those. He is like the antithesis of the traditional roguish, brooding, practically invincible heroes we are used to: He's a socially-awkward nerd, and makes mistakes constantly. This is something anyone can relate to, and that's his purpose - to be a relatable superhero who doesn't always know what the right thing to do is, who isn't always on top of things, and loses loved ones tragically along the way. In-universe Spidey is treated with suspicion and mistrust mostly, and he keeps trying to do good and save lives. "With great power comes great responsibility" is associated with Spider-Man, and responsibility is what all heroes should adhere to. They need to learn that they are bound to make mistakes, that they can't save everyone. Spider-Man is most human out of any comic book superhero I know. He shows how no body is perfect - superheroes are not gods. It also helps that Peter Parker has a quick, witty sense of humour and can make good quips while fighting bad guys. Who wouldn't want to be friends with a genuinely nice guy, as well? Of course, Spider-Man's character in recent years has seriously gone downhill due to writers missing the point of his intended creation entirely - making him avoid loss and responsibility altogether by literally making a deal with the Devil so he reverts back to his teen years and makes the same, stupid mistakes over and over again (Peter's meant to be self-aware too, what the actual hell?!). That was terrible, terrible writing; a betrayal to his development and to his fans. But I'll remember his good stories, his portrayal in the movies (such cute, adorkable actors!). Spider-Man - a strong, awkward, relatable, charming, tragic hero with all the appeal in the world.
8. Phillip J. Fry ('Futurama')
The best-written male protagonist in an American cartoon comedy. Fry really isn't that stupid - he knows about things a lot of people in the year 3000 do not, and he cherishes what the future folk take for granted. Like Beast Boy, in spite of his outward childishness, he harbours no prejudices, shallowness or ill will towards anyone. Fry is kind, empathetic and thoughtful for a character in a bizarre, risque sci-fi comedy (mostly, anyway). Even in later seasons of 'Futurama' post-cancellation, he undergoes the least amount of Flanderization and retains his earlier likable traits (again, for the most part). No sociopathy and mean-spiritedness - disturbingly common in male characters in other adult cartoons - befalls the pizza delivery boy with a midlife crisis. He is also very, very brave and self-sacrificing - something I wish the other characters acknowledged about him. Fry makes the perfect life partner, in my eyes - no male entitlement or toxic masculinity corrupts him, yet he's assertive in his ethics and morality, whilst putting the feelings of others before his own. I know it's a running gag that Leela is thought to be too good for Fry. I think it's the other way round - that Fry is too good for Leela. She can't see or appreciate how good a man he is, focusing only on his silliness. He's not perfect, or rich, or very smart, but he cares about her deeply; he even saves her life multiple times. And Leela is a thoughtless, hypocritical jerk for the majority of the show, especially in the post-cancellation episodes (hence why, though she can be as funny as the other characters, Leela wasn't on my favourite female characters list). Fry may be better off with someone who does appreciate him. Ironically, Phillip J, Fry turns out to be the most important person in the universe, in-universe, and he's a walking time paradox. But all that is unimportant compared to his likability and relatability as a character. Fry is an ordinary guy, but he grows into an extraordinary one over time, as well as a sweetheart. There isn't anyone else like him in sci-fi fiction (even Arthur Dent is smarter and calmer than the average joe), and I adore him.
7. Wallace and Gromit
My fave duo of my childhood! I love the British stop-motion franchise, 'Wallace and Gromit' - I grew up watching their shorts, and I love the movie, 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'. Wallace is the absent-minded yet polite-mannered inventor who's crackers about cheese, and Gromit is his loyal and faithful dog who plays the straight man - perhaps the true genius - to Wallace's mad schemes. All without Gromit saying a word - the way he is animated, and the emotions he expresses through claymation, is spot-on. Wallace and Gromit are the funniest man-and-his-dog duo ever, and very heartwarming, too. They're a bit like Pinky and the Brain, only they don't aim to take over the world, although they've had plenty of jobs and businesses over the years. They are surprisingly deep characters in their own rights; showing what the marvels of stop-motion claymation can achieve beyond making the models put one foot in front of the other. 'Wallace and Gromit' just holds a dear place in my heart - a nostalgic cheese fest!
6. Sideshow Bob Terwilliger ('The Simpsons')
This was a tough one for me, to name a favourite male character from 'The Simpsons'. There are so many who live in Springfield. Homer has been dead to me since that episode where he frames Marge for his own DUI. While I like Bart, there isn't that much to say about him beyond "bad boy with a hidden heart of gold", and Flanderization tends to grip him as intensely as every other character. Do I favour the funny and evil Mr Burns? The straight man who's closeted, Smithers? Moe? Pinciple Skinner? Ned Flanders, whom the TV Tropes term Flanderization is named after? But I realised that none of them hold a candle to the suave, devious, deceptive, three-dimensional and funny as hell criminal mastermind - I'm talking about Bart's arch nemesis... Milhouse. Just kidding, it is of course Sideshow Bob. This psychopath is a true Shakespearean villain. He is an artist: An actor, an opera singer, an acrobat, the creative type. He can wield a knife while being as charming and witty as a classic stage performer. He always gets the best lines in his episodes. And who could forget his encounter with the rakes? Though Bob is presented as being the most dangerous man in 'The Simpsons' canon outside of Mr Burns and Fat Tony, as being a murderer, the show's very own Joker, he's never successfully killed anyone. A ten-year-old D-student foils him constantly. But Bob has grown fond of Bart nowadays in a sick, twisted way. Like he's tried to kill the boy for so long, he can't in all his imaginings see a life without the spiky-haired, mischief-making underachiever. Bob is empty without a murderous goal in life, no matter how much he might want to change his ways and live normally. Quite tragic, again like a Shakespearean antagonist. He walks the line between sophisticated sanity and blood-lusty insanity, making him much more interesting as both a character and a villain. His versatility lets in more room for development and growth in each of his appearances, each more bizarre than the last. Never losing his charm, humour or diabolical planning, even after twenty-five years, Sideshow Bob Terwilliger is a puzzle we always enjoy unraveling.
To be continued in Part 4.
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