History Characters / ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaDennisReynolds

** When trying to hit on a girl, he ends up telling her all about Dee, and that he's "one part of a twin", showing he doesn't see himself or Dee as two full whole people, just making a set.
** Angry at feeling implicationed by older women (one who looks a lot like Barbara) who aggressively wanted to see his dick, he calls young girls "age appropriate" for him, not like "those perverted librarians... cougars".

* BadassBoast: Dennis is incredibly skilled at giving these, and seems to take pride in his ability to belt them out off the top of his head.

* MaskOfSanity: He's usually able to pass as the most rational, sane and normal member of the Gang, and can interact with normal society relatively well. However, it doesn't take much incontinence or disrespect for the mask to drop and reveal the delusional egomaniac undernearth.

* TheOldestProfession: Frank forces him to become a prostitute and service old women in “The Gang Gets Whacked”. He’s got some repressed trauma over it, pretending it never happened but getting more power hungry after, gleefully putting a vibrator in Frank’s ass on high max, playing the little boy slave to Frank’s pimp-troll in “The Nightman Cometh”, the stripper music becoming his rape dungeon music [[note]]according to the podcast it was an intentional CallBack[[/note]], and casually thanking Frank for the abuse and neglect that made him so horrific.

* ObliviousToLove: Dee really does love and want him, and tends to show it consistently by being on his side and mothering him, with the often sexual humiliation, but Dennis just assumes if he doesn’t have fantasies over her having to stay, or him torturing her, she’d automatically leave.

* OperationJealousy: While he has no actual interest in Mac beyond control, power and not wanting to get left, he’s not above baiting him with WoundedGazelleWarcry kindness to Charlie or Dee and ignoring Mac.

* UglyAllAlong: In "Dee Day," Dee forces him to remove all of his makeup (plus a hairpiece and his prosthetic pecs), revealing he basically looks like a living corpse.

** He's also a person of interest in the "accidental" death of his ex-wife, Maureen Ponderosa. In this case, however, it's strongly implied Dennis actually ''did'' have a hand in sending her on her way; in "Paddy's Has a Jumper" he gets defensive claiming it was never proven that Maureen was murdered, and smirks when he claims that her hypothetical killer certainly made it "look [like an accident]". At the very least, the rest of the Gang ''believe'' Dennis killed her, with Dee and Frank even assuming the urn Dennis keeps of Maureen's ashes is a CreepySouvenir to remind him of her murder.

** When Dee forces him to remove his make-up, the fake pecs and hair product, the Golden God AttentionWhore is a meek ShrinkingViolent who flinches if he’s touched. Dee’s kinda into it, wanting to see him flirt with all his confidence destroyed.

** He also gets raped in the pilot when Mac/Dee get him hurt-himself-drunk and two guys have sex with him, his mom was… weird with him, he feels violated again when the “cougars” (and a main one who looks so much like Barbara) want their stripper to show them his dick, and when he gets pimped out in “The Gang Gets Whacked”, he gets pegged by old women who don’t care that he’s not enjoying it. Frank doesn’t either.

* TroubledAbuser: A SerialRapist who loves enforcing consent without actually getting it and possible SerialKiller who treats his friends and sister like slaves. He's also deeply fragile and insecure, thinks he’s only ever worth his looks and sexual prowess, is a ControlFreak because he’s scared he’ll get abandoned by his friends, and much of his warped view on sex comes from being raped at 14 and some kind of grooming from his mom where he felt like he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dO1yFFZu8w wasn’t allowed to say no]].

** It is revealed that he lost his virginity to his high school librarian (basically, he was a victim of statutory rape, but convinced himself that he wanted it anyway), which certainly explains a lot about his misogyny and unhealthy sexual behavior. The original script for [=PTSDee=] - where he tells Charlie "it's better if you just do what they say" - implies heavily he's learned "the implication" from somewhere.
** Having to watch Frank fuck a hooker, and Frank’s NeverMyFault assumption after that Dennis was just whining about something he wanted to see, is portrayed as the final nail in the coffin of him ever trying to be even slightly decent and going back to his rapey teen ways.

** He's also a person of interest in the "accidental" death of his ex-wife, Maureen Ponderosa. In this case, however, it's strongly implied Dennis actually ''did'' have a hand in sending her on her way; in "Paddy's Has a Jumper" he gets defensive claiming it was never proven that Maureen was murdered, and smirks when he claims that her hypothetical killer certainly made it "look [like an accident]". At the ''very'' least, the rest of the Gang ''believe'' Dennis killed her.

* NeverBeHurtAgain: Extremely dark example. He had a non-consensual TeacherStudentRomance at 14, plus made to feel dependent on his mom (while she inflated his ego at the same time), and refuses to admit any trauma or victimhood over either even though both have obviously warped him. His ideas of love and sex are always someone in control and the other person in pain, he *wants there to be a war on women so he can “take back the power”, he assumes that if he doesn’t dominate someone first then they’ll dominate him, and even Charlie points out AllThereInTheScript he’s doing to girls what Ms. Klinsky did to him.
-->'''Dennis''': Living in the city has forced me to develop these sharp edges. For protection, you know?

* InLoveWithYourCarnage: In "The Gang Texts", he gets an erection at the idea of watching a lion maul a goat to death, and is disappointed when he doesn't get to witness it in person.

** He has a weird habit of calling his sister "baby", "babe" and "babygirl". They also slow-dance in "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off". While he's very loud about Dee's (perceived) physical flaws, even Frank points out that he's protesting too much, and he's initially grossed out about being the father of her baby but by the time she's in labour he's excited about "we're having a baby". In "The Gang Broke Dee", he gives her a long speech about how he's the perfect guy for her, and while there's a need to still be in control, the fact that he tells her again he loves her when thinking they're going to die in "The Gang Goes to Hell", and gives up on trying to keep his head above water when he thinks she's rejecting him, heavily implies it was the only real thing in the episode. The promos for Season 9 lean into the subtext as well. "CharDee MacDennis" shows that the team photo he owns is an edited cover of a romance novel with his and Dee's faces taped on, making Dee fondle Dennis' abs in the image.

** He has a weird habit of calling his sister "baby", "babe" and "babygirl". They also slow-dance in "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off". While he's very loud about Dee's (perceived) physical flaws, even Frank points out that he's protesting too much, and he's initially grossed out about being the father of her baby but by the time she's in labour he's excited about "we're having a baby". In "The Gang Broke Dee", he gives her a long speech about how he's the perfect guy for her, and while there's a need to still be in control, the fact that he tells her again he loves her when thinking they're going to die in "The Gang Goes to Hell", and gives up on trying to keep his head above water when he thinks she's rejecting him, heavily implies it was the only real thing in the episode. The promos for Season 9 lean into the subtext as well.

* AlcoholInducedBisexuality: Dennis is CampStraight, and consistently shown only attracted to women... except for the pilot when Mac gets him blackout drunk and he apparently has a threesome with two other men.

** In "Frank Vs. Russia" Dennis reveals that he has a system for seducing men and refuses to tell his friends why he has it.

** In "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E04CharlieAndDeeFindLove Charlie and Dee Find Love]]", Dennis takes off his shirt and asks Ruby what she thinks of him. Mac then questions him why he did this (since they are trying to encourage her relationship with Charlie) only for Dennis to point out that he must have done it unconsciously.

* MrFanservice: Certainly ''considers'' himself to be this, and while Glenn Howerton ''is'' quite attractive, Dennis' obsession with remaining slim and trim to the point of anorexia is frequently played for FanDisservice.

* TeacherStudentRomance: He had sex with his high school librarian when he was only fourteen.

* BeenThereShapedHistory: He and Mac caused some of the voting count delays in the 2020 Election by trying to advertise a fictional debate between themselves about whether Rocky Balboa or Donovan McNabb is a better athlete.

* FreudianSlip: In "The Gang Gets Cursed", he accidentally lets slip that he was "murdered" to Maureen, only to quickly amend this to "married" when Dee picks up on it.

* RapeAsBackstory: Season 11 reveals that he was the victim of statutory rape at the age of 14 by a librarian 40 years older than him.

* PetTheDog: His friendship with Jack Bauer the cat. Also with Charlie, who he treats with slightly more patience than he does the rest of the Gang. He also has shown that, very deep down, he does love Dee, such as when he immediately gets fiercely protective of her at the hospital when her water breaks.

* FreudianExcuseDenial: Even though it’s clearly warped him horribly, firmly (if very unconvincingly) denies that Ms Klinsky had any sort of effect on him, and if it did he’s [[BlatantLies over it]]. He does acknowledge that Frank’s awful parenting has made him full of rage, but that’s in the context of thanking the guy, and nonchalantly projects that his mom was the very start of his sex issues like it happens to every man.
* FreudianSlip: In "The Gang Gets Cursed", he randomly lets slip that he was "murdered" to Maureen, only to quickly amend this to "married" when Dee picks up on it.

** He has a weird habit of calling his sister "baby", "babe" and "babygirl". They also slow-dance in "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off". While he's very loud about Dee's (perceived) physical flaws, even Frank points out that he's protesting too much, and he's initially grossed out about being the father of her baby but by the time she's in labour he's excited about "we're having a baby". In "The Gang Broke Dee", he gives her a long speech about how he's the perfect guy for her, and while there's a need to still be in control, the fact that he tells her again he loves her when thinking they're going to die (and being impressed with her carnage) and gives up on trying to keep his head above water when he thinks she's rejecting him, heavily implies it was the only real thing in the episode. The insanely incestuous season nine promos have him being submissive to her, and being fine with it.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: In "The Gang Broke Dee", [[spoiler:he's the only member of the group besides Dee herself not to be in on the plan to trick Dee into thinking she's become a successful comedian. Dennis does not take it well and has a major breakdown when he finds out.]] Mac happily shrugs it off by saying they may have broken Dennis, too.

* NeverBeHurtAgain: Extremely dark example. He had a non-consensual TeacherStudentRomance at 14, plus made to feel dependent on his mom (while she inflated his ego at the same time), and refuses to admit any trauma or victimhood over either even though both have obviously warped him. His ideas of love and sex are always someone in control and the other person in pain, he *wants there to be a war on women so he can “take back the power”, he assumes that if he doesn’t dominate someone first then they’ll dominate him, and even Charlie points out AllThereInTheScript he’s doing to girls what Klinsky did to him.

[[folder:O-P]]

* PrettyBoy: Deconstructed. Regularly called pretty, he is still deeply unhealthy with an obvious eating disorder, uses his looks to get women in vulnerable positions where they don't feel like they can say no, thinks he only really has any worth if people find him hot, and when Dee forces him to go without make-up, all the confidence disappears and he'd rather fade into the background.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Q-W]]

* ShirtlessScene: From time to time, Dennis has been known to "pop his shirt off".

* TroubledAbuser: A SerialRapist who loves enforcing consent without actually getting it and possible SerialKiller who treats his friends and sister like slaves, but is also deeply fragile and insecure, thinks he’s only ever worth his looks and sexual prowess, controlling so much because he’s scared he’ll get left, and much of his warped view on sex comes from being raped at 14 and some kind of grooming from his mom where he felt like he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dO1yFFZu8w wasn’t allowed to say no]].
-->'''Howerton''': What he’s doing is awful. Awful. Okay? But it has to feel like it’s coming from a place of deep insecurity, deep sadness, and sort of a desperate need for control. If you’re gonna create a monster like Dennis, you better be damn sure and make it clear that that guy is real fucking sad on the inside.

* WillNotBeAVictim: Dark version. Dennis will never admit (unless it’s a fantasy) he’s been a victim of anyone, SelfServingMemory that he dominated Ms Klinsky, that his stepdad pimping him out was just him providing companionship to older women, and projecting that every man has a mother who makes him feel helpless. But he also is angry about all of this, and victimises so many people because of a desperate need to take control back, or the certainty they’ll hurt him first.

** The later seasons seem to be setting this up between him and Mac. Creator/GlennHowerton [[https://charmac.tumblr.com/post/731131445059452928/trust-the-structure agrees with the opinion]] that the two are the "greatest 'will they, won't they' in television sitcom history."

* {{Catchphrase}}: