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Changed line(s) 243 (click to see context) from:
* WouldntHurtAChild: When he's listening to his cassette tapes of his sexual encounters in "Thunder Gun Express," both the Dennis on the tape and the present Dennis are shocked and horrified when Allison, the subject of one of the tapes, says that she's actually 16. You can hear Dennis on the tape insisting that she leaves of his apartment right that second before current Dennis cuts it off and wonders aloud why he kept it.
to:
* WouldntHurtAChild: When he's listening to his cassette tapes of his sexual encounters in "Thunder Gun Express," both the Dennis on the tape and the present Dennis are shocked and horrified when Allison, the subject of one of the tapes, says that she's actually 16. You can hear Dennis on the tape insisting that she leaves of his apartment right that second before current Dennis cuts it off and wonders aloud why he kept still even has it.
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Changed line(s) 81 (click to see context) from:
** Anonymous sex, particularly glory holes. Major plot point of "Mac & Charlie Die Part 2".
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** Anonymous sex, particularly glory holes. Major This is a major plot point of in "Mac & Charlie Die Part 2".2," though it doesn't go well.
Changed line(s) 83,84 (click to see context) from:
** The Season 7 finale reveals he also has a thing for bondage, which actually ties in quite nicely with the control-freak tendencies mentioned above (though it's also implied the reason he uses duct-tape and rope for sex is that he's dealing with women who are... [[BlackComedyRape less than eager]]).
** By Season 13, it's revealed that he transformed his bedroom into a sex dungeon and Dee outright says he gets off at the idea that his victims have no escape.
** By Season 13, it's revealed that he transformed his bedroom into a sex dungeon and Dee outright says he gets off at the idea that his victims have no escape.
to:
** The In the Season 7 finale reveals he also claims he has a thing for bondage, which actually ties in quite nicely with the control-freak tendencies mentioned above (though it's also implied that he was making it up on the spot, and that the real reason he uses duct-tape and rope for sex is that he's dealing with women who are... [[BlackComedyRape less than eager]]).
** By Season 13, it's revealed that he transformed his bedroom into a sexdungeon dungeon, and Dee outright says he gets off at the idea that his victims have no escape.
** By Season 13, it's revealed that he transformed his bedroom into a sex
Changed line(s) 90 (click to see context) from:
** The latest seasons actually make a conscious effort to ''reverse'' some of Dennis' Flanderization, at least in the context of his sociopathy. Along with being explicitly diagnosed with borderline personality disorder rather than sociopathy in "Psycho Pete Returns" (although that doesn't rule it out), "The Gang Tends Bar" has him outright state that he finds it incredibly hurtful and frustrating when his friends openly treat him as though he is devoid of any emotion.
to:
** The latest seasons actually make a conscious effort to ''reverse'' some of Dennis' Flanderization, at least in the context of his sociopathy. Along with being He is explicitly diagnosed with borderline personality disorder rather than sociopathy in "Psycho Pete Returns" (although that doesn't rule it out), and "The Gang Tends Bar" has him outright state that he finds it incredibly hurtful and frustrating when his friends openly treat him as though he is devoid of any emotion.
Changed line(s) 94 (click to see context) from:
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The Season 13 premiere has everyone agree that he is a "bastard-man," but are so codependent on him that they welcome him back with open arms the minute he returns.
to:
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The Season 13 premiere has everyone agree that he is a "bastard-man," but they are so codependent on him that they welcome him back with open arms the minute he returns.
Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
* HighSchoolSweethearts: In "Mac Fights Gay Marriage", he gets married to his high school girlfriend, Maureen Ponderosa. In a not so surprising turn of events, he quickly grows tired of her and they end up getting divorced a few weeks later, though with Dennis now having to pay her alimony.
to:
* HighSchoolSweethearts: In "Mac Fights Gay Marriage", he gets married to his high school girlfriend, Maureen Ponderosa. In a not so surprising not-so-surprising turn of events, he quickly grows tired of her and they end up getting divorced a few weeks later, though with Dennis now having to pay her alimony.
Changed line(s) 119 (click to see context) from:
* InsufferableImbecile: Dennis presents himself as the voice of reason in the group. While its true that he is more socially adept than the others, and somewhat more sensible, he is a vain, lustful, manipulative creep who displays almost sociopathic levels of LackOfEmpathy, severe emotional instability, and is heavily implied to be a SerialRapist who is clearly only better by comparison (it's implied he hangs out with the others mostly to make himself look better and because he enjoys manipulating them). He's admitted to not understanding basic economics, misunderstands the basic point of psychology (seeing its only purpose is to torture and control people), and believes any signed agreement (even non-officiated, made under duress or flat out illegal) is legally binding and can't be broken.
to:
* InsufferableImbecile: Dennis presents himself as the voice of reason in the group. While its it's true that he is more socially adept than the others, and somewhat more sensible, he is a vain, lustful, manipulative creep who displays almost sociopathic levels of LackOfEmpathy, severe emotional instability, and is heavily implied to be a SerialRapist who is clearly only better by comparison (it's implied he hangs out with the others mostly to make himself look better and because he enjoys manipulating them). He's admitted to not understanding basic economics, misunderstands the basic point of psychology (seeing its only purpose is to torture and control people), and believes any signed agreement (even non-officiated, made under duress or flat out illegal) is legally binding and can't be broken.
* IntentionalHeartbreaker: Has an entire system to do this to women, the D.E.N.N.I.S. system: Demonstrate value, Engage physically, Nurture dependence, Neglect emotionally, Inspire hope, Separate entirely.
Changed line(s) 171 (click to see context) from:
* QuestionableConsent: While he claims he would never force a woman into sex or commit assault, he's really into the idea of women feeling obligated to sleep with him out of fear or "the implication" as he puts it when describing his plan to use a boat to seduce women to Mac.
to:
* QuestionableConsent: While he claims he would never force a woman into sex or commit assault, he's really into the idea of women feeling obligated to sleep with him out of fear fear, or "the implication" as he puts it when describing his plan to use a boat to seduce women to Mac.
Changed line(s) 173 (click to see context) from:
* ReallyGetsAround: As the Gang's resident HandsomeLech, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. It's been all but outright stated that at least a handful of these encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
to:
* ReallyGetsAround: As the Gang's resident HandsomeLech, he has quite an impressive a long list of conquests over the course of the series. It's series, though it's been all but outright stated that at least a handful of these encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...willing]].
Deleted line(s) 180 (click to see context) :
* {{Schemer}}: The D.E.N.N.I.S. system for seducing women. Demonstrate value, Engage physically, Nurture dependence, Neglect emotionally, Inspire hope, Separate entirely.
Changed line(s) 186 (click to see context) from:
** Lust: He has a habit of pursuing and using sex to the point of him coming across as a sex addict, a misogynist and rapist. [[DisproportionateRetribution He has an environmental activist chained to a tree while he bangs his girlfriend just because he was rude to him earlier]] in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS03E01TheGangFindsADumpsterBaby The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby]]", sabotages his own plan to get out of paying alimony to his ex-wife in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E03WeddingMassacre Wedding Massacre]]" by seducing and having sex with her when he sees that she had a boob-job, and he gets himself throw into the brig when he stalks and comes on to a random cruise-goer in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS11E09TheGangGoesToHellPart1 The Gang Goes to Hell Part 1]]", making it seem like he was going to rape her. It is especially telling when he himself lampshaded that he has a problem with his lust earlier in the episode and vowed to not give in.
to:
** Lust: He has a habit of pursuing and using sex to the point of him coming across as Dennis is canonically a sex addict, a misogynist addict and rapist.would-be pickup artist and is heavily implied to be a rapist as well. [[DisproportionateRetribution He has an environmental activist chained to a tree while he bangs his girlfriend just because he was rude to him earlier]] in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS03E01TheGangFindsADumpsterBaby The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby]]", sabotages his own plan to get out of paying alimony to his ex-wife in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E03WeddingMassacre Wedding Massacre]]" by seducing and having sex with her when he sees that she had a boob-job, and he gets himself throw into the brig when he stalks and comes on to a random cruise-goer in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS11E09TheGangGoesToHellPart1 The Gang Goes to Hell Part 1]]", making it seem like he was going to rape her. It is especially telling when he himself lampshaded that he has a problem with his lust earlier in the episode and vowed to not give in.
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Changed line(s) 110,111 (click to see context) from:
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
** With Mac. The two live together, work together, spend all their free time together, and check in with each other several times a day to make sure the other is okay. The commentary for "Mac and Dennis Break Up" has the staff (possibly jokingly) talk about the fact that Mac and Dennis are possibly gay and in a pre-sexual romantic relationship that neither is completely conscious of.
** With Mac. The two live together, work together, spend all their free time together, and check in with each other several times a day to make sure the other is okay. The commentary for "Mac and Dennis Break Up" has the staff (possibly jokingly) talk about the fact that Mac and Dennis are possibly gay and in a pre-sexual romantic relationship that neither is completely conscious of.
to:
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
**HeterosexualLifePartners: With Mac. The two live together, work together, spend all their free time together, and check in with each other several times a day to make sure the other is okay. The commentary for "Mac and Dennis Break Up" has the staff (possibly jokingly) talk about the fact that Mac and Dennis are possibly gay and in a pre-sexual romantic relationship that neither is completely conscious of.
**
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Changed line(s) 241 (click to see context) from:
* WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe: [[spoiler: His concern about his son having as bad of a childhood as he did is what motivates him to leave Philly to help raise it. Time will tell if it sticks.]]
to:
* WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe: [[spoiler: His concern about his son having as bad of a childhood as he did is what motivates him to leave Philly to help raise it. Time will tell if it sticks.]]
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Changed line(s) 2,3 (click to see context) from:
[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaOneShotCharacters One Shot Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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Changed line(s) 120 (click to see context) from:
* InsufferableImbecile: Dennis presents himself as the voice of reason in the group. While its true that he is more socially adept than the others, and somewhat more sensible, he is a vain, lustful, manipulative creep who displays almost sociopathic levels of LackOfEmpathy, severe emotional instability, and is heavily implied to be a SerialRapist who is clearly only better by comparison (it's implied he hangs out with the others entirely to make himself look better and because he enjoys manipulating them). He's admitted to not understanding basic economics, misunderstands the basic point of psychology (seeing its only purpose is to torture and control people), and believes any signed agreement (even non-officiated, made under duress or flat out illegal) is legally binding and can't be broken.
to:
* InsufferableImbecile: Dennis presents himself as the voice of reason in the group. While its true that he is more socially adept than the others, and somewhat more sensible, he is a vain, lustful, manipulative creep who displays almost sociopathic levels of LackOfEmpathy, severe emotional instability, and is heavily implied to be a SerialRapist who is clearly only better by comparison (it's implied he hangs out with the others entirely mostly to make himself look better and because he enjoys manipulating them). He's admitted to not understanding basic economics, misunderstands the basic point of psychology (seeing its only purpose is to torture and control people), and believes any signed agreement (even non-officiated, made under duress or flat out illegal) is legally binding and can't be broken.
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Changed line(s) 69 (click to see context) from:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He refuses to sleep with underaged girls, and is horrified when he finds out that one of his would-be conquests is actually sixteen.
to:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: EvenEvilHasStandards:
** He refuses to sleep with underaged girls, and is horrified when he finds out that one of his would-be conquests is actuallysixteen.sixteen.
** He's outraged at Frank's story about throwing a balloon full of champagne at a bum.
** He refuses to sleep with underaged girls, and is horrified when he finds out that one of his would-be conquests is actually
** He's outraged at Frank's story about throwing a balloon full of champagne at a bum.
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** "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun" sees him inadvertently kidnap two young women who protest that they don't want to be on his "weird" website. He responds that the women will end up on the weird one and not the one he's actually filming them for if they don't cooperate, implying that he keeps a darker website that showcases ''something''.
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Changed line(s) 172 (click to see context) from:
* ReallyGetsAround: As the Gang's resident HandsomeLech, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. It's all but outright stated that at least a handful of these encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
to:
* ReallyGetsAround: As the Gang's resident HandsomeLech, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. It's been all but outright stated that at least a handful of these encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
Changed line(s) 208 (click to see context) from:
** "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer" reveals that he ripped off the heads of an entire [[IncrediblyLamePun murder]] of crows as a child for fun, as well as the fact that he is capable of sitting in total silence for several hours without fidgeting even slightly. While he's revealed not to have been responsible for the death that the episode focuses on, even more evidence is provided to suggest that he ''has'' killed a person in the past, or is at least fully capable of doing so. Then Paddy's Has a Jumper all but confirms he did kill the subject of the documentary too (his ex-wife).
to:
** "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer" reveals that he ripped off the heads of an entire [[IncrediblyLamePun murder]] of crows as a child for fun, as well as the fact that he is capable of sitting in total silence for several hours without fidgeting even slightly. While he's revealed not to have been responsible for the death that the episode focuses on, even more evidence is provided to suggest that he ''has'' killed a person in the past, or is at least fully capable of doing so. Then Paddy's "Paddy's Has a Jumper Jumper" all but confirms he did kill the subject of the documentary too (his ex-wife).
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* AbsenteeActor: Due to Glenn Howerton's commitment to ''Series/APBio'' limiting the number of Season 13 episodes he could appear in, Dennis is entirely absent from four episodes: "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies' Reboot", "Charlie's Home Alone", "The Gang Wins the Big Game", and "Mac Finds His Pride".
Changed line(s) 171 (click to see context) from:
* ReallyGetsAround: As TheCasanova, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. Though it's increasingly implied at least a handful of said encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
to:
* ReallyGetsAround: As TheCasanova, the Gang's resident HandsomeLech, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. Though it's increasingly implied It's all but outright stated that at least a handful of said these encounters were were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
Changed line(s) 174 (click to see context) from:
** He's also the icy and intelligent Blue to Dee's reckless and impulsive Red.
to:
** He's also the icy and intelligent Blue to Dee's more reckless and impulsive Red.
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* TeacherStudentRomance: He had sex with [[spoiler:his high school librarian when he was only fourteen.]]
Added DiffLines:
* 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.
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Changed line(s) 2,3 (click to see context) from:
[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaDeeReynolds Dee Reynolds]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaCharlieKelly Charlie Kelly]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaFrankReynolds Frank Reynolds]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaDeeReynolds Dee Reynolds]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaCharlieKelly Charlie Kelly]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaFrankReynolds Frank Reynolds]]) Mac]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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Changed line(s) 120 (click to see context) from:
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to University of Pennsylvania and, unlike his sister, he graduated. [[SmallNameBigbEgo Naturally, this fed into his ego and makes him think he can talk down to his therapist.]]
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* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to University of Pennsylvania and, unlike his sister, he graduated. [[SmallNameBigbEgo [[SmallNameBigEgo Naturally, this fed into his ego and makes him think he can talk down to his therapist.]]
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* BrokenAce: Granted, he could only ever be considered an Ace compared to the rest of the gang but he still qualifies. He's arguably the smartest and most capable of them but also the most depraved and with some serious mental health issues.
Changed line(s) 74 (click to see context) from:
* FauxAffablyEvil: Dennis is quite capable of appearing charming and even likable, but there's a definite sense of cruelty to his actions.
to:
* FauxAffablyEvil: Dennis is quite capable of appearing charming and even likable, but there's a definite sense of cruelty to his actions.actions and am ever present sense of just how borderline sociopathic he really is.
Changed line(s) 119 (click to see context) from:
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to University of Pennsylvania and, unlike his sister, he graduated.
to:
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to University of Pennsylvania and, unlike his sister, he graduated. [[SmallNameBigbEgo Naturally, this fed into his ego and makes him think he can talk down to his therapist.]]
Changed line(s) 159 (click to see context) from:
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Aside from his sexism, several episodes imply he has some serious racist tendencies. He does have enough awareness to keep his racism "presentable", though.
to:
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Aside from his sexism, several episodes imply he has some serious racist tendencies. He does have enough awareness to keep his racism "presentable", though. And due to his privileged upbringing, he has some classist views, seeing himself and Dee as more cultured than Mac and Charlie as a result.
Changed line(s) 167 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:R-W]]
to:
* QuestionableConsent: While he claims he would never force a woman into sex or commit assault, he's really into the idea of women feeling obligated to sleep with him out of fear or "the implication" as he puts it when describing his plan to use a boat to seduce women to Mac.
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Changed line(s) 205 (click to see context) from:
** "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer" reveals that he ripped off the heads of an entire [[IncrediblyLamePun murder]] of crows as a child for fun, as well as the fact that he is capable of sitting in total silence for several hours without fidgeting even slightly. While he's revealed not to have been responsible for the death that the episode focuses on, even more evidence is provided to suggest that he ''has'' killed a person in the past, or is at least fully capable of doing so.
to:
** "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer" reveals that he ripped off the heads of an entire [[IncrediblyLamePun murder]] of crows as a child for fun, as well as the fact that he is capable of sitting in total silence for several hours without fidgeting even slightly. While he's revealed not to have been responsible for the death that the episode focuses on, even more evidence is provided to suggest that he ''has'' killed a person in the past, or is at least fully capable of doing so. Then Paddy's Has a Jumper all but confirms he did kill the subject of the documentary too (his ex-wife).
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Added DiffLines:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He refuses to sleep with underaged girls, and is horrified when he finds out that one of his would-be conquests is actually sixteen.
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* CosmeticHorror: His vanity pushes him to disturbing extremes in pursuit of what he considers physical perfection -- it's all but stated he has an eating disorder, and his bloodwork results in "Frank's Pretty Woman" reveal he has malnourishment-induced anemia. His ghoulish appearance in "Dee Day" after he takes off his makeup, falsies, and other cosmetic appliances is in part a reflection of that obsessive beauty regimen: damaged skin, a gaunt and hollow face, and stringy, thinning hair are ''caused'' by years of wearing heavy makeup and starving yourself.
Changed line(s) 125 (click to see context) from:
* LogicalWeakness: Given his extreme vanity, obsession with his appearance, incredibly fragile ego, and constant need for attention, any attack on his self-esteem is almost inevitably guaranteed to shatter him completely. It's best seen in "Dee Day" when one of Dee's challenges to Dennis is making him take off all of the cosmetics he uses to appear youthful (including concealer, hair dye, pectoral padding and tape to keep his face looking taut). When he does and shows his true haggard appearance, he's reduced to a babbling creep who can barely talk to women, let alone flirt with them.
to:
* LogicalWeakness: Given his extreme vanity, obsession with his appearance, incredibly fragile ego, and constant need for attention, any attack on his self-esteem is almost inevitably guaranteed to shatter him completely. It's best seen in "Dee Day" when one of Dee's challenges to Dennis is making him take off all of the cosmetics he uses to appear youthful (including concealer, hair dye, pectoral padding and tape to keep his face looking taut). When he does and shows his true haggard appearance, he's reduced to a babbling creep who can barely talk to women, let alone flirt with them.[[note
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Feel free to revert this
Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My nose was chiseled by the gods themselves, Frank. My body was sculpted to the proportions of Michelangelo's David."'']]
to:
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Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* CasanovaWannabe: Dennis does well with women, but he isn't the magnetic charmer that he considers himself to be. Later seasons reveal him to be an emotionally manipulative serial rapist targeting women too dim, vulnerable, trusting, or young to know better. When his seduction techniques ''do'' fail, he is quickly reduced to pathetic desperation or [[BerserkButton disturbing rage]]. He considers these women to have been wrapped around his finger, when the reality is that they usually figure out he's a bastard whenever they aren't in the moment.
to:
* CasanovaWannabe: Downplayed. Dennis does well with women, but he isn't the magnetic charmer that he considers himself to be. Later seasons reveal him to be an emotionally manipulative serial rapist targeting women too dim, vulnerable, trusting, or young to know better. When his seduction techniques ''do'' fail, he is quickly reduced to pathetic desperation or [[BerserkButton disturbing rage]]. He considers these women to have been wrapped around his finger, when the reality is that they usually figure out he's a bastard whenever they aren't in the moment.
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Changed line(s) 151,152 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:O-Z]]
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Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* TheComicallySerious: Out of all the ridiculous characters in the main cast, Dennis tends to be the only one to generally take sitations very seriously. Sometimes a bit TOO SERIOUSLY like when The Gang goes on Family Feud, Dennis tries to keep things sane and professional but he goes from giving hilariously weird answers to simple questions to going to a mental breakdown when he's unable to answer ANY of them in the lightning round.
to:
* TheComicallySerious: Out of all the ridiculous characters Of everyone in the main cast, Dennis tends to be the only one to generally take sitations situations very seriously. Sometimes a bit TOO SERIOUSLY ''too'' seriously, like when The the Gang goes on Family Feud, Fight and Dennis tries to keep things sane and professional but he goes professional, only to go from giving hilariously weird answers to simple questions to going to having a full-on mental breakdown when he's unable to answer ANY ''any'' of them in the final lightning round.
Changed line(s) 109 (click to see context) from:
* HotBlooded: Dennis tends to very intense and passionate when it comes to his vanity being threatened especially when he screams about his thunder of his vengeance echoing in the hospital LIKE THE GUST OF A THOUSAND WINDS when the receptionist fails to meet his demands.
to:
* HotBlooded: Dennis tends to very intense and passionate can get very... ''intense'' when it comes to his vanity ego being threatened especially bruised or his authority being questioned. A standout example is when he screams ends up screaming about his the thunder of his vengeance echoing in "like the gust of a thousand winds" when a hospital LIKE THE GUST OF A THOUSAND WINDS when the receptionist fails to meet his list of demands.
Changed line(s) 171 (click to see context) from:
* RenaissanceMan: Dennis describes himself as such.
to:
* RenaissanceMan: Dennis readily describes himself as such.such. He really, really isn't.
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Added DiffLines:
* TheComicallySerious: Out of all the ridiculous characters in the main cast, Dennis tends to be the only one to generally take sitations very seriously. Sometimes a bit TOO SERIOUSLY like when The Gang goes on Family Feud, Dennis tries to keep things sane and professional but he goes from giving hilariously weird answers to simple questions to going to a mental breakdown when he's unable to answer ANY of them in the lightning round.
Added DiffLines:
* HotBlooded: Dennis tends to very intense and passionate when it comes to his vanity being threatened especially when he screams about his thunder of his vengeance echoing in the hospital LIKE THE GUST OF A THOUSAND WINDS when the receptionist fails to meet his demands.
Added DiffLines:
* RenaissanceMan: Dennis describes himself as such.
-->'''Dennis:''' I'm kind of a jack of all trades, if you will. So really, the question isn't what ''do'' I do, it's what ''don't'' I do.
-->'''Dennis:''' I'm kind of a jack of all trades, if you will. So really, the question isn't what ''do'' I do, it's what ''don't'' I do.
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Changed line(s) 2,3 (click to see context) from:
[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaDeeReynolds Dee Reynolds]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]]) Mac]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaCharlieKelly Charlie Kelly]], [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaFrankReynolds Frank Reynolds]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GlennHowerton
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!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GlennHowertonCreator/GlennHowerton, Charlie Carter (young, "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS06E13AVerySunnyChristmas A Very Sunny Christmas]]"), Seth Lee (young, "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E01PopPopTheFinalSolution Pop-Pop: The Final Solution]]"), Jamal Mixon (dream, "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS12E01TheGangTurnsBlack The Gang Turns Black]]")
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[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''') Reynolds''', [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac Mac]]) | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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** In "Frank's Back In Business", he's willing to have sex with the Asian boy he mistakes for a prostitute (albeit more because he was trying to see how far he could go using another person's identity). [[spoiler:Turns out the boy's a caddy, and Dennis backtracks.]]
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** In "Frank's Back In Business", he's willing to have sex with the Asian boy he mistakes for a prostitute (albeit more because he was trying to see how far he could go using another person's identity). [[spoiler:Turns Turns out the boy's a caddy, and Dennis backtracks.]]
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* CantTakeCriticism: To the point the buzzer in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" gave him an ''absolute'' breakdown.
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* CantTakeCriticism: To the point the buzzer in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" gave him an ''absolute'' breakdown.
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm going for that Jesus on the cross look."'']]
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->''"My nose was chiseled by the gods themselves, Frank. My body was sculpted to the proportions of Michelangelo's David."''
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* CreepyChild: According to Dee, he used to snap the necks of crows as a kid.
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** He's also the icy and intelligent Blue to Dee's more reckless and impulsive Red.
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** He's also the icy and intelligent Blue to Dee's more reckless and impulsive Red.
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* ShirtlessScene: In nearly every episode of season 3, Dennis "pops his shirt off."
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* ShirtlessScene: In nearly every episode of season 3, From time to time, Dennis "pops has been known to "pop his shirt off."off".
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* SissyVillain: A rare VillainProtagonist version.
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* SissyVillain: A rare VillainProtagonist version.He's a CampStraight VillainProtagonist.
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* SmallNameBigEgo: So much that this could probably be renamed ''The Dennis''. He has amounted to absolutely nothing in his life beyond having rich parents, yet has been referring to himself as a [[AGodAmI "Golden God"]] since ''high school!''
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* SmallNameBigEgo: So much that this trope could probably be renamed ''The Dennis''. He has amounted to absolutely nothing in his life beyond having rich parents, yet has been referring to himself as a [[AGodAmI "Golden God"]] since ''high school!''
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[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''') | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGang The Gang]] ('''Dennis Reynolds''') | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheGangsFamilies The Gang's Families]] | [[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaTheNightmanComethCharacters The Nightman Cometh]]'' | ''[[Characters/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaLethalWeaponSeries Lethal Weapon]]''-]]]]]
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* WouldntHurtAChild: When he's listening to his cassette tapes of his sexual encounters in "Thunder Gun Express," both the Dennis on the tape and the present Dennis are shocked and horrified when Allison, the subject of one of the tapes, says that she's actually 16. You can hear Dennis on the tape insisting that she leaves of his apartment right that second before current Dennis cuts it off and wonders aloud why he kept it.
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* WouldntHurtAChild: When he's listening to his cassette tapes of his sexual encounters in "Thunder Gun Express," both the Dennis on the tape and the present Dennis are shocked and horrified when Allison, the subject of one of the tapes, says that she's actually 16. You can hear Dennis on the tape insisting that she leaves of his apartment right that second before current Dennis cuts it off and wonders aloud why he kept it.it.
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!!Dennis Reynolds
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reynolds_dennis_4494.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm going for that Jesus on the cross look."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GlennHowerton
!!!'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS01E01TheGangGetsRacist The Gang Gets Racist]]"
->''"My nose was chiseled by the gods themselves, Frank. My body was sculpted to the proportions of Michelangelo's David."''
One of the co-owners of Paddy's Pub and Dee's twin brother. The most sociopathic of the characters, Dennis is abrasive, narcissistic, self-absorbed, manipulative and callous.
%%Much of his inflated ego is perpetuated by his Ivy League education at the University of Pennsylvania where he minored in Psychology.
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* AlliterativeName: Uses the pseudonym "Hugh Honey" in "The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis".
* AlphaBastard: Dennis is often the leader of The Gang and tends to be condescending and manipulative in order to make the others feel weak and inferior enough to follow him. He's also very dramatic, narcissistic, histrionic, and tends to act hostile and bratty when things don't go his way.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Although Dennis is a serial womanizer, he also delves pretty heavily into this area as well:
** In "Frank's Back In Business", he's willing to have sex with the Asian boy he mistakes for a prostitute (albeit more because he was trying to see how far he could go using another person's identity). [[spoiler:Turns out the boy's a caddy, and Dennis backtracks.]]
** He thinks he knows absolutely everything there is to know about gay sex, as seen in "The Gang Sells Out," and considers himself to be a power-bottom. What really helps reinforce this trope is that he's actually quite accurate about the gay slang he brings up.
** In "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry", he tells Frank that back in college, he would stick the tip of his penis in his frat brothers' mouths and stick bananas up their asses. He also puts his balls in Mac's mouth in "Mac and Dennis: Manhunters."
** He always wanted to be a male model, and whenever this ambition of his resurfaces, campiness ensues.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: Downplayed, as he's unambiguously a despicable person, but the show occasionally drops hints to suggest that he may be even ''worse'' than he lets on and actually a serial killer and/or rapist. At the very least, he certainly seems to ''want'' to be the latter.
* AttentionWhore: He's very vain, and only feels validated when he's the center of everybody's attention.
-->'''Dee''': You don't care about the money, you just like the attention.
* 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.
--> '''Dennis:''' ''[after Dee accuses him of having "peaked" in high school]'' Peaked? ''Peaked'', Dee? Let me tell you something: I haven't even ''begun'' to peak. And when I ''do'' peak, you'll know. Because I'm gonna peak so hard that everybody in Philadelphia's gonna ''feel'' it.
--> '''Dennis:''' ''[after a nurse tells him she can't change what hospital room Dee is in]'' If you do not get my sister her stories, and a new room, as soon as possible, then '''[[SuddenlyShouting I WILL COME DOWN ON THIS HOSPITAL LIKE THE HAMMER OF]]''' '''''[[SuddenlyShouting THOR!]]''''' '''THE THUNDER OF MY VENGEANCE WILL ECHO THROUGH THESE CORRIDORS LIKE THE GUST OF A''' '''''THOUSAND''''' '''WINDS!'''
--> '''Dennis:''' ''[after a man calls his Range Rover a starter car]'' [[TranquilFury I have contained my rage for as long as possible]], but I shall unleash my fury upon you '''[[SuddenlyShouting LIKE THE CRASHING OF A]]''' '''''[[SuddenlyShouting THOUSAND]]''''' '''[[SuddenlyShouting WAVES!]]''' '''BEGONE, VILE MAN! BEGONE FROM ME! 'A STARTER CAR', THIS CAR IS A''' '''''FINISHER''''' '''CAR! A TRANSPORTER OF''' '''''GODS!''''' '''''[[AGodAmI THE GOLDEN GOD!]]''''' '''I AM UNTETHERED AND MY RAGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!'''
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: He's noted that he thinks people should be able to eat dogs, and he once [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior snapped the necks of multiple crows as a kid.]]
* BastardBastard: The illegitimate son of Bruce Mathis, and easily the cruelest of the Gang.
* BeautyIsBad: InUniverse, he's thought to be the most attractive member of the Gang. He's also the cruelest, and uses his good looks to prey on women.
* BerserkButton: Claiming that he peaked in high school, questioning his success with women, or suggesting that he isn't the social god he believes himself to be is not a good idea. He'll also lose it if you diss his Range Rover.
* BerserkerTears: He has a tendency towards crying and shouting when undergoing a VillainousBreakdown (see "High School Reunion" for a particularly vivid example).
* BigManOnCampus: He believes himself to have been this in both high school and college, referring to his college self as "a goddamn legend." It's outright stated that he was never one of the popular kids in high school, and the evidence leans against his college days as well (considering he was utterly shocked to find I CHUG DICK graffitied on his picture there).
* BreakTheHaughty: Several times throughout the series. Dennis holds his looks, his intellect, and his skills as a ladies man in high regard. Whenever any of these qualities gets called into question, the results tend to be spectacular.
* ButtMonkey: More so as the series progresses. By Season 10, Dennis's mental health has deteriorated to the point where he has lost his position as the ''de facto'' leader of the Gang, repeatedly strikes out in social situations, suffers from severe anxiety and sensory overload, and is overall a pathetic mess.
* CantTakeCriticism: To the point the buzzer in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" gave him an ''absolute'' breakdown.
* CampStraight: Dennis is obsessed with his own body and wears make-up.
-->'''Charlie:''' Are you wearing makeup?
-->'''Dennis:''' I'm always wearing a little bit of foundation, but that's not the point.
* CasanovaWannabe: Dennis does well with women, but he isn't the magnetic charmer that he considers himself to be. Later seasons reveal him to be an emotionally manipulative serial rapist targeting women too dim, vulnerable, trusting, or young to know better. When his seduction techniques ''do'' fail, he is quickly reduced to pathetic desperation or [[BerserkButton disturbing rage]]. He considers these women to have been wrapped around his finger, when the reality is that they usually figure out he's a bastard whenever they aren't in the moment.
* {{Catchphrase}}: [[BlatantLies "I don't give a shit"]], said whenever the Gang reels him in yet another ZanyScheme.
* CharacterDevelopment: Subtly undergoes this across Season 12, where he is repeatedly shown to have growing frustrations with how detached from reality the Gang has become, to the point of spending an entire episode ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness actually trying to just spend a day bar-tending without coming up with any kind of wacky scheme]]''. It reaches a head in the season finale, where he decides to leave Philadelphia to help raise his bastard son. However, StatusQuoIsGod still applies here, and come Season 13 he seems to have gotten all of this self-awareness out of his system, as he returns to Philly to resume getting into hi-jinks with the rest of the Gang as usual.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Largely as a result of his {{Flanderization}}. In the early seasons, Dennis was a vain, albeit relatively stable, {{Jerkass}} {{Casanova}} who has a desire to be a veterinarian, and even has a PetTheDog episode with a cat. His vanity is also played more sympathetically, with him starving himself and becoming a victim of Frank pimping him out. The later seasons portray him as a degenerate narcissist and borderline sociopath who is heavily implied to be a sexual predator, abuses Frank instead of the other way around, and loathes animals.
* TheCharmer: Considers himself to be this and, to his credit, is generally pretty good at making a good first impression on people.
* CommutingOnABus: In Season 13. Dennis returns at the end of the first episode following months of speculation about Glenn Howerton's continued role in the show, but his appearances throughout the rest of the season are fairly sporadic, with him being entirely absent from four of the ten episodes.
* ControlFreak: To the point of ordering dishes for the other members of the Gang at restaurants. A therapist becomes rather interested when he reveals that he's been keeping psychological dossiers of the Gang, having started Dee's 'file' when they were children.
* CrocodileTears: It's revealed that he carries around a piece of onion in his pocket to cry should the rest of the Gang ever expect him to appear sympathetic. When Mac learns that Dennis has been keeping him from reading the letters his dad sent him from prison, Dennis seemingly has a breakdown over the guilt he feels from hurting his "brother"... only for Charlie to spot the onion he has hidden in the palm of his hand and call him out.
* DeadpanSnarker: Tends to snark on the others' idiocy with callous indifference.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the OnlySaneMan, namely [[ManipulativeBastard what]] [[TheSociopath kind]] [[LackOfEmpathy of]] [[{{Narcissist}} person]] they would have to be to want to hang out with a group of insane assholes.
* DepravedBisexual: While his sexuality is [[AmbiguouslyBi ambiguous in-universe]], Dennis has committed non-consensual sexual acts against both men and women and is easily the cruelest member of the Gang.
* DirtyCoward: When getting mugged, he, like most of the Gang, ran away and pushed Dee closer to the mugger.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: He firmly believes that women can't rape men because AManIsAlwaysEager. [[spoiler: He was raped at fourteen by the school librarian, though he refuses to call it rape because he "wanted it"]].
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: While it's ambiguous how much he really means it, he does tell Dee he loves her when the Gang think they are about to drown in "The Gang Goes to Hell, Part 2".
* {{Ephebophile}}: He has an obsession with younger women: e.g. he only dated freshmen in High School, and in his mid-thirties still likes to go for 18-year-olds. Charlie points out that's kind of weird. While he has been shown to be disgusted and disturbed after learning that a woman he was seducing was underage, "Hero or Hate Crime?" reveals that he keeps track of the birthdays of the younger women he targets to ensure that he is able to have sex with them immediately after they turn 18, showing that, while he's willing to obey laws concerning age of consent, he ''really'' pushes them as much as he possibly can.
* EpicFail: Some of his attempts to seduce women end up going horribly, hilariously wrong. For example, in "Charlie and Dee Find Love", he tries to make a move on Charlie's new girlfriend by claiming to be good at tennis, and then removing his shirt in front of her to show off his body. Not only is he an embarrassingly bad tennis player who gets winded immediately, but the only thing Ruby has to say about his bare upper body is that he's very pale and in need of sunscreen.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: As much of a selfish and unfeeling sociopath Dennis is, he did love his mother to the point that [[spoiler:he broke down in tears when he sees his mother's corpse]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** For all his horrible treatment of Dee, he appears to hold some amount of genuine brotherly affection for her that only comes up in the worst of times. In "The Gang Broke Dee", he is the only member of the Gang who seems legitimately worried about Dee's now suicidal depression and, in his own twisted way, attempts to cheer her up. His fantasy in "The Gang Saves The Day" is also notably the only one besides Dee's herself that doesn't have her abruptly dying at the beginning of it. In "The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 2', right as he thinks they're all about to die, he turns to Dee and says, "Sis? I love you."
** [[spoiler: "Dennis' Double Life" ends with him deciding to go to North Dakota and raise his son, though he returns by the end of the next season premiere, while implying he hasn't completely burned his bridges]].
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: When Paddy's briefly became a gay bar. Mac also has feelings for him, which Dennis adamantly does not reciprocate.
* EvilIsHammy: The most evil member of the Gang just so happens to be one of its hammiest, rivaled only by, ironically, [[TheHeart Charlie]].
* EvilMentor: To "Abby" in "The Gang Goes to a Water Park," teaching her how to hone her affinity for conning and manipulating people.
* TheFace: He's the only member of the group who can function in certain social situations.
* FanDisservice: Occurs InUniverse in the episode "Dee Day," when Dee makes him [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prz7que9MT4 remove his makeup and other cosmetics]], which in turn reveals his true, hideous, goblin-like appearance.
-->'''Charlie:''' [[GlamourFailure That's what his soul looks like]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: Dennis is quite capable of appearing charming and even likable, but there's a definite sense of cruelty to his actions.
* {{Fetish}}:
** Filming people (including himself).
** Anonymous sex, particularly glory holes. Major plot point of "Mac & Charlie Die Part 2".
** Controlling someone else's life. Before it he was just creepily controlling over minor things like meal decisions, but Season 8's "Frank's Back in Business" confirms that it's a sexual thing when Dennis attempts to "get off" by impersonating a dead businessman.
** The Season 7 finale reveals he also has a thing for bondage, which actually ties in quite nicely with the control-freak tendencies mentioned above (though it's also implied the reason he uses duct-tape and rope for sex is that he's dealing with women who are... [[BlackComedyRape less than eager]]).
** By Season 13, it's revealed that he transformed his bedroom into a sex dungeon and Dee outright says he gets off at the idea that his victims have no escape.
* {{Flanderization}}:
** Like the rest of the Gang, Dennis' character traits become more exaggerated as the series progresses. Over time his interests in women have taken a dark turn into sexual predator territory, his behavioral patterns have become increasingly erratic and unstable, and his already massive ego has been inflated to AGodAmI proportions.
--->'''Dee:''' I can't get a read on him these days. He's just always cranky and irritated.
--->'''Frank:''' Rage-filled. Rapey.
--->'''Dee:''' It's like as the years go by, he just gets more and more irrational.
** The latest seasons actually make a conscious effort to ''reverse'' some of Dennis' Flanderization, at least in the context of his sociopathy. Along with being explicitly diagnosed with borderline personality disorder rather than sociopathy in "Psycho Pete Returns" (although that doesn't rule it out), "The Gang Tends Bar" has him outright state that he finds it incredibly hurtful and frustrating when his friends openly treat him as though he is devoid of any emotion.
* FreudianExcuse:
** His amoral father Frank relentlessly emotionally abused him. On the other side, his mother heavily favored him over Dee, constantly feeding his ego to the point that by ''high school'' he referred to himself as a "golden god."
** It is revealed that he [[spoiler: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]].
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The Season 13 premiere has everyone agree that he is a "bastard-man," but are so codependent on him that they welcome him back with open arms the minute he returns.
* FutureLoser: Frequently states that he was the BigManOnCampus while in high school (Dee spitefully notes that this was also the time when he peaked). [[spoiler:The Season 7 finale reveals that this was all a lie; Dennis was no more popular than Mac and Charlie. He was just deluded]].
* GibberishOfLove: Dennis is usually smooth and elegant in his attempts to attract women, but in the episode "The Storm of the Century", the {{buxom|IsBetter}} Jackie Denardo turns him into a stammering creep when he tries to hit on her.
* AGodAmI: For some reason, realizing that he controls his own life in "Charlie Rules the World" leads to this mindset. Later episodes show that he's believed himself to be a "Golden God" since at least ''high school'' and will take any excuse he can get to confirm it.
* GoingColdTurkey: Dennis and Dee get addicted to crack in a Season 2 episode, and then go cold turkey to get back to normal. Seasons later Dennis still occasionally gets the urge to smoke crack (which he suppresses).
-->'''Mac''': What do you want more than anything else in the entire world?
-->'''Dennis''': Crack.
-->'''Mac''': Oh. I thought you were going to say pizza.
* HairTriggerTemper: While he starts the series as a fairly cool-headed person, in later seasons even the slightest provocation sets him off. See SanitySlippage, below.
* HandsomeLech: Although Dennis isn't nearly as much of a Casanova as he thinks, he is still a serial womanizer. And he gets plenty of women and gay men interested in him. Just not as much as he thinks. In fact, many women are turned off his behavior, either thinking he's a {{Jerkass}} or CampGay.
* HasAType: Seems to have a particular affinity towards blondes with comically oversized breasts. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he usually seeks out younger, petite girls, though it's often not clear if he finds them attractive for their bodies or because they're often more trusting and easier to manipulate.
* HeelRealization: Mixed with a JerkassRealization at the end of "Dennis' Double Life, where after [[spoiler:holding his son for the first time, Dennis realizes what an asshole he's been and how he's wasted his life in the process, and leaves to make sure his son never grows up like him. [[IgnoredEpiphany At least until]] "The Gang Makes Paddy's Pub Great Again", where he returns to the pub to go back to his old ways]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
** With Mac. The two live together, work together, spend all their free time together, and check in with each other several times a day to make sure the other is okay. The commentary for "Mac and Dennis Break Up" has the staff (possibly jokingly) talk about the fact that Mac and Dennis are possibly gay and in a pre-sexual romantic relationship that neither is completely conscious of.
** Deconstructed in "Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs." The two buy a suburban home, with Dennis commuting to work and Mac being the "house-husband." As the weeks go by, the two [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything take on all the qualities of a married couple]]--and this drives them both ''completely insane.'' Mac is so frustrated by his lack of attention that he kills the dog Dennis bought to keep him company and feeds it to Dennis in his macaroni and cheese, while Dennis is sucked dry of his already-limited emotions thanks to the stress of commuting (plus not being able to participate in Frank and Charlie's schemes) and becomes an unfeeling, unblinking wreck ready to murder people at a moment's notice.
* HiddenDepths: The later seasons make him out to be the member of the Gang most consciously aware and concerned with how disconnected the group has become from reality, and also show that he's deeply hurt by the fact that his friends nonchalantly treat him like an emotionless psychopath (though not without good reason).
* HighSchoolSweethearts: In "Mac Fights Gay Marriage", he gets married to his high school girlfriend, Maureen Ponderosa. In a not so surprising turn of events, he quickly grows tired of her and they end up getting divorced a few weeks later, though with Dennis now having to pay her alimony.
* IgnoredEpiphany: While approximately the most awful member of the gang, he is roughly the most high-functioning and briefly has moments of insight as to how badly he and his friends have decayed both morally and mentally over the years such as in "The Gang Misses the Boat" and "The Gang Gets Trapped". Inevitably, he manages to shake off these realizations by the time the episode in question ends.
* IllKillYou: When he finds out it was Mac, and not Tim Murphy, who slept with his high school prom date.
* IncestSubtext: On one hand, he has a weird habit of calling his sister "baby", "babe" and "babygirl". They also slow-dance in "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off". On the other hand, he also is the loudest of all the Gang when it comes to insulting Dee and pointing out her every physical flaw (real or not), and when the guys were trying to figure out who got Dee pregnant and the signs were starting to point to him, Dennis literally would not stop vomiting. Most notably, in "The Gang Broke Dee", when Dee's about to leave, Dennis decides to go beyond subtext and gives her a speech about how he's perfect for her and loves her. It's possible he was just trying to manipulate her into taking him with her to Hollywood, but his reaction at the end of the episode implies ''some'' part of it was genuine.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Dennis' extreme vanity and over-inflated sense of self-importance are shown to be a front for intense insecurity, self-consciousness and self-loathing, and the smallest critiques tend to disproportionately distress him (e.g. Dee saying he has a "fat face" leads to Dennis not eating for three days). This is further illustrated in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight", where he is rendered near catatonic whenever he hears the wrong answer buzzer. Glenn Howerton has said that Dennis is actually the most fragile and insecure member of the Gang. He claims Dennis isn't a sociopath, but has strong emotions he can't handle and can only express it by getting angry. By this logic, his desire for control and manipulation of others is his way of assuring himself he'll always have their love and devotion (or at least their company).
* InsufferableImbecile: Dennis presents himself as the voice of reason in the group. While its true that he is more socially adept than the others, and somewhat more sensible, he is a vain, lustful, manipulative creep who displays almost sociopathic levels of LackOfEmpathy, severe emotional instability, and is heavily implied to be a SerialRapist who is clearly only better by comparison (it's implied he hangs out with the others entirely to make himself look better and because he enjoys manipulating them). He's admitted to not understanding basic economics, misunderstands the basic point of psychology (seeing its only purpose is to torture and control people), and believes any signed agreement (even non-officiated, made under duress or flat out illegal) is legally binding and can't be broken.
* InstantExpert: Thinks of himself as a cultured and multi-talented renaissance man who can pick up nearly all things with ease, but the reality is otherwise.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He couldn't care less about his friends most of the time.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to University of Pennsylvania and, unlike his sister, he graduated.
* JailBaitWait: Keeps track of the birthdays of under-aged girls so that he can have sex with them as soon as they turn 18.
* KarmaHoudini: The most likely member of the Gang to occasionally escape punishment.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Acts like he knows better than the rest of the Gang at almost all times, when in reality he is, at best, only marginally smarter than the rest of them and just as ignorant.
* LackOfEmpathy: He seems perfectly okay with horrible things happening to regular people. See TheSociopath entry for more details.
* LargeHam: Dennis is by far the most theatrical member of the Gang. The long-winded rants that he gives whenever he feels wronged make up a sizable chunk of the show's most often quoted dialogue.
* TheLeader: While the Gang constantly attempt to wrestle power from each other, Dennis, due to his comparative intelligence and status as a ManipulativeBastard ControlFreak, tends to assume the position of leader most frequently. His power over the others is usually circumstantial at best, however, and he can just as often come across as more of a LeaderWannabe.
* 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.]]
* LogicalWeakness: Given his extreme vanity, obsession with his appearance, incredibly fragile ego, and constant need for attention, any attack on his self-esteem is almost inevitably guaranteed to shatter him completely. It's best seen in "Dee Day" when one of Dee's challenges to Dennis is making him take off all of the cosmetics he uses to appear youthful (including concealer, hair dye, pectoral padding and tape to keep his face looking taut). When he does and shows his true haggard appearance, he's reduced to a babbling creep who can barely talk to women, let alone flirt with them.
* ManipulativeBastard: The [[FunWithAcronyms D.E.N.N.I.S.]] system is a masterclass in heartlessly manipulating a woman into having sex with you, stringing her along in a semi-relationship and then dumping her for the thrill of having her fall in love with you. (The acronym stands for '''D'''emonstrate value, '''E'''ngage physically, '''N'''urture dependence, '''N'''eglect emotionally, '''I'''nspire hope, '''S'''eparate entirely).
* AManIsAlwaysEager: He seems almost completely dominated by the whims of his dick, using [[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS05E10TheDENNISSystem his seduction system]] on every attractive woman he comes into contact with whether he consciously knows it or not.
** In "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E03WeddingMassacre Wedding Massacre]]" , he spends the whole episode trying to get his ex-wife Maureen (who was just getting married) to sign a contract to free him of alimony. By the end of the episode, he sabotages his own plan by having sex with her solely because she had a boob job. He then proceeds to cry out for help post-coitus when this causes Maureen to want to get back together with him.
** 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.
** In a slightly darker and more serious case of this trope, it's later revealed that Dennis was a victim of statutory rape as a teenager when he was taken advantage of by an adult in high school. When Dee tries to point this out to him he insists that it couldn't be rape due to this trope, despite how flimsy it sounds.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: With his sister Dee. Dennis is a NonActionGuy, the more polite and cultured of the two (as far as someone like him could be), and CampStraight. Also, unlike his more overtly aggressive sister, he normally demonstrates cruelty through snide put-downs and manipulation.
* MistakenForGay: His AmbiguouslyBi, CampStraight tendencies make him a frequent recipient of this attitude:
** In "The Gang Gets Racist", Terrell, Dee's friend from acting class, is quite ''interested'' in Dennis. When they turn the pub into a gay bar, the vain and greedy Dennis is perfectly comfortable with letting all the guys flirt with him as long as he's making cash and feeling good about himself.
--->'''Dee:''' You're not gay, you're just really vain.
** In "Charlie Wants an Abortion", a woman at the free clinic assumes Dennis is gay and waiting for his HIV results.
** In "The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell", his 1776 counterpart gets called a "sodomite".
** In "High School Reunion", a married woman who he's hitting on is confused when he says that he wants to show her what a boring piece of shit her husband is by doing sexual things to her: she thought he was gay because he gossiped about her husband and wore makeup and a girdle.
* MistakenForMurderer: In "Mac is a Serial Killer", Dee and Dennis pretend to be serial killers and stalk The Waitress. They get really into it, especially him.
* MistakenForPedophile: In "Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender", Dennis tries making neighborhood relations to distinguish himself from Wendell Albright, a sexual predator who moved in nearby (and happens to look exactly like a fatter version of Dennis). [[WithFriendsLikeThese Dee]] [[{{Invoked}} suggests he]] take off his shirt and wear a fake mustache to avoid looking like Wendell. Then she tells him to show that he cares about the kids at a playground by showing them fitness exercises. Dennis is convinced to do just that, and while he does so, Dee goes directly to the fathers to point out the half-naked sex offender hanging around their children.
* MommasBoy: Compared to Dee, Dennis had a loving relationship with his mother and he even breaks into tears when he sees [[spoiler:her decomposed corpse that Frank tricks the twins into digging up]].
* 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.
* {{Narcissist}}: For the ultimate example, in "Charlie Rules The World" he blows himself in a state of realization that he is God of his own universe. An example that is surprisingly true to the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology myth]] from which the term "narcissist" is derived is from "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty Magoo," when he considers himself the only model beautiful enough to show off his dress designs to Ingrid.
* NeatFreak: Keeps everything he owns in pristine condition, and freaks out when this gets threatened. He and fellow NeatFreak Mac do, however, manage to trash Dee's apartment and the suburban home they buy to escape it.
* NonActionGuy: While none of the Gang are particularly good fighters, Dennis is not only shown to be useless in a fight but in terrible shape, to the point of getting winded after playing a few seconds of tennis.
* NoodleIncident: It isn't entirely clear what brought him back to Philadelphia after making a big deal out of wanting to leave the city to raise his son at the end of Season 12.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: Dennis is only really socially adept in comparison to the other members of the Gang. When speaking to ordinary people, his HairTriggerTemper and fragile ego cause him to FreakOut constantly, making his instability obvious.
* NotGoodWithRejection: Dennis gets rejected hard, to his face, when he tries to woo Mac and Charlie's respective mothers, and starts to break down emotionally because of it.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Dennis, apparently the most normal of the Gang, is steadily revealed to be the most sociopathic of them all over time.
* OfCorsetsFunny: Dennis is so obsessed with primping that he wears a girdle when he wants to look his best.
* OnlySaneByComparison: Tends to play the OnlySaneMan more frequently than the rest of the Gang, being generally the most rational and intelligent one among them at any given time. However, this is horribly subverted just as frequently, as Dennis' NotSoAboveItAll moments almost always verge into TheSociopath territory. Later seasons also consistently portray Dennis as the member of the Gang most conscious of and concerned with just how heavily the group has undergone {{Flanderization}}.
* 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.
* {{Pluralses}}: In the episode "Flowers for Charlie", The Gang (minus Charlie and Frank) is trying to catch a mouse in the bar. Eventually they get sidetracked, sniff some gasoline to get high, and watch cat-vs-mouse cartoons. Dennis comments that, based on watching the show, "There's no winning with mices."
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Aside from his sexism, several episodes imply he has some serious racist tendencies. He does have enough awareness to keep his racism "presentable", though.
* ThePornomancer: Although Dennis doesn't necessarily live up to his ego, a lot of people have shown attraction to him. He has drawers full of sex tapes he's made of him and his partners.
* PresentAbsence: Despite him being absent throughout it, "Make Paddy's Great Again" revolves entirely around showcasing the stranglehold Dennis has over the rest of the Gang, to the point where they allow a sex doll in his likeness to completely dominate their lives. [[spoiler: His grand return in the final few minutes quickly undoes any lingering changes to the status quo his absence had caused.]]
* PromiscuityAfterRape: [[spoiler: His hypersexuality and disturbing notions about consent and women in general are implied to have come about as a result of him subconsciously attempting to cope with having been raped by a librarian when he was 14.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: While Mac and Charlie are more openly immature and childish, and Dee is more impulsive, aggressive, and drama-hungry, Dennis' immaturity takes form in the spiteful way he reacts when not given his way, his lack of responsibility and self-awareness and his inability to see the considerable psychological damage he inflicts on everyone around him as anything more than a game.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:Subverted. He leaves Philadelphia in the Season 12 finale and moves to North Dakota in order to be a father to his infant son. He returns in the following season's premiere, though not without making a point of saying that he's only back "for now".]]
* RapeAsBackstory: Season 11 reveals that he [[spoiler:was the victim of statutory rape at the age of 14 by a librarian 40 years older than him.]]
* ReallyGetsAround: As TheCasanova, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. Though it's increasingly implied at least a handful of said encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
* RedOniBlueOni:
** Blue Oni to Mac's Red, though it's played with a bit. Dennis is generally more controlled and calculating than Mac is, but is also extremely prone to having full on screaming mental breakdowns whenever things don't go his way.
** He's also the icy and intelligent Blue to Dee's more reckless and impulsive Red.
* SanitySlippage: While Dennis starts out as the OnlySaneMan of the group, he is slowly revealed to hide anxiety, feelings of emptiness, anger issues, disordered eating, and mood swings beneath his MaskOfSanity. As he grows older, he finds it harder and harder to keep these issues under wraps, and he is eventually diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and prescribed medication.
* {{Schemer}}: The D.E.N.N.I.S. system for seducing women. Demonstrate value, Engage physically, Nurture dependence, Neglect emotionally, Inspire hope, Separate entirely.
* SecurityCling: Has a tendency to cling to Dee when he's particularly distressed or scared, such as when they dig up their dead mother.
* SelfServingMemory: Numerous times, most notably how he truly believes he was a "Golden God" in high school when in truth, everyone just thought he was a loser and rarely gave him any thought at all.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Played with in his dynamic with Mac. Despite being a waifish metrosexual, Dennis is clearly the more dominant, coldhearted and controlling half of the pair.
* SerialRapist: Frequently PlayedForLaughs, but the most notable example is probably his horrifying explanation of "the implication".
* SevenDeadlySins: Lust, Wrath and Vanity.
** Lust: He has a habit of pursuing and using sex to the point of him coming across as a sex addict, a misogynist and rapist. [[DisproportionateRetribution He has an environmental activist chained to a tree while he bangs his girlfriend just because he was rude to him earlier]] in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS03E01TheGangFindsADumpsterBaby The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby]]", sabotages his own plan to get out of paying alimony to his ex-wife in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E03WeddingMassacre Wedding Massacre]]" by seducing and having sex with her when he sees that she had a boob-job, and he gets himself throw into the brig when he stalks and comes on to a random cruise-goer in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS11E09TheGangGoesToHellPart1 The Gang Goes to Hell Part 1]]", making it seem like he was going to rape her. It is especially telling when he himself lampshaded that he has a problem with his lust earlier in the episode and vowed to not give in.
** Wrath. Despite seeing himself as the most level-headed of the Gang, he is the most likely to [[HairTriggerTemper snap into a rage before everyone else for even the smallest of things]], [[SanitySlippage a problem that has escalated as the series progresses]].
** Vanity: He is shown to be very vain, using questionable methods to maintain or enhance his appearance, like trying to use a chemical bath to improve his skin like in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS07E10HowMacGotFat How Mac Got Fat]]" or starve himself to the point of becoming a heath-risk in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS07E01FranksPrettyWoman Frank's Pretty Woman]]". He was even deluded into having a God complex, thinking that he was a popular powerhouse in High School when really he was anything but.
* ShirtlessScene: In nearly every episode of season 3, Dennis "pops his shirt off."
* ShowSomeLeg: Much like his sister, Dennis often volunteers to seduce (or is tasked with seducing) somebody in order to further the Gang's plans.
* SissyVillain: A rare VillainProtagonist version.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: While he's not a nice person to start with, over the seasons Dennis slowly becomes more unhinged and sociopathic. (See SanitySlippage, above).
* SmallNameBigEgo: So much that this could probably be renamed ''The Dennis''. He has amounted to absolutely nothing in his life beyond having rich parents, yet has been referring to himself as a [[AGodAmI "Golden God"]] since ''high school!''
* SmugSnake: Nowhere near as smart or charming as he clearly thinks he is.
* TheSociopath: Frequently implied throughout the first nine seasons (as evidenced by the examples below) but possibly a [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in "Psycho Pete Returns" when he's officially diagnosed with [[http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml borderline personality disorder]], not sociopathy/antisocial personality disorder - but this was based on a single therapy session, so not only are other comorbid psychological issues, including sociopathy, ''not'' ruled out, but it'd be damn near impossible to accurately diagnose all of his issues in such a short amount of time.
-->'''Dennis:''' I am having - this is crazy - but I'm having feelings again, like some kind of 14 year-old kid or something. I mean, you remember feelings, right?\\
'''Mac:''' [[SarcasticConfession Yeah. I have feelings every single day of my life.]]\\
'''Dennis:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Do you?]]\\
'''Mac:''' [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe Are you saying you don't have]] ''[[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe feelings]]?''
** It gets ''really'' creepy in "The Gang Buys a Boat", where Dennis tells Mac the reason they bought the boat would be so he could bring women on it and have guaranteed sex with them. By his logic, a woman would never say no to sex on a boat because of "the [[ImpliedDeathThreat implication]]."
** His session in "The Gang Gets Analyzed" has him reveal to the therapist that he keeps "psychological dossiers" of the Gang (he started Dee's in ''second grade''), and proceeds to make a speech about how controlling people is like "standing next to the executioner's switch and knowing that at any time you could pull it".
** His whole subplot in "Charlie's Mom has Cancer" revolves around how he's stopped feeling emotions; lack of emotion is one of the biggest (if not ''the'' biggest) signs of a sociopath.
** When he reveals that he has an entire system for emotionally manipulating and abusing women, Dee straight up calls him one, with good reason. Other gags in various episodes imply he's perfectly comfortable with outright raping women, to the point of having a special hidden compartment in his car for duct tape and ropes.
** In "Psycho Pete Returns", Dee tries to con a psychiatrist into giving them a drug prescription (which they would then give to Psycho Pete) by pretending she's schizophrenic. Dennis, fed up with her bad acting, says the following with what appears to be complete sincerity, and everyone in the room is understandably horrified:
--->'''Dennis:''' Dee... I swear you would be of more use to me if I skinned you and turned your skin into a lampshade... or fashioned you into a piece of high-end luggage. I can even add you to my collection!\\
'''Dee:''' ... are you saying that you have a collection of skin luggage?\\
'''Dennis:''' Of course I'm not, Dee. Don't be ridiculous. Think of the smell. You haven't thought of the smell, you bitch! Now, you say another word and I swear to God I will dice you into a million little pieces... and put those pieces in a box. A glass box... that I will display on my mantel.\\
'''Dee:''' ''[gasps in horror]''
** "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer" reveals that he ripped off the heads of an entire [[IncrediblyLamePun murder]] of crows as a child for fun, as well as the fact that he is capable of sitting in total silence for several hours without fidgeting even slightly. While he's revealed not to have been responsible for the death that the episode focuses on, even more evidence is provided to suggest that he ''has'' killed a person in the past, or is at least fully capable of doing so.
* SoftSpokenSadist: During his creepiest moments, Dennis speaks in an eerily calm and quiet voice.
* SpoiledBrat: Probably the worst possible example of what can happen to one. Not only is he incredibly vain and incapable of doing anything for himself, but he also has an enormous god complex, is totally amoral, and is heavily implied to be a serial rapist with sociopathic tendencies.
* StepfordSmiler: His affable, attractive exterior masks mental illness and feelings of emptiness.
-->'''Dennis''': I need something. I mean, I got this, uh, this giant, gaping hole inside me. And I'm... I'm always trying to fill it with something. I like to call it my, uh... my "God Hole". And I think a lot of people in this world, they fill it with religion. But I don't believe in God.
* StrawMisogynist: Considers Susan B. Anthony an example of a "bad woman."
* TenorBoy: Plays one of these during the production of "The Nightman Cometh" and in general isn't afraid of showing off his ''incredible'' falsetto.
* TerribleArtist: His "sketches" of women amount to little more than stick figures with comically oversized and simplistic-looking breasts.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: A darkly comedic example. Dennis appears to be the most well-adjusted, competent, and personable member of the Gang at first glance. Under the surface he's a ruthless sociopath whose favorite activities include manipulating women into sex and exercising total control over his friends' lives.
* TinMan: Dennis considers himself to be "the only rational and emotionless" person among his friends and claims he's incapable of feeling anything (see TheSociopath, above), but he's actually the member of the Gang most governed by emotions (albeit negative ones) and the one most likely to break into tears, rage or manic laughter at the slightest provocation.
* TokenEvilTeammate: While the whole group is made up of horrible people, Dennis is regularly proven to be the most despicable of them all.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: While technically each member of the Gang is guilty of this to some extent, Dennis deserves special mention. He is constantly being a domineering, condescending and manipulative bully who emotionally abuses his friends to a point where they are essentially barred from growing as individuals. More often than not, the rest of the Gang tends to be much more enthusiastic and supportive of one another whenever Dennis isn't around to crush their self-esteem.
* TranquilFury: Usually, when Dennis gets angry, he's a LargeHam who [[SuddenlyShouting screams abruptly]]. In "The Storm of the Century", however, he gets upset when he hits on two girls who are then revealed to have boyfriends:
-->'''Blonde girl:''' Sounds like fun. Can our boyfriends come too?\\
'''Dennis:''' ''[after his smile immediately turns into a scowl]'' ... you two have boyfriends? ''[in a low, calm voice]'' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis How did you not know... that the reason I invited you back to my bar... was to bang you]]?
* TraumaButton: The buzzer that goes off when someone gets an answer wrong in ''Family Fight''. Hearing it over and over caused him to have a nervous breakdown during the "Fast Money" round.
* TheUnfettered: There isn't a character in the series who comes close to fitting this trope as well as Dennis does; "the ends justify the means" could be his motto. As long as the result is one that he desires, he will do whatever it takes to get there, including (but not limited to) deliberately hurting other people so he can swoop in and be their savior. He's made girlfriends think someone is stalking them so Dennis can "save them" from said imaginary stalker, and he coerced Charlie into getting The Waitress stabbed (going as far as to specifically state that it's better if a major artery is hit) so Charlie could save her. In "Mac's Mom Burns Her House Down", Frank, under Dennis' advisement, gets Dee to drink so much cough syrup that she sleepwalks and falls down a flight of stairs, all so he could look like a good father by nursing her back to health.
* VillainousBreakdown: And each one is more glorious than the last.
** [[LargeHam "I REIGN SUPREME OVER EVERYONE IN THIS SCHOOL!]] I AM THE GOLDEN GOD OF THIS PLACE! I REIGN SUPREME! I! I!"
** When he's rejected by the wife of the man who had sex with his prom date at his high school reunion, he rushes out to his car and fetches items including ropes and duct tape. When questioned, he begins screaming that he needs his "tools" and that he needs to "bind and be bound."
** When he's rejected by his old fraternity, he becomes increasingly unhinged, screaming in harsh falsetto that they're all "idiots!" and he's "a goddamn legend!"
** In "The Gang Group Dates", he drives himself crazy over a dating app's rating system.
** Don't call his Range Rover (Eddie Bauer edition) a "starter car."
--> "I have contained my rage for as long as possible, but I shall unleash my fury upon YOU...LIKE THE CRASHING OF A ''THOUSAND'' WAVES! BE GONE, VILE MAN, BE GONE FROM ME! A STARTER CAR?! THIS CAR IS A ''FINISHER'' CAR. A TRANSPORTER OF GODS. THE '''''GOLDEN GOD!''''' I AM UNTETHERED AND MY RAGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!"
** In "Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs," the combination of his daily commute, not being able to scam people, and Mac's obsession with attention drive him so far over the edge that he's ready to murder people with a fireplace poker.
* WeightWoe: He has a very unhealthy relationship with food and with his body image, and on occasion starves himself to boost his attractiveness.
-->'''Dennis''': I am going to be 20 forever, Mac, because the older I become, the more vigilant I am. I don't eat lunch anymore, for instance. And on odd days, I don't eat breakfast.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Happens to him in the pilot when he wakes up the morning after getting blackout drunk, and finds himself naked in bed with someone who turns out to be a man. Becomes less ambiguous as to what happened when a second man emerges from the other room, slaps Dennis' rear, and asks him, "How's that ''ass'' feeling?"
* WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe: [[spoiler: His concern about his son having as bad of a childhood as he did is what motivates him to leave Philly to help raise it. Time will tell if it sticks.]]
* WickedPretentious: Dennis is a narcissistic creep who often sees himself as a cultured intellectual who's above everyone else, but he's pretty much a pathetic and immature delinquent who's not as cool and intelligent as he believes himself to be.
* WorthyOpponent: When tutoring a young girl in the art of deception, he is initially shocked but then very impressed when he realizes she was conning him the entire time.
* WouldntHurtAChild: When he's listening to his cassette tapes of his sexual encounters in "Thunder Gun Express," both the Dennis on the tape and the present Dennis are shocked and horrified when Allison, the subject of one of the tapes, says that she's actually 16. You can hear Dennis on the tape insisting that she leaves of his apartment right that second before current Dennis cuts it off and wonders aloud why he kept it.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reynolds_dennis_4494.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm going for that Jesus on the cross look."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GlennHowerton
!!!'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS01E01TheGangGetsRacist The Gang Gets Racist]]"
->''"My nose was chiseled by the gods themselves, Frank. My body was sculpted to the proportions of Michelangelo's David."''
One of the co-owners of Paddy's Pub and Dee's twin brother. The most sociopathic of the characters, Dennis is abrasive, narcissistic, self-absorbed, manipulative and callous.
%%Much of his inflated ego is perpetuated by his Ivy League education at the University of Pennsylvania where he minored in Psychology.
----
* AlliterativeName: Uses the pseudonym "Hugh Honey" in "The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis".
* AlphaBastard: Dennis is often the leader of The Gang and tends to be condescending and manipulative in order to make the others feel weak and inferior enough to follow him. He's also very dramatic, narcissistic, histrionic, and tends to act hostile and bratty when things don't go his way.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Although Dennis is a serial womanizer, he also delves pretty heavily into this area as well:
** In "Frank's Back In Business", he's willing to have sex with the Asian boy he mistakes for a prostitute (albeit more because he was trying to see how far he could go using another person's identity). [[spoiler:Turns out the boy's a caddy, and Dennis backtracks.]]
** He thinks he knows absolutely everything there is to know about gay sex, as seen in "The Gang Sells Out," and considers himself to be a power-bottom. What really helps reinforce this trope is that he's actually quite accurate about the gay slang he brings up.
** In "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry", he tells Frank that back in college, he would stick the tip of his penis in his frat brothers' mouths and stick bananas up their asses. He also puts his balls in Mac's mouth in "Mac and Dennis: Manhunters."
** He always wanted to be a male model, and whenever this ambition of his resurfaces, campiness ensues.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: Downplayed, as he's unambiguously a despicable person, but the show occasionally drops hints to suggest that he may be even ''worse'' than he lets on and actually a serial killer and/or rapist. At the very least, he certainly seems to ''want'' to be the latter.
* AttentionWhore: He's very vain, and only feels validated when he's the center of everybody's attention.
-->'''Dee''': You don't care about the money, you just like the attention.
* 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.
--> '''Dennis:''' ''[after Dee accuses him of having "peaked" in high school]'' Peaked? ''Peaked'', Dee? Let me tell you something: I haven't even ''begun'' to peak. And when I ''do'' peak, you'll know. Because I'm gonna peak so hard that everybody in Philadelphia's gonna ''feel'' it.
--> '''Dennis:''' ''[after a nurse tells him she can't change what hospital room Dee is in]'' If you do not get my sister her stories, and a new room, as soon as possible, then '''[[SuddenlyShouting I WILL COME DOWN ON THIS HOSPITAL LIKE THE HAMMER OF]]''' '''''[[SuddenlyShouting THOR!]]''''' '''THE THUNDER OF MY VENGEANCE WILL ECHO THROUGH THESE CORRIDORS LIKE THE GUST OF A''' '''''THOUSAND''''' '''WINDS!'''
--> '''Dennis:''' ''[after a man calls his Range Rover a starter car]'' [[TranquilFury I have contained my rage for as long as possible]], but I shall unleash my fury upon you '''[[SuddenlyShouting LIKE THE CRASHING OF A]]''' '''''[[SuddenlyShouting THOUSAND]]''''' '''[[SuddenlyShouting WAVES!]]''' '''BEGONE, VILE MAN! BEGONE FROM ME! 'A STARTER CAR', THIS CAR IS A''' '''''FINISHER''''' '''CAR! A TRANSPORTER OF''' '''''GODS!''''' '''''[[AGodAmI THE GOLDEN GOD!]]''''' '''I AM UNTETHERED AND MY RAGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!'''
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: He's noted that he thinks people should be able to eat dogs, and he once [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior snapped the necks of multiple crows as a kid.]]
* BastardBastard: The illegitimate son of Bruce Mathis, and easily the cruelest of the Gang.
* BeautyIsBad: InUniverse, he's thought to be the most attractive member of the Gang. He's also the cruelest, and uses his good looks to prey on women.
* BerserkButton: Claiming that he peaked in high school, questioning his success with women, or suggesting that he isn't the social god he believes himself to be is not a good idea. He'll also lose it if you diss his Range Rover.
* BerserkerTears: He has a tendency towards crying and shouting when undergoing a VillainousBreakdown (see "High School Reunion" for a particularly vivid example).
* BigManOnCampus: He believes himself to have been this in both high school and college, referring to his college self as "a goddamn legend." It's outright stated that he was never one of the popular kids in high school, and the evidence leans against his college days as well (considering he was utterly shocked to find I CHUG DICK graffitied on his picture there).
* BreakTheHaughty: Several times throughout the series. Dennis holds his looks, his intellect, and his skills as a ladies man in high regard. Whenever any of these qualities gets called into question, the results tend to be spectacular.
* ButtMonkey: More so as the series progresses. By Season 10, Dennis's mental health has deteriorated to the point where he has lost his position as the ''de facto'' leader of the Gang, repeatedly strikes out in social situations, suffers from severe anxiety and sensory overload, and is overall a pathetic mess.
* CantTakeCriticism: To the point the buzzer in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" gave him an ''absolute'' breakdown.
* CampStraight: Dennis is obsessed with his own body and wears make-up.
-->'''Charlie:''' Are you wearing makeup?
-->'''Dennis:''' I'm always wearing a little bit of foundation, but that's not the point.
* CasanovaWannabe: Dennis does well with women, but he isn't the magnetic charmer that he considers himself to be. Later seasons reveal him to be an emotionally manipulative serial rapist targeting women too dim, vulnerable, trusting, or young to know better. When his seduction techniques ''do'' fail, he is quickly reduced to pathetic desperation or [[BerserkButton disturbing rage]]. He considers these women to have been wrapped around his finger, when the reality is that they usually figure out he's a bastard whenever they aren't in the moment.
* {{Catchphrase}}: [[BlatantLies "I don't give a shit"]], said whenever the Gang reels him in yet another ZanyScheme.
* CharacterDevelopment: Subtly undergoes this across Season 12, where he is repeatedly shown to have growing frustrations with how detached from reality the Gang has become, to the point of spending an entire episode ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness actually trying to just spend a day bar-tending without coming up with any kind of wacky scheme]]''. It reaches a head in the season finale, where he decides to leave Philadelphia to help raise his bastard son. However, StatusQuoIsGod still applies here, and come Season 13 he seems to have gotten all of this self-awareness out of his system, as he returns to Philly to resume getting into hi-jinks with the rest of the Gang as usual.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Largely as a result of his {{Flanderization}}. In the early seasons, Dennis was a vain, albeit relatively stable, {{Jerkass}} {{Casanova}} who has a desire to be a veterinarian, and even has a PetTheDog episode with a cat. His vanity is also played more sympathetically, with him starving himself and becoming a victim of Frank pimping him out. The later seasons portray him as a degenerate narcissist and borderline sociopath who is heavily implied to be a sexual predator, abuses Frank instead of the other way around, and loathes animals.
* TheCharmer: Considers himself to be this and, to his credit, is generally pretty good at making a good first impression on people.
* CommutingOnABus: In Season 13. Dennis returns at the end of the first episode following months of speculation about Glenn Howerton's continued role in the show, but his appearances throughout the rest of the season are fairly sporadic, with him being entirely absent from four of the ten episodes.
* ControlFreak: To the point of ordering dishes for the other members of the Gang at restaurants. A therapist becomes rather interested when he reveals that he's been keeping psychological dossiers of the Gang, having started Dee's 'file' when they were children.
* CrocodileTears: It's revealed that he carries around a piece of onion in his pocket to cry should the rest of the Gang ever expect him to appear sympathetic. When Mac learns that Dennis has been keeping him from reading the letters his dad sent him from prison, Dennis seemingly has a breakdown over the guilt he feels from hurting his "brother"... only for Charlie to spot the onion he has hidden in the palm of his hand and call him out.
* DeadpanSnarker: Tends to snark on the others' idiocy with callous indifference.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the OnlySaneMan, namely [[ManipulativeBastard what]] [[TheSociopath kind]] [[LackOfEmpathy of]] [[{{Narcissist}} person]] they would have to be to want to hang out with a group of insane assholes.
* DepravedBisexual: While his sexuality is [[AmbiguouslyBi ambiguous in-universe]], Dennis has committed non-consensual sexual acts against both men and women and is easily the cruelest member of the Gang.
* DirtyCoward: When getting mugged, he, like most of the Gang, ran away and pushed Dee closer to the mugger.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: He firmly believes that women can't rape men because AManIsAlwaysEager. [[spoiler: He was raped at fourteen by the school librarian, though he refuses to call it rape because he "wanted it"]].
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: While it's ambiguous how much he really means it, he does tell Dee he loves her when the Gang think they are about to drown in "The Gang Goes to Hell, Part 2".
* {{Ephebophile}}: He has an obsession with younger women: e.g. he only dated freshmen in High School, and in his mid-thirties still likes to go for 18-year-olds. Charlie points out that's kind of weird. While he has been shown to be disgusted and disturbed after learning that a woman he was seducing was underage, "Hero or Hate Crime?" reveals that he keeps track of the birthdays of the younger women he targets to ensure that he is able to have sex with them immediately after they turn 18, showing that, while he's willing to obey laws concerning age of consent, he ''really'' pushes them as much as he possibly can.
* EpicFail: Some of his attempts to seduce women end up going horribly, hilariously wrong. For example, in "Charlie and Dee Find Love", he tries to make a move on Charlie's new girlfriend by claiming to be good at tennis, and then removing his shirt in front of her to show off his body. Not only is he an embarrassingly bad tennis player who gets winded immediately, but the only thing Ruby has to say about his bare upper body is that he's very pale and in need of sunscreen.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: As much of a selfish and unfeeling sociopath Dennis is, he did love his mother to the point that [[spoiler:he broke down in tears when he sees his mother's corpse]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** For all his horrible treatment of Dee, he appears to hold some amount of genuine brotherly affection for her that only comes up in the worst of times. In "The Gang Broke Dee", he is the only member of the Gang who seems legitimately worried about Dee's now suicidal depression and, in his own twisted way, attempts to cheer her up. His fantasy in "The Gang Saves The Day" is also notably the only one besides Dee's herself that doesn't have her abruptly dying at the beginning of it. In "The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 2', right as he thinks they're all about to die, he turns to Dee and says, "Sis? I love you."
** [[spoiler: "Dennis' Double Life" ends with him deciding to go to North Dakota and raise his son, though he returns by the end of the next season premiere, while implying he hasn't completely burned his bridges]].
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: When Paddy's briefly became a gay bar. Mac also has feelings for him, which Dennis adamantly does not reciprocate.
* EvilIsHammy: The most evil member of the Gang just so happens to be one of its hammiest, rivaled only by, ironically, [[TheHeart Charlie]].
* EvilMentor: To "Abby" in "The Gang Goes to a Water Park," teaching her how to hone her affinity for conning and manipulating people.
* TheFace: He's the only member of the group who can function in certain social situations.
* FanDisservice: Occurs InUniverse in the episode "Dee Day," when Dee makes him [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prz7que9MT4 remove his makeup and other cosmetics]], which in turn reveals his true, hideous, goblin-like appearance.
-->'''Charlie:''' [[GlamourFailure That's what his soul looks like]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: Dennis is quite capable of appearing charming and even likable, but there's a definite sense of cruelty to his actions.
* {{Fetish}}:
** Filming people (including himself).
** Anonymous sex, particularly glory holes. Major plot point of "Mac & Charlie Die Part 2".
** Controlling someone else's life. Before it he was just creepily controlling over minor things like meal decisions, but Season 8's "Frank's Back in Business" confirms that it's a sexual thing when Dennis attempts to "get off" by impersonating a dead businessman.
** The Season 7 finale reveals he also has a thing for bondage, which actually ties in quite nicely with the control-freak tendencies mentioned above (though it's also implied the reason he uses duct-tape and rope for sex is that he's dealing with women who are... [[BlackComedyRape less than eager]]).
** By Season 13, it's revealed that he transformed his bedroom into a sex dungeon and Dee outright says he gets off at the idea that his victims have no escape.
* {{Flanderization}}:
** Like the rest of the Gang, Dennis' character traits become more exaggerated as the series progresses. Over time his interests in women have taken a dark turn into sexual predator territory, his behavioral patterns have become increasingly erratic and unstable, and his already massive ego has been inflated to AGodAmI proportions.
--->'''Dee:''' I can't get a read on him these days. He's just always cranky and irritated.
--->'''Frank:''' Rage-filled. Rapey.
--->'''Dee:''' It's like as the years go by, he just gets more and more irrational.
** The latest seasons actually make a conscious effort to ''reverse'' some of Dennis' Flanderization, at least in the context of his sociopathy. Along with being explicitly diagnosed with borderline personality disorder rather than sociopathy in "Psycho Pete Returns" (although that doesn't rule it out), "The Gang Tends Bar" has him outright state that he finds it incredibly hurtful and frustrating when his friends openly treat him as though he is devoid of any emotion.
* FreudianExcuse:
** His amoral father Frank relentlessly emotionally abused him. On the other side, his mother heavily favored him over Dee, constantly feeding his ego to the point that by ''high school'' he referred to himself as a "golden god."
** It is revealed that he [[spoiler: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]].
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The Season 13 premiere has everyone agree that he is a "bastard-man," but are so codependent on him that they welcome him back with open arms the minute he returns.
* FutureLoser: Frequently states that he was the BigManOnCampus while in high school (Dee spitefully notes that this was also the time when he peaked). [[spoiler:The Season 7 finale reveals that this was all a lie; Dennis was no more popular than Mac and Charlie. He was just deluded]].
* GibberishOfLove: Dennis is usually smooth and elegant in his attempts to attract women, but in the episode "The Storm of the Century", the {{buxom|IsBetter}} Jackie Denardo turns him into a stammering creep when he tries to hit on her.
* AGodAmI: For some reason, realizing that he controls his own life in "Charlie Rules the World" leads to this mindset. Later episodes show that he's believed himself to be a "Golden God" since at least ''high school'' and will take any excuse he can get to confirm it.
* GoingColdTurkey: Dennis and Dee get addicted to crack in a Season 2 episode, and then go cold turkey to get back to normal. Seasons later Dennis still occasionally gets the urge to smoke crack (which he suppresses).
-->'''Mac''': What do you want more than anything else in the entire world?
-->'''Dennis''': Crack.
-->'''Mac''': Oh. I thought you were going to say pizza.
* HairTriggerTemper: While he starts the series as a fairly cool-headed person, in later seasons even the slightest provocation sets him off. See SanitySlippage, below.
* HandsomeLech: Although Dennis isn't nearly as much of a Casanova as he thinks, he is still a serial womanizer. And he gets plenty of women and gay men interested in him. Just not as much as he thinks. In fact, many women are turned off his behavior, either thinking he's a {{Jerkass}} or CampGay.
* HasAType: Seems to have a particular affinity towards blondes with comically oversized breasts. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he usually seeks out younger, petite girls, though it's often not clear if he finds them attractive for their bodies or because they're often more trusting and easier to manipulate.
* HeelRealization: Mixed with a JerkassRealization at the end of "Dennis' Double Life, where after [[spoiler:holding his son for the first time, Dennis realizes what an asshole he's been and how he's wasted his life in the process, and leaves to make sure his son never grows up like him. [[IgnoredEpiphany At least until]] "The Gang Makes Paddy's Pub Great Again", where he returns to the pub to go back to his old ways]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
** With Mac. The two live together, work together, spend all their free time together, and check in with each other several times a day to make sure the other is okay. The commentary for "Mac and Dennis Break Up" has the staff (possibly jokingly) talk about the fact that Mac and Dennis are possibly gay and in a pre-sexual romantic relationship that neither is completely conscious of.
** Deconstructed in "Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs." The two buy a suburban home, with Dennis commuting to work and Mac being the "house-husband." As the weeks go by, the two [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything take on all the qualities of a married couple]]--and this drives them both ''completely insane.'' Mac is so frustrated by his lack of attention that he kills the dog Dennis bought to keep him company and feeds it to Dennis in his macaroni and cheese, while Dennis is sucked dry of his already-limited emotions thanks to the stress of commuting (plus not being able to participate in Frank and Charlie's schemes) and becomes an unfeeling, unblinking wreck ready to murder people at a moment's notice.
* HiddenDepths: The later seasons make him out to be the member of the Gang most consciously aware and concerned with how disconnected the group has become from reality, and also show that he's deeply hurt by the fact that his friends nonchalantly treat him like an emotionless psychopath (though not without good reason).
* HighSchoolSweethearts: In "Mac Fights Gay Marriage", he gets married to his high school girlfriend, Maureen Ponderosa. In a not so surprising turn of events, he quickly grows tired of her and they end up getting divorced a few weeks later, though with Dennis now having to pay her alimony.
* IgnoredEpiphany: While approximately the most awful member of the gang, he is roughly the most high-functioning and briefly has moments of insight as to how badly he and his friends have decayed both morally and mentally over the years such as in "The Gang Misses the Boat" and "The Gang Gets Trapped". Inevitably, he manages to shake off these realizations by the time the episode in question ends.
* IllKillYou: When he finds out it was Mac, and not Tim Murphy, who slept with his high school prom date.
* IncestSubtext: On one hand, he has a weird habit of calling his sister "baby", "babe" and "babygirl". They also slow-dance in "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off". On the other hand, he also is the loudest of all the Gang when it comes to insulting Dee and pointing out her every physical flaw (real or not), and when the guys were trying to figure out who got Dee pregnant and the signs were starting to point to him, Dennis literally would not stop vomiting. Most notably, in "The Gang Broke Dee", when Dee's about to leave, Dennis decides to go beyond subtext and gives her a speech about how he's perfect for her and loves her. It's possible he was just trying to manipulate her into taking him with her to Hollywood, but his reaction at the end of the episode implies ''some'' part of it was genuine.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Dennis' extreme vanity and over-inflated sense of self-importance are shown to be a front for intense insecurity, self-consciousness and self-loathing, and the smallest critiques tend to disproportionately distress him (e.g. Dee saying he has a "fat face" leads to Dennis not eating for three days). This is further illustrated in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight", where he is rendered near catatonic whenever he hears the wrong answer buzzer. Glenn Howerton has said that Dennis is actually the most fragile and insecure member of the Gang. He claims Dennis isn't a sociopath, but has strong emotions he can't handle and can only express it by getting angry. By this logic, his desire for control and manipulation of others is his way of assuring himself he'll always have their love and devotion (or at least their company).
* InsufferableImbecile: Dennis presents himself as the voice of reason in the group. While its true that he is more socially adept than the others, and somewhat more sensible, he is a vain, lustful, manipulative creep who displays almost sociopathic levels of LackOfEmpathy, severe emotional instability, and is heavily implied to be a SerialRapist who is clearly only better by comparison (it's implied he hangs out with the others entirely to make himself look better and because he enjoys manipulating them). He's admitted to not understanding basic economics, misunderstands the basic point of psychology (seeing its only purpose is to torture and control people), and believes any signed agreement (even non-officiated, made under duress or flat out illegal) is legally binding and can't be broken.
* InstantExpert: Thinks of himself as a cultured and multi-talented renaissance man who can pick up nearly all things with ease, but the reality is otherwise.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He couldn't care less about his friends most of the time.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to University of Pennsylvania and, unlike his sister, he graduated.
* JailBaitWait: Keeps track of the birthdays of under-aged girls so that he can have sex with them as soon as they turn 18.
* KarmaHoudini: The most likely member of the Gang to occasionally escape punishment.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Acts like he knows better than the rest of the Gang at almost all times, when in reality he is, at best, only marginally smarter than the rest of them and just as ignorant.
* LackOfEmpathy: He seems perfectly okay with horrible things happening to regular people. See TheSociopath entry for more details.
* LargeHam: Dennis is by far the most theatrical member of the Gang. The long-winded rants that he gives whenever he feels wronged make up a sizable chunk of the show's most often quoted dialogue.
* TheLeader: While the Gang constantly attempt to wrestle power from each other, Dennis, due to his comparative intelligence and status as a ManipulativeBastard ControlFreak, tends to assume the position of leader most frequently. His power over the others is usually circumstantial at best, however, and he can just as often come across as more of a LeaderWannabe.
* 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.]]
* LogicalWeakness: Given his extreme vanity, obsession with his appearance, incredibly fragile ego, and constant need for attention, any attack on his self-esteem is almost inevitably guaranteed to shatter him completely. It's best seen in "Dee Day" when one of Dee's challenges to Dennis is making him take off all of the cosmetics he uses to appear youthful (including concealer, hair dye, pectoral padding and tape to keep his face looking taut). When he does and shows his true haggard appearance, he's reduced to a babbling creep who can barely talk to women, let alone flirt with them.
* ManipulativeBastard: The [[FunWithAcronyms D.E.N.N.I.S.]] system is a masterclass in heartlessly manipulating a woman into having sex with you, stringing her along in a semi-relationship and then dumping her for the thrill of having her fall in love with you. (The acronym stands for '''D'''emonstrate value, '''E'''ngage physically, '''N'''urture dependence, '''N'''eglect emotionally, '''I'''nspire hope, '''S'''eparate entirely).
* AManIsAlwaysEager: He seems almost completely dominated by the whims of his dick, using [[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS05E10TheDENNISSystem his seduction system]] on every attractive woman he comes into contact with whether he consciously knows it or not.
** In "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E03WeddingMassacre Wedding Massacre]]" , he spends the whole episode trying to get his ex-wife Maureen (who was just getting married) to sign a contract to free him of alimony. By the end of the episode, he sabotages his own plan by having sex with her solely because she had a boob job. He then proceeds to cry out for help post-coitus when this causes Maureen to want to get back together with him.
** 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.
** In a slightly darker and more serious case of this trope, it's later revealed that Dennis was a victim of statutory rape as a teenager when he was taken advantage of by an adult in high school. When Dee tries to point this out to him he insists that it couldn't be rape due to this trope, despite how flimsy it sounds.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: With his sister Dee. Dennis is a NonActionGuy, the more polite and cultured of the two (as far as someone like him could be), and CampStraight. Also, unlike his more overtly aggressive sister, he normally demonstrates cruelty through snide put-downs and manipulation.
* MistakenForGay: His AmbiguouslyBi, CampStraight tendencies make him a frequent recipient of this attitude:
** In "The Gang Gets Racist", Terrell, Dee's friend from acting class, is quite ''interested'' in Dennis. When they turn the pub into a gay bar, the vain and greedy Dennis is perfectly comfortable with letting all the guys flirt with him as long as he's making cash and feeling good about himself.
--->'''Dee:''' You're not gay, you're just really vain.
** In "Charlie Wants an Abortion", a woman at the free clinic assumes Dennis is gay and waiting for his HIV results.
** In "The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell", his 1776 counterpart gets called a "sodomite".
** In "High School Reunion", a married woman who he's hitting on is confused when he says that he wants to show her what a boring piece of shit her husband is by doing sexual things to her: she thought he was gay because he gossiped about her husband and wore makeup and a girdle.
* MistakenForMurderer: In "Mac is a Serial Killer", Dee and Dennis pretend to be serial killers and stalk The Waitress. They get really into it, especially him.
* MistakenForPedophile: In "Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender", Dennis tries making neighborhood relations to distinguish himself from Wendell Albright, a sexual predator who moved in nearby (and happens to look exactly like a fatter version of Dennis). [[WithFriendsLikeThese Dee]] [[{{Invoked}} suggests he]] take off his shirt and wear a fake mustache to avoid looking like Wendell. Then she tells him to show that he cares about the kids at a playground by showing them fitness exercises. Dennis is convinced to do just that, and while he does so, Dee goes directly to the fathers to point out the half-naked sex offender hanging around their children.
* MommasBoy: Compared to Dee, Dennis had a loving relationship with his mother and he even breaks into tears when he sees [[spoiler:her decomposed corpse that Frank tricks the twins into digging up]].
* 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.
* {{Narcissist}}: For the ultimate example, in "Charlie Rules The World" he blows himself in a state of realization that he is God of his own universe. An example that is surprisingly true to the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology myth]] from which the term "narcissist" is derived is from "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty Magoo," when he considers himself the only model beautiful enough to show off his dress designs to Ingrid.
* NeatFreak: Keeps everything he owns in pristine condition, and freaks out when this gets threatened. He and fellow NeatFreak Mac do, however, manage to trash Dee's apartment and the suburban home they buy to escape it.
* NonActionGuy: While none of the Gang are particularly good fighters, Dennis is not only shown to be useless in a fight but in terrible shape, to the point of getting winded after playing a few seconds of tennis.
* NoodleIncident: It isn't entirely clear what brought him back to Philadelphia after making a big deal out of wanting to leave the city to raise his son at the end of Season 12.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: Dennis is only really socially adept in comparison to the other members of the Gang. When speaking to ordinary people, his HairTriggerTemper and fragile ego cause him to FreakOut constantly, making his instability obvious.
* NotGoodWithRejection: Dennis gets rejected hard, to his face, when he tries to woo Mac and Charlie's respective mothers, and starts to break down emotionally because of it.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Dennis, apparently the most normal of the Gang, is steadily revealed to be the most sociopathic of them all over time.
* OfCorsetsFunny: Dennis is so obsessed with primping that he wears a girdle when he wants to look his best.
* OnlySaneByComparison: Tends to play the OnlySaneMan more frequently than the rest of the Gang, being generally the most rational and intelligent one among them at any given time. However, this is horribly subverted just as frequently, as Dennis' NotSoAboveItAll moments almost always verge into TheSociopath territory. Later seasons also consistently portray Dennis as the member of the Gang most conscious of and concerned with just how heavily the group has undergone {{Flanderization}}.
* 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.
* {{Pluralses}}: In the episode "Flowers for Charlie", The Gang (minus Charlie and Frank) is trying to catch a mouse in the bar. Eventually they get sidetracked, sniff some gasoline to get high, and watch cat-vs-mouse cartoons. Dennis comments that, based on watching the show, "There's no winning with mices."
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Aside from his sexism, several episodes imply he has some serious racist tendencies. He does have enough awareness to keep his racism "presentable", though.
* ThePornomancer: Although Dennis doesn't necessarily live up to his ego, a lot of people have shown attraction to him. He has drawers full of sex tapes he's made of him and his partners.
* PresentAbsence: Despite him being absent throughout it, "Make Paddy's Great Again" revolves entirely around showcasing the stranglehold Dennis has over the rest of the Gang, to the point where they allow a sex doll in his likeness to completely dominate their lives. [[spoiler: His grand return in the final few minutes quickly undoes any lingering changes to the status quo his absence had caused.]]
* PromiscuityAfterRape: [[spoiler: His hypersexuality and disturbing notions about consent and women in general are implied to have come about as a result of him subconsciously attempting to cope with having been raped by a librarian when he was 14.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: While Mac and Charlie are more openly immature and childish, and Dee is more impulsive, aggressive, and drama-hungry, Dennis' immaturity takes form in the spiteful way he reacts when not given his way, his lack of responsibility and self-awareness and his inability to see the considerable psychological damage he inflicts on everyone around him as anything more than a game.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:Subverted. He leaves Philadelphia in the Season 12 finale and moves to North Dakota in order to be a father to his infant son. He returns in the following season's premiere, though not without making a point of saying that he's only back "for now".]]
* RapeAsBackstory: Season 11 reveals that he [[spoiler:was the victim of statutory rape at the age of 14 by a librarian 40 years older than him.]]
* ReallyGetsAround: As TheCasanova, he has quite an impressive list of conquests over the course of the series. Though it's increasingly implied at least a handful of said encounters were [[SerialRapist less than willing]]...
* RedOniBlueOni:
** Blue Oni to Mac's Red, though it's played with a bit. Dennis is generally more controlled and calculating than Mac is, but is also extremely prone to having full on screaming mental breakdowns whenever things don't go his way.
** He's also the icy and intelligent Blue to Dee's more reckless and impulsive Red.
* SanitySlippage: While Dennis starts out as the OnlySaneMan of the group, he is slowly revealed to hide anxiety, feelings of emptiness, anger issues, disordered eating, and mood swings beneath his MaskOfSanity. As he grows older, he finds it harder and harder to keep these issues under wraps, and he is eventually diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and prescribed medication.
* {{Schemer}}: The D.E.N.N.I.S. system for seducing women. Demonstrate value, Engage physically, Nurture dependence, Neglect emotionally, Inspire hope, Separate entirely.
* SecurityCling: Has a tendency to cling to Dee when he's particularly distressed or scared, such as when they dig up their dead mother.
* SelfServingMemory: Numerous times, most notably how he truly believes he was a "Golden God" in high school when in truth, everyone just thought he was a loser and rarely gave him any thought at all.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Played with in his dynamic with Mac. Despite being a waifish metrosexual, Dennis is clearly the more dominant, coldhearted and controlling half of the pair.
* SerialRapist: Frequently PlayedForLaughs, but the most notable example is probably his horrifying explanation of "the implication".
* SevenDeadlySins: Lust, Wrath and Vanity.
** Lust: He has a habit of pursuing and using sex to the point of him coming across as a sex addict, a misogynist and rapist. [[DisproportionateRetribution He has an environmental activist chained to a tree while he bangs his girlfriend just because he was rude to him earlier]] in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS03E01TheGangFindsADumpsterBaby The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby]]", sabotages his own plan to get out of paying alimony to his ex-wife in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS08E03WeddingMassacre Wedding Massacre]]" by seducing and having sex with her when he sees that she had a boob-job, and he gets himself throw into the brig when he stalks and comes on to a random cruise-goer in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS11E09TheGangGoesToHellPart1 The Gang Goes to Hell Part 1]]", making it seem like he was going to rape her. It is especially telling when he himself lampshaded that he has a problem with his lust earlier in the episode and vowed to not give in.
** Wrath. Despite seeing himself as the most level-headed of the Gang, he is the most likely to [[HairTriggerTemper snap into a rage before everyone else for even the smallest of things]], [[SanitySlippage a problem that has escalated as the series progresses]].
** Vanity: He is shown to be very vain, using questionable methods to maintain or enhance his appearance, like trying to use a chemical bath to improve his skin like in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS07E10HowMacGotFat How Mac Got Fat]]" or starve himself to the point of becoming a heath-risk in "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS07E01FranksPrettyWoman Frank's Pretty Woman]]". He was even deluded into having a God complex, thinking that he was a popular powerhouse in High School when really he was anything but.
* ShirtlessScene: In nearly every episode of season 3, Dennis "pops his shirt off."
* ShowSomeLeg: Much like his sister, Dennis often volunteers to seduce (or is tasked with seducing) somebody in order to further the Gang's plans.
* SissyVillain: A rare VillainProtagonist version.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: While he's not a nice person to start with, over the seasons Dennis slowly becomes more unhinged and sociopathic. (See SanitySlippage, above).
* SmallNameBigEgo: So much that this could probably be renamed ''The Dennis''. He has amounted to absolutely nothing in his life beyond having rich parents, yet has been referring to himself as a [[AGodAmI "Golden God"]] since ''high school!''
* SmugSnake: Nowhere near as smart or charming as he clearly thinks he is.
* TheSociopath: Frequently implied throughout the first nine seasons (as evidenced by the examples below) but possibly a [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in "Psycho Pete Returns" when he's officially diagnosed with [[http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml borderline personality disorder]], not sociopathy/antisocial personality disorder - but this was based on a single therapy session, so not only are other comorbid psychological issues, including sociopathy, ''not'' ruled out, but it'd be damn near impossible to accurately diagnose all of his issues in such a short amount of time.
-->'''Dennis:''' I am having - this is crazy - but I'm having feelings again, like some kind of 14 year-old kid or something. I mean, you remember feelings, right?\\
'''Mac:''' [[SarcasticConfession Yeah. I have feelings every single day of my life.]]\\
'''Dennis:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Do you?]]\\
'''Mac:''' [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe Are you saying you don't have]] ''[[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe feelings]]?''
** It gets ''really'' creepy in "The Gang Buys a Boat", where Dennis tells Mac the reason they bought the boat would be so he could bring women on it and have guaranteed sex with them. By his logic, a woman would never say no to sex on a boat because of "the [[ImpliedDeathThreat implication]]."
** His session in "The Gang Gets Analyzed" has him reveal to the therapist that he keeps "psychological dossiers" of the Gang (he started Dee's in ''second grade''), and proceeds to make a speech about how controlling people is like "standing next to the executioner's switch and knowing that at any time you could pull it".
** His whole subplot in "Charlie's Mom has Cancer" revolves around how he's stopped feeling emotions; lack of emotion is one of the biggest (if not ''the'' biggest) signs of a sociopath.
** When he reveals that he has an entire system for emotionally manipulating and abusing women, Dee straight up calls him one, with good reason. Other gags in various episodes imply he's perfectly comfortable with outright raping women, to the point of having a special hidden compartment in his car for duct tape and ropes.
** In "Psycho Pete Returns", Dee tries to con a psychiatrist into giving them a drug prescription (which they would then give to Psycho Pete) by pretending she's schizophrenic. Dennis, fed up with her bad acting, says the following with what appears to be complete sincerity, and everyone in the room is understandably horrified:
--->'''Dennis:''' Dee... I swear you would be of more use to me if I skinned you and turned your skin into a lampshade... or fashioned you into a piece of high-end luggage. I can even add you to my collection!\\
'''Dee:''' ... are you saying that you have a collection of skin luggage?\\
'''Dennis:''' Of course I'm not, Dee. Don't be ridiculous. Think of the smell. You haven't thought of the smell, you bitch! Now, you say another word and I swear to God I will dice you into a million little pieces... and put those pieces in a box. A glass box... that I will display on my mantel.\\
'''Dee:''' ''[gasps in horror]''
** "Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer" reveals that he ripped off the heads of an entire [[IncrediblyLamePun murder]] of crows as a child for fun, as well as the fact that he is capable of sitting in total silence for several hours without fidgeting even slightly. While he's revealed not to have been responsible for the death that the episode focuses on, even more evidence is provided to suggest that he ''has'' killed a person in the past, or is at least fully capable of doing so.
* SoftSpokenSadist: During his creepiest moments, Dennis speaks in an eerily calm and quiet voice.
* SpoiledBrat: Probably the worst possible example of what can happen to one. Not only is he incredibly vain and incapable of doing anything for himself, but he also has an enormous god complex, is totally amoral, and is heavily implied to be a serial rapist with sociopathic tendencies.
* StepfordSmiler: His affable, attractive exterior masks mental illness and feelings of emptiness.
-->'''Dennis''': I need something. I mean, I got this, uh, this giant, gaping hole inside me. And I'm... I'm always trying to fill it with something. I like to call it my, uh... my "God Hole". And I think a lot of people in this world, they fill it with religion. But I don't believe in God.
* StrawMisogynist: Considers Susan B. Anthony an example of a "bad woman."
* TenorBoy: Plays one of these during the production of "The Nightman Cometh" and in general isn't afraid of showing off his ''incredible'' falsetto.
* TerribleArtist: His "sketches" of women amount to little more than stick figures with comically oversized and simplistic-looking breasts.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: A darkly comedic example. Dennis appears to be the most well-adjusted, competent, and personable member of the Gang at first glance. Under the surface he's a ruthless sociopath whose favorite activities include manipulating women into sex and exercising total control over his friends' lives.
* TinMan: Dennis considers himself to be "the only rational and emotionless" person among his friends and claims he's incapable of feeling anything (see TheSociopath, above), but he's actually the member of the Gang most governed by emotions (albeit negative ones) and the one most likely to break into tears, rage or manic laughter at the slightest provocation.
* TokenEvilTeammate: While the whole group is made up of horrible people, Dennis is regularly proven to be the most despicable of them all.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: While technically each member of the Gang is guilty of this to some extent, Dennis deserves special mention. He is constantly being a domineering, condescending and manipulative bully who emotionally abuses his friends to a point where they are essentially barred from growing as individuals. More often than not, the rest of the Gang tends to be much more enthusiastic and supportive of one another whenever Dennis isn't around to crush their self-esteem.
* TranquilFury: Usually, when Dennis gets angry, he's a LargeHam who [[SuddenlyShouting screams abruptly]]. In "The Storm of the Century", however, he gets upset when he hits on two girls who are then revealed to have boyfriends:
-->'''Blonde girl:''' Sounds like fun. Can our boyfriends come too?\\
'''Dennis:''' ''[after his smile immediately turns into a scowl]'' ... you two have boyfriends? ''[in a low, calm voice]'' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis How did you not know... that the reason I invited you back to my bar... was to bang you]]?
* TraumaButton: The buzzer that goes off when someone gets an answer wrong in ''Family Fight''. Hearing it over and over caused him to have a nervous breakdown during the "Fast Money" round.
* TheUnfettered: There isn't a character in the series who comes close to fitting this trope as well as Dennis does; "the ends justify the means" could be his motto. As long as the result is one that he desires, he will do whatever it takes to get there, including (but not limited to) deliberately hurting other people so he can swoop in and be their savior. He's made girlfriends think someone is stalking them so Dennis can "save them" from said imaginary stalker, and he coerced Charlie into getting The Waitress stabbed (going as far as to specifically state that it's better if a major artery is hit) so Charlie could save her. In "Mac's Mom Burns Her House Down", Frank, under Dennis' advisement, gets Dee to drink so much cough syrup that she sleepwalks and falls down a flight of stairs, all so he could look like a good father by nursing her back to health.
* VillainousBreakdown: And each one is more glorious than the last.
** [[LargeHam "I REIGN SUPREME OVER EVERYONE IN THIS SCHOOL!]] I AM THE GOLDEN GOD OF THIS PLACE! I REIGN SUPREME! I! I!"
** When he's rejected by the wife of the man who had sex with his prom date at his high school reunion, he rushes out to his car and fetches items including ropes and duct tape. When questioned, he begins screaming that he needs his "tools" and that he needs to "bind and be bound."
** When he's rejected by his old fraternity, he becomes increasingly unhinged, screaming in harsh falsetto that they're all "idiots!" and he's "a goddamn legend!"
** In "The Gang Group Dates", he drives himself crazy over a dating app's rating system.
** Don't call his Range Rover (Eddie Bauer edition) a "starter car."
--> "I have contained my rage for as long as possible, but I shall unleash my fury upon YOU...LIKE THE CRASHING OF A ''THOUSAND'' WAVES! BE GONE, VILE MAN, BE GONE FROM ME! A STARTER CAR?! THIS CAR IS A ''FINISHER'' CAR. A TRANSPORTER OF GODS. THE '''''GOLDEN GOD!''''' I AM UNTETHERED AND MY RAGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!"
** In "Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs," the combination of his daily commute, not being able to scam people, and Mac's obsession with attention drive him so far over the edge that he's ready to murder people with a fireplace poker.
* WeightWoe: He has a very unhealthy relationship with food and with his body image, and on occasion starves himself to boost his attractiveness.
-->'''Dennis''': I am going to be 20 forever, Mac, because the older I become, the more vigilant I am. I don't eat lunch anymore, for instance. And on odd days, I don't eat breakfast.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Happens to him in the pilot when he wakes up the morning after getting blackout drunk, and finds himself naked in bed with someone who turns out to be a man. Becomes less ambiguous as to what happened when a second man emerges from the other room, slaps Dennis' rear, and asks him, "How's that ''ass'' feeling?"
* WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe: [[spoiler: His concern about his son having as bad of a childhood as he did is what motivates him to leave Philly to help raise it. Time will tell if it sticks.]]
* WickedPretentious: Dennis is a narcissistic creep who often sees himself as a cultured intellectual who's above everyone else, but he's pretty much a pathetic and immature delinquent who's not as cool and intelligent as he believes himself to be.
* WorthyOpponent: When tutoring a young girl in the art of deception, he is initially shocked but then very impressed when he realizes she was conning him the entire time.
* WouldntHurtAChild: When he's listening to his cassette tapes of his sexual encounters in "Thunder Gun Express," both the Dennis on the tape and the present Dennis are shocked and horrified when Allison, the subject of one of the tapes, says that she's actually 16. You can hear Dennis on the tape insisting that she leaves of his apartment right that second before current Dennis cuts it off and wonders aloud why he kept it.
