History Characters / Trainspotting

* TeenyWeenie: When Allison looks at Spud's penis while he's passed out she remarks that "it's not much".

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: By stealing Tommy's sextape Renton accidentaly caused the destruction of Tommy and Lizzie's relationship causing Tommy to turn to heroin which results in his death from AIDS. Downplayed, as it is implied that even before the sex tape incident Tommy and Lizzie's relationship was already on the rocks.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: By stealing Tommy's sextape Renton accidentaly caused the destruction of Tommy and Lizzie's relationship causing Tommy to turn to heroin which result in his death from AIDS. Downplayed, as it is implied that even before the sex tape incident Tommy and Lizzie's relationship was already on the rocks.

* ByronicHero: On Wiki/TheOtherWiki, he's described as a "combination of a Byronic hero and villain."

A washed up former star striker. His drug of choice is booze, and in [[UpToEleven quantities to put even any of his peeve-friendly pals to shame.]] In the original novel, he is one of the five who journey down to London for the big heroin deal. By the time of ''Porno'', he's teetotal, found God and wants as little to do with the lads as possible. Second Prize's constant battle with the bottle mirrors the others’ dalliance with heroin and highlights the other social problems facing contemporary Scotland: namely, alcoholism.

* ManipulativeBastard

* NietzscheWannabe

* DoesntLikeGuns: Zig zagged. Not out of morality, he just thinks they're boring. In the film, he's not above using a replica firearm as a WeaponForIntimidation. Same thing for an actual handgun in ''Dead Men's Trousers'', although he doesn't end up firing it.

* HairTriggerTemper: He's almost as dangerous to his "mates" as he is to everyone else. Renton even outlines a number of Begbie's myths that the gang must play along with, so as not to get beaten up.

* KnifeNut: In the movie, he always carries a "chib" with him and pulls it on just about everyone who sets him off. Averted in the books, where he prefers knitting needles and screwdrivers, since he finds it easier to stick them in between someone's ribs. Also enjoys the [[GrievousBottleyHarm similar sharp weapon of alcohol bottles and glasses.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The last we see of him in ''Porno'', he's been stabbed in the back by [[KnifeNut Larry Wylie]] - a fellow psycho associated with Begbie. [[spoiler: He returns briefly in ''The Blade Artist'', still working for Davie "Tyrone" Power, only to be stabbed in the back again, this time by Begbie [[CallBack using a sharpened knitting needle]]]].

* KnifeNut: Is said to be particularly deadly with a knife, [[spoiler: and proves it when he stabs Nelly in the back towards the end of ''Porno''. Albeit, his victim recovered eventually]].

* BiggusDickus: He's pretty well hung, which makes him perfect for Sick Boy's porn movies.

->Played by Ewen Bremner

* DespairEventHorizon: Losing Lizzie.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Second Prize.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold

%% MixedAncestry: He's very proud of his Italian heritage, inherited from his mother.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Sick Boy prior to ''Porno''. [[spoiler: They reaffirm their friendship by the end of ''Film/T2Trainspotting'', in contrast to the ending of ''Porno'', where Renton burns his bridges with Sick Boy seeminbgly for good after finding out he intended to sic Begbie on him all along]].

* AdaptedOut: Isn't in the stage play.

* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler: Sadly dies of a heart attack after having his kidney removed in ''Dead Men's Trousers'']].

* ZeroPercentApprovalrating: His own "friends" are scared of him, his own son wants nothing to do with him, if there is any character who actually has any affection for Begbie, we don't see them.

* TextualCelebrityResemblance: Alison mentions that he looks like Creator/HarrisonFord.

--> "Matty was the shitest guitarest he'd known, and could only play the Doors' 'Roadhouse Blues' and a few Clash and Status Quo numbers with any sort of proficiency. He tried hard to do the riff from 'Clash City Rockers', but could never quite master it. Nonetheless, Matty loved that Fender Strat. It was the last thing he sold, holding onto it after the amplifier had been flogged off in order to fill his veins with shite."

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Sick Boy prior to ''Porno''. [[spoiler: They reaffirm their friendship by the end of ''Film/T2Trainspotting'', in contrast to the ending of ''Porno'', where Renton burns his bridges with Sick Boy for good after finding out he intended to sic Begbie on him all along]].

* DreadfulMusician: He loved playing the guitar, even holding onto it as his addiction drove him to sell everything else. Renton describes him as the shittest guitarist he'd ever known.

** He gets a few more in ''Dead Men's Trousers'', notably being delighted when his son comes out as gay.

* BadassMustache: In the film anyway.
** At least by the era of 2015-16, it appears to be the case for the books too, according to the cover art of ''The Blade Artist'' (a slashed up photo of a real life Franco doppleganger) and the tripped out [[spoiler: DMT hallucinations]] illustrated in ''Dead Men's Trousers''.

* DreadfulMusician: He loved playing the guitar, even holding onto it as his addiction drove him to sell everything else. Renton describes him as the shitest guitarist he'd ever known.

* {{Jerkass}}

* MixedAncestry: He's very proud of his Italian heritage, inherited from his mother.

* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Most definitely evil smoking. Gives it up by the mid NewTens.

* ParentalIncest

Begbie's new wife, a prison psychologist who sees something in him few others do and causes him to find redemption and a career in art. They move to her home state of California, where they have a beautiful pair of daughters.

* AbstractApotheosis: Said to be a personification of the brutal nature of Leith itself (in the pre-gentrifiation era anyway), perhaps moreso than any other nutter. May also apply for his softer, more jocular side vis-a-vis the district.

* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: Complications from the MeatgrinderSurgery to remove his kidney and a bag of skag in ''Dead Men's Trousers'' results in him suffering a fatal heart attack.]]

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: He gets one at the end of the film. It's the closing monologue to the film that closely mirrors his opening monologue.

** Subverted when you look at the trilogy overall. Sick Boy ''wants'' you to think of him as a loveable rogue, all the better for him to manipulate you. He's fooled his friends, anyone he can get business off of, his mother and sisters, Renton's parents (and they are also taken in by Franco and Billy's public personas so [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter clearly aren't the best judges of character]]) and of course the innumerable women he's been with. He only had two narrated chapters in the original, but got many more in ''Literature/{{Skagboys}}'' and ''Literature/{{Porno}}'' which go a very long way to show you what a scumbag he really is. Combined with other characters narrating about finding out sooner or later about his true nature, the reader is in no doubts he that is an extremely ropey, unlikeable individual. [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation It was to his benefit that Renton and Spud could have been interpreted as giving him a bad press]] in the original.