History Main / JadedWashout

* DonaldDuck in DisneyComics.

Compare with UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, ThisLoserIsYou, ICouldaBeenAContender. The JerkJock has a particular tendency to evolve into one of these. Contrast SmallNameBigEgo.

Compare with UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, ThisLoserIsYou. The JerkJock has a particular tendency to evolve into one of these. Contrast SmallNameBigEgo.

* [[Yahtzee]] of ''ZeroPunctuation'' likes to portray himself as one.

* Former TropeNamer Al Bundy, from ''MarriedWithChildren''. Once Polk High's most notable players ("[[MemeticMutation ...scored four touchdowns in one game]]"), now a pathetic shoe salesman married to another JadedWashOut -- a former [[AlphaBitch mean girl]] and [[ReallyGetsAround high school bicycle]] Peggy Wanker -- with two hell-raising children and a shiftless dog. Although anyone who has worked in a degrading, low-paying, miserable, [[OverlyLongGag menial]], service-industry job may find him less of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist than people who haven't. (Work a job where you are regularly [[UnsatisfiableCustomer abused by customers]] for a few years and Al Bundy will be your patron saint.) Although a chauvinist, a loud mouth, and a loser, Al Bundy himself isn't without his virtues. [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther He genuinely loves his wife and family]] though [[{{Tsundere}} he won't admit it outright]], [[AllTakeAndNoGive regularly sacrificed for his children and his wife]], and would never cheat on his lazy, bonbon-eating, whiny, sex-starved wife Peg (though he does go to the nudie bar and reads porno mags like ''Playboy'' and ''Big Uns'')

** Making Howard a bizarre combination of the JadedWashout and the TedBaxter, since he variates between thinking he's a smooth talking, artistic, dark and brooding genius, with understanding that he's utterly pathetic

* Former TropeNamer Al Bundy, from ''MarriedWithChildren''. Although anyone who has worked in a degrading, low-paying, miserable, [[OverlyLongGag menial]], service-industry job may find him less of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist than people who haven't. (Work a job where you are regularly [[UnsatisfiableCustomer abused by customers]] for a few years and Al Bundy will be your patron saint.) Although a chauvinist, a loud mouth, and a loser, Al Bundy himself isn't without his virtues. [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther He genuinely loves his wife and family]] though [[{{Tsundere}} he won't admit it outright]], [[AllTakeAndNoGive regularly sacrificed for his children and his wife]], and would never cheat on his lazy, bonbon-eating, whiny, sex-starved wife Peg (though he does go to the nudie bar and reads porno mags like ''Playboy'' and ''Big Uns'')

* Former TropeNamer Al Bundy, from ''MarriedWithChildren''. Although anyone who has worked in a degrading, low-paying, miserable, [[OverlyLongGag menial]], service-industry job may find him less of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist than people who haven't. (Work a job where you are regularly [[UnsatisfiableCustomer abused by customers]] for a few years and Al Bundy will be your patron saint.) Although a chauvinist, a loud mouth, and a loser, Al Bundy himself isn't without his virtues. [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther He genuinely loves his wife and family]] though he was loath to admit it, [[AllTakeAndNoGive regularly sacrificed for his children]], and would never cheat on Peggy. (But he did go to the [[BikiniBar Nudie Bar]] and loved his [[PornStash Big'Uns]].)
* Jack Malloy, from the ''MWC'' [[strike:ripoff]] -inspired sitcom ''Unhappily Ever After''. Used car salesman.

** Another interpretation is that everyone knows Walt is a JadedWashout [[{{Hypocrite}} except himself]]: His wife asked his catholic priest to watch after him after her death because she knows that he has no connection to his sons. Everyone thinks he is an old crazy man. Only after Walt realizes his racism is a flimsy excuse to feel better at the expense of others can he defy this trope and be a hero.

** Or the trope namer who ended up marrying The Red Haired Girl.

** Another interpretation is that everyone knows Walt is a JadedWashout [[{{Hypocrite}} except himself]]: His wife asked his catholic priest to watch after him after her death because she knows that he has no connection to his sons. Everyone thinks he is an old crazy man. Only after Walt realizes his racism is a flimsy excuse to feel better at expense of others, that he can defy this trope and be a hero.

* [[TheMightyBoosh Howard Moon]]. Only without the "past glories" part. Any time he makes reference to any kind of former triumph, you get the distinct impression he's wildly exaggarating, or just lying outright.

* Former TropeNamer Al Bundy, from ''MarriedWithChildren''. Although anyone who has worked degrading, low-paying, miserable, [[OverlyLongGag menial]], service-industry job may find him less of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist than people who haven't. (Work a job where you are regularly [[UnsatisfiableCustomer abused by customers]] for a few years and Al Bundy will be your patron saint.) Although a chauvinist, a loud mouth, and a loser, Al Bundy himself isn't without his virtues. [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther He genuinely loves his wife and family]] though he was loath to admit it, [[AllTakeAndNoGive regularly sacrificed for his children]], and would never cheat on Peggy. (But he did go to the [[BikiniBar Nudie Bar]] and loved his [[PornStash Big'Uns]].)

* TheNostalgiaChick knows she's a waste of space deep down. When Dark Nella is about to end her pitiful, nerdy, judgemental, shut-in existence, she's only really upset at being called nerdy.
** WebOriginal/TheNostalgiaCritic had a year long StoryArc where he was getting more and more miserable about his job, involving bitching at other contributors for doing it better than him and trying to invade a [[{{Kickassia}} country]] because he was desperate for some kind of power.
** With WebOriginal/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses's ongoing HumiliationConga, we get to watch the process of how someone can go from cool and collected to almost completely pitiful.

* Pete Hornberger from ''[[ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'' is implied to be this at home. However, ''30 Rock'' is a WorkCom, not a DomCom, so we never actually see Pete at home, and don't see much of his wife, either.

** Likewise, the NostalgiaCritic went through an arc where he becomes horribly depressed with his life, after the director of the ''My Pet Monster'' movie pities him for having to watch bad movies and complain about them on the internet for a living. Critic spends an entire episode trying to cheer himself up with old commercials, but then realizes what he's doing is even ''more'' pathetic. He looks at a picture of himself as a child and marvels at the fact that he used to have hopes and dreams. But just before he can cross the DespairEventHorizon, he comes to his senses, sings a parody of [[NightmareBeforeChristmas Poor Jack]], and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome thoroughly embraces his nature as a critic]].

* Former TropeNamer Al Bundy, from ''MarriedWithChildren''. Although anyone who has worked degrading, low-paying, miserable, [[OverlyLongGag menial]], service-industry job may find him less of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist than people who haven't. (Work a job where you are regularly [[UnsatisfiableCustomer abused by customers]] for a few years and Al Bundy will be your patron saint.) Although a chauvinist, a loud mouth, and a loser, Al Bundy himself isn't without his virtues. [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther He genuinely loves his wife and family]] though he was loathed to admit it, [[AllTakeAndNoGive regularly sacrificed for his children]], and would never cheat on Peggy. (But he did go to the [[BikiniBar Nudie Bar]] and loved his [[PornStash Big'Uns]].)

* Walt of ''GranTorino''.
** Subverted in that Walt is genuinely BadAss.
*** And more subverted with while his family don't pay much attention for him, the rest of his neighbourhood seems to respect him enough.

** Or the trope namer who ended up marrying The Red Haired Girl

* The SmallNameBigEgo page mentions a couple of high-school-jock types (Dash from DannyPhantom, and the Bradster from AmericanDragonJakeLong) who are actually prototypical {{Jaded Washout}}s; completely aware that, lacking any real redeeming features, these are their glory days, and they're keen to milk the time for all it's worth, before they flunk out of college and spend the rest of their lives pining for a time they spent making sure the unpopular kids would be too resentful to show up to the high school reunion.

* Former TropeNamer Al Bundy, from ''MarriedWithChildren''. Although anyone who has worked degrading, low-paying, miserable, [[OverlyLongGag menial]], service-industry job may find him less of an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist than people who haven't. (Work a job where you are regularly [[UnsatisfiableCustomer abused by customers]] for a few years and Al Bundy will be your patron saint.) Although a chauvinist, a loud mouth, and a loser, Al Bundy himself isn't without his virtues. He genuinely loves his [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther wife]] and family though he was loathed to admit it, [[AllTakeAndNoGive regularly sacrificed for his children]], and would never cheat on Peggy. (But he did go to the [[BikiniBar Nudie Bar]] and loved his [[PornStash Big'Uns]].)

Compare with UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, LoserGuy. The JerkJock has a particular tendency to evolve into one of these. Contrast SmallNameBigEgo.