History Main / TheMccoy

That said, they help keep the drama of a situation ''personal'' both for the characters and the viewer, reminding us just why the LittlestCancerPatient deserves for TheHero to use the AppliedPhlebotinum that [[ItOnlyWorksOnce only works once]] on him rather than to [[YouCantGoHomeAgain get them home.]] To be fair, the [[TheSpock Spock]] can be just as compassionate, but is tempered with detachment and enough forethought to realize that [[EmotionsVsStoicism the right answer might not be the correct one]], ([[StrawVulcan illogical as that sounds]]). This makes them more willing to [[TheNeedsOfTheMany sacrifice a few people for many]] (or [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice themselves]]).

* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Sayaka and Madoka are the [=McCoys=] to Homura and Kyuubey's [[TheSpock Spocks]]. In this way, it almost seems to TakeAThirdOption when it comes to the EmotionsVsStoicism debate: Sayaka lives by her emotions and ends up paying for it [[spoiler:in every possible universe becoming a Witch in the main timeline]], Madoka [[spoiler:ends up rewriting the universe into a happier place through the PowerOfLove]], Homura is by far the most competent MagicalGirl outside Madoka and none of the latter's achievements would have been possible without her [[spoiler:and vice versa if her BackStory is any indication]], while Kyuubey has an arguable point in the goal he's working towards, but [[spoiler:does so in an inarguably cruel and heartless way]]. In other words? Neither is specifically better than the other, and in fact both may be necessary, depending on the situation.

* In Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}, Memetchi fits this trope, given the fact [[CharacterDevelopment she gets more emotional, bossy and selfish later on in the series]], despite this, she still means well.

** In the remastered version, Alicia has this trope written all over her face when she, her seconds, and Kyril arrive at an orc den. Believing that there are innocents inside the cave, Alicia resolves to rescue them even without Kyril's help. On a humorous note, she is surprised that he nods his head, since she expects that TheSpock next to her would leave the captives to their fates.
*** This trope is the reason why Alicia [[DidntThinkThisThrough screws up]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero big time]] in the [[StoryArc Feoh/Ur Arc]] of the story's original version. To illustrate, she sacrifices the fortress she is supposed to defend in exchange of a number of hostage nuns, which allows the Black Dogs [[ToWinWithoutFighting an easy]] [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs win]]. [[StupidSacrifice Yeah]].

* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books, Harry, Ron and Hermione start out as TheKirk, The [=McCoy=] and TheSpock respectively. Throughout the course of the novels, they all grow out of and beyond these labels, often switching around (Hermione's dedication to house-elf liberty is very [=McCoy=]-ish, for example) or not quite fitting any of them.

** Harry also acts as this at times, most prominently in ''Literature/GravePeril'' (where he absolutely refuses to abandon his girlfriend even knowing that it could mean an all out war with [[OurVampiresAreDifferent the Red Court]], [[spoiler:and it does indeed cause a war that nearly gets his own side wiped out]]), and ''Literature/{{Changes}}'' (where he goes against pretty much every piece of advice he'd previously given himself or others for the sake of rescuing [[spoiler:a daughter he hadn't even known existed until a day before]]).

* Beatrice Löwenström in ''Literature/{{Overenskommelser}}'' is impulsive and passionate, and she is never afraid to break the rules of high society or speak her mind. But she also cares about the welfare of others, like for example the children and women from a far less priviledged background than her own. And when it comes to helping her personal friends, her willingness to sacrifice herself for them ends with a disaster for her...

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Due a heavy emphasis on honor and bravery, Barristan becomes this to Jorah's Spock and Dany's Kirk.

* ''Series/LostInSpace'' had its own FreudianTrio with Will Robinson, the Robot and Doctor Smith. Ironically, the most logical of them all, the Robot, would frequently prove his great titanium alloy heart by performing a HeroicSacrifice for the crew.

** When Willow was kidnapped, the Scoobies (especially Oz) were the [=McCoy=], Giles was TheKirk and Wesley was TheSpock.

** Garibaldi fits very well the role of The [=McCoy=] as he's very emotional, bases his actions on his instinct and intuition and rarely sees the bigger picture. Both Ivanova and Franklin have similar Spockesque roles and interact with Garibaldi often enough.

* Zhaan, Chiana, and to a lesser degree Jool served as [=McCoys=] most often on ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. John did as well sometimes (especially in the first season), although he became more TheKirk as the series went along. Aeryn and D'Argo were usually Kirks, but on occasion they delved into [=McCoy=] territory, usually when it came to their loved ones (John, Pilot, and to a certain extent her mother for Aeryn, Jothee and Chiana for D'Argo).

* Rembrandt from ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' is clearly The [=McCoy=], as is the moral voice in many episodes, much more emotional and care a lot for others in a humanistic way. He's also much less interested in scientific approaches than his fellow sliders like Quinn, Arturo and to a lesser extend Wade.

* In ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG'', Rex fills this role, in contrast to the [[TheSpock more logical]] Frozeen and the [[TheKirk more practical]] Greybeard. He is guided largely by emotion for better or worse, and is prone to making passionate yet irrational decisions based upon what he believes is right in the moment. This includes his preferences for saving Mutant Dinos (in a war intended to exterminate them) and the way he'll respond if someone threatens a friend (such as attacking Pharisee and Bogart when they tried to place Amanda under custody, even though they were doing it for her own safety).

** Starting in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Joker ends up pairing off as The [=McCoy=] to [[SpaceshipGirl EDI's]] TheSpock, appropriate as EDI is a Artificial Intelligence. Jacob and Miranda have a similar dynamic as the two senior Cerberus officers aboard in [=ME2=], along with [[WrenchWench Tali]] and Legion. Creator/BioWare seems to enjoy this character dynamic.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' presents us with Liam Kosta, the former crisis relief specialist, who acts with his heart and pretty much only his heart. He doesn’t think things through, instead letting his emotions drive him all the way. This causes a near diplomatic incident, compromises the security of the Nexus space station and almost causes a rescue mission to end disastrously.
* Another take is in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' where Carth and Mission tend to take turns on this. They're higher on the KarmaMeter than the party's Jedi, quick to lose their tempers or say something sarcastic about someone's shady operation, and faster to call WhatTheHellHero when the PlayerCharacter does something dark-sided. Mission is a little more so because she's fourteen years old and hasn't grown up enough to see the point of gray morality. Carth believes more in the ideals of the Republic than the actual law, has little use for LawfulStupid Jedi dogma, and decides that he's going to be TheConscience for your PlayerCharacter.
* [[EnsembleDarkhorse Merrick]] from ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar Retribution'' objects violently to the notion that he and his men are cannon fodder. After an incident that ends with thousands of soldiers dying in a cataclysm, he attacks his commanding officer, and has the balls to tell him off whilst a commissar holds a gun to his head, itching to pull the trigger.

* Sora from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' . He openly believes any and all life and world has value. While ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' had him not believe that for the Nobodies (heavily implied to be the anger from the others in his heart effecting his emotions) by [=KH3D=] he's gotten over it and insists all Nobodies have value. And he repeatedly tries to reform the villains too.

** Durkon and Elan sometimes fall into this, in contrast with Vaarsuvius's TheSpock. Elan gets in trouble because of his good heart and poor sense, but gets out of it through his charisma and dumb luck. Durkon is more restrained, and forms an inversion of the usual temperaments with TheSpock, as he is an emotional rock compared to Vaarsuvius's fierce intellectualism.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' gives this kind of dynamic, albeit with shades of gray, with the Trinity: Franchise/{{Batman}} is clearly TheSpock and Franchise/{{Superman}} TheKirk, on the other hand the most emotional and hot blooded of them will be, of course, the brave Amazonian warrior Franchise/WonderWoman as The [=McCoy=].

The [=McCoy=] is HonorBeforeReason personified, and may occasionally be a StrawmanEmotional. Will sometimes use SaveThisPersonSaveTheWorld and / or ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder.

* A number of political controversies seem to be about [[EmotionsVsStoicism McCoyness versus Spockness]]. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment No Examples Please!]]

The [=McCoy=] is frequently a target for reminders about the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]]; one or more episodes might focus on how having his heart on his sleeve can actually cause [[TheCaretaker quite a bit of damage to the people he "helps" with the best of intentions]].

* Jack O'Neill in ''Series/StargateSG1'' was more often than not the [=McCoy=] in addition to TheKirk; playing a {{foil}} to the more rational Samantha and Daniel (Teal'c had his [=McCoy=] moments as well). He'd sometimes choose to help others, or incessantly bug Sam and Daniel to explain to him ''why'' they shouldn't help others.
** Daniel himself is more often the [=McCoy=], especially when he feels the current situation is SG-1's fault. O'Neill was more often the calm, rational military leader and Daniel has to convince everyone else on what was right.
*** Both Jack and Daniel could turn into [=McCoys=]. They'd often get into arguments, not about whether to help, but HOW to help. A prime example: in "Scorched Earth", an alien wants to terraform a planet so his civilization can be rebuilt there. The terraforming would kill the population already living there. Daniel wants to talk to the alien and reach a compromise. Jack wants to blow them up.
*** While Teal'c is usually the Spock, he has had his time as the [=McCoy=], usually when someone does something that sends him on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. There was an entire episode dedicated to such an event.

The [=McCoy=] still functions as an admirable character, however, due to his absolute devotion to his moral beliefs and his refusal to give in to what others may tell him. To him, there is no such thing as [[WeHaveReserves acceptable losses]] (unless offset by a larger return fitting the loss). And if you start claiming that [[WeHaveReserves numbers can be lost]] or that AMillionIsAStatistic, you can expect a thorough [[WhatTheHellHero chewing out for your coldness]]. In the [=McCoy=]'s mind, every life matters and everyone deserves to be saved. While TheSpock sees people as numbers in the greater picture, The [=McCoy=] sees people with real lives and emotions. Not that he's unwilling to listen to TheSpock; the [=McCoy=] ''does'' know the value of logic despite himself, but damn if his own argument loses legs in the process.

* Ironically, Jack [=McCoy=] of ''Series/LawAndOrder'' is not the [=McCoy=] for the show. That role is typically filled by the female A.D.A., except when Creator/AngieHarmon played that role as a conservative Republican, so they made the new D.A. a female college professor, and made ''her'' the [=McCoy=]. Of course, some can take it too far: Serena Southerlyn was too much the [=McCoy=], which resulted in her being fired. This also led to an example of SuddenlySexuality.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder: Roleplay]]

[[folder: Theatre]]

[[folder:Videogames]]

* In general, this is a common archetype for {{Shonen}} and HumongousMecha Anime protagonists, since most of them tend to be HotBlooded {{Emotional Bruiser}}s. Their balancing elements coming in the form of a [[TheRival a rival]], a [[TheLancer a best friend]], or a LoveInterest depending on the story.

* In general, this is a common archetype for {{Shonen}} and HumungousMecha Anime protagonists, since most of them tend to be HotBlooded {{Emotional Bruiser}}s. Their balancing elements coming in the form of a [[TheRival a rival]], a [[TheLancer a best friend]], or a LoveInterest depending on the story.

* In general, this is a common archetype for {{Shonen}} and MechaAnime protagonists, since most of them tend to be HotBlooded {{Emotional Bruiser}}s. Their balancing elements coming in the form of a [[TheRival a rival]], a [[TheLancer a best friend]], or a LoveInterest depending on the story.

* In the ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'', both Arachne and Ultra-Man fill the roll of the [=McCoy=]. Achilles, the team leader, is TheSpock, while Guardsman is TheKirk.

** There's a clear ideological bent this way in Starfleet medical school in general -- an inclination to take "first do no harm" as far as the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] allows it; this may be because subsequent series are a GenerationXerox of the first. (Starfleet members from [[DeepSouth the American South]] are also frequently like this.) Examples include [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Dr. Crusher]], who quite often would ignore rational ordeals and run into the battleground to try and save someone, and the more obnoxious Dr. Pulaski, [=McCoy=]'s DistaffCounterpart. They definitely take an oath like the Hippocratic one, perhaps a modern modification of the oath like [[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath_modern.html this one]], or perhaps something unique to the Federation.

* PowerRangers. In general, all the colors are this, although Reds tend to be the most [=McCoy=]-ish. (Cole, Casey, and Conner all get special mentions, though really any rookie Red counts.)

-->'''Mac [to Harm]:''' ''Look, you run on emotion. It's what makes you a good lawyer!''

* In ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'', John Adams is a [=McCoy=] protagonist, incredibly passionate about American independence. He starts a stick-fight with Dickinson at one point and nearly jeopardizes the entire vote over the anti-slavery clause, but he's an absolute {{Determinator}} about wanting freedom from England and rights for all citizens.

* Garrus Vakarian of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series evolves into this over the course of ''Mass Effect'' 1 & 2. By the second game, he forms a team of [[CowboyCop Cowboy cops]] to combat the corruption on the station in Omega. [[spoiler: True to the "Get into hot water" portion, his whole squad ends up massacred.]]

* In the ''[[Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Global Guardians]], both Arachne and Ultra-Man fill the roll of the [=McCoy=]. Achilles, the team leader, is TheSpock, while Guardsman is TheKirk.

* Snap from "WesternAnimation/{{ChalkZone}}". He's the most emotional of the main trio.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' gives this kind of dynamic, albeit with shades of gray, with the Trinity: Batman is clearly TheSpock and Superman TheKirk, on the other hand the most emotional and hot blooded of them will be, of course, the brave Amazonian warrior Wonder Woman as TheMcCoy.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'': Mccoy again, naturally.

The [=McCoy=] is HonorBeforeReason personified, and may occasionally be a StrawmanEmotional. Will sometimes use ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder.

The [=McCoy=] still functions as an admirable character, however, due to his absolute devotion to his moral beliefs and his refusal to give in to what others may tell him. To him, there is no such thing as [[WeHaveReserves acceptable losses]] (unless offset by a larger return fitting the loss). And if you start claiming that [[WeHaveReserves numbers can be lost]] or that AMillionIsAStatistic, you can expect a thorough [[WhatTheHellHero chewing out for your coldness]]. In the [=McCoy=]'s mind, every life matters and everyone deserves to be saved. While TheSpock sees people as numbers in the greater picture, The [=McCoy=] sees people with real lives and emotions. Not that he's unwilling to listen to TheSpock; he just doesn't want his own argument to lose legs in the process.

** Harry also acts as this at times, most prominently in ''Grave Peril'' (where he absolutely refuses to abandon his girlfriend even knowing that it could mean an all out war with [[OurVampiresAreDifferent the Red Court]], [[spoiler: and it does indeed cause a war that nearly gets his own side wiped out]]), and ''Changes'' (where he goes against pretty much every piece of advice he'd previously given himself or others for the sake of rescuing [[spoiler: a daughter he hadn't even known existed until a day before]]).
** However, it should be noted that this mindset is heavily deconstructed in all of those examples; [[spoiler: Titania's]] "wisdom of the heart" makes her unhelpful even when all of reality (including her own domain) is at stake if Harry fails, and Harry's actions have truly disastrous repercussions for the world and the people he cares about (predictably for TheMcCoy, the latter hits him much harder than the former).
* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': Cassie tends to be this. At an early point of the story, she goes into TenMinuteRetirement because she needlessly killed an enemy {{Mook}}, even though defecting means indirectly endangering the human kind itself.

* In ''Videogame KidIcarusUprising'', during the Aurum arc we had Viridi, to [[TheKirk Pit]] and [[TheSpock Palutena]]

* The titular character from ''SonicTheHedgehog'', in contrast to [[TheKirk Tails]] and [[TheSpock Knuckles]].