History Main / TheWonka

* [[InsistentTerminology Captain]] Jack Sparrow (another Johnny Depp role) from ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', although he's not really ruler of much other than a few mangy pirates. Still, a good pirate? Yes. A quick thinker? Definitely. Completely unpredictable? Foppish or odd mannerisms? Crazy ideas? Absolutely. When asked if being stranded on a desert island for months and suffering heatstroke was the reason for his... eccentricity, Mr. Gibbs rather flatly (and honestly) replies "Reason's got nothin' to do with it, mate." Sparrow's always been the way he is; a genius mix of madness, ObfuscatingInsanity[=/=]ObfuscatingStupidity and ConfusionFu. Somehow, it works. Usually. [[CatchPhrase Savvy?]]

* John Porter of ''ComicBook/DamageControl''. Given the nature of the cases they have to deal with, it's understandable.
* Reed Richards of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' drifts near to this trope sometimes. His wife usually has to reel him back in.
* Comicbook/IronMan: Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, can be a bit of an oddball.

* Rotor Walrus from ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', especially during the early comics. To put it in perspective, in the future he will create the living computer NICOLE; as a kid, he grossed his friends out trying to make ''carbonated milk shakes''.

** In the second season, we meet Varrick, a Southern Water Tribe shipping magnate who varies from goofy to serious and salient and back again all in the same wacky tone of voice. Despite his wild eccentricities he is a brilliant investor and inventor.

* The central premise of ''Series/OhsamaSentaiKingOhger'' is that each team member is the ruler of their own kingdom in the world of Tikyū, with every single one of them proving to be an effective and just ruler who is very dedicated to the safety and prosperity of their country and people. However, they are still a Franchise/SuperSentai'' group, meaning they all quite quirky and downright eccentric as they go about their day-to-day duties.

* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic anchors the Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses organization with his insightful, poignant analysis of nostalgic popular culture. His personality, however, ranges from ManChild to violent, criminal insanity. More than once, mental health professionals -- apparently always standing by off camera in case of complete psychotic break -- have [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqon0nVWA4A intervened]] during reviews. It gets deconstructed, as he's regularly depressed that his only talent seems to be riffing on cheesy nostalgia.

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The Wonka makes perfect sense to himself (and is usually male), but utterly confuses those around him and leaves them wondering whether or not he really is all there. The NaiveNewcomer will think he's genuinely nuts until he does something amazing that proves he's merely using a different brand of logic. Long term employees will either [[BeleagueredAssistant groan at the craziness]], become like him, or be so desensitized they'll regard it as mundane and [[WeirdnessCensor pay no attention]].

* Judge Harry Stone from ''Series/NightCourt''. As he points out in one episode, he might have been last on the list of people considered for becoming a judge but he was on the list nevertheless.
** In the same episode, Harry explains how he became a judge. In a nutshell: The exiting Mayor of New York had to appoint a judge before he left office. It was a Sunday and he went down the list, calling the prospective candidates. He got to the last name on the list, which was Harry, and got through. As Harry put it, he was appointed that Sunday because "I was home."

* Literature/MrLemoncello, from the books of the same name speaks mostly in [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]], dances around wearing burping banana shoes, and builds extremely high-tech libraries, but his company is very successful thanks to their creative games. He’s compared to the TropeNamer in the first book.

* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'': Goro Majima. Where do we begin? Between his increasingly bizarre dress sense, penchant for crossdressing, thick and blatantly fake KansaiRegionalAccent and tendency to obsess over things like karaoke, slot car racing and fighting series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, he definitely has the nuttiness down pat. However, he is also an extremely savvy businessman, who managed to claw himself from being a nobody to one of the most powerful men in the Japanese underworld, while running a number of extremely profitable businesses on the side. His subordinates respect his skills and groan at his antics, and remain steadfastly loyal even when Majima decides they've earned a beatdown.

* Shinra's father in ''{{LightNovel/Durarara}}'' Apparently a relatively well-respected doctor, he goes around everywhere with his lab coat on and a gas mask. After all, everyone knows lab coats protect your body from contamination (that's why you wear them in the lab) and modern-day city air is so filthy it's bad for your lungs.

* [[TropeNamer Willy Wonka]] from ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' by Creator/RoaldDahl. Wonka is the most famous candymaker in the world, his imaginative sweets such SeriousBusiness that he was forced to become a ReclusiveArtist due to corporate espionage. As the finders of five Golden Tickets hidden in Wonka chocolate bars -- who win a guided tour of his factory, which has not been open to the public in years and even its workforce is never seen entering or exiting it -- learn, he is something of a wonder-filled MadScientist of sweetmaking, his secret workforce consists of an imported tribe of doll-sized people who love cacao beans, he does not operate under the same rules as the rest of humanity, and he will roll right past your questions without stopping. And '''heaven forbid''' you disregard his warnings while on the tour. He also turns out to be a TricksterMentor and InexplicablyAwesome, as no explanation for ''how'' he turned out the way he is turns up. His inherent brilliance seems even more so in [[Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator the sequel]], in which he helps rescue most of the crew of a space hotel from carnivorous aliens ''and'' turns out to have invented a fountain-of-youth pill. The original novel [[AdaptationOverdosed has been adapted many times]]; prominent [[InterpretativeCharacter interpretations]] of Wonka include:

-->-- On Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. in ''Series/{{JAG}}''

* ''Franchise/OnePiece'':
** Monkey D. Luffy may not be [[TrueCompanions a loner]], but he's TheCaptain and definitely operates on an entirely different wavelength compared to normal people.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': The current head of the Dr. Wondertainment toy company, [[OverlyLongName Dr. Isabel Helga Anastasia Parvati Wondertainment]], is a hyperactive WomanChild who binges on sweets regularly and has an army of pet corgis, all named Jeremy. She's also the possibly-magic/possibly-reality-warper genius behind most, if not all, of the Dr. Wondertainment products the Foundation currently holds. She's basically if Willy Wonka had a twin sister who made toys instead of candy[[note]]Although she's made candy as well[[/note]] and had an even more fucked up sense of whimsy, even though tales focused on her indicate that she does genuinely want to bring wonder and joy to people.

** Creator/GeneWilder's in the definitive 1971 film adaptation. He loves to ignore others' comments because of what's Really Important right now while reciting a bit of doggerel, throwing in a pithy quote or [[DeadpanSnarker other choice bit of sarcasm]] as a bonus. And let's not get started on [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment the boat ride]], which is simply him terrifying his guests for fun.

* Dave of ''Machinima/CivilProtection'' is prone to doing whatever random thing comes into his head, like pretending to be a ninja because he's bored. He does seem to be the smarter of the two main characters, though, and he knows a lot of random trivia (often about dangerous things, like how to make napalm).

'''Bud:''' Improper? No. Unconventional. Yes!

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** In the second season, we meet Varrick, a southern water tribe shipping magnate who varies from goofy to serious and salient and back again all in the same wacky tone of voice. Despite his wild eccentricities he is a brilliant investor and inventor.

* Charlie Crews, the DefectiveDetective and ZenSurvivor in ''Series/{{Life}}''. In the first season, his more level-headed partner is guaranteed to question his sanity and/or stare at him in total incomprehension at least once per episode. This lessens during the second season, but it's outright stated that this is because she's getting more like him, not the other way around.

* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'': Goro Majima. Where do we begin? Between his increasingly bizarre dress sense, penchant for crossdressing, thick and blatantly fake UsefulNotes/KansaiRegionalAccent and tendency to obsess over things like karaoke, slot car racing and fighting series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, he definitely has the nuttiness down pat. However, he is also an extremely savvy businessman, who managed to claw himself from being a nobody to one of the most powerful men in the Japanese underworld, while running a number of extremely profitable businesses on the side. His subordinates respect his skills and groan at his antics, and remain steadfastly loyal even when Majima decides they've earned a beatdown.