History Main / TroubledbutCute

** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' adds in pre-superheroism [[ComicBook/{{Storm}} Ororo Munroe]], a thief struggling to get by in the streets of Cairo, who accepts to be taken under the wing of a supervillain without problem.

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': The title character is a deeply disturbed loner with a dangerous, murderous side and DarkAndTroubledPast. He's also handsome, charming, and can be ''genuinely'' adorable.

** [[Characters/StevenUniversePearl Pearl]]. She gets the mayor's unwanted attention and the interest of a tough woman that looks like Rose. Although she eventually learned to be more independent, she never truly overcame her feelings for Steve's mother.

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See also: TheWoobie, BrokenBird, DracoInLeatherPants, EvilIsCool, EvilIsSexy, DontYouDarePityMe, GothsHaveItHard, JerkassWoobie. Can overlap with MrFanservice.

** Alex Russo pulls it off much better. She manages this without being a BrokenBird, as a part of her rebellious CoolLoser status and charm.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}. Has attracted a number of women, including villains, and is the TropeNamer for DatingCatwoman. But he also lost his parents at a young age, he suffers from SurvivorsGuilt, has seen some of the orphans he took in and [[spoiler:his own son]] die, and another [[spoiler: become a SerialKiller]]
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}:
** Pre-Crisis Supergirl was innocent and gullible, but her modern incarnations fit this trope.
** [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis]] Kara Zor-El was at the beginning an emotionally unstable, quick-tempered jerkass due to Kryptonite-poisoning and being a teenager stranded in a strange land (she got over her issues and got better after a while, though). She is also an AmazonianBeauty and boys were obsessed with her, especially during her "troubled teenager" phase.
** [[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 Post-Flashpoint]] Supergirl was a lonely, sad, hot-tempered, HotBlooded teenager with abandonment and anger issues -''a ton of'' anger issues- before CharacterDevelopment kicked off. She was also a Guy Magnet. Once she asked a boy if he wasn't frightened of her, and he said no because she was beautiful.
* ComicBook/{{X 23}}. Troubled is an understatement. She was created to be a living weapon, tried to rebel against her training, ended up as a teenage prostitute, and then, after joining Xavier's School, ended up conscripted to ComicBook/XForce, a squad created specifically to kill people that ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} deemed a threat to mutantkind, which has alienated many of her very few friends. The books make it very clear that Laura is a very beautiful young woman: several characters have outright called her hot, when planning to pull a GrandTheftMe on her Miss Sinister expressed satisfaction she would be getting a very attractive new body, and she caught the attention of both pretty boy Hellion ''and'' the time-displaced teenaged Cyclops, before eventually getting together with ''the'' pretty boy of the X-Men, time-displaced teenaged Angel (and this despite being on a team with the teenaged ''ComicBook/JeanGrey'').
* Franchise/SpiderMan. Brilliant, athletic (in secret most of the time), magnet for beautiful women of all hairstyles... and yet he's haunted by death, failure, and the worst luck in Marvel Comics.

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': Frank Castle is a [[VigilanteMan murderous vigilante]] [[CrusadingWidow whose goal is to avenge the murder of his wife and children]] and is a [[ShellShockedVeteran mentally disturbed war veteran]]. He is also a [[TallDarkAndHandsome tall and attractive brunette who's in incredible shape.]]

*** Zuko. A leather jacket wouldn't fit the medieval Asian "look" of the show, so he makes up for it with a [[GoodScarsEvilScars facial scar]] linked to his tragic BackStory.

** Mako from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. Growing up on the streets while simultaneously raising your little brother will make even the hottest firebender stoic and brooding.

** Princess Bubblegum also applies somewhat as well. Looking normally pretty and graceful, she had the pain of ruling an entire kingdom for centuries and eventually lost it to a JerkAss.

** Ben got Julie's interest from the first episode, and became a ChickMagnet after his secret was revealed to the world in ''''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. Even before that, Elena was already obsessed with him. And his narcisism is the minor of his issues.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}, as epitomized here in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', where he's trying to convince Wonder Woman why they wouldn't be good together:

* Terry [=McGinnis=] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' seems to be Troubled, but Cute in the first couple of episodes before he opens up and reveals that he's actually a responsible, altruistic young man. He was a straight example in his BackStory, which included a stint in juvie.

** Duncan is a brooding juvenile delinquent with a long rap sheet, but Gwen, Courtney, and the fans find him attractive.

** Steven himself mostly acts adorable but hides insecurity and the loss of his mother.
** Pearl. She gets the mayor's unwanted attention and the interest of a tough woman that looks like Rose. Although she eventually learned to be more independent, she never truly overcame her feelings for Steve's mother.
** Definently Lapis Lazuli, adorable as an angel, but is a BrokenBird big time.

See also: TheWoobie, BrokenBird, DracoInLeatherPants, EvilIsCool, EvilIsSexy, DontYouDarePityMe, GothsHaveItHard, and JerkassWoobie. Can overlap with MrFanservice.