Alternative Character Interpretation in Comic Books.
The following have their own pages:
Other Comics
- Archie Comics:
- Reggie Mantle's jerkassery has become something of an Informed Attribute over the years, as his character has definitely softened and become more sympathetic while characters (including himself) still describe him as "Rotten Reggie". It's gotten to the point where many readers consider Reggie to be the everyman who represents teens as a whole instead of the Jerkass Proud Elite, and think of Archie as a milquetoast goodie-goodie instead of the everyman he's meant to be.
- Why exactly Betty and Veronica like Archie, to the point of fighting over him constantly and not minding his fickle heart, is up for multiple interpretations.
- Jughead has been interpreted as asexual by many, or as being in love with Archie but hiding it. The latter got especially popular when Kevin appeared and he and Jughead got along easy. Archie and Jughead being lovers (along other theories about comic book characters) gets mentioned in Chasing Amy. Him being ace is Ascended Fanon as of the Archie Comics (2015) reboot.
- Is Cacofonix in Asterix truly a Dreadful Musician or is he The Rock Star Born in the Wrong Century, who, if he was living 2000 years later, would have been viewed as a genius instead of just a public nuisance? There are several scenes which imply this, such as when a fortune-teller tells him that voices like his would be very popular in the future (leading to him fantasising about a sell-out show in a modern concert hall), the fact that the characters who genuinely enjoy his music are trendy characters who are shown to be way ahead of their time, how he styles his hair like a modern rock star (and uses the mannerisms occasionally), how the songs he sings are all historically-themed parodies of well-known modern songs, and how he explicitly plays "heavy metal" at one point. The Disney Acid Sequence from the Animated Adaptation of The Big Fight depicts him as an 80s rock star, playing decent 80s-style rock music, to the disgust of the other characters. However, other stories suggest his singing is objectively off-key, and that he has a loud, penetrating voice that's just really painful to listen to. It's possible that blues-style singing could be interpreted as 'flat' by characters who have never heard it before, but whether his voice is objectively horrible is impossible to know.
- Irredeemable and its spin-off series Incorruptible:
- The Plutonian: A self-absorbed Ax-Crazy Psychopathic Manchild in waiting whose rampage was guaranteed as soon as he found an excuse? Or a Broken Ace who suffered from a lifetime of rejection and alienation and tried to be a good hero (even if it was ultimately for selfish reasons) until he was pushed over the edge after making a tragic mistake that cost him the things that he valued most? In light of the reveal that he was originally a probe sent by his multiverse traveling parents that took on a human form after responding to the strong emotions of a distraught woman who went insane from the death of her child, possibly corrupting him from the start, one could even debate whether Tony ever really had a choice to become a monster or not.
- Max Damage: Is he a former career criminal who was pushed to make a genuine effort to reform after seeing the horror the Plutonian inflicted and how helpless he was when it happened, along with figuring that the Plutonian's fall would have dark consequences for humanity? A man who had the potential to become a great hero all along but wasted it on crime? And just how much of his reformation was pushed by genuine regret for his crimes as opposed to rational self-interest or even trying to one-up his longtime arch-nemesis?
- Survivor: A heroic man who was pushed over the edge from the Plutonian's rampage and the responsibility of keeping order in the world? Or is his increasingly Jerkass attitude the way he always wanted to act, but couldn't, because somebody had to take care of his reckless brother? And for that matter, is he trying to act like his brother in hoping to win Kaidan's heart?
- Qubit: A Wide-Eyed Idealist trying to find the way to stop Plutonian without killing him? Deluded? Just incapable of breaking his technical pacifism? Is he in love with him?
- Alana: a kind woman who suffered from the dangers of dating a man like the Plutonian (who also played her for a fool using his Dan Hartigan persona) and justifiably got angry at him for keeping her in the dark about his human disguise? A reformed Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who took advantage of the prestige that came from dating Tony and was petty enough to out Tony's secret identity even if her anger was warranted? Alana is shown to blame herself for the Plutonian's rampage since she tattled his secret identity so either one can fit with this.
- Iznogoud:
- Is Wa'at Alaaf truly loyal to Iznogoud, or does he serves him and helps him only because he knows his whole situation depends from him? Especially ambiguous in that some of the books contradict each others on that point.
- Conversely, it's left ambiguous in later books if Iznogoud does care to some extent about Wa'at or just sees him as a pawn. A scene in Who Killed the Caliph especially stands out, as it features Iznogoud being horrified when he realizes Wa'at is about to get beheaded and immediatly rushing to save him.
- Johnny the Homicidal Maniac stomps on this frequently, so much so that the eponymous character doesn't even know the answer himself. Is he the last thin line between the Crapsack World he hates and Eldritch Abominations behind his blood-spattered walls, or is he just an over-dramatic artist prone to schizophrenic fugue states? Or is Johnny just a figment of Squee's imagination, a product of his obviously neglected childhood?
- In Jupiter's Circle, did Walter really brainwash Sunny into loving him, or was he lying to provoke George to attack him?
- What is the nature of Scrooge McDuck's infamous "between the legs" line in The Prisoner of White Agony Creek?
- He made a Freudian Slip because he's subconsciously attracted to Goldie at the time.
- He made a deliberate Double Entendre because he's consciously attracted to Goldie but still hates her then and was deliberately messing with her.
- He's a Chaste Hero who had no idea what he was saying, having eliminated love and relationships from his life long ago.
- Preacher is full of this. The morality of almost everybody does have at least one alternate interpretation. God must be punished...or Jesse is just a Jerkass drunk who has suddenly been confirmation of God's existence and the power to do something about it. The Saint of Killers has been screwed over by God and Satan, only reluctantly hunting Jesse and ends up siding with him, killing God and his angelic host, then replacing him as an ironically more benevolent God. Or, he's become a mindlessly homicidal lunatic, who is so completely obsessed with nothing but killing that he placidly goes along with everything that happens just because it keeps giving him more victims.
- The League of Ramona's Evil Ex-Boyfriends in Scott Pilgrim could be just a group therapy comprising emotionally destroyed people who loved Ramona Flowers. She broke all their hearts in the worst ways possible, and she didn't care how messed up they became. Gideon could be half evil and half broken; the rest just want to keep Ramona from doing it all over again and are messed up in thinking that beating her new potential love interests (Scott, for example) will break the cycle.
- Done on purpose for the film adaptation, where if it was about Stephan and his band trying to make it big, but Scott accidentally screws up by being strung on Ramona and they only get successful without him, just like his own ex-girlfriend.
- Some fans point out that half of the "evil exes" seem like okay people - better people, in fact, than Scott. And all of them are actually doing something with their lives and accomplishing things; they're artists, musicians, inventors, and so on, not just slackers. From the point of view of a complete stranger, some crazy loser just murdered seven talented celebrities.
- Scott may be the psychological and or emotional clutch for many if not all his friends. Kim Pine has self-esteem issues masked behind her mildly misanthropic nature, Stephen may act neurotic and has a knack for entering unhealthy relationships. This isn't counting for lesser-known characters like Neil, who we know little about. We see glimpses of them when they're not around Scott and they're usually not happy. In fact, many of the happy moments tend to be when they are together with Scott. Even those like Wallace Wells could be considered as Wallace seems to drink alot and occasionally seen as a hedonist. Knives has her friend, but was focused mainly on her studies and didn't know much of the outside world until meeting Scott. Even (or rather, especially) Ramona herself, as Scott proves to be the one for her and the one who ultimately gives her the confidence in moving forward. This could explain why they deal with Scott and his problems, because they really don't have any other friends (or even may not be capable of making friends with others). Scott is what holds the gang together since it was formed from everyone meeting him. Without him, the group would fall apart and would result in them being miserable lonely people.
- Tintin:
- Depending on who you ask, Tintin is either a good reporter who gets into sticky situations... Or a heartless, greedy, selfish, racist psychopath who couldn't care less about anyone else except those whom he sees as friends. He once went nearer a petrol truck so that the trail of gas (which was flaming because he pissed off the guy he stole it from) would blow the truck up instead of him. (It didn't work.) Since most of that stuff occurred in the first couple of books, it's more likely a case of Early-Installment Weirdness.
- In "Tintin in Tibet", was Captain Haddock stammering out of fear of the yeti (which would make his denial of said fear a lie) or from the cold?
- V for Vendetta: Is V a heroic freedom-fighter taking on a corrupt regime that has outlived its usefulness, or a vengeful lunatic willing to overthrow an admittedly fascist but otherwise fairly functional government that helped its people survive an atomic war while dodging the question of what should replace it? Is he really interested in taking down Norsefire at all, or would he have left the party alone if the people responsible for his condition hadn't all been high party functionaries? This one is a particularly interesting example, in that the creator Alan Moore (a famously outspoken left-wing anarchist) has said that while he personally sympathizes with V there is plenty of reason to consider V an out-and-out villain, and encourages fans to discuss their perceptions of V and their actions.
Comic Strips
- Calvin and Hobbes has plenty of food for thought:
- Hobbes appears as a Funny Animal to Calvin and a stuffed tiger to everyone else. It's thus ambiguous whether he's an Imaginary Friend or a Not-So-Imaginary Friend. Cartoonist Bill Watterson has supported the ambiguity of Hobbes' existence by occasionally making strips which are difficult, but not quite impossible, to explain if Hobbes was not an independent and physical entity, by having him do such things as cut Calvin's hair, help him climb trees, and on one famous occasion, tie him to a chair. A popular third take on this paradox is the theory that Calvin is a Reality Warper, and that the things he imagines really do happen, as long as no one else is looking.
- The Puppy Love of Calvin and Susie becomes interesting when you consider that Susie seems to like Hobbes more. Inversely, Hobbes frequently shows interest in Susie, which Calvin attempts to rebuff. Are we looking at some kind of projection, or a weird Love Triangle? It could also be a sign that Susie was more attracted to Calvin's nice side that he displays through Hobbes, rather than the asshole he fronts himself as.
- Calvin's parents can get some of this. Calvin's mother in particular can come off as harshly authoritarian at times, in contrast to his father who tends to be a bit more lenient. She rarely smiles at her son, and has a knee-jerk reaction of trying to suppress whatever he's engaged in (granted, she often turns out to be right to do so). Considering Calvin has many of the standard symptoms of ADHD and doesn't appear to be getting any treatment, this does have more than a few mildly abusive/negligent overtones. Watterson himself later lamented that he regrets that the strips often showed Calvin's mom in a bad mood, since most of her appearances show her reacting to Calvin's latest misbehavior.
- Calvin dislikes studying but seems to be rather smart — does he have ADHD, is he Brilliant, but Lazy, or is he just being a defiant little kid?
- Calvin claims that there are dangerous creatures in the bath and acts like he's afraid. But is he really afraid, or is he feigning fear as an excuse because he Hates Baths?
- The author's viewpoint in For Better or for Worse is that Therese is a cold, calculating shrew with severe and unreasonable jealousy problems who, despite Anthony's being a loving and supportive spouse, distanced herself from him and their child, cheated on him, and cruelly divorced him. But it's possible to make a solid case that Anthony was manipulative and overbearing, pushing Therese towards things she didn't want (a house in the suburbs, a baby) and being a whiny little bitch when she insisted on doing what she'd planned to do, such as go back to work after Francoise was born. There's textual evidence to support the thesis that Therese's "distance" was postpartum depression which Anthony did nothing about. Additionally, Anthony was emotionally unfaithful to Therese from the get-go, pining after his ex-girlfriend Liz for his entire marriage. Anthony and Liz's wedding occurs at the end of the strip's run and would seem to justify Therese's jealousy.
- Word of God is that childless career women are cold, selfish, self-centered wastes of space and that the only women who matter are full-time wives and mothers. The character of Connie (Lawrence's mother) was originally created to show this, but the author soon saw her in a sympathetic way and abandoned her plan - only to revive it with evil, evil Therese. Therese may also be evil because she is French-Canadian and attractive.
- Similarly, Anthony is seen by other characters as steadfast, loyal, and unfailingly devoted to Elizabeth. Since he maintained that loyalty and devotion to Elizabeth throughout his engagement and marriage to Therese, those traits aren't quite as admirable as they sound.
- Is Elly Patterson a long-suffering mother who never receives due praise for holding her home and family together, or does she deliberately make things more difficult for herself because she has a martyr complex? Are her children completely uncontrollable brats, or is she too self-absorbed and caught up in self-pity to tend to their emotional needs? Is she a complete Control Freak, a pillar of negativity and hatred imposing her twisted vision of what's 'good, true and right' on everyone around her? Or is she the Only Sane Man and a true gift to her community? Did she raise her family well, or cause them to turn out as nasty and self-centered as she? Sympathetic, or Villain Protagonist?
- April Patterson: bratty teen, or remarkably well-behaved girl whose biggest sin is being too young to move out when her parents want to retire? Also, some blame her for Farley's death by drowning when she fell into the flooded creek. Others blame her parents for being almost criminally negligent, leaving a four-year-old unattended while they chatted with friends about their recent vacation. One could call her the Only Sane Man because she was the only one who seemed to think that Anthony and Liz were being unfaithful.
- Is Michael a delicate genius, or a spoiled brat who uses his work as an excuse to avoid any contact with his children? Is he in love with his friend Weed? Did Deanna make a mistake with her contraceptives, or did she do it deliberately to keep Michael from going on a trip?
- As you can see, the
Hatedom has taken this trope and run with it, inventing various interpretations of all the different characters. For instance, one Fanon theory claims that Elizabeth was constantly making Deanna refit the wedding dress because she was trying to hide a baby bump.
- The Comics Curmudgeon loves playing this trope with print comics characters. For example, Marmaduke is a carnivorous hellhound, Mary Worth is a meddlesome she-devil, Beetle Bailey is in love with Sgt. Snorkel, and The Family Circus is a bunch of fundamentalist Stepford Smilers.
- Garfield Minus Garfield depicts Jon Arbuckle as "an isolated young everyman [fighting] a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb," with Garfield the cat being little more than a depressing hallucination. Oddly, Jim Davis, the series creator, seems to support a variation of the interpretation; he's stated in interviews that Garfield cannot speak and Jon cannot read his cat's thoughts.
- Jim Davis has giving his blessing to G-G, and contributed some strips to it.
- There's a similar series
more along with Davis's comment which simply removes Garfield's thought bubbles. Yes, Jon is even more pathetic than he looks. Realfield takes a similar tac, but ups the ante by drawing Garfield like a real housecat in addition to not having him speak, so Jon comes across as even more of a Cloudcuckoolander. - Another is based on series of five strips from October 1989, which suggests that the comic is a series of hallucinations by Garfield, driven mad by hunger and loneliness as he is trapped in an abandoned house. This became so popular that Word of God specifically denied it.
- Yet another altered strip posits that Garfield isn't just lazy; he's a genius - at doing as little as possible.
- Some strips hint that Odie might be smarter than Garfield thinks.
- And Garfield has had slightly different temperaments and personalities depending on the era and medium:
- Most notably, in the comics, he went from just a fat, grotesque cynical lazy cat to a more more merchandisable kid-friendly feline with lots of imagination who drove Jon up the wall with his crazy antics. Currently, he's playing the Straight Man to Jon, who is now engaging in his own antics. At least he's consistently been a Deadpan Snarker.
- Is he a immoral asshole who cares nothing for anyone but himself (and his teddy bear, Pooky? Or merely a Jerk with a Heart of Gold? (This seems to depend on how kid-friendly the work is.)
- And then there's the question of him and Arlene. Merchandise = Official Couple. Comic strips = Belligerent Sexual Tension at best.
- Get Fuzzy has Rob Wilco. Is he the Only Sane Man patiently suffering through his life with two nutty pets or is he almost as mean as Bucky but with a better understanding of how the world works. Many of the things he says to his cat seem to qualify as emotional abuse. Yelling, "For the last time, Take the Tuna Out of the Can First!" when multiple microwave ovens have been destroyed seems justified. Repeatedly calling your anthropomorphic pet an idiot or a 'fuzzy little fascist' does not. Satchel may be infinitely more likeable but Rob's blatant favouritism seems heavy-handed at times. Satchel can have friends over but Bucky can't. Bucky has to hold his hand on the subway but Satchel does not. They are both adult animals so the argument that one of them is 'mature' and the other is not doesn't really hold weight. Also, it may have been Bucky's choice to sleep in the closet but Rob doesn't do anything to make it more livable. The Un-Favourite is sleeping on towels in the linen closet while the favourite has a nice room with beanbag chairs and posters. In any argument or fight he has a tendency to take Satchel's side before he even sees the evidence. Once Bucky even phones a telephone psychic, tells the woman that he is going through a rough time at home, he sleeps in the closet while the dog has its own room...and sometimes he goes through the trash at night so he doesn't go to sleep hungry. The woman is completely sympathetic until she finds out he is a cat. Bucky's still the personification of Cats Are Mean but you have to at least feel sorry for him.
- Mark Trail is about a man that cannot understand humans and can only empathise with animals on an emotional level. Therefore all of his interactions with humans invariably end with violence. It's kind of tragic really.
- Marmaduke is an asshole. Or is he just a big dog that was not properly trained by his owners? Some might subscribe to the idea that he's just poorly trained but, in some strips, he's shown to be smarter than what he appears.
- More recently, the same guy decided that Marmaduke is actually an avenging angel sent by an angry god to punish the family for their sins. Oh, and the owner guy with the moustache doesn't just look like Hitler...
- More recently
- Peanuts
- Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Both of them are quite tomboyish, and they have a very close...friendship, including Marcie calling Patty "sir". On the other hand, perhaps Marcie had a one-way crush on Peppermint Patty, who despite her butchness is interested in Charlie Brown (though Marcie has also said that she would marry Charlie Brown, if he asked her). Wouldn't it make a cute One True Threesome, anyways?
- Word of God has it that supposedly Patty is "seriously interested" in Charlie Brown. But all the characters are about 9 or 10, so it could just be, you know, innocent.
- Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Both of them are quite tomboyish, and they have a very close...friendship, including Marcie calling Patty "sir". On the other hand, perhaps Marcie had a one-way crush on Peppermint Patty, who despite her butchness is interested in Charlie Brown (though Marcie has also said that she would marry Charlie Brown, if he asked her). Wouldn't it make a cute One True Threesome, anyways?
- Winnie the Pooh newspaper comics run on alternative interpretation of beloved Disney character. However, fans are divided as to whether they portray Pooh as a well-meaning idiot who doesn't realize things he says are rude, or a complete asshole.
- If you consider newspaper strips to be in one canon with infamous Nintendo Hard Winnie the Pooh Homerun Derby game, then you can use one to explain the other. Are everybody in the game giving Pooh such hard time for his behavior in the comics? Or is he acting the way he does in the strips, because the events of the game broke him?
