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"Superheroes"
Frank Darbo / The Crimson Bolt
Frank Darbo / The Crimson Bolt
"Shut up, crime!"
Played By: Rainn Wilson
"You don't butt in line! You don't sell drugs! You don't molest little children! You don't profit off the misery of others! The rules were set a long time ago! They don't change!"
A down on his luck loser who, after the world has slighted him too many times, becomes the Crimson Bolt.
- All Crimes Are Equal: He holds a firm belief in this.
- Amicable Exes: Frank ends up being this with Sarah.
- Berserk Button: Cutting in line. It's wrong, and by the might of Frank's wrench you will pay for it.
- Catchphrase: His catchphrase as the Crimson Bolt is "Shut up, crime!"
- Character Development: Frank's 'heroics' are initially born out of a desire for revenge, religious hallucinations and an obsession with Sarah. Had he stopped for one second in his relationship with her, he would've realized that their relationship was built on her own fragile state of mind in the wake of her sobriety. He seems to think she'll end up back with him once he 'saves' her, and she does but only out of a sense of obligation. It's Frank's understanding that they can be friends and she must be free to live her own life that heralds his Character Development. And adopting the rabbit.
- Celibate Hero: Frank, being religious, does not believe in premarital sex.
- Cloudcuckoolander: To say he's a little loopy would be an understatement.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Even after rescuing her, Sarah chooses to break up with him due to her trauma (especially in how she saw him stab Jacques to death). Nonetheless, it's shown that the two remain close and he's shown to be happy that he helped her create a new life with someone else.
- The Dreaded: After gaining a reputation as a violent vigilante, even Mr. Range (a notorious drug lord that Jacques' men are intimidated by) becomes scared of the Crimson Bolt.
- Expy: He's what would happen if Dwight from The Office became a superhero, right down to the actor.
- Honorary Uncle: To Sarah's kids, eventually. It's clear he adores them and the feeling is mutual.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Frank has few to zero social skills and can be charitably described as 'intense' but at heart he's a good man struggling with some serious issues.
- Loser Protagonist: He's a mentally-disturbed nobody who becomes a violent vigilante with a laughably badly sewn costume as a way of coping with his wife leaving him.
- Mission from God: Hallucinations make him think this.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Frank is not good at disguising himself. Pretty much everyone who knows him can tell it's him right away (even by looking at a sketch of him in disguise) when he's dressed as the Crimson Bolt.
- Red Is Heroic / Red Is Violent: As the Crimson Bolt, Frank is a costumed vigilante dressed in red. However, he's also a violent Anti-Hero prone to Disproportionate Retribution.
- Religious Bruiser: He's very religious, with much of his motivation coming from hallucinations of God.
- Real Men Love Jesus: A lifelong devout Christian who believes that God has chosen him to make the world safer through physical force.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Somewhat averted: it's made clear that the gorgeous Sarah is emotionally fragile when she marries Frank so quickly, using him as a source of stability. Libby, the smokin' Sensual Spandex kid sidekick, is just downright crazy.
- Would Hit a Girl: With a wrench!
- Wrench Whack: Uses a wrench as his main weapon.
Libby / Boltie
Libby / Boltie
"Wanna go fight some crime?"
Played By: Elliot Page
- Berserk Button: Everything. Frank did a bad-thing when he allowed her to be a superhero and do something about the things that enrage her.
- Book Dumb: Does not know what a robin is.
- Boom, Headshot!: How she meets her end.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: She's a bit weird even in her normal life, but when she puts on a superhero costume, she goes completely off the deep end.
- Comedic Sociopathy: Her maniacal tendencies are played for dark comedy.
- Cute and Psycho: She's a cute young woman who acts almost like a child, but is eager to kill villains.
- Laughing Mad: Libby is usually having a giggle fit whenever she's doing something horrific.
- Moral Sociopathy: She hates crime as much as Frank, but doesn't seem to have any mental filter that allows her to respond to it proportionately. She nearly killed a guy in his home for allegedly keying her friend's car, and almost stabbed a man to death for bumping into her. She also was as happy as a kid in a candy store stabbing one of Jacques' men to death with her Wolverine Claws.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Is much more lively and fun loving than the serious and reserved Frank (whom she has an obsessive crush on).
"Supervillains"
Jacques
Jacques
Played By: Kevin Bacon
- Affably Evil: He's quite friendly and laid back, especially for a drug lord with a bunch of mooks on his payroll. Even when Frank is trying to pick a fight with him, he gives him multiple chances to back off.
- Big Bad: He's the main antagonist.
- Dirty Coward: At the end of the day, he's a big fish in a small pond. When he tries to move up to the big leagues and makes an arrangement with Mr. Range the drug kingpin, Jacques is clearly nervous and overly accommodating.
- Domestic Abuser: To Sarah, who he gets back on drugs. And ultimately pimps her for Mr. Range to rape.
- Groin Attack: Frank shoots his blade weapon into Jacques' crotch.
- Hatesink: A complete piece of shit to say the least.
- Lack of Empathy: Feels absolutely no sympathy for Frank when Sarah has an affair with him, nor did he care about Sarah.
- Lean and Mean: His suit hangs off him.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: When cornered by Frank, he refers to Mr. Range by the N-Word.
- Unknown Rival: Jacques is aware of Frank and his burning hatred for him, but he doesn't consider him a threat at all. He's just a minor annoyance... until he stops being minor.
Abe
Abe
Played By: Michael Rooker
- Affably Evil: In a more genuine way than Jacques. When Jacques steals Sarah from Frank, Abe offers him some of his candy. He's also blatantly uncomfortable with Jacques' treatment of Sarah.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He's pretty disturbed when Jacques sets Sarah up to be raped by Mr. Range.
- The Dragon: To Jacques. He's even seen breathing fire in the opening credits sequence.
◊ - Hellbent For Leather: Always seen in his leather jacket.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: He seems to be the only professional in Jacques' entire gang.
- Pet the Dog: Offers Frank some candy when they first meet upon learning Sarah left him.
- Sweet Tooth: Is frequently seen eating candy.
Toby and Quill
Toby and Quill
Played By: Sean Gunn and Stephen Blackehart
- Mook: The best description of their role in Jacques' drug ring.
Mr. Range
Mr. Range
Played By: Don Mac
Frank's Associates
Sarah Helgeland
Sarah Helgeland
Played By: Liv Tyler
- Broken Bird: Due to her drug addiction and the abuse she endures at Jacques' hands.
- Off the Wagon: She is a recovering drug addict, and relapses again when drug dealer Jacques enters her life. The entire film is about Frank trying to rescue her from Jacques.
Hamilton
Hamilton
Played By: Andre Royo
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Is genuinely good friends with Frank, but has a pretty aggressive way of showing it.
Others
Det. John Felkner
Maria
Maria, the Pet Store Employee
Played By: Linda Cardellini
- Nice Girl: Genuinely loves animals and is pretty openly friendly toward Frank.
The Holy Avenger
The Holy Avenger
Played By: Nathan Fillion
- Expy: Of religious "superhero" edutainment characters like Bibleman.
- Looks Like Jesus: With long and well-kept tresses (which are pretty clearly a wig) and Fillion's "ruggedly handsome" Lantern Jaw of Justice.
- Super Zeroes: Is treated pretty openly as a joke in-universe...Except by Frank.
