Not sure anyone would think this is a good idea, but I was considering creating an article called "Generic Cool Guy", which wouldn't be entirely like this. The article would read "These are characters that made to appeal to audiences (charming, easy-going, and attractive) and have little to no personality beyond that. While this is not a bad trope in and of itself, but when done poorly can make a character as being a less than fully developed one. See also Escapist Character and Action Genre Hero Guy of which this trope overlaps with (The former of which this is somewhat of an outgrowth of and is like the later, albeit are generally are pretty boy versions minus a compelling and interesting personality.
examples: Anime
- Cowboy Bebop: for all of this show's depth, sadly Spike Spiegel has shades of this.
- Cobra from Space Adventure Cobra
Film
- The vast majority of characters played by Will Smith with some exceptions.
- Batman (of all people!) became this when he was played by George Clooney in Batman And Robin, which played a key role in ending that franchise.
- Vanilla Ice's character in Cool As Ice is possibly the epitome of this (combined with being a Pretty Fly for a White Guy), but also laughably bad.
- Brutally satirized in [[Shrek 2]] in the person of Prince Charming. The closest thing he has to having a fully fleshed out personality outside of his Coolness façade is being a Jerkass who thinks he is entitled to marry Fiona by default of being a Generic Cool Hero.
- Dean Winchester was this for the most part in the earlier seasons of Series:Supernatural but after going several dilemmas subverts this.
Videogames:
- Dante, more specifically Classic Dante, from Devil May Cry, whose creator, Hideki Kamiya, admittedly stated he was created on the principle of being a "cool and stylish" individual.
- Though this is notably Subverted in the DMC Anime where he has to deal with the difficulties (always in debt, having to take care of a young girl who gets dumped on him, and not getting all the Pizza he wants) of running his business.
- Duke Nukem is this to a T, but then again this was largely intentional.
- Many characters in the King Of Fighters have varying degrees of this, but probably the most notable is Terry Bogard.
- K' is a borderline example in that while he isn't the most personable of people (though is by no means heartless), but also has some Red traits which are more characteristic of Generic Cool Guys.
- Metal Gear Solid: Snake appears like this at first, but isn't due to having a genuinely unique personality and philosophy. However, it is more the fans who perceive him like this.
- Mortal Kombat: Johnny Cage has many elements of this, and for bonus points plays characters like this in his movies, but is also somewhat of a Deconstruction of this trope given the dark and gritty nature of the series.
- Sonic the Hedgehog in many games and other media is this. One notable exception is Sonic Sat AM were he undergoes character development and becomes more fleshed out.
- Ken Masters, particularly ever since Reuben Langdon began voicing him. From the Street Fighter III games, there is also Alex.
- Johnny Bravo: The eponymous character is a parody of this trope.
You ought to take that to YKTTW.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Always white? A few paragraphs after mentioning Will Smith. I didn't know that Will Smith is white.
I think the picture, while funny, is not appropriate. We should put the seperate trope called "Skinhead hero" or something.
Also, is the person in this trope needs to be American only? I think most of the action hero around the world can fit to this trope. Chow Yun fat character for example.
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In addition to the above, I don't think Desmond Miles fits as an example. Although he physically looks like one, he is not a former military man of any sort (as proven by Assassins Creed Revelations and the introduction to Assassin's Creed both), he has never been seen using a gun except in one debatably canon comic (outside of the memory of Ezio Auditore, who is not him), does not have the name Jack or John (though this is admittedly not a deciding factor), doesn't have a Dead Little Sister (unless you count Lucy, who came up late into his current career as a possible one, and still doesn't really count due to the method of her death), and there is no actual word on his ideas about authority (he only ran away from home because he wasn't told why he should not in sufficient detail).
Should he be taken off of the picture list?
Edited by Gregzilla
Mastermind Rational
It would be nice if someone added the names and works of all the guys on the page image in a hottip.
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
I don't think Wander from Shadow Of The Colossus is really an example. He's got long hair
◊, and his primary weapons are a sword and longbow. Nothing is ever said about his socioeconomic class or his relationship with authority.
He may not even be white; he could be Mukokuseki.
I didn't write any of that.
Preston Marlowe? Really? He's a mostly silent protagonist who fits practically none of the criteria.