History Main / AudienceSurrogate

* In ''ComicBook/GothamCityGarage'', [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara Gordon]] is the viewpoint character who explains what to live in the city ruled by ComicBook/LexLuthor is like and asks the rebel group questions about the life in the wastelands.
* Rick Jones, sidekick to ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk, is an audience surrogate originally created for young baby boomers. He's an ordinary, well meaning teenager, but one who has more of an authority problem than previous teen comics characters.
* ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis:'' [[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]] is an interesting example. He's from Earth-Prime, which is portrayed as the "real" Earth, ''our Earth''. He was a Kryptonian and the only super-powered person in a world without them, and everything he did in the Multiverse could be read in the comics. He is what happens when you give a bullied kid superpowers and take his world away from him, make him kill so much, then put him ''back'' in his world, a world where now, everyone ''hates'' him. And to think, he used to be a sweet little kid that read Superman comic books, dreaming that he could be like him....
* Presumably, [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy Olsen]] existed for the same reason: to be Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'s normal, youthful buddy.
* ComicBook/MsMarvel2014: Kamala Khan is in many ways a modern version of Peter Parker. She's obsessed with ComicBook/TheAvengers and superheroes in general, and partakes in a number of common nerd activities like reading [[ShoujoDemographic Shōjo]] manga and writing fanfiction.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':

* Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} filled this role during her first adventures in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}}: she was Superman's plucky, young sidekick who helped him out as she explored his world.

* [[Characters/MarvelComicsKittyPryde Kitty Pryde]] in 1980s ''ComicBook/XMen'' is a teenager and a major geek just like most of the readers. There are even scenes where she's shown to be into comicbooks.

* Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conversion_of_Saint_Paul_(Murillo) Conversion of Saint Paul]]'' depicts three things: the future apostle Paul and his travelling companions to Damascus in the middle of the picture, Paul's vision of [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Jesus Christ]] shrouded in blinding light above, and a small dog curiously and somewhat sceptically looking at all of the events as an audience surrogate in the lower corner.

* Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's ''[[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/La_conversi%C3%B3n_de_san_Pablo_%28Murillo%29.jpg Conversion of Saint Paul]]'' depicts three things: the future apostle Paul and his travelling companions to Damascus in the middle of the picture, Paul's vision of [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Jesus Christ]] shrouded in blinding light above, and a small dog curiously and somewhat sceptically looking at all of the events as an audience surrogate in the lower corner.

** Twilight Sparkle, the main protagonist, especially in the beginning when she's the one arriving at the new place and getting to know the people.

** Spike seems to be a surrogate for the male PeripheryDemographic, being TheOneGuy and all. Apparently, a lot of the guys watching an ostensible girls' show with a varied cast of formidable and well-liked female protagonists still want to identify with TheOneGuy because he's the guy.

** Rainbow Dash in "Read It and Weep". She passes off reading a popular book series as uncool, until she picks up a copy and [[ReadingIsCoolAesop discovers that she likes it]], and then [[ClosetGeek tries to hide the fact from her friends]]. Yet another example of older fans' feelings about loving this show.
** The Cutie Mark Crusaders represent the children who aren't sure what they're good at and what they want to do with their lives.
** In the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:after Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow use the Bewitching Bell on "Grogar"]], they express the audience's shock when [[spoiler:it's revealed that he was actually a certain draconequus in disguise, something nobody InUniverse or out [[DidntSeeThatComing was expecting]]. The other heroes, meanwhile, [[WhatTheHellHero express]] the [[CharacterDerailment utter disgust]] with Hasbro that followed.]]

** Ahsoka is a child, not having learned yet all she needs in order to survive in the universe, suddenly thrust into a life of excitement and adventure (and, more importantly, authority [at least, in her own mind] over more experienced adults). Isn't that what lots of kids fantasize about?
** In [[GrandFinale the final arc of the show]], Maul of all people assumes this role. Maul is the only person in the cast who knows what's truly coming for the galaxy and everyone in it, and is absolutely dreading it. Given that the final episodes happen concurrently with ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', [[ForegoneConclusion the audience knows exactly]] [[DownerEnding what he's terrified of]].
* Steven himself is this in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''. The audience never knows about or sees something he doesn't. When there are shifts in POV, it's usually a story being told to Steven. The only time in the entire series where there's arguably an actual POV shift is Garnet's fight against Jasper in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E49JailBreak "Jail Break"]], and even then, WordOfGod says Steven was viewing all of it through security cameras.

* Creator/KatDennings stated in [[http://www.presstelegram.com/arts-and-entertainment/20130911/while-marvel-gets-super-cosmic-in-thor-sequel-kat-dennings-brings-it-back-to-earth this]] interview that the character of Darcy Lewis in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' qualifies.

* Creator/KatDennings stated in [[http://www.presstelegram.com/arts-and-entertainment/20130911/while-marvel-gets-super-cosmic-in-thor-sequel-kat-dennings-brings-it-back-to-earth this]] interview that the character of Darcy Lewis in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' qualifies.

** In the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:after Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow use the Bewitching Bell on "Grogar"]], they express the audience shock when [[spoiler:it's revealed that he was actually a certain draconequus in disguise, something nobody InUniverse or out [[DidntSeeThatComing was expecting]]. The other heroes, meanwhile, [[WhatTheHellHero express]] the [[CharacterDerailment utter disgust]] with Hasbro that followed.]]

** Other characters like Squidward and Plankton have minor instances of this. At one point Squidward is shocked that they can just tear off their apocalypse attire and the clothing they always wear is right underneath it. In another scene, Patrick is destroying his own house.

* Friends: Rachel Green is CLEARLY this for some of the female fans of the show. She’s beautiful (but not TOO beautiful as to be threatening), she loves fashion, has five friends who would do anything for her, and has a very strong Will they or won’t they love of each other’s lives dynamic with one of them.

** In the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:When Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow use the Bewitching Bell on "Grogar", they weren't expecting him to be a certain draconequus in disguise. (For that matter, neither was the audience)]] They express the audience shock. [[spoiler:The other heroes, meanwhile, express the utter disgust with Hasbro that followed.]]

* ''Fanfic/ThePrivateDiaryOfElizabethQuatermain'': Elizabeth Quatermain was pretty much designed for this purpose, allowing the reader to get an idea of what it would be like to be an ordinary person among the ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Any time something happens that the audience doesn't understand, [[TheDitz Stumpy]] will ask Kaeloo what is happening so she can explain it to him (and by proxy the audience).

* Main character Homura Hinooka from the [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] light novel series ''LightNovel/FireGirl''. It's through her that we get to witness her adventures and the grandeur and mechanics of the mysterious planet Imaginary Earth and why UNPIEP, the organization the Exploration Club is under, in-charge of exploring said planet, came to be in the first place.

* Bella of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' has a very inconspicuous personality, her actions are often hard to interpret, her characterization is only implied and the story is told in the first person so the audience can project themselves onto her very easily by disregarding some elements of said characterization when they contradict their views. Creator/StephenieMeyer has even [[WordOfGod said on her website]] that she deliberately avoided describing Bella's physical features so that it would be easier for the readers to picture her as themselves. This is averted some in the later books as Bella becomes more like Meyer herself (similar tastes and such) and even moreso averted in the companion book ''Midnight Sun'', in which we learn minute details of Bella's personality through her conversations with Edward. For example, we learn all of her favorite films.

-->-- ''Literature/{{Twilight}}: [[WebSite/TheEditingRoom The Abridged Script]]''

* One of the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' [=OVAs=] used this, "filmed" in the first person from the perspective of an unnamed probationer alchemist who interacts with Fuhrer King Bradley and Roy Mustang before a giant alchemist vs. homonculus battle.

* Koichi Hirose from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'', the 4th part of the series, might not be TheHero and this time's "Jojo", with that role going to Josuke Higashkita, but he is suddenly thrust into the world of supernatural powers and fights. He lampshades this in the opening scene which is from his perspective, where he doesn't consider himself important and only dwells on school before running into the Joestar family and their battles against evil. Therefore, Koichi tends to ask questions and react the sameway an audience member would to various phoenomena.

* In ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'' background characters from protagonists' class will appear from time to time just to say things that male audience may as well want to say. Like expressing envy over Raku's harem or noticing how ridiculous at times is the fact that every single girl around him (except maybe Ruri) comes to like him romantically.

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Ryan served as the surrogate for the first season, before his myriad changes of persona made him more of a "character".

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Ryan serves as the surrogate for the first season, before his myriad changes of persona made him more of a "character".

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Jim's mugging for the camera often reflects how the audience perceives the ridiculous events on screen.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Luke Skywalker in the original ''Franchise/StarWars''.

* Amity Vii of ''Webcomic/{{Miamaska}}''. Seen clearing up plot holes [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=31 here]] and [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=33 here]]! She clears up [[NoPronunciationGuide pronunciation problems]] for the audience [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=32 as]] [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=43 well]].

* Gus in ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' can be considered one, as he is the newest kid at school and seems the most confused about the ways the school is set up, causing the other kids to explain them to him- and the audience.