If Your Tinder Date Is Obsessed With These Movie Characters, That's a Red Flag

We're gathered here today to save you a lot of trouble on your next first date. Just ask your prospective partner which movie character they most identify with, and if they name one of the people on this list, prepare to make a quick exit.

Quick note: from here on we will be referring to your hypothetical date as 'him', because if your date identifies with one of these toxic characters, we're 99% sure they're a dude.

If your hypothetical date is a woman or non-binary, congratulations! They've helped with the ongoing project of equality by proving that people of any gender can be a shrieking bag of red flags. Progress! Hooray!

1. Arthur Fleck / The Joker ( Joker)

How exactly did DC's 'Clown Prince of Crime' become the patron saint of incels?

It might have started with Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight – he made mayhem and violence look very fun and even pseudo-philosophical. But there's no doubt that the real turning point was 2019's Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill man who believes he deserves fame as a comedian (he's terrible), the attention of a gorgeous neighbor (she has no reason to be attracted to him) and the love of a rich man Arthur believes to be his father (he isn't). The movie tries to be a satire of self-pitying, angry white men but sort of ends up… being propaganda for self-pitying, angry white men. The movie certainly wants us to root for Arthur, the type of guy who in real life ends up on the news for shooting innocent people at a shopping mall.

If your date thinks Arthur Fleck is a tragic antihero, save yourself a LOT of problems and back away slowly.

2. Tom Hansen (500 Days of Summer)

This one might be a bit controversial, because Tom isn't like the rest of the characters on this list – he's not a killer or a psychopath. But liking Tom isn't the red flag.

The red flag is when your guy thinks Tom is the hero of the story and Summer is the villain. After all, Tom was SUCH A NICE GUY, and Summer was an emotional vampire who trampled his heart by… (checks notes) being upfront and honest about the fact that she doesn't want to be with him.

Look, being rejected sucks. But being a 'nice guy' doesn't mean that anyone owes you their love. Especially not someone like Summer, who is very clear from the beginning of the movie that she isn't looking for a romance. She's open and honest from the start. Tom's the one who's not listening, and keeps trying to break her down.

Find yourself a man who can take a woman at her word and respect her boundaries – even if they conflict with his own desires.

3. Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

It's a great movie. But if your date is obsessed with and/or identifies with Tyler Durden, RUN.

Hollywood tends to make a big mistake when they cast male supremacists / incels / neo-Nazis. They hire people like Edward Norton (American History X) or Brad Pitt (Fight Club) to play the 'satirical' version of these people. And then these horribly abusive and toxic characters end up looking cool, because… well, because it's Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.

When asked about Tyler Durden's popularity with Neo-Nazis, Fight Club's director David Fincher said: 'It's impossible for me to imagine that people don't understand that Tyler Durden is a negative influence…People who can't understand that, I don't know how to respond and I don't know how to help them.'

If David Fincher doesn't know how to help them, neither do you. RUN.

4. Gordon Gekko / Jordan Belfort (Wall Street / The Wolf of Wall Street)

'Greed, for lack of a better word, is good,' said Gordon Gekko in between making millions of dollars.

'You can watch me, mock me, try to block me but you cannot stop me,' says Jordan Belfort in between massive parties, orgies, and pounds of cocaine.

These guys were both meant to be satirical figureheads of a rotten system, but much like Tyler Durden they instead inspired a lot of imitators. These days, trading apps like RobinHood make it easy for people to treat the stock market like a casino, and a lot of folks lose a lot of money trying to be another Gekko or Belfort.

Your date is neither. And even if they were, do you really want to go out with a greedy, womanizing, self-obsessed jerk? Just go home.

5. Alex (A Clockwork Orange)

There are two major red flags here. First: anyone who says A Clockwork Orange is their favorite movie is probably a lying liar who lies.

If by some chance this is actually his favorite movie, the argument for identifying with Alex is probably something along these lines: 'Hey man, we're all just this way because SOCIETY made us this way. So when I act like a terrible human being, I'm kinda like Alex – but like, in an ironic way to show SOCIETY that it's their fault.'

Do I need to tell you why this is stupid? Yes, society has problems. But most of us don't use it as an excuse to be an asshole.

Save yourself the bother and get a goldfish instead.

Sources: The Guardian.