These 10 Boring Main Characters Are the Worst Part of Their Iconic Films

10. Jake Sully from Avatar ( 2009)

James Cameron has always been one of the most celebrated directors, and the Avatar movies are among his greatest feats. Cameron managed to create visually stunning sensations that earned billions — but none of that can be attributed to Jake Sully, Avatar’s main character whose name and motives no one even remembers.

9. Sam Witwicky from Transformers ( 2007–2023)

Unlike in the previous case, Transformers’ Sam Witwicky adds a lot to his movie and is far from your generic action hero. But that’s pretty much his main problem: there’s little to nothing we can remember about Sam other than the facts that he was an anxious nerdy teenager who somehow pulled Megan Fox. So… Yeah. Sorry, Sam.

8. Jupiter Jones from Jupiter Ascending (2015)

To be completely frank with you, Jupiter Ascending is far from a great movie to begin with, but the very fact that it was made by the Wachowskis brought it under the spotlight. That was in vain: it’s your default flick about a young woman discovering that she’s special and then just never growing out of being a damsel in distress.

7. Ford Brody from Godzilla ( 2014)

With all fairness, it’s pretty uncommon that a movie centered on its monster cultivates great human characters, but rules are rules: Godzilla is an iconic flick, and Ford Brody is its awfully boring main character. It’s almost a crime to be such a factory-setting human being as him, but we cut him some slack for Godzilla’s sake.

6. Bella Swan from Twilight ( 2008–2012)

Twilight has pretty much the same problem as the previously mentioned Jupiter Ascended but with a supernatural flavor instead of a sci-fi spice. Bella Swan, the movie’s main character, is an “average teenage girl” who turns out to be unique and… Behaves like an average teenage girl, which is accurate but not entertaining.

5. Raleigh Becket from Pacific Rim (2013)

As a sci-fi action, Pacific Rim is quite great, but it’s also Avatar all over again. For all the stunning visuals, massive tension, and interesting setting details, we pay in getting an almost infuriatingly generic protagonist who could genuinely have been played by anyone. Inviting one of Hollywood’s finest action actors was unnecessary.

4. Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016–2022)

This one is going to be hard to explain but we’ll do our best. Newt Scamander is quirky, fun, and loveable. It’s his distinct lack of flaws that turned this main character with a great potential into an instantly forgettable “animal loving dude.” You can’t help but like Newt, but there’s literally nothing to love him for; he’s just that unconflicted.

3. Rose from Titanic ( 1997)

Is it another attack on James Cameron? Oh it might just be. Titanic might be one of the most celebrated movies of all time all you want, but just like with Avatar, it can’t fix the aggressive unremarkableness of Rose who’s nothing but a boring spoiled girl with zero personality. The only thing that made her “interesting” was her Titanic trip.

2. Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings ( 2001–2003)

We saved the most controversial statements for last, so here you go: Frodo Baggins was not an interesting character. Like, at all. Lord of the Rings is filled with great and memorable characters, and Frodo’s very point was being unremarkable and hence, relatable for any fan. That’s his deliberate feature, but that doesn’t make him better.

1. Luke Skywalker from Star Wars ( 1977–2005)

How to even put it? As iconic as he is, Luke Skywalker lacks most features that create an interesting protagonist. It’s hard to seriously buy into the farmer-turned-rebel narrative, and even harder to buy into Luke’s amazing feats. He feels a lot like Frogo, but with the added downside of not being designed as a generic dude.