While some movie characters fulfill the narrative role of the protagonist, another character steals the show with charisma and theatrics,making them the true stars.Movies where supporting characters are better than the heroeshave been just as successful as those that let the central character shine, with a different balance in character focus only making it better. Sometimes, the villain is doubtlessly the true star, driving the entire story when the protagonists are living standard lives.
This is often the case with some of thebest animated Disney villains, whose classic villainy still makes them fan-favorite characters. However, this trend is not limited toclassic action movies where villains steal the show; sometimes,a supporting character is simply more interesting, written to be the thing that sets the story in motion in the protagonist’s mundane life.How two such characters share the screen and interact with each other is an interesting topic, demonstrating different options for storytelling.
Furiosa, Not Max
Allegedly,Mad Max: Fury Roadis anotherMad Maxmovie, but the story is inherently different. In thebestMad Maxmovieyet, Max is once again unwittingly pulled into an adventure of helping someone in need when he is just trying to make it on his own. The difference is thatthe group of women fleeing Immortan Joe is already being led by Furiosa, a capable road warriorwho is more than a match for Max. While Max is seen first, the movie follows her perspective as it segues into the main conflict.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Cast
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
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Rather than being a story about Max wandering around on his own and coming across someone who needs help,Fury Roadis about Furiosa’s vigilante mission, with Max playing a part in it.While Tom Hardy is great as Max, the fact that he is a recast while Furiosa is an original character makes her the novelty of this movie.Fury Roadalso directs more attention to the female cast and women’s perspective of this setting, with Max and Nux being the only heroic male characters among Furiosa, the wives, and the Many Mothers.
9The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Hannibal, Not Clarice
Of course, the razor-sharp dialogue and Anthony Hopkins’ performance combined mean that the attention is always on Hannibal.
In theory,The Silence of the Lambshas a superfluous villain in Hannibal Lecter. Clarice already has a serial killer to track down, which is the foundation of a serviceable horror story. However,The Silence of the Lambsis such a highly acclaimed psychological thriller because of Clarice’s attempts to pick the brain of one of the most iconic movie villains of all time.Hannibal adds flavor and intrigue to the moviewhen the story is really about the complexities of his and Clarice’s dynamic.
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling, portrayed by Jodie Foster, as she seeks the help of imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, to solve a series of gruesome murders. Directed by Jonathan Demme, this 1991 psychological thriller delves into the dark world of criminal profiling and the complex relationship between a young investigator and a brilliant, but dangerous, psychopath.
Of course, the razor-sharp dialogue and Anthony Hopkins’ performance combined mean that the attention is always on Hannibal.Clarice is the average civilian character who is affected by Hannibal’s chilling comments;he is the catalyst who gives her something to go on in her investigation. How the supporting cast acts around him also contributes to the weight of his character. Jodie Foster also won an Oscar forThe Silence of the Lambs, but Hopkins is doubtlessly the more memorable of the two.
8The Fast And The Furious (2001)
Dom, Not Brian
Back whenFast & Furiouswas a much more grounded franchise,The Fast and the Furiouswas about an undercover cop forced to question his loyalties when he befriends the lead suspect of a hijacking crime. However,Dom has always had more gravitas as a character than Brian.Dom is the star of the underground racing community in this story, regarded as the top driver and mechanic in the area. Brian himself gravitates to Dom’s skill and personality.
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious, released in 2001, follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner as he infiltrates the world of Los Angeles street racers led by Dominic Toretto. While investigating a series of truck hijackings, he becomes entangled with Toretto’s crew and faces a dilemma between loyalty and duty.
When a story concludes that the undercover cop is in the wrong, it likely favors the criminal with a heart of gold. Additionally, the foundfamily ofFast & Furioushas always been“Dom’s family,”while the fourth movie onwards continues to focus on him at the center of the story.Brian and Mia ultimately go on the run after helping Dom escape custody,who becomes the de facto leader of their group.
7Aladdin (1992)
Genie, Not Aladdin
Traditionally, Genie has been played by a more famous actor than Aladdin. When the live-action remake came around, the producers didn’t try to kid themselves and gave Will Smith top billing. Part of the reason he is such a draw is thatRobin Williams’ agreement with Disney forAladdinmeant that he was allowed to write and improvise his own dialogue. As a result,Genie is a more gimmicky character who is constantly cracking jokes and adopting pop culture reference forms,animated to go along with Williams’ impressions.
Aladdin
Aladdin, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, is an animated film featuring a street urchin who discovers a magical lamp. The story follows Aladdin’s adventures, including his encounters with Princess Jasmine and the villainous Jafar, who seeks to wield the lamp’s extraordinary powers to seize control.
Aladdin gets two songs whereas Genie gets one, buteven if “A Whole New World” is one of Disney’s most iconic songs, “Friend Like Me” is much catchier and more of a spectacle.Genie is the more dynamic character, always doing wild stuff on screen to provoke laughter. The live-action movie also frames the movie with Genie (not disguised as a merchant) narrating, implying that the story is about him and the impact Aladdin had on his life.
6Mean Girls (2004)
Regina, Not Cady
Cady is the main character ofMean Girls, while her friendship-rivalry with Regina is what sends her teenage life spinning out of control. Lindsay Lohan would have been better known at the time for the teen-focused drama movie genre ofMean Girls, but Regina George has grown beyond the average mean queen bee character in pop culture. Like Sharpay inHigh School Musical,Regina is so flashy that she instantly became iconic.Meanwhile, Cady’s character falls into the less interesting“shy new girl”category.
Mean Girls
Mean Girls tells the story of Cady (Lindsay Lohan), a teen girl who falls in with the wrong crowd. After returning to the USA after spending her childhood in Africa, Cady infiltrates her school’s group of mean girls, befriending the conniving Regina George (Rachel McAdams) and her cronies. However, Cady finds the high school hierarchy to be far more complicated than she had imagined, drawing her into a game of manipulation and deceit that threatens her reputation.
Additionally, the number of quotable lines inMean Girlsrevolving around just mentioning Regina George makes her one of the easiest elements to reference. Any mention of Regina instantly recalls the most chaotic high school experience and the worst popular girl possible.Regina is the face ofMean Girls,embodying the superficiality and spite that has gone out of control in the story, which gradually comes to define Cady’s personality as well.
5The Terminator (1984)
The Terminator, Not Kyle & Sarah
Arnold Schwarzenegger was always at the forefront ofThe Terminator’s marketing, with Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn being the secondary stars.Schwarzenegger’s Terminator has the biggest presence in the movie,an indestructible assassin who is the entire point of the story. He is the reason Sarah and Kyle are constantly moving and the proof that Skynet exists in the future, as well as the title character. Despite Hamilton’s newfound fame and Sarah’s character arc, the T-800 still dominates the story inTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
The Terminator
The Terminator, directed by James Cameron and released in 1984, features a cyborg assassin sent back in time to eliminate Sarah Connor, the mother of a future resistance leader. As the relentless machine pursues its mission, a human warrior is sent to protect her and secure humanity’s survival.
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Going forward, Schwarzenegger remains the mascot of the franchise,despite the varying role he plays in each movie. He overshadows John and Kate inTerminator 3: Rise of the Machinesand only cameos inTerminator Salvation. While other characters might be given more attention in the story in the subsequent two movies, he is still impossible to ignore. Ironically, the Terminator inTerminator Zerois unremarkable, mostly serving as a reason for the action to happen.
4The Great Gatsby (2013)
Gatsby, Not Nick
Nick Carraway is technically the protagonist ofThe Great Gatsby.Nick narrates the story, which starts when he comes to New York and witnesses the fraught relations between Jay Gatsby and the Buchanans,commenting on the frivolity and corruption of their world. At the center of his story is Gatsby, who is the true star by virtue of being the title character shrouded in mystery and wealth. In a way,The Great Gatsbyis about Nick setting out to unravel the mystery of Gatsby’s life.
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a 2013 drama romance film based on the book of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The movie is one of many adaptations of the iconic 1925 novel, this time starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. The film received a polarizing reception upon release but won two Oscars at the 2014 Academy Awards.
It is hard for a character not to be the star when he is throwing massive, decadent parties every weekend. Again,Nick is merely a witness to Gatsby and Daisy’s affair;this plot point is the driving force of the story’s drama, while Nick’s dynamic with Jordan is relatively tame. In the end, Gatsby’s fate and Daisy’s abandonment are the ultimate tragedy in a story that is almost exclusively about him.
3101 Dalmatians (1961)
Cruella, Not Pongo & Perdita
The lovable banality of all the main characters of 101 Dalmatians is what allows Cruella de Vil to shine as its star.
Roger and Anita are pleasantly bland civilians, while their Dalmatians Pongo and Perdita are kindly parents-to-be. These characters all have simplistic, realistic aspirations and priorities: pay the bills, take care of their loved ones. There are too many similarities between the dogs and their owners for any of them to stand out.The initial sequence of Pongo looking for a date for Roger draws comparisons between the dogs and their owners,while Anita and Perdita ultimately have the same goals and complementary personalities as their partners.
101 Dalmatians
The story of a family of Dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by a terrible woman called Cruella De Vil, who is fascinated by fur coats and is determined to turn them into a coat.
The lovable banality of all the main characters of101 Dalmatiansis what allows Cruella de Vil to shine as its star. She has the most flair and is the most interesting of everyone on screen, who is a solo act in comparison to most of the other characters coming in twos or bigger groups. Whenone of the movie’s two songs is an extremely catchy jazz number named after her,she is a one-woman spectacle.
2The Dark Knight (2008)
The Joker, Not Bruce Wayne
No part ofThe Dark Knighthas inhabited a bigger space in people’s minds or had a bigger impact on pop culture than the Joker.Heath Ledger’s Joker inspired other performancesin years to come, whilethe iconic Batman villain is the reason forThe Dark Knight’s story.Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent get a fair amount of screen time dedicated to great action and discussing the movie’s main themes, but nothing can compare to the mania of the Joker’s machinations.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is the second installment in the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman. Released in 2008, the film follows Batman’s alliance with Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent as they combat the organized crime that threatens Gotham, facing the menacing Joker.
One of the best opening scenes ever shows exactly what Batman is up against with the Joker’s clever and deadly bank robbery in which he is the only winner.All ofThe Dark Knight’s best and most intense scenes feature the Joker,as he manipulates the population and major players of Gotham City. Ledger’s posthumously awarded Oscar for his performance cemented his iteration of the character’s place in history, making him the most remembered part of this landmark action movie.
1Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Jack, Not Will
Will and Elizabethare the more traditional protagonists ofPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The movie begins with Elizabeth as the POV character, whilethe narrative follows Will’s straightforward goal of rescuing Elizabeth.Jack’s entrance is not only bizarre because of the sinking ship gimmick, but because he shows up at an odd point for the main character. This is because he isn’t the main character in a narrative sense, but a mascot that ties the whole story together and makes it unique.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Curse of the Black Pearl is the film that kickstarted the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a series of supernatural swashbuckling adventures. In 1720, blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate “Captain” Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor’s daughter Elizabeth Swann, from Jack’s former pirate allies, who are now undead.
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Throughout thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise, Jack is flightier and has less defined motivationsthan the supporting characters. Like in the first movie, Jack serves as an isolated, out-of-this-world character who elevates Will’s standard swashbuckling adventure to something original. In this case, Jack is widely considered the main character of the franchise, and Johnny Depp always gets top billing. However, knowledge of narrative tropes reveals thatPirates of the Caribbeanis doing something different.
