Not the best description for this hero type, but I’m not sure what to call them. This isn’t even to be insulting. What I mean are characters who are trying to do good, but seem to lack the mental abilities to outwit their adversaries. Inspector Clouseau is a great example in that he isn’t the most aware of his surroundings and still ends up winning. He isn’t stupid and has his heart in the right place. Yet, you can’t see him being the guy to come up with a brilliant plan and outsmart the enemy. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking of the Naked Gun movies, Get Smart, and Inspector Gadget.
That is a trend with these heroes. Many times they’re spies or cops with some level of mystery. They also show up predominantly in comedies if they’re to be the main character. Supporting versions of this hero can be found everywhere like most of the Dwarven characters in The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies. Anyway, I think part of the reason for the spy/cop connection is because these are characters who tend to stumble into positions of power. They get a promotion for the big capture when they don’t entirely deserve it. At least not by the opinions of those around them. For example, Inspector Gadget gets helped by Penny and Brain to the point where they do most, if not all, of the legwork. He’s definitely inspired by Maxwell Smart and Inspector Clouseau.
I’m guessing that this is a character archetype that was birthed from parody. They are a tease on the highly intelligent, charming hero that never mentally falters and can take on an entire enemy organization single-handedly. The super cop and super spy have been around for a long time, so these oblivious versions are definitely a response to that. As I said earlier, they show up mostly in comedies and that’s where they tend to be the most successful. But can they exist elsewhere?
A future series of mine will try to have a main character who tries to do good, but tends to stumble around in the dark. His logic is rather flawed and he lets curiosity override his common sense. This will be a somewhat serious series, which will be interesting to see how the character handles everything. On a lesser note, Luke Callindor kind of falls into this category. His friends will point out that he means well, but doesn’t always think things through. Luke is more inclined to leap into danger and think on his feet, which means he isn’t an idiot. He’s just impatient and not always aware of certain things such as women and their intentions toward him. This seems to work well in a group since there are other characters to counteract this flaw. Yet I wouldn’t say Luke is a great example of this. At least he grows out of the worst of his impetuousness.
So, what should you consider when you make a character like this?
- They should have some confidence in their abilities even if they aren’t as good as they think. Not so much arrogant, but convinced that they are skilled. Again, look at how confident Inspector Clouseau is and how that rarely shatters even when he obliviously stumbles into victory. A win is a win after all.
- There has to be some redeemable qualities to avoid this character becoming nothing more than a sad punch line. Sure it’s fun to see him fall down the stairs and into a door that knocks the assassin into the path of a ‘Cleat Wearers Unite’ parade. Yet that always happening can harm the character. Make him have sparks of insight even if they’re wrong, be brave in the face of certain death, kindhearted to a fault, or something other than bumbling luck. This makes the audience admire something about the hero and not look them solely as a sight gag.
- It helps to have some of the other characters around them be aware of the hero’s flaws. The villains can keep thinking that the whole thing is an act to throw them off, but those close to the hero should know something is off. This isn’t to say they should be mean or insulting toward the hero. Although there is always the one. Instead, they should be supportive and maybe do the secret helping thing that Penny and Brain do.
- If the hero does uncover that they are not as skilled as they thought then you need them to fall hard. It’s not a fun thing to have the floor ripped out from under you, especially in this arena. This is where the character reveals that they might be smarter than they thought and a sudden realization appears. I know this is cliche, but it’s the easiest way to help them recover. Sure, you can have the new realization be wrong and they still find a way to undo the villain’s plans. Yet you do need to demonstrate why this person is your main character when they seem inept.
So, what do you think of these character types?
Legends of Windemere 
I enjoy them in a dessert kind of way. Too much kind of wears them out. There are similarities in the characters I wrote in Panama, but not exactly. One of the things about these characters is they always try, and sometimes try very hard. There is some Pixar rule about this somewhere. They don’t just stumble into victory by walking down the street.
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Almost like they put extra effort in because they kind of have to?
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Yeah. I’ll probably say it wrong, but the Pixar rule is we appreciate the character more for trying than succeeding.
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Think I’ve heard that before. Makes sense considering what the heroes tend to be going up against. Everything from dragons to corrupt corporations to irritable dogs.
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Great thoughts. I’m glad you’re thinking of a series like this. I like the fact that this person is the unlikely hero. Villains tend to underestimate him or her. We can’t help rooting for him/her to succeed despite the villain’s superior intellect.
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If they are even aware of him. I do like the idea of him spending part of the series being an unknown enemy. The villains either blame someone else or are left wondering what went wrong.
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I also like that aspect. And when the villain becomes aware of this person, he or she is usually dismissive of the hero. “There’s no way you could have figured this out on your own.”
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So they look for the ‘real hero’. Things get really interesting when people finally accept the ‘fool’ for the hero that he or she is.
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I love characters like these — in comedies, that is. For me, if the book is serious and the hero keeps stumbling into victories, it kind of feels like he’s cheating, or there’s some sort of deus ex machina thing going on. That being said, as long as the hero has other redeeming features, then it’s all right. For example, Harry Potter is not the brightest lightbulb. But he’s courageous, and kind, and he surrounds himself with people (namely, Hermione) who help him out in the thinking department.
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And then there’s poor Ron. 😀
Good point on the tone of the book needing to be light. Though I do wonder if there’s a way to have a comedic hero in the midst of a serious adventure. For some reason, I keep thinking of Detective Drebin from the Naked Gun movies.
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Good point! I, too, think of them more in a comedic context. Might be dreadfully hard to pull off in a more serious work.
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I mirror what others have said: these type of characters are great as long as the book isn’t too serious. Even in comedic works, too much bumbling around annoys me after a while. When I say that I am thinking of Paul Blart Mall Cop.
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I never saw the second movie, but I don’t remember Blart being totally ineffective. It was definitely a weird movie. I agree though. There is a limit to bumbling.
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I have to agree with the others. In a comedy, these kinds of characters are great. I absolutely love the Laural and Hardy skits when Stan bumbles and fumbles around and Oliver has to say, “This is another fine kettle of fish you’ve gotten us into Stanley.”
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Loved those guys. Don’t think people remember them as often as Abbot/Costello, Marx Brothers, and the Stooges.
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I think you are right.
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I love these characters, but they frustrate me – too much of them is like eating too many desserts.
I also think these may be very hard characters to write, since they need a straight man to assist.
Do let us all know what you discover when you create one!
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I’m seeing the dessert analogy coming up a lot. I’ve got a few years before I unleash my ‘fool’ on the world, but I don’t know how bad he’ll be. He won’t be the smartest person in the room, but not a total idiot. Definitely a difference between oblivious and full idiot.
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You have a lot of good points, and I agree that these characters do mainly spring from satire. If they learned and grew too much, then they wouldn’t be able to function in the story any more.
There are those that grow beyond their initial limitations, though. I’m thinking of Buzz Lightyear, in Toy Story. He starts out believing he really is a space ranger and there are plenty of jokes around his obliviousness. However, by the end, he does confront the truth of being a child’s plaything. Buzz is able to re-arrange his mental world and move forward, which I think is why he became so popular.
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Good example. You’re right that a character like this can’t learn too much or they lose their spark. Makes it seem like there isn’t much wiggle room for the character to grow. I wonder if another route would be how characters grow and evolve around the oblivious hero. More of a catalyst for change than the target.
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Great post. I believe one of the first stumbling bumbling fictional characters like this was written by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes in his work The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. That will be a creative challenge to write a novel with a flawed character like that. But your list is a good place to start. Charles another great article followed by wonderful conversation. Thanks for sharing this.
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Thanks for enjoying the post. Can’t believe I forgot about Don Quixote. Now that I think about it, the Quixote/Sancho dynamic is very similar to Inspector Gadget/Brain.
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Never thought of it, but yes your right. Take care
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I’m very late this dance, but Lois McMaster Bujold created a character to be a foil to the insanely intelligent Miles Vorkosigan–his cousin Ivan Vorpatril, who is probably quite intelligent if he was around other people, but is considered “Ivan, you idiot” by genius Miles. Bujold finally wrote a book where Ivan got to be the hero in CAPTAIN VORPATRIL’S ADVENTURE, and it’s very well done.
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Interesting how he’s the ‘idiot’ by association to a smarter person. It really makes me wonder about how the type of hero works. It really could be all about who they’re surrounded by.
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