I’ve referred to “Pet Character Syndrome” a time or two on this site. A “pet character” is one so beloved by the writer (whether they created that character or not) that they refuse to believe nobody else does either. Pet Character Syndrome is the result. It leads to the pet character being a Mary Sue/Gary Stu if they’re ever challenged by anything at all. It goes beyond simple “plot armor” and results in the exact opposite of the intent, leading to a strong dislike of the character, even people liked him or her. Think Dave Filoni and his surrogate “daughter”, Asoka Tano, or how I always complain about Simon Furman’s treatment of Grimlock in his Transformers stories.
Hated Character Syndrome is thus the complete opposite. A “hated character” is one so despised by the writer (usually a character they didn’t create) that they refuse to believe everybody else doesn’t, either. Hated Character Syndrome is then the result. It leads to the hated character being treated in the worst possible sense, made the villain or the most annoying character to the point where you ask why they’re there…except it’s because the character DOES have fans. Think Mary Jane Watson, Simon Furman’s treatment of Prowl, and a bunch of others we’ll be talking about in this article.
Now sometimes they are right and at least a strong enough voice comes up in opposition. Scrappy-Doo and the original Snarf come to mind. On the other hand they also have fans like myself. Jar-Jar Binks is an odd one as he has fans and haters in seemingly equal measure, while nobody is celebrating Rey Palpatine outside of brand loyalists and the politically “correct”. It’s always easy to tell when a character is a pet or hated because the writer will absolutely let you know it. It’s why I can’t stand Wolverine, because too many writers insist that the savage version is the best character ever and refuses to let him find happiness and relax. That’s actually a pet “version” of a character, which is just digging too deep for this discussion. Let’s focus on the pets versus the hated.
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Pet Character Syndrome Vs Hated Character Syndrome
I’ve referred to “Pet Character Syndrome” a time or two on this site. A “pet character” is one so beloved by the writer (whether they created that character or not) that they refuse to believe nobody else does either. Pet Character Syndrome is the result. It leads to the pet character being a Mary Sue/Gary Stu if they’re ever challenged by anything at all. It goes beyond simple “plot armor” and results in the exact opposite of the intent, leading to a strong dislike of the character, even people liked him or her. Think Dave Filoni and his surrogate “daughter”, Asoka Tano, or how I always complain about Simon Furman’s treatment of Grimlock in his Transformers stories.
Hated Character Syndrome is thus the complete opposite. A “hated character” is one so despised by the writer (usually a character they didn’t create) that they refuse to believe everybody else doesn’t, either. Hated Character Syndrome is then the result. It leads to the hated character being treated in the worst possible sense, made the villain or the most annoying character to the point where you ask why they’re there…except it’s because the character DOES have fans. Think Mary Jane Watson, Simon Furman’s treatment of Prowl, and a bunch of others we’ll be talking about in this article.
Now sometimes they are right and at least a strong enough voice comes up in opposition. Scrappy-Doo and the original Snarf come to mind. On the other hand they also have fans like myself. Jar-Jar Binks is an odd one as he has fans and haters in seemingly equal measure, while nobody is celebrating Rey Palpatine outside of brand loyalists and the politically “correct”. It’s always easy to tell when a character is a pet or hated because the writer will absolutely let you know it. It’s why I can’t stand Wolverine, because too many writers insist that the savage version is the best character ever and refuses to let him find happiness and relax. That’s actually a pet “version” of a character, which is just digging too deep for this discussion. Let’s focus on the pets versus the hated.
Continue reading →
Tell others about the Spotlight:
Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on March 19, 2025 in Animation Spotlight, Comic Spotlight, DC Spotlight, Marvel Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged Black Cat, commentary, Felicia Hardy, hated character, Hated Character Syndrome, Mary Jane Watson(-Parker), Ms. Lion, Pet Avengers, pet character, Pet Character Syndrome, Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo, Snarf, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Marriage, Thundercats.
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