100 Greatest Characters of Last 20 Years

Entertainment Weekly came out with their 100 greatest characters of the last 20 years. As usual with any list, especially EW lists, there are a couple of choices that made me do a double take. Here is their top 10:


1) Homer Simpson
2) Harry Potter
3) Buffy
4) Tony Soprano
5) The Joker
6) Rachel Green
7) Edward Scissorhands
8) Hannibal Lecter
9) Carrie Bradshaw
10) Spongebob Squarepants

I don't think Edward Scissorhands belongs near the top 10. Rachel Green should also be a lot lower on this list. Not only has Friends not aged particularly that well, but there wasn't much about her to stand out as an individual. I could at least understand putting "Ross and Rachel" on the list instead. That would've been a copout, but the list DOES include some other pairings. Of course, the best thing about seeing a list like this is creating your own counter list. Here's my top 10 based on not just personal preference but also their place in pop culture:

1. Tony Soprano-character who changed television over the past 15 years.

2. Homer Simpson

3. Harry Potter

4. Forrest Gump- I admit, if I'm criticizing Rachel Green for not aging well, Forrest hasn't aged perfectly either. He's still here for personal preference.

5. Benjamin Linus- The best "accidental" character. He took everyone by surprise- even the creators who had to adjust and make his role bigger.

6. Michael Scott

7. Buffy- I never watched the show, but EW is right about how the recent popularity in vampires in pop culture starts with her.

8. Don Draper

9. Hannibal Lector

10. Anton Chigurh(No Country For Old Men)- I guess if a character is so huge I shouldn't have to provide parenthesis for clarification!

I was also thinking about including Simon Cowell even though he's not a fictional character. If he did count for this list, I'd put him in the Top 5. In a way, I think he does belong on the list. What did you think of the EW list? What would your list look like?