Some famous movie characters outlive their films, their actors, and even the cultural moment that created them. However, for the sake of this article, popularity and iconicity are not the same thing. A popular character earns attention, whereas an iconic one earns a permanent place in the human imagination.

The difference comes down to recognition without context. You know exactly who Darth Vader is even if you’ve never watched a single frame of Star Wars. With such an impossibly large list of fan favorites to pull from, that’s the criteria we have to use to trim things down to a more manageable level (so we are very sorry, fellow Onceler admirers; we’re weeping alongside you, and he’s on this list in our hearts).

The psychological pull of these characters is well-documented, of course. Audiences form parasocial bonds with screen characters, i.e. emotional connections that mirror real relationships. That’s by design, of course; humans are naturally empathetic, and when a character's fears, desires, or contradictions reflect something true about the human condition, we inevitably connect with them on a deeper level than as mere fiction and entertainment.

Accordingly, we’ll be picking character examples based on the core themes and archetypes that create standout icons, rather than just going down some generic listicle where a character’s inclusion at #20 or #2 is almost entirely arbitrary and unexplained.

As per Empire Magazine’s reader poll on the same subject, roughly 70% of their "100 Greatest Movie Characters" list features figures established between 1970 and 2000… which is fair! It’s a window widely regarded as the golden age of character-driven storytelling, and that era produced a remarkable concentration of narrative blueprints that writers and directors still borrow from today. However, we also think there’s some bias in Empire’s readership that might not account for a broader film audience, so we’re going to throw some curveballs in this article from movies and eras that didn’t quite make other lists.

The Hero's Journey and the Power of Relatable Struggles

Many iconic film characters endure because their struggles mirror our own, and no framework captures that mirror more precisely than Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, the foundational narrative architecture outlined in The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

You know it from English class, of course. You’ve heard it a thousand times. But at the end of the day, the call to adventure, the road of trials, the trip to the underworld, and the return (and triumph) are archetypical for a reason, and they inevitably show up again and again and again in our favorite characters across history.

Vulnerability is what makes this structure land. Audiences do not connect with invincible champions; they connect with characters who doubt themselves, fail publicly, and keep moving anyway. Luke Skywalker is compelling not because he destroys the Death Star, but because he nearly quits before he does, and because he’s just a farm boy in over his head who nonetheless chooses to do the right thing.

Katniss Everdeen earns a spot here for that reason as well, answering an impossible call (volunteering at the Reaping), before overcoming subsequent trials that are as psychological as they are physical. Other standouts that come to mind include Po, Iron Man, and even Forrest Gump in this category.

Of course, it’s not all heroes here, as we’ll discuss next.

Villain Psychology (I.e. Why We Love the Devil)

There are two types of villains that stand out most, and the best ones tend to be a combination of both types:

1. Villains who aren’t simply evil, but who are heroes of their own stories, mismatched and broken to create reflections of the protagonist’s own virtues and flaws. Where protagonists find resilience, they find resentment, and the line between their tales can be thin and hazy at best.

2. Villains who just want to burn the world and are having SO much fun with it. Bonus points for great outfits, magnetic charisma, and/or terrifying presences. You hate them, and you love to hate them, and they probably hate you too.

Darth Vader is not frightening because he is abstractly powerful; he is haunting because he was once exactly what Luke Skywalker is trying to become, and because he acts as an unstoppable, inscrutable force in every scene, dominating his surroundings. The Joker compels because his chaos carries a warped logic grounded in a world that failed him, yet also because of his deranged persona. A bit of sympathy and a bit of “cool factor” goes a long way in this category.

Cinema has gradually shifted away from one-dimensional monsters (such as old monster flick threats) and toward antagonists with coherent, even understandable, motivations. Loki? We love him. Complex backstory, objective character flaws, and an amazing third act breakdown. Davy Jones? Same thing. On to the next!

Unconventional Icons that Break the Mold

Somebody once told me the world would send us hate mail if we didn’t include him, so yes, it’s Shrek (and similar icons of outgroups, parody, and memes).

By the late 1990s, the traditional fairy tale formula had calcified. Heroes were handsome, princesses were passive, and dragons guarded castles on cue. DreamWorks flipped every one of those conventions in 2001 with a flatulent green ogre who wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Shrek was dragged into it, grumbling the entire way, and never needed to become a polished prince to find happiness. And now he’s a puzzle, much to his horror, pride, or both? We can only wonder.

And, yes, humor and meme-ability accelerated Shrek's staying power long after the credits rolled. The film's layered comedy (slapstick for children, sharp satire for adults) created a character that different generations could claim as their own. And when internet culture arrived, Shrek became one of its earliest and most durable icons, generating a wave of parody, fan art, and ironic devotion that no marketing budget could manufacture.

Jack Sparrow, Morpheus, Mr. Incredible, and more all show up in our cultural history for this exact reason.

Celebrate Cinema’s Best, From Posters to Trivia to Puzzles

Iconic characters outlast their films, migrating from the screen onto bedroom walls, trivia nights, and cultural shorthand that needs no explanation.

That’s why we build officially licensed puzzles by partnering with some of the most iconic films of all time, allowing buyers to take a piece of history home with them (packaged in a collectible box and alongside a wall poster, no less). Puzzling is a great way to explore these legacies in a tactile, satisfying way that invites true introspection, and we can’t wait to share that passion with you.

Looking ahead, the streaming era is producing more characters than ever, but volume does not guarantee legacy. The icons that endure will still need the same ingredients explored throughout this article: emotional truth, visual distinctiveness, and the ability to reflect something universal back at the audience.

So, while we wait for the next stars to arrive, why not revisit the best movies of all time with fresh eyes? Browse our premium Cinema Puzzles, and see whether you’ll discover an icon you missed the first time around.