History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / NewMedia

* ''TalesOfMU'' encourages this, including having a SpinOff that gives a [[SympatheticPOV completely different view]] of some characters and events. Every major character and most minor ones seems to spark competing theories. Is Mackenzie Blaise a MarySue, an unrepentant sociopath, of just a normal girl who happens to be CursedWithAwesome? Was her grandmother's treatment of her horrible child abuse or going above and beyond the call of duty to raise a dangerous child? Is everything Amaranth's fault after all?

* ''TodayIDie'': The young man who appears at the end of the game. Does he provide the PowerOfLove, or is he the reason for the main character's problems? It's subverted in that the player essentially chooses his role in her life.

* In ''WelcomeToNightVale'', most interpretations assume that [[TheNarrator Night Vale Community Radio host Cecil]] is sincere about pretty much everything he says on the radio, including all of the patent BS handed to him by the town's demented government and the station's corporate sponsors. However, some interpretations go darker and assume that Cecil's aware on at least some level that things aren't right and he's being fed lies, but in order to stay alive he can't be seen to openly question them too often. Supporters of this interpretation note that Cecil will continue to talk about recently banned topics like the Dog Park right up until the Police, the Council, or Station Management start breathing down his neck. Yet a third interpretation is that [[YourMindMakesItReal Cecil's mind is what makes Night Vale's weirdness real.]]

* In ''WelcomeToNightVale'', most interpretations assume that [[TheNarrator Night Vale Community Radio host Cecil]] is sincere about pretty much everything he says on the radio, including all of the patent BS handed to him by the town's demented government and the station's corporate sponsors. However, some interpretations go darker and assume that Cecil's aware on at least some level that things aren't right and he's being fed lies, but in order to stay alive he can't be seen to openly question them too often. Supporters of this interpretation note that Cecil will continue to talk about recently banned topics like the Dog Park right up until the Police, the Council, or Station Management start breathing down his neck.
* Alternately, [[YourMindMakesItReal Cecil's mind makes it real.]]

* Being a SharedUniverse comprised of several handlers with unique personalities and outlooks, ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'' has this in spades, often with even the people on the same side of a debate having different views. For example, there's debate as to whether Danya is a MagnificentBastard or [[SmugSnake just plain bastard]]. The idea that AntiHero Hawley Faust's role is as a [[spoiler:symbol of what Adam would be at the end of the game]] is also popular and controversial.

* The short story [[http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=366225 ''Chaos Theory'']] is built on this trope as every almost every character named in the course of the story can be seen as the worst/ultimate villain. Oddly while the site it is hosted in is clearly not safe for work the story contains essentially no explicit material.
* Occurs quite a bit in the WhateleyUniverse. Tansy has a thread on the forum devoted to her that is filled with this, Jobe tended to be argued a bit before he got his own story (And possibly after), and quite a few of Team Kimba has people in canon trying to look at their actions. Also, Razorback and Mega-Death had these a bit. One was a murderer and the other is a psychopath...but both are actually really nice guys with mental illnesses. (Razorback has Hulk-style raging, Mega-Death has Diedrick's, which turns him into a rampaging super-villain. But he's actually pretty nice when not dricking out!)
** Normally averted/subverted by Word of God, however. (And focus stories.)
** The question on whether the characters are Mary Sues, on the other hand...

* In the same vein, PotterPuppetPals portrays Harry as a self-praising jerk, Ron as a StrawLoser ButtMonkey, Hermione as a FlatCharacter, Snape as the most emo character alive, and Dumbledore is just... Dumbledore.
* {{Fanfic/ChristianHumberReloaded}} with its massive size and ridiculousness, opens itself to some fun interpretations. Is it a stream of consciousness interpretation of the writer's dysfunctional life? A story of a clumsy PhysicalGod unable to control his impulses and anger? A self-imposed challenge to write the most ridiculous story ever?
* Lear Dunham of ''BrokenSaints'': [[spoiler: WellIntentionedExtremist who was willing to sacrifice anything in order to make the world a better place?]] Or [[MadScientist who completely lost his marbles after his wife's death and started deluding himself into thinking he ease the pain by becoming a religious zealot and taking over the world]]? Or [[TakeAThirdOption a little of both?]]
* WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}'s takes on [=MuscleBomber2021=] (who is desperately trying to impress a girl named Amy with his Super [[strike:[[VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} Bummerman]]]] [[VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} Bomberman 2]] [[LetsPlay LP]]) and LetsPlay/BillyMC (whose parents force him to play Mario games and give him [=McDonald=]'s food as christmas presents).
** Also, Darknessthecurse and Rijno as gay lovers.
** Slowbeef's interpretation of the ending of ''[[ColourMySeries Colour My World]]''.
-->'''Slowbeef''': In this monochrome world I will search the depths of the earth and the limitless skies for you. Alternate Title: I Didn't Get You A Valentine's Day Present.
* WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd: drunk asshole or depressed [[TheChewToy Chew Toy?]]
* A common element of [[TheAbridgedSeries abridged]] and other [[GagDub parody series]]. For example, in ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'', Mars has gone from a temple miko to a hilariously stereotyped pyromaniac satanist.
* Unlike most Machinima which create their own original characters, the characters of ''MeleesEnd'' are just Alternate Character Interpretations of the game's characters.
* [[http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/cow This flash animation]] shows how a cow might view the farmer coming out to milk her...
* The last post of Blog/SeekingTruth offers one of these for its protagonist, Zeke. Until then, he was something of a MemeticBadass due to defying SanitySlippage as best he could, actually scrabbling for a way to take the fight to the Slender Man, and leaving a DoNotGoGentle speech before doing so. Then, in ''Status Report'', [[spoiler: we learn that the traps he set up in his home killed at least one stranger, and he seemingly hid the body in his garage for weeks.]]
** Similar to the above, the ending of ''Blog/DreamsInDarkness'' leaves us wondering if [[spoiler:the protagonist, Damien just a paranoid schizophrenic who snapped after the bloody murders of his closest friends and attributed it to Slender Man (who might or might not actually ''be'' responsible for one or more of those murders), hallucinating Mr. Thin everywhere and losing track of where "reality" ended and "AlternateRealityGame" began.]]
** Everyone's favorite HumanoidAbomination it/himself is subject to a lot of this too, with portrayals varying considerably between works within the VillainBasedFranchise that is [[TheSlenderManMythos the mythos]]. Is he tormenting his victims [[ForTheEvulz for fun]]? A being that feeds on fear? A lost and confused creature that's just trying to communicate somehow, but has no idea what he's doing to the people he encounters? Something so alien that [[BlueAndOrangeMorality conventional ideas of "morality," or even "intelligence" and "volition," no longer apply]]? [[spoiler:...[[NightmareRetardant Or maybe]] he just wants [[MemeticMutation twenty dollars]].]]
* ''[[http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/09/27/smallville-recap-season-10-episode-1-lazarus/ Smallvillains]]'' likes to provide these for its characters, derived by deliberately watching ''{{Smallville}}'' episodes without research or context. Thus far Clark is a PinballProtagonist, Lana is flat-out crazy, Lois is actually the SilverAge Jimmy Olsen, and the Kents are assholes who drove Lex Luthor to villainy.
* ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'': Did Mike simply outgrow the crush and [[http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c51/p13.html isn't interested?]] Or is it embarrassment after [[http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c45/p5.html all he said]] leading to him trying even harder to forget it?
* The Silver Order from {{Tasakeru}}. Are they ''really'' Good-alighned Paladins devoted to the Life Goddess, or fuzzy Nazis?
* ''TodayIDie'': The young man who appears at the end of the game. Does he provide the PowerOfLove, or is he the reason for the main character's problems? It's subverted in that the player essentially chooses his role in her life.
* ''AsteroidRunner'' hosts a couple of these, mostly because every member of the eponymous ship's crew seems to be trying to hide things.
** Noa: cultural fish-out-of-water who makes due with what she has, or egotistical alien who forces her culture on everyone by refusing to dress and act like the rest of the crew.
*** Theory has some weight, given seemingly 90% of the times Noa gets in trouble, it's cultural dissonance issues.
** Gerard: keeping secrets from Izzy really for her sake, or just selfishly witholding information, afraid of losing his best friend and love interest?
** Locke: Is his obsession with being called a 'marksman' really all about being outclassed by the [[FanNickname Sniper in Green]] or is he traumatized by the cold killing of his squad and wants to call himself anything but a sniper to avoid connecting himself with the murders he's committed.
*** It doesn't help that he calls himself a marksman. A marksman could be a shooter of targets just as much as a shooter of people. Sniper directly implies shooting people.
* Amnesty of the ''GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse''. On the one hand, she's an amazingly powerful superhuman who uses her abilities to aid people who are starving, who are sick, who are war ravaged, and who are drought-stricken around the world. On the other hand, she's listed as a terrorist by the governments of thirteen different countries for some of the things she's done to aid these unfortunates (slaughtering the army of one particular South American dictator because they were "pacifying" a rebellious peasant village is the best example).
* Is the Director of Project Freelancer in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' a WellIntentionedExtremist who [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Did What He Had To Do]] or just plain evil? He clearly considers himself the first, arguing that his manipulation of the Freelancers, torture of AIs, and lying to/stealing from the UNSC was all for the sake of winning the war (against aliens? against Insurrectionists? He's vague). On the other hand, he induces multiple personality disorder in an AI (''multiple'' AIs, potentially), is responsible for ParentalNeglect, and seems to put [[spoiler:getting his dead wife/girlfriend back]] above the life of his agents, up to and including [[spoiler:his ''daughter'']]. Some
** An interesting fan theory regarding Doc makes use of an AlternateCharacterInterpretation. Most people view Doc as a cowardly and inept medic. However, he knows a surprising amount about Project Freelancer even before anyone else finds out, such as potentially knowing the Red and Blue bases are only simulation bases. Because of this, an alternate interpretation is that he was a Freelancer agent sent to keep an eye on Alpha (and Beta?) who fakes his poor medical skills to throw suspicion off of him... and to be able to get rid of anyone Command doesn't want around anymore.
* In ''[[DNAKpts4tv Death Note The Abridged Series (Kpts4tv)]]'' Light is an AffablyEvil SissyVillain [[VillainousCrush with an obvious crush on L]], Ryuk [[MemeticMolester molests]] AnythingThatMoves, Mikami isn't particularly fanatical [[SpeechImpediment he just says "God" whenever he's nervous]], Takada is an [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]], Mello is a very [[BritishAccents British]], [[CampGay Camp]] ConspiracyTheorist, Near [[spoiler: [[EvilerThanThou is way eviler than Light]]]], and DaChief--well let's just say [[WhiteSheep Light]] takes after his father...

* Being a SharedUniverse comprised of several handlers with unique personalities and outlooks, ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'' has this in spades, often with even the people on the same side of a debate having different views. For example, there's debate as to whether Danya is a MagnificentBastard or [[SmugSnake just plain bastard]], and a lot of arguments centred around Adam Dodd are about whether or not he counts as a MartyStu. The idea that AntiHero Hawley Faust's only role is as a [[spoiler:symbol of what Adam would be at the end of the game]] is also popular and controversial.

*** Did he steal Penny from Billy out of malice or jealousy - wanting his nemesis's attention (and other things) for himself? Guess there's always the possibility that he actually liked her, but...

**** In what universe can you say he "''stole''" Penny from [[StalkerWithACrush Billy]] anyway?

** An interesting FanTheory regarding Doc makes use of an AlternateCharacterInterpretation. Most people view Doc as a cowardly and inept medic. However, he knows a surprising amount about Project Freelancer even before anyone else finds out, such as potentially knowing the Red and Blue bases are only simulation bases. Because of this, an alternate interpretation is that he was a Freelancer agent sent to keep an eye on Alpha (and Beta?) who fakes his poor medical skills to throw suspicion off of him... and to be able to get rid of anyone Command doesn't want around anymore.

* A common element of [[TheAbridgedSeries abridged]] and other [[GagDub parody series]]. For example, in ''SailorMoonAbridged'', Mars has gone from a temple miko to a hilariously stereotyped pyromaniac satanist.

* Is Penny from ''DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' a.) an idealistic ShallowLoveInterest b.) a StepfordSmiler who helps the homeless to hide her own dissatisfaction c.) someone who got tired of wallowing in self-pity and decided to help others worse off than herself or d.) [[WildMassGuessing a deep-cover agent trying to get close enough to the nigh-invincible Captain Hammer to kill him, meaning Billy accidentally saved his enemy in an attempt to kill him?]] Well, it really depends on how much free time you have.

** Similar to the above, the ending of ''Blog/DreamsInDarkness'' leaves us wondering if [[spoiler:the protagonist, Damien]] is a CompleteMonster or just [[spoiler:a paranoid schizophrenic who snapped after the bloody murders of his closest friends and attributed it to Slender Man (who might or might not actually ''be'' responsible for one or more of those murders), hallucinating Mr. Thin everywhere and losing track of where "reality" ended and "AlternateRealityGame" began.]]
** Everyone's favorite HumanoidAbomination it/himself is subject to a lot of this too, with portrayals varying considerably between works within the VillainBasedFranchise that is [[TheSlenderManMythos the mythos]]. Is he a horrifying CompleteMonster, tormenting his victims [[ForTheEvulz for fun]]? A being that feeds on fear? A lost and confused creature that's just trying to communicate somehow, but has no idea what he's doing to the people he encounters? Something so alien that [[BlueAndOrangeMorality conventional ideas of "morality," or even "intelligence" and "volition," no longer apply]]? [[spoiler:...[[NightmareRetardant Or maybe]] he just wants [[MemeticMutation twenty dollars]].]]

* {{Retsupurae}}'s takes on [=MuscleBomber2021=] (who is desperately trying to impress a girl named Amy with his Super [[strike:[[VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} Bummerman]]]] [[VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} Bomberman 2]] [[LetsPlay LP]]) and LetsPlay/BillyMC (whose parents force him to play Mario games and give him [=McDonald=]'s food as christmas presents).

** Draco is a petite TedBaxter CloudCuckooLander whom no one can stand who is obsessed with a space school called Pigfarts. [[spoiler: He also joins the heroes through a HeelFaceTurn, is in love with Hermione only to hook up with Luna Lovegood and is the biological son of Dobby]].

* The last post of SeekingTruth offers one of these for its protagonist, Zeke. Until then, he was something of a MemeticBadass due to defying SanitySlippage as best he could, actually scrabbling for a way to take the fight to the Slender Man, and leaving a DoNotGoGentle speech before doing so. Then, in ''Status Report'', [[spoiler: we learn that the traps he set up in his home killed at least one stranger, and he seemingly hid the body in his garage for weeks.]]
** Similar to the above, the ending of ''DreamsInDarkness'' leaves us wondering if [[spoiler:the protagonist, Damien]] is a CompleteMonster or just [[spoiler:a paranoid schizophrenic who snapped after the bloody murders of his closest friends and attributed it to Slender Man (who might or might not actually ''be'' responsible for one or more of those murders), hallucinating Mr. Thin everywhere and losing track of where "reality" ended and "AlternateRealityGame" began.]]

* ''BittersweetCandyBowl'': Did Mike simply outgrow the crush and [[http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c51/p13.html isn't interested?]] Or is it embarrassment after [[http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c45/p5.html all he said]] leading to him trying even harder to forget it?

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* A number of anti-fans of ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan: Oracle for Hire'' have constructed an elaborate {{fanon}} about how the eponymous Seer is a nigh-omnipotent EvilOverlord secretly ruling over a cowed populace, and how villains such as his AloofBigBrother Jacob and/or EvilCounterpart Celesto are actually members or leaders of LaResistance.
** Also, the chaos eyeball that Dominic recently scryed on isn't an evil demon beast intent on destroying everything, he's a cute little monster who just wants hugs.
** '''THE''' ACI for Dominic Deegan is whether or not he's as pious as the writer makes him out to be or the ultimate manipulative Jerkass. It's the idea the entire Hatedom is built upon. Of course, Luna shares the spotlight. Is she a victim slowly overcoming years of emotional torture at the hands of a scheming mother and evil sisters or an incurable psychopath who'll murder anyone who makes her feel bad about herself?
** Then there's the tone of the comic overall. Is it a chronicle of events that can be taken at face value and seen as a legitimate work of fantasy or does it shift between a gritty tone and a more cartoon-y feel for the sake of entertainment? Which side you prefer tends to automatically place you on one side the comic's very large love-hate war.
** Something from the snarkdom: The Orcs: {{Noble Savage}}s unjustly and [[{{Anvilicious}} excessively]] [[FantasticRacism persecuted]] by [[StrawmanPolitical the Callanians]], or a bunch of vicious barbarians that are not undeserving of the derision and hatred they receive as large portions of their species really do engage in casual brutality and [[RapeAsDrama worse]]. [[TakeAThirdOption Or a race as diverse as any other]], with both its heros and monsters, just like the Callanians.
** Was [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2010-03-25 Milov's praising of Nimmel]] [[CreatorsPet a blatant shill]], or [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2010-03-08 a sign that Nimmel has]] [[VillainWithGoodPublicity successfully pulled the wool over Milov]].
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick:''
** Vaarsuvius: InsufferableGenius who occasionally commits [[ShootTheDog morally questionable acts]], but still, ultimately, [[WellIntentionedExtremist means well]], JerkWithAHeartOfGold who couldn't care less about saving the world, but is nonetheless extremely loyal to his/her friends, or full-blown HeroicSociopath who takes sadistic pleasure at tormenting Belkar (not that he doesn't deserve it) and only cares about increasing his/her own arcane power, no matter what the cost? Good? Neutral? Evil, or merely traumatized and in need of therapy? Male? Female? Genderless? A mixed-sex team of ninjas who randomly switch places whenever no one is looking?
** Miko: self-righteous KnightTemplar with a chosen-of-god complex, almost incapable of seeing anything but her own ego and her own view of the world? Or an isolated young woman who used ego-boosting statements her lord once told her to help get her through those years of lonely, loyal service, which resulted in an attitude creating a vicious cycle of arrogance and isolation. Her execution of Lord Shojo: brutal act done in a completely unjustified bout of self-righteous fury? Or someone finally snapping from the feelings of betrayal that her lord would trust foreigners (which include an unrepentant murderer) over his own loyal order, the stress of seeing an army powerful enough to crush her homeland on their doorstop, and her years of isolation and religious zealotry (plus maybe severe head trauma resulting from the [=MitD=] slamming her through a wall, landing headfirst onto a solid surface, right before having a horse land on her head). Miko: picture perfect example on how [[KnightTemplar not to play a paladin]], or someone in [[TheWoobie desperate need of a therapist]]? Whatever is your answer, [[InternetBackdraft SHUT UP ABOUT IT ALREADY]]!
** Lord Shojo himself. Fans are divided as to whether he was an amoral JerkAss who misused his office as commander of the Sapphire Guard for his own personal gain, perverting the very rules he was sworn to uphold in the process, or a GuileHero who did everything in his power to fulfill his duty to safe-guard the Gates, even if it meant abandoning [[HonorBeforeReason the outdated and overly restricted system of rules]] which the Guard's founder had set in place.
*** Technically, he did not try everything in his power. Rich points out in his commentary that Shojo did not even try to convince the paladins that there was a need to abandon the oaths, and that his complete disregard for the oaths and his paladins was asking for trouble (though he did not deserve the summary execution), and Celia's summary at the trial was a pointed summary about how changing the rules when they needed to be changed can still be in the spirit of Lawful.
*** [[spoiler: or a [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething strong]][[ReasonableAuthorityFigure ruler]] who truly cared about everyone in his city and worked for the greater good in ways that could be considered wrong]] [[KnightTemplar by]] [[LawfulStupid some]], who understood all too well [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight that being lawful comes second to the amount of people that live to see another day, every day]]... ''and'' didn't try to convince other he was right, but instead tried to avoid conflict with his own people as much as he could]]... what?
**** [[spoiler: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0406.html "It's all well and good for you paladins to stick for your convictions, but if I make a mistake, half a million citizens pay for it"]]]]
*** Since the other members of the Order of the Scribble were convinced that Soon would break his word and send someone or go himself, [[spoiler: and the location given to Soon regarding Girard's Gate was actually booby-trapped to explode quite powerfully, apparently keeping the Oaths was not such a bad idea after all.]]
** Is the {{Big Bad}} Xykon a {{Too Dumb To Live}} {{Evil Overlord}} who's only redeeming feature is being fairly {{Genre Savvy}}, or an intelligent {{Card Carrying Villain}} who is REALLY bored?
** Celia: TooDumbToLive, or a GeniusDitz that's [[FishOutOfWater out of her]] [[IncrediblyLamePun element?]]
** Redcloak: Xykon's servant doing all the boring work or a supreme manipulator using Xykon as a weapon? For that matter, given the history of his grievances, truly evil or merely desperate?
*** As for the first question [[spoiler: he belives himself to be the latter]].
*** Tsukiko has her own interpretation of Redckloak, considering him spineless coward who does Xykon's dirty job, because he is afraid of him. She also has DracoInLeatherPants threatment for Xykon and undeads in general. [[spoiler: Combination of those two makes her belive that she can treat Redcloak like crap. It comes to [[IncrediblyLamePun bite]] her back. Hard]]
* Emily from ''{{Misfile}}'' is either a heterosexual girl attracted to Ash but unable to go further in their relationship because [[GenderBender Ash is currently a girl]] ''or'' a lesbian/bisexual in denial who simply doesn't want to accept that she's attracted to another girl. Which interpretation of her character you believe depends upon which side of the [[ShipToShipCombat shipping war]] you fall on.
** Rumisiel is either a textbook alcoholic stoner who needs to be pummelled at every opportunity for being such a massive JerkAss loser, or he is a pretty decent guy who has some major self-esteem issues which caused him to take refuge in aforementioned substances and is actually of at least above average intelligence.
*** There are some that take that former even farther: plenty have noted that he could easily be an UnreliableNarrator about the story behind the misfile, especially in regards to his [[PointyHairedBoss supervisors]]. If you take this to a radical extent, it could very easily be that he was flat-out ''lying'' when he said the people in charge of the CelestialBureaucracy would make the changes permanent to cover their own asses; Rather it's really ''he'' who is lying to cover ''his own ass'' by making the two people that remember the change afraid to let anyone know about it before he can fix it/cover it up himself.
** This is probably way off the wall, but God: an omnipotent slacker who passed off his job to the CelestialBureaucracy, or an active deity going out of his way to set up circumstances to improve the lives of a bunch of humans and help a pair of angels atone for mistakes while fixing up an imperfect filing system prone to [[IncrediblyLamePun a misfile.]]
* Something similar is (arguably deliberately) played with in ''SparklingGenerationValkyrieYuuki'', where the lead is also a man magically transformed into a buxom MagicalGirl. She dates boys and has a female best friend who ''may'' be in love with her. Is the friend in love with the boy inside the girl? The girl the boy has become? Bi-curious? Just a really good friend? Who knows?
* Reynardine from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt''. Has he undergone a HeelFaceTurn? Does he have feelings (paternal? romantic?) for Antimony? Or is he ultimately looking out for his own skin, with his improved behavior stemming from recognition that Annie is the [[KidWithTheLeash alpha wolf]]? There's no clear answer.
** [[ShipTease But oh so many hints...]]
* Some have theorized that Fighter of ''[[Webcomic/EightBitTheater 8-Bit Theatre]]'' is aware of his surroundings and the overall amorality of his comrades, he's just manipulating them for his own righteous uses (and possibly to kill them later).
** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/03/20/episode-822-too-many-light-warriors-spoil-the-npc/ This has been suggested by Fighter himself, of all people.]]
** While everyone agrees that Black Mage is a horrifically sadistic mass-murdering [[HeroicSociopath "Heroic" Sociopath]], there's disagreement as to whether he's the universe's ChewToy because he's that evil or he ''became'' that evil because he was the universe's ChewToy initially; the old chicken-or-egg dilemma.
*** And now we have an answer [[spoiler: or rather we can show that there is no answer because it's a stable time loop, he abused the Onion kid, who became Sarda who made BM's life miserable]].
*** And remember that [[spoiler:the White Mage, who hates him with ever fiber of her being, accidentally created the universe.]] Yeah, pretty damn chicken-or-egg.
*** On the other hand, he does mention that when he's done burning the world, he laments about how there will be no more world to burn, makes it seem that he probably did start the attack.
** Is Sarda a {{Jerkass}}, a TricksterMentor or a CompleteMonster?
*** "Or"?
** Is Garland a hack barely capable of [[PokeThePoodle pathetic excuses for evil]]] or is he a man who has feigned ignorance and more or less outwitted Drizz'l and ''now convinced Sarda's he's not worth killing''?
* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'''s eponymous Dr. [=McNinja=]: A man struggling with the [[McNinja dissonance]] between his chosen profession as a physician and his ninja heritage (who wants to be Batman), or a psychopath who hides his true nature behind the veneer of another (who wants to be Batman), or simply an Irish doctor who is also a ninja (who wants to be Batman)? You decide.
* ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'''s Miho is, depending on who you talk to: an [[BreakTheCutie emotionally damaged goth girl]], a brilliant computer hacker, a DarkMagicalGirl, an undead fiend, [[EpilepticTrees an artificial inteligence let loose on the net and given corporeal form]], or any combination there of. Views on her morality range from being a saintly BrokenBird to being a PoisonousFriend so evil Old Nick himself looks like a pretty swell guy in comparison. It doesn't help matters that writer/artist Fred Gallagher is a notorious sadist who enjoys toying with his fans. Also, she may or may not be bisexual. {{Bonus Material}} says she isn't, but it's uncertain how {{canon}} it is.
** WordOfGod has responded to the sexuality issue in the forums: [[spoiler:she's straight, and Gallagher got a little pissed at the theory. In the omakes, however...]]
** Your interpretation of Miho is also likely to influence your interpretation of Piro. Followers of the sympathetic interpretations tend to view Piro somewhat of a JerkAss because of his uncaring attitude towards [[spoiler: Miho's apparent death]]. However, if you think of Miho as a [[PsychoExGirlfriend vindictive psycho ex from hell]] who is actively trying to sabotage Piro's relationship with Kimiko, then his lack of pathos would seem somewhat justified.
*** Or you can realize that nobody is likely to know that [[spoiler:she was ''dead'']] and in fact to him it may be just some other weird game he's being put through by Miho. Wouldn't put it past her, really, but that's what this trope is about.
** Largo. Heroic cyberpunkish hacker genius who is the only one who truly understands the threat, or an insensitive incompetent idiot who succeeds mostly by dumb luck and causes computers around him to spontaneously combust just by looking at them?
** One could argue that this is all intentional as, as the series progressed, Piro and Largo have started to almost seem to inhabit different universes. The entire series might just be an exercise in this trope, with the various characters actually changing depending on whose story they happen to find themselves in. Each character is either an inhabitant of a rather varied world, their personal stories each just highlighting a particular facet of that world or part of a not all that varied world, with just the telling of it varying to their POV. Or the author is making it up as he goes.
*** Now you're catching on. The greatest irony of, say, the Largo example above is that both views are equally valid and no doubt intentionally so, yet many fans cling to one view and deny the other. This probably also applies to many other examples on this page.
*** The interpretation that Largo, at least since the original writer left, has been a non-heroic hacker genius who doesn't like having responsibility, so he acts incompetent enough that Piro has to take care of him, insensitive enough that he doesn't have to care for anyone, and he is like he is around Erika because she, aside from Miho who's already been discredited in Piro's eyes, is the only one who sees through his act. (and he's been trying to make things as difficult as possible for Piro as revenge for putting him on a plane to Japan while passed-out drunk.)
** Is Piro himself the only sane, rational man who is able to see the faults of his own slightly misguided fantasies of a romantic relationship, the only one in the comic brave enough to realize and confront them, and the only one who truly cares about Kimiko? Or is he a whining, passive/aggressive [[AuthorAvatar insert character]] who lets his neuroticisms get the better of him and all the people in the strip who care about him only to have the blame passed to other people, especially the girls, whilst he gets out [[KarmaHoudini scot free?]]
*** For that matter, is Kimiko a saintly BrokenBird who has been more than understanding towards Piro and his various neuroses and whose self-esteem and relationship issues are due to having been burnt in love, or just a {{wangst}}y minor celebrity who builds up unrealistic fantasies concerning the people around her, lashes out at the people involved when her fantasies prove to be just that, punishes herself by sabotaging her relationships with the people who actually do care about her, and then has the nerve to complain that people only love her for her fiction persona, and not for who she really is?
*** Moreover, is the Piro/Kimiko relationship a hasty, ill-advised hook-up that is ultimately doom to failure, or a heroic love between two deeply flawed individuals who have managed to find strength in each other to become better people?
** Also, who is the more admirable character, Piro or Largo? Piro, despite acting in a more socially acceptable way, is solely focused on his own little world, barely noticing anything else, such as that Erika was once one of his favourite idols or that Tokyo really is infested with zombies and monsters and such, or that the robot girl staying with him that he ignores has some humanity within her. Largo, a complete nut case, has shown to be quite justified in his paranoid delusions, preparing for zombie attacks, which eventually happen, and also stopping hackers from discovering Erika, which they do and causes problems. Also, he does help others, giving Yuki his phone while she was tracking Miho and helping Erika set up her own computer system so she could protect herself form her fans in a completely platonic way after she told him she didn't want a relationship or anything like that.
* Happens a bit in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''. [[http://www.sluggy.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10499 This]] thread shows just how ridiculously deep Sluggy fans can try to probe into the characters' psyches. Can sometimes creep into the strip itself during guest artist filler arcs, like [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070528 this one]].
* ''[[http://chesspiece.smackjeeves.com Chess Piece]]'' is based on this trope. Many characters have wildly different personalities due to wildly different lives. Effectively, Vlad Masters and DannyPhantom switch personalities and become father and son most notably. It makes sense, since it is massively AU and cross over between almost any Nicktoon imaginable.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
** Baron Klaus Wulfenbach: tyrannical trigger-happy KnightTemplar or long-suffering responsible ruler who [[ShootTheDog does what's necessary]] to protect Europe? Claims on both sides are scattered throughout this wiki.
** And Othar Tryggvassen: hero, nutcase, both or neither?
*** '''''[[GentlemanAdventurer GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER]]'''''!
** Tarvek Sturmvoraus--WellIntentionedExtremist who underwent a HeelFaceTurn and is bound for an OT3 with our heroes, or sufferer of ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and/or HeelFaceRevolvingDoor who's only on Agatha's side ''for now'', until it comes time to side with Lucrezia/The Other again? Or potentially even MagnificentBastard masterminding the entire Storm King/Heterodyne Princess plot while playing XanatosSpeedChess? Go back and reread, there are arguments for all.
* ''PlanescapeSurvivalGuide'' is '''built''' on this trope. You won't find Swiftbow's interpretations of [[HaveYouSeenMyGod Aoskar the Portal God]] or [[TheChessmaster The Lady of Pain]] in many ''Planescape'' sourcebooks. Apropriately, it's one of the things most likely to turn ''Planescape'' fans off to the comic, but makes no apologies for it at least.
* Kore from ''{{Goblins}}'': while him being a merciless KnightTemplar isn't disputed, his status as a paladin is. We don't see him lose his powers for slaughtering innocent beings, and the one time we see him use a paladin power is to heal someone ''[[CompleteMonster so he can torture him longer]].'' For no reason other than convenience: his screams would draw his allies so Kore wouldn't have to hunt them down one by one. Kore: paladin whose fanaticism has managed to warp the rules? Or deluded but incredibly BadAss fallen paladin/blackguard that no one dares to contradict? Manipulated by a powerful, decidedly NOT holy being who grants him paladin-like powers for its own reasons?
** [[spoiler: The axe does go straight through him]], so he's either paladin on some technicality or really good at faking it.
* The eponymous wombat heroine from ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}''. Is she really having these adventures or is she, [[LampshadeHanging as she herself initially feared]], merely [[LotusEaterMachine trapped in a hallucination]] [[AllJustADream caused by cave gas]] [[FeverDreamEpisode and lack of food and sleep]] [[DeadToBeginWith as she dies slowly,]] [[DownerEnding all alone and trapped deep,]]'' [[DugTooDeep deep]]'' [[DownerEnding under ground?]]
** Jhalm, captain of the Veiled - [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremist]] gone [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope off the deep end]], or [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold a jerk with heart of gold]] who is doing the best he can with the facts he has been given?
* The author of ''{{The KAMics}}'' saw the S.M.O.G. board of directors as business people who sometimes have to deal with dangerous people & are forced to sometimes take cowboy justice. The readers saw them as "a bunch of violent, power-mad gits". Of them all Sunshine Marigold got the worst of it being seen as a cold-blooded murderer who eats her victims leading the author to do [[http://www.drunkduck.com/The_KAMics/index.php?p=221191 this cartoon]].
* ''DresdenCodak'': Is Kimiko Ross just a somewhat neurotic girl whose obsession with technology is ultimately harmless, or a budding OmnicidalManiac EvilutionaryBiologist midway through her StartOfDarkness? Does she actively want to wipe out the human race [[ForTheEvulz for the lulz]], or is she merely uncaring towards the fate of a world that she feels has mistreated her? Or, does she simply object to saving mankind at the price of ''genociding'' what she believes to be another sentient race?
** Is she perhaps a [[TheSingularity transhumanist]] messiah who longs to bring about a golden age that would overshadow any paradise imagined by mankind and considers the risk of human extinction well worth it?
* This is actually a major plot point in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' with the relationships between the main characters and their parents/guardians.
** John sees his father as an embarrassing BumblingDad with an obsession with clowns, when he really [[spoiler: is actually a very boring businessman outside of the home, and not really all that into harlequins. He only collects clown-related figurines and memorabilia because he thinks ''John'' is obsessed with them, from observing John's subconscious drawings on the walls of his room.]]
*** But then, John's dad is ''also'' [[spoiler: a badass fighter with the ability to lift heavy safes, punch out powerful monsters, and put the Hegemonic Brute in a headlock. He also ran a joke shop with Nanna before it (and she) got hit by the meteor carrying Baby John]]. Clearly a man of many layers.
** Rose interprets every action her mom takes as a calculated move in an escalating war of passive-aggressive, spiteful smothering. [[spoiler: It's actually been implied throughout the rest of the story that she really does care a great deal for her daughter and wants the best for her (hence the over-the-top pampering), but went slightly nuts after the death of their family cat, Jaspers.]] And then, there's more to [[spoiler:Jaspers's mausoleum]] than meets the eye...
** Dave looks up to his Bro as the epitome of coolness, and explains away Bro's seemingly-perverse hobbies and obsession with puppets as a high-tier act of {{irony}} that is so multi-layered that he can't even ''begin'' to understand it. Many of the readers instead see his hobbies as a downright ''creepy-as-fuck'' fetish with no trace of irony whatsoever.
*** Then again, it's possible that Bro really ''is'' being ironic and doing all the puppet-fetish stuff with the deliberate intention of weirding out Dave.
*** You can go even further when you realize Bro must have been incredibly young when he found Dave, and may in fact just not know how to raise a kid. Now, whether that means he's outright abusive, well-meaning but not cut out to be a parental figure, or a guy who is genuinely trying his best and doing a pretty good job considering the circumstances...well, that depends entirely on who you're talking to.
** Jade thinks of her dog Bec as a GOOD DOG BEST FRIEND with her best interests at heart, even if he does have alarming nuclear space superpowers, but it turns out that [[spoiler:Bec was created by the bad guys using the genetic code that the Dark [[DarkIsNotEvil (but not evil)]] Gods warned Rose to destroy. As of this moment, Bec's true motives are unknown]].
** In the fandom itself, [[BaseBreaker everyone has their own opinion on Vriska]]. Does she genuinely feel remorse for harming her friends? Is she really as in control of the situation as she claims, or is she just a little girl on an ego trip? Does she have any reason to do the things she does other than ForTheEvulz? It's possible to place her anywhere on a continuum from JerkassWoobie to CompleteMonster. Any way you slice it, though, she's [[{{Jerkass}} kind of a massive bitch]].
* ''Webcomic/WarbotInAccounting'': Clearly, warbots are something that people in this universe are passingly familiar with. Why, then, do they insist on interacting with an object that is known to be incredibly heavy, clumsy, mute, dangerous, etc. as though he's no different from a normal human? The answer: they're anti-warbot protestors who are continuing a mission of sabotage against the warbots, deliberately torturing the A.I. and stringing it along and making it feel like every bad thing that happens to it are its fault when really they're just trying to goad it into losing its temper, with catastrophic results!
** There is also the theory that warbots can speak perfectly fine, X-17 just suffers from crippling social anxiety and clams up in public. It explains why people speak to him and act confused when he doesn't respond.
** {{Jossed}}. According to the FAQ, "Warbots talk the way guns do."
*** Warbots are sentient beings. Warbots were banned because they killed too many people. But instead of being allowed to live, they were killed and are now suffering enternally in Hell. It explains everything, really!
* Similar to ''PlanescapeSurvivalGuide'' is ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids''. Qui-Gon Jinn is a CloudCuckoolander! R2D2 is a {{Jerkass}} {{Munchkin}}! Darth Maul is a PrivateDetective! Chancellor Valorum is [[spoiler: General Grevious]]!
* Page picture for the ACI hub: ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'' on Marth. It's not entirely Katie's fault. When she says she "kind of completely made it up" she forgets that she based his characterization on what little characterization there was in the SuperSmashBros games -- which was more like an egocentric prick than a teamwork-loving hippy.
* The original [[NuzlockeComics Nuzlocke Comic]] as well as the many offshoot comics done by others often have these for most if not all the characters that appear in the main Pokemon canon but have a little or no characterization. The rival, (Blue/Green/Gary from [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue R/B/G/Y and the remakes]] especially), the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four are the most common. [[http://www.nuzlocke.com/pokemonhardmode.php?p=28 Pot head Ericka from the original comic really takes the cake.]]
** The added grimness of a person's Pokemon possibly being [[KilledOffForReal killed]] also adds a frequent point of variation in showing how gym leaders and other trainers respond to death on the battlefield. Any given gym leader could be portrayed as a professional who has accepted death as a natural consequence of battle, a friendly foe who's honestly shocked at seeing their opponent's Pokemon die, or an utter Jerkass who gloats and rubs the loss in their face.
* ''BladeBunny'' is a master of ObfuscatingStupidity. This may in part be due to her having more than enough real stupidity to make the act credible, it is certainly hard to tell the difference at times.

* A number of anti-fans of ''DominicDeegan: Oracle for Hire'' have constructed an elaborate {{fanon}} about how the eponymous Seer is a nigh-omnipotent EvilOverlord secretly ruling over a cowed populace, and how villains such as his AloofBigBrother Jacob and/or EvilCounterpart Celesto are actually members or leaders of LaResistance.

* ''{{Megatokyo}}'''s Miho is, depending on who you talk to: an [[BreakTheCutie emotionally damaged goth girl]], a brilliant computer hacker, a DarkMagicalGirl, an undead fiend, [[EpilepticTrees an artificial inteligence let loose on the net and given corporeal form]], or any combination there of. Views on her morality range from being a saintly BrokenBird to being a PoisonousFriend so evil Old Nick himself looks like a pretty swell guy in comparison. It doesn't help matters that writer/artist Fred Gallagher is a notorious sadist who enjoys toying with his fans. Also, she may or may not be bisexual. {{Bonus Material}} says she isn't, but it's uncertain how {{canon}} it is.

* Happens a bit in ''SluggyFreelance''. [[http://www.sluggy.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10499 This]] thread shows just how ridiculously deep Sluggy fans can try to probe into the characters' psyches. Can sometimes creep into the strip itself during guest artist filler arcs, like [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070528 this one]].

* ''GirlGenius'':

* The original [[NuzlockeComics Nuzlocke Comic]] as well as the many offshoot comics done by others often have these for most if not all the characters that appear in the main Pokemon canon but have a little or no characterization. The rival, (Blue/Green/Gary from [[PokemonRedAndBlue R/B/G/Y and the remakes]] especially), the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four are the most common. [[http://www.nuzlocke.com/pokemonhardmode.php?p=28 Pot head Ericka from the original comic really takes the cake.]]

* Some have theorized that Fighter of ''[[Webcomic/EightBitTheater 8-Bit Theatre]]'' is totally aware of his surroundings and the overall amorality of his comrades, he's just manipulating them for his own righteous uses (and possibly to kill them later).

*** Don't forget the interpretation that Largo, at least since the original writer left, has been a non-heroic hacker genius who doesn't like having responsibility, so he acts incompetent enough that Piro has to take care of him, insensitive enough that he doesn't have to care for anyone, and he is like he is around Erika because she, aside from Miho who's already been discredited in Piro's eyes, is the only one who sees through his act. (and he's been trying to make things as difficult as possible for Piro as revenge for putting him on a plane to Japan while passed-out drunk.)

*** '''''[[GentlemanAdventurer GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER]]''''', of course!

** Rose interprets every action her mom takes as a calculated move in an escalating war of passive-aggressive, spiteful smothering. [[spoiler: It's actually been implied throughout the rest of the story that she really does care a great deal for her daughter and wants the best for her (hence the over-the-top pampering), but went slightly nuts after the death of their family cat, Jaspers.]]
*** And even then, there's more to [[spoiler:Jaspers's mausoleum]] than meets the eye...

* Page picture for the ACI hub: ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'' on Marth. Of course, it's not entirely Katie's fault. When she says she "kind of completely made it up" she forgets that she based his characterization on what little characterization there was in the SuperSmashBros games -- which was more like an egocentric prick than a teamwork-loving hippy.

*** Did he steal Penny from Billy out of malice or jealousy - wanting his nemesis's attention (and other things) for himself? I suppose there's always the possibility that he actually liked her, but...

***** I had always assumed that he was hopeful about sleeping with her twice, something he was excited about because most women realize how much of a jerkwad/dork he is quickly enough to keep them from going back for seconds. This is supported by his apparent pride in the concept of even having slept with her in the "Everyone's A Hero In Their Own Way" song.

* ''TalesOfMU'' encourages this, including having a SpinOff that gives a [[SympatheticPOV completely different view]] of some characters and events. Every major character and even most minor ones seems to spark competing theories. Is Mackenzie Blaise a MarySue, an unrepentant sociopath, of just a normal girl who happens to be CursedWithAwesome? Was her grandmother's treatment of her horrible child abuse or going above and beyond the call of duty to raise a dangerous child? Is everything Amaranth's fault after all?

* Pretty much the whole point of AVeryPotterMusical. And it works through CharacterDevelopment or the new characterizations being a hundred times funnier then canon. In fact Hermione is about the only person close to canon. Just some examples:

* {{Retsupurae}}'s takes on [=MuscleBomber2021=] (who is desperately trying to impress a girl named Amy with his Super [[strike:[[VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} Bummerman]]]] [[VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} Bomberman 2]] [[LetsPlay LP]]) and BillyMC (whose parents force him to play Mario games and give him [=McDonald=]'s food as christmas presents).

* Is [[DresdenCodak Kimiko Ross]] just a somewhat neurotic girl whose obsession with technology is ultimately harmless, or a budding OmnicidalManiac EvilutionaryBiologist midway through her StartOfDarkness? Does she actively want to wipe out the human race [[ForTheEvulz for the lulz]], or is she merely uncaring towards the fate of a world that she feels has mistreated her? Or, does she simply object to saving mankind at the price of ''genociding'' what she believes to be another sentient race?

* The original [[NuzlockeComics Nuzlocke Comic]] as well as the many offshoot comics done by others often have these for most if not all the characters that appear in the main Pokemon canon but have a little or no characterization. The rival, (Blue/Green/Gary from [[PokemonRedAndBlue R/B/G/Y and the remakes]] especially), the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four are the most common. [[http://www.nuzlocke.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/red13.jpg Pot head Ericka from the original comic really takes the cake.]]

* WebOriginal/TheAngryVideoGameNerd: drunk asshole or depressed [[TheChewToy Chew Toy?]]