History JerkassWoobie / Film

* ''Film/Shazam2019'':
** [[BigBad Dr. Sivana]] was shown to have a ''horrible'' childhood -- his brother constantly teased him while his father looked down upon him, making him feel insecure. Once he fails the test from the Wizard in order to become special and avoid his abusive family members, the Wizard fails him for his temptation and casts him back to his abusive family. Then they both get into a car accident resulting in the father being paralyzed, while the two blame him by treating him worse when he has nothing to do with it. He may be vicious and ruthless, it is easy to sympathize him over his envy towards his tormentors.
** [[spoiler:Billy's mom abandoning him at the local fair was definitely a thoughtless move, but after hearing that she was disowned by her own parents for having Billy at 17-years-old and was left to raise Billy alone due to her boyfriend being incarcerated, it can be hard not to feel sorry for her. After she tried to build herself a new life, it all went downhill with both unpleasant relationships and a low-paying job. One can even interpret that her stress over her difficult lifestyle might have something to do with why she can barely communicate with Billy once the latter meets up with her eleven years after searching for her.]]

** [[spoiler:Billy's mom abandoning him at the local fair was definitely a thoughtless move, but after hearing that she was disowned by her own parents for having Billy at 17-years-old, was ditched by her boyfriend and was left to raise Billy alone due to her boyfriend being incarcerated, it can be hard not to feel sorry for her. After she tried to build herself a new life, it all went downhill with both unpleasant relationships and a low-paying job. One can even interpret that her stress over her difficult lifestyle might have something to do with why can barely communicate with Billy once the latter meets up with her eleven years after searching for her.]]

* From ''Film/CrimsonPeak'', Thomas and Lucille Sharpe could count as this. They were both abused by their parents, separated for a long time, are desperate to restore their family fortune and by the end, [[spoiler:they both become spirits, with Lucille left behind to haunt Allerdale Hall while Thomas moves on]]. On the other hand, [[spoiler:they're both money grubbing [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]] of rich women and Lucille herself being an incestuous DomesticAbuser to Thomas]].

* Wikus van de Merwe in ''Film/{{District 9}}'' is a [[FantasticRacism (fantastical) racist]] ObstructiveBureaucrat who enjoys working for a corporation that evicts aliens from their homes. However, in the course of the film, he gets contaminated by harmful fluid, is nearly vivisected, becomes a fugitive from his employers and criminals, is separated from his wife, who believes that he cheated on her with a prawn (as the aliens are called), [[spoiler:and eventually turns into a prawn whose only form of [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming contact with his wife is via sending her "flowers" made out of scrap, just as he did as a human]]]]. In addition to this, he redeems himself over the course of the film, helping the aliens and even [[spoiler:risking his life for them]].

* Mark Zuckerberg from ''Film/TheSocialNetwork''. He's an InsufferableGenius who discards people when they're no longer useful to him, but one of his lawyers finds out that much of his behavior is a JerkassFacade, and he's actually significantly more lonely and vulnerable than he lets on.

%%* Combo in ''Film/ThisIsEngland''.

* Colonel Frank Fitts from ''Film/{{American Beauty}}''.

%%* Lloyd Christmas in ''Film/DumbAndDumber''.
%%* Matthew Poncelet in ''Film/DeadManWalking''.

%%* Several characters from the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' series -- but mostly Davy Jones and James Norrington.

* From ''Film/TheFinal'': Barring Dane, all of the other outcasts (Andy, Ravi, Emily and Jack). They've been [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil warped]] by years of abuse at school and unhappy home lives. Even as they torture their abusers, they want to [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe keep the one guy who was nice to them away from it all]].

* Kim Man-seob from ''Film/ATaxiDriver'' is a cynical, shifty, taxi driver with a HairTriggerTemper, and a DirtyCoward who abandons the revolutionaries and the journalist more than once. However, he's a veteran from Saudi Arabia who spent all his earnings on hospital bills for his wife and daughter; his wife is dead, his daughter is home alone and he's thrown into a bloody revolution where his life is at stake. Despite all he does it's hard not to feel sorry for him.

* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse version of [[Characters/MCULoki Loki]] is very much this trope, both in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. On the Jerkass side, he kills an awful lot of people, to the point that even ''Thor'' seems to consider him to be this trope. However, you can't help but feel sorry for him when it's revealed that he's actually an adopted Frost Giant and it's revealed that his main motivation is to prove to his (adoptive) father that he is a worthy son. This also overlaps with WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.

* Vincent from ''Film/StVincent'' behaves like a grouchy old drunk, but opens up to young Oliver, who eventually learns of the deteriorating elements in Vincent's life (his debt, addictions, post-war outlook, sick wife, etc.).

* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse version of Loki is very much this trope, both in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. On the Jerkass side, he kills an awful lot of people, to the point that even ''Thor'' seems to consider him to be this trope. However, you can't help but feel sorry for him when it's revealed that he's actually an adopted Frost Giant and it's revealed that his main motivation is to prove to his (adoptive) father that he is a worthy son. This also overlaps with WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.

* As much as we all laugh at his suffering at the beginning, [[TheGoodtheBadandtheUgly Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez]] is very easy to sympathise with, especially after the fight with his brother. He's a thief, a rapist, a cad, a scoundrel. He's loud, rude, vengeful, mean and selfish. However, he's also personable and the most likable character in the entire movie, and we end up feeling kind of bad for him during the movie's second half, where he's first rejected by his brother whom he loves, then later beaten senseless by Corporal Wallace and finally almost hanged for the third time, by which point the viewer really has started to worry about him. He has the broadest emotional range of all the characters and has a cheerul and welcoming demeanor. Furthermore, the audience identifies with his more endearing character flaws, such as his short temper and almost as short attention span. In short, it's somewhat ironic that the most sympathetic and likable character is the one who's most morally ambiguous.

* The titular character of ''Film/HedwigAndTheAngryInch'' is this in spades. He/She gets a botched sex change operation in order to obtain a CitizenshipMarriage out of EastGermany and, upon arriving in America, has to work as a prostitute to survive. She is also a snappy, bad-tempered diva who treats her band members like absolute shit - esspecially Yitzhak - which delves into outright psychological abuse at time.

** Even in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' - Tempest Shadow may be the villain, but her backstory is that her horn got broken when she was attacked by an Ursa Minor. Her friends abandoned her for being a freak, and she grew up alone. Her motivation is to get her horn restored so she can be accepted. [[spoiler: After Twilight shows her some kindness, she pulls a HeroicSacrifice to earn her redemption]].

* The title character in 1981's ''Film/{{Arthur}}'' is a downplayed example. He's a devil-may-care millionaire alcoholic playboy nonetheless prone to self-pity regarding his loneliness, desperate to avoid taking on adult responsibilities, and annoying to most of the people around him because of his constant joke-cracking. But beyond the fact that he '''is''' a LonelyRichKid, he has a generous heart capable of great love, he jokes to make people happy, and he really is funny -- it's just that most of the people around him are terminally humorless. In-universe Hobson, his valet and the one person in his immediate circle who truly loves him, sees him as this and goes on to help Arthur find true love -- and a little maturity -- with a working-class woman who appreciates his good qualities.

* The title character in 1981's ''Film/{{Arthur}}'' is a downplayed example. He's a devil-may-care millionaire alcoholic playboy nonetheless prone to self-pity regarding his loneliness, desperate to avoid taking on adult responsibilities, and annoying to most of the people around him because of his constant joke-cracking. But beyond the fact that he '''is''' a LonelyRichKid, he has a generous heart capable of great love, he jokes to make people happy, and he really is funny -- it's just that most of the people around him are terminally humorless. In-universe Hobson, his valet and the one person in his immediate circle who truly loves him, sees him as this and goes on to help Arthur find true love -- and a little maturity -- with a working-class woman who appreciates his good qualities, which others around him would rather see get stamped out with the bad ones.

* The title character in 1981's ''Film/{{Arthur}}'' is a downplayed example. He's a devil-may-care millionaire alcoholic playboy nonetheless prone to self-pity regarding his loneliness, desperate to avoid taking on adult responsibilities, and annoying to most of the people around him because of his constant joke-cracking. But beyond the fact that he '''is''' a LonelyRichKid, he has a generous heart capable of great love, he jokes to make people happy, and he really is funny -- it's just that most of the people around him are terminally humorless. In-universe Hobson, his valet and the one person in his immediate circle who truly loves him, sees him as this and goes on to help Arthur find true love -- and a little maturity -- with a working-class woman who appreciates who he is.

* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'': Pvt. Mellish is incredibly rude to rest of the squad (especially [[NaiveNewcomer Upham]]), but as a Jew he's the most personally affected by the war. In the establishing scene at Omaha beach, he's handed a Hitler Youth knife as a war trophy, to which he quips "and now it's a shabbat challah cutter, right?" [[MoodWhiplash and then]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone breaks down into]] ManlyTears. [[spoiler:He also gets possibly the cruellest death in the film, via being slowly stabbed to death while pinned to the floor helpless and pleading for his life.]]

** From the sequel trilogy, Vader's [[spoiler: grandson]], Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren/[[spoiler: Ben Solo]], despite being a dedicated warrior for the Dark Side, is shown to be a tormented, insecure individual, desperately trying to live up to Darth Vader's legacy. His confrontation with his father, Han, despite it ending with Ren crossing the {{Moral Event Horizon}}, shows Ren's inner conflict, and, depending on how you interpret the scene, may feature Ren asking his father to kill him before giving in to darkness and murdering him. His desperate, dishevelled state during the finale makes him look like he's on the verge of a psychotic breakdown.

* ''Let It Ride''. Jay Trotter (played by Richard Dreyfuss) is practically the TropeCodifier. As the movie tagline states: "He drinks. He smokes. He gambles. He curses. He thinks about committing adultery. '''''You'll love him.'''''" His best friend Loomey is even more of one.

* Martin Q. Blank in ''Film/GrossePointeBlank''.

*** The Daniel Craig version of James Bond is pretty much a ByronicHero who [[ParentalAbandonment is orphaned at an early age,]] [[PerpetualFrowner generally looks unhappy even when he smiles]], [[KnightInSourArmor has a grim outlook on his job]] [[HurtingHero and still regrets losing his loved ones and allies]], especially [[TheLostLenore Vesper Lynd]] in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', [[CoolOldGuy René Mathis]] in ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' and [[ParentalSubstitute M]] in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}''. On top of this, [[ParentalSubstitute his adoptive father]] was killed off by his own [[BigBrotherBully foster brother Franz Oberhauser,]] [[FreudianExcuse just because Bond got]] [[CainAndAbel more endearment]] than him, and [[TheChessmaster is bent]] [[DisproportionateRetribution on making Bond's life miserable in any way possible]].

* The titular character of ''HedwigAndTheAngryInch'' is this in spades. He/She gets a botched sex change operation in order to obtain a CitizenshipMarriage out of EastGermany and, upon arriving in America, has to work as a prostitute to survive. She is also a snappy, bad-tempered diva who treats her band members like absolute shit - esspecially Yitzhak - which delves into outright psychological abuse at time.

* Martin Q. Blank in ''GrossePointeBlank''.

* Ben from ''Film/TheTigerMakesOut''. He's a mean-tempered, antisocial know-it-all who looks down on everyone who passes him by as stupid and uncultured, and he's a sexual predator at worst. The thing is, however, his life is horrible. He has relentless bad luck. His neighbours and colleagues don't recognise him even though he's been seeing them for years, his landlord rips him off by having him pay the rent even though she sold the apartment three years before... nobody gives him a break!

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* As much as we all laugh at his suffering at the beginning, [[TheGoodtheBadandtheUgly Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez]] is very easy to sympathise with, especially after the fight with his brother. He's a thief, a rapist, a cad, a scoundrel. He's loud, rude, vengeful, mean and selfish. However, he's also personable and the most likable character in the entire movie, and we end up feeling kind of bad for him during the movie's second half, where he's first rejected by his brother whom he loves, then later beaten senseless by Corporal Wallace and finally almost hanged for the third time, by which point the viewer really has started to worry about him. He has the broadest emotional range of all the characters and has a cheerul and welcoming demeanor. Furthermore, the audience identifies with his more endearing character flaws, such as his short temper and almost as short attention span.In short, it's somewhat ironic that the most sympathetic and likable character is the one who's most morally ambiguous.

* The Red Queen from Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland''. Yes, she's ([[CompositeCharacter basically]]) the AxCrazy [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen of Hearts]]. And yes, she's quite evil, what with [[DoomedHometown razing the countryside]], unleashing multiple {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, [[KickTheDog abusing the]] {{Talking Animal}}s, and ''killing'' [[MoralityChain the King]]. Yet she's also desperately lonely, has an [[TheUnfavourite inferiority]] [[WellDoneSonGuy complex]] with [[CainAndAbel her sister]], and knows that she's only safe as long as people are too afraid to revolt. Also, she does NOT have a VillainousBreakdown after her defeat and [[FateWorseThanDeath punishment]] (despite her PsychopathicManchild tendencies), merely making [[TearJerker a TRULY heartbreaking face]] when she realizes that she'll effectively [[DyingAlone die alone]]. Hell, she only descends into hysterics post-defeat when the Knave tries to kill her. Given that this is IMMEDIATELY AFTER she just said "[[YouAreWorthHell At least we have each other]]", the audience is [[MoralEventHorizon right there with her]].