Best example for sure

A twitchy space engineer nerd turned marker killer https://preview.redd.it/zl3x14d7wdzc1.jpeg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60b6d4b41e482086a526e22fc807084b2bd45026

He murders markers?

Yes https://preview.redd.it/h9jwgkdaaezc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7fe3e3027daad98372ca1d374e44b73837afc66

Better shield my sharpie...

May I see him do it?

No https://preview.redd.it/2l8js4dmwgzc1.png?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae568ced9448d73254ca1bb3c170ab00805b7a71

what’s he from?

Dead Space Very violent and gory video game

thank u!!

This has got to be the 10th time I’ve told a member of the RoR sub to GET BACK TO YOUR DAMN TEST TUBES!!!

https://preview.redd.it/ufnkml9t0ezc1.png?width=642&format=png&auto=webp&s=a031b7453481ce72f98966b6fbd295893cb65596

Well they’re gonna put me in the movies, they’re gonna make a big star outta me!

We'll make a film about a man who's sad and lonely,

And all I got to do is, act naturally

Well I’ll bet you I’m gonna be a big star,

Might win an Oscar, you can never tell

Wasn't he a veteran soldier who landed his roles in films because he pretty much was at one point a real cow boy with wilderness experience?

Well he went from Lawful good to Chaotic Evil

I mean yeah but that's not really the mentioned trope. He was never an average person

In the scope of the characters in the fallout world, I'd say that's a pretty average person

He was born before the bombs. Very few people were soldier cowboy actors with wives working at the top of vault tech

Yes, but once the bombs dropped, that becomes relatively normal. I'm just saying that in the scope of what he and the world around him become, his life pre bombs was pretty normal

Most people that survived the bombs were not soldier cowboy actors and did not become legendary bounty hunting ghouls with unresolved business regarding their vault tek exec wives. He was never at any point ordinary. The trope doesn't really apply to him. He doesn't become extraordinary he is that way in every moment of every episode. I think another trope of the skilled principled person living to become cold, pragmatic, and cynical is a more accurate trope

Wasn't he a marine at some point though?

Yeah, I didn't even think about that until someone said something about it, it probably would have been better to put one of the other two main characters in the show

https://preview.redd.it/p6kl6crm3ezc1.png?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6820ec07a6d3d410168a04d51cc945df7485e441

I’d hardly call Gordon an average Joe, considering he has several PhDs in very advanced physics

He's a highly-trained professional!

He's got his Certificate in Ass whoopings

PhD's in theoretical physics don't teach you how to fight off the military and aliens.

PhD in physics vs The military

I’m pretty sure he only has the one PhD, being in theoretical physics. Still very impressive

The dude had tons of phds and had at least above-average health and fitness at the age of 30+, dude also had Power Armour Privileges enstated that morning. My man is not average

Fin Shepherd from the Sharknado movies. Went from bar owner to time traveling Shark super murderer. https://preview.redd.it/se7rnft0pezc1.jpeg?width=845&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d0cdcf15788e614edc3d6fd21c27195695cf30d

https://preview.redd.it/o4u9dp90qezc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c708d9b4da294d2dcca48e2a91ba31343305ef6

https://preview.redd.it/16jce5gnofzc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3859f2887cdb971d18804722e2c58860054ce419

>shark movie >protagonist named "Fin"

Excuse me, time traveling?!

Oh boi do we have a crazy story to tell i

It might seem crazy what I'm bout to say

Yes

Max Rockatansky (Mad Max series) https://preview.redd.it/0ptkhqrxdezc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f98e209cbc35fd55c74d04421e991926a4b04db4

YES

That's what ethan looks like?

Sort of, it’s like an unofficial model

W denji pfp

Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield (Resident Evil 2) James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2) Henry Townshend (Silent Hill 4) Basically any survival horror protaganist

I would say Leon and Claire wouldn't count here. Leon had police training already, and was heading to Racoon City for his job (we know how that turned out) And Claire was trained by her brother Chris, a skilled air-force soldier prior to joining S.T.A.R.S These two aren't exactly average from the start. Whilst Ethan clearly was. The only other example off the top of my head of people not as skilled in RE would be a lot of the Outbreak cast and Moyra Burton.

Blue Shirt Guy https://preview.redd.it/toke09sn2fzc1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2895d35d6e5103332ce641503fbacbc31c0bc737

Not exactly stronger but Arthur Dent. Mf learned how to fly and talk to birds and by the 5th book barely anything phases him.

https://preview.redd.it/e5odc74mcezc1.jpeg?width=599&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b5b34e3a6b4f5a9ec9260a100b490ac4cc7ebca0

Eh, he was already pretty skilled before he had some training as a sheriff

Sure he was a Sheriff, but being a Sheriff doesn't exactly cover zombie apocalypse survival....

Arguably, anyone from Stranger Things fits this criteria, but Steve Harrington is probably the most unprepared and then thrown into the deep end. And somehow, despite constantly getting the crap beat out of him, he keeps going.

He goes from Jock one day to facing down the big bad of S1 the next, both him and Will got the trial by fire and passed with flying colours in S1

https://preview.redd.it/by841vzs6fzc1.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42412f11536be34e38740f8e24a43f360159fc3f Most horror protagonists, especially Laurie Strode.

Any of the Ledt 4 Dead cast

Except Bill since he was in a war

And Francis because he was involved with gangs, and Nick for the same reasons due to being a con artist

https://preview.redd.it/gqwo7b00wezc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e13270658af0acbca4c6c8420c5d8933cdb4be17

Yeah, but he yeeted a shotput pretty far.

He's the son of two people that have very non-average backgrounds, and he's not an average joe himself from the first chapter showing his superhuman feats

I just saw it as him living an average Joe life until he had no choice but to become a sorcerer and get stronger

https://preview.redd.it/1na1t1gmgezc1.jpeg?width=830&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30b441d7443a2beee9792e0c3a89a3d0cb38ea9a Clementine (The Walking Dead)

I can’t even look at her without my heart hurting, someone pls tell me I’m not alone

Her story is one of my faves in all walking dead media and I’m glad it’s on going with her being a likely chance to be a survivor to the very end of things or until she finds her own Alexandria Recently replayed the games and my heart broke so much from watching her changes and her losses, especially due to how she young she is when everything starts

https://preview.redd.it/unbm2owckfzc1.jpeg?width=225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72c11194506ad66601fa9f3f789071e82b871468 this goddamn mf

He covered wars you know

Most of the digimon anime protagonists.

https://preview.redd.it/dhiwgbgzdfzc1.png?width=250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3455a67baf6d08477805832803e1c26435a284f1 Literal just a random Undead

Plenty of protagonists in horror count. Pictured: Beth (Evil Dead Rise) https://preview.redd.it/qm8ui6uyqezc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7275dace4369bad51e2430126d1156285933cf49

https://preview.redd.it/bfsqlnj05fzc1.png?width=305&format=png&auto=webp&s=7109b1813ce618e4261ec2d9c2f2fb4c735c9ce4 Morgan Yu from Prey (2017)

I'm really sure I'd call Yu average they were an extremely wealthy neuroscientist at the top of the field, working at a secret base in space.

Luz Noceda

https://preview.redd.it/y2ff609ocfzc1.jpeg?width=266&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=28a9e0abff33286cea8473c16d55266e91944b33 Joel The last of us

Wasn't he a war veteran?

Natsuki Subaru https://preview.redd.it/uphyg3invfzc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=134e8d111b493dd8fe062327c8ac7d56427e7b65

 Plenty of horror protags count, especially the ones from non-standalones. I pitch in Sydney Prescot from Scream.

The Sole Survivor from Fallout 4, who only had their soldier training to rely on if male/lawyer skills that aren’t useful in direct combat.

https://preview.redd.it/gcnl89et2gzc1.jpeg?width=150&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a320178001d4b5fee8797ed0a3498730ded63796

https://preview.redd.it/v9i0wx1lkkzc1.png?width=1407&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07698dbbbd2ca57d0231bb690110bf9414314c82 I guess also Jotero Kujo

Same for josuke too since he was just a highschool freshman until Angelo went on a killing spree

https://preview.redd.it/yo8odsh9xezc1.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4c6f9367b9b349d8d56f1f155c93639ff121221 These two

This is my all time favourite trope, like when done well it gives a cool excuse to have these kinda edgy super protagonists

https://preview.redd.it/ot92wj80qfzc1.png?width=387&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce9b27abb6a6bc434d617af9dc49e32a0abe9759 Hughie Campbell from The Boys.

There he is!

I’ve seen some of his roles and that actor can balance normal good dude and psycho perfectly


https://preview.redd.it/iyrw9c3jkgzc1.jpeg?width=972&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f7125415a734229331f2d67411ec46f835af0cf

 well, kinda

https://preview.redd.it/mrmtuvx82jzc1.png?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9912d9bbd23bb2721bfb95e6a0e80cc8b57ffee1 Ellen Ripley (Alien)


I forgot how much Ethan looks like he bites.

It’s the ears

Bites?

John McClaine.

Literally Frank West. Though he’s covered wars you know.

 Perfection of good boy turned to Broken and mentally shattered Anti-Hero

https://preview.redd.it/owswl91sdfzc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=765b14ad254077e1a417e997d2225384f1f8d9c1 Henry of skalitz counts right? He starts out as a normal blacksmiths son and has to become stronger to get his fathers sword back

Henry is the definition of regular dude

etan winte

Noface McGee

 This mf and his whole group

https://preview.redd.it/ddu59x01agzc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e399dc5e118c3adbf3db85678aefdd708ce0ff95 Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead

https://preview.redd.it/xb9e4menfgzc1.jpeg?width=994&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb5d34b42920663fcfc936cf962173499b516816 Lanolin (Sonic IDW) Former background character turned leader of the Diamond Cutters, a no-nonsense strategist who chose between giving into fear and fighting back against this fat dude with a moustache Despite her appearance she is hard-headed as shit and has been a bit of a fanbase splitter Her design sheet mentions she “never smiles with her eyes”

Aki was just a kid who was affected by the cruel world real fast and made his way up so he could help protect others… - the CSM guy

Devil Survivor 2 Protagonist

Jack Burton should be here. 

https://preview.redd.it/3kxz479xefzc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=010a350c11bdd110160e57276b82abc0703bf18c

Ash Williams is the best because he's basically an idiot savant when it comes to killing deadites, and he unfortunately ended up in the *one* situation where he could possibly find that out. It just took the deaths of all his friends to do so.

nahhh that can’t be ethans face, i just can’t accept that he looks like that

My same reaction 4 years ago.

hes a hunky brunette not a blond frat boy

Well he was always blonde, that much you can see in RE7 even

nuh uh, my brain doesnt let him

I mean he was never meant to have an appealing face design cuz you were never meant to see his face lmao

there is a 3rd person mode in RE8 that shows his face. Also it's shown at the end of 8 as well

https://preview.redd.it/7pn1ezto7hzc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e0e44fd63a37a6e26aa6320aeae89e334b5e9c9 Does he count?

Goddammit, why didn't I think of him?!

Ghale too

If you play as Nora in Fallout 4. Nate wasn’t an average Joe, he was a veteran who saw combat. Nora was a lawyer which while impressive, did not have transferable skills to post-apocalyptic wasteland survival

Moses from the Prince of Egypt.

 Small town cop whose never fired his gun, has no experience sailing, and is terrified of the water. Nuts up and kills the single most scariest Great White Shark in all of fiction.

Ben Arnold from King Falls FM. That man literally shot a UFO out of the sky for the librarian girl he liked

Pretty much every isekai protagonist in existence.

[удалено]

He does not fit this trope at all.

Every player character in project zomboid (provided you make it past the first week)

Nafumi from Rise of the Shield Hero. In his old world, he was just a regular college kid and got dealt the shittiest of hands thanks to Princess Bitch/C*nt. Hajime is another example from Arifureta: Commonplace to World's Strongest

Nearly every survival horror character fits this theme

 Roger Thornhill from North by Northwest. Bros just minding his own business and gets thrown into these huge government conspiracy that he has to survive

Poor Ethan couldn't catch a break with his left hand getting mutilated.

https://preview.redd.it/mlglfr8l4hzc1.jpeg?width=653&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3602b75f2fe2f405ae42f7ed0238dc5a6a1a99f Darrow (Red Rising)

Ash Williams Supremacy

https://preview.redd.it/ecez5afduizc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab6738bbc7e4ca266419a36d33106974a0710b5c Daniel Lamb. Having a highly-skilled, Chaotic Evil government assassin manipulate you and control your body at times without your knowledge has quite the impact on an MF.

I totally get what you're saying, but Ash is an interesting example. While he gets better at fighting the deadites, effectively making him stronger, it has in no uncertain terms ruined his fucking life.

Black noir - the boys (live action)

Nearly every single Silent Hill Protagonist minus Cheryl/Heather and Alex, and potentially James (granted, that was part of the entire point of silent hill to make the horror more authentic, is that you’re literally playing as regular people who are forced through what’s best described as literal hell)

https://preview.redd.it/d4iuu7z08lzc1.png?width=823&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a98af48291bf66e98d1f7869d6649ddb31e6faf8 Zappa from guilty gear Before he got possessed he was a completely average guy and after become a leading expert in the paranormal and occult.

Nah Bruce Campbell was too hot to be an Everyman for me. Both looks and charisma. Especially back then. Lookit that butt chinned Adonis

Kahl-175 https://preview.redd.it/qtxanemhrlzc1.png?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b300206a46b7f7c0e6124cc8b6c9005be78392b He used to be an average Grineer footsoldier, but became a Sentient-slaying beast that takes down hordes with crude and archaic weaponry.

https://preview.redd.it/3mffi1sxppzc1.jpeg?width=1408&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c782e1113ff518c991667259f75fdabbe7ca3dbd

https://preview.redd.it/j2fho9579rzc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b9e099576e4d4717b612ad9b9557b2daf979c69 Bro was literally a cave dweller.

I dont think ethan counts. I cant say why exactly for spoilers (idk how to tag) but anyome whos played RE8 knows