Buzz
Everyone loves a hero, especially one who defies the odds. Sure, there are the iconic figures who are almost guaranteed to succeed—like John McClane in Die Hard, Ellen Ripley in Alien, and of course, any movie featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The thing about these heroes is that their triumph is never in question. They’re tough, qualified, and ready to face the bad guys, often with a witty remark to boot.
But the real excitement comes from the heroes we least expect. These are the underdogs—those who are underestimated because they’re too old, too young, too weak, or, yes, too female. At first, we expect them to fail, or to be overshadowed by someone more qualified. We wait for them to be written off, or for a more capable hero to take the reins.
But then, they surprise us. The unlikely hero gets our blood pumping, and we find ourselves cheering them on, fist pumping the air when they succeed. If they can do it, so can we. So, let’s take a look at some of our favorite underdog heroes.
10. Samuel L. Jackson as Zeus Carver in Die Hard with a Vengeance
Zeus Carver was a fiery Harlem electrician with no real combat experience, which became apparent when he jumped in to rescue McClane from a lynch mob. Zeus grabbed McClane’s gun, waving it around like a firecracker as they made their escape. Thus, a thrilling action duo was born.
While McClane took on most of the heavy lifting in dealing with the terrorists, Zeus more than held his own. Fast with his insults and just as quick-witted, Carver cracked Simon's tricky riddles, helping to keep them in the game to save New York City.
Despite Zeus’s tough exterior, the audience warmed up to his street smarts and sharp banter with McClane. Though lacking weapon training, he compensated with intellect and a stubborn refusal to give up. Growing up in Harlem, Zeus was unfazed by a terrorist mastermind telling him to shove his well-planned scheme up his 'well-laid ass.'
Quite right.
9. Sandra Bullock as Annie Porter in Speed
The opening 30 minutes of Speed is a whirlwind of testosterone, hostages, explosions, and SWAT officers shouting at each other. Typical action fare, really.
Then, the plot takes an exciting turn. A bus packed with passengers has a bomb strapped to it, set to explode if the speed drops below 50 mph. Enter Annie: a seemingly average office worker who, through fate or sheer luck, is thrust into the chaos, needing to drive the bus and deal with the madness.
Annie Porter quickly became a character we could root for. Witty, clever, and with a no-nonsense attitude that even rivals the best, she cursed like a seasoned bus driver. While we expected Jack to take the reins, it was Annie who stepped up, navigating the chaotic L.A. freeways, abrupt detours, and nervous passengers—all while keeping the bus hurtling at 60 mph.
Traven was the cool-headed cop, but Annie was the regular, relatable woman who stole the limelight. Terrified but determined, she proved that ordinary people can rise to extraordinary circumstances. Watching her, we realized that if ever asked to drive a bomb-laden bus, we might just muster the courage—or at the very least, encourage someone else to take the wheel.
8. Dustin Hoffman as “Babe” Levy in Marathon Man
Never underestimate a history student. Though this advice may not be taken seriously by corrupt government agents, Babe Levy proved they deserve a certain level of respect. After all, if a mild-mannered, scrawny graduate can take on spies and force Nazis to consume their own diamonds, what’s stopping anyone else?
In Marathon Man, Babe Levy kept bouncing back. He was kidnapped, beaten, shot at, and had his teeth ripped out. Yet, despite it all, the spirit of the everyman persevered, and Levy managed to dole out some serious payback. He took down an assassin and even forced a deranged former Nazi to swallow his prized diamonds at gunpoint.
It seems there’s only so much a history grad will take before they fight back.
An interesting detail about Babe's character was his passion for marathons. Runners are known for their toughness, perseverance, and grit—qualities that served him well in a dangerous world. Lucky for Babe, marathons were his hobby. Had he been into something less demanding, like pine-cone painting, he might not have survived the first 20 minutes, and the title would’ve lost its punch.
Not that there's anything wrong with pine-cone painting.
7. Neve Campbell as Suzie Toller in Wild Things
Among a cast of thoroughly unlikable characters, Suzie Toller stood out as the most devious and perhaps the one most deserving of her survival. Suzie embodied a grey-area hero, an obvious victim—poor, troubled, promiscuous, and fond of Goth fashion. At first glance, she seemed like a likely candidate for a swift exit, but Wild Things proved otherwise.
Suzie outsmarted her schoolmates, the police, the audience, and perhaps even the scriptwriters themselves, as her scheme unfolded in layers. Seemingly killed off midway through the film, Suzie made an unexpected return in the final moments to exact some serious revenge. If any film ever demanded you stay through the closing credits, this was it.
To earn her millions, Toller pulled out her teeth with pliers, staged her own death, shot an accomplice, and poisoned her unsuspecting lover.
Did she have flaws? Certainly. Was she as bad as her victims? Probably not. Was she unlikely? Absolutely.
6. Nicholas Cage as Stanley Goodspeed in The Rock
Guitar-playing, Beatles-obsessed biochemists don’t exactly scream 'action hero.' Stanley Goodspeed, a man of science, assumed the FBI only needed him for his expertise with chemicals. After all, they had the legendary SAS agent Sean Connery and a grim-faced SEAL team on hand. Goodspeed was far more comfortable at home in a bath, gently caressing his pregnant fiancée’s belly.
As he wryly put it to John Mason, played by Connery, “I lead a very uneventful life. I drive a Volvo, a beige one.”
When Goodspeed and a SEAL team were dispatched to take on the madmen controlling Alcatraz, his role took an unexpected turn. The entire SEAL team was wiped out, leaving Goodspeed to take on far more violent duties than he had ever bargained for. A huge challenge for John, but a catastrophe for Stanley. This is why we loved him as the unrepentant pacifist, thrust into a violent showdown with overzealous warriors.
Did he bite his tongue and keep quiet? Not a chance. Did he save the entire Bay Area from impending doom with a relentless drive to take down the bad guys, possibly fueled by years of simmering frustration? Of course he did.
5. Jessica Chastain as Maya Harris in Zero Dark Thirty
At the start of Zero Dark Thirty, CIA agent Maya appears to be more of a side player to senior operative Dan, a man with no qualms about using torture. Maya is visibly disturbed and even sickened by the prisoner’s treatment but eventually complies, understanding the larger objective. She tells the prisoner that he controls his fate, revealing that she’s far tougher than she seems.
It quickly becomes clear that Maya knows exactly what she’s doing, and soon enough, the powers that be begin to take her very seriously. The condescension toward her disappears.
As the film nears its peak, Maya confronts the CIA director and then gives a calm, yet commanding order to a seasoned SEAL team: Fly to Pakistan and eliminate one U.B.L. She coolly states, “Bin Laden is there. And you’re going to kill him for me.”
This is the moment of an unlikely hero delivering one of the most unforgettable goosebumps-inducing scenes in cinematic history.
Jamie Foxx delivers a standout performance as Max Durocher in *Collateral*, portraying a dedicated, methodical cab driver. His taxi is spotless, and he’s determined to take his passengers on the quickest routes, all while keeping a postcard of an island tucked under his visor for a brief mental getaway from the grind of the job.
Max’s patience is pushed to its limits when Vincent, played by Tom Cruise, steps into his cab. Polite but to the point, Vincent is anything but the ideal passenger. A well-spoken hitman with a deadly agenda, he complicates Max's already demanding job with an entirely different level of danger.
The situation escalates as Max witnesses Vincent coldly take down two gangsters in the blink of an eye. Max soon realizes the grave peril he's in, understanding with chilling clarity how this night might end. As Vincent continues his grim mission, Max is caught up not only in Vincent’s cruel game but also in a mental tug-of-war with his own mother.
The tension reaches its peak when Max must impersonate Vincent to navigate a packed nightclub. Here, Max, the non-Latino cab driver, faces a mission that could have him exposed if he falters. With only two options in front of him—either lie paralyzed by fear or risk everything and take on the persona of a hitman—Max is pushed to his limits.
Max, thrust deeper into Vincent’s murderous world, must decide whether to keep pretending to be the killer or face the consequences. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and Max’s transformation from hesitant victim to unlikely hero becomes the heart of this high-stakes thriller.
Don’t overthink, just act. Heroes don’t waste time in their heads.
3. Linda Hamilton portraying Sarah Connor in The Terminator
Unlikely heroes typically face off against a villain, usually human. But Sarah Connor’s adversary was no ordinary foe—she went up against a cyborg from the future. The odds were certainly not in her favor. While she had some help from the capable Kyle Reese and the ineffective LAPD, the situation was dire.
However, Sarah quickly adapted, realizing the Terminator wasn’t going anywhere. She became accustomed to wielding pipe bombs and navigating high-speed truck chases, all while managing to stay terrified. Ultimately, she took it down with the help of a hydraulic press, delivering the iconic line, 'You’re terminated, f**ker.'
Gone were the days of waiting tables for Sarah Connor, and even if she had to, it’s hard to imagine her tolerating anyone complaining about a lack of ketchup.
The unexpected hero taps into an inner strength neither they nor the audience knew existed. They not only bring joy for two hours of delightful chaos, but we leave the theater standing a bit taller, feeling a little more optimistic about our lives, reassured that if we ever encountered a cyborg or assassin, we’d likely come out alright.
2. Harrison Ford as Richard Kimble in The Fugitive
Kimble epitomized the classic underdog. A seemingly hapless surgeon falsely accused of murdering his wife, relentlessly pursued by the formidable Tommy Lee Jones. When his prison transport crashed and Kimble managed to escape, we thought, “Well, he’s out now, but what’s next?” How would he clear his name, and how would he deal with that horrendous beard?
Fortunately, the beard was soon gone, and Kimble’s journey gained momentum. He was a desperate yet incredibly clever man.
What truly made Kimble unforgettable was Ford’s ability to portray an ordinary man, overwhelmed with fear yet still determined to survive and seek vengeance. He blended in as a hospital janitor, uncovering clues while staying vigilant for the police.
Kimble simply kept his composure and played the long game. Being a surgeon certainly helped—after all, they tend to be a sharp-minded group.
1. Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in Fargo
When Marge Gunderson first appeared on-screen in Fargo, we admired her determination to keep working even though she was seven months pregnant. At first, it seemed like she was there for some lighthearted moments and to offer a few observations to the detectives who would soon take charge, considering her condition.
But that was far from the case. Beneath her folksy Minnesotan accent, filled with 'yah’s' and 'you don’t say’s,' lay a sharp intellect and an impeccable B.S. radar.
Marge approached the case with the methodical calm of a Colombo, making suspect Jerry Lundegaard believe he was outsmarting her. Slowly, she circled him from different angles, outwitting him with logic and incisive questioning that left him speechless.
After a long day of chasing kidnappers, Marge settled beside her husband Norm and asked him about his stamp paintings. Just because the world around them was spiraling into chaos, didn’t mean they had to follow suit. As she scolded a kidnapper who had just disposed of his partner in a wood chipper, she reminded him, 'there’s more to life than a little money, ya know.'
Perfect Fargo wisdom.
