Stories aren’t just about the hero and villain. To create a well-rounded narrative, plenty of supporting characters act as foils. They shine a light on the main characters but also become iconic story elements.
One such character is the comic relief, who is often the source of humor in a story. They’re there to keep the plot going and often alleviate the intensity of emotionally charged scenes.
Beloved Comic Relief Characters
As its name suggests, a comic relief character brings levity to serious scenes. They’re known for their wit and are used to provide the audience with a break from the intensity of a story.
Below are some of these characters, beloved for their wit and ability to bring humor into the worst situations.
1. Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter
Luna Lovegood’s quirky personality, whimsical worldview, and wild conspiracy theories are often a source of humor in the series. Who can’t forget about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, Blibbering Humdingers, and Nargles?
2. Luis in Ant-Man
The MCU has its fair share of wisecrackers and goofy characters but Luis stands out simply for one simple thing: he takes five minutes to say what can be said in mere seconds. And we love every second of his verbal rollercoasters.
3. Claptrap from Borderlands
When most people think of Borderlands, they pretty much default to the series’ mascot, Claptrap. A machine that likes to quip, it’s pretty much the source of all things humorous in Pandora, a world deemed too dangerous to colonize by the greediest of megacorporations.
4. London from The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody
As heiress to a hotel empire, London Tipton lives a very different and privileged life. It manifests itself in her constant lack of awareness for normal people doing normal stuff which always leads to silly things.
Far from being painted as pretentious though, the character has become a loveable dummy who means well but also needs a bit of help to get her going.
5. Mr. Satan from Dragon Ball
First introduced in the series as the “world’s strongest martial artist”, the audience quickly learns that he’s actually just flamboyant and incompetent. Nevertheless, he always gets caught up in fights between superpowered characters and somehow always manages to survive.
At one point he even convinces one of the series’ most powerful villains to reform and set aside their evil ways.
6. Kronk from Emperor’s New Groove
While Yzma’s obsessed with planning plot after nefarious plot, her slow-witted henchman Kronk is all about lightening the mood. After all, you can’t spend an entire kid’s show just talking about usurping and killing the emperor.
Aside from being the polar opposite of his conniving boss, it’s always funny when his little Kronk angels appear to debate about moral dilemmas only to end up mocking each other instead of helping.
7. Puddleglum from The Chronicles of Narnia
As his name suggests, Puddleglum is the perenially gloomy and pessimistic “Marsh-wiggle” from The Silver Chair. He’s always ready to find the worst of every situation, often poking fun at himself in the process.
8. Team Rocket from Pokemon
Team Rocket, who serve as the series’ most frequent villains, are also often comic relief because of how bad they are at being bad. Their intros are hilarious and the audience is always looking forward to them blasting off in defeat again.
9. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park
Ian Malcolm is an oddball in this list as he’s not only the main source of humor in the movie but he’s also the one who keeps on making sense. Whether debating against the idea of humans playing god or running away from giant lizards, he’s always ready to let out one of his signature wisecracks.
10. Stiles Stilinksi from Teen Wolf
It sucks when a horny, emotional teen is bit and suddenly turns into a werewolf. Add to that the rising issue of supernatural crimes in your community, and it’s hard not to be so gloom and doom about it.
Not Stiles though. He’s like a puppy—always active, always curious, and impossible not to love. Even after the horrors of being possessed, he still has the ability to default to humor in the most stressful of situations.
11. Cristina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy
In a drama focused on a highly stressful occupation, there are bound to be a lot of emotionally charged scenes. And while many of the cast take on the role of comic relief, Cristina Yang shines the brightest.
Sarcastic one-liners aside, Cristina’s cockiness in the most awkward situations has birthed many iconic scenes in the series.
The Power of Funny Characters
Without comic relief characters, a lot of excellent stories wouldn’t have turned out half as good. A lot of them gain emphasis on certain moments simply because there’s humor to alleviate the drama.
In a way, they serve as the backbone of a story. Giving laughs is just one of the many things they contribute to make a story that much more interesting and enjoyable.
Who is your favorite comic relief character? Share them in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 3 Types of Supporting Characters and How to Write Them Better
- 45 Types of Stock Characters to Help Build Your Story
- The Audience Surrogate: Characters That Represent the Audience
- Flat vs. Round Characters: Examples and Tips for Writing Them
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
