10 Greatest – From Rocky’s non-verbal charm in Project Hail Mary to Paul Atreides’ cautionary rise in Dune, here are ten of the 2020s’ most standout characters—ranked by their impact on cinema so far.
When it comes to characters that stick, the 2020s have wasted no time making their case. Across big-budget sci-fi, prestige dramas, indie darlings, and animated worlds, filmmakers have kept turning protagonists into the real story—whether they speak or barely move at all.
At the top of the list is Paul Atreides. the ducal heir at the center of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024).. The films track Paul as he unites with the indigenous people of Arrakis to seek revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.. Villeneuve’s Paul is built as more than a traditional hero—described as “a walking cautionary tale against blind faith in charismatic leaders who manipulate religion for political power.” Timothée Chalamet plays him “impeccably. ” and the character is framed as a complex anti-hero. fun to watch and “to analyze. ” destined to sit at “the center of all that praise.”
Down at No.. 2, Willa Ferguson in One Battle After Another (2025) stands out because the story flips the usual rescue dynamic.. The film follows Bob. an ex-revolutionary forced to rescue his daughter after an enemy of his old revolutionary cell resurfaces after 16 years.. Bob’s daughter is Willa, played by breakout star Chase Infiniti.. Instead of staying trapped behind the plot. Willa is described as a “powerhouse in her own right. ” subverting the damsel-in-distress trope by rescuing herself throughout the story. while also carrying forward—and surpassing—the revolutionary ideals tied to her father’s generation.
No.. 3 belongs to Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). a role that turns one person’s choices into the fate of existence.. The character is introduced as a “middle-aged Chinese immigrant” (played by Oscar-winning Michelle Yeoh) pulled into a multiversal adventure where only she can save reality by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.. The entry calls Evelyn “a celebration of how kindness can save the world. ” while still emphasizing how fully she carries the action and the emotional weight.. The film’s run of success is spelled out plainly here too: a hyper-ambitious premise that still became “tremendous financial success” and earned “seven Oscar victories. ” including Best Picture.
At No.. 4, Miles Morales takes the spotlight in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).. Miles first appeared in Marvel Comics in 2011 and later made his big-screen debut in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.. In this sequel. Miles meets a new team of Spider-People while traveling across the multiverse. but a clash over how to deal with a new threat pushes him toward “a crossroads.” The characterization is described as the engine of the film’s complex. meta approach: the narrative is called “a delectably meta study” of superheroes and a deconstruction of the Spider-Man mythos. and it’s “through Miles’ eyes” that the story unfolds—helped by an arc focused on Miles “finding his own path.”
No.. 5 shifts to the quiet magic of Marcel—Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2021).. The mockumentary dramedy follows a documentary filmmaker who decides to make his newest movie about a small shell he finds living in an Airbnb.. Marcel is voiced by Jenny Slate. and the character is framed as instantly lovable—optimistic. resilient. innocent. and “irresistibly cute from beginning to end.” The piece emphasizes that Marcel “doesn’t really need much of a transformative arc. ” because his “glass-half-full” approach is “the whole point of the movie. ” the reason the audience keeps leaning in.
Then comes No.. 6: Paul Hunham in The Holdovers (2023).. Released in late October 2023. the film is set in a 1970s New England boarding school and centers on a cantankerous history teacher who stays on campus during Christmas break to supervise a brainy but damaged troublemaker.. Paul Hunham. played by Paul Giamatti in an Oscar-nominated performance. is described as quickly becoming the kind of Christmas character people remember.. The entry praises the film’s balance between feel-good warmth and “deeply poignant bittersweetness. ” calling it “one of the most heartwarming slice-of-life movies from recent years. ” and highlights Hunham’s arc toward becoming “a more protective and caring figure.”
No.. 7 lands at the center of DreamWorks Animation’s best family outing: Roz in The Wild Robot (2024).. Based on Peter Brown’s 2016 novel. the story follows a sentient robot stranded on an island who has to raise an orphaned gosling while trying to fit in with local wildlife.. Roz is voiced by Lupita Nyong’o. and the entry describes her voice performance as “one of the best voice performances of the decade so far.” Her design. compassionate personality. and “adorable relationship with her found family” are all singled out. along with the way the character ties into themes of motherhood and environmental harmony.
No.. 8 is Anthony in The Father (2020), a psychological drama written and directed by Florian Zeller, based on his 2012 French stage play.. The plot follows an old man who refuses assistance from his daughter as his mind begins to fail him as he ages.. Anthony is played by Oscar-winning Anthony Hopkins. and the entry says the story is experienced through his eyes as his reality crumbles.. It also points to the character’s “final moments” as among the saddest and best-acted of any character from the last six years.
At No.. 9. Rocky from Project Hail Mary (2026) already has critics and audiences making room for him—even though the movie’s theatrical run “is not even over yet” at the time of writing.. The film is based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel and follows a school teacher who wakes up aboard a spacecraft with no memory of how he got there. teaming up with an alien to regain his memory and save the universe.. Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace is named as a standout protagonist. but the spotlight is stolen by Rocky. an alien voiced by James Ortiz and “played by a highly elaborate puppet.” The entry calls Rocky funny. visually delightful. endearing. and complex—especially for a non-verbal rock—and credits the duo’s dynamic as “the emotional fuel” that keeps the film going until the credits roll.
And at No.. 10, Art the Clown takes the ranking in Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024).. Art the Clown. played by David Howard Thornton. is tied to Damien Leone’s Terrifier franchise and is said to have originated as far back as 2008. but it’s through Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 that he becomes “the new face of the slasher genre.” The character’s appeal is credited to Thornton’s performance and the way Leone makes Art feel mysterious and oddly amusing as he remains horrifying—enough that the entry anticipates fans will eventually look back and call the clown “one of horror’s biggest modern icons.”
Across the list. each character’s ranking is grounded in a consistent pattern: the entries tie impact to how the films are structured around them—whether it’s Rocky and his non-verbal emotional pull. Anthony’s reality collapsing through his eyes. or Evelyn’s ability to save existence only through exploring other universes and connecting lives.. Even the works that focus on character shifts—like Willa rescuing herself or Hunham becoming more protective and caring—keep circling back to the same idea: the story’s emotional engine runs through the protagonist.
If the 2020s have taught audiences anything so far, it’s that the “best” characters aren’t only defined by screen time or fame—they’re defined by what the film lets them do, and what the audience feels when those choices land.
Somewhere between the quiet innocence of Marcel, the cautionary gravity of Paul Atreides, and the unsettling charm of Art the Clown, these ten names are already being treated like cinema’s next generation of icons.
movie characters 2020s ranked Project Hail Mary Dune Everything Everywhere All at Once Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse The Wild Robot Terrifier 2 Terrifier 3