The recent release ofChristopher Nolan’s biopicOppenheimer(2023) detailed the life ofJ. Robert Oppenheimer(Cillian Murphy), the man who was responsible for leading the team that designed the first atomic bomb during World War II.
Though Oppenheimer led a life wracked by guilt after he invented the bomb, many Christopher Nolan characters don’t always experience such moral conundrums. And if they do, they always find a way to push through them. This is what makes many of Nolan’s movie characters so badass.
10Will Dormer – ‘Insomnia’ (2002)
Will Dormer (Al Pacino) is a detective who is plagued by insomnia after accidentally shooting and killing his colleague. Despite his unceasing sleeplessness and the odds being stacked against him, he is determined to make things right, and solve the murder mystery which prompted he and his colleague to investigate in the first place (which promptly led to his colleague’s death).
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Towards the end, even though he is shot, he still manages to fight and kill the murderer. He also perseveres through numerous threats from the murderer. Though he may not be a very good fighter, his unwavering dedication is definitely something to be admired.
9Leonard Shelby – ‘Memento’ (2000)
Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearse) is afflicted with amnesia, so for most ofMemento, doesn’t quite know what’s going on. Still, he’s a capable fighter and very proactive. To ensure he remembers crucial pieces of information, he often leaves notes for himself or tattoos said notes on his body, all in an effort to find out who killed his wife.
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In the process of solving the mystery, he is forced to kill several times again in order to uncover the truth. His disconnect with himself is what makes him more of a competent killer if anything, even if the mystery itself is much more complicated than it first seems.
8Alfred Borden & Bernard Fallon – ‘The Prestige’ (2006)
One of Nolan’s lesser-known flicks,The Prestigeis a film about two magicians who get into a bitter rivalry once one of their wives dies as a result of one of their escape acts. Now, being a magician isn’t typically what people think of when they hear the term “badass,” unless, like the magicians in this film, you are aHarry Houdini-level escape artist.
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What makes Borden and Fallon (Christian Bale) cooler than their rival though, is the fact that they are identical, and one is secretly living in the shadow of the other to help him pull off his illusions. Fallon in particular is the hidden twin, and he goes the extra mile after Borden is injured during an act, at which point Fallon receives the same injury in order to maintain illusion. Now that’s dedication.
7Catwoman – ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (2012)
Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) may seem like just a pretty face, but she has proven herself to be just as capable at fighting as some of the other characters who appear inThe Dark Knight Rises. Not only does she pack a mean right hook, but she’s also nimble and quite agile, allowing her to leap around her opponents before they can react.
Whereas Catwoman is often a villainous figure, in this film, she also fights on the side of the good guys, making her another force to be reckoned with for all the evil henchmen that appear.
6Dom Cobb – ‘Inception’ (2010)
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a corporate spy whose primary job is to extract information from people by entering their dreams. This is pretty awesome in and of itself, but throughout said dreams, his knowledge of gunplay and good old-fashioned fisticuffs also makes itself apparent.
Towards the end of the film, he finds himself in the heart of an operation to be in three dreams at once to plant an idea in his client’s father’s head. This is quite a feat, and it is made no easier by the fact that most of these dreams are fraught with dangerous scenarios.
5Joseph Cooper – ‘Interstellar’ (2014)
Being an expert at space travel automatically scores some cool guy points. But Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) takes to a whole new level. In thevery atypical NolanflickInterstellar, the Earth is quickly dying, so NASA sends a team of astronauts out to the far reaches of space to find a new home suitable for humanity.
Cooper is the leader of the team assigned. He may not be much of a physical fighter, but his daring bravery in the face of certain death makes him so awesome. Towards the end of the film, he willingly enters a black hole, which according to most scientists, means instant death and destruction. But not for Cooper. Remarkably, he survives the phenomenon, making him the only man in the movie to ever do so, and one of the very few movie characters ever to do so as well.
4Farrier – ‘Dunkirk’ (2017)
Farrier (Tom Hardy) is a fighter pilot that is sent to cover the evacuation taking place at the titular location of Dunkirk. What makes him so awesome is not his superb flying ability, but his perseverance against insurmountable odds.
Despite having a shattered fuel gauge and flying on only one hour of fuel, he still takes it upon himself to assist in the evacuation. He also continues to fight against the Nazi war machine even when it becomes pretty apparent to him that he might not ever see home again. He is successful in completing his mission just in time before his fuel runs out, and he is forced to land on the beach, where he is promptly captured by the Germans. Farrier’s undying desire to help despite facing certain death or imprisonment makes him a real hero.
3Ra’s Al-Ghul – ‘Batman Begins’ (2005)
Ra’s Al-Ghul (Liam Neeson) is the leader of the group of ninjas known as the League of Assassins. He serves as Batman’s mentor duringBatman Begins, the first of three Christopher Nolan movies about the caped crusader. Aside from being skilled in martial arts and weapons, Ra’s is also immortal.
He can’t be killed, and if he does die, he doesn’t stay dead for long. This is thanks to the Lazarus Pit, which allows him to be brought back to life. He returns at the end of the series to mentor Batman once again, and to serve as his adversary. Though he may be a villain, he had apretty solid motive behind his actions. Plus, you know someone’s cool when they train Batman, of all people.
2The Protagonist – ‘Tenet’ (2020)
The man known only as the Protagonist (John David Washington) inTenethas all the makings of a stereotypical movie Billy Badass. He’s a spy, is nameless, and has the ability to travel back in time. Though much of who he is remains a mystery, it is later revealed that he is even cooler than it is first thought.
At one point in the mind-bending movie, he even physically fights a past version of himself. Sure, we all grapple with the mistakes we’ve made in the past, but the Protagonist takes the phrase “fighting with yourself” literally here.
1Batman – ‘The Dark Knight’ Trilogy (2005-2012)
This one should come as no surprise. Come on, what’s cooler than Batman? Nolan’s version of Batman is played by Christian Bale, and exists in a universe much darker and grittier than any cinematic adaptation of the comics had ever before seen. He faces off against several dangerous villains, includingScarecrow (Cillian Murphy), Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart), the Joker (Heath Ledger), and Bane (Tom Hardy).
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One of Batman’s defining features as a superhero is that he doesn’t actually have any powers, and relies exclusively on his gadgets and skill in martial arts to win. This means that he isn’t always able to outperform his adversaries, which makes him feel more human. It’s these gadgets and ability to escape danger and fight evil that makes Batman such an awesome character. It’s why the character has been around for over 80 years, and isn’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon.
