10 Badass Moments From TV Characters You Never Expected

Reliving those times when the quiet ones stepped up to the plate and kicked all sorts of ass.

By Mark White /

There are heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and then there are those that we'd never expect to brandish a gun or even raise their voice. The nice guys of the show are as integral as the bad guys, and it's when these characters are riled that we're truly shocked as an audience. Every story needs tough, no-nonsense faces, but a great television show will summon courage from the assuming; where's the fun in watching shy, retiring characters being walked all over? It's often their moments of bravery though that are the most rewarding for the fans; it's so easy to fall in love with the kind, patient, non-violent characters, and when they stand up for themselves, it's a euphoric moment. It can be exhilarating watching a character you presumed to be a wimp suddenly smirking at their haters. Here are ten of the finest moments when our favourite TV nice guys unleashed their badass side; some of them continued down a darker path, whilst for others, it was a fleeting moment of them being cool. Who are your favourite TV badasses though? Comment below!

10. Donna Defeats The Daleks €“ Doctor Who

The Doctor and his companions were being held prisoner by Davros. There was no hope; not even a cloned Tenth Doctor could save the day. That is until Donna Noble found that every Dalek was controlled by a keyboard, not very far away from the prisoners. It's a ridiculous place to keep the master controls, I know. "Donna, you can't even change a plug," was the Doctor's reaction to Donna disabling the Daleks' weaponry with just a few presses of buttons. Mouthy temp Donna was always the first to shout down an enemy, but didn't exactly seem like a fighter; so often in Series 4, she saved the day with compassion rather than cunning, so for her to help kill all the Daleks was one hell of a surprise. Russell T Davies once mentioned that he made sure his companions were as relatable as he could, before making them extraordinary for the series finale. Donna becoming part Time Lord, before nonchalantly controlling the Daleks like they were toy cars certainly was extraordinary; we loved her, but we certainly didn't expect to see Donna become quite that brilliant.