15 Recent Movie Characters Destined To Be Iconic

Movies would be nothing without great characters. Throughout Hollywood history we can rattle off dozens of fictional names that will only scratch the surface of greats that lay beneath and yet they don't get awards ceremonies to celebrate their brilliance. Surely there ought to be statues handed out to the likes of Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Ripley, or your cult heroes like Jules Winnfield and Alex DeLarge. All are timeless, all are icons.

When we talk about being an 'icon', you have to take into account longevity. A character could have been created two years ago and already forgotten about, or fifty years ago and still be at the forefront of the industry. It's the latter group we class as icons and there are some recent characters who should definitely ascend to that sort of status.

Thanks to the combination of great writing, great stories and great performances, this group of characters will be talked about for decades even as more new ones are added to the pile. They captured that intangible magic that means the difference between goodness and greatness and generations to come will still acknowledge as much...

Another contestant for the most badass character in this list comes in the form of Charlize Theron's compelling portrayal of Imperator Furiosa. A war captain under the savage Immortan Joe, Furiosa turns on him in the aim of rescuing his unwilling breeding partners, whom he names his 'five wives'.

Although Tom Hardy plays the lead role as the eponymous character, Max Rockatansky, the story is truly about Furiosa. It is Furiosa that starts a war with Joe by saving his wives, and their journey centres around Furiosa's attempts to find a safe haven for the group named the Green Place. When this turns out to be a dead end, it is discovered that Furiosa is a member of the Vuvalini, and so she seeks to help them reach safety as well.

Max convinces Furiosa and their other companions that, in order to be truly safe, they must enter the Citadel and kill Joe. Despite being seriously injured in the ensuing battle, Furiosa manages to kill the tyrannical leader and end their war, and is now revered as a leader to both the Vuvalini and the citizens in the Citadel.

What is essentially a post-apocalyptic story around car chases, explosions, brutal murder and hulking bravado, Furiosa shines a bright light around her saviour-centred narrative and has been described as a modern day icon of feminism.