20 Horror Movie Characters Everyone Underestimated

11. Tennessee - Alien: Covenant

Revenge Matilda Lutz
Fox

Many were puzzled when Danny McBride was cast in the part of pilot Tennessee in Alien: Covenant, and given his tendency to play capital-A a**holes in comedy movies, he seemed destined to be ill-fated comic relief right here.

He'd crack a few one-liners in the early going and likely have his skull obliterated by a Xenomorph by the mid-way point, right? Nothing about him says "hero," but everything says "victim."

Yet Tennessee actually turned out to be one of Covenant's best and most resourceful characters. 

Sure, he's got a laid-back blue collar charm to begin with, but he's also a genuinely skilled pilot and basically the second-smartest character behind protagonist Daniels (Katherine Waterston).

Hell, Tennessee is the only human character apart from Daniels to actually make it to the end of the movie alive, and though the ending implies he and Daniels will soon befall a grim fate at the hands of android David (Michael Fassbender), the guy still made it much further than anyone expected.

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.