3. Jonathan Carnahan
The Movies... The
Mummy Trilogy (1999-2009) Jonathan serves as the "comic relief" character in
The Mummy and its sequels, which means that he's also "hilariously" British and something of a screw-up, despite possessing a rather impressive knowledge of all things Egyptian. He has an overwhelming appetite for treasure, which often gets him into a variety of horrifically-rendered situations, many of which endanger his family and friends. Basically, he's a bit of a liability, and is also the guy who sets the chain of events in motion that eventually lead to the Mummy's uprising in the first place.
And Yet... Jonathan directly foils the Mummy on several occassions, and is wholly responsible for saving the world, like, more times than you can imagine. In the first movie, he arrives just in time to rescue Rick O'Connell from the Mummy's terrifying, blade-wielding guards, and uses the inscription in the Book of the Living to murder the the possessed corpse of the Mummy's former lover. This opens up the opportunity for Rick to, um, not die, for Evelyn to render the Mummy mortal, and for Rick to send him back to the grave with a satisfying sword stab. That's not all: Jonathan's also the only guy who has the foresight (granted, it's not on purpose) to bring the only artefact capable of saving the world with him for the entire length of the second movie,
The Mummy Returns. If Jonathan hadn't brought the golden sceptre along, the world would have ended, given that it was the only freakin' thing in existence capable of sending the Scorpion King back to hell. Granted, he doesn't use it himself, but at least he brought the damn thing. This man is a hero, and the world should bow down and kiss his feet. The third movie? Well, we don't really talk about that one.