The Toughest Science Fiction Characters Of All Time

Stallone, Schmallone.

By David Wharton | Updated 5 years ago

Snake Plissken
In addition to being one of the most badass characters in movie history — come on, he has an eye patch and his name is Snake — he’s also hugely improvisational. During his escapes from both New York and Los Angeles, he takes what comes and rolls with the proverbial punches, constantly adjusting and adapting as the scenario changes. You need a guy to put together a solid plan, but you also need to know you have people who can handle themselves when that plan takes a huge shit all over the place. Snake is at his best when he has to think on his feet, ad-lib, and come up with creative ways out of trouble. He can also land a glider on top of a building and surf down a drainage ditch while high-fiving Peter Fonda. Those are invaluable skills that are bound to come in handy with a crew of mercenaries. If he has any weaknesses, it has to be his depth perception, what with the eye patch and all. Still, he’s not a half bad basketball player, and only having one eye doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on his jump shot.

Richard B. Riddick
We’ve got several soldiers and other military types on this list, not to mention a couple of cops and even some starship captains. But sometimes you need somebody a bit less…respectable. Sometimes you need a guy who is, above all, a survivor. Richard B. Riddick is an escaped convict and a hardened murderer, but he’s also an alpha predator with a knack for surviving, no matter what. Is the crew stranded on a hostile alien world filled with vicious, hungry creatures? Listen to what Riddick has to say and there’s a good chance you might make it out with your ass intact. His ability to see in utter darkness is an unquestionably valuable asset, but he’s also one hell of an escape artist, having busted out of some of the worst slams in the cosmos. Team gets locked up? Riddick will be the man with the plan to fix that problem. Or maybe you need some information from a source who is inconveniently incarcerated? Send Riddick in and give him a few days. Not only will he be back with what you need, there’s a good chance the prison will have mysteriously burned to the ground as he was leaving. Just don’t try to double-cross him.