Enter Johny. He might have been there all along, or he might be the result of a rapid Relationship Upgrade. Wherever he comes from, he's designed to slip away again just as quietly in the end. The main issue with this character is that the writers can't allow the audience to sympathize with him when the heroine inevitably dumps him (often, right at the altar) and runs off with his romantic rival. Considering that this is actually a pretty horrible thing to do to someone, the writers employ several different tactics to ensure we're smiling at the nice couple and not cringing along with the loser holding the ring. As follows:
Bland Perfection: He's like Prince Charming come to life. Handsome, thoughtful, romantic, usually rich, in short, the ideal man. Only...he's kind of boring. Not even close to a three-dimensional character. He stays this way throughout, without one shred of Character Development. Nobody can be interested in a character like that and we can watch him walk off into the sunset without any regrets. He tends to pull a I Want My Beloved to Be Happy at the end.
Minor Flaws: This guy wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have such annoying habits. Maybe he has really bad allergies. Maybe he writes really bad poetry. He might be embarrassingly nerdy or a total mama's boy. Whatever it is, it's clearly a sign that the heroine has given up on her romantic dreams and decided to settle down...with the wrong guy. This guy doesn't usually kick up a fuss at the break-up, although he can't carry it off with the dignity of Bland Perfection.Runaway bride has a parade of such charecters.
Latent Jealousy: The more extreme version of the above. Starts out sensible and modest, but turns wildly jealous at the first sign of a Love Triangle, to the point where this overrides his nice qualities (and makes his Minor Flaws stand out more). He'll be a sore loser about the heroine rejecting him.
Evil All Along: This guy is such a sleazebag, it's a miracle the heroine ever agreed to go out with him. He tends to cheat on her, often bad-mouths her behind her back and occasionally to her face. Sometimes he puts on a facade of Bland Perfection but expect him to Kick the Dog the minute the leading lady turns her back. This creep deserves to get dumped faster than a piece of rotting meat.watch run fat boy run for this one.See Hank Azaria doing everything to keep up with the image and of course winning at getting the boot eventually.
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off: Sometimes, while the leads have been agonizing over their feelings for each other, the fiancé has been doing some thinking on his own. Something just isn't right in the relationship. Maybe he realizes that they are Better As Friends or maybe he has to make a promise to a dying mother. Well, he'll just have to try to break it to her gently. Maybe he realizes that the bridesmaid he's ignored throughout has lovely eyes. Or, heck, maybe he realizes women aren't for him in the first place.
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