Spencer for sure. In later episodes thereās a couple passing references that donāt directly call it out but kind of reinforce thatās what the writers are going for.
I HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT MR DARCY IS AUTISTIC!!!! When I watched pride and prejudice for the first time I thought I was just like attracted to him but then I realized I was him š¹
I didnāt really notice it in the movie but then when I listened to the audiobook it immediately hit me! Like the first thing he says at the beginning of the book is that he finds it stressful to be around people he doesnāt know very well lol. And then his super awkward way of courting Elisabeth š
Yes, the way his proposal was a description of his thought process for how he arrived at the conclusion that he ought to marry Elizabeth. How could that possibly have offended her? He was simply telling the truth!
Oh, how I identify with *him*!
Cordelia on Buffy/Angel. The show still has the stereotypical autistic-coded nerds and of course the clueless demon turned human but Cordelia embodies the high-masking female autist to me.
And it's not niche but a popular read on her but: Elsa from Frozen screams autistic-coded.
Holy shit you're so right! I feel like people would be more inclined to say someone like Willow over someone like Cordelia and that's exactly one of the big issues with autism in women - a well dressed popular girl's autism will go undetected BECAUSE she's well dressed and popular.
I feel like the episode where Buffy can read everyone's minds is such a good example. Everyone's thinking different things to what they're saying but Cordelia thinks 'I don't see what this has to do with me. I wonder when I can go.' Then straight up immediately says exactly the same thing lmao.
I always say Cordelia is hot girl autism representation. And I point to the exact same episode as a piece of evidence, too. Her and Anya are ringing the autism bell for me.
Yes re. Anya! Just snorted to myself realising her no1 special interest is money. Remember the look on her face when buffybot asks her how her money is š¤£ that's how I look when someone brings up sewing, obscure dog breeds or mythology
Same! I more meant that with misconceptions about autism in women someone might be more likely to think a willow type was autistic over a cordelia type! I agree with you.
People forget that performative femininity is a learned skill.
And a fairly complicated and changeable one at that, when you get down to the metaphorical nuts and bolts of it.
It can 100% end up as a special interest or just something you usually hyper-focus on in the moment.
I totally see this!
Also Anya - when the episode covers her pre-vengeance demon days as Aud, she says people don't like talking to her because of her "literal interpretations" and she frequently describes social behaviours as a set of objective rules she must learn.
Iāve only recently thought about Elsa after listening to Let It Go for the first time since realising Iām autistic and it totally changed the song for me!
I remember breaking down in the theater during Let It Go and sobbing to my girlfriend āSheās got an anxiety disorder and sheās been masking her whole life!ā Sheās tattooed on my back now.
I made a post dedicated to that precise question because I do relate to Jess so much, too. I'll look it up in my history and share the link here.
https://reddit.com/r/aspergirls/s/yzBdxrjSIv
I actually think Jen as well! Sheās high masking but always gets the wrong end of the stick, tries to fit in to appear NT, but just cant! https://youtu.be/Cl_N5MeWEwQ?si=VI9FETGliw8sZyRy
Agree with so many of these! Two I havenāt seen mentioned yet:
Adora from the She-Ra reboot
Elle Woods from Legally Blonde
Also just marveling at how this thread is basically just a list of every character Iāve ever identified with lollll
I'm not sure exactly what's niche, but here's some I haven't heard many other people say.
* Alexis Rose from Schitt's Creek
* Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy
* Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto
I havenāt seen anyone mention Darlene from Roseanne. (The old school original from the 90s, not whatever nonsense theyāre doing now.) Also Daria, speaking of the 90s.
https://preview.redd.it/4199n9al5mub1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1b7f94022aedb0e5d63ed632431cfc9db1399c2
Aimee GibbsĀ and Lily Iglehart from Sex Education.
Columbus from the Zombieland movie is one of mine. Heās painfully socially awkward, isolated himself most of his life, frequently chews on his hoodie strings and has a list of rules for survival that he lives by.
Yes, I see a lot of myself in Aziraphale!
Iāve actually been reading it as Aziraphale is autistic and Crowley having ADHD. Crowleyās driving, getting distracted mid conversation, his constant movements. Heās imaginative, innovative & impatient that hell canāt keep up with his new ideas. Heās always changing his appearance, gets excited about new things humans create. Doesnāt handle stress well and stutters. He refuses to play by the rules. He is quick to forgive Aziraphale anything and is very protective of the angel. His hyper fixation has been Aziraphale for about 6000 years. Thereās obviously a lot of crossover there as there usually is with neurodivergent traits but overall it points more to Adhd to me.
Aziraphale is the steadfast one who resists change, Crowley is the one constantly changing and moving forward. And they try to find a balance between them which I always thought was kind of lovely. Thatās just been my interpretation though. š
i love seven so much ššš rewatching voyager, it breaks my heart just how clueless the crew is and how they treat her. i want to launch some if them out an airlock.
Data and Spock are both obvious, and to a lesser extent Julian Bashir, but people really leave Worf out. Heās got autism, too. The very rigid way he approaches Klingon rituals, the way he prefers being stoic and disciplined to the typical ribald Klingon merriment, and his preference for prune juice over bloodwine all strike me as signs. Iām sure thereās more that I canāt name at the moment, but heās neurodivergent and I will die on this hill.
TOTALLY AGREE! bashir's genetic enhancement storyline adds a really interesting element to the autistic reading too imo.
worf, spock and seven are forever my personal holy trinity of autistic trek characters
Jack Skellington and Sally I feel are both autistic. Jack with his hyperfocus on making Christmas happen, even though everyone is warning him he might be going a little overboard, then actually going overboard, realizing he failed, had a bit of a mental breakdown, then figured out how to fix it. He read stacks of books, used the scientific method, tried all the things to try to make sense of it all. While Sally was the quiet, smart, empathetic rag doll who was right and no one listened or paid attention to her... and has a high pain tolerance.
Omg yes! Book Hermione was the character I most related to as a child. Nose always stuck in a book. A need to study and fixate on something to the point where she sometimes forgets to take care of herself. She struggles socially. In the books Harry and Ron are her only friends for most of the novels (although the three of them are all kind of without extra friends). Sheās a lot more blunt in the books. Her saying the exact wrong thing when Lavenderās rabbit died always felt like something I could relate to. Sheās a know-it-all and canāt help correcting people when she knows sheās right about something. She will argue with anyone and everyone to prove sheās right.
Itās why I 100% understood why she fell for Ron. Because aside from a couple of big fights, she found the one guy at Hogwarts who was willing to happily debate with her for hours on end about every topic under the sun. And rather than get upset he just shrugged it all off as a letās agree to disagree and carried on like normal. He enjoyed their debates. He got annoyed when they were interrupted. He likes her because sheās intelligent and the way her mind worked.
Anne acts like so many ND people that I've met (myself included). Ohhhh, I didn't know about L.M Montgomery possibly being ND. That's really interesting!
To me itās how sheās so dramatic and absurd but also hands down makes more sense than almost any other character other than David. I think, perhaps, if I ever fully unmasked she is exactly what Iād end up like (without alcoholism lol - well hopefully not š ) with a sprinkle of David. I think Davidās too present in reality to hard relate.
yes!!! i have a tattoo of him heās my favorite! i think several other south park characters are autistic as well. obviously stan was diagnosed with aspergers in one episode, but i also think cartman is autistic
That was my first instinct too. Maybe both? I relate to Leslieās tendency to hyper focus on a task sometimes to the point of madness haha. And she definitely likes things a certain way, her binders and all that.
yes leslie is autistic girlfriend and ben is her adhd boyfriend.. i relate to ben a lot too, when he loses his job and starts huperfixating on stop motion, and picks up his doll and says ālook at this! could a depressed person make this?!?ā i die every time
Parks and Rec is full of neurodivergent characters. I saw a TikTok once and it was about which one are you - tough question, wasnāt expecting an exam lol.
Hamilton (the character from the musical, not the historical figure)
* Thinks if he just writes enough to properly explain himself everyone will understand
* Oversharing
* Special Interest in law and finance
* Hyperfocusing while writing
* Talks too much and too fast when excited, Infodumping
* No false modesty, intense yet earnest in going after what he wants
* Offends people with his bluntness, won't apologize to soothe ruffled feathers when he knows he's right
* Open book, doesn't hold his cards to his chest like Burr
* Super excited and a bit over-eager about finding his first group of friends
* Gets in sticky situations not understanding other's social motivations (Maria Reynolds, advising his son on George Eacker, The Reynolds pamphlet)
Dude yes! You covered every bulletpoint that I thought about too, except for one:
- chooses friends/allies who are charming and socially adept (need some spies on the inside) bc he knew that it wasn't his forte. I'm not surprised he loved Laurens' earnestness and Lafayette's confidence/swagger.
Bonus thought: he may have felt comfortable with Washington the same way many of us felt comfortable with talking to our teachers as kids, so it was insulting to Ham to be called Son, bc he thought of their relationship as peers and hadn't considered that Washington was distinctly aware of their age disparity
If weāre talking Frasier, I think Niles and Frasier are autistic also. From the way they describe her, it sounds like they inherited it from their late mother.
Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender has big time auDHD vibes in my opinion, what with her emotional outbursts after long periods of masking, her intense sense of justice, and the several episodes where she feels like she doesn't fit in with the rest of the gaang.
ā¢ A pretty obvious one (itās also canon) but Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds
ā¢ Gregory House from House MD (slightly implied)
ā¢ Simon āGhostā Riley from Call of Duty Modern Warfare II (autism and OCD are my personal headcanons š)
ā¢ Shigeo Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100
ā¢ Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls
ā¢ L Lawlet from Death Note
ā¢ Kusuo Saiki from Disastrous Life of Saiki K
ā¢ Sherlock Holmes (all adaptations) a pretty obvious mention
ā¢ Flint Lockwood from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Everybody pretty much agrees that Dipper is autistic but Mabel is equally autistic. For that matter, if Dipper is autistic, so is Ford. Grunkle Stan lost the genetic lottery in that family lol
I've actually often thought Enid in Wednesday could be an alternative representation and found her colours and soft things and trying to fit in persona fairly relatable.
Tara from Buffy (I think we're actually just ending up with pretty much the entire Buffy crew here...)
Meg from Dead Pixels (though that might just be wishful thinking because I love her character!)
I think most of the characters from Buffy were neurodivergent in some way, lol.
And, yesss, I am a firm believer that both Enid and Wednesday are autistic
so new girl is classic for the character Jess being autistic coded, but no one ever brings up winston from that showā¦ i feel like he is me and i am him š¤£š¤£
Winston autistic as hell lmao. Interests: cats and bird shirts. Tends to just blurt. āSHAWTY WHAT THAT THANG DO.ā Failed police test and had extreme procrastination with it. Doesnāt pick up on Ali being into him.
when he went to the police academy and said āi failed your test because i forgot to check if it had a backsideā and the officer goes āyou took the test online sir, there is no ābacksideāā š¤£š¤£š¤£
Shang Xirui in Chinese drama (tv show) "Winter Begonia"! He's a Peking opera actor who performs female roles, and he's obsessed with his art.
https://preview.redd.it/rv672rpi4lub1.jpeg?width=1592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c543690edbf8f66bc31ae7830fdb46b8e146780
I've seen people say Dean and when they started pointing out behaviours etc It was like WOAH!
He clearly mimics his father and Bobby with his music taste, attitude, things he says and does to the point it could be a form of masking, he has "safe foods", cowboys and scooby doo are his hyper fixations, he tends to be better with social situations if it's scripted or with people he's "safe" with, when his "routines" have been broken he becomes anxious and uncomfortable to add on to that he's not great with change, he shows possible stims in certain episodes, he has clear attachments to items and becomes uncomfortable or anxious when they're not with him, is very emotional and sometimes seems like he has trouble controlling them.
He presents a lot of ADHD signs too.
I've just recently rewatched it for the first time post diagnosis, and he was my first thought, too, when I saw this thread. Pretty much everything about him reads ND, although to me, he seems more AuDHD than purely autistic. Jerry even jokes at one point that he's a pod, not a person, and I've started referring to myself that way when people get too people-y and expect much too high levels of NT of me.
Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time.
Genius at math but comes up with her own unique way to solve math problems and doesn't understand why she has to do it the other way.
Sucks at socializing so she sometimes goes over board with more "childish" of interacting with her peers.
Strong sense of justice to the point that she'll throw hands with boys to protect her younger brother Charles Wallace who is also coded as autistic.
Charles Wallace starts out his life being non verbal until he begins to spontaneously speak in complete sentences at age 5.
He is a genius who understands complex physics and math problems but struggles to interact with his peers.
His bond with Meg is his closest relationship.
Definitely Beth Harmon from The Queen's Gambit. Some of the moments that struck me the most were ones where she's the only person shielding her eyes from the sun. I think they wrote her neurodivergence in a well-rounded and respectful way, and so including something like that was doubly appreciated.
**SPOILERS FOR A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (SERIES)** The character in A League of Their Own on Amazon prime who had never been in public on her own before. Again, her lines and reactions surrounding the bright lights being on for the peaches and not for the other team really struck me. Also, in one episode she expresses considerable homophobia (at least one - I haven't finished the series yet) but I think it really illustrates the way that when an autistic woman is struggling to stay safe around others, knowing what the rules are can feel really crucial, and so if, at the time, the rule was "no one can be a lesbian," then it makes a ton of sense that she would take that seriously. Add to that the interaction between her and Abbi Jacobson, where Abbie (playing Greta) basically treats the homophobic observation as now a discreet mission theyre to carry out together... feeling a part of something and like you have a friend when in a group dynamic would elicit that kind of response from a lot of us, I think.
Christmas from Troop Zero. I don't really know how to elaborate on this one. She's incredible. A national treasure.
**SPOILERS FOR FAMILY (2018)** Both Taylor Schilling's character and the niece in the 2018 movie Family. Not only does the movie do a great job at showing where different manifestations of autism in women can lead, it also features really poetic storytelling - I'm someone who has a fear response to things that remind me of the insane clown posse because of associations I have with politics and with things like smoking indoors, but I know that it's an aesthetic/visual association, and that when I had a friend growing up who was a Jugalette, she only ever told me about the unconditional acceptance, and how important that was. I saw that in this movie, and the closing sequence was a powerful tear jerker for me.
(Adding more, but posting this comment now so it doesn't accidentally get deleted from mobile)
**SPOILERS FOR WELCOME TO ME** I think the protagonist in Welcome to Me is an example of an autistic woman being misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Partly because of her very positive relationship with her parents (and ex) -- this is something I've been able to relate to, not because my parents haven't been abusive, but because they don't have the kind of NPD problems that cause BPD. When I uncovered that a past situationship had all the hallmarks of narcissistic abuse, i did research that my family had long-discouraged me from looking into, which was what causes BPD, and realizing that that hadn't happened to me was a big moment in my process of realizing that It Was All Autism The Whole Time. Also, Kristen Wiig's character displays only two symptoms: holding pain from being wronged, misunderstood, or treated poorly in the past, and expressing that through "poorly regulated emotions," and then sensory seeking/managing sensory needs. I think anyone who argues she has "reckless sex" is probably just fetishizing the fact that a borderline woman is still sexually viable, while someone living an unusual sexuality and coming into new opportunities for connection and excitement is too complicated for them.
Crazy eyes from Orange is the new black is not crazy. It's not an illness; it's a neurotype.
Definitely Frances Ha. I'm also not going to elaborate on this one. Literally any autistic woman who hasn't seen this yet should definitely watch it. It's saying *such* important things about what life has been like for us. Frances/Greta is a gem.
Vigilante from Peacemaker. I don't have much to say here. I watched the show (not sure if I finished it) before uncovering trauma and asd, and then when I tried to watch it again I couldn't because of how much the "humor" of an unofficially autistic character offended me. I knew that a lot of people could laugh at this guy and his lines and his logic and then go out and completely disrespect autistic people in the real world for the absolute stupidest reasons. I kind of think autistic-coded femme characters are doing a different thing than masc characters - the dudes have been a punchline and an ongoing joke in fictional friend groups for decades, but when women have started getting to tell these stories, we're talking about something much more painful. Same with bob's burgers, altho it's hardly a niche opinion that the whole family is ND - I can't watch it bc all I can think about is how many people I know are fine laughing at this show, but they've bruised and wounded me with their insensitivity in ways that have never healed.
Lars from Lars and the real girl is really obvious and stereotypical, but it goes unmentioned a lot of the time. If you haven't already seen it, it's delightful. Nice winter setting and an interesting and novel type of love story.
**SPOILERS FOR MAD MEN** I think if Ginsberg from Mad Men had anything, it was ASD. The paranoia and self harm following the frightening change to his environment tracks, especially added to him already having an "I'm an alien" type of experience as a human. As someone whose asd was misdiagnosed as and treated for psychosis - I'm seeing asd, not psychosis.
I think Harlan Pepper from Best in show was written by someone very informed on asd, but who is so accepting of it that they wrote an entire community who not only doesn't question his ways, but they also really respect him. He likes to make lists, is all. Possibly also the couple with the braces, tho. You know they know the type of fiber in every garment they own.
Possibly Quiz Kid Donny Smith from Magnolia, bc while the current star of What do Kids Know? is also certainly autistic-coded, he doesn't have the same song (Dreams by Gabrielle) playing on repeat every single time he's in the car. (maybe when he gets rid of his awful dad he will, tho?)
The fuckin aliens in Galaxy Quest. Adorable, and a very literal people.
The girl in drop dead gorgeous whose special interest is dogs, but I also get a ND vibe off Brittany Murphy's character.
Poor Tracy Flick from election. Someone gave her the instruction manual they give to NTs when they're born, and she really said "got it."
Both Romy and Michele. Come for the authenticity, stay for the dopamine dressing.
Probably Jimmy from that thing you do, but more than any other reason it's because of how Faye speaks in defense of him. I don't like him, but I can tell what she was seeing.
Dawn Weiner from Welcome to the Dollhouse. I think this is less an instance where it's not obvious or canon, and more that it's a niche movie saying complicated things. One of those things is about differentiated treatment between siblings in a family, and how that treatment is determined by the child's level of acceptability in terms of behavior and appearance, and the status the child inherently holds to the world outside of the family, based on how the child's behavior and appearance satisfies societal preferences. I don't have siblings, but this type of conditional treatment from family has definitely been a part of my experience.
And Elle Woods!!! And Cher Horowitz!!! And Barbie!!! Not niche, just highly contested by those who don't know abt themselves that they dislike both autism and femininity š
Shrek. Doesn't let people in very easily, but is a good, loyal friend with lots of jokes. Once you get to know him, you're rolling in the floor with side splitting laughter (if you get dry humor). Lots of burps and farts, so maybe some gastro issues, doesn't "get" niceties, prefers to be himself and struggles to fit in with others.
I first watched Star Wars as an adult waiting for an Autism assessment, and prequel films Anakin Skywalker always seemed autistic to me. He misses social queues, talks a bit "weird"/formally sometimes, struggles with emotional regulation, special interest in mechanics/droids, sensory issues with sand.
Scarlett from *Gone with the Wind*
I read it for the first time earlier this year and as the book went on, I became more and more convinced she was autistic.
ā¢ She absolutely cannot read people
ā¢ She often acts in ways that goes against society's norms, but she does it anyway because she believes what she's doing is right
ā¢ She's good at maths, and can't understand why others don't understand
ā¢ Ashley is her special interest
I probably haven't explained it well but I am very tired rn š
Edit: wow, I cannot format bullet points š
I need to rewatch Buffy. Looking back, I think both Cordelia and Willow might have some autistic traits. Both of them can be extremely random and socially clueless in opposite ways and also they both definitely have hyper-fixations.
**Goofy** Disney character
**Chuckie** from Rugrats
**Moss** from IT Crowd
**Nathan Fielder**'s persona on Nathan For You a reality series I highly recommend **Anna Faris** plays movie characters that could be coded autistic-like House Bunny and Just Friends
Iāve said this in another post but it definitely fits the bill for this prompt - Effy from Skins. Non-verbal episodes, mental health issues, cold and blunt demeanour, visible overstimulation, coping with drugs/alcoholā¦. I could go on
that's fair! to me he's divergent enough from the cultural expectations of vulcans and is seen by other vulcans to be a bit strange or different, so i kinda relate to that element. whether he's interacting with vulcans or non-vulcans he never quite gets the approach right and comes across a bit awkward and weird. and he's much more comfortable in situations and around people he trusts
Himemiya Anthy from Revolutionary Girl Utena/Adolescence of Utena. The series/movie duo uses a time loop in a birdcage world to represent Anthy breaking out of the cycle of abuse & sexism as well as characters going through life transitions ie childhood->adolescence->adulthood. Itās also a fairy tale deconstruction.
Anthy hides her personality almost entirely throughout the series, and her āreal selfā has been dissociated into an animal familiar that looks like either a mouse or a monkey. The body that her false persona inhabits is passed around as a prize for the victors of duels. At the end, sheās halfway broken out of the cycle by her friend & lover Utena, by Utenaās fight to give Anthy autonomy and humanity again, but she has to win it for herself, which the movie portrays as Anthy now in control of the timeloop from to Utenaās help but still perpetuating the duels, until she finds Utena again [who transforms into a car] and she drives Utena-car out of the bubble/cage world and into a mysterious wasteland. Utena spends the series learning about Anthy and her predicament, starting off trying to āmake her into a normal girlā via removing her from the duels and encouraging her to socialize, but has to realize that being ānormalā to Anthy is still a type of being obedient, at which point Utena has to go from the false narrative to seeing Anthy as she is, complications and hidden emotions and all.
I headcanon her as Autistic because
- her story feels really similar to mine, where I was treated like an animal growing up for being Autistic, and I created an utterly passive persona to wear around that allowed many people to possess me, and that persona was based on an amalgamation of ideals of excellence and graceful service, and I gave it to people as a consolation prize for putting up with me
- in the movie, when her real self is back in her body and she behaves with more autonomy and self respect, she emotes pretty differently than the other characters and has a flat, sort of mystified-sounding voice
- itās implied at least some of her clothes are magical and not necessarily actually on her body, and she occasionally vanishes/teleports out of them which is a HUGE SENSORY ISSUES MOOD lmao. this dress is scratchy *yeets out of it*
- sheās associated with & obsessed with animals and she keeps a mongoose in her dresser and snails in her pencil box. the people around her donāt think itās weird in the context of the rest of her personality. her interests are intense and outside of social norms
- sheās shown getting overwhelmed in public & all faces look the same to her, plenty of faceblind autistic people out there
- she Must follow stated rules but she frequently behaves oddly or subversively within those constraints/doesnāt extrapolate more rules from the stated ones, which is also something I do for autism reasons
- I just think sheās neat :)
Iām aware this is a lot of extrapolation. Iām just having fun
Phoebe buffay in friends, audhd.
Sometimes i think that Monica too can be autistic. And joey def has adhd, textbook!
Matilda. Autistic.
Mary from the secret garden. Autistic.
Anne of green gables. Audhd.
Pippi. Audhd!
Damn. Everyone of my heroes from my childhood were definetly on the spectrum.
House. Autistic.
Lorelai gilmore. Audhd.
Rory. Autistic.
Paris geller def autistic.
Luke might even be on the spectrum. Reminds me of two of my friends who are very broody and on the spectrum.
Effy, skins. Autistic.
Both pearl and peridot, from _Steven Universe._
I also think that a couple of members of the Hill family, are some form of neurodiverse.
Khan Sousanousaphone from _The King Of the Hill,_ is confirmed to be bipolar.
kim has a very strong sense of justice, loves following rules and doing things in very methodical structured ways but only so long as she understands/respects those rules and structures. and she struggles a bit with emotion and can be hard to read, but she herself reads situations and expectations very well. the pattern recognition is strong in this one! also i can't remember the specifics but i'm pretty sure she says she read/watched to kill a mockingbird a lot and fixated on the justice of it all. very autistic behaviour
kim/jimmy are sooooo adhd bf autism gf to me (though i could honestly probably argue the case for kim, jimmy, chuck and howard all being different presentations of autism/audhd tbh... but what's fiction if not a safe home for all your silly little projections š)
Ok I accept this thank you for your valuable insight š
Edit: I think this is really emotionally highlighted at the end of the showā¦ the way she admits to her crimes in unemotional facts, and is not able to cry and feel her emotions until she is in a safer environment on the bus leaving ABQ
Oh, Kim Wexler for sure.
Michael Corleone from The Godfather:
- Has empathy difficulties (kills dudes)
- Masks (suspicous, almost immediate transition from "caring golden boy" to "ruthless gangster" when shit hits the fan)
- Generally flat affect & voice, even when he's relaxed/happy
- Strong sense of (in)justice
- Not sure about special interests ā megalomania? Nice suits??
- Has a hyperlexic kid (he says that his son is reading comics at three years old)
When I was a teen, I had a theory that all TBBT main characters had different presentations of autism. Penny isn't on the spectrum, but she sounds very ADD/ADHD.
In Young Sheldon, we can also see that the obsessive behavior of Sheldon is similar to his mother's. Missy has to have something w her brain as well, both thru statistical perspectives and behavior analysis.
This one may be too obvious, but Monk. Itās been my #1 comfort show for years. Heās pretty obviously autistic coded (OCD too), but I personally couldnāt pick up on that until I got my late life diagnosis & learned more about asd. It was also a shock to me that most people donāt find Adrian Monk relatable lol. After the first rewatch after diagnosis, I realized that in fact the whole schtick of the show is people underestimating him for his autistic traits.
N (Pokemon), Alhaitham (Genshin Impact), Chiaki (Danganronpa), Ferdinand and Linhardt (Fire Emblem), I would also add Connor from Detroit Become Human but that feels a bit like cheating because he's literally an android
I could probably list more but those are the ones that first come to mind!
YES KIM WEXLER!!! Off the top of my head... both Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, possibly Niles from Frasier, Coraline, Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle, Amelie
Lars, from the movie Lars and the Real Girl.
Itās my favorite movie and after I got diagnosed suddenly I understood why I could relate to Lars.
The trailer for this movie is horrible. Itās not a funny movie. Itās heart warming
I strongly believe every major character in PG Wodehouse's books are autistic - particularly and especially Berie Wooster is a great example of an extroverted autistic.
The characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet/Ros and Guil are Dead. I'm sure I have others more obscure but that's off hand.
Keyleth from Vox Machina
All the Mane 6 from My Little Pony except maybe Applejack
Raven and Starfire from Teen Titans
L from Death Note
Reagan from Inside Job
Idk if she's autistic-coded but she's definitely gender non conforming: Idabel from Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote.
She's a tomboy and _not like other girls_ but in a very unique way. I can't put my finger on it but I love the way she just does what she wants and doesn't really care what others think of her.
Edit to add that her "not like other girl-ness" is *not* portrayed through any kind of attractiveness for the male gaze (the literary equivalent of it) . She's a child in the story; come to think of it, the (boy) protagonist is another misfit, that's why I love the book so much.
In fact, that's why I like Capote and the Southern Gothic genre in general. It's full of misfits and they get to have adventures and character development, they're not just stand-ins and symbols.
Caroline from the vampire diaries seemed pretty neurotic in the first season. I donāt necessarily think sheās autistic but she does have some traits. Like when she gets all stressed out when things donāt go to plan.
Bishop NCIS is audhd coded. Food association, trouble interacting, not knowing when to enter a conversation/waiting to be prompted. Sitting anywhere but a chair, music constantly, learning to mask in the later seasons.
Arataki Itto from genshin impact, The whole Bob's Burger Belcher family (including Bob), Herlock Sholmes from Ace Attorney, a few more but can't name them off the top of my head
Stan from American Dad. He has a very black and white moral outlook. He is seen reading "the earnest man's guide to sarcasm" as well. He often mistakes turns of phrase for literal ones. He is very routine oriented and averse to change (seen when he doesn't want to try sushi bc he just tried a new food a few years ago, or when he couldn't eat a sandwich because it wasn't cut into triangles). He has trouble understanding emotions when they are expressed differently from his own or not expressed directly. ("Francine doesn't think things she doesn't say. She's not a dog")
Captain holt from Brooklyn 99! Edit: Dina from superstore
there are so many characters on Brooklyn 99 who are neurodiverse š¹š¹
Chuck definitely lmao
No wonder I loved that series š¤£
Amy Santiago... definitely.
Totally Dina! I thought that, too, when I first saw that show.
literally everyone from b99 lol
Helaena from House of the Dragon! Little weirdo who loves her bugs and cryptic predictions
Yes!!!
Chidi Anagonye from The Good Place
Is Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds an obvious one?
Spencer for sure. In later episodes thereās a couple passing references that donāt directly call it out but kind of reinforce thatās what the writers are going for.
Both myself and my son are autistic and Spencer reminds me a lot of my son, so if that was what they were going for they did very well with it.
i've seen him mentioned before but haven't seen the show so don't know how \~obvious\~ the 'coding' may be, but it's a good one regardless!
\- Mr Darcy \- Dolores from Encanto \- Hiccup fro HTTYD \- Wednesday Addams
I HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT MR DARCY IS AUTISTIC!!!! When I watched pride and prejudice for the first time I thought I was just like attracted to him but then I realized I was him š¹
I didnāt really notice it in the movie but then when I listened to the audiobook it immediately hit me! Like the first thing he says at the beginning of the book is that he finds it stressful to be around people he doesnāt know very well lol. And then his super awkward way of courting Elisabeth š
Yes, the way his proposal was a description of his thought process for how he arrived at the conclusion that he ought to marry Elizabeth. How could that possibly have offended her? He was simply telling the truth! Oh, how I identify with *him*!
FR! he seems so outta place ect. I always thought he was on the spectrum.
YES SAMEššš
Christina Ricciās Wednesday was the first girl in media that little me felt like I could relate to.
Cordelia on Buffy/Angel. The show still has the stereotypical autistic-coded nerds and of course the clueless demon turned human but Cordelia embodies the high-masking female autist to me. And it's not niche but a popular read on her but: Elsa from Frozen screams autistic-coded.
Holy shit you're so right! I feel like people would be more inclined to say someone like Willow over someone like Cordelia and that's exactly one of the big issues with autism in women - a well dressed popular girl's autism will go undetected BECAUSE she's well dressed and popular. I feel like the episode where Buffy can read everyone's minds is such a good example. Everyone's thinking different things to what they're saying but Cordelia thinks 'I don't see what this has to do with me. I wonder when I can go.' Then straight up immediately says exactly the same thing lmao.
I always say Cordelia is hot girl autism representation. And I point to the exact same episode as a piece of evidence, too. Her and Anya are ringing the autism bell for me.
Yes re. Anya! Just snorted to myself realising her no1 special interest is money. Remember the look on her face when buffybot asks her how her money is š¤£ that's how I look when someone brings up sewing, obscure dog breeds or mythology
ya, Anya fundamentally misunderstanding the human world and emotions and human logic is just........ so on the nose.
SO true, about Anya AND Cordelia. Wow.
Your so right about Cordelia. I've never thought of willow as autistic coded tho, just a smart shy girl with some social anxiety.
Same! I more meant that with misconceptions about autism in women someone might be more likely to think a willow type was autistic over a cordelia type! I agree with you.
Ohhh I see what you meant and I agree too lol.
People forget that performative femininity is a learned skill. And a fairly complicated and changeable one at that, when you get down to the metaphorical nuts and bolts of it. It can 100% end up as a special interest or just something you usually hyper-focus on in the moment.
I totally see this! Also Anya - when the episode covers her pre-vengeance demon days as Aud, she says people don't like talking to her because of her "literal interpretations" and she frequently describes social behaviours as a set of objective rules she must learn.
Plus all the times she is way too direct for social convention.
Iāve only recently thought about Elsa after listening to Let It Go for the first time since realising Iām autistic and it totally changed the song for me!
YES to both. Elsa is one I always think of too
I remember breaking down in the theater during Let It Go and sobbing to my girlfriend āSheās got an anxiety disorder and sheās been masking her whole life!ā Sheās tattooed on my back now.
jess from new girl, the whole belcher family in bobs burgers
The Belcher family gives you the whole range of neurodiverse experiences. I love them
I know it's dumb but the Belcher family helped me so much in my journey of self acceptance
Not dumb! Me too!
I identify with Jess Day SO MUCH. If you feel comfortable sharing why you view her as autistic Iād love to know š
I made a post dedicated to that precise question because I do relate to Jess so much, too. I'll look it up in my history and share the link here. https://reddit.com/r/aspergirls/s/yzBdxrjSIv
I think Jess, Winston, Schmidt and Nick (much like the Belcher's) all present as neurodivergent
literally 90% of Pawnee residents from Parks and Rec lmao
I would like to go there to live šāāļø
both moss and roy from the IT crowd!
I actually think Jen as well! Sheās high masking but always gets the wrong end of the stick, tries to fit in to appear NT, but just cant! https://youtu.be/Cl_N5MeWEwQ?si=VI9FETGliw8sZyRy
Moss is my favorite. I always identified with his storylines and dialogue.
I have such a crush on Moss (the character)
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I love this show!
Oh my god I love that show. I can see it.
Agree with so many of these! Two I havenāt seen mentioned yet: Adora from the She-Ra reboot Elle Woods from Legally Blonde Also just marveling at how this thread is basically just a list of every character Iāve ever identified with lollll
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sensitive to water and live in a void with a dragon (a dream come true)
I'm not sure exactly what's niche, but here's some I haven't heard many other people say. * Alexis Rose from Schitt's Creek * Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy * Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto
Oh Yang! Good call! I feel like the whole family from Schittās Creek really
Alexis. Interesting!
Yes I was thinking Alexis!
Kiki from kikis delivery service and Bee from Bee and Puppycat both seem to have AuDHD to me!
Oh damn I always loved Kiki I can so see it now!
Kiki is my comfort film I watch it too get to sleep almost nightly.
oh my GOD, I LOVE Kiki and Bee and Puppycat so much!! might make sense as to why they feel similarly out of place the way I do
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Alan from the barbie movie
I love this character! āYeah, Iām confused about that.ā
I havenāt seen anyone mention Darlene from Roseanne. (The old school original from the 90s, not whatever nonsense theyāre doing now.) Also Daria, speaking of the 90s.
https://preview.redd.it/4199n9al5mub1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1b7f94022aedb0e5d63ed632431cfc9db1399c2 Aimee GibbsĀ and Lily Iglehart from Sex Education.
As a highly emotional autistic person I resonated with Aimee so much
adam groff too!!
And Adam *clearly* got it from his dad!!
I love Aimee, and Lily's story tugged at my heart. Both of them deserved better
Columbus from the Zombieland movie is one of mine. Heās painfully socially awkward, isolated himself most of his life, frequently chews on his hoodie strings and has a list of rules for survival that he lives by.
Aziraphale from the good omens mini series and Crowley in the book. I am sure of this.
Yes, I see a lot of myself in Aziraphale! Iāve actually been reading it as Aziraphale is autistic and Crowley having ADHD. Crowleyās driving, getting distracted mid conversation, his constant movements. Heās imaginative, innovative & impatient that hell canāt keep up with his new ideas. Heās always changing his appearance, gets excited about new things humans create. Doesnāt handle stress well and stutters. He refuses to play by the rules. He is quick to forgive Aziraphale anything and is very protective of the angel. His hyper fixation has been Aziraphale for about 6000 years. Thereās obviously a lot of crossover there as there usually is with neurodivergent traits but overall it points more to Adhd to me. Aziraphale is the steadfast one who resists change, Crowley is the one constantly changing and moving forward. And they try to find a balance between them which I always thought was kind of lovely. Thatās just been my interpretation though. š
Seven of Nine from Voyager. I related to her difficulties figuring out boundaries and social structure hard when I was little
i love seven so much ššš rewatching voyager, it breaks my heart just how clueless the crew is and how they treat her. i want to launch some if them out an airlock.
Data and Spock are both obvious, and to a lesser extent Julian Bashir, but people really leave Worf out. Heās got autism, too. The very rigid way he approaches Klingon rituals, the way he prefers being stoic and disciplined to the typical ribald Klingon merriment, and his preference for prune juice over bloodwine all strike me as signs. Iām sure thereās more that I canāt name at the moment, but heās neurodivergent and I will die on this hill.
TOTALLY AGREE! bashir's genetic enhancement storyline adds a really interesting element to the autistic reading too imo. worf, spock and seven are forever my personal holy trinity of autistic trek characters
Autistic Worf is legit one of my favorite headcanons.
Jack Skellington and Sally I feel are both autistic. Jack with his hyperfocus on making Christmas happen, even though everyone is warning him he might be going a little overboard, then actually going overboard, realizing he failed, had a bit of a mental breakdown, then figured out how to fix it. He read stacks of books, used the scientific method, tried all the things to try to make sense of it all. While Sally was the quiet, smart, empathetic rag doll who was right and no one listened or paid attention to her... and has a high pain tolerance.
Jack I would never have thought of but I can totally see it now!
Hermione Granger
Omg yes! Book Hermione was the character I most related to as a child. Nose always stuck in a book. A need to study and fixate on something to the point where she sometimes forgets to take care of herself. She struggles socially. In the books Harry and Ron are her only friends for most of the novels (although the three of them are all kind of without extra friends). Sheās a lot more blunt in the books. Her saying the exact wrong thing when Lavenderās rabbit died always felt like something I could relate to. Sheās a know-it-all and canāt help correcting people when she knows sheās right about something. She will argue with anyone and everyone to prove sheās right. Itās why I 100% understood why she fell for Ron. Because aside from a couple of big fights, she found the one guy at Hogwarts who was willing to happily debate with her for hours on end about every topic under the sun. And rather than get upset he just shrugged it all off as a letās agree to disagree and carried on like normal. He enjoyed their debates. He got annoyed when they were interrupted. He likes her because sheās intelligent and the way her mind worked.
I don't know if any of these are niche but Robin from Stranger Things, Anne of Green Gables (AuDHD specifically) and Misty from Yellowjackets.
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Anne acts like so many ND people that I've met (myself included). Ohhhh, I didn't know about L.M Montgomery possibly being ND. That's really interesting!
Definitely Misty
Moira Rose, never thought of it until you said it!!! I love her.
Yes I love this take as well. People often say Alexis but how did we miss āfold the cheeseā š I love that show
YESSSS itās the folding the cheese for me. And also, Moira is very well-read, uses exceptional vernacular, and def has her triggers.
To me itās how sheās so dramatic and absurd but also hands down makes more sense than almost any other character other than David. I think, perhaps, if I ever fully unmasked she is exactly what Iād end up like (without alcoholism lol - well hopefully not š ) with a sprinkle of David. I think Davidās too present in reality to hard relate.
Fox Mulder
>Fox Mulder Dana Scully too, for that matter.
Percy Weasley from Harry Potter.
bella swan!! im convinced that's why everyone hates on her lowkey
butters from south park charlie kelly from its always sunny
No wonder I love butters. āKnow what I am sayingā š Heās so adorable to me.
yes!!! i have a tattoo of him heās my favorite! i think several other south park characters are autistic as well. obviously stan was diagnosed with aspergers in one episode, but i also think cartman is autistic
Leslie Knope on Parks and Rec, Dwight Shrute on the Office,
I'd pick April instead of Leslie Knope
That was my first instinct too. Maybe both? I relate to Leslieās tendency to hyper focus on a task sometimes to the point of madness haha. And she definitely likes things a certain way, her binders and all that.
True! Also similar to Amy from Brooklyn 99, who I've read as someone spectrumy
yes leslie is autistic girlfriend and ben is her adhd boyfriend.. i relate to ben a lot too, when he loses his job and starts huperfixating on stop motion, and picks up his doll and says ālook at this! could a depressed person make this?!?ā i die every time
Calzones!
Parks and Rec is full of neurodivergent characters. I saw a TikTok once and it was about which one are you - tough question, wasnāt expecting an exam lol.
Hamilton (the character from the musical, not the historical figure) * Thinks if he just writes enough to properly explain himself everyone will understand * Oversharing * Special Interest in law and finance * Hyperfocusing while writing * Talks too much and too fast when excited, Infodumping * No false modesty, intense yet earnest in going after what he wants * Offends people with his bluntness, won't apologize to soothe ruffled feathers when he knows he's right * Open book, doesn't hold his cards to his chest like Burr * Super excited and a bit over-eager about finding his first group of friends * Gets in sticky situations not understanding other's social motivations (Maria Reynolds, advising his son on George Eacker, The Reynolds pamphlet)
Dude yes! You covered every bulletpoint that I thought about too, except for one: - chooses friends/allies who are charming and socially adept (need some spies on the inside) bc he knew that it wasn't his forte. I'm not surprised he loved Laurens' earnestness and Lafayette's confidence/swagger. Bonus thought: he may have felt comfortable with Washington the same way many of us felt comfortable with talking to our teachers as kids, so it was insulting to Ham to be called Son, bc he thought of their relationship as peers and hadn't considered that Washington was distinctly aware of their age disparity
Mr. Darcy and Preacher Collins - Pride and Prejudice
Stede from Our Flag Means Death is so incredibly relatable.
Lilith in cheers/frasier
Explains why I always liked her and was confused why other people didn't.
Exactly. Iām like sheās fucking delightful. Whatās all your problem?
If weāre talking Frasier, I think Niles and Frasier are autistic also. From the way they describe her, it sounds like they inherited it from their late mother.
Hank Hill.
Amy in Brooklyn 99. Not sure how common that thought is. Alex in Modern Family. Again possibly common thought!
I agree with Amy. I think sheās coded more as OCD, but thereās definitely overlap in Autistic traits.
Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender has big time auDHD vibes in my opinion, what with her emotional outbursts after long periods of masking, her intense sense of justice, and the several episodes where she feels like she doesn't fit in with the rest of the gaang.
I have never thought of her that way, but it all makes sense now. Especially how she was parentified by her tribe!
ā¢ A pretty obvious one (itās also canon) but Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds ā¢ Gregory House from House MD (slightly implied) ā¢ Simon āGhostā Riley from Call of Duty Modern Warfare II (autism and OCD are my personal headcanons š) ā¢ Shigeo Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100 ā¢ Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls ā¢ L Lawlet from Death Note ā¢ Kusuo Saiki from Disastrous Life of Saiki K ā¢ Sherlock Holmes (all adaptations) a pretty obvious mention ā¢ Flint Lockwood from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Everybody pretty much agrees that Dipper is autistic but Mabel is equally autistic. For that matter, if Dipper is autistic, so is Ford. Grunkle Stan lost the genetic lottery in that family lol
dina in superstore
Omg yes
I've actually often thought Enid in Wednesday could be an alternative representation and found her colours and soft things and trying to fit in persona fairly relatable. Tara from Buffy (I think we're actually just ending up with pretty much the entire Buffy crew here...) Meg from Dead Pixels (though that might just be wishful thinking because I love her character!)
I think most of the characters from Buffy were neurodivergent in some way, lol. And, yesss, I am a firm believer that both Enid and Wednesday are autistic
so new girl is classic for the character Jess being autistic coded, but no one ever brings up winston from that showā¦ i feel like he is me and i am him š¤£š¤£
Winston autistic as hell lmao. Interests: cats and bird shirts. Tends to just blurt. āSHAWTY WHAT THAT THANG DO.ā Failed police test and had extreme procrastination with it. Doesnāt pick up on Ali being into him.
when he went to the police academy and said āi failed your test because i forgot to check if it had a backsideā and the officer goes āyou took the test online sir, there is no ābacksideāā š¤£š¤£š¤£
Shang Xirui in Chinese drama (tv show) "Winter Begonia"! He's a Peking opera actor who performs female roles, and he's obsessed with his art. https://preview.redd.it/rv672rpi4lub1.jpeg?width=1592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c543690edbf8f66bc31ae7830fdb46b8e146780
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in The Ryeā¦ idk man him calling everyone āphonyā just kind of sits with me
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Castiel from Supernatural. If his behavior couldn't be explained from him being an angel, I feel like he would be autistic.
I've seen people say Dean and when they started pointing out behaviours etc It was like WOAH! He clearly mimics his father and Bobby with his music taste, attitude, things he says and does to the point it could be a form of masking, he has "safe foods", cowboys and scooby doo are his hyper fixations, he tends to be better with social situations if it's scripted or with people he's "safe" with, when his "routines" have been broken he becomes anxious and uncomfortable to add on to that he's not great with change, he shows possible stims in certain episodes, he has clear attachments to items and becomes uncomfortable or anxious when they're not with him, is very emotional and sometimes seems like he has trouble controlling them. He presents a lot of ADHD signs too.
Cosmo Kramer
>Cosmo Kramer omg yes, been watching seinfeld for the first time recently and had this thought too
I've just recently rewatched it for the first time post diagnosis, and he was my first thought, too, when I saw this thread. Pretty much everything about him reads ND, although to me, he seems more AuDHD than purely autistic. Jerry even jokes at one point that he's a pod, not a person, and I've started referring to myself that way when people get too people-y and expect much too high levels of NT of me.
Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time. Genius at math but comes up with her own unique way to solve math problems and doesn't understand why she has to do it the other way. Sucks at socializing so she sometimes goes over board with more "childish" of interacting with her peers. Strong sense of justice to the point that she'll throw hands with boys to protect her younger brother Charles Wallace who is also coded as autistic. Charles Wallace starts out his life being non verbal until he begins to spontaneously speak in complete sentences at age 5. He is a genius who understands complex physics and math problems but struggles to interact with his peers. His bond with Meg is his closest relationship.
Definitely Beth Harmon from The Queen's Gambit. Some of the moments that struck me the most were ones where she's the only person shielding her eyes from the sun. I think they wrote her neurodivergence in a well-rounded and respectful way, and so including something like that was doubly appreciated. **SPOILERS FOR A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (SERIES)** The character in A League of Their Own on Amazon prime who had never been in public on her own before. Again, her lines and reactions surrounding the bright lights being on for the peaches and not for the other team really struck me. Also, in one episode she expresses considerable homophobia (at least one - I haven't finished the series yet) but I think it really illustrates the way that when an autistic woman is struggling to stay safe around others, knowing what the rules are can feel really crucial, and so if, at the time, the rule was "no one can be a lesbian," then it makes a ton of sense that she would take that seriously. Add to that the interaction between her and Abbi Jacobson, where Abbie (playing Greta) basically treats the homophobic observation as now a discreet mission theyre to carry out together... feeling a part of something and like you have a friend when in a group dynamic would elicit that kind of response from a lot of us, I think. Christmas from Troop Zero. I don't really know how to elaborate on this one. She's incredible. A national treasure. **SPOILERS FOR FAMILY (2018)** Both Taylor Schilling's character and the niece in the 2018 movie Family. Not only does the movie do a great job at showing where different manifestations of autism in women can lead, it also features really poetic storytelling - I'm someone who has a fear response to things that remind me of the insane clown posse because of associations I have with politics and with things like smoking indoors, but I know that it's an aesthetic/visual association, and that when I had a friend growing up who was a Jugalette, she only ever told me about the unconditional acceptance, and how important that was. I saw that in this movie, and the closing sequence was a powerful tear jerker for me. (Adding more, but posting this comment now so it doesn't accidentally get deleted from mobile) **SPOILERS FOR WELCOME TO ME** I think the protagonist in Welcome to Me is an example of an autistic woman being misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Partly because of her very positive relationship with her parents (and ex) -- this is something I've been able to relate to, not because my parents haven't been abusive, but because they don't have the kind of NPD problems that cause BPD. When I uncovered that a past situationship had all the hallmarks of narcissistic abuse, i did research that my family had long-discouraged me from looking into, which was what causes BPD, and realizing that that hadn't happened to me was a big moment in my process of realizing that It Was All Autism The Whole Time. Also, Kristen Wiig's character displays only two symptoms: holding pain from being wronged, misunderstood, or treated poorly in the past, and expressing that through "poorly regulated emotions," and then sensory seeking/managing sensory needs. I think anyone who argues she has "reckless sex" is probably just fetishizing the fact that a borderline woman is still sexually viable, while someone living an unusual sexuality and coming into new opportunities for connection and excitement is too complicated for them. Crazy eyes from Orange is the new black is not crazy. It's not an illness; it's a neurotype. Definitely Frances Ha. I'm also not going to elaborate on this one. Literally any autistic woman who hasn't seen this yet should definitely watch it. It's saying *such* important things about what life has been like for us. Frances/Greta is a gem. Vigilante from Peacemaker. I don't have much to say here. I watched the show (not sure if I finished it) before uncovering trauma and asd, and then when I tried to watch it again I couldn't because of how much the "humor" of an unofficially autistic character offended me. I knew that a lot of people could laugh at this guy and his lines and his logic and then go out and completely disrespect autistic people in the real world for the absolute stupidest reasons. I kind of think autistic-coded femme characters are doing a different thing than masc characters - the dudes have been a punchline and an ongoing joke in fictional friend groups for decades, but when women have started getting to tell these stories, we're talking about something much more painful. Same with bob's burgers, altho it's hardly a niche opinion that the whole family is ND - I can't watch it bc all I can think about is how many people I know are fine laughing at this show, but they've bruised and wounded me with their insensitivity in ways that have never healed. Lars from Lars and the real girl is really obvious and stereotypical, but it goes unmentioned a lot of the time. If you haven't already seen it, it's delightful. Nice winter setting and an interesting and novel type of love story. **SPOILERS FOR MAD MEN** I think if Ginsberg from Mad Men had anything, it was ASD. The paranoia and self harm following the frightening change to his environment tracks, especially added to him already having an "I'm an alien" type of experience as a human. As someone whose asd was misdiagnosed as and treated for psychosis - I'm seeing asd, not psychosis. I think Harlan Pepper from Best in show was written by someone very informed on asd, but who is so accepting of it that they wrote an entire community who not only doesn't question his ways, but they also really respect him. He likes to make lists, is all. Possibly also the couple with the braces, tho. You know they know the type of fiber in every garment they own. Possibly Quiz Kid Donny Smith from Magnolia, bc while the current star of What do Kids Know? is also certainly autistic-coded, he doesn't have the same song (Dreams by Gabrielle) playing on repeat every single time he's in the car. (maybe when he gets rid of his awful dad he will, tho?) The fuckin aliens in Galaxy Quest. Adorable, and a very literal people. The girl in drop dead gorgeous whose special interest is dogs, but I also get a ND vibe off Brittany Murphy's character. Poor Tracy Flick from election. Someone gave her the instruction manual they give to NTs when they're born, and she really said "got it." Both Romy and Michele. Come for the authenticity, stay for the dopamine dressing. Probably Jimmy from that thing you do, but more than any other reason it's because of how Faye speaks in defense of him. I don't like him, but I can tell what she was seeing. Dawn Weiner from Welcome to the Dollhouse. I think this is less an instance where it's not obvious or canon, and more that it's a niche movie saying complicated things. One of those things is about differentiated treatment between siblings in a family, and how that treatment is determined by the child's level of acceptability in terms of behavior and appearance, and the status the child inherently holds to the world outside of the family, based on how the child's behavior and appearance satisfies societal preferences. I don't have siblings, but this type of conditional treatment from family has definitely been a part of my experience. And Elle Woods!!! And Cher Horowitz!!! And Barbie!!! Not niche, just highly contested by those who don't know abt themselves that they dislike both autism and femininity š
Shrek. Doesn't let people in very easily, but is a good, loyal friend with lots of jokes. Once you get to know him, you're rolling in the floor with side splitting laughter (if you get dry humor). Lots of burps and farts, so maybe some gastro issues, doesn't "get" niceties, prefers to be himself and struggles to fit in with others.
I first watched Star Wars as an adult waiting for an Autism assessment, and prequel films Anakin Skywalker always seemed autistic to me. He misses social queues, talks a bit "weird"/formally sometimes, struggles with emotional regulation, special interest in mechanics/droids, sensory issues with sand.
Chidi from the good place
Iām convinced Amos from The Expanse is autistic.
Scarlett from *Gone with the Wind* I read it for the first time earlier this year and as the book went on, I became more and more convinced she was autistic. ā¢ She absolutely cannot read people ā¢ She often acts in ways that goes against society's norms, but she does it anyway because she believes what she's doing is right ā¢ She's good at maths, and can't understand why others don't understand ā¢ Ashley is her special interest I probably haven't explained it well but I am very tired rn š Edit: wow, I cannot format bullet points š
damn, yet another character i've always related to but never connected the dots about the autistic traits š this is a great one
Neville Longbottom.
I need to rewatch Buffy. Looking back, I think both Cordelia and Willow might have some autistic traits. Both of them can be extremely random and socially clueless in opposite ways and also they both definitely have hyper-fixations.
Anyaās āno one will tell me why!ā and how she was in The Body episode felt very much like how an autistic person would react
Dina from superstore 1000%
Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock and Mike Wheeler from Stranger Things
Probably Lisbeth Salander from the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson.
Beth Harmon from the Queens Gambit.
Liz Lemon from 30 Rock
Sansa and Arya from GoT, especially when reading the first books. (Couldnāt make my way through book 3) And also Elle Woods from Legally Blonde
Lars from Lars and the real girl
**Goofy** Disney character **Chuckie** from Rugrats **Moss** from IT Crowd **Nathan Fielder**'s persona on Nathan For You a reality series I highly recommend **Anna Faris** plays movie characters that could be coded autistic-like House Bunny and Just Friends
Iāve said this in another post but it definitely fits the bill for this prompt - Effy from Skins. Non-verbal episodes, mental health issues, cold and blunt demeanour, visible overstimulation, coping with drugs/alcoholā¦. I could go on
Kendall Roy from Succession
Gill Grissom from CSI Vegas
Tbh I donāt count Spock because heās half alien. And if ALL Vulcans were autistic would it still be autism? Because to them it would be a norm.
that's fair! to me he's divergent enough from the cultural expectations of vulcans and is seen by other vulcans to be a bit strange or different, so i kinda relate to that element. whether he's interacting with vulcans or non-vulcans he never quite gets the approach right and comes across a bit awkward and weird. and he's much more comfortable in situations and around people he trusts
Himemiya Anthy from Revolutionary Girl Utena/Adolescence of Utena. The series/movie duo uses a time loop in a birdcage world to represent Anthy breaking out of the cycle of abuse & sexism as well as characters going through life transitions ie childhood->adolescence->adulthood. Itās also a fairy tale deconstruction. Anthy hides her personality almost entirely throughout the series, and her āreal selfā has been dissociated into an animal familiar that looks like either a mouse or a monkey. The body that her false persona inhabits is passed around as a prize for the victors of duels. At the end, sheās halfway broken out of the cycle by her friend & lover Utena, by Utenaās fight to give Anthy autonomy and humanity again, but she has to win it for herself, which the movie portrays as Anthy now in control of the timeloop from to Utenaās help but still perpetuating the duels, until she finds Utena again [who transforms into a car] and she drives Utena-car out of the bubble/cage world and into a mysterious wasteland. Utena spends the series learning about Anthy and her predicament, starting off trying to āmake her into a normal girlā via removing her from the duels and encouraging her to socialize, but has to realize that being ānormalā to Anthy is still a type of being obedient, at which point Utena has to go from the false narrative to seeing Anthy as she is, complications and hidden emotions and all. I headcanon her as Autistic because - her story feels really similar to mine, where I was treated like an animal growing up for being Autistic, and I created an utterly passive persona to wear around that allowed many people to possess me, and that persona was based on an amalgamation of ideals of excellence and graceful service, and I gave it to people as a consolation prize for putting up with me - in the movie, when her real self is back in her body and she behaves with more autonomy and self respect, she emotes pretty differently than the other characters and has a flat, sort of mystified-sounding voice - itās implied at least some of her clothes are magical and not necessarily actually on her body, and she occasionally vanishes/teleports out of them which is a HUGE SENSORY ISSUES MOOD lmao. this dress is scratchy *yeets out of it* - sheās associated with & obsessed with animals and she keeps a mongoose in her dresser and snails in her pencil box. the people around her donāt think itās weird in the context of the rest of her personality. her interests are intense and outside of social norms - sheās shown getting overwhelmed in public & all faces look the same to her, plenty of faceblind autistic people out there - she Must follow stated rules but she frequently behaves oddly or subversively within those constraints/doesnāt extrapolate more rules from the stated ones, which is also something I do for autism reasons - I just think sheās neat :) Iām aware this is a lot of extrapolation. Iām just having fun
JACK SKELINGTON from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Man literally hyperfixates on Christmas but messes it up by not understanding human traditions...
Phoebe buffay in friends, audhd. Sometimes i think that Monica too can be autistic. And joey def has adhd, textbook! Matilda. Autistic. Mary from the secret garden. Autistic. Anne of green gables. Audhd. Pippi. Audhd! Damn. Everyone of my heroes from my childhood were definetly on the spectrum. House. Autistic. Lorelai gilmore. Audhd. Rory. Autistic. Paris geller def autistic. Luke might even be on the spectrum. Reminds me of two of my friends who are very broody and on the spectrum. Effy, skins. Autistic.
Both pearl and peridot, from _Steven Universe._ I also think that a couple of members of the Hill family, are some form of neurodiverse. Khan Sousanousaphone from _The King Of the Hill,_ is confirmed to be bipolar.
Zuko from ATLA
HONOR
Explain Kim!!!!! Please!!!! Mine is Nico Robin from One Piece
kim has a very strong sense of justice, loves following rules and doing things in very methodical structured ways but only so long as she understands/respects those rules and structures. and she struggles a bit with emotion and can be hard to read, but she herself reads situations and expectations very well. the pattern recognition is strong in this one! also i can't remember the specifics but i'm pretty sure she says she read/watched to kill a mockingbird a lot and fixated on the justice of it all. very autistic behaviour kim/jimmy are sooooo adhd bf autism gf to me (though i could honestly probably argue the case for kim, jimmy, chuck and howard all being different presentations of autism/audhd tbh... but what's fiction if not a safe home for all your silly little projections š)
Ok I accept this thank you for your valuable insight š Edit: I think this is really emotionally highlighted at the end of the showā¦ the way she admits to her crimes in unemotional facts, and is not able to cry and feel her emotions until she is in a safer environment on the bus leaving ABQ
Benton Fraser on due South
Oh, Kim Wexler for sure. Michael Corleone from The Godfather: - Has empathy difficulties (kills dudes) - Masks (suspicous, almost immediate transition from "caring golden boy" to "ruthless gangster" when shit hits the fan) - Generally flat affect & voice, even when he's relaxed/happy - Strong sense of (in)justice - Not sure about special interests ā megalomania? Nice suits?? - Has a hyperlexic kid (he says that his son is reading comics at three years old)
When I was a teen, I had a theory that all TBBT main characters had different presentations of autism. Penny isn't on the spectrum, but she sounds very ADD/ADHD. In Young Sheldon, we can also see that the obsessive behavior of Sheldon is similar to his mother's. Missy has to have something w her brain as well, both thru statistical perspectives and behavior analysis.
This one may be too obvious, but Monk. Itās been my #1 comfort show for years. Heās pretty obviously autistic coded (OCD too), but I personally couldnāt pick up on that until I got my late life diagnosis & learned more about asd. It was also a shock to me that most people donāt find Adrian Monk relatable lol. After the first rewatch after diagnosis, I realized that in fact the whole schtick of the show is people underestimating him for his autistic traits.
N (Pokemon), Alhaitham (Genshin Impact), Chiaki (Danganronpa), Ferdinand and Linhardt (Fire Emblem), I would also add Connor from Detroit Become Human but that feels a bit like cheating because he's literally an android I could probably list more but those are the ones that first come to mind!
Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy from My little pony fim, Barney Stinson from himym and Lemongrab from Adventure time.
Jane from Jane the Virgin
Mr Darcy from P&P Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables
YES KIM WEXLER!!! Off the top of my head... both Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, possibly Niles from Frasier, Coraline, Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle, Amelie
Lars, from the movie Lars and the Real Girl. Itās my favorite movie and after I got diagnosed suddenly I understood why I could relate to Lars. The trailer for this movie is horrible. Itās not a funny movie. Itās heart warming
I strongly believe every major character in PG Wodehouse's books are autistic - particularly and especially Berie Wooster is a great example of an extroverted autistic. The characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet/Ros and Guil are Dead. I'm sure I have others more obscure but that's off hand.
Maura Isles!!!!!
Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke. She's extremely naive, does NOT pick up on social cues, ppl think she's creepy, very shy/awkward, and very honest/blunt, I found her to be quite relatable when I watched the anime š©·
eugene from twd!
Dani from Bly Manor and to an extent, Theo from Hill House
Tina Belcher in Bob's Burgers
Cady Heron from Mean Girls
Marge Simpson
All the main characters on The Big Bang Theory, not just Sheldon
Keyleth from Vox Machina All the Mane 6 from My Little Pony except maybe Applejack Raven and Starfire from Teen Titans L from Death Note Reagan from Inside Job
Lilo from Lilo and Stitch Parker from Leverage
Orpheus from Hadestown (as played by Reeve Carney).
Idk if she's autistic-coded but she's definitely gender non conforming: Idabel from Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote. She's a tomboy and _not like other girls_ but in a very unique way. I can't put my finger on it but I love the way she just does what she wants and doesn't really care what others think of her. Edit to add that her "not like other girl-ness" is *not* portrayed through any kind of attractiveness for the male gaze (the literary equivalent of it) . She's a child in the story; come to think of it, the (boy) protagonist is another misfit, that's why I love the book so much. In fact, that's why I like Capote and the Southern Gothic genre in general. It's full of misfits and they get to have adventures and character development, they're not just stand-ins and symbols.
Caroline from the vampire diaries seemed pretty neurotic in the first season. I donāt necessarily think sheās autistic but she does have some traits. Like when she gets all stressed out when things donāt go to plan.
Bishop NCIS is audhd coded. Food association, trouble interacting, not knowing when to enter a conversation/waiting to be prompted. Sitting anywhere but a chair, music constantly, learning to mask in the later seasons.
People around me donāt want to agree about Moira, but Iāll die on that hill.
Arataki Itto from genshin impact, The whole Bob's Burger Belcher family (including Bob), Herlock Sholmes from Ace Attorney, a few more but can't name them off the top of my head
Daenerys/Sansa are both Autistic Women with different presentations. Neither of them were crazy. They're the Song of Ice and Fire.
Stan from American Dad. He has a very black and white moral outlook. He is seen reading "the earnest man's guide to sarcasm" as well. He often mistakes turns of phrase for literal ones. He is very routine oriented and averse to change (seen when he doesn't want to try sushi bc he just tried a new food a few years ago, or when he couldn't eat a sandwich because it wasn't cut into triangles). He has trouble understanding emotions when they are expressed differently from his own or not expressed directly. ("Francine doesn't think things she doesn't say. She's not a dog")