Never tell me the odds! But if you do, could you maybe include a smolder?

Friends (especially the nerdy ones)! The day has finally come to write the post comparing three fabulous characters: Harrison Ford's Han Solo, Nathan Fillion's Malcolm Reynolds, and Disney/Zachary Levi's Flynn Rider/Eugene Fitzherbert. I had intended to do this post in time for unofficial Star Wars day (May the fourth), but I was waylaid.

 Now the point of this post is not to prove that Han Solo any one man is better than the other, but merely to point out the similarities between three awesome heroes.  You may be tempted to say that all movie/TV heroes have similar characteristics. To you I say: I am a nerd and this is my post. Also, I apologize for not including the Venn diagram I originally planned to draw up. You can all draw it in your minds as you read ;)

So let's get started! One of the most obvious comparisons is the fact that all three men are involved in illegal occupations. Mal and Han are smugglers, while Flynn is a thief. Han and Flynn even have bounties out on their heads and are eventually caught, but are able to escape with help from their friends. All of them are the adventurous types, whether it's flying through space, joining up with the rebel army, or helping Rapunzel see the floating lanterns while avoiding palace guards. They even have wild escape plans when necessary; Mal has the Crazy Ivan, Han hides the Millenium Falcon underneath the Imperial ship, and Flynn escapes a near hanging with the help of Maximus and a group of thugs. Mal and Han are both captains of their own ships...and Flynn gets tied to the wheel of a ship by "the Weasley brothers on steroids", as Nikki calls them. A stretch, but there it is. Going a little deeper, Mal and Han both display a disbelief in what Han calls an "ancient religion", the Force in Han's case, and God in Mal's case. Both come to believe a little more throughout the "episodes". Flynn isn't quite the same, but he does come to realize that trying to base himself on a children's book character isn't the best way to live.

Other similarities: their appearances. Behold:

Mal and Han pictures from tumblr.com; Flynn from fanpop.com

Note the vests on Han and Flynn (I regret that I was unable to find a picture of Flynn in his black vest at the end of Tangled; he looks much more like Han there) and the similar style in Mal's dress. They even all have the same belts/holsters! Also, they have similar hair, and I suppose it couldn't hurt to make a slight mention that all three of them happen to be quite handsome (What? It's okay to think cartoon characters are handsome, so long as you don't get carried away and create the inappropriate fan art I came across while looking for these pictures). 

Now, for one of my favorite similarities: their relationships with the leading ladies. The bickering that hides attraction is always amusing, even if they're not fooling anyone. (Not sure if this is necessary, but SPOILER ALERT: ) Han and Flynn both manage to gain the love of princesses before their stories end, and I think we all agree that Mal and Inara may someday be able to put their various differences aside and end up together.

So there it is. I know that Han and Mal have the most in common, but there were enough similarities with Flynn that I felt that he needed to be included. I hope that at the very least you were amused by the fact that I put all this thought into such a post. I think part of it is my English degree rising up and demanding I use my analytical skills. Either way, it's done.

Thanks for reading.