How 9 TV & Movie Underdogs Overcame Their Meanest Bullies

From “Stranger Things” to “Spider-Man,” onscreen heroes face their bullies.

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If there’s one thing we can all get behind, it’s an underdog story. Onscreen moments where characters face their bullies (or even reconcile with them) are super satisfying. Here are a few of our favorites!

You don’t need to be a film or TV hero to stand against bullying. Through DoSomething’s Cancel Bullying campaign, powered by Hollister, you can use positive affirmations to cancel the negative impact of bullying in your school.

1. The Losers Club and Pennywise in It

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It might be a bit of an understatement to call Pennywise (AKA an ancient cosmic evil in the form of a clown) a bully, but we’re doing it! For as terrifying as Pennywise is, ultimately the friendship between the Losers Club is what defeats it, showing that you can overcome any fear with the support of those who love you.

2. Eleven and Troy Walsh in Stranger Things

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Can we talk about how Mike literally jumped off a cliff to keep Troy from hurting Dustin? (Talk about friendship goals!) Luckily, Eleven was also there to save him with her telekinetic powers and fight off their “mouth-breather” bully once and for all. And the group hug they all share afterwards absolutely warms our hearts!

3. Lara Jean Covey and Genevieve in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

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We’re kind of over the girl vs girl tension that seems to be so popular in teen rom-coms, but Genevieve really did Lara Jean dirty by leaking the video of her and Peter in the hot tub (not to mention the SCRUNCHIE DRAMA). Lara Jean approaches the situation head-on, confronting Gen about the situation and talking through their feelings, which apparently went as far back as middle school.

4. Mitchie Torres and Tess Tyler in Camp Rock

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Camp Rock, in all its DCOM glory, featured a refreshing apology from Tess Tyler to the folks she had bullied. Mitchie inspires Tess to own up to her mistakes, and they all end up singing and dancing together by the movie’s conclusion -- the only thing more impressive was how Joe Jonas’s painfully 2000s hairstyle stayed perfect throughout the whole thing.

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5. Squidward Tentacles and Squilliam Fancyson in Spongebob Squarepants

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These two are lifelong rivals, and Squilliam takes any opportunity he can to rub his success in Squidward’s face. He sets up Squidward to make a fool out of himself at the Bubble Bowl, but with some help from a few friends, Squidward puts together a marching band that’s so good it gives Squilliam a heart attack. Their performance of “Sweet Victory” will forever be an iconic underdog moment.

6. Peter Parker and Flash Thompson in the Spider-Man series

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This one is kind of a work in progress when it comes to the most recent Spider-Man films. While Flash is still very much a jerk to Peter, it’s safe to say that Peter’s moved past being bothered by it (because after you’ve faced off with Thanos, school bullies must feel pretty irrelevant). Peter saves Flash time and again as Spider-Man takes his taunts in stride.

7. Ethan Clark and the bullies in Love, Simon

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Shoutout to Ethan, the true star of Love, Simon. Even though he’s not a main character, the way he unapologetically embraces every part of himself makes him the film’s hero in our hearts. When bullies try to hate on Ethan for being different, he responds with both humor and poise -- he’s living his best life, regardless of what others think.

8. Mabel Pines and Pacifica Northwest in Gravity Falls

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We’ve all probably met a Pacifica Northwest in our own lives. She comes from a family with high social status in the town of Gravity Falls, and she’s always looking down on others. It took some bonding over mini-golf of all things for Mabel to realize that Pacifica is dealing with her own issues and that what she needs most is a friend.

9. Cady Heron and Regina George (and Janis Ian and Cady Heron) in Mean Girls

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Regina George stands out as the quintessential high school bully (the movie’s called Mean Girls, after all). At first Cady takes on the, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” mentality, but that leads her to becoming a bully herself. After a reality check from Janis, Cady decides to make amends and bring peace back to their high school by sharing her title of Spring Fling Queen. Realistic? Probably not. But we can suspend our disbelief for this heartfelt moment.

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