This Loser Isn't You...

In general, I'm a big fan of ordinary characters, particularly in speculative fiction. After all, it's much more satisfying to see someone who could, on some level, be us face down a challenge equipped only with their wits, their knowledge of the company ventilation system, and power of friendship, rather than just smashing the threat with superpowers. Plus it's much easier to develop a genuinely suspenseful conflict where the odds are stacked against the protagonist. This probably has a lot to do with Batman's enduring popularity-- under the mask and all the cool gadgets, he's just a guy with a sharp brain and a single-minded vendetta, and a small part of us thinks that with access to the gear in the Batcave, we too could be that awesome.

But of course it's also possible to take a good thing too far. In fairly recent times, the ordinary protagonist has spawned the loser protagonist, sometimes to the point of turning them into an irredeemably unlikeable disaster zone. While this trope isn't lethal to your story in either flavour, it's a tricky one to execute well.

Comedy is probably the natural habitat of the unlikeable disaster zone protagonist. From A Confederacy of Dunces to Seinfeld, we're laughing at these characters, especially when their misfortunes are their own fault. Even if that's not strictly the case, and unpleasant character can still generate humourous situations, particularly in dark or absurdist comedy.

Another common route is to have the character develop and pull themselves together over the course of the story. It doesn't need to be a full makeover, but progress and a determination to change. For the audience, this is both an endearing trait-- we admire people working hard to better themselves-- and aspirational, since we've somewhat identified with the character.

A third option is a character whose appealing traits balance out their 'loser' ones. Again, comedies are the natural habitat of characters such as Jay and Silent Bob, or Sean Spencer from Psych. These characters are essentially kind, likeable and amusing people who are also lacking in motivation, courage, or clean clothes. But they show enough good qualities that we empathise and enjoy their fictional company.