Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Dr. Dave Bowman

If this movie has a single protagonist, then that role would likely go to Dr. Bowman. He's the character who goes toe-to-toe—maybe screwdriver-to-mainframe?—with the antagonist HAL. He's also the character we want to see succeed in his struggles, and his ultimate fate pushes us toward 2001's famous conclusion.

While we're giving Dr. Bowman the top spot here, one could argue that humanity as a whole is the protagonist of 2001. There's definitely merit to that argument, especially given that the film starts 4 million years in the past and sports four otherwise self-contained sections. For those of you looking to consider this interpretation, check out our "Quest" section.