The Expanse: Every character ranked from worst to best

6. James Holden

James Holden. He’s sitting pretty as number 6 in my list, and I am not sorry. Why? Let’s be real – he can be a bit of a whiny pain in the ass. Sure, he’s the main guy and we see him grow from this hesitant leader to a full-blown hero-type character, which sounds cool on paper and has been done beautifully with other characters. But when it comes to Holden, there’s something about him that just doesn’t click for me (and others as well, I am not the only Holden hater out there).

First off, his journey from being all Jon-Snow-like “I don’t want to lead” to Aegon-Targaryen-like “I’m the hero this universe needs” feels a tad overdone. It’s like, we get it, Holden, you’ve got a lot on your shoulders – so do I but I don’t flaunt it (though it’s nothing like the fate of the solar system, but still) –  but sometimes his whole hero act comes off as more annoying than inspiring. He’s always jumping into these big decisions, and I’m just sitting and watching, thinking, “Dude, slow down and think this through.”

And as for his leadership style, well, it’s a bit hit or miss. Sometimes he’s got it all together, but other times, it’s like watching someone trying to juggle an entire carton of eggs – it’s a bit of a mess.

Don’t get me wrong, Holden adds a lot to The Expanse and there’s a reason he’s the hero of the story. His heart’s in the right place and he’s got some seriously epic moments. But for some of us, he’s that character you just love to find faults in. He’s trying to do the right thing, sure, but the way he goes about it can be a bit much.