Recent Movies/Limited Series where MC ≠ Protagonist

[MWollaeger]

What are movies from the past 10 years where the Protagonist and the MC are not the same?

I have:

Fury Road
Captain America: Civil War
How to Train Your Dragon

Anything else jump to mind?

[Lakis]

The first season of True Detective.

No official storyform, but I think the first season of The Sinner on Netflix.

And what about Knives Out? Isn't Benoit Blanc the Protagonist?

EDIT: I'm acutally not sure about The Sinner. I think that it might actually have two storyforms, one that's backstory and the other that's figuring out the mystery of what happened. But I still think the Protagonist for the investigation piece is the detective and the Jessica Biel character is the MC.

[MWollaeger]

And what about Knives Out? Isn't Benoit Blanc the Protagonist?

Whoever it is, it’s not Marta.

[Greg]

The Force Awakens? Finn isn’t Protagonist in that, is he?

[jhull]

The Ultimate Collection of Protagonists Who Act as Influence Characters

I'll have to add Benoit from Knives Out...

[mlucas]

I'm thinking that in Pitch Perfect it's the blonde girl (the puker -- Aubrey I think?) who's the Protagonist rather than MC Becca.

[MWollaeger]

The first season of True Detective.

So Matthew McConaughey is the Protagonist, and Woody Harrelson is the MC?

[mlucas]

Also @MWollaeger you deserve some kudos for putting a ≠ character into the post title. Definitely some pretty advanced discussion happening here!

[Lakis]

So Matthew McConaughey is the Protagonist, and Woody Harrelson is the MC?

Yes. I remember this one vividly because @jhull's article on it was one of the first I read about Dramatica. It was one of those lightbulb moments.

[mlucas]

I think in the original LEGO Movie it's Vitruvius who's the Protagonist for most of it? Although MC Emmett might take on the Protagonist role near the end, like Neo does in The Matrix.

[Greg]

This could be way off, but I think an argument could be made for Saving Mr Banks. Assuming the purpose of the OS is to adapt a book to a movie and the methodology is something like learning what Mary Poppins means to Pamela, then I think Walt could be the protagonist to Pamela’s MC.

[Prish]

Inside Job?

Also, I always wanted to see Get Him to the Greek, but haven't, etc. But it does seem kind of that way, in previews.

[Lakis]

Get Him to the Greek

It's been a while since I saw it, but (assuming there's a story there) I'm pretty sure the Jonah Hill character is both the MC and Protagonist (his job is to get the crazy Russell Brand character from London to the the L.A. theater on time) while Russell Brand is the IC/Antagonist.

EDIT -- probably not a complete story https://narrativefirst.com/analysis/get-him-to-the-greek/

[MWollaeger]

Knowing the oeuvre of the writer/director, this is not a full story.

[RailwayAdventurer]

I think in the original LEGO Movie it's Vitruvius who's the Protagonist for most of it?

Actually, Lucy is listed as the Protagonist in the analysis on Subtext, though both she and Vitruvius are players in the Influence Character throughline.

[mlucas]

Actually, Lucy is listed as the Protagonist in the analysis on Subtext

I guess that makes sense with Virtruvius being dead...

But for a second I was like, who the heck is Lucy? Oh right, Wildstyle...