The most memorable characters from Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse

A teenage employee at Mooby's in Clerks II, Elias (Trevor Fehrman) has found religion and is a little nerdy. The co-workers he's drawn to can be a recipe for disaster, leading to spiritual and moral corruptness. 

Mallrats' T.S. (Jeremy London) is a suburban everyman. He's in love with his girlfriend, Brandi Svenning (Claire Forlani), but a bit selfish. Her father completely hates him. T.S. isn't flashy, likes mall-stand cookies and Jaws, and is relatively relatable. He's well-spoken and witty. The only downfall might be the company he keeps.

Rene (Shannen Doherty) is the aggravated girlfriend of T.S. Quint's best friend from Mallrats. Rene wants to be respected and appreciated by her man. We don't know much about her, but she digs shopping, likes breakfast, and maybe even a quickie in a shopping mall elevator. She seems to have a soft spot for lost causes, or in this case, potentially lost relationships.

Mallrats' Mr. Svenning (Michael Rooker) was a small-time, cable-access producer/director putting on a young-adult, rip-off version of The Dating Game known as Truth or Date in a New Jersey shopping mall. The pompous and incompetent Mr. Svenning is the father of Brandi, T.S.'s girlfriend. In addition to trying to woo network execs to run his game show, Svenning aimed to break up T.S. and Brandi. He's also fond of chocolate-covered pretzels.

That's the official credited title of the rabble-rousing activist in the opening scenes of Clerks. Portrayed by Scott Schiaffo, he confronts any Quick Stop customer buying a "pack of cıgarettes" to lecture them on the hazards of smokıng. Once he works the customers into a small mob, it's revealed that he's a Chewlies gum rep looking to push his product on unsuspecting customers.

Silent Bob's cousin Olaf (John Henry Westhead) is from Russia but stopped for a visit in New Jersey and showed off his heavy metal prowess on his way to New York City. At the urging of Jay, Olaf breaks into his power rock stance, dons his metal face, and unleashes a few lyrics from his song "Berserker." Olaf's time in Clerks is very short, but it remains one of the great lasting moments within the "New Jersey Trilogy."

Since high school, Clerks protagonist Dante has been infatuated with classmate Caitlin Bree. While he's painfully devoted to her, she has not always reciprocated those feelings. She's cheated on him several times, and she got engaged to an Asian design major while at college. However, she's still not over Dante, and her return to town only worsens his already dismal life and her well-being. Sadly, Lisa Spoonauer, who played Caitlin, passed in 2017 at age 44.

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Will Ferrell found his way into Kevin Smith's film world. That came as part of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back's ensemble cast. Ferrell's spacey Marshal Willenholly is trying to track down a missing orangutan but keeps getting outwitted and outplayed by the duo. Ferrell's over-the-top comedy fits well with the film's over-the-top nature. Willenholly's "Who let the cats out?" line is underrated.  

Within the View Askewniverse, "idiot man-child" Willam is played by two characters. We're first introduced to Willam in Clerks (played by Kevin Smith's longtime writing/producing partner Scott Mosier), where he aimlessly loiters around the Quick Stop. We also learn the origin of his nickname, "Snowball." In Mallrats, a much heavier Willam (played by the underrated Ethan Suplee) struggles to see the sailboat in one of those Magic Eye posters at the mall.

One of the more underrated aspects of the solidly sappy Chasing Amy is Hooper X. To the public, Hooper (Dwight Ewell) comes off as a neo-Black Panther-type comic-book writer, trying to take down "the white man" for professional credibility. In his real-life amid the "New Jersey Trilogy," Hooper is a gay man living life to the fullest. Ragging on his friends, offering sound love advice, and showing his devotion to the musical stylings of Yanni. 

Ben Affleck has been a staple in Kevin Smith's movies, often playing various recurring roles. As the male lead in Chasing Amy, Affleck's Holden is the co-author of the massively popular Bluntman and Chronic comic. However, his love life is rather tepid until he meets the potential love of his life, only to be dismayed when learning the real reason she might not want to be with him. Holden's soft side can be annoying at times, but he's one of the more honest, real-world characters with real emotions within Smith's View Askewniverse. His brief time in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is one of the movie's highlights.

Dogma has its moments, but not many of the individual performances in the film are memorable. One that's certainly worth celebrating is Chris Rock's Rufus, the supposed 13th apostle who is looking to rewrite the Bible. He finds himself on Earth, trying to help Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) and prophets Jay and Silent Bob keep a pair of fallen angels from reaching heaven. Rufus is wise and wisecracking. He can see into people's minds and is a serviceable guardian, who also happens to provide the most consistent comedy aspects of the film.

Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) is feisty, intelligent, and seemingly self-confident. We learn that she's apparently a good cook and fancies foreplay. Veronica can also be a bit smothering when handling her Clerks boyfriend, Dante. She wants what's best for him but can be a bit pushy when attempting to bring out his true potential. Veronica is also not a big fan of the aforementioned Caitlin Bree.

Holden McNeil's comic-book partner in crime from Chasing Amy, and eventually the sole rights-owner of the Bluntman and Chronic books, Banky (Jason Lee) is an immature, vulgar goofball who likes Degrassi Junior High and a wide variety of adult magazines. He's also a little insecure about being dubbed a "tracer." Banky's friendship with Holden is an intriguing secondary storyline in Chasing Amy.

The slacker hero of Mallrats and another strong performance from Kevin Smith-regular Jason Lee. Brodie might be a bum who enjoys Sega hockey, "loves the smell of commerce in the morning," soda in a small Dixie-like cup, a good "stink palm," and hates that kid playing on the mall escalator. But he has dreams of opening his own comics shop. Brodie needs help pleasing girlfriend Rene. He goes to some extremely hilarious lengths to do so and is ultimately rewarded in his personal and professional life. 

Arguably Joey Lauren Adams' most notable role. The female lead in Chasing Amy, Alyssa Jones is a free-spirited, comic-book writing lesbian who loves to have a good time. She becomes conflicted over her sexuality when she meets Holden McNeil. It's an interesting dynamic and shows Adams' range as a lead actress — displaying her character's honest attempt to balance confidence and humility. Alyssa is easily the strongest female character within the View Askewniverse.

Jay (Jason Mewes) is one-half of the View Askewniverse's dynamic slacker-stoner duo. Jay is only for mature audiences, and even they can only take him in small doses. He's obscene, obnoxious, a low-level weed dealer, highly unintelligent, and obsessed with sex. Jay has a certain amount of street smarts that allows him to survive without serving any real purpose other than being an inspiration for a comic book character.

Paired with Jay, Silent Bob is the smarter, less crass half of one of the most iconic comedy film duos. Kevin Smith's on-screen persona obviously does not talk much, but when he does, it's usually to offer wisdom or a dose of reality that eventually resonates with other characters within the View Askewniverse. Bob also has a thing for orangutans, cigarettes, and Las Vegas showgirls musicals. Sometimes, speaking so little can say so much. "Snoochie boochies."

Sure, Randal (Jeff Anderson) is lewd, crude, and straight-up dislikable. Yet, he's so entertaining. His dialogue with pal Dante makes Clerks so much fun to watch. He's a slacker who reads too much into the Star Wars movies and has no trouble telling others how to better themselves. The latter is somewhat ironic since Randal has no problem with his underachievement. He embraces it. 

Within the realm of Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, Dante (Brian O'Halloran) is actually one character worthy of sympathy. Sure, he constantly whines about his lot in life and his fear of drastic change. But there's also a point of contentment with his place. Dante is generally a nice guy in Clerks or Clerks II. He realizes his comfort zone is rather simple. Waiting on people, no matter how much he loathes his customers at either the Quick Stop or Mooby's, is something he's pretty fair at when not closing a store to play hockey, attend wakes or throw parties. Dante is flawed, but we can appreciate it all.