Fictional Names So Obvious They Might as Well Wink at the Camera

Tolkien gave us "Lothlórien." He gave us "Rivendell." He gave us "Eärendil the Mariner," "Celeborn," and a language system so complex it basically earned him a linguistic PhD from the imaginary university in my brain. The man was a master at inventing names that sounded ancient, elegant, and filled with mythic weight. And then... he called the volcano "Mount Doom."

Mount. Doom.

Like he looked at a map of Middle-earth and just went, "Eh. You get the idea."

And honestly? He's not alone. Sometimes, even the most creative writers decide they're done trying, throw a blanket over the thesaurus, and go straight for names so obvious it feels like they dare us NOT to get the double meaning. So today, we're honoring the art of the painfully on-the-nose name - those character and place names that make you groan, smile, and say, "Oh come on."

Let's dive in.

01
Unobtanium (Avatar)

via 20th Century Fox

James Cameron had billions of dollars, groundbreaking tech, and a chance to name the most valuable substance in the universe. He chose... Unobtanium. Because it's hard to obtain. You get it? You get it. Someone in that writer's room probably said, "We'll change it later," and then didn't. Ever.
He also used "Papyrus" for the font.
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02
Miles Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog)

via Sega

Say it out loud. Slowly. Miles per hour. Yep. Tails' full name is a pun that screeches past you at top speed if you're not paying attention. The fact that it sounds like a totally normal name until you think about it? That's either brilliant or deeply disturbing.
03
Sam Porter Bridges (Death Stranding)

via Kojima Productions

In Death Stranding, you play as a man named Sam Porter Bridges. His job? A porter. His company? Bridges. This is peak Kojima energy, where literally everyone is named after their function. The villain's name is Die-Hardman, and that's somehow not even the weirdest part. Also, kojima called an assassin with a vocal cord parasite 'Quiet'.
04
The Death Star (Star Wars)

via Star Wars

It's a planet-sized space station with a laser that can obliterate entire worlds, and it's literally called the Death Star. Imagine you're a rebel spy trying to sneak info back to HQ and your commanding officer asks, "What's it called?" and you're like, "Um... the Death Star." At that point, your whole galaxy should've just packed it in.
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05
Edward Nygma aka E. Nygma (Batman Forever)

via Warner Bros.

Gotham's biggest riddle-obsessed villain is literally named Enigma. And people were surprised he became The Riddler? I bet they felt real clever when they named him
06
Warren Peace (Sky High)

via Walt Disney Pictures

The character's father is a Supervillain, while his mother is a Superhero, providing grounds for internal conflict in his life. So we called him War and Peace. Get it?! GET IT?!
07
Louis Cyphre (Angel Heart)

via Tri-Star Pictures

A smooth-talking stranger with mysterious motives and a suspiciously red flag-y name: Louis Cypher. Lou... Cypher. Lucifer. Honestly, if you sign a contract with this man and don't immediately combust, that's on you.
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08
Remus Lupin (Harry Potter)

via Warner Bros. Pictures

A man with a dark secret. A Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Also... secretly a werewolf. And his name? Remus (as in, raised by wolves in Roman myth) Lupin (Latin for "wolf"). J.K. Rowling basically named him Wolf McWolferson and then dared us not to notice.
09
Jedi Master Ima-Gun Di (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

via Lucasfilm

Say it out loud. I'm-a-gun-die. Yes, that is a real character name from The Clone Wars, and yes, he dies. Immediately. The Star Wars prequels are like an intergalactic dad joke that got out of hand.
10
Otto Octavius (Spider-Man)

via Marvel Comics

A man with eight mechanical arms. Named Octavius. Because he has eight limbs. This guy walked straight into a prophecy written by someone who really liked puns and symmetry. The only way it could've been more obvious is if he was born in October (Wait, Why is October the 10th month?!)
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Look, we’re not judging. Okay, we’re judging a little. But we’re also secretly delighted. These names are part of what makes pop culture fun - that little wink from the creators that says, “Yeah, we know.” Sometimes subtlety is overrated. Sometimes you just want your villain to be named Louis Cypher and your deadly volcano to scream its purpose from the map. And you know what?
It works.