There have been a lot of Grand Theft Auto games, but the series has never had another protagonist as bad as GTA 5's Trevor Philips. While he is a character that perfectly fits the crass nature of the GTA universe, he feels completely wrong as a main character. Trevor is a character who was put into a role that doesn't fit him, and it causes the game to suffer as a result.
Grand Theft Auto 5 featured three playable characters rather than one, a first for the series. On one hand, this gives the player a chance to play multiple characters over the course of the same mission, as well as giving all three characters different associates and side missions. However, this also turned out to be a good move on Rockstar's part, and not just because it opened the door for GTA 5's impressive character-swapping. If the game had featured Trevor as the sole protagonist without the tempering influence of Franklin and Michael's scenes, then it would have been a much more difficult game to appreciate.
Even though GTA games virtually require a criminal protagonist due to their nature, Trevor was a step too far. There is almost nothing about him that would make a player interested in his journey, nor want to see him succeed. Even when compared to other GTA protagonists, he manages to stand out as the least likable of the group.
Trevor Philips Is Incredibly Unlikable In Grand Theft Auto 5
The first problem with Trevor is also the most obvious - his personality is absolutely deplorable. This makes it much more difficult whenever he is the story's focal point. Trevor's repellent personality is present throughout his entire time in the game, and it can be a major turn-off for many players. Him taking part in GTA 5's infamous and unnecessary torture scene doesn't help either.
Trevor is crude, hostile, and violent by default, and he shows all of these traits before the end of his introductory cutscene. Him rudely mocking former protagonist Johnny Klebitz before viciously killing him is the first impression that players will get of Trevor, and it's as accurate as it is awful. Trevor is quite remorseless over his many horrible deeds, and is liable to kill whenever it looks like things won't go his way. The way he conducts himself if far more like a villain than a protagonist, even by GTA's standards. He's nowhere near likable enough to carry a game based on his own merits.
Even though Trevor does have a few good moments, they are dramatically outweighed by his constant bad behavior. At his core, Trevor is violent, unpleasant, and simply a jerk; it's no surprise that some GTA 5 fans think Trevor is a demon. He's not the type of person that anyone would want to spend time around, much less root for, and that makes his position as one of his game's protagonists quite bizarre.
Trevor Is Already An Accomplished Criminal In GTA 5
A big part of Grand Theft Auto games is the rise, where the main character goes from being a nobody in the underworld to someone truly powerful. Even when a character has experience, like Michael or CJ, they are still near the bottom of the ladder when the game starts. However, this is another place where Trevor breaks from the norm, as he is already an accomplished career criminal at the start of the game.
When the player first gets control of Trevor, he is already a major drug and weapons dealer based out of Sandy Shores. His operation is even big enough to draw the attention of a Triad boss, although Trevor locking GTA 5's Triads in a freezer ruined that deal rather quickly. Although he is not as big as major characters from games past such as Sonny Forelli or Dimitri Rascalov, his starting position removes the underdog quality that a lot of GTA protagonists have. Trevor is already a well-established criminal with connections. Even though he does become more powerful by working with Michael and Franklin, there's not as big of a payoff for him because he was already a kingpin in the first place.
Trevor's previous criminal success combined with his dreadful personality create someone who is very difficult to . If the events of the game had never happened, Trevor probably would have continued to be Sandy Shores' biggest drug dealer, and there's no indication that he would have been dissatisfied with that. There are few stakes in Trevor's victory, making his journey as a character feel hollow at best. Although GTA 5's true ending is the series' best, it's more due to Michael and Franklin's victories than Trevor's.
Trevor Is More Suited To Be A Grand Theft Auto Villain
Trevor being one of the main protagonists of GTA 5 is even more inexplicable when one realizes how well-suited he is to playing a villain instead. Even though he was Michael's old friend, his overwhelming negative presence makes him hard to like. Besides, the series has covered betrayals on multiple occasions, so Trevor turning treacherous wouldn't have been much of a surprise.
Trevor has an astonishing amount of similarities with many of the game's past villains, so much so that him never becoming a villain almost feels like a twist. Although Tommy Vercetti could be a GTA villain without changing much about him, the same is more true of Trevor. He is someone that Michael had worked with in the past, and he runs his own criminal empire, albeit a fairly small one. This is reminiscent of Vice City's Sonny Forelli and GTA 4's Dimitri Rascalov. In addition, Trevor's poor treatment of his subordinates and tendency to kill almost immediately when provoked are traits far more suited to GTA's many villains. Trevor has far too many villainous traits to be ignored, and he would have made far more sense as an enemy than an ally.
In any other GTA game, Trevor would have been a villain, but GTA 5 made him one of the leads instead. Considering that he's not much better than several of the series' previous antagonists, his role is truly puzzling. When the moments where Trevor shows his good side in GTA 5 feel forced, that's a sign that he should have been the villain.
Even years after Grand Theft Auto 5's release, Trevor still does not have a strong case for being a protagonist. His criminal actions go further than even Tommy Vercetti's, and he has virtually no charm to back up his insidious behavior. Even in the often bleak world of Grand Theft Auto, Trevor is one of the worst protagonists possible.
