Dennis Reynolds

Dennis Reynolds
Portrayed by	Glenn Howerton Charlie Carter (young, A Very Sunny Christmas) Seth Lee (young, Pop-Pop: The Final Solution) Jamal Mixon (dream, The Gang Turns Black)
Alias	"Den" "Brian LeFevre"[8x7][12x10] "Dane Brass"[12x10] "Johnny"[16x4] "Golden God"[7x12][10x6] "Hugh Honey"[5x1] "The Looks"[4x2] "Baby Dick"[7x1] "Dickless Dennis"[6x10] "Mr. Excellence" "The Daiquiri Man"[11x9] "Dayman"[3x9][4x13] "Little Boy"[4x13] "Daddy" (of Daddy and the Boy)[12x7] "The Vain One" "David Bond"
Family	Dee Reynolds (older twin sister) Frank Reynolds (father) Bruce Mathis (biological father) Barbara Reynolds (mother) Pop-Pop (grandfather) Donna (aunt) Max (uncle) Gail the Snail (cousin) Brian Jr. (son) Bill Ponderosa (ex-brother-in-law)
Relationship	Maureen Ponderosa (ex-wife) Mandy (co-parent)
Birthday	1976
Job	Co-owner, Paddy's Pub

Dennis Reynolds is the co-owner of Paddy's Pub, Dee Reynolds' twin brother, and one of five main characters in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Biography

Early Life

Dennis, preceded by his twin sister, Dee, three minutes prior,^[10x9] were born some time in 1976 to Barbara Reynolds. Growing up, both Dennis and Dee believed Frank Reynolds to be their biological father, however, the twins were actually the children of Bruce Mathis, a man whom Barbara had an affair with. Dennis' grandfather was a decorated officer in the Nazi Party^[1x6] and enrolled both Dennis and Dee in a neo-Nazi camp when they were five years old.^[8x1]

In his elementary school years, Dennis attended Waldron Mercy Academy.^[3x9] While in the second grade, he began keeping a psychological dossier on Dee. ^[8x5]

He later attended Saint Joseph's Preparatory School, where he became acquainted with Mac and Charlie Kelly. At 14, while in his freshman year of high school, he was raped by the school librarian, Ms. Klinsky.^[11x4] According to Dennis, this is the same age that he lost his ability to have feelings.^[6x1] Dennis' own account of his high school experience differs greatly from reality, though he does not seem to realize this until their high school reunion in 2011. Dennis recalls himself being popular, whereas Dee, Mac and Charlie were not.^[1x3] This is revealed to be untrue, as he spent the majority of his time with Mac and Charlie, rather than the popular group he believed that he had been a part of.^[7x13]

When Dennis was 18, he was dismissed from his position as a summer camp counselor due to an accusation of statutory rape of an underage girl, though he maintains he only kissed the girl, who was a year younger than him.^[2x6]

He attended the University of Pennsylvania^[8x5] and minored in psychology,^[1x7] passing all of his classes and presumably graduating. While at Penn, Dennis was a member of the Delta Omega Lambda fraternity, where he considered himself a legend and a "king of that place". However, upon returning to the frat house, he finds his picture covered in graffiti, and none of the members of the frat know who he is, suggesting that, similarly to his recollection of high school, he has fabricated more favorable memories.^[5x12]

After graduating college, Dennis went on to work for his father, Frank Reynolds. Though this would prove to be a short-lived career, the $5,000 given to him as hush money in exchange for not informing his mother about Frank sleeping with a prostitute would go towards the purchase of Paddy's Pub, alongside Mac and Charlie's own monetary contributions.^[15x3]

There was an incident in his childhood when Dennis killed four consecutive crows in front of Dee. Dennis states that he wished to know the tensile strength of the crow's neck.^[12x5] It is unknown if this was an isolated incident or one of many acts of animal cruelty Dennis committed throughout his youth. Dennis' apparent interest in animals carried over into his early adult years, and he aspired to be a veterinarian.^[2x4] When Dee asks if he only wanted to become a veterinarian so that he could "keep the skins", Dennis does not deny this.^[11x2]

2006

Dennis' father, Frank Reynolds surprises him by showing up suddenly at Paddy's Pub, wanting to talk to both Dennis and Dee about his and Barbara Reynolds' divorce. In his haste to get away from Frank, Dennis accidentally backs his car over Charlie, and the five of them meet up at the hospital. Once Dennis is made aware of the fact that Frank intends to give away his money, Dennis breaks into his parents' house to steal their plasma TV and other expensive items, but runs into Dee, who also had the same idea. The two bring their hauls back to the bar, separated by a line of tape across the floor, and begin destroying each other's belongings in retaliation. Mac arrives with a wheelchair and suggests that he and Dennis pretend to be disabled in order to pick up women at the mall, but the two are beaten to the punch when Dee gets there ahead of them and "desensitizes" the mall patrons. Mac and Dennis then race through the mall in their wheelchairs, getting into a physical altercation when Dennis wins. Back at the bar, the two get drunk, Dennis upset and ranting about Dee having destroyed his childhood stuffed elephant, Mr. Tibbs. Mac insists they drive to the strip club, and Dennis falls asleep at the wheel on the way there, running over Frank and Dee, as well as the man she had picked up at the mall.^[2x1]

Personality

Dennis is vain, selfish, and superficial. He prioritizes his own needs above all else, often causing great harm to others, both emotionally and physically, in the process. He projects an outwardly confident, self-obsessed persona, to a point where he appears to become delusional. He often attempts to utilize his perceived good looks and charm to manipulate women, either offering sex in exchange for something he wants, or coercing them into having sex with him in pursuit of a power trip.

Beneath this is an extreme insecurity, and if rejected, Dennis will break down,^[2x5] compete to prove his attractiveness,^[4x3] or turn to rage.^[7x12] Dennis wears concealer and other makeup,^{[3x2][6x11][10x6]} dyes his hair when he begins to notice himself graying,^[7x10][10x8] and utilizes botox injections^[4x10] and chemical peels, along with a plethora of other tactics to keep his appearance up to his high personal standards. This becomes progressively more extreme as he ages.^[14x3] Dennis also maintains an unhealthily restrictive diet ^[14x4], often forgoing meals in order to keep himself looking thinner and more youthful,^[2x9][7x1] and commonly lies about his age, stating that he is twenty six, despite being in his forties.^[15x2] He does appear to be aware that he is in his forties,^[14x4] but will react with surprise or anger if others point this out.

He regularly demeans and insults others, most commonly targeting Dee, but often insulting Charlie, Mac and Frank as well as any women who reject him.

Dennis has a predisposition for intense, explosive rage, most commonly invoked when his delusions (primarily regarding himself and his self image) are shattered, or he is unable to manipulate others into doing what he wants. In these times, he also commonly asserts that he is a god, or a godlike figure.^{[5x12][6x12][7x13][10x6]}

He is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder,^[10x3] and as such, many of Dennis' more extreme traits may be attributed to his personality disorder.

Although he frequently states that he does not have feelings,^[6x1][8x6] it is suggested that this may be a defensive response to emotional hypersensitivity, as is common in people with BPD, and while Dennis states that he has "big feelings, and it hurts" ^[12x8], he appears to - subconsciously or otherwise - shut these down in order to function in a way he believes to be more effective. He often instructs others to behave in a similarly detached, unemotional manner.^[7x4] This is also reflected in the way he typically deals with any distressing revelations, "You just stuff it deep down inside and keep an eye on it,"^[9x7] and trauma, "Let's just get drunk, let's not talk about trauma or deal with any of that shit. Let's just have a good time and get drunk, yeah?"^[12x7] He struggles with chronic feelings of emptiness, and attempts to fill his "God hole" with money, sex, and "the illusion of power".^[7x4] His flippant, abusive behavior toward others, particularly women, has caused those around him to view Dennis as, and accuse him of being both a sociopath,^[5x10] and a psychopath.^[3x8][10x3] Dennis is also stated to have an extremely high tolerance for emotional battery and public humiliation, and possesses the ability to suppress a reaction to physical pain,^[7x7] however, this appears to apply mostly when Dennis is anticipating it within the context of Chardee MacDennis, as he is driven to hysterics when it is revealed to him that The Gang has been stringing him along in their plot to make a fool of Dee, and Mac believes Dennis may attempt to kill himself,^[9x1] and also has a meltdown on Family Fight, begging them not to air the episode.^[10x8]

Dennis has been shown to be sentimental, lamenting the loss of his childhood stuffed elephant, Mr. Tibbs,^[2x1] and being so attached to his special edition 1993 Eddie Bauer Range Rover that he is unable to sell it to anyone who won't "appreciate it", even after he's driven it into a river. He eventually gives up and asks Frank to have it towed (and presumably repaired).^[10x6] He purchases an identical match of the Range Rover when his own is blown up with an RPG.^[13x5]

A prevalent motivation for Dennis' actions is a desire for control, which is frequently achieved by way of emotional manipulation. This manifests in scenarios concocted by Dennis, and is primarily utilized with women he is attempting to sleep with, as he crafts a false persona, motivations and backstory for himself.^{[5x10][12x10]} Mac comments that Dennis spends more time manipulating women than he does actually sleeping with them,^[7x11] and it is suggested that Dennis "gets off" more on playing the part of an alternate identity than the resulting sex.^[8x7] Dennis states that he does not want the responsibility that comes with true power, and only wants the "illusion of power",^[7x4] which is able to exist briefly within each of these scenarios he crafts, as well as allowing Dennis to remain emotionally distant to prevent anyone coming to know him personally.^[12x10] These fantasies also exist within his Erotic Memoirs, where he tends to rewrite real-world experiences to give himself a more domineering role in the situation than he had in reality.^[11x4] Because of his trauma stemming from older women, he specifically pursues prospects as young as 18, usually sorority girls, as their inexperience affords him more control over them.^[2x8] This has prompted others to comment on his "creepy thing with younger girls", which he appears to be somewhat self-conscious of,^[1x3] however, Dennis is shown to be hyper-vigilant about checking IDs^[7x11][11x9] to ensure they are of-age. He appears to shut down and behave with compliance when faced with sexual situations involving middle-aged to elderly women.^[3x13][12x7]

Considering himself to be equal to a professional psychologist, Dennis utilizes expertise gained from his university psychology classes to "break [people] down", control them to a point where, comparing it to an executioner's switch, he is given complete control of their life and could destroy them at any moment if he wished to.^[8x5] When faced with losing this control over Dee, he becomes desperate, going to extreme measures to keep her from leaving, which eventually culminates in Dennis admitting that he loves his sister,^[9x1] which appears to have been sincere.^[11x10]

Relationships

Familial

Dee Reynolds

See also: Dennis and Dee

Barbara Reynolds

Dennis and his mother appear to have been closer than she and Dee had been, however, her favoritism of Dennis sowed animosity between the siblings. Although Dennis at first appears to be relatively unbothered by her death,^[3x3] upon seeing her skeleton, he is sent into hysterics and begins sobbing and calling out for his mommy.^[8x6]

The final step in Dennis' S.I.N.N.E.D. System utilizes something he calls, "Do you need a tissue?", which positions himself as a man's mother in order to secure a second date. The purpose is to remind his date of a time where he was dependent on his mom, made to feel powerless but also powerful, and desperately craving her approval, which may be a reflection of Dennis' own experience with Barbara.^[16x4]

Frank Reynolds

See also: Dennis and Frank

Frank was absent for the majority of Dennis' childhood. They briefly worked together in 1998, but after Dennis discovered that Frank was cheating on Barbara, he was fired and given hush money to keep him from telling her what was going on.^[15x3] It is implied that Dennis was unaware of Frank's infidelity prior to this, however, at some point he recalls Frank having a relationship with their maid.^[10x9]

Dennis eventually reconnects with Frank, thanking him for the years of neglect and misdeeds that "allowed [Dennis] to harness the darkness inside of [him], and unleash it without conscience".^[15x7]

Friends

Charlie Kelly

See also: Charlie and Dennis

Mac McDonald

Mac is Dennis' roommate and long-time friend. They met in high school, where Mac was Dennis' weed dealer,^[1x3] and they typically hung out under the bleachers and behind dumpsters.^[7x10] Mac secretly slept with Dennis' prom date, but convinced him that Tim Murphy had been the one to do so instead. The truth of the situation is revealed to Dennis only after confronting Tim at their high school reunion.^[7x10]

Mac and Dennis moved into their apartment some time after purchasing Paddy's, and have been living together ever since,^[4x5] barring several brief periods apart, such as when their apartment burned down,^[9x10] and Dennis' time away in North Dakota.^[12x10]

The two have been described as an "old married couple",^[5x9] and over time Mac's crush on Dennis becomes more apparent as he makes sexual advances towards Dennis,^[8x2] more pointed after he comes out^[12x6] and recognizes his attraction to him.^[12x7] Dennis expresses his dislike of Mac attempting to kiss and touch him without consent^[13x4] and frequently rebuffs Mac's advances as well as schemes to set them up as a couple.^{[12x10][14x1]}

Aside from occasional competition putting them at odds, Dennis and Mac were on amicable terms for several years, considering each other best friends. However, Dennis begins to express a hatred of Mac^[9x5][11x5] stemming from Mac's lack of self-reliance,^[14x4] as well as an inability to make decisions for himself without considering what he believes he should do based on any given identity.^[15x6]

Dennis creates a false persona with which he catfishes Mac, and despite Dennis' intentional lack of care in regards to keeping his identity a secret, Mac doesn't catch on and continually asks for advice with his long-distance relationship. Immediately after Mac states that he is in love with "Johnny", Dennis reveals that it had been him the entire time, though Mac doesn't believe him. Dennis forcibly removes the vibrating anal beads which he had been controlling for the duration of their relationship, which Mac takes as "Johnny" breaking up with him.^[16x4]

Other

Mandy & Brian Jr.

Ending up in North Dakota to escape a woman he bangs on the airplane,^[10x1] Dennis sleeps with a woman named Mandy while pretending to be Brian LeFevre. Five months later, she calls to inform him she's pregnant, and the two keep in contact for several years. Eventually, Mandy brings Brian Jr. to Philadelphia to stay with Dennis (who she still believes is Brian LeFevre), while Dennis and the gang attempt to cook up a scheme to drive her back to North Dakota. In the end, Dennis decides to follow Mandy back to North Dakota to help her raise their son, as he doesn't want Brian Jr. to grow up the way that he did.^[12x10] He returns to Philadelphia a year later, deciding that it's best to raise his son from a distance.^[13x5]

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• According to Rob McElhenney, the character of Dennis was named after several of his personal friends, Dennis Hart and Dennis Hogan (both of whom make cameo appearances in "Charlie Has Cancer" and "The World Series Defense"), and the surname "Reynolds" was taken from his best friend, Tom Reynolds.
• When asked if he believes that Dennis is a sociopath, Glenn Howerton has said, "Clearly we’ve been pointing toward the fact that this guy’s a sociopath and a serial killer, so the more interesting thing to me was to find out that he’s not." He has also said that because he writes and plays Dennis, he has "a different view on the character than most people do, and even as we portray him as this sort of sociopath on the show, I don't think he is." In an interview prior to Season 7's release, Howerton also stated that although Dennis "starts to seemingly become more and more of a sociopath" he doesn't believe Dennis is a genuine sociopath, as he "does feel emotion, he's just not very good at showing it." Howerton has also spoken against Dennis being labeled a psychopath, saying, "he's not a psychopath. He does have feelings; he has very deep and strong feelings, and he's actually a very fragile person, so a lot of his psychopathic behaviour comes from a deep-seated insecurity." He later echoed the same statement during the Season 13 world premiere event, stating that while "It's easy to call [Dennis] a sociopath and a psychopath," he believes that "the truth is, he's quite fragile." In response to a question posed about Dennis being the "only member of the Gang who doesn't have a heart", Howerton replied that it was more complicated than Dennis simply not having a heart, saying that "you can make the argument that he's the most sensitive out of all of them," and that "while he can seem heartless and emotionless at times, [...] he's the most emotional, and the only way he knows how to show it is by lashing out or getting angry or by being vengeful." He went on to say that "In the process of trying to destroy others, [Dennis] destroys himself, so that’s what separates him from a real psychopath. Those types are so calculated, and I think he just doesn’t possess all of that self-control to be a truly successful psychopath. If anybody would even suggest to him that he is not the greatest gift to mankind, then he’s just so hurt by it."
• Regarding Dennis potentially being a serial killer, Rob McElhenney has stated that, "we’re about as close to it as we all feel comfortable. We’re probably toeing a line that we have to be really careful about," when asked if the question would ever be definitively answered.
• On the Always Sunny Podcast, McElhenney compares Howerton's performance as Dennis to his performance as BlackBerry CEO, Jim Balsillie, saying he'd "never seen Glenn make that expression before. It was cold, calculated killer. And Dennis is not- even if [they] joke that he is."
• Howerton has expressed on several occasions that he is tired of the serial killer jokes aimed at both himself and at his character.
• When discussing the "implication" scene, Howerton said that "it was important to me that it was very clear to the audience that what Dennis was - whether Dennis is a true psychopath or murderer or whatever - is a question that shouldn't ever really fully be answered, so I wanted to make it as clear as possible that what he was saying was like, 'I'm never gonna do any of this stuff, it's just that she doesn't know that. And that's what I'm taking advantage of, it's the fact that she does not know me well enough to know what I'm capable of.'"
• On his performance in Dennis' darker moments, Howerton said, "I always thought it would be funnier with Dennis if it wasn't funny. If it was really menacing and scary, but what he's saying is so ridiculous and so insane, that you sort of have to laugh, because if not you're genuinely disturbed, so it's almost forcing people to laugh so that they're not disturbed."
  • Howerton describes Dennis as being a "bitter, angry character" who is "lovable and sad on the inside", and cites deep sadness, insecurity, and a "desperate need for control" as the reason why he believes Dennis' actions are funny. "If you're gonna create a monster like Dennis, you better be damn sure [to] make it clear that that guy is real fuckin' sad on the inside."
• A season 5 promo titled "Relationships" features Danny DeVito saying, "you know that they're gay, right?" regarding Mac and Dennis, followed by McElhenney clarifying that "if [Mac and Dennis] were to have sex, [Mac] would be the top, [Dennis] would be the bottom."
• In the commentary track for Mac and Dennis Break Up, Charlie Day states that "[Mac and Dennis are] gay, they're clearly gay", and "there's no arguing that they're closeted homosexuals". Later, he says that the reason Dennis is unexcited by Charlie coming over to watch a movie with him is because of a lack of sexual tension, as Dennis doesn't want to have sex with him, implying that Dennis does want to have sex with Mac.
• During a street interview with a fan, Glenn Howerton agreed that Mac and Dennis were the greatest "will-they-won't-they" in T.V. sitcom history, and also stated that Dennis' S.I.N.N.E.D. system was due to his obsession with "that kind of thing" as he is "covering all his bases", implying that Dennis sleeps with men as well as women.
  • In The Gang Writes A Self Help Book, Dennis lists Tom Brady as an option on a quiz for which supermodel [the reader] would most like to "watch [him] bang", "(because, shit, Tom Brady!)"
• According to Glenn Howerton, the name for Dennis' drag persona would be "Victoria von Hemen".

General

• Dennis had a well-loved stuffed elephant named Mr. Tibbs.^[2x1]
• Dennis often takes to making contracts for many types of situations,^[7x6][9x10] claiming that once it's in writing, "no one can do anything to stop [him]".
• The shadow of his penis can be clearly seen in "Mac and Charlie Die (Part 2)".
• Despite making less than $400 a week at the bar, Dennis' family's wealth enables him to wear stylish clothing and drive a Range Rover. However, this may be due to the fact that these items are old. Dennis' car is now viewed by other people as a starter car and he still wears many of the same clothes that he has had since at least 2005.
• Dennis has cameras set up to film his room at all times. He also has a dresser full of his sex tapes, each of which he gives a star rating out of five.^{[4x4][7x11][8x4]}
• Dennis has multiple bench warrants for sexual misconduct,^[8x10] and a notable history of felonious behaviour.^[9x2]
• Dennis was the one who came up with the idea of calling their group "The Gang".^[2x2]
• Dennis is younger than Dee.^[10x9]
• Dennis does an excellent C.C.H. Pounder impression and loves The Shield.^[11x10]
• Dennis' taste in music is primarily what Mac calls "early-eighties glam rock femme shit" ^[3x9]. He listens to and sings along with Rick Astley songs on multiple occasions.^{[1x4][3x5][13x5]}
• On Dennis' MySpace page, he lists his favourite movies as Must Love Dogs and Serendipity. Both star John Cusack as the male lead, and Glenn Howerton appeared as a character in Must Love Dogs.
  • He also lists his favourite musical artists as being Al Jarreau, Billy Ocean, James Blunt, Daniel Powter, and Rick Astley.

Gallery

See more: Category:Images of Dennis Reynolds

Appearances

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Season 6	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 7	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 8	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 9	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 10	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 11	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 12	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 13	✔	✔		✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 14	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 15	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 16	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔