The comic strip Doonesbury, by Garry Trudeau, features an extensive cast of characters with complex interpersonal relationships; as of 2018, the strip's official website lists twenty-four primary characters, with dozens more having been featured over the years, including some who were phased out of the strip only to be reintroduced years later. Kim Rosenthal, for example, first appeared as a recurring child character in the 1970s, then as a teenager in the 1980s, and was reintroduced as an adult in the 1990s.
Main characters Mike Doonesbury (October 26, 1970) – Former Walden College student, former roommate of B.D., and former Walden commune member, ex-advertising man and then co-founder of a software start-up; ex-husband of J.J., husband of Kim, and father of Alex. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma and the main protagonist of the strip. B.D. (October 26, 1970) – husband of Boopsie. A reservist and veteran of Vietnam and both Gulf Wars, he lost a leg in Iraq. Known for his conservative views and (until April 21, 2004) wearing a series of helmets (originally football helmets, and later desert camouflage, riot gear, and California Highway Patrol). A running gag involves his name never being revealed; when his future wife's agent, Sid, queried him on his surname, he replied "D." When he is injured, the doctor asks his wife, Boopsie (see below), "By the way, what is 'D'?" she replies "He's never told me. I think it's birth order." The only hint as to his full name came in the Doonesbury musical, in which he is referred to as "B. John Dowling". The character was originally inspired by Brian Dowling, the captain of Yale's football team in 1968. Mark Slackmeyer (November 19, 1970, unnamed until November 30) – Former campus revolutionary turned radio commentator, and one of several openly gay characters in the strip after coming out on public radio January 18, 1994. Zonker Harris (September 21, 1971) – Stereotypical hippie and founder of the Walden Commune. During college he was also a football player, briefly Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa, and a professional tanner. After graduation he went to Haiti to study medicine, won $23 million in the lottery, and spent most of it to buy his Uncle Duke out of zombie slavery, and the remainder to become an ennobled British lord (His Lordship the Viscount St. Austell-in-the-Moor Biggleswade-Brixham). Also works occasionally as a nanny. After his campaign to enable public access to some of California's beaches, a beach access road in Malibu was named in his honor. Fired from McFriendly's restaurant because of drug use, tardiness and a number of other reasons just as he was about to lead strikers during the Minimum Wage Protests, he began a legal marijuana venture with his nephew Zipper in Colorado, where they are mistaken for "that nice gay couple". Joanie Caucus (September 10, 1972) – Ex-housewife and "libbie" who left her first husband Clinton Caucus and two unnamed children (one of whom reappears in adulthood as daughter J.J.) to join Mike and Mark "on the road" in Colorado. After joining the gang at the Walden commune, she was hired as the caregiver at the local day care center, received her J.D. from University of California, Berkeley School of Law, worked with Mike on the John Anderson campaign, was chief of staff to Congresswoman Lacey Davenport, and worked in the Clinton Justice Department. She lived with and eventually married journalist Rick Redfern, with whom she had a child, Jeff. After seeing her great-grandsons "playing Trump" by staging a mock fight with name-calling, she agreed to come out of retirement to help Elizabeth Warren tweet against Donald Trump. Rick Redfern (July 1, 1976) – Husband to Joanie and father to Jeff. He worked as a reporter for The Washington Post before being laid off. Currently a freelance blogger. Generally portrayed as very weary/phlegmatic and somewhat clueless as a father. In appearance the character is based on Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as he was portrayed by Robert Redford in All the President's Men. J.J. Caucus (possibly April 22, 1973, as a child, unnamed until September 10, 1979) – Daughter of Joanie ("J.J." is "Joan Junior"). She was originally engaged to Zeke, but married Mike, eventually left Mike for Zeke (and married him in March 2001), and later won a MacArthur Fellowship (but still doesn't know that she was nominated by Mike, who did so in the hope that her winning would relieve him of paying alimony). Former performance artist, current modern artist and sometimes irresponsible free spirit. Mother of Alex Doonesbury and half-sister to Jeff Redfern. Zeke Brenner (heard July 24, 1977, appears June 25, 1979) – Former caretaker for Uncle Duke, who once mistook him for an intruder and shot him. Totally lacking in responsibility, he accidentally burned down Duke's house. He married J.J. on the second try despite being sleazy in March 2001. Despised by his wife's daughter Alex, who refers to him as "Uncle Stupidhead" and from whom he stole and sold a valuable collection of dolls. Kim Rosenthal (May 5, 1975) – Jewish-raised Vietnamese orphan (the "last orphan out of Vietnam"), geek and Mike's second wife. Dropped out of a program towards a doctorate in computer science at MIT because it was "too easy". Alexandra "Alex" Doonesbury (born November 30, 1988, named August 9, 1989) – Daughter of Mike and J.J. who lived with her father and Kim, before attending and graduating from MIT (2006–2010), and holds several patents. A techie, Alex bonded with future-stepmother Kim over the computer. More or less a liberal foil for her more moderate father. She met Toggle online (March 21, 2009) but B.D., who knew both, facilitated their meeting (April 6, 2009). The two hit it off and began dating. They got engaged in early February 2012 and married in June (sequence June 11–23, 2012). On January 22, 2013 it was announced that Alex was pregnant with twins. Alex received her Ph.D. in the June 6, 2013 strip and went into labor at the ceremony in the following day's strip. The twins are named Eli and Danny, after buddies of Toggle who didn't make it home from Iraq. In the February 4, 2018, strip, it is revealed that Alex has a third child, a girl (named as Rosie in the March 3, 2019 strip). Leo "Toggle" DeLuca – A veteran of the Iraq War. Toggle, a young heavy metal fan, was wounded in an ambush while serving as Ray Hightower's driver, and returned home with expressive aphasia and a loss of sight in one eye. B.D., his former commanding officer, often checks in to see how he is doing. He juggles music studies with working as an engineer in a recording studio. While recovering from his injuries, Toggle met Alex Doonesbury through Facebook. The two hit it off and began dating. They got engaged in early March 2012 and married in June 2012. Has three children with Alex. Jimmy Thudpucker (mentioned September 23, 1975, appears September 25, 1975) – Overnight success as a rock star at 19. Husband of Jennifer, father of Feedback. Later moved to Vietnam. In recent years, has frequently made wholesale changes to his music style (folk, rap, country), changing his name with each genre switch (to Jimmy Ray Thudpucker, James R. Thudpucker III, etc.) Modeled partially on a combination of Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and John Denver. Barbara Ann "Boopsie" Boopstein (September 15, 1971, as "Boopsie") – Cheerleader turned actress, model, New Age channeler, and generic starlet. She is married to B.D.; they have a daughter named Sam. Was acting coach for the Walden football team while B.D. was deployed in the Gulf. She claims to have been reincarnated many times. Has a policy of not doing nude scenes in films "unless the film is in trouble." Used to channel the ancient warrior Hunk-Ra, who still appears sporadically. Zipper Harris (September 7, 1998) – Zonker's nephew and Walden undergraduate; his roommate was Jeff Redfern. Currently runs a legal marijuana farm in Colorado with his uncle Zonker. Nguyen van Phred (February 16, 1972) – "Phred" for short. The Viet Cong "terrorist" who became friends with B.D. when he was deployed to Vietnam, got lost while out on patrol, and was captured by Phred, who was also lost; later Vietnam's delegate to the United Nations, last seen working for Nike in Vietnam.
Roland Burton Hedley, III (mentioned March 4, 1974, appears March 5, 1974) – Former print journalist (to use that term generously), moved to television and then the Internet. Intermittent Tweeter extraordinaire. Currently working for Fox News. Jeff Redfern (born December 31, 1982, appears January 1, 1983) – Joanie and Rick's son; J.J.'s half-brother and Alex's uncle. A sort of latchkey child, Jeff graduated from Walden (and stopped rooming with Zipper Harris), formerly worked for the Central Intelligence Agency with Havoc, and was in Afghanistan working for contractor Jack Overkill. Through social networking, Jeff established himself as the mysterious but fictional anti-Taliban fighter known as the "Red Rascal" ("Sorkh Razil" in the local dialect). In early 2012, he received a seven-figure advance for his next two books, enabling him to purchase a 12-bedroom trophy mansion, but was evicted in October 2012 when he was unable to keep up the payments and was forced to move back in with his parents (under very strict conditions laid down by his mother). Suffered from writer's block for some time, but with motivation, his writing has improved enough to turn in a new manuscript. Uncle Duke (mentioned July 5, 1974, appears July 8, 1974) – A family friend of the Harrises (and thus "uncle by courtesy" of Zonker), Vietnam War veteran, former Rolling Stone writer, governor of American Samoa and ambassador to China, once the proconsul of Panama, former owner of "Club Scud" in Kuwait City, ex-orphanage manager (where he realized one of the orphans, Earl, was his illegitimate son), and former mayor of the fictional Al Amok, Iraq. He has also been a drug smuggler (and heavy user), an enemy of John Denver, head coach of the Washington Redskins, toady to Donald Trump, bounty hunter (along with his son Earl) and a zombie slave to ex-Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier. Currently works as a super-lobbyist for his son Earl's lobbying firm (which seems to specialize in representing dictators and tyrants); one of his biggest clients was Trff Bmzklfrpz, the now-former President-for-Life of the Republic of Berzerkistan. His character was initially based on Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's pseudonymous self-portrait, Raoul Duke. Ching "Honey" Huan (January 22, 1976) – Originally Duke's interpreter when he was Ambassador to China during the Nixon era, she fell in love with him (a feeling that was never reciprocated) and became his constant companion until 2006 when she grew disillusioned with him. Inspired by Tang Wensheng (Mao's interpreter when meeting with Nixon) and partially Marcie of Peanuts. Following her return to China, she is currently the Vice-Minister for Transportation for the Chinese government (January 28, 2018). Mr. Butts (April 19, 1989) – A hallucinatory walking, talking cigarette, conceived by Mike as part of an ad campaign to represent the completely self-serving interests of the tobacco industry. Initially only seen by Mike, though now a character who can pop up in a variety of settings. Alice P. Schwarzman (August 24, 1973) and Elmont – Two homeless people, Alice first appeared as a garment worker who was a regular at a bar where Zonker was bartender. She later re-appeared as a homeless character and subsequently married Elmont, a deranged man, in order to move up the list for public housing; Rev. Sloan performed the ceremony. As the affluent Rep. Lacey Davenport became senile, she began to believe Alice was her deceased sister Pearl.