Fictional fictional character

A fictional fictional character or fictionally fictional character is a type of fictional character found in a metafictional work. It is a character whose fictional existence is introduced within a larger work of fiction, such as the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon that exists only within the fictional world of The Simpsons.
Fictional fictional characters
When a fictional character's primary existence is in a media outlet that, itself, is fictional, that character is a fictional fictional character (or fictionally fictional character). This is usually, but not necessarily, done for comedic effect. For example, when John Ritter played the role of Garry Lejeune in the motion picture Noises Off, and Garry played the role of Roger Tramplemain in the stage production of Nothing On, Roger became a fictional fictional character, since Nothing On exists only within the realm of Noises Off.
The extent to which this can be comically confusing is summed up in the following quote, taken from a behind-the-scenes sequence at the end of the Stargate SG-1 episode "": "I'm Christian Bocher, portraying the character of Raymond Gunne, who portrays the character of Dr. Levant, which is based on the character Daniel Jackson, portrayed by the actor Michael Shanks, originally portrayed by the actor James Spader in the feature film." (After a beat he adds, "Are you okay?")
Perhaps the most extreme example of a fictional fictional character is Suicide Squid, whose eponymous comic book doesn't even exist in other media — it all started as an "in-joke" among the regular posters on a Usenet newsgroup. In this case, the "larger work of fiction" containing the Suicide Squid comic book is the ongoing "in-joke" rather than any formalized media.
Even when the character within the "story within a story" is based on a real person or a person from legend, the character takes on the sense of being a "fictional fictional character" by virtue of the setting, even though in fact the character remains a "real fictional character" or even a real person in truth.
Real people as fictional fictional characters
In the television series Bones, fictional forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan spends much of her free time writing novels about the "fictional" forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. This mimics Reichs' own real-life second career of writing the Temperance Brennan series of novels and working as executive producer of the TV show, all while working as a forensic anthropologist at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of North Carolina and the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. Brennan has made at least one other reference to the real-life Kathy Reichs most notably by stating in the series pilot that the closest other forensic anthropologist is in Montreal. As used in Bones, this entire concept is also an example of breaking the fourth wall.
In literature, real people from history often appear as fictional characters:
*Albert Einstein in H.P.Lovecraft
*Al Capone in The Love Song of J.Edgar Hoover by Kinky Friedman Ballantine Books (1997), ISBN: 0345415094
*Napoleon in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Bantam (1984), ISBN: 0553212303
*Alexander in the Medieval Alexander Romance
*Mondo Marilyn: An Anthology of Fiction and Poetry Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole (Eds), St. Martin's Press (1995), ISBN 0312118538; ISBN 978-0312118532
*JRR Tolkein in Mirkwood (2010) ISBN: 1615312543
Examples
* Agent J and Agent K of the films Men in Black and Men in Black II; in the animated series Men in Black: The Series, the two Agents seen in the films are stated to be fictional characters based on information obtained by filmmakers about the "real-life" J and K (thus establishing that the two MIB films exist in the fictional canon of the animated series).
* Atreyu from The Neverending Story
* Lazlo Woodbine from the novels "Wating For Godalming", "Dance of The Voodoo Handbag" and various of The Brentford Trilogy books of Robert Rankin
* Captain Proton from Star Trek: Voyager
* Commander Cool & his sidekick, Mellow Mutt - superheros from A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.
* Dixon Hill from Star Trek: The Next Generation
* Fearless Fosdick from Li'l Abner
* Happy Noodle Boy from Johnny The Homicidal Maniac
* Itchy and Scratchy or Radioactive Man or McBain from The Simpsons
* Misery Chastain from Stephen King's novel Misery
* Monsignor Martinez from King of the Hill
* Psycho Dad from Married... with Children
* Red Orc and other characters from Red Orc's Rage
* Bruno Sardine in Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
* The entire cast of Sealab 2021 in one of its episodes, the "real world" being that of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
* Suicide Squid
* Sven Hjerson
* Tamahome and all other Celestial Warriors from Fushigi YÅ«gi
* Terrance and Phillip from South Park, though they appear as actual characters in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, "Cartoon Wars Part II", & "Canada on Strike". In "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus", Cartman is portrayed as a fictional fictional character.
* Warrior Angel from Smallville, a popular comic book super hero that Lex Luthor was an avid of in his childhood.
* X-Ray Cat from Freddy Got Fingered
* The comic book hero The Cape, who inspires the eponymous protagonist of The Cape.

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