It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton Doesn't Believe Dennis Is A Psychopath
By this point in the show's run, it's widely accepted by "Always Sunny" fans that Dennis Reynolds is a bit of a psychopath. When Dee asks him if he has a "skin luggage" back in season 10, his main reason for not having one is because of the smell, not because of the flaying involved. When Dee reminds him during a season 3 experiment that they aren't actually going to kill someone, Dennis seems disappointed. In particular, Dennis is a bit of a creep towards women; everything he says about "the implication" is terrifying, just as his system for picking up girls is questionable at best. Nobody on "Always Sunny" is a good person, but Dennis is the only one we often find ourselves afraid of.
Glenn Howerton, however, doesn't consider his character a psychopath. Even though Dennis has repeatedly alleged that he literally doesn't have any feelings, Howerton believes there's more to him than meets the eye. "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 behavior comes from a deep-seated insecurity," Howerton explained in a 2015 Vice interview. To understand what he's talking about, fans only have to look back to episodes like "The Gang Goes on Family Fight," where Dennis is left writhing on the floor because the sound of the buzzer hurts him so much. Dennis may act like it's just physical pain from the buzzer being so loud, but it's clear he's emotionally devastated by what the buzzer means: that he's wrong, that he's not the smartest person in the room.
Mining his insecurity
As far as Howerton's concerned, Dennis wouldn't quite work as a character if he was truly the unfeeling monster he often comes across as. "That's what I think. If [his behavior didn't come from that insecurity], I don't think it would be that funny," he said. "I think, on some level, you can oddly relate to my character because you sense his insecurity. Otherwise, I think we'd be too troubled by the character to laugh."
An episode that really makes the most of Dennis' insecurity is season 5's episode "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry," where Dennis is disrespected by his former frat, then comes back to the bar to have a mental breakdown in front of the rest of the gang, screaming "IDIOTS!" a bunch of times before Charlie and Mac have to settle him down. Dennis likes to think of himself as an evil mastermind, so whenever someone disrespects him in a way that makes him feel weak and powerless, we can definitely see his emotional side ring out.
Another highlight is season 14's "Dee Day," where Dennis is forced to take off his makeup. His confidence plummets, and when he tries to flirt with an attractive woman he ends up acting like a shy, awkward child. "That's what his soul looks like," Charlie remarks the moment Dennis is out of earshot, and he's not wrong: underneath Dennis's confident, psychopathic exterior is a pathetically insecure person.
Is anything in store for Dennis?
Although Dennis' insecurity is typically played for laughs, one can't help but wonder if the show ever plans to go somewhere a little deeper. After all, the season 13 finale featured a surprisingly heartfelt moment where Mac did a professionally-choreographed dance about his struggles with his sexuality. For several minutes straight, the show avoided telling any jokes, and simply let Mac have his moment to earnestly confront a part of himself that was otherwise treated like a joke.
Season 15 also featured an emotional sequence where Charlie gives a heartbreaking monologue in the rain to the corpse of his deadbeat dad. Charlie's father issues were always treated as a joke throughout the show, which made it so surprising (and affecting) when "Always Sunny" suddenly played it straight. The show constantly mines tragedy for laughs, so it's a jarring-yet-welcome surprise whenever the writers simply let the sad moments stay sad.
So far, Dennis, Dee, and Frank have not gotten their surprising heartfelt moment on the show. Comedy-wise, "Always Sunny" has given Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito plenty to work with, but they've never gotten the chance to give serious, Emmy-worthy, emotional performances. We're not sure if Glenn Howerton will ever get his big moment to shine, but if he does, we know the writers will have plenty to work with.