List of View Askewniverse characters

Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at the Quick Stop Market in Leonardo, New Jersey, and still lives with his parents. He feels that because he runs the store, he is responsible and successful in life, and yet, he is a push-over who often agrees to work when he doesn't have to (hence his catch phrase, "I'm not even supposed to be here today!"). He frequently gets into debates ranging from philosophy to ''Star Wars'' with his best friend, fellow clerk Randal Graves, who works at the adjacent RST Video Store.

Dante is laid-back, personable, articulate, and logical (especially when compared with his best friend Randal), and is easily angered by Randal's actions or behavior, particularly when Randal's actions lead to negative consequences. For example, Dante often scolds Randal for disrespecting customers, while Randal often tries to defend his actions.

The film centers on the surreal events of a day at the Quick Stop that Dante must deal with. Among other problems, Dante becomes the target of an anti-smoking mob who pelt him with cigarettes, and he is issued a summons and fined for selling cigarettes to a four-year-old, a crime Randal had in fact accidentally committed. In addition, he is continually stalked by Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), two drug dealers who loiter in front of the store all day and often like to go inside and steal. A running gag throughout the film is the scent of shoe polish on him, as he uses some to write a makeshift open sign to hang over the stuck window shutters of the store.

The film also deals with Dante's stressful romantic relationships. He has difficulty dealing with his girlfriend Veronica, especially her extensive history of performing fellatio (on 37 different men, including him) — even though she seems to genuinely love him, going so far as to bring him lasagna at work and help him fix a tire. At the same time, Dante is besotted with ex-girlfriend Caitlin Bree and seems intent on rekindling that relationship. In the end, Dante ends up with neither woman; Randal ends the relationship by telling Veronica that Dante never got over Caitlin, and Caitlin is hospitalized after accidentally having sex in a dark bathroom with a corpse, whom she had believed to be Dante.

After an argument with Veronica, Dante gets into a physical altercation with Randal, and he rants about his anxieties including the loss of his girlfriend and Caitlin, as well as his overall miserable life. He is left speechless when Randal explodes at him, accusing him of blaming everyone else and not taking responsibility for his-own lack of initiative. The two reconcile and clean up the Quick Stop. In the final scene, he tells Randal that he is going to try and work things out with Veronica. It is implied that he will try to find direction in his life.

In the film's original ending, after Randal leaves the Quick Stop to go home, a customer comes in, with Dante telling him that the store is closed. The customer responds by pulling out a gun and killing Dante before taking the money from the cash register and leaving. The scene is meant to reference Dante and Randal's earlier discussion; that "'Empire' was a better film, because it ended on such a down-note". Kevin Smith's mentors criticized this ending; under the advice of one of the mentors, John Pierson, Smith edited out that ending. Therefore, the theatrical version ends when Randal leaves.

In ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Dante, like Randal, has a cameo early in the film in which the two clerks have Jay and Silent Bob arrested for loitering in front of Quick-Stop as well as for selling drugs in front of the store. As a result, a restraining order was placed on Jay and Silent Bob, who were not allowed within a hundred feet of the store. He and Randal attend the ''Bluntman and Chronic'' movie premiere, where Dante expresses chagrin that Judi Dench played him in the movie.

In ''Clerks II'', Dante and Randal are forced to work at a Mooby's fast food restaurant after Randal accidentally leaves a coffee pot on in the Quick Stop, causing the store to burn down. It is revealed that Dante is engaged and is planning to move to Florida with his fiancée Emma. This leaves Randal feeling depressed, but does not express his upset at Dante over the decision until near the end of the movie. Randal also expresses his fears of losing Dante; under the persuasion of Randal, Dante decides to stay in New Jersey. With the two having been fired for Dante's very unconventional bachelor party at Mooby's, the two purchase the Quick Stop and the RST Video, which they restore and co-manage. He also calls off his engagement with Emma in favor of his boss, Becky.

Dante briefly appears twice in ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot''. The first is at the film's opening where he arrives at the Quick Stop to open the store and is quickly pulled aside by police officers. Not knowing what's going on, Dante assumes they are looking for Randal and offers to reveal his location. The second is at the film's end where he complains about the steel shutters being once again jammed with chewed gum, not even noticing Jay, Silent Bob and Jay's daughter Milly. Jay then revealed to Milly that he and Silent Bob had been pranking Dante by purposely putting in chewed gum in the locks for the past twenty-five years.

In ''Clerks III'', Dante is still working in the Quick Stop with Randal. He is mourning the loss of Becky, who was killed along with their unborn child by a drunk driver. After Randal survives a heart attack, Dante agrees to help him make an independent film about their time working together at the Quick Stop. Throughout the film, Dante imagines himself talking to Becky, who tells him to move on with his life. After tensions grow, Dante and Randal get into a serious argument, and the stress causes Dante to suffer a heart attack. Randal, feeling remorseful, sneaks into the hospital and shows Dante their completed movie. Dante, touched by the film, peacefully dies, walking away with Becky. Provided by Wikipedia