User blog comment:SolanumLycopersicum1999/Is Lincoln an Underrated Character?/@comment-32846215-20171008102949

Underrated is not really an accurate way of describing this character. Lincoln has a lot of fans and I can think of a significant portion of the fandom who considers him their favourite (he's one of mine, for that matter, though I don't know if I'd consider him my absolute favourite since that would require more thought).

While I wouldn't go as far as to call him overrated (he is likeable, relatable enough, and decently developed and multi-layered overall), he is probably closer to being that than being underrated, given the situation at hand, where fans keep slandering the show whenever the slightest misfortune occurs against our main protagonist (regardless of context, justification, or otherwise). That mentality, where so many fans like him so much, has created problems for the show. Now, whenever a given plot has anything remotely negative happen to Lincoln, excessive backlash will likely ensue. Of course there will be times when the main character experiences a problem he must deal with or be the recipient of antagonism from other characters; that's how narrative conflicts function.

Perhaps this concern stems from the fact that he is the everyman, the jack of all stats, and the typical pre-teen geeky kid. In other words, unlike the other sisters, he doesn't stand out as anything in particular other than for being the main character, which may be where this perception of him being underrated is coming from. Perhaps if they expanded further on the character, and provided him with a unique direction; an interest, hobby or new niche that he could identify with, his personality would appear to be more noteworthy, thereby resulting in this perception of him being seen as nobody's favourite and shockingly average and unrecognised being nullified.