Under all the aggression and that pretty face of his, Alex Karev is actually one of the most inspiring characters in "Grey's Anatomy." Sure, he can be a jerk and may seem like he doesn't care at all, but have you noticed what all he's been through?

Let's start with where he came from. Just like many broken homes, Alex comes from an alcoholic dad and crazy mom. His dad leaves when he is young, leaving Alex to fend for his family, which made him grow up faster than any kid should have to. His whole family relies on him to pay the bills and take care of every problem that comes up. He sends what little paycheck he gets to his family so they can put food on the table. With all these family problems, it's amazing that he even made it to college, let alone became a brilliant surgeon. Through all the pain of dealing with his psycho family, he still continues to try to have a family of his own.

Alex starts off being known around the hospital as a man whore who just uses every girl he comes across. Can you even blame him? Every time he tried to actually have a relationship, the girl turned out to be crazier than his own family. One actually becomes mentally ill and leaves Alex to take care of her. Then in his next real relationship, his girlfriend seems crazy, then turns out to have cancer. To please her, he gets married while she's still sick. Then after she gets better, she leaves without any notice, only leaving her thousands of dollars medical bills behind. Not to mention the bimbo OB who takes his dream job from him. Needless to say, Alex knows how to attract the crazies.

But through everything Dr. Karev has been through, he still goes on with his life just trying to make it through. Even with his family and past relationships falling on him, he manages to be one of the best friends to Meredith and Christina. He becomes one of the best Pediatric Surgeons and still gets his life together. Alex Karev taught so many people that no matter what your past is, it should never define your present. He proved that any broken home child can be something if you strive to. Under his bad guy front, he is actually one of the sweetest, most caring people. He is definitely one of the characters to watch and learn from.