Yeah, the Native American char suggestions wasn't one of my best ideas, agreed. Overused already. Sorry.
What I tried to emphasize was that it's easiest to develop a character that is based on a stereotype, but with a spin to make it interesting. A well-known stereotype comes with a lot of story included for free, making it easier to have an idea of the character. You need less work to flesh him out, since it comes pre-loaded with expectations (which could be broken to make the char look fresh). A guy wearing glasses and a white lab coat? Or a poor-looking guy with a hunchback? Such images might make a good starting point because they already create additional pictures in your imagination. I think most movies make full use of tropes so the audience get its bearings. The better ones give them a special spin. It's quite possible that my examples given in my older post were off the mark, but nonetheless I deem stereotypes useful.
