Doc Sportello is a fictional private investigator created by author Thomas Pynchon. He is the protagonist of the novel Inherent Vice, set in Los Angeles during the early 1970s. Doc is characterized by his laid-back demeanor, love for marijuana, and a knack for getting entangled in complex cases involving various characters from the counterculture of the time. In the story, Doc is drawn into a web of crime and conspiracy when his ex-girlfriend, Shasta Fay Hepworth, goes missing. As he navigates through a series of bizarre events, he encounters a range of eccentric characters, reflecting the chaotic atmosphere of the era.