An interesting thing that crops up in story commentaries is the idea that bad guys are the ‘cool’ ones. The ones with the awesome theme songs, the ones with edgy character designs, and the ones that sometimes gain the audience’s sympathy whether or not their behavior would be acceptable in real life.
This happens partly because the heroes aren’t allowed to be fully fledged beings often enough. Real people fail and make mistakes. Real people are wrong sometimes or even hold subconscious beliefs that we might not. In short, real people have depth and struggles, regardless of how we might perceive those struggles.
Thus, this post will explore some ways to make heroes deep and realistic without making them evil. Now, some of that could depend on how one defines evil. Does evil mean fighting for what the viewer considers to be the wrong side, regardless of the reasons? Or does it mean that the character makes upsetting choices? Or, heck, does it just mean that the character knowingly hurts others for fun or for their own gain on a regular basis?
For the sake of this discussion, let’s put all that aside and make a separation between people and their behaviors. Most people will do both good and bad things over the course of their lives, so when I say ‘good’, I don’t mean it in the sense of someone that never makes grave mistakes. Instead, I’ll be referring more to who that person is at their core, or perhaps even what they will become in the future.
Now, to begin addressing the issue of depth in hero characters, begin asking these questions about the heroes:
What are they fighting for and why?
At what points do they question themselves?
What do they struggle with and why is it important to them?
What shifts do they make over the course of their lives?
Do they ever have doubts that make them wonder and change their minds eventually?
In terms of personality and beliefs, what about them is different, especially from those that are on their ‘team’?
That’s just a starting point. But, if two or three questions like that aren’t important to the character, that’s a pretty decent sign that they’re too shallow. A character like that risks coming off as a Mary Sue, or being boring or annoying for some other reason. They might also bother the readers because in spite of the author’s best efforts, that character might still be wrong or come off as pointlessly arrogant, and if there isn’t enough questioning or growth to offset that...the character’s realism and appeal will decrease.
To fix this, consider what positive and negative actions a character will take, given his beliefs and desires. Don’t idealize him too much. Not even our favorite people will be consistently able to avoid being disappointing. Instead, allow for a realistic pondering of cause and effect. For example, if people have an important belief or goal, they often won’t be nice to someone that treads on that in some way, especially when they’re younger and less understanding. Figure out what it would take for the character to act in a less than ideal manner. Furthermore, how does that affect his life and the behavior of those around him?
Everyone will have some sort of flaw that lasts a lifetime, but good people often realize at least a few of their flaws and try to get a handle on them. Beliefs also change in response to new information, or perhaps even horrific situations that force a character to reevaluate their life and figure out where things went wrong.
At those points, it’s not necessary or always realistic for a character to flip a 180 and turn his back on everything he thought before, though he might feel he has to for a while. Instead, he might simply develop more nuance and perspective to his mindset. Or maybe he changes the way he expresses or acts on his beliefs. He could, for example, continue to disagree with a friend’s viewpoint or even feel upset about it in his head from time to time, but he could also decide that he still respects and cares about his friend regardless of any differing opinions. Thus, those two chars fight less.
If you’re worried about the character having such big flaws that they would be seen as villainous, realize that the character’s flaws don’t have to be huge and obvious at first. It could just be a couple small flaws, like procrastination, having a temper, etc. Just make sure to give those flaws the exploration they deserve. Things like that will permeate every fiber of a person’s being and affect them in ways they don’t anticipate. Procrastinating could, for example, make someone miss a deadline and thus make them lose a job opportunity. The fallout and how the character handles it is what will shape him.
Depicting realistic mind changes takes practice, though, which can come in the form of authors putting themselves in other people’s shoes more. They can also think back to how their own behaviors and beliefs changed over time. Paying attention to how these shifts happen in other people is also a useful tool.
Other than showing realistic growth in a good hero, it is also vital for authors to consider how they’re presenting their characters in the first place. Does the hero in question seem to have his own life and identity, or is the author merely using him to say ‘this is a perfect model for this one thing I’m talking about’ or ‘this character’s opinions are definitely right all the time’.
It’s not to say that stories can’t have a message portrayed through the characters, but like it or not, someone in the readership can find some flaw in the hero. And then they will probably bristle if that character is pushed as some kind of ideal example when the flaws make him anything but.
Using characters to represent themes and ideas is a great storytelling tool, but if the story details the character’s thoughts and actions, don’t approach them in a shallow way. Don’t fall into the trap of acting like the character is right about everything. Instead, simply show the character’s journey. Allow for challenges or mistakes in the character’s ideals, because if the authors are afraid of depicting such things… That will only weaken the presentation of their beliefs and characters.
Lastly...be willing to show true challenges to the characters themselves. This is somewhat in line with everything else, but there’s another aspect I want to discuss. Occasionally characters will argue with someone the author would disagree with, and the character in question will know how to make all the good points, and will almost seem to be talking to a straw man for how little their opponent can put up a fight.
It’s not to say that heroes can’t win arguments, but it’s important to ask how likely that would actually be under the circumstances. Furthermore, how realistic are their opponent’s responses? Consider that the opponents have their own backstory and reasons for their beliefs and might be able to throw the hero for a loop, whether or not they’re on the ‘right side’ in a debate. Regardless, the opponent probably isn’t saying things because they woke up one day and decided to be stupid and wrong for the sole purpose of aggravating people. They have reasons, and addressing those reasons will make the story stronger and maybe teach the hero something.
This can actually make a story much more exciting, because just like with a physical fight, the readers might wait in anticipation for who will come out the victor. And just like with a physical fight, losing can motivate the hero to question what he’s been doing all this time and make necessary changes in his life.
Alright, that’s all for now. I’m thinking about doing a second part to this at some point, so let me know if you liked this or have questions. Have a good day!
