Heroes and Villains
At the heart of every story is a central character (or group of characters) that the creator makes an effort to get the reader/viewer to invest in. There are several ways to go about this, but they generally revolve around making the character or characters somehow relatable as quickly as possible. The creator's goal is to make the character(s) either so likeable or quirky that you can't help but care what happens to them next or to make them so delightfully evil that you can't wait to see them "get what's coming to them" in the end.
As a writer, I take inspiration from most of the media that I consume. I watch a lot of different TV shows and movies. I've read various genres and styles of books. I also play a lot of table top RPGs and video games. What I've seen in regards to character development has evolved over time. As a kid, Heroes and Villains were static notions (which is probably a good thing for kids, and creators for children's media should probably get back to that notion instead of blurring the line so much). The good guys were "good." The bad guys were "bad." You might have a bad guy turn good, or a good guy learn some valuable lesson by doing something bad, but at the end of the day (episode, book, etc.), you still had a pretty good idea who was on what side. As I've gotten older and storytelling has continued to develop, these clear cut lines have gotten pretty blurry and it makes for some really interesting options as a writer/creator.
Your classic hero is stalwart and true. Their motives are focused on helping others. They are often kind and caring to a fault (leaving them open to manipulation and poor character judgements as they try to see the best in the people around them). They may make mistakes, but they own their responsibilities and seek to make amends. Even at their darkest moments, they always make the "right" choice in the end that brings them back to the core of who they always were - the hero.
Your classic villain is irredeemably and unapologetically malicious. Their motives are centered around a selfish focus and base desires (usually greed, power, revenge, control). They care little for others or their feelings and have no issue with using or sacrificing the people around them to achieve their goals. They perpetually blame others for their mistakes or shortcomings. They take no responsibility for their actions and believe wholeheartedly that the ends justify the means in whatever they do, no matter who it hurts or inconveniences along the way. When faced with a difficult decision or conflict against their conscience, they will ultimately make the most self-serving decision that will benefit themselves and their agenda because that's what they do. They are the villain.
In the middle you find the classic support characters and random bystanders who are displayed in a slightly more forgiving light. This is where you find the allies who make the stupid decisions or do the bad things that give the hero someone to save. This is where you find the minions and henchmen who may have a change of heart or do the terrible things because "it's their job." This is where you find the more realistic characters who aren't held to such lofty ideals of heroism or darkest desires of villainy. These are the characters who are often caught in the crossfire between the two extremes. These are the people who, more than anything, just want to make it through their day without anything bad happening to them or the people they care about. These are the people who may actually have the most potential for being an interesting character to develop, assuming they don't get shot, stabbed, or blown up in the meantime.
As I said, though, times have changed and character development has evolved. While these classic roles are still a common foundation in most media, the tendency now is for lead characters to have more depth and balance. Heroes aren't flawless. They have their selfish moments. They have their moments of cowardice or bad decision making. They may become vengeful or cross a line that makes their heroism questionable. In the end, they will *usually* make the right decisions, but there's no guarantees anymore. Likewise, today's Villains aren't entirely irredeemable. They still tend toward the selfish and corrupt, their methods are off-putting and "bad," but nowadays we see more of their motivation and what brought them to their current mindset. We see more instances where the villain thinks that they're the good guy, and if the creator is doing their job right, you might even start to sympathize with them to some degree. In the end, the villain may even see the error of their ways and make the "right choice"... but don't hold your breath because, hey, they are still the villain.
Another prominent development (that I have grown particularly fond of) is the rise in popularity of the Antihero character. While this isn't a new concept by any stretch of the imagination, it is clear in our current pop culture trends that the antihero is a significant fan favorite now. Take these two for example:
Antiheroes are marked by their tendency to buck (or outright mock) the norms of Heroism (hence the term). They do good things for bad reasons and tend not to worry about consequences for their actions or attitudes. Violence isn't a hang up for them. Lying, cheating, and stealing are pretty normal. They tend to have excessively colorful personalities or crappy attitudes with zero apologies for either. Their morality spins like a compass at True North, but somehow they (almost) always get the job done on behalf of the greater good. They may go back to a life of crime or antisocial behavior after the fact, but for those "4 or 5 moments" they manage to make heroic decisions that demonstrate that there is at least a shred of goodness or decency buried deep (sometimes WAY DEEP) inside.
But how did the Antihero become so popular? They tend to be brutally violent. They're frequently psychotic and antisocial. They're generally untrustworthy and self-serving. How on earth did these morally inept crackpots become such a popular trend in our media?
The answer goes back to relatability.
(Which may or may not be a terrifying commentary on today's society, but hear me out.)
Classic Heroes demonstrate values and ideals that most people can only hope to aspire to. They represent goodness and self-sacrifice. They are caring and forgiving. They are honest and true. They demonstrate the ability to make the "right" choices at every turn. They are courageous and determined in the face of adversity. In short, they represent painfully unrealistic expectations in the modern age.
Antiheroes, on the other hand, are the f**k ups, the misfits, the social outcasts of the story world. They act on the impulses that many of us wish we could without most of the obvious real world consequences. They typically have the best one-liners and witty comebacks that we wish we could say. They approach things from unconventional methods and tend to be highly creative in achieving their goals. Their greatest courage isn't in doing what's right or brave at every turn, but in staying true to themselves and who they are no matter the cost. They represent the hope that no matter how irredeemable we may feel, how "damaged" we are, how many bad things we've done, or how screwed up our past might be, that maybe, just maybe, we might be able to get something right in our lives. Antiheroes lower the bar on the lofty ideals that keep us from being our best heroic selves, and they make it look like a hell of a lot of fun in the meantime. They demonstrate that you don't have to be "perfect" to be heroic. You just have to get the job done. That, I feel, is what makes them so appealing and relatable.
Whether you prefer Heroes, Villains, or something in between, there's no question that these characters are what drive the stories we love. They give us inspiration. They give us insight into our own character. The give us something to learn about ourselves and others. They give us somebody that we can relate to when nobody else can. That is what makes Heroes and Villains so important.
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