And the winner is… the Plucky Sidekick!
Out of eleven votes, five people stood behind the hero’s loyal backup. Whether it’s the best friend, the beloved mentor, the favorite sibling, or humble butler, the Plucky Sidekick is always there to provide support and inspiration when things look bleak, and logic when the Chosen One’s head gets way too big to sort rational thoughts from their own recklessness and unwarranted pride.
Our runner up (and my personal favorite) was the Villain, coming in at four votes. Our main antagonist usually appears in the form of a dark, forbidding, and sometimes monstrous force that is always associated with evil intentions. Their motivation is getting what they believe they’re owed; often this is power, control, revenge, or just a twisted satisfaction. But what interests me the most about villains is that, sometimes, they might actually deserve what they think they’re owed. In creative writing we have a saying: Write your villains as if they think they’re the hero. Looking at it this way, villains are much more complex than a simple “good and evil” dichotomy. They have their reasons. Maybe their actions aren’t always good, but depending on our villain, their reasons can sometimes make perfect sense.
Next we have a tie, each earning one solitary vote. First is our Hero: the main protagonist and typically the main force for “good”. Often, however, they are flawed–usually finding redemption somewhere along the course of their journey or else suffering the consequences of their refusal to grow. A tragic hero usually pays the price with their life, while a comic hero usually wins the day, even after much stress and heartbreak. Sometimes our heroes are reluctant, denying the part they play in the grander scheme of things; others rise to the occasion, either out of a sense of duty or (again) just their big-headedness.
The other solitary vote goes to the Concerned Parent / Guardian / Best Friend / Stranger category. Unlike the Plucky Sidekick, these characters are more background, usually appearing in the beginning of the story and not being seen again until the end, or else falling victim to the main conflict. Their purpose is to provide motivation for the hero. Maybe it’s a lover or friend that needs to be saved from the overhanging threat; maybe it’s the parent or mentor who leaves our hero with some final words of wisdom; or maybe it’s the stranger who comes to town one night with a cryptic message, leaving the magic orb in our hero’s care before vanishing without a trace. Whichever way you slice it, this character is usually the driving force for the story by either kick-starting the conflict or giving our hero something to fight for.
Unfortunately, there was no love for the Love Interest, who may also serve as motivation for the hero. Again, this character may need to be saved–but unlike the last category, the Love Interest plays a larger part within the plot. Perhaps they help our hero bring the villain down, or else they serve as a constant reminder of what our hero is fighting for. Either way, they are often our main character’s reason for living. If they fall, so does our hero.
None of our eleven voters were against playing favorites, apparently.
Once again, thank you all for your votes! Stay tuned for similar polls in the future.
— C.M.
Night Owls, why do you love these characters? Why don’t you love them? Leave a comment below, and let’s chat!
I have a particular love for villains. I think when they’re done well, they’re the most interesting characters in a story. It’s especially interesting when the villain is even relatable, someone we see our own dark potential in. They become tragic characters and we are left wishing their life had gone a different way, or that they would just see reason. On the flip side an evil villain that seems more a force of nature than person raises the stakes. Our protagonist has to grow all the more to defeat an impossible foe and seeing them do so becomes a moment of satisfaction as well as triumph.
I like what you mentioned about villains that appear as more of a force of nature. What are some good examples that you’ve seen of this kind of villain? Do you mean a force of pure evil, with no humanity whatsoever? I can see that being a powerful antagonist for our hero to face, but when I’m introduced to villains that are just forces of “pure evil”, I tend to get skeptical. One good example for me is the “approaching evil” in The Fifth Element. While I enjoy that movie, I always find myself wondering what the motivation behind the big blob of pure evil is. What if it won? Would everything just be big evil blob? Frankly, I think the blob would get bored… And that kind of skepticism ends up making me less interested in that character (or force) as an antagonist.
This is why I tend to gravitate toward villains that are humanized, even if only slightly. Whether or not I understand where they’re coming from, I at least understand that a motivation, a reason “why,” exists. And, if they got what they wanted, odds are the world would continue to turn. It might even turn in ways that completely throw the villain for a loop, and then they would have to deal with the consequences that arose from their actions.
If you have another moment, I’d love to hear about some good force-of-nature villains that you’ve come across! 😀