Which is a better rooting interest . . .

A rookie superhero with unnerving powers versus a gun-toting robber, or a robber with no powers and a weak gun versus a superhero he firmly believes will kill him? I'm trying to write both of them as basically decent by playing them off the robber's partners in crime, but it might come down to one versus the other, and I'm not sure which one the reader would prefer. A few facts:

• Each of them thinks they're the underdog compared to the other.

• It's possible for me to write the robber as using a Weapon for Intimidation and not actually wanting to kill.

• The superhero doesn't have any powers that would allow him to nonlethally subdue more than one person at a time, and I can't think of a good way he could capture one of the criminals while the others shot at him. My current plot idea would require him to kill at least one criminal.

• The super, the robber, and one of the two partners in crime are all teenagers.

• I'm open to the possibility of removing both partners in crime from the story.

edited 7th Jun '11 6:26:49 PM by feotakahari

You could try, say, writing the scene from the rookie's perspective, and then the robber's perspective. Show the rookie's apprehension about his powers and his possible worries about the robber, and show the robber's terror at this "good" guy with terrifying powers.

This way, you can show how they think of the same situation. Say the rookie steps into an alley, backlit by streetlights. He thinks it looks incredibly cheesy and the robber won't take it seriously. The robber, knowing what he's capable of, sees an incredibly menacing shadow and is scared out of his mind, and only his partners' threats keep him from dropping the loot and running away.

Edit: NVM.

Anyways, I think I figured out how to resolve the issue (in part by finding a way for the hero to nonlethally capture criminals), so I guess I don't need any more help (though anyone who wants to chime in can still feel free.)

edited 8th Jun '11 12:59:59 AM by feotakahari