Line #22 Literature/TCWGTHAHHeroes


1	This is a summary of the Hero archetypes from ''[[Literature/TheCompleteWritersGuideToHeroesAndHeroines The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes]]'' (see the footnote on that page). The list of [[Literature/TCWGTHAHHeroines Heroine archetypes is here]].
2
3	Also listed are the villainous versions of the Hero archetypes; these come from the website of one of the authors (again, [[Literature/TheCompleteWritersGuideToHeroesAndHeroines see the footnote]]).
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5	----
6	'''[[AC:Quick Overview]]'''
7
8	The eight Hero archetypes presented are as follows:
9
10	* '''[[TheCaptain The Chief]]'''
11	** The goal-oriented leader, decisive to the point of inflexibility.
12	* '''[[AntiHero The Bad Boy]]''' (AllGirlsWantBadBoys, JerkWithAHeartOfGold)
13	** The rebel whose idealism was beaten out of him by the cruelty of life.
14	* '''[[UndyingLoyalty The Best Friend]]'''
15	** The dependable ally, a peacemaker who hates confrontation.
16	* '''[[TheCasanova The Charmer]]'''
17	** The irresistible rogue who teaches you the meaning of fun but doesn't hang around for the aftermath.
18	* '''[[TroubledButCute The Lost Soul]]'''
19	** The sensitive, secretive loner with a [[DarkAndTroubledPast troubled past]] and an uncertain future.
20	* '''TheProfessor'''
21	** The introvert who understands data but shies from dates.
22	* '''[[{{Swashbuckler}} The Swashbuckler]]'''
23	** The physically-oriented action hero, who may not let common sense get in the way of a good adventure, who gives his name to an entire [[{{Swashbuckler}} genre]] of romantic adventure stories.
24	* '''[[{{Determinator}} The Warrior]]'''
25	** The tenacious protector who has noble goals but can easily become a WellIntentionedExtremist.
26
27	Their [[EvilCounterpart villainous versions]] are as follows:
28
29	* '''[[EvilOverlord The Tyrant]]'''
30	** Evil version of ''The Chief''.
31	* '''[[{{Jerkass}} The Bastard]]'''
32	** Self-centered version of ''The Bad Boy'' who lashes out at others and tries to provoke them.
33	* '''[[TheStarscream The Traitor]]'''
34	** ''The Best Friend'' on the outside, but inside he's plotting the destruction of his TrueCompanions.
35	* '''[[ManipulativeBastard The Devil]]'''
36	** Evil version of ''The Charmer'' who reads people to exploit their "moral weaknesses."
37	* '''[[LonersAreFreaks The Outcast]]'''
38	** Self-centered version of ''The Lost Soul'' who fails to connect with other people.
39	* '''The EvilGenius''' (MadScientist)
40	** Evil or insane version of ''The Professor'' whose high intellect lacks a working moral compass.
41	* '''[[BloodKnight The Sadist]]'''
42	** If you squint a lot, you can see a version of ''The Swashbuckler'' who gets his kicks [[PsychoForHire from torturing others]].
43	* '''[[DarkMessiah The Terrorist]]'''
44	** Deluded version of ''The Warrior'' whose "warped code of honor" sets him on the far edge of WellIntentionedExtremist.
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47	[[AC:Comparing the Gender Roles]]
48
49	You can find this section on the [[Literature/TCWGTHAHHeroines Heroine list]].
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52	A romantic hero, particularly a RomanceNovel hero, usually has certain characteristics:
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54	* While heroes come in various shapes and sizes, a romantic hero is always physically fit. Specifically, he is fit as a result of leading an active life, not as a result of attending a gym. He is always at least toned and nicely muscled.
55	* A romantic hero never has a boss. That is, although there may be person whom he answers to, he is never supervised on a day-to-day basis. He is always more or less a free agent. (See also: ConvenientlyAnOrphan.)
56	* A romantic hero has useful female relatives. He always has in-laws, sisters, a mother, etc. whom it is useful for the heroine to know. When the heroine becomes emotionally involved with the hero, she is hooking into an entire social network. Although the hero might seem to be a loner, [[InformedLoner in fact]] he never is.
57	* A romantic hero's subordinates have women. When the heroine becomes romantic with the hero, she becomes boss of the women whose men the hero is boss of. More generally - to a woman, a man (even a romantic hero) is a non-entity. The real focus is on other women and the relationships between the heroine and them.
58	* A romantic hero [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished has shiny shoes]]. Particularly in historical romances. He might be stranded on a desert island or in a remote windswept Scottish castle, but his shoes are always immaculately buffed (God knows by whom). More generally, a romantic hero is a snappy dresser--subject to the whims of fashion. Eddie Vedder was a snappy dresser in his own way.
59	* Before romance, the clothes. Before the characters establish any level of physical intimacy--whether a kiss and a hand-hold or a marathon sex session, we are always told exactly what the hero and heroine are wearing. It can be instructive to get a cheap romance novel and highlight all passages that concern themselves with descriptions of clothing. The completeness and economy with which these authors can describe an outfit is amazing.
60	* A romantic hero has a [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]], whose place the heroine can now occupy. The heroine almost never has to carve out a place of her own, because a romantic hero always has an emotional vacancy. He may be a widower, he may have been hurt in some way by a woman who is no longer around, he may have cared for a female relative who slowly died of tuberculosis. The heroine always has to battle this woman--sometimes literally--and become his SecondLove. The climax of a romantic novel is when the hero somehow - in some manner - says "I love you more than I ever loved her."
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63	!!Examples
64	[[foldercontrol]]
65
66	!!Heroes:
67	[[folder:The Chief]]
68	* Henry Higgins from ''Theatre/MyFairLady'' is an expert language professor who takes Eliza Doolittle under his tutelage to see if he can transform her into a lady. He forces her through all manner of tricks to teach her proper speech, whether she likes it or not, and still takes it for granted that she will listen to any orders he gives her after she's successfully completed her learning.
69	* Captain Kirk from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' is a fairly decisive leader who does not tolerate insubordination calmly. Losing command is one of his greatest fears. However, unlike nastier examples, he's usually quite aware that he isn't perfect and will accept advice and criticism from his senior officers.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:The Bad Boy]]
73	* [[Film/TheBreakfastClub John Bender]] is an obvious example.
74	* Spike Spiegel from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is a combination of this and '''The Swashbuckler''' (Were he not such '''The Bad Boy''' he would qualify for '''The Lost Soul'''.)
75	* An example of how these archetypes can be combined to create [[strike:WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet\|and the Planeteers}}]] complex characters.
76	* Note well that this can be a positive character despite the character flaws.
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:The Best Friend]]
80	* JD from ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''.
81	* Lennier from Series/BabylonFive.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:The Charmer]]
85	* Hawkeye Pierce from ''Series/{{MASH}}''.
86	* Shigure from ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. Ivan Vorpatril is this as well as Best Friend.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:The Lost Soul]]
90	* Angel from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.
91	* Seamus Harper of Series/{{Andromeda}} is a combination of Lost Soul and Professor, with a little bit of Best Friend.
92	* Bothari in ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga''.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:The Swashbuckler]]
96	* Book gives (of course) Franchise/IndianaJones - and Zorro.
97	* Miles Vorkosigan is a combination of this and Professor.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:The Professor]]
101	* Roy Hinkley aka The Professor from ''Series/GilligansIsland'' is a massive science geek with the ability to come up with a technological solution to almost any problem. He manages platonic relationships fairly well but often stumbles over his tongue when he's dealing with romance.
102	* Mr. Spock from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' (or probably ''any'' Vulcan) is a cool-headed OmnidisciplinaryScientist. He is usually one of Kirk's first choices for advice when the crew encounters some unusual phenomenon; however, due to the cultural taboo against emotions on Vulcan, he has little experience with human-style relating and his efforts to interact with other people range from awkward to disastrous.
103	* The book adds Series/{{Frasier}}.
104	* Andrew Steyn from ''Film/TheGodsMustBeCrazy''....
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:The Warrior]]
108	* Book gives Clint Eastwood in ''Film/DirtyHarry''.
109	* Mel Gibson in ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''.
110	* Worf in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	!!Villains:
114	[[folder:The Tyrant]]
115	* General Woundwort from ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'' rules his warren with an iron paw. Unlike many cases of the archetype, he isn't looking to ''expand'' his empire, but he employs the same brutality towards keeping his rabbits sequestered so they don't attract human attention.
116	* Fire Lord Ozai from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''.
117	* Creator/OsamuTezuka's seminal work ''Manga/{{Phoenix}}'' is rife with examples of this type. Many of the characters start out heroic, and are actually close friends of the people they later cut down in cold blood. But they usually have a thread of power-lust running through them even from the start.
118	* Megatron in most Franchise/{{Transformers}} series.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:The Bastard]]
122	* Edmund, a BastardBastard, from ''Theatre/KingLear''.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:The Devil]]
126	* Iago in ''Theatre/{{Othello}}''.
127	* Mr Morden in ''Series/BabylonFive''
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:The Traitor]]
131	* Judas from ''Literature/TheBible''
132	* Brutus from ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' exemplifies this trope nicely.
133	* Peter Pettigrew from ''Literature/HarryPotter''
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:The Outcast]]
137	* Sephiroth from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.
138	* Zuko ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' [[CharacterDevelopment develops from this into]] '''The Lost Soul'''.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:The Evil Genius]]
142	* ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'''s Desty Nova fits, although he's more tragic and doesn't have the elitism that characterizes most (yeah, he uses people for inhuman experiments, but he doesn't look down on people of lower intellect).
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:The Sadist]]
146	* Prince Humperdinck from ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:The Terrorist]]
150	* Othar Tryggvassen, GentlemanAdventurer!! -- if you're being uncharitable. Also, he has shades of the MadScientist (but then for ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', that's a bit of a given...).
151	* Saïd from ''Three Kings''
152	* The Operative from ''Firefly''.
153	* Amon from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', a literal terrorist, fits the description to a T.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	!!Examples of stories
157	[[folder:Literature]]
158	* Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt follows a lot of these stereotypes, of course. But she also has a few interesting variations.
159	** ''Överenskommelser'': Seth Hammerstaal is a blend of a cynical Bad Boy, a [[ChivalrousPervert chivalrous]] but still womanizing Charmer and a heroic Swashbuckler. Johan Stierneskanz, one of his two best friends, is a much calmer and well-respected person, who of course is The Best Friend.
160	** ''De skandalösa'': Gabriel Gripklo is a blend of a rebellious Bad Boy, a [[ChivalrousPervert chivalrous]] but still womanizing Charmer and a heroic Swashbuckler. Magdalena Swärd, with her cynical demeanor and troubled past, is really a female example of The Lost Soul. Ossian Bergman, a nerdy scholar, is a Professor.
161	[[/folder]]
162

Context Literature / TCWGTHAHHeroes