Most stories have heroes and villains. However, their deeds and roles on the story may bring into question if they are really heroes or villains.
Designated heroes
- To make sure your hero is effectual, Things I Will Do If I Am Ever the Hero should be referred to early and often.
- It is problematic that a supposed hero acts too callously to be considered heroic or sympathetic, since it will make it harder for the audience to sympathize with them and will make the writer look like a Hypocrite.
- Do you want your hero to do a morally gray action? Be careful. If grave enough, this action may overshadow the character for good. Viewers are unlikely to forget the deed. Also bring up the consequences and implications of the misdeeds. It is a bad idea to have the hero do a questionable act and not address its moral implications.
- Never treat grave offences as if they were just like forgetting your best friend's birthday. A grave offence is to be treated as it is: a grave offence.
- If the hero causes collateral damage, make sure that the circumstances are dire enough to warrant such extreme measures. The hero smashing a few buildings is more likely to be accepted by the audience if it's to stop a galaxy-destroying supervillain rather than a (relatively) smaller-scale criminal like a bank robber, or murderer.
- For intentional Anti-Heroes, be careful not to overdo their flaws and still show them as somewhat heroic.
- Beware Protagonist-Centered Morality: the hero doing a bad act and it being glossed over while the villain doing the same is punished as harshly as possible. Do not pretend that the hero can do anything just for being the hero and everything will be okay.
- Character Shilling is a trope you should beware as well. Do not have characters gush over how heroic the hero is if said hero does not have the qualities. If you do mean to present your character as immoral while having the plot falsely treat them as a hero, that is another case altogether. If the intent is to present a sympathetic character, seek to demonstrate their heroism though acts, not through unfounded praises.
- Get an outside perspective. What you believe is justifiable might not be to everyone. Simply having your hero share your spiritual or political beliefs doesn't necessarily make them right. Lionizing your own beliefs like this can easily turn your hero into a Knight Templar, and make your story come off as propagandist.
- Avoid echo chambers. Everyone in your social group thinking your hero is good isn't necessarily reflective of the rest of the world.
Designated villains
- Be sure to make the villain a menace. The villain should bring perils to the story or at least difficulties; refer to the Evil Overlord List early and often.
- Analyze the story to find if there is Informed Wrongness or Strawman Has a Point. You must show why the villain is in the wrong.
- If you do intend that the villain actually has some reason for doing what they do, make it clear that the downsides to them succeeding far outweigh the positives, or avoid presenting them as pure evil that just needs to be destroyed with no questions asked.
- Evil Laughs and evil grins are not enough to establish a villain. Use acts rather than expressions to do so; a villain that is treated as evil despite doing nothing terrible will make the writer lose credibility.
- Get an outside perspective. What you believe is reprehensible might not be to everyone. Simply having your villain oppose your spiritual or political beliefs doesn't necessarily make them wrong. Demonizing opposing beliefs like this can easily turn your villain into a strawman, and make your story come off as propagandist.
- Avoid preaching to the choir. Vilifying other points of view won't make you many friends outside of those who already agree with you.
