Broken hero = better hero

More recently than not, we've seen our share of heroes who have horrifying backstories. Well, by that I mean they have become more exposed than others. Heroes, I'm talking of, like Batman, Spider-Man, Harry Potter, and heck, even Eren Yeager if you want to go there with his mother. This creates a deeper character story, and as a result will make the story more interesting.



There are some characters, though, who suffer more than one piece of heartache in their lives. In some stories, something big happens that, while not climactic, does force the character into a choice. This character is often the protagonist, though it can be the antagonist. In the case of the antagonist, this moment is usually what drives them into becoming the antagonist.

For the protagonist, though, this moment is usually defining, and sticks with them for the remainder of the character's story, if done right. In AMC's The Walking Dead, this becomes the focal point of the first part of its fourth season. Being "too far gone" from what you once were or whether we can go back to the way things were after a defining moment.

In today's state, that moment is usually when a character kills someone. Sometimes, it's multiple people. In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Superman undergoes such an experience, which is what the entire game is based around and is interesting to see. In The Walking Dead, it's when Rick kills a certain someone and covers it from the group that pushes him past the edge, that essentially breaks him.

The breaking of a character, though, does not have to be about the character turning down a dark path. It could break them free of something, like restraints. It may even set them on a quest that becomes the most important quest of their entire life.

But the broken hero is a changed hero, that's what is most important. Also more important, it makes them more interesting. Maybe not as relatable, but certainly more interesting. In Dragon Ball Z's future timeline, when the Androids eventually finish off the Z-Warriors, Trunks sets his sights on either destroying them in his time or going back in time and preventing them from ever happening. Trunks goes from just a boy looking to save his world to a boy looking to save his world, the world that came before, and the life of his mentor/ best friend. See how he's a much more interesting character already, without the interaction from other characters in the main show?

Personally, I enjoy seeing the hero turn a darker path. I feel it adds more depth, since it can blur the line of the story between friend and foe, good and bad. I'd rather see a hero do something that completely changes them, then see them dawn a new outfit and renew their fight with either a different purpose or with more drive than before.

I worry, though. For too long have we seen the resilient protagonist, or the one that will not give in to the ways of the dark side. Now, though, with these broken heroes, I feel like they will become too commonplace. Anti-heroes, I think, will never lose their spunk, because they are just too cool, in my opinion.

At least broken heroes have some good amount of depth, though, to keep them interesting for a while. They teeter on the edge of good and bad constantly unlike a regular hero who always seeks for truth and justice, but hardly go outside the rules to do what is necessary. A broken hero knows that his opponents will not play by the rules, and go down the course of doing what needs to be done, even if the cost is something they would be unwilling to pay before. A regular hero would let the bad guy get arrested. A broken hero would not be as giving, as he has seen what bad guys can do first hand.

Characters with damaged backgrounds also seem more dangerous to the story. They become a wildcard, especially right after the event happens. You know that something has sort of snapped in them, a flip that was not meant to be touched has been flipped. Something will happen. And it creates not only suspense but a thicker plot to the story. Prince Zuko would not have been nearly as cool in Avatar: The Last Airbender if we didn't know the reason behind his scars and quest.

Damaged heroes are just as cool as villains seeking redemption, but that's another post for another date. It's just interesting how both go on opposite paths that are both just as intriguing.

There are some instances, though, where a hero will become damaged and will actually seek further justice upon his enemies than we would expect. Sometimes it is more interesting to see a hero be as resilient as he or she is, like Batman, of course. He would be the easiest person to make a killer, it's how he was trained after all, and all of his adversaries wouldn't blink twice if they had to choose between killing him or keeping him alive. But Batman is above that, he proves himself better than the villains.

I suppose, too, then, that sometimes it depends on who the villains are. If they hero is on par with the villains, then what does make them better than the villain? This also makes the story interesting, since it can blur the line between good and bad. If the hero should go beneath the villain, then, that's a little less interesting. It doesn't become the bad guys winning, it's just the good guys losing. I'd rather have a clear winner, personally. And if the hero can prove himself to be of a higher standard than the villains even after being so severely damaged, then more power to them.

My opinion, though, is that a damaged hero will always make for a better hero. It gives the protagonist far more drive than a regular one with just the purpose of saving the city would have. More depth makes for an overall better story.

See you next time!