Word of the Day
Today's words are opposites, yet the latter might say, "You know, we aren't so different, you and I?"
protagonist [pro-tag-uh-nist]
noun
The lead character, hero or heroine, of a work.
antagonist [an-tag-uh-nist]
noun
The adversary of a protagonist, hero or heroine, of a work.
Every good story must first have a protagonist. A hero (or anti-hero). They can be anything. From a young orphan to a grizzled old sword master and from strong mother to an abused bastard; nothing is better than a protagonist who is the underdog.
On the other hand, every good story also requires an antagonist. They can also take many forms. From a spoiled prince to a lich and from a jealous sibling to a wicked witch; we prefer to see our antagonist with power.
Yet, there are exceptions. The anti-hero is a character who, for all intensive purposes, is not a good guy. They're the protagonist but they do not act righteously. Maybe they're just a little rough around the edges or maybe, despite being despicable, their charisma wins us over.
The simplest relationship between hero and villain is that of underdog versus tyrant. We love to watch the hero overcome the villain through wit and determination and the villain to fail under their own weaknesses. The most common weakness among villains, especially super villains, is vanity. It is most common for a villain to be destroyed when he underestimates the hero or drops his guard out of some sense of superiority.
In those relationships it is the villain that most often creates the hero. Like Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker, the villains of the story create the sword that slays them. Perhaps, the best example of both an anti-hero and one created by the villain is Conan the Barbarian.
Our story begins with Conan as a wimpy, even somewhat girly looking, little boy. Much like Harry Potter, Conan's father falls first in combat and is mauled by dogs. He drops the sword he had smelted before it is picked up by Conan's mother who tries to shield him. Thulsa Doom, the evil cult-leader/sorceror, with the two-snakes-facing-each-other, cuts off her head.
Thulsa Doom could have killed Conan right there but, in a moment of weakness, instead has him taken to work a wheel for decades. Over this time, determined and driven by revenge, Conan doens't just grow big, he grows up to be Arnold Frickin' Schwartzenegger!
Conan is no heroic figure. He is just likeable enough and fair enough. He kills anyone who stands against him, steals from people and punches camels. He is crude, rude, and a violent idiot. Yet, he is our protagonist.
He is an archetypal anti-hero. We like him because he is honest and because the guy he is up against is worse.
Before Thulsa Doom, knows it, Conan
seeks him out. Thulsa underestimates Conan, time and time again, until
literally the only shield he has left to protect himself from Conan is
his word and his words fail.
This is the most common form of this narrative. The villain creates an orphan. The orphan grows up to be a warrior. The villain bumps head with the warrior and beats him but does not kill him. The warrior comes back and defeats him. The end.
The second kind of relationship is that of the rival. These relationships can begin as friendships or even sibling rivalries before evolving into all out war. My favorite relationship of this kind is that of Naruto and Sasuke.
The two characters are opposites yet turn out to be two sides of the same coin (conflict). Naruto is energetic, optimistic and even goofy. Sasuke is quiet, cunning and serious.
Naruto is an orphan who has never known a family. Sasuke is an orphan, after his entire clan was killed by his older brother and is the heir to the greatest ninja technique in their village. At first, Naruto envies Sasuke. Sasuke is talented and popular. Naruto wants to be like him.
When they become brothers in arms, a rivalry soon grows and it seems like Sasuke may see Naruto as an equal. Naruto sees Sasuke as the brother he never had. Sasuke becomes increasingly frustrated that his abilities are not growing as quickly as Narut'os seem to be growing. When Sasuke is defeated by his brother and Naruto seems to have surpassed him, Sasuke allows himself to submit to an evil wizard archetype, Orochimaru, and becomes, more or less, his apprentice.
When they become brothers in arms, a rivalry soon grows and it seems like Sasuke may see Naruto as an equal. Naruto sees Sasuke as the brother he never had. Sasuke becomes increasingly frustrated that his abilities are not growing as quickly as Narut'os seem to be growing. When Sasuke is defeated by his brother and Naruto seems to have surpassed him, Sasuke allows himself to submit to an evil wizard archetype, Orochimaru, and becomes, more or less, his apprentice.
Sasuke's quest for vengeance consumes him and turns him into a villain. Meanwhile, Naruto's compassion and determination make him a great hero of the people. Their inevitable climax seems ever closer as the two characters follow their own path.
The characters are embodiment over the argument of what is stronger? Love or hate, forgiveness or vengeance, self-sacrifice or retribution?
On the other hand, sometimes the hero creates the villain. The most famous hero that is questioned for creating his own villains is Batman.
Batman fulfills the orphan archetype. As a young Bruce Wayne, he witnesses his parents getting shot, and swears, not vengeance, but justice.
He takes on a secret identity, funding his venture with his inheritance, and becomes Batman, the Dark Knight. Batman is a guardian of the night. He hunts down, defeats and imprisons villains. He is a vigilante who refuses to use a gun and is against murder. He refuses to kill even the worst criminals. Yet, he creates almost all of his villains.
The best example is the Joker. The traditional story is that Batman knocked a random crook into acid and the disfigured crook goes mad and becomes the Joker. This is the origin of a lot of villains. Without super heroes, there would seem to be little need for super villains. In the Dark Knight film, the Joker's origins are a mystery but he reveals to Batman that without the Batman, there would be no need for a villain such as himself. In fact, it has become quite clear several times in the comics that without Batman as a foil to their crimes, the criminals feel that, without the challenge, it is not worth it. They need the Batman.
This creates a dilemma. Is Batman a great hero or a villain? By imprisoning our criminals do we make them better or just better prisoners?
"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain." -The Dark Knight
