5 Non-Negotiable Hero Traits
So I flicked on the first episode of Hell on Wheels. I know. I hear you. What's a good Christian girl like me doing watching a show with a filthy title like that? It's just a title, so cut me some slack. Yeah, it's a stupid name, but hold on . . . it was the premise that hooked me.
The story is the Civil War has just ended and it's the great race to build the transcontinental railroad (hence the sensational stupid name). I'm not a railroad buff, nor a Civil War junkie, but the story part I was most interested in is the hero, Cullen Bohannon. His wife was killed during the war by some rogue soldiers and he's out for revenge. I'm a huge Count of Monte Cristo fan, so that's why I was super excited to watch this. Despite my enthusiasm, though, one episode was enough. Why?
Because I didn't like the hero.
Don't get me wrong. The actor, Anson Mount, is a hunka-hunka, so no complaints in the eye candy department. But his character is kind of a jerk. Oh, he's got the smoldering looks and the grief of losing his wife, but doggone it, within the first 5 minutes he shoots a guy in the forehead at point black range, in a church, in a freaking confessional booth. Really? That's not a very endearing quality for a hero, which brings me to my point . . . there are some qualities a hero MUST have.
5 Non-Negotiable Hero Traits
1. Like-ability
Just because a hero's special someone is dead and he's grieving doesn't make him likable. Show him petting a puppy or helping an old lady across the street or something.
2. Honorability
Shooting someone in the head is not an honorable act. If a reader or viewer can't root for the main character because they're ticked off the hero is a cold-blooded killer, then Hoss, we have a huge problem. Deep down everyone wants to cheer for virtue and nobility.
3. Purpose
A hero needs a purpose in life other than checking off a list of who he's going to kill. He's got to have a goal that's respectable. Capping people off is not a good aspiration.
4. Truth Lover
First and foremost, a hero must be a lover of truth, one who will forsake half-truths, deceit, and seek to find out the facts before he acts.
5. Compassionate
Can you relate to an unemotional automaton? Yeah, me either. Heroes care, not in a teary-eyed, sniffly manner, of course, but in a deeply emotional, heart-wrenching fashion. If the hero doesn't care about others, then it's just as likely the reader (and/or viewer) won't care about him.