What Outlander Has Taught Me About Heroes by Jenna Jaxon

About a year ago, I wrote a post comparing three very sexy heroes from movies and television. I’m not sure how many Outlander fans I have here, but I’m sure if you know me at all you’ll remember I adore the Outlander series on Starz. It’s been on hiatus for almost a year now—Droughtlander to the Nth degree. But we have survived and five short weeks from last night, the wait will be over. Perhaps it’s this that has started me again thinking about what makes a hero, and specifically why I think three specific characters are iconic heroes.

I remember so distinctly waiting for the first episode of Outlander to air in August of 2014. I was writing in my bedroom on Saturday afternoon, champing at the bit, clicking though the programming to find something to watch for six hours.

The first movie to flash up on the screen was the 1992 version of Last of the Mohicans, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye. God, I love that movie! So I watched that, drooling all over my keyboard. Then, immediately afterwards, Braveheart came on.

Okay, I know a lot of people didn’t like the historical inaccuracies in the movie and even more people now dislike Mel Gibson. But for a romance story, set amid the Scottish highlands, Braveheart has always captured my heart. I can’t watch the ending, but that’s another tale.

Then comes Outlander, which I adored from the opening credits to the last name on the screen. Beautifully done. Jamie Fraser is a romance hero archetype as far as I’m concerned. But then the same could be said of Hawkeye and William Wallace as portrayed in those movies. Watching them back to back like that gave me a chance to compare the three heroes, all of whom I’d trust with my life to keep me safe. Not to mention pant after at every turn. So I started wondering why? What qualities do these men/characters possess that makes them iconic heroes?

I came up with four major (and several minor) characteristics all these men had that would draw women to them and make men follow them.

Strength. Intelligence. Compassion. Passion.

Over the next four weeks I plan to explore each of these characteristics as they relate to heroes and measure my three “lads” against my findings to determine, at least in my mind, what makes these men heroes.

That will also take me up to the opening of Outlander’s second season. Expect to hear a full report of that on April 10. :)

Filed under: Historical romance, Jenna Jaxon