Why We Love Characters Who Walk the Line Between Hero and Villain
The most compelling characters aren’t those who walk in light or shadow.
They’re the ones who stride the razor’s edge between.
There’s something magnetically human about watching someone navigate that precarious balance.
Perhaps it’s because it reflects our own internal struggles with morality.
Soren’s Transformation in Guild of AssassinsMy novel Guild of Assassins explores this tension through Soren’s transformation.
He begins with heroic motivation – seeking justice for his murdered father.
Yet his path leads him to become the very thing he initially opposed: an assassin, a killer, a dealer of death.
The fascinating part isn’t his corruption, but how understandable each step of his descent becomes.
Why We’re Drawn to Morally Conflicted CharactersThis speaks to why we’re drawn to morally conflicted characters.
They show us how good people become compromised through understandable choices.
When Soren learns to craft poisons from Tamasin or master manipulation from Elysia, he’s not cackling with evil glee.
He’s doing what survival demands, making choices we can imagine making ourselves under similar pressure.
Challenging Assumptions About Right and WrongThe best morally ambiguous characters force us to question our own assumptions about right and wrong.
Consider how the guild masters are presented – not as cackling villains, but as professionals teaching their craft.
Varus’s brutality serves a purpose.
Quillon’s anatomical lessons have logic behind them.
Even their cruelty comes from conviction rather than malice.
Human Nature and the Perception of EvilThis complexity reflects something true about human nature – most “villains” don’t see themselves as evil.
The assassins’ guild has codes, traditions, and principles.
Like any real institution, it contains both honour and corruption.
Through Soren’s eyes, we’re forced to confront how systems can normalise darkness while maintaining a veneer of legitimacy.
The Appeal of Anti-HeroesPerhaps this is why anti-heroes resonate so deeply.
They acknowledge the gap between societal ideals and survival’s demands.
When Soren participates in the Threshing, he’s not embracing evil but accepting that survival sometimes requires terrible choices.
Like the best morally conflicted characters, he shows us how circumstance can make monsters of anyone.
Exploring Darker Impulses Through CharactersThe psychological appeal goes deeper.
Characters who walk the line between hero and villain give us permission to explore our own darker impulses from a safe distance.
Through Soren, we can examine our capacity for violence, our potential for moral compromise, and our ability to justify increasingly questionable choices.
The Corrupting Nature of TrainingThis is particularly powerful in training sequences.
Each lesson Soren learns carries both empowerment and corruption.
We feel satisfaction when he masters new skills, even while recognising that each capability gained represents another step away from innocence.
Like watching a car crash in slow motion, we’re both horrified and fascinated by the transformation.
The Complex Relationship Between Soren and AlaricThe relationship between Soren and Alaric adds another layer to this moral ambiguity.
Their loyalty to each other is admirable, yet it also enables their descent into darkness.
Are they preserving each other’s humanity or helping each other lose it?
The answer isn’t clear because real relationships rarely have simple moral implications.
Navigating Impossible ChoicesMaybe we’re drawn to these characters because they reflect a fundamental truth.
Morality isn’t about maintaining perfect virtue but about navigating impossible choices.
When Soren finally confronts Kierak, neither is purely hero nor villain.
They’re both products of the same brutal system, each fighting for survival.
The Power of Relatable ConflictsThis moral complexity creates better conflicts precisely because it makes them relatable.
We understand both sides, even if we don’t agree with them.
The tension comes not from wondering if good will triumph over evil, but from watching characters struggle with choices that have no clear right answer.
Characters as Reflections of OurselvesUltimately, characters who walk the line between hero and villain captivate us because they show us ourselves.
Their struggles with right and wrong mirror our own daily moral negotiations.
Their compromises feel familiar.
Their corruption becomes understandable, even as we hope we’d choose differently.
Light and Shadow in EveryoneThese characters remind us that the capacity for both light and shadow exists in everyone.
Through them, we explore how circumstance shapes morality.
How survival demands compromise.
How good intentions can pave roads to darkness.
They show us not just what we might become, but how we might become it.
Why We Return to Morally Complex CharactersPerhaps this is why we return to these stories again and again.
Not for escapism, but for truth.
Characters like Soren remind us that the line between hero and villain isn’t fixed but fluid.
Morality is a choice we make daily.
We’re all capable of both light and shadow.
Your ThoughtsWhat morally complex characters have most resonated with you?
How do you think they help us explore our own capacity for good and evil?
Share your thoughts below.
The post Why We Love Characters Who Walk the Line Between Hero and Villain first appeared on Jon Cronshaw.
