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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

My hero, The Antihero

When it comes to men, I definitely have a “type.”  I don’t like men that are too pretty.  I like them ruggedly handsome and flawed in just such a way that makes them perfect in my eyes.  This has been true ever since I had my first crush.  All of my friends would fall for the cute boy with sparkling blue eyes and perfect teeth.  I would hold a secret crush for his dark eyed friend that was either a) rough around the edges, b) a prankster, c) always in trouble for disrupting class, d) had a few scars from sports and/or fighting, e) all of the above.
The same is true for my taste in fictional heroes.  From the first moment Han Solo stepped onto the screen in Star Wars, I adored him.  The snarky attitude, the trouble with authority, the dusty clothing, that scar!  He had his own set of rules for life, but when it came to honor and loyalty, you’d want this smuggler on your side.  My affection for the antihero continues to this day and crosses all entertainment mediums.  Comic books?  I’d take Wolverine over Cyclops any day and twice on Sundays.  Romance novels?  When it comes to historicals, my favorite hero is always the rake reformed or the working class, self made man with a chip on his shoulder.  In contemporaries, I lean toward the cynical cop that doesn’t play by the rules.  With paranormals, I’m a sucker for the over the top alpha vampire that has little regard for what society thinks.  You can have your guilt ridden, broody vamps.  I like mine unapologetic.
I’m sure you see the pattern here.  So it’d only make sense for me to write my heroes this way, right?  Well … not exactly.
While I do have a tendency toward the antihero, my muse is an inclusive lover of all male archetypes.  The hero of my WIP fits the antihero mold, but on my brain’s To Be Written shelf is one hero who defines the term.  He is upstanding, charming, honorable, and polite.  He even has blonde hair and blue eyes.   I never intended to write a hero like him, but the muse had other plans.  Turns out, still waters really do run deep and now that I've sketched him out, I adore him just as much as the others.
So what do you like in a hero?  Who is on your list of favorites?  Do you see a pattern in your affections?  Have you ever broken with your type tradition?

4 comments:

Elizabeth Michels said...

Wolverine is so hot! But, I'm a sucker for a reformed bad boy too. Scars from fights and scarred personalities are far more interesting than a perfect complection.

Sandra said...

I think all girls have a soft spot for the antihero type. Specially the reformed bad boy, you know the one full of remorse who, deep down, is good! (A la Z from BDB) ;)

I don't think I have a type, tho. It depends on the characters. If they are interesting I'll fall for them. Sometimes they have things in common and sometimes I wonder why I felt this connection with them.

I like to believe I don't discriminate, ha! And as long as they are well written I'll be able to enjoy them.

For example I just read the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray and I fell hard for the guy, but I know he's nowhere near my "type". You see, he's Indian, and I don't feel attracted to that kind of ethnic group. But there I was sighing dreamily at this awesome character. I even found him hot in my mind, somehow. lol

And at the same time I can fall for a guy like Brian from QAF. A promiscuous, drug addict and bad mouthed sexy SOB.

See, I have love for them all! J

Anonymous said...

The anti heros seem to hit me the hardest. I love a good antihero.

V is classic example of such. He is caustic bastard, with intelligence, wit, sex appeal, stand-off-ish, dry, internal, would lay his life for a select few, the rest can burn, etc etc. He is intimidating, pure sex, tattooed, scarred, glowing hand, piecing eyes. Not neccessarily my type, but the whole package just makes me love him all the more. V makes him my type.

Now I love Rhage, he is reasonably well adjusted in terms of the brothers. He is outgoing and confident and silly and fun. Beyond gorgeous, in a classicly handsome and flooringly sexy way. And he is right up there with fav characters.

But it seems that V gets top place. His character gets to me unlike all the others. Something about an antihero, huh?

Heather McGovern said...

Agreed, the antihero is a fave, but if a character is done well, I can fall for almost any type of hero. ...unless he has a handlebar mustache. THAT I can't get on board with. ;-)

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