character development

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The Gray Area Between Good and Evil

Within comics and movies, heroes have slowly been developing more flaws while villains are beginning to produce a more human face. More so, with the rise fandoms, readers and fans have begun to appreciate both; picking favourites and encouraging this type of development for characters. By examining older heroes and villains and how they have developed/changed over time, as well as, the rise of the "flawed hero" and the "human villain", are we slowly entering an age where there is no right answer? Or will "true villains" be forced to be purely "evil"? Analyze both the negatives and positives of this within a writing context — will this change how plots and characters are being written? Will the definitions of what a "villain" or "hero" are, have to change? And will this bring in a new era of "grey" as opposed to the archaic, early form of writing that was strictly black and white? Or is our perception of the "character", "plot" and writing becoming deeper and more advanced?

  • Interesting topic, but please make sure to go over it to fix some minor punctuation errors. "Favourites" is actually spelled without the "u." Also, commas must be placed within the parenthesis. You also end your fourth sentence with both a question mark and period, which you cannot do. – Diego Santoyo 8 years ago
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  • Diego, I believe Canadians and the British spell favorite with the u, Americans don't. – Tigey 8 years ago
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  • I wasn't able to update my topic before it became accepted, so here is the proposed revision: Within comics and movies, heroes have slowly been developing more flaws while villains are beginning to produce a more human face. More so, with the rise fandoms, readers and fans have begun to appreciate both; picking favourites and encouraging this type of development for characters. By examining older heroes and villains and how they have developed/changed over time, as well as, the rise of the "flawed hero" and the "human villain", are we slowly entering an age where there is no right answer? Or will "true villains" be forced to be purely "evil"? Analyze both the negatives and positives of this within a writing context -- will this change how plots and characters are being written? Will the definitions of what a "villain" or "hero" are, have to change? Compare and contrast the potential backlash and consequences. Will this suspension of "grey" initiate a return to the classic hero? Or will this bring in a new era of "grey" as opposed to the archaic, early form of writing that was strictly black and white? Or is it our perception of the "character", "plot" beginning to change into something new; bringing in a new era of writing that is deeper and more advanced? Possible characters to look at may include: Joker, Bucky Barnes, Jesse Pinkman, and Jean Valjean, Dexter, etc. – Mela 8 years ago
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  • A character that could be a good focus on the gray area concept would be Deadpool. Although comedic, the character displays characteristics that could classify him as both hero and villain. – AngeloCruz 8 years ago
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  • Another good character to focus on could be Tony Stark from Iron Man, who is the perfect example of a flawed hero. – mariamvakani 8 years ago
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  • A good character to focus on is Walter from Breaking Bad. Lots see him as an evil man and others see him as a man who did bad things but with good intentions. – sabrinakasymov 7 years ago
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