Creating Characters We Want to Know (the Marvel Way)

I was watching the bonus material that came with the Target Blu-ray set of The Avengers and thought there was a great 'Aha' moment that writers can take and apply to their writing. In the 90 minute video "Assembling the Avengers" - they interview the actors, producers and others about how they came up with the franchise and why it's been so successful. They interviewed Stan Lee (one of the main guys who invented most of the superheroes that Marvel made famous) and he brought up the idea that the reason their heroes are so popular comes down to one concept.

The characters in their comics are people we would want to know who just happen to be superheroes.

So basic and yet so brilliant.
He talks about how the characters have personalities that are infectious. We want to get to know them. We want to peer into their lives as "real" people. Their level of interesting-ness does not hinge on their out-of-this-world abilities - these people are cool. The fact that they are ALSO superheroes only makes them better. So, the more I thought about it, the more I think that Stan Lee is the man and I'll give you three examples of how it's worked in literature - not just comics.



Source: Wikipedia

#1 - James Bond 007 (Ian Fleming)
Ian Fleming has been quoted as saying that he named his infamous character (who incidentally has been the star of a dozen novels and countless movies) after an ornithologist because he wanted him to be dull and uninteresting. Would you ever use those two words to describe THE man of mystery? Not at all! James Bond is confidence married with charisma and doused in cool. AND it just so happens that he's a bad-ass assassin. We'd love to know him in his sleek tailored sport coat, martini in hand before he ever pulls a gun or gadget. Fleming - whether intentionally or not - created a character to drool over (and yes, men do drool over him - it is a well known joke in my home that my husband has a crush on Daniel Craig) and the fact that he's a double-O only makes him (and the franchise) only that much more irresistible.

#2 - Jack Reacher (Lee Child)
Lee Child has written over a dozen novels following the adventures of a former United States Army Military Police Major. Of course, Reacher's military skills come in handy as he faces assassins, kidnappers, conspirators and all around bad guys but there is more to his stolid exterior and this is where we get hooked before the first punch is thrown. Jack Reacher doesn't always respond to questions, in fact, he's a man of few words on many occasions. He's cool headed in deadly scenarios yet empathetic to help those in need even when it doesn't appear to serve him. This is a guy who claims that he got tired of being frightened as a child and trained himself out if it. He knows everything about weapons and somehow he knows the time without looking at a watch or clock. We may not be able to relate to him but we want to. We want to be more like him; to have his even manner in the face of chaos. And this is why people eat up Child's novels (and upcoming film staring Tom Cruise).

#3 - Lisbeth Salander (Stieg Larsson)
As dark as many consider the Millennium Series to be, it would be impossible not to find Lisbeth Salandar intriguing. She is solitary and perhaps lacking in the ability to interact with others but under her bony features clad in tattoos and black leather she is an expert computer hacker with a photographic memory. Few of us can relate to such skills and this paired with her traumatic childhood makes her nearly untouchable. But this doesn't drain our fascination - it feeds it. Even her normal life sounds nothing like what we experience and that's what draws us in. Stieg Larsson didn't create a normal person who helps solve murderous plots and conspiracy. He creates one who has serious psychological problems and whether we find this troubling or refreshing - a true character was born that feels like flesh and blood.

Of course there are more examples and of course, character driven novels know a lot about creating good characters but for the rest of us - let's strive to do as Lee did. Let's create characters we want to know who just happen to have interesting things happen to them.