RWT: Reasons to Hate Captain America

First of all, calm down. I don't actually hate good ol' Cap. Hate's a pretty strong word after all. But he does offend the writer half of my brain for one reason and one reason only: he's a TOTAL boy scout.

By that I mean he essentially has no flaws. I know as a member of the audience for whatever media he's in (comics, movies, etc.) that no matter what, he'll always do the right thing. He's just too perfect. And that makes him predictable.

Think about Superman (another perfect example of a boy scout in his native habitat). He doesn't really ever get hurt or have to make hard decisions. And on the off chance he does have to make a tough call, you pretty much know EXACTLY what he's going to do because he'll always choose whatever is right and good and wholesome and bla bla bla.

And yes, some people gravitate toward this type of character, both in books and other media. But there is still a significant (perhaps larger) chunk of people who like to see a character with a little more depth. I'd say this is especially true for readers. The more they see a character struggle, the more they relate to them and become invested in the outcome of the story.

You want to know one of my favorite characters in the Marvel universe? Loki. Can you guess why? Because Loki has LAYERS. He has DEPTH. He isn't really a good guy or a bad guy, so I'm never sure exactly what he's going to do. He catches me by surprise, but I'm still able to understand his motives based on the events of his backstory.

In terms of writing, you want a character that's more Loki than Cap. Leave your reader with questions and uncertainty instead of boring them with a character like Cap that literally exits the womb with the sword of justice in his baby fist.

Let your character be flawed. Let them make mistakes, switch sides, grow, learn, and just CHANGE as a person. Do they have to make a hard choice? They should WRESTLE with it. As readers, we want to see the character sweat over life-altering decisions the way we would in their situation.

Don't make the mistake of crafting a black and white world filled with black and white characters. Give them layers. Give your good guys a little streak of darkness and your bad guys a flicker of light. There's no better way to keep readers biting their nails then to shake things up a bit.

If you're having a hard time with this, think about the book characters you love and try to sort through WHY you love them. Chances are, it has something to do with their flaws. Some of my favorite characters of all time are Artemis Fowl from Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series and Kaz Brekker from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology. I'll tell you a secret, both of these characters are FAR from perfect individuals. Both are criminals, both are thieves, and one of them has murdered dozens of people. In fact, for a significant chunk of their stories, both of them could be considered the bad guy. But they grow, they change, they struggle, and I get to see them work through every challenge (physical, mental, whatever) that gets thrown in their faces. And THAT'S what makes their stories interesting.

So what do you think? Do you agree, or have you already unsubscribed since I dared to slander the good name of Captain America? What is your favorite book character and why? Let me know in the comments!