My Top 10 Heroes/Heroines!

As  writer, I think it's important to examine the characters who truly speak to us so that when we write, we can try to imbue our our heroes and heroines with some of those characteristics. When I first decided to write a post about my top 10 heroes/heroines, I thought, “Oh, this’ll be cake.” I write superpowers after all. So, cake, right? Nope. 

When I started making my list, I discovered that I could write it ten times over. I could do a separate one for superheroes, or literary heroes, or real life heroes, or movie heroes, or anti-heroes, and on and on. It really depends on what definition of hero/heroine you decide to use. I finally decided to make a hodgepodge list for my Top 10 that combined of all of those categories – although I mostly stuck to fictional characters.

So here they are, in no particular order. Enjoy!

Jean Grey/Phoenix (X-Men)

Reason: Best Superpower

Telepathic and telekinetic abilities are the top of my list for “if they’re passing around super powers, I want that.” I love all the manifestations Jean takes through herself and the various phoenixes she becomes. 

Batman (Dark Knight)

Reason: Best “Normal Human” Superhero

I like the idea of Batman in general. An “ordinary man,” rather than someone with superpowers, who defeats evil through smarts, hard work, and some really cool gadgets. I like that he has issues and a dark side and a back story. My favorite portrayal is Christian Bale in the Dark Knight movies. Buff, smart, self-sacrificing, obsessed, dark. Oh! And did I mention hot? Yumm.

I will say, I'm tempted to change this to Daredevil ever since the Netflix/Charlie Cox take on the character came out. Similar reasons I love him!

Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

Reason: Best Character Growth

I LOVE a strong female character. Daenerys is one of my favorites. I love that she starts out timid and unsure and grows into a powerful, confident, amazing woman. I love that she still makes mistakes and sometimes causes her own heartbreak as she goes along. I love that she has dragons (let’s face it, dragons are awesome). And Emilia Clarke does an incredible job in the role in the HBO series.

Wolverine (X-Men)

Reason: Best Physical Weapon (Indestructible, Retractable Claws)

Just gotta love a gruff, grumpy guy with metal claws and a heart of gold. He was one of my favorites before the movies ever came out. And then Hugh Jackman went and made him even more awesome in a more likable way… and even managed to do that without the yellow spandex outfit.

Doc Holiday (Tombstone)

Reason: Best Loyal Friend

Val Kilmer’s portrayal in the movie Tombstone put this character in my top 10. Doc is a bit of an anti-hero – drunken gambler that he is. But he is also loyal to a fault, battling grave illness to fight for his friend. I would definitely want a friend like that. And he’s dang funny in a sarcastic way that I really enjoy. He can be my huckleberry any day.

Selene (Underworld)

Reason: Best Kickass Female Fighter

Another awesome strong female. She’s not the most powerful vampire in the coven (although she gets more powerful as the series goes on), and she has been misled and trusted the wrong people. But she fights for real, personal reasons – not just because she’s a vampire. And she allows her views to change as truth is revealed. She’s also a kickass fighter.

Louis Zamparini (Unbroken)

Reason: Best Real Life Example of Survival

If you haven’t read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, I highly recommend it (not the movie so much, but definitely the book). It is an account of the incredible life of Louis Zamparini primarily focused on his experience during WWII of surviving first a plane crash into the ocean and drifting for ages, but then a POW camp in Japan. An amazing, amazing real-life story.

Riddick (TheChronicles of Riddick)

Reason: Best Protector with a Dark Side

I guess I love the anti-hero types who have a really dark side. And Riddick definitely fits. He’s smart, a kick-ass fighter with no fear, and is incredibly loyal to the few people he cares about. And anyone who can defeat some holy half-dead guy definitely has to rate top 10 in my opinion.

Jane Eyre

Reason: Best Classic Literature Female

Individual, intelligent, forgiving, independent – and all despite the era in which the book is set and was written. Jane Eyre was one of my favorite characters in high school when I first read the book and remains so to this day. She follows her heart, but remains loyal. She relies on herself to solve her own issues. She’s not afraid to stand up to Mr. Rochester and consequently wins his love.

Leia/Luke/Han (Star Wars)

Reason: Best Ensemble

I absolutely had to include the trio from Star Wars in here because it’s my favorite movie of all time. The combo of these three is one of the biggest reasons. We have Leia who is a strong, independent, feisty woman who can hold her own with Darth Vader. We have Luke who is an up and coming Jedi – and Jedi are wicked awesome. And we have Han who is sarcastic, loyal, and a good fighter. Love, love, love, my Star Wars heroes and heroine.

Who Else?

Like I said, I had a seriously hard time limiting myself to just 10. I had a TON of others like…  

Aragorn from LOTR, Katniss from Hunger Games, Audie Murphy (WWII hero and actor), Black Widow from the Avengers, Mulan, The Incredibles, James Bond, Ben Hur, Perseus, Marmie March from Little Women, Rogue and Gambit and Cyclops from X-Men, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, Wonder Woman, Beowulf, Blade, Lara Croft, Daredevil… 

I could go on and on and on. I even had Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women on my longer list, cause man can she ever deliver a verbal set-down.

In the end though, the ones I selected for my Top 10 aren’t necessarily the most saintly or deserving, but are the ones I personally connect with most for various reasons. In fact, after writing this, it struck me that I must have a thing for heroes/heroines who are loyal, skilled fighters, and have a dark side.

I had a lot of fun thinking through this list. I’d LOVE to hear about your own list of heroes/heroines. Who do you connect with?

Batman: The Dark Hero

Reading comics is one of my favorite past-times. My brother used to work at a comic shop so as a kid, I was exposed to all sorts of amazing stories of super humans facing super problems. But underneath the Kapows! and super villains (which are a wonderful topic to explore as well) are some really interesting human stories and sometimes tragic themes explored by the writers. When you look at superhero origin stories, almost all of the heroes are outcasts, have suffered a horrific event or tragedy, death, mutilation, and/or abandonment by family. Superheroes have to be driven, almost pathologically, to make the sacrifices needed to fight the bad guys, so such drive can only be born from an intense trauma.

One of my favorite superheroes is Batman. His story is pretty well known after multiple re-tellings in movies, cartoons, tv shows, and of course comics. His father was a wealthy philanthropist in Gotham. After leaving a show with his parents, a mugger accosts them and shoots his mother and father in front of him. A new tv show called Gotham is set to air that takes place before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, when he’s still a young kid. The show includes a young Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Gordon, and some of Batman’s most famous foes before they became criminals.

Batman is truly a hero, but one who struggles as much with the darkness inside him as he does with the good side. I loved the line from the Chris Nolan directed, Batman Begins, when Arthur asks Bruce Wayne why he choose the name Batman. Wayne replied with: “Bats frighten me. It’s time my enemies shared my dread.”

Batman fights crime and pursues justice, but a part of him gets off on scaring the crap out of people and raining his own brand of hellfire down on the bad guys. That’s why the Joker is one of his greatest foes. They mirror each other. “You’re just a freak. Like me!” the Joker says in the Dark Knight.

What else makes Batman the perfect tortured hero?

His tragic past as explained previously.

Even though he fights for a just society, he is at odds with society. The police sometimes see him as more of a menace than a hero, and as Bruce Wayne, he often challenges the board of directors of his company and refuses to act like the good, malleable rich boy.

Darker heroes are obsessed with self-sacrifice to an almost pathological degree. Batman is pathological and obsessed. Probably too much, which is partly what makes him so interesting.

And of course, he’s irresistible to women. Women are drawn to tortured heroes like Batman. They want to be the one to touch the lost and emotionally fragile side of such a man, believing they will be the ones to heal him. Batman has had many romantic entanglements with femme fatales. I find his relationship with Catwoman particularly fascinating. While they often find themselves on opposite sides of the law, they more often than not find themselves on the same side in the bedroom J He’s also gotten together with Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his enemy, Ra’s al Ghul, and even had a son with her in one Batman incarnation.

One of Batman’s writers, Frank Miller, who wrote the seminal, Dark Knight Returns, gave what I consider one of the best interpretations of Batman: Batman is a dionysian figure, a force for anarchy that imposes an individual order. In many ways, I draw upon Batman when writing my tortured heroes, well, except for the Batsuit!

Sexiest Superhero Showdown

With the countdown on for the release of Yesterday's Heroes (just eight more days), I have been paying attention to all things superhero. Arguably, this summer's Avengers is one of the largest superhero movies of all time in term of the powerhouse characters and box office, so who are the sexiest superheros of all? I'm going to post my top ten and your task, should you choose to accept it is vote for your favorite in the comments AND tell us why they would come out on top in the battle of the sexy...charm, good looks, skill, and yes--abs. 

One lucky commentator will win a copy of Yesterday's Heroes AND a ten dollar gift certificate to Amazon (could help you buy that copy of Avengers when it comes out on the 25th!)

Pre-Order Today

Batman

Dark, tortured, and orphaned at a young age, Batman fights crime with his gadgets, strength, stealth and high intelligence. Unlike many in the DC Comics world, Bruce Wayne may wear a mask to become Batman--but Bruce is the alter ego that Batman must play in the daytime world. Comforting him is a worthy task, don't you think?

Gambit

Remy LeBeau was popular with the ladies, possessed a devastating charm, and a swoon-worthy heart as he grew more and more devoted to the one woman he can't touch: Rogue.  His mutant ability allows him to tap into the kinetic energy in an object. When he throws something, it releases that energy on impact and explodes. Thus he can make a deck of cards deadly. He has superhuman dexterity and agility and can create interference for telepaths trying to read him. And the man has a Cajun accent...

Wolverine

I admit to some bias here because Wolverine is played by Hugh Jackman in the films and I think this is one sexy Aussie (and he's not the only one to make this list), but Wolverine's super healing factor, adamantium skeleton and tortured past make him the ultimate anti-hero. Wolverine's fierce temper is balanced by his absolute loyalty.  He carried a torch for Jean Grey for a long time, he needs a little loving don't you think?

Green Arrow

Like Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen was wealthy, lost his parents when he was young and lived like a playboy--until in one origin, he was stranded on a deserted island and had to develop the skills to survive. By the time he returned to civilization, Oliver grew determined to use his newfound skills. He's not as law and order abiding as Bruce might wish him to be and he's definitely got a knack for pissing people off, but Ollie is a fierce enemy and a fiercer friend. His long-term on again off again affair with Dinah Lance (Black Canary) was hot and he was played by the gorgeous Justin Hartley in Smallville (Yum!)

Iron Man

Tony Stark is arrogant, rich as sin, and a genius--not to mention he is Iron Man. His playboy ways and cavalier attitudes are a product of his upbringing and the fact that his need to design and build projects can sometimes overwhelm his good sense--but he does have a strong moral compass and when his eyes were opened to what some used his weapons for...well, Tony wasn't having that.  Robert Downey Jr. plays him with wicked delight too!

The Human Torch

Test pilot Johnny Storm is an irreverent daredevil with a heart and a desire to succeed. When a cosmic accident turned him into the human torch...literally, he took full advantage of his new abilities--his favorite of course being flying. Johnny's devoted to his sister and he's got swagger. Who wouldn't want to tame this bad boy? It doesn't hurt that a younger (and leaner) Chris Evans played the part before he was Captain America.

Blade

Bad ass, bad attitude, bad karma--sorry, not really. But Blade is not your typical poster boy for charm and kindness. In fact, Blade makes Wolverine look warm and fuzzy, but this hard core loner has an axe to grind with most of the vampire population and the way Wesley Snipes plays him? Yum!

V

Technically, V is not a hero--he's the absolute anti-hero battling against the establishment. Experimented on and horribly disfigured, V becomes the face of the resistance with his Guy Fawkes mask against a Fascist Futuristic Britain.  Combine his devotion to a cause, his absolute refusal to bow to the establishment, and a cunningly clever ability to twist his tongue around verbal conundrums and you have the type of hero you want to save yourself. Hugo Weaving's brilliant voice in the film made him even more tragic and compelling.

Cyborg

Victor Stone was just a regular rebellious teen with plans to turn his sports skill into a scholarship when an accident in his father's lab destroyed over half his body. Rebuilt with metallic prosthetics, he became half-man, half-machine and struggled with his personal identity, but Victor's greatest strength is his utter humanity and understanding that the heart and mind make a person human, not their limbs. His friendship with Garfield Logan and indulgence of the younger hero's pranks made him a man to be admired (and sympathized with). It helps that Victor's no slouch in the brains department.

Thor

Of COURSE Thor made my list. The Asgardian God of Thunder carries a mighty hammer and an even mightier responsibility--living up to the greatness of his father: Odin.  This is a hero that can go toe to toe with the Hulk and actually last. But with great power and skill also comes great arrogance and Thor's greatest weakness is that wild arrogance that needs to be tempered with humility. Chris Hemsworth played him in the movie, need I say more?


Is your favorite not on the list? Throw them in the mix. Remember, one lucky commentator will get a copy of Yesterday's Heroes AND a gift card to Amazon.  So what are you waiting for? Who is your sexiest superhero?