Bad Heroes vs Good Heroes (Writing Advice)

[@kingbeauregard]

About losing that first light saber battle, there was a three-part structure to old comic book heroes that went like this: 1) Hero meets villain for the first time; villain succeeds at their crime and gets away. 2) Hero encounters villain a second time; hero foils the crime but the villain gets away. 3) Hero encounters villain a third time; hero foils the crime and captures the villain. It's a pretty good structure: it shows the hero learning and adapting. You can also have the villain learn and adapt, just as long as the hero learns and adapts better.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yep, Rule of Threes at work.

[@matityaloran9157]

The Kung Fu Panda movies do something similar

[@bobstanley8376]

I still feel like Rey should have ultimately fallen in episode nine and that was Palpatine‘s grand plan, and then Kylo redeems himself, and is the real rise of Skywalker. It would have explained away all of her ridiculous power, and things is just being Palpatine trying to clone himself through her or something

[@BigMcLargeHuge125]

That sounds awesome

[@Miguel-un1vh]

That would have been better.

[@achimsinn6189]

IMO they should have written it in a way that Kylo and Rae reject the concept of a dark or light force and instead use the whole force as such. This would be in line with the other trilogies as well. First trilogy: Hero turns to the light side. Second Trilogy: Hero turns to the dark side, Third Trilogy: Heros refuse to pick sides. But tbh anything would have been better than what they had written.

[@sprinkle61]

It was plainly obvious that, even if she didn't turn, she should have used dark side powers, throughout the three movies, for her big bursts of strength and skill, which is much more obvious, once we learn she is a child of Palpatine. She would have been WAY more interesting, if she had a 'press Evil to win' button, instead of just autowinning because she is the Bestest Evar. Maybe with some bad side effects, either it hurts innocents nearby, or it draws her more to the dark side. The throne room scene with Snoke was a REALLY obvious place to go dark side, ESPECIALLY when he had her in his force grip. Because she already knew from her training that there was a dangerous dark side place she could go for more power, that was the time to do it, rather than wait for the villains to kill each other, like she did.

[@Miguel-un1vh]

@@achimsinn6189that would have taken it back to Lucas’ original Jungian themes; integrate the light and the dark in the process of individuation.

[@ElliYeetYT]

What’s funny about the Spider-Man: Homecoming one is that in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s the complete polar opposite. You could say that about some parts of Far From Home (especially the ending scenes), but it’s much more apparent with No Way Home. Peter gets his most severe punishments for every bad choice he makes (including losing Aunt May after attempting to cure the sinister 6 in their house goes horribly wrong), and yet he is already severely punished anyway by the start of the movie because after Mysterio’s expose on him, everyone knows who he is and it’s affecting his personal life around him. Unlike Homecoming, Iron Man isn’t there to help him out this time for obvious reasons (neither is Dr Strange for half of the movie after Peter deliberately traps him in the Mirror dimension), and most of the bad choices he makes are from his own fault and lack of warning from his remaining friends. He does get help from the other Spidermen in the end in order to beat the challenge of changing the sinister 6 AFTER he has his worst punishment of Losing Aunt May, and while the rest of the sinister 6 are easily cured, Green Goblin is more difficult and tests Peter to the point where he almost kills him as revenge. And lastly he really grows as a character when he chooses NOT to tell Ned, MJ and his close allies that he’s Spider-Man again and sacrifices his own prior identity in order to stay Spider-man only. There’s definitely some issues that show up (EG: They Find the Sinister 6 really easily. The Sinister 6 are mostly cannon fodder compared to the Green Goblin), but it’s neat to know that the movie really did improve on the many faults of Spider-Man Homecoming’s Peter Parker.

[@lukehannah4554]

Well said

[@Szadek23]

Tried watching Homecoming with a few friends. We generally don't like marvel movies, but we do care abour Spiderman. We stopped watching about 15 mintues in lol

[@deckardcanine]

Um, there were only five of them at that point.

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

Great analysis. This is one of the reasons why No Way Home is an amazing movie and not just a fan service fun superhero movie. Peter gets challenged throughout the movie, he makes choices and faces consequences, and the movie hammers the theme of responsibility. I also think Far From Home is better than Homecoming because of how it challenges Peter. He trusts Mysterio with EDITH glasses, and Mysterio gets access to a ton of deadly drones. He gets fooled by Mysterio's illusions and reveals all the friends that know about the illusions and now Peter's friends are in danger. Finally, Peter beats Mysterio by being Spider-Man with his own ingenuity and spidey sense. He realizes he doesn't need to become the next Iron Man but rather improve himself as spider-man.

[@Lithilic]

Rey mastering the Jedi mind trick without any training had me instantly check out for the rest of the movie and I never saw another Star Wars movie since. You definitely hit the nail on the head about her not losing the fight granting absolutely no satisfaction. Something I do think I need to do better and take from this is just how punished the hero should be, I don't think I've done a good enough job with that in my stories.

[@janeyrevanescence12]

I actually shouted "WHAT?!" in the middle of a crowded theater when that happened.

[@MrShirial]

Let's not forget sith lightning

[@reubenmanzo2054]

Not to mention the lack of hand motion that has been present every other time it has been done.

[@orbaitv5991]

That was never needed and was just an aesthetic.

[@orbaitv5991]

She learned it from being probed by Kylo who was messing with her mind. Given that she has a strong connection to the force, it makes sense for her to "sort" of do it with that one trooper. It doesn't negate that she feels overpowered throughout the movie tho.

[@crownprincesslaya2]

19:10 thank you for saying “finally:” when it’s the last bullet point- makes taking notes much easier XD

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

No problem! I'm still amazed people take notes while watching my videos. Glad they're helping!

[@jameslandry5604]

at 4:30 you say Lex somehow finds out superman's weakness is kryptonite... but it was printed in the interview Lois Lane wrote. The bad writing is Lex Luthor's leap in logic that pieces of Krypton made it to earth and in the span of what is a few hours and at most one or two days, finds a meteor in africa and comes back to set his plan in motion

[@davidhubber6977]

Think she only prints that his home planet was krypton and maybe was destroyed, but nothing about it being deadly to him (Lex makes that leap on his own somehow). But Superman also has the brilliant idea of telling her he can't see through lead, which she might have published to the whole world to read 🙃

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

In this movie's defence, it looks like it was written for kids (or even BY kids)

[@kingbeauregard]

@@davidhubber6977 I would have been happier if Lex's train of thought had been, "what can kill Superman, except a weapon made of material from his world?" From there Lex would have to find materials that arrived on earth at the same time Superman did, and then discovered that one of them emitted a "harmless" radiation. Which would get Lex thinking, "harmless to us, but to him ... ?" The story could easily have provided just a little more information for Lex to work with, so that we could say he's smart enough to connect the dots. The final detail would be to just have a scene where Lex tests his kryptonite hypothesis, by having Otis disguise himself as an old lady trying to cross the street, with a tiny bit of kryptonite on him. So when Superman swoops down to help him, he'd notice that Superman was wobbly on his feet. Or some scene like that.

[@taragnor]

@@kingbeauregard The main problem is that kryptonite never made much logical sense. Why would a race that has space travel continue to live on a planet that's toxic to them and prevents them from basically being gods? Why would a species evolve that's weakened by exposure to the ground of the planet it evolved on? There's no way a smart person would logic out the effects of kryptonite without seeing it in action.

[@danielcordoba7745]

Best hero: Mark from invincible, a relatable morally good teenager that is brutally challenged during the series by his father, his mom, his girlfriend and his superhero teammates. Theres little i would change about him. Worst hero: Captain marvel from the mcu. Overopowered, unchallenged, boring and just overly protected by the franchise she is in.

[@unicorntomboy9736]

I second this, especially about Captain Marvel. It was ironically funny, especially the final fight, with that absurd looking one punch move against the antagonist.

[@taragnor]

Yeah Captain Marvel really baffles me because the writers choose to put her against the weakest villains possible. Here you have this super powerful hero, yet her opposition ends up being some joke of a villain that even Captain America would beat without much trouble.

[@DangRenBo]

Mark is invincible, but his girlfriend is insufferable.

[@Choalith_Ikanthe]

Captain Marvel is worse than just being badly written. She commits what I consider to be the cardinal sin of writing: She's specifically made to antagonize (a part of) the audience. No irony, no sarcasm, no wit, no subversion. She exists to fulfill the writer's self-insertion and political aspirations, while purposefully degrading and abusing Men as a monolith. She's written from a place of sheer ego and spite. I'd rather eat the most poorly made but well intended meal, than one that the chef willfully poisoned in front of me. Captain Marvel is literary poison.

[@sabatheus]

Brandon, I celebrate every one of your videos. You're doing great work for the writing community. I just wish more modern film and television show creators would watch your videos--they've lost their way.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thank you!

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

i know that sometimes various LotR heroes are just assumed to be heroic, but no, they have to work very hard and that fits with several of your examples.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Oh absolutely. They suffer and overcome.

[@CoveWeaverStudios]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty same thing with the characters in my story that I have been working on for some time.

[@lionheart4424]

Great video man. Going back to The Cap, if you think about it, it's incredible his entire character arc through Avengers. Despite winning against evil, he has to pay with *losing his friend (Bucky) in the war and not being able to fulfill his love with Carter. Imagine being resurrected in this very different reality, then it is until Civil War that he is able to recover Bucky, at the cost of having to fight almost to the death against his friend-rival Tony Stark. And you have to wait until the end of Endgame, and only thanks to movie magic, that he is able to go back into the past and finally reunite with Carter. It's still my favorite MCU Avenger, and I'm not even American!

[@PhoenixCrown]

His decision to drop his shield and get pummeled by Bucky gripped me. "Because I'm with you all the way." So good.

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

*Losing (not "loosing"). Find/Lose - opposites with four letters. Tight/Loose - opposites with five letters. Easy way to remember which spelling to use. Hope that helps. Have a good day.

[@houddythequeen]

@@Eidolon1andOnly that actually helps me a lot. I always forget which one to use. That is one hero cheat code I will be using. lol

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

@@houddythequeen Another easy way to remember is that "lost" only has one O in it, so the present/future tense of "lost" will also have only one O in them as well.

[@samahsaadi839]

Not to mention in Winter Soldier where his entire new world is thrown upside down again and he finds he can't trust anyone. Turns out his WW2 nemesis Hydra has corrupted SHIELD AND they're using his brainwashed best friend to do so. That entire second movie is an insane test for him as a character and his values.

[@kingbeauregard]

Your criticisms of "Superman" are fair, though I put it to you that the movie is less about the physical challenges, and more about showing that there is still room for decency a world that isn't even sure what is worth valuing. That's where the heart of the movie is. All the same, you're not wrong that better physical challenges would have been in order. To put it a little differently, a lot of the point of Superman isn't what he does, but what he DOESN'T do.

[@danielbrown9368]

You open an interesting door here. Sometimes, writing itself needs context in time. Superman came out in an era where there was a lot of "every good guy dies" really depressing movies. The mood of the nation at that time was definitely a bit more dark and depressed. Like there was no good any more. They killed JFK, then they killed MLK and RFK. The men trying to do good kept getting murdered. We needed some form of hope, and Superman really personifies hope more than anything else. Despite Snyder's version being panned, the Russell Crowe speech on first flight hits the narrative core. "You will give the people of earth an ideal to stive towards."

[@IkeMastree]

The difference is: bad heroes are either one-dimensional, Mary Sue writer self-inserts, and/or too stupid or obnoxious to be taken seriously. Good heroes on the other hand, are relatable yet good, represent good values, and/or change for the better in a natural way.

[@LadyAstarionAncunin]

If we stop and analyze a LOT of hero films from the 70-90s in particular in good faith, you'd see example after example after example of Mary Sues that became icons. So, Hollywood nor the general public have a problem with them...until they're played by women. And that's because female roles are scrutinized more, and suddenly when women are playing a part as countless male heroes played them (unless written by James Cameron), people will notice that it's b.s. and have something to say. But it says a lot that it takes a gender swap for people to notice. What's funny is that the same guy who made Rey that way is the same guy who made my most disliked version of Captain Kirk, just handing him things over and over when he should have been kicked out of Starfleet. I hate a character that fails upwards, and that was Kirk. That scene where he makes Spock attack him and then gets to sit in the Captain's chair thereafter ticked me off so much because of how ridiculous it was. Well at least we can finally agree such characters suck? Or will we justify certain ones over others? Hmm.

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

​@@LadyAstarionAncunin I think you're giving a very insightful analysis but that it's not the only variable to take into consideration. It seems like people are getting more and more picky and difficult to please, and what worked in the 70es / 80es does not work anymore now. Plus there is a real fatigue on watching the same tropes over and over again, when they were fresher back then. That being said, gender does have something to do with this; I'm convinced Captain Marvel would still be considered a bad movie if the hero was a man, but it would be much less hated. I think it would just be quickly forgotten

[@TYKZY.BRANX._TEEK.SEE.BRANCH.]

@@LadyAstarionAncunin U MAY HAVE A POiNT, i DON'T KNOW 4 SURE, HAVEN'T REALLY WATCHED STAR TREK OR THAT MANY 1970'Z SHOWZ, BUT U DO SOUND OBNOXiOUZ MAN ! [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]

[@jthen8454]

​@@LadyAstarionAncunin lol or those action movies had smaller target audiences than star wars...

[@stamatiskon3049]

Iron Man is probably the most loved MCU supehero and he is the least relateable character in the whole franchise, unless you are a philandering billionaire. Most people are not but they want to be and that's why they root for the guy and overlook the fact that he is also a Mary Sue. He is a genius billionaire, I mean can you get more OP? And when he faces the concequences of his, let's face it, evil actions a disposable kind hearted man saves him. And the result of all these is that he makes an 180 and becomes a hero. Is this the natural way? Of course not! Now search this (and others) comment section and find a comment, other than mine, that says that Iron Man is not an example of a good hero. Or better yet, imagine if he was a woman...

[@chrisdavis2161]

I agree with your overall point. I disagree with your first examples: Superman the Movie was not a bad version of a hero. Nor was Lex a bad version of a villain. Lex used a supersonic whistle to lure Superman into his lair and faked Superman into discovering his own demise -- the kryptonite he held in a lead case that Superman couldn't see thru. The way it was done ensured that he couldn't be held liable for Superman's death because he told Superman not to look in the box. Then, he hacked missile commands to make it seem like ussr and us fired missiles at each other and diverted them to fly in opposite directions because he believed superman wasn't fast enough to stop both of them. Superman saved the world and diverted one misile to space but he realized that he couldn't stop the other one in time, so he chose to repair the damage that it had done, instead. But in doing so he realized that that plan didn't work because Lois died. THEN, comes the most ICONIC and emotional moment in not only CBM history but in cinema as a whole. Superman kissed Lois' lifeless body and then he CRIED! Then he was filled with a tremendous amount of rage and he flew (to what I thought he was going to find Lex and kill him) but his parents memories stopped him...his moral compass was compromised...his dad told him not to interfere with human history...he then rejected his own feelings and his dad's wishes and flew faster than anything had ever flown before--near the speed of light and time reversed directions. that wasn't a "ctrl Z"... that was him simultaneously proving himself, his dad, AND Lex Luthor wrong! Because he didn't do it for selfish reasons, like his father was was trying to prevent him from being a villain, he did it to save the most amount of people. He proved that Lex was wrong in thinking that he wasn't fast enough to stop both missiles. Then he threw Lex in prison, proving to himself that even though Lex hurt him, revenge wasn't worth him sacrificing the things that made him human.

[@danieldubei]

This right here, man, this right here. Very well stated.

[@Glendon34]

My nomination for worst movie hero is pretty much any Steven Seagal character. Every Seagal movie features a bland, boring, unchallenged super cop/SEAL/commando/whatever who tears through flimsy bad guys without breaking a sweat. Seagal heroes are rarely challenged, they don’t grow as people, they don’t struggle with their value system, and nothing is learned.

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

Mentioning Seagal's characters as worst heroes is like playing a Joker card 😂

[@therealjohnny2136]

Could you do a video on stucturing stories around a morally grey protagonist? Or even centering it around a villain?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I'll definitely be covering antiheroes and morally grey characters in the future. I get a lot of requests about this. Villain Protagonists...hmm. I'll think about it. If you want a dark and sinister book with a villain protag, check out "And The Devil Cried" by Kristopher Triana. Absolutely gripping.

[@grizzly_manbanimation8436]

For me, and I know I sing this show’s praises to death, but the best set of heroes, yes not just one hero, is from “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. It’s hard to pick just one hero where the entire hero group is amazing. I’ll try to keep it brief. First you have the head honcho himself, Avatar Aang. He’s a 12 year kid who values life even in its darkest forms. Katara is the last water bender from her tribe and struggles to learn at first but then finds help in the north. Sokka isn’t a bender at all and is just a quirky guy with a big heart. At some point he’s left to question his worth because he lacks any bending ability. Toph is as blind as a bat but learned how to perceive her surroundings through her earth bending ability. There’s too many stuff to talk about and I’d encourage you to watch this show if you haven’t. The worst hero, is honestly hard to pick for me because there’s so many, especially in the modern era, that are just too perfect. You gave one example which is Rey, she had potential at least but then Disney fricked it up. She’s just one of many unfortunately and many of them over shadow some amazing characters such as Star Wars’ own Finn.

[@mattrowntree9369]

I would argue that Zuko is the true unsung and grossly unappreciated hero. His journey not only mirrors Aang's but also exceeds it and becomes even more relatable and realistic.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I need to watch ATLA. I'm almost done with AoT, so I might try Avatar as my next anime

[@Ironica82]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty It's technically not an anime but still a must watch.

[@warlawds7007]

A 19 minute Good vs Bad!? And here I thought Christmas was a few weeks ago!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haha thanks... It was almost a 25ish minute video, but I scrapped a couple examples

[@Beowulf45]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Honestly, I never realize how long your videos are, because I'm so engrossed. My first reaction to this comment was "no WAY that was 19 minutes, it felt like 7 or 8!"

[@DangRenBo]

I'm not a fan of the Rocky sequels, but the first movie is one of my favorites, ever. His character is so deep. It looks like a sports movie, but it's a character study, instead. And at the moment they are announcing the judges' scorecards, we can hear the another in the *background* while Rocky screams for his girl in the foreground, highlighting just how unimportant the actual result of the competition is. He's already won in his heart, and he doesn't even need to listen to the results. That final scene is the one that truly makes that movie sing!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

You're spot-on. I even how our view of Apollo is obstructed during that final scene--further emphasizing the idea that the outcome of the match isn't what really matters

[@jamesdrake142]

Great movie and it gets better on every watch. Watch the scene where Creed is doing a TV interview almost in the background while Rocky’s sitting at the bar. The bartender makes a disparaging remark about Creed being a rich show-off. You maybe expect Rocky to meekly agree, as he’s had kind of a rough week, but instead he’s super offended and tells off the bartender for criticizing a guy who is the best in the world at something and who must have had insane inner strength to even attempt it much less get there. That’s what Rocky is about.

[@friedrodent112]

Please make Good vs. Bad Villains next.

[@jallerlepine3596]

I grew up with Tobey's Spider-Man and I always saw him as the definition of a real hero, especially the seconde movie. He's pushed to the point of quitting his role in order to have a normal life like he always wanted to but his sense of responsability is too strong to let people suffer while standing by. He's face with a dilemma and finally decide to sacrifice his dream of a normal life to be a hero and inspire people. I still get goosebumps from Aunt May's speech

[@xShadowChrisx]

"I think he even uses the Rare Candy glitch" I think you're now obligated to cover pokemon at some point after that one lol. Don't care what, just anything pokemon related.

[@caedrewan]

I'm sure there's something to be said about Mewtwo's famous speech

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

"get ready cause today, we're diving into the world of monster taming"

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haha I'm glad someone caught the reference!

[@teddyhaines6613]

I think he'd have an interesting time analyzing the third movie, since it had a tragic antivillain whose actions flowed naturally from her core motivations and had a character arc where she came to terms with the loss of her family. It's some legitimately good character writing.

[@xShadowChrisx]

@@teddyhaines6613 honestly I’d just love to see him rank the Pokémon movies, there’s so much “Good vs Bad” he can do, and just covering something for Kids in general would be nice, it’s rare we get good lessons on how to write for kids in any writing channel honestly. Even review channels that do specifically kids media can only tell so much. For writers who want to write for kids there’s definitely fewer resources/examples

[@EH23831]

It’s like the writers liked Tom Holland too much to make him suffer 😂

[@PhoenixCrown]

I think it was their obsession in making it all connected to the wider MCU and getting the Robert Downey fans.

[@xShadowChrisx]

either that or they heard from comic fans just how tired they are of watching spiderman suffer... which I mean... fair, that's kind of the big issue with modern spider man. Peter just can't catch a break.

[@xavierthomas5835]

​@xShadowChrisx this goes back to one of the problems I had with what he gives as a good hero. Does a good hero HAVE to suffer? Or have we become so used to delegating every good quality to heroes so much that they aren't allowed to be an actual character because they carry every good intention of the story on their back? Does a hero lack interesting qualities because they're a hero, or because we've made them uninteresting?

[@xShadowChrisx]

@@xavierthomas5835 I think suffering is just a cheat code to connect the audience to them, but I think just as many actual teens connected with modern peter. I mean there's a lot to connect to even if it seems like the adults are "bailing him out" which... I mean that's what kids are *supposed* to get. I think a lot of kids relate to that feeling of the adults talking down not taking you seriously, and it's not like peter doesn't suffer from his choices, I just rewatched that movie and I mean, yeah he loses the girl, he's called and thought of as a loser by all his classmates for constantly bailing on them. He still suffers, it's just not at *every* chance. Ultimately interesting is in the eye of the beholder, but that's also not a good excuse... I mean some even really smart people thought *rey* was a good or interesting character in the first movie...

[@samahsaadi839]

​@@xShadowChrisxthe problem is, in the comics it just feels mean spirited at this point, almost like torture porn. The Riami movies for example made Peter suffer in relatable, earnest and sincere ways. And THAT worked.

[@dinomonzon7493]

In a way, Capt. America's moral code is also his weak point- he tends to impose his sense of morality on others. That is where he differs from Iron Man who is more pragmatic. Speaking of which, how about a video discussing the morality of the Sokovia Accords in Capt. America: Civil War. This won't be an easy one as Tony's actions to support the accord have moral weight- an indirect consequence of Age of Ultron, and he was trying to make amends for it- unlike the comic version where he agreed in general with the government.

[@drErakidos]

New Brandon video along with the breakfast, that's the way to start a day.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Judging by the timestamp, you must be across the Atlantic. Thanks for watching!

[@drErakidos]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty That's right, just across the pond! Love the channel. Each new thumbnail puts a smile on my face.

[@KutWrite]

Great choice of types... and amusing names for them.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@karlispovisils5297]

Interestingly, Far From Home seems to remedy all of the problems Brandon brought up about Homecoming. The conflict of trying not to have his identity revealed? That's one of the strongest weapons the villain uses against Peter. Mysterio even leaks it by the end and it has devestating consequences going forward. Peter not solving his own problems? He does get assisted early on, but that was from Mysterio intentionally being a showman. This turns what could have been an unintentionally hollow victory into something intentional. Going forward, he has no choice but to take on Mysterio on his own due to his ability to mimic others with illusions. By the end, the fight is fairly close, but he comes out on top, but not without the aforementioned massive loss. Peter accepting his role as Iron Man's heir by the end in a way that's unearned? Peter get E.D.I.T.H. early on and believes he is unfit, and his logic is sound. However, after seeing what Stark's tech could do in the hands of a villain and proving he is a capable hero, he's ready to accept his role as someone who continues Stark's legacy of heroism.

[@drewmantia]

Then he pays a lot of costs and suffering in No Way Home

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I enjoyed Spider-Tom much more in FFH and NWH. NWH especially.

[@LordBaktor]

My two favorite fictional heroes will always be Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor (taking into account only the first two movies of their respective franchises) but in recent years, Edward and Alphonse Elric have been pretty high up the list too. One of the main themes of the whole Fullmetal Alchemist saga is that actions have consequences and the brothers journey is about seeking redemption without causing further suffering to others.

[@Gabriel-no6wv]

Hmm, I kinda disagree with you in the Spider Man part. First of all, Spider Man isn't introduced in a isolated universe, he is introduced in a universe with already other heroes. Second, I don't think the purpose of his first movie was to learn a lesson in how to be a hero but how to be independent. Third, I don't know why people hate his relationship with Iron Man, since HE IS INTRODUCED as a recruit to Tony, and therefore its obvious that they would have a pupil and mentor relationship. And, he gave a suit to Spider Man so that he could fight in the civil war airport battle. I don't know why people conflate the Iron Spider Armor with the one that tony gave him and for some reason get mad. Also, of course he would be "saved" multiple times by his mentor, because he is his mentor!!!, If I'm doing martials arts, and my master says that I'm doing something wrong, it's normal, even multiple times, I don't get why people get mad at that relationship, he isn't Tobey Maguire Spider Man on his third movie as Spider Man, that was his first movie, where again, he was already introduced as a pupil, on a universe with other heroes, AND he is a teenager, he got his powers with 15, Tobey Maguire Peter Parker got his at 18.... Fourth, he doesn't have villains to fight against yet, so yeah, he will not suffer that much, I mean, no one complained about Tobey not suffering, until the last part of the movie... where his Aunt is attacked and Mary Jane kidnapped... All before that he was suffering??? No... He pretty much did the same things that Tobey Spider Man did, which is struggle with the double life and with his potential love... Fifth, I don't think that was a empty sacrifice at the end, I don't think that was even a sacrifice, he still had the suit tony made, he could still save people with that...

[@dinomonzon7493]

Agree with you, especially regarding the mentor relationship with Tony Stark. Peter also influenced Tony; Tony practically treated Peter more like a son, which prompted him to master astrophysics in short order and devise a way to execute the time heist in Avengers: Endgame. (An oversight in Spider-Man: No Way Home was the start when Peter, Ned & MJ couldn't find work; it never occurred to them to apply at Stark Industries- its unlikely Pepper Potts would've turned them down).

[@lukehannah4554]

Okay I agree that the mentor and pupil relationship between Peter and Tony was necessary but the thing is in the next movie it’s all about Spidey having to be the next Iron Man which doesn’t fit his character because he’s Spider-Man not Iron Man Jr, so it doesn’t make since for him to keep having to be attached to Iron Man’s legacy when Far From Home should’ve been its own story rather than Peter having to rely on Iron Man tech, but I completely agree Peter having a suit made by Tony because of the Civil War incident is permissible for the first movie

[@dyegoeduardosantossilva3659]

​@@lukehannah4554i think it's actually more okay on the second movie. I mean, yeah, he's not spider man Jr, but Tony still chose him to be his successor for Edith. I think that fits Peter arc for taking responsibility a lot. A real real lot. I don't know why people don't like his association with Iron Man since he was recruited by him and mentored by him. In a other universes where they don't have a relationship like that, it would be okay to complain. But not on this one where Tony is literally his father figure.

[@dyegoeduardosantossilva3659]

I think his point is that the consequences for his actions are underwhelming. He never faces any troubles because of his actions. Even in the end, where he sacrifices, like, the best night of his life with the girl he likes, so he can stop Vulture, he basically doesn't face any consequences. I mean, maybe he would lose his spot on the spelling team(???? I forgot what it was, I think it was spelling ) after disappearing in Washington or something. Or maybe the girl would get really mad at him for disappearing during her party. I don't think those are problems, particularly, but I think that was Brandon's point. He could have suffered way more because of his actions, and didn't.

[@CrazyHand7894]

​@dyegoeduardosantossilva3659 I disagree somewhat. The first movie could be seen as his "training wheels". He was still young and barely getting started as a hero and a teenager. Not to mention the film's tone is overall pretty lighthearted and comical. So I understand why they didn't want to have more long-lasting hardships: by leaving them for later installments, it hits harder by sheer contrast.

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I'm very tired so I may have to watch this again in the morning, but I'll do my best to get some thoughts now!

[@michaeljjt1976]

As a longtime Spider-Man fan, I've criticized the first movie for many of these reasons---Spider-Man was never his own person in this movie, his reliance on Iron Man and the suits provided completely negated his need for even having/learning about his own powers and how to be a hero

[@road_king_dude]

Far from the first Spiderman movie but I appreciate you're points all the same.

[@michaeljjt1976]

@road_king_dude the first of that trilogy. Most people understood what i meant

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

Definitely agree on Spider-Man: Homecoming. It was a huge disappointment not only because Peter wasn't challenged but also because of how the movie failed to build sympathy for him. In the Raimi and Webb movies, Peter is facing financial struggles, school bullies, Uncle Ben's death, balancing his own superpowers, etc. On the other hand, Homecoming Peter is a super smart kid, well liked by his peers and teachers, Flash is just a nuisance to him, not a physical bully, and he has no family problems. He just wants to be as cool as Iron Man. Fine, you want to make this version an unlikable egoistical kid who would eventually learn responsibility. However, like you said, the safety net problem comes. Every time there is a problem, the writers solve it for Peter. I also didn't really like how Peter grew after Iron Man takes away his suit. Yeah, he fights Vulture with his own homemade suit and webs but I thought the fight was pretty underwhelming. Vulture managed to beat Peter in a few seconds when he had a technologically advanced suit and yet Peter manages to beat him in the climax despite lacking all of that and being severely wounded. Then like you said, Peter rejecting the suit has no real value because he thought it was a test and although he doesn't join the avengers, he still gets the suit. There are also a ton of other reasons why this movie is my least favorite (its still decent) like lack of compelling supporting characters and goofy humor but the main problem is that Peter's arc has a lot of shortcomings.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

You nailed it. And I forgot to bring up Flash in this video. The worst thing he does is call Peter “Penis Parker” and this version of Flash is wimpy/nerdy, which means Peter doesn’t get much of a challenge from him. Homecoming’s flaws are everywhere, but most people excuse them because the movie is smoothed over with layers of slick humor. Strip those layers away and you’re left with the weakest Spider-Man movie.

[@cigoLxeL]

I chuckled at the "Easy Mode" hero for the same reason I do when a _Three Stooges_ short starts with someone bringing on "THREE new men"; it seems so obvious where the setup is going that it's almost unnecessary. But then it turned out _not_ to be Rey, subverting my expectations completely! But then she turns up later under "Cheat Code" hero, because she is the Platonic Ideal of a badly-written hero and any discussion on them that doesn't include her is disingenuous on its face. Although, not enough people commented on the "How are they going to keep her interesting if she can kick the main villain's ass right away?" problem, but trust me, it didn't go unnoticed by all of us.

[@FishyBirdMLS]

For me the best example of an excellent "cheat code" hero power moment would be when Prince Zukko directs lightning for the first time. It comes exactly when he needs it to save his life, but it only comes because he confronts his inner demons and his father. It's an amazing scene, an amazing demonstration of character growth, and a badass new power to gain.

[@bretterry8356]

Talk about heroes who have everything handed to them without earning it, have a look at James Kirk from the 2009 Star Trek reboot. There is no reason he should be in charge of anything, but he's handed the captain's seat by bad writing, and as captain continuously makes bad decisions with zero consequeces, setting up for a decade and a half of terrible Star Trek stories that crapped all over the legacy of a historic franchise.

[@RickClark58]

The Disney Star Wars are just LitRPGs in disguise. Haha. I have always liked Tobey Maguire's Spiderman, at least in the first and second movies. I felt that he captured the essence of the early comics, especially in the first one. This was the best representation of Spiderman in my mind.

[@thatsruffdog]

Damnit McNulty! Why do you have to post at midnight! I’m trying to sleep but now I have to watch this whole video!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hahaha I'll try not to conflict with your bedtime in the future

[@sentineljm]

To try and redeem star wars a bit, may I say I always love Ashoka Tano as an amazing hero.

[@skepticalsmurf]

I’m fond of Snips too but not the stoic live action version 🤔

[@stamatiskon3049]

Ashoka is a good example! In the Clone Wars series she is a great "safety net" hero, she makes mistakes and is constantly saved but she's being punished (by others and herself) and eventually grows to be the safety net for the Rebels heroes. She makes a great sacrifice there standing up for her values and when she's eventually saved she returns seemingly overpowered (in The Clone Wars final season) but again she loses everything that's valueable to her. Finally, in the Ahsoka series, she is a little OP again but she still needs to learn more about herself, she struggles and loses in the end but that seems to be the final lesson she needs.

[@jonlivingood2966]

Best hero- Wonder Woman from the 2017 film and the worst would be the same hero in Wonder Woman 1984. Loved "The Half Murders" btw and plan to pick up "Entry Wounds" next!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for checking out The Half Murders! Glad you enjoyed it. Please leave a brief Amazon review if possible. And I hope you love Entry Wounds--it was my favorite to write!

[@Biscuits..]

Did you read my mind or something? You just posted just what I needed. What a good day.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Glad it helped!

[@alexbajcz7125]

Hi Brandon, aspiring epic fantasy writer here, without a creative writing background. Really benefit from your vids. They're snappy and dense, and I benefit from the systematic thinking you encourage. I've noticed that your videos tend to focus on theme, plot, and characters and the issues surrounding them, but I don't recall seeing as many videos of yours covering issues revolving around setting (when and where). What happens when a setting is poorly established, or the wrong setting is chosen for a story? Just some ideas for you to consider for future vids!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

"Snappy and dense" haha thanks! I'll see about bringing more setting-related stuff into my videos.

[@JackKirbyFan]

I LOVE your channel and every episodes becomes my favorite video of the day. You break down ideas into digestible nuggets that are easily grasped by everyone. I am going to point out an absolute train wreck of writing called 'you can't run forever' which has a really good star to support it in J.K. Simmons but the writing is a master class on how to 'not write' a story. Talk about bad hero versus villain conflict. Trust me. You might want to check it out for a future instructional video.

[@laurafreeman8360]

For a real-life example of a hero, there's Audie Murphy, who has been called the real Captain America. He was small and sickly but was finally accepted into the army after lying about his age, and then went on to become the most decorated soldier of WWII, winning every award for valor that his country had to offer, as well as medals from Belgium. His most famous action involved climbing atop a burning tank destroyer and using its gun to hold off six German tanks and a couple hundred foot soldiers, while also calling in artillery strikes on his own position. He recieved wounds in both legs (and this was shortly after he had been in the hospital where five pounds of gangrenous flesh had been removed from an infected hip wound), but he refused treatment until after he had lead a counter attack after the German troops retreated. For this action he was awarded the Medal of Honor. After the war he suffered greatly from PTSD and became addicted to sleeping pills. He was one of the first people to really speak up about the mental health of veterans, though he didn't live long enough to see much progress made.

[@MysticaFaery]

I love Cap. He is heroic, principled and handsome! What's not to love! There are challenges along the way, but he ultimately stays true to his ideals. Steve and Peggy are also the cutest couple in the MCU, and I appreciate that she gets to be great in her own right WITHOUT stealing away an ounce of Cap's worth or competence. Instead, they inspire each other. When they shared that adorable dance in Endgame, I knew the MCU was over for me. It's not the most original pick, but he is a classic for a reason. 💙

[@PietroUniqo]

Worst hero Batman: he fails his main point. He's supposed to be a HUMAN but he never acts like a real human. He's super intelligent, highly educated, best detective in the word, peak human strengh, peak human stamina, extreamly acrobatic, skilled in mertial arts, BILLIONAIRE, he slept with more women than James Bond... should I mention that he constantly survives explosions, punches from speedsters, superhumans and demons? He's less human than Superman. Batman = plot armor and deus ex machina. Best hero Spider-man (not Tom Holland version): when Spider-man wins Peter loses and when Peter wins Spider-man loses

[@PoorProPlayer]

Yesssss!!! I've always hated how flimsy the tom holland spider man's stories have been. He's always sidelined and portrayed as a clueless whiney kid that needs an older adult to try and get him to get his shit together. It only took 5 movies for tom holland peter parker to finally somewhat resemble the image of a real spider-man. The "I'm a dumb innocent teenager" shtick got old real fast.

[@matyaskassay4346]

The problems you listed about Homecoming are exactly why I like No Way Home, it pretty much fixes all of them. There are high stakes, dire consequences, challenged principles and sacrifice. Great conclusion after a pretty average first and second movie.

[@jackvaraly3478]

Quick thing regarding the character traits section in the beginning. You mention that the hero should be relatable and have strong morals. This true, but they don’t necessarily need to start that way, they can start off as a pompous jerk and then turn into a likeable character. A great example of this is John Connor in terminator 2. He starts off as a little brat and slowly turns into the leader he is after judgement day

[@joshuaruesch2241]

While I definitely agree with most of your points on Spider-Man, I do have to push back on one. We have to remember that this is a movie about a teenager, so the consequences for them are going to be different than they would be for an adult. For most of the things you pointed out, that doesn't really matter. However, one that you kept hammering on feels a little empty to me. Teenagers experience consequences, but they rarely experience lasting consequences. Iron Man getting after him and telling him that he doesn't deserve the suit was a powerful moment and, based on his age and experience to that point, it was an excruciating loss, not only because he had grown accustomed to its support, but also because the moment he received the suit is the moment he really started identifying as Spider-Man. When that was taken away, so was his identity. He felt vulnerable, but he overcame that vulnerability for the good of the world. That, more than any of the other things you mentioned, is what made him a compelling character, and what made the movie enjoyable to someone like me, who was a teenager when the movie came out.

[@dreamermj]

There's an anime called the Irregular at magic High, it's hero is so perfect without suffering in any episode that I just felt more interested in seeing him get taken down!

[@isabellagonzales7857]

My favorite Star Wars hero is Ahsoka Tano. She has failures and immaturity in the being of Clone Wars and then grows so much throughout the rest of the series.

[@skepticalsmurf]

and loses it all by deciding to leave the Order after being found innocent 🤔

[@isabellagonzales7857]

@@skepticalsmurf That is a really difficult to watch because no one wanted to see Anakin and Asoka separate. But she didn’t like that the Jedi Council treated her as guilty before she could have a fair trail. This was a big step for her to become her own person. It was also crucial for Anakin’s fall to the dark side. No wonder he saw the council as corrupt after how they misjudged his padawan…

[@anthonytippett5997]

I don’t think homecoming was about him not facing any real challenges. By the end of it, he realized he was living on easy mode and he thought it was hard. Made him realize he wasn’t ready to be on the main roster yet.

[@stephenwashingtonjr1625]

Great video again Brandon. Always love watching your content has helped me out a lot with my writing. Bad hero: Captain Marvel and She Hulk. She Hulk masters anger because no how’s to deal with creeps and Captain Marvel is great already and she learns why she is great without really mattering to us. Good heroes: I mean so many but if have to contrast Wonder Woman was written so great. She is powerful but naive and she suffers a loss of her love and she abandons society because of her mistrust in humankind. 2) Just to be different I have to go with my guys Woody and Buzz. The Toy Story characters in general are all written so great

[@vidmikes]

I’ve always disliked the Spider-Man Home movies until No Way Home… I was like “finally! Consequences for the character!” And now they’re making a fourth movie to undo all of that. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

NWH is easily the best version of Spider-Tom

[@matthewharrison3813]

I miss the spoiler warnings. I guess the metrics said that some people stopped watching after them, but that's sort of the point!

[@BackupChannel-nq6fg]

Last time I was this early people still made last time I was this early jokes

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

Anyone still watching in 2025 ?

[@danieldubei]

man, you're taking on the best written Superman story. Gotta give it to the writers that they tried to give Superman some kind of conflict because he's obviously too strong to begin with. It's the limitation of the character no matter which story he's in. It's why the DCU and Snyder failed poorly in properly creating great stories out of the character. Give credit to that first film from 1978 for the emotional heft of killing off Lois Lane and making Superman try finding an even greater power than he thought he had. It works emotionally. You feel the mental struggle Superman had afterward because he could never tell anyone what he just did to save Lois, and he couldn't tell her he loved her. That's fantastic writing.

[@HappyNoob17YT]

I love your channel, really helpful for my writing hobby. Also, for the Easy Mode Hero, you should've put 2008 Clone Wars Anakin.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

2008 Anakin? The one who constantly gets away with war crimes?

[@EntertainmentTalker22]

Worst hero for me: Emily from Until Dawn Best hero for me: Joel Miller from The Last Of Us series

[@smexizool]

Hero is stretching it for Joel

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I had to look up Emily, and yeah...she was awful. Mike was my favorite character from Until Dawn

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

I think the idea was that Peter DID think he was better as a "neighborhood" hero and then ALSO thought it was a test.

[@JamesRDavenport]

Worst Hero: Homelander because, well...false advertising. 😅 Best hero: Too many to name, but like Rocky, the very best heroes shouldn't win, but they do because they're willing to listen to good advice when it matters most and believe in things more important than themselves. A great hero is tested to the limit and remains true north, no matter what.

[@billwilliams2025]

I am impressed that you took on some popular targets for "bad hero" analysis. While Star Wars' Rey has been a frequent target of criticism (for good reason), you rarely hear much about either Superman or the MCU Spider-Man. And indeed, all three movies were successful. It would be interesting (though maybe outside the purpose of this channel) to analyze why/if these stories work despite the problems with the main character.

[@arashimifune2853]

The Force Awakens killed 25 years of my love for Star Wars, so I vote Rey as the worst hero. (after TFA, I watched prequels once and that's it... in December it'll be 10 years since I last watched Star Wars)

[@re2gie]

In the book, Rey is not only fighting off Kylo Ren, but she is also being tempted psychically by Snoke. She flat out rejects Snokes promise of power, never even for a minute think what if

[@reinotsurugi]

I like Superman. I like that it's not a drawn out Rocky slugfest. Superman gets attacked through values and the ones he loves. There is no other character like him.

[@nicbarrax76]

Yeah I mean, at least Luke got assistance from a frog in a marsh before even standing a chance against dad.

[@juliegolick]

One of the favourite heroes I read in the last year was Tress (from Brandon Sanderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea)

[@gamewriteeye769]

Hey Brandon, I just wanted to say your content is still great as always! ♥️ Maybe for a follow-up video suggestion, you should Anti-heroes vs Anti-villains?

[@Craxus]

Not to sound like a Hallmark card, but: I nominate Mr. Rogers as the best hero. Think about it. He was kind, empathetic, and genuinely cared about the well-being of children. He taught us about feelings, acceptance, and the importance of being good neighbors. Sure, he lacked the ability to fly or shoot lasers from his eyes, but he possessed a superpower far more potent: the power of kindness.

[@rienjen]

Interesting list. I'm intrigued that you used pretty popular movies as references for bad heroes--very bold but I liked your explanations and agree on some level. Favorite hero: probably Luke Skywalker. He goes through the whole rollercoaster of the hero's journey, and comes out a very different person in the end (just ignore the Sequel Trilogy). Worst...Rey is one of them. She really falls under all the categories you've listed, including making bad decisions but suffering zero consequences (because, you know, Chewie's on another ship). Maybe I just have SW on the brain today, but yeah.

[@CosmicFilms-007]

I think best protagonist is Anakin skywalker because of how tragic he is, and then the worst is either captain marvel or Rey from the sequel trilogy Arthur Morgan as a protagonist is also absolutely amazing

[@JustACactus616]

I can’t wait to watch this (after it sits in my watch later for three months!)

[@treljaengo]

Your "bad writing" example of Obi-Wan killing Darth Maul got a standing ovation in the theater when I saw it. Much to learn, you still have.

[@mattt2277]

Just because people enjoyed it doesn't mean it's not bad writing.

[@treljaengo]

@ on the contrary, isn’t that the metric that matters most? If something is “well written” according to some KZbin critic, but no one cares, is it really well written?

[@cigoLxeL]

@@treljaengo _Hard_ no. If quality was determined by popular vote, McDonald's would be haute cuisine, _Twilight_ would be a literary masterpiece, and Nickelback would have played for King Charles' coronation. Shame on you for humiliating that poor, pathetic argument by dragging it out in front of everyone.

[@mattt2277]

@treljaengo no I don't think so. The everyday person's opinion on what they like doesn't change if a thing was made poorly. Look at 50 shades. It was a nightmare of bad writing but was a top seller. I also liked the scene, the fight was great. But I also admit it wasn't the best writing, that Obi-Wan got a cheat code at the end

[@treljaengo]

@ being a top seller isn’t what’s being argued. Enjoyment is. If something is really that bad, it wouldn’t be enjoyable. And if it was enjoyed, it can’t really be that bad.

[@reubenmanzo2054]

What if what we thought was a bad hero was just a misidentified villain?

[@teddyhaines6613]

Heroes that a story presents as traditional Superman/Cap-style ideal heroes despite being terrible people in reality are their own can of worms entirely. Most notorious examples are probably all of Ayn Rand's protagonists from the viewpoint of non-Objectivists.

[@matityaloran9157]

1:23, like the Kobayishi Maru from Star Trek

[@criticalbil1]

Easy mode hero: Denzel Washington's character in The Equaliser. Every obstacle is overcome with ease. It's a shame because there was a lot of good stuff in there.

[@supremegodemperorpalpatine4872]

To be fair to Superman, saving Lois required him to do something his father, Jor-El, expressly said was forbidden. Granted, there should've been more consequences for that, but still...

[@IronWolf123]

A good hero has to understand the balance between his abilities and the impacts of his abilities. If Superman knew he was ultra powerful in a world full of people who don't have the same abilities as he does then he needs to find a way to be at the same level as them otherwise with carelessness he would destroy everything he has known and loved and the mental toll would destroy him

[@sarahsander785]

With bad heroes it's not only that they aren't given the chance to learn, but even when the plot gives them a challenge and a chance to learn they refuse. I forgot his name, but the protagonist from "Platinum End" is such a type. The plot constantly challenges his beliefes ("Everybody deserves happiness") by giving him the perfect antagonist ("I alone deserve happiness"). The two clash and everything looks like a great story. But then the conflict escalates and at one point the mc should at least consider that he's holding a false belief, at least reagarding that one other character. He should be tormented by his stance. Yet he isn't, at least not in a meaningful way. He stands by his belief and especially the actions he draws from this ("I shall not kill no matter what, because dead people can't be happy") and yet he gets rescued. Okay. That was underwhelming, but the story's just halfway over. Maybe the second half he struggles? Nope. It's like getting rescued, seeing his friends die and almost loosing his girlfriend to a bunch of powerhungry demi-gods STRENGTHEND his belief. Oh, and the goal of the show is to become literal God. Capital G. The one person who could EASILY make everybody on earth happy on command. The MC rejects it. Why? Because it would make his girlfriend sad (his girlfriend who would FORET what happened after him becoming God, if he wants to). Like, I get that the show wants to send a philosophical message (it's really on the nose with it) but at least TRY to make the MC compelling. Gosh, this show makes me mad every time I think about it. The promise was so good ... On the other hand look at that crybaby Takemichi from Tokyo Revengers. He's a character with much the same belief and he stands true to it throughout the series. But he grows. He makes mistakes, he challenges his own beliefs and struggles to stand by them several times. He shows GROWTH that comes from that struggle and from his idea of ideal life. Because of his in-action he looses a friend that comes to his rescue and he suffers from it. It's his motivator (one of them). Oh, and it helps a ton that he is paired with whom I consider one of the best (albeit a bit over-the-top) villains of all time. That also shows parallels to the one in Platinum End, probably because the similar main characters.

[@zahel-of-nalthis]

Worst hero. Maybe Arnold Schwarzenegger's John Matrix from Commando? I don't remember a single thing that challenged him. The whole movie was him just cutting through the bad guys from start to finish.

[@SirToaster9330]

The worst kind of hero is the Designated Hero, a protagonist that is a bad person or does bad things and their actions are glorified

[@samuelebincoletto637]

Another things about the Chead Code Hero i think you should have mentioned, the skills they have make no sense in the context of the story. Rey is a literal Mary Sue because she has all of the skills of a Jedi and even defeated Kylo Ren despite literally having no training at all, this make no sense even in the context of Star Wars, Anakin himself was defeated and still needed training to be a Jedi despite being the literal Chosen One. Rocky on the other hand work because it's already been established to be a boxer and had a good trained as well.

[@jnaught1358]

Love the post… But.. Does being lulled into a saber battle by a guy who has foreseen, and executed with surgical precision, every aspect of the fall of galactic democracy and the ensuing fight while feigning defeat and weakness to ensure his unknowing pupil stays on his assigned path of self destruction, (of which was planned as well), losing a hand, being microwaved by force lightning and being ejected out of a 1600 story window count as a win? Mace was toast the day Palpatine was elected Senator some years prior.

[@Andrew-wv7qp]

When Rey defeated Ren I was feeling cheated because I was wondering how she would survive and escape the predicament she was in. Having her defeat him kinda left an "okay, I guess that's settled" feeling that's not good while there's plenty of story to go. However, I still gave the 2nd movie a chance, until Rey lifted about 30 tons of rocks without even breathing hard, even though it seems it's the first time she ever did that. At that point, I gave up on the films.

[@Krayd-q5j]

I haven't actually seen the original Superman but... seems like it hasn't aged well

[@yawnberg]

This criticism of Superman is nothing new, turning back time by flying around the Earth backwards has always been used as an example of bad writing. But there is plenty about the movie that holds up, the same stuff that made it successful in spite of a bad ending: the actors, the music, the practical and special effects, and the cinematography to name a few all still make the movie worth watching. If you're interested in the genre, I very much recommend.

[@WestheBestMoore-du8kp]

I really appreciate your videos, sir very insightful and very helpful in my writing journey! I am completely on board with Captain America being the best type of hero. He is my favorite. I wouldn’t like him better in his original non-superpowered version as in MCU and ultimate comic books in earth 616 he wasn’tsuper powered versus being peak human with even more flaws and limitations. My other favorite hero is Robin Hood in the totality of the many versions of the character; he’s not super powered per se, but he has a unique natural talent and skill with the bow and arrow something which he has practiced and cultivated since his early childhood he is a night and Lord, and has skills in swordsmanship and jousting and all the other things that all might have, however, he served in the Crusades as well in a brutal and bloody conflict and chose the moral high ground to leave the Crusades although that could be an active reason as well ego he has flaws when he comes back he was home. He finds an outcast and tries to rebel against authority and is punished for it. He escaped again into the woods and advanced together with other persecuted persons and organizes a rebellion. Ultimately, he becomes part of what unifies the Magna Carta! (Conjecture legend) My least favorite hero chokes are modern detective stories were the audience and the hero aren’t given the clues to solve the case until the very end introducing villains or plot twist with 15 minutes left or the last chapter of a book is not good writing. One of my least favorite is Felix the cat from cartoons. It says it in his main tile song “whenever he gets into a fixed, he reaches into his bag of tricks” … Another hero I am least impressed with is the Green Lantern; although in his pre-powered persona Hal Jordan, a courageous test pilot is admirable, as a member of the Green Lantern Corps he is gifted abilities over everyone else on the planet countless . Having been raised on military bases, I felt this a slight to every brave service men and women who volunteered to place their lives in danger for the safety of their country and families!

[@CosmicFilms-007]

I am worked on a story, and with the first meeting they get absolutely destroyed and thrown off a cliff Second time he is nearly beaten again but saved by a ship Third time he loses a gadget that was supposed to help, and he is nearly killed but saved by his friend Moon, who used kinesis Last time within book 2 of his friends are snapped necked And Moon is nearly killed and out of emotion he uses kinesis to blast the antagonist out into space but not without consequences and is distraught I think that’s good! :)

[@CosmicFilms-007]

The power of kenesis for protagonist is introduced at the very start, but he still doesn’t know because he had stasis module, and it’s hinted at when he has emotions it appears again

[@Rstraub12]

Honestly I think Captain Marvel from the 2019 movie is a worse hero than Rey. She just gets unlimited powers from the Tesseract and gets more and more powerful over the course of the movie without ever really being challenged, similar to Rey but Cpt Marvel is smug, snarky, and unlikeable while she does it.

[@smexizool]

Marvel doesn't lose a single fight against her antagonist either, she beats him during the sparring match than beats him at the end easily. She has no arc, she is the same person at the end of the movie as she was at the beginning. Even in her less powerful state she beats every obstacle.

[@jpat1513]

You’re not the villain for criticizing Superman as a movie, you just have an above average IQ. Overrated movie to say the least

[@BloodyInitiate]

The easy mode hero (cheat codes) is the one most likely to kick me out of a story. I don’t think I see it as especially egregious but I’m kinda thick so it’s the only one I consistently notice.

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

One Punch could be another good example against Rey.

[@mattt2277]

You don't have any babylon 5 examples, I'm worried you haven't seen it! Mollari is the best character I've ever seen, a masterclass in a fallen character then a redemption arc.

[@rebeccaschade3987]

A lot of bad heroes reads a lot like the author is angry about something, and just want to get catharsis through writing a power fantasy for themselves, all about being invincible and solving every problem without any resistance. Stories like that can be fine for the writer's personal enjoyment, but not as something to publish. The only possible exception would be if it was all done for comedic reason, and doing so successfully would actually take quite some skill. One of the worst heroes in recent years must be Captain Marvel. She's the most powerful person in the movie right from the get-go. She's never really up against any challenges, at least none that poses real threat or danger. She never gets to grow as a character.

[@JoaoGabrielJF724]

To be honest, most of superheroes stuff seem to be made for kids (most or everything Disney does, as well). What other reasons could there be to have such op characters?

[@michaelmeyers4843]

Heroes are pretty easy to understand. The hero is one of the simplest and oldest character archetypes, going all the way back to Homer's epics and even Gilgamesh. However, I have never seen a definition of an anti-hero that I could really get behind. How about a guide for anti-heroes? Especially in the wake of the Sony Sinister Six spinoff failure that tried so hard to make movies about Spiderman villains as anti-heroes. How did they go so wrong, and what is the proper way to write a so-called anti-hero?

[@janeyrevanescence12]

I've always said that Rey is a Kathleen Kennedy insert.

[@dinomonzon7493]

Wonder which Good or Bad Hero type James Bond and/or MacGyver would fall into... or Tom Cruise's Maverick or Ethan Hunt?

[@danielbrown9368]

The entire core of a hero, and a leader for that matter, is their core being and motivation is to help their group. Not themselves. And they are willing to sacrifice for that greater good. Rey is not this in any way, it is only about what she wants. That is why she failed.

[@andrewteichroeb8886]

The worst hero, in my opinion, is Osha from The Acolyte. I don't think I need to explain why.

[@nathantowns1999]

“Bad hero woman; good hero man!”

[@nathantowns1999]

I’m totally joking, but you should’ve seen your face, you who is about to reply to this

[@mr.efilmans2ndchannel594]

Mr. McNulty, would you mind doing a video showing what the differance between character development and character asassanation, please? 🙏🏼