How to write a FLAWED HERO...that will make your readers fall in love

What causes us to fall head-over-heels in LOVE with a main character? Is it something about their personality, their chemistry with the supporting characters, or how "perfectly heroic" they are? We've asked ourselves this question many, many times, and we believe the answer is just the opposite: it's not about how "perfect" your character is...it's actually about how flawed, human, and relatable your they are. THAT is the secret ingredient that keeps us coming back for more, and that's what we're breaking down in this special Story Mining episode of the show: how to craft flawed heroes your audience will fall in love with!
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All movie clips and soundtracks used for educational purposes under the Fair Use law. Iron Man (2008) copyright Marvel Entertainment Studios. The Musketeers (2014) copyright BBC Studios. Around The World In 80 Days (2021) copyright BBC Studios and Masterpiece.

[@Dreagona]

I needed this. Kate and Abbie once again giving me courage as a writer. You two are a blessing

[@KAEmmons]

Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here!

[@sarawawa8984]

I like when flawed people face the consequences of their flaws or poor decisions. It’s painful but cathartic because they learn and grow from it, become better people. The consequences aren’t overly harsh either, they’re fairly given so that even the hero recognizes their role int eh consequence and typically comes around to accepting it. A situation where they are forced to realize that they really have no one to blame for the situation but themselves and then they’d ms finally see how they also played a role in a lot of other situations. It’s so painful, so good, and helps the characters grow so much

[@marissascudlo5371]

I love the fact you guys used The Musketeers, it was a great show.

[@lianilgesfantasyautorin]

Hey you two. I love your videos, especially this one, but I wished that you would have gone deeper in that. For example: Instead of saying "He's a very flawed character" you maybe could have have mentioned WHICH flaws. Arrogance would be one that comes to my mind while thinking about Tony Stark in his first movie. Only to name one. Love and support from Germany 😊

[@Lolz4249]

“The flaw sparks the journey” fabulous! 🤩

[@snaketooth0943]

What about Woody from Toy Story (1995)? At the start of the movie, he is egotistical, then when Buzz arrives, he becomes jealous of Buzz but over the course of the story he lets go of that jealousy and becomes a better person.

[@jacindaellison3363]

My favorite flawed hero is Justin from The Endless. He is faaaaaaar from a perfect hero but the movie does a wonderful job showing his internal conflict and his dynamic with his younger brother. Btw, Kate I'm late to the party, too, wiht the MCU, lol! Black Panther was my first MCU movie, with Endgame in second. Speaking of the latter, I wish that BP's protagonist was more flawed. He was a better character in the SMALL role he played in Civil War than he was in his OWN movie! Yes, he wants to put Wakanda first and not get involved w/ other conflicts, as well be the king his father wants him to be, but all he really does is keep that misbelief. Yeah, he breaks it a little when he brings Everett Ross back to Wakanda, but he mostly holds that misbelief. If he did, I believe it was told not shown. W/ Iron Man, Tony doesn't just believe he's doing the right thing by selling his weapons, he IS selling the weapons. We are shown it.

[@Sammy50599]

I miss Tony Stank 🥺😭

[@grim.sleeper]

Ahh, this is exactly what I need! You two are amazing and have changed my writing life

[@Mara.O.Garner]

Flawed characters are so interesting! Another great show which does this very well is Arcane😍

[@malindashumpert7956]

I needed this video right now since I'm struggling with creating good character flaws for my main characters.

[@Reine996]

Thank you for the video! So helpful. Could we have another video that points out the flaws too. Like instead of tony stark is flawed maybe point out those flaws so we can get examples.That would be super super helpful for newbie’s like us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for this video. 🙏🏼

[@anniek1746]

I would love that as well!!

[@cottagestoryteller]

This has inspired me so much! I realized I'm being much too hard on my characters for being so flawed. Thank you for helping me realize I need to give the MC opportunities to showcase their strengths as well, and how they can overcome their internal conflict.

[@larkgreta8847]

Oh yes, thanks for this! I love all these flawed characters. As always, so much care goes into your videos, they’re top notch! Around the world in 80 days was so good. Since you love British dramas, I think you would LOVE some of the more recent K-dramas like Crash Landing on You and Vincenzo. They’re sooo good and addictive!

[@johnmichael_]

Thankyou for making this video! This helped me make some well needed decisions in my story! :)

[@Hiushisan]

Want a flawed hero with a sublime redemption arc? The character Endeavor from My Hero Academia is one. Spoilers for the series ahead, so I'll try to put enough spaces in this comment to put the spoiler behind "Read More". The character sacrifices everything, even his relationship with his wife and kids, some of them getting physically hurt in the process, all towards a goal of becoming the number one hero, A title held by another prominent character. At a certain point in the series, he is handed the position by default after the aforementioned number one retires for reasons I won't spoil here. Instead of being happy that he got what he wanted, he begins to question his entire career and all of the horrible things he's done, and changes over time from being a character you'd tend to hate, into a character you sympathize with and root for. He isn't even the main character of the series and his arc is this good.

[@thesamuraiman]

Iron Man 1 is arguably a better written movie than half the MCU because it was made because Disney bought Marvel and Disney-ified everything. After Iron Man 1 and The Hulk, they all feel pretty cookie-cutter and generic. 💜⚡️

[@jacindaellison3363]

What about The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame?

[@Amy_Mi6]

Ah, yes, the red shirt characters 😆 Also like "Guy" in "Galaxy Quest" ... so funny 😁

[@worthfightingfor2299]

Ooo, I'm so excited to watch this, I know it'll be amazing!!!

[@KAEmmons]

Thank you for being here! I hope you enjoy this episode 🙏

[@worthfightingfor2299]

@@KAEmmons I did indeed, it was awesome and super helpful!!!

[@Catherine_Longstaff]

Great discussion, as always! A favorite hero of mine is Matt Murdock from Daredevil. Throughout the whole show, he is butting up against his fears and misbeliefs, and it is so interesting to watch his journey as a character.

[@jamiewingler5848]

K.A. - Just finished The Blood Race (Audible version). Really enjoyed it. Nice job!

[@moonstar6285]

Do you have any suggestions of books with deeply flawed characters? I’d love to know. Also, great video! Learning something new with your episodes.

[@opalfenwick3953]

@Moon Star The Secret Garden, The Isle of Swords and The Isle of Fire, Fig, The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

[@sayuriwickramasingha1560]

a song of ice and fire

[@raymantisful]

"BBC productions its mainly what we watch"....um...."british drama" oh that's what she meant

[@jackiejackman8664]

Iron man is definitely my favorite unlikely hero!

[@nihonarekun]

Im writing a flawed character but idk if im doing it the right way, got some feedback from a writing teacher that my MC is too over the top and that i should consider writing the story from another characters perspective (kinda like how sherlock holmes books are about him but through dr watsons pov) But that doesnt rly work for my story so we will se how it goes xP maybe its doomed but idk

[@themilkywayuniverse6962]

13:39 Oh the love the Musketeers shame it was only for three seasons

[@lovelightshine2329]

Go watch that? Am I the only one to suffer character transformation from watching Poldark (Thanks Abbie) Kate's yoga came in handy during that season - but I am a Jules Verne fan so...

[@chimwekele7936]

Thank you so much, Kate and Abbie!! This is EXACTLY what I need.

[@danielabulla1626]

TONY!! \0/

[@moneypapinyc8624]

The BBC part of the British dramas was my fav lol funny moment lol

[@erinhastings6679]

I love this video. I love how you picked action and adventure films and shows to show in this video. It shows and inspires me that action and adventure movies and shows can be character driven as well instead on focusing on a plot driven story in these films and shows.

[@JS-hd5uy]

I think this episode could’ve used a little more conflict. 😏

[@audreymaccready5778]

A book is not a movie so I think it is not always helpful to use movies to illustrate your lessons. The first paragraph of a book cannot, by definition, show a scene the way a movie can. The pressure on a writer to launch the reader into the middle of the action is misplaced. To say that we should have the inciting incident on page one means producing books that are film-scripts. Don't do it! Either write a book - or a film script. They're not the same.

[@Aliphbay]

interesting

[@angelabublitz5912]

The CW show Supernatural NAILED character flaws, relationship dynamics and internal conflicts...but especially the relationships.

[@glenchaney5170]

You have mentioned "red shirt guys" in a couple videos. I would like to suggest Galaxy Quest. It is a well written dramedy sort of based on the star trek concept.

[@marykedewitt1362]

Thanks for a great video!! I absolutely love when you give story examples and show it!! Super helpful xxx

[@JerodimusPrime]

A brilliant series that has flawed characters you end up routing for is Versailles. One of the best shows I've seen in ages. 3 seasons of excellence.

[@danielchapman6032]

Flawed protag? Bilbo Baggins. From start to finish what an arc.

[@NoRoundBrown]

Great work! Made writing my essay on heroes much easier 🙏🏽

[@thesamuraiman]

💜⚡️

[@Kevin-kr2ic]

What about wanda?

[@samsfierybush8450]

But she isn't a heroooo

[@sallyreno6296]

The reason Tony Stark is loved is because of Robert Downey Jr.'s awesome talent. Otherwise, he's just a jerk.

[@jessiemayfield6749]

This is such a good point but the flaws and hero’s here are so bland. Like Iron man is literally just oh no he’s a rich guy who likes to drink and is a bit rude. Then now he’s the hero. Superhero movies are very into glorifying the military and rich men. It’s very boring

[@ibn_adham]

You're being a bit reductionist. Tony had debilitating flaws that ripped the Avengers apart. I understand that the upper class of society irl is a bit of a drag on society, but upper class characters in fiction don't have to be reflective of that.