Antonio del Drago

This is Part 7 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. Constructing a proper story without an excellent villain is almost impossible. Their absence from a story is almost always limited to plotlines in which the hero is his own worst enemy, and the story focuses on him defeating inner demons. More commonly, the … Read more

This is Part 6 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. The Fatal Flaw In some cases, a character’s flaw may be so pronounced that it is almost a defining quality. A good example is Superman’s debilitating reaction to Kryptonite. Without this single weakness, Superman would likely be one of the most boring fictional … Read more

This is Part 5 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. Destined The hero is sometimes selected for a special task by the hand of fate itself. This characteristic is primarily found in fantasy and religious settings, which are well-suited for narratives with a mystical element. In order for destiny to play a hand, … Read more

This is Part 4 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. As mentioned in Part 3 of this series, a hero is capable of experience fear, but moves forward regardless. He knows that his course could mean the death of him. In some cases, this truth is grimly ever present. And grimmer still, sometimes … Read more

This is Part 3 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. Characteristics of a Hero The characteristics that you give your character are entirely up to you. The hero archetype does have some characteristics that are synonymous with the role, however. While you are not required to use all of them (or any of … Read more

This is Part 2 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. The Hero Archetype An archetype, in simplified terms, is essentially a defining quality or qualities that summarize a character into a label. One of these is “hero.” The hero is an archetype for a character, as is the anti-hero, the villain, the mentor, … Read more

This is Part 1 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. Heroes and villains are nothing short of cornerstones within the literary world. Their incarnations have appeared in nearly every literary work, with very little and debatable exception. Throughout this series, you will be given a detailed insight into the worlds of heroes and … Read more