Hulk and Thor from The Marvel Avengers
There’s something about having a monster as a hero that’s fascinating. I’m talking about a character who is monstrous in power and appearance. Their actions are heroic and for a good cause, but first glance would make you think ‘dangerous beast’. Hulk is easily the best example thanks to the movies. Though we’ve also seen bad attempts at making Frankenstein’s Monster a good guy as well as hit and miss vampire heroes. All of them have a scary appearance and power that was once reserved for villains. So, how did they become heroes?
As I said, it’s entirely about their actions, thoughts, and motives. Hulk once fought to be left alone, but he would step in to help the innocent. He was an angry beast with a conscience that was looking for a place to settle down in peace. That is relatable to anyone and can be seen as a human goal. So you want to add some humanity to your monster because that is where the heroism and connection comes from. A monster who acts like a monster is either a villain or a force of nature that other characters manipulate to do good deeds. Yes, I have the newest Godzilla on . . . Guess I switched it to ‘The Expendables’ during a phone call. Can we count Dolph Lundgren in this?
Getting back on track, it’s the inside of a character that makes him or her a hero. One odd thing is that we find it easier to pick out a monster when the outside matches the inside. Flip this topic to a monster who doesn’t look like one. This is a normal, even attractive, character that does horrific things. Loki would be the equivalent here and you’ll see that it’s equally as difficult as the heroic monster. We’ve very quick to add humanity and a soft side to a character who looks ‘normal’. Remove more of the monster while one like the Hulk has moments of getting the human parts removed. Take Ultimate Hulk here:
Don’t worry. It’s only Wolverine.
This version was extreme. I remember him threatening, and possibly committing, cannibalism and his comments to Black Widow were disturbing. This version was a true monster to the bone that had just enough rationale to occasionally be used as a good guy until he went angry again. Still, my point here is that it comes off a lot easier to take a monstrous hero and push them into the darkness. You could even bat them back and forth if you feel like it. This makes it a rather flexible character type, but an author needs to be careful not to abuse it. With that variety comes the threat of having no solid foundation and people losing interest.
Now, I’m going to be attempting a Monster Hero at some point. This is a vampire character who is a monster and does what is right by his people even though it tends to be violent. After all, go too far hero and you might lose the monster side of things. Personally, I do like there being the threat of toppling over the edge into pure beast because that puts something on the line. You can’t hurt Hulk’s body, but you can damage his heart and soul.
So, do you have a favorite Monster Hero? Do you think it’s a category that even needs to exist or are they just heroes?
Legends of Windemere 
I love this idea, and have someone similar in my novel that needs editing. My inspiration was Marv from Sin City. There are quite a few out there, but you have to dig beyond the Hulk. Swamp thing, Toxic Avenger, Ben Grimm, etc.
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Marv is a great one and he’s also rather human. Maybe I’m just hung up on the monster behavior and not just the outward appearance at this point. Morbius is a good one, which makes me wonder if comics have been more successful than other mediums. Video games might have some great Monster Heroes too. Like Rampage and Altered Beast.
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That potential for disaster provides a lot of good tension. Makes them fun to work with.
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And easy to create enemies for them too. 🙂
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So easy. Someone his hunting him for a past indescression. Someone else doesn’t like the fact that he doesn’t follow home owner’s association rules. Whatever.
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Another monster that wants to be the ‘big’ monster by taking out the current champion. Also a ‘you killed someone I loved by accident’ type. Then the enraged gardener whose prized petunias got crushed.
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All good stuff.
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And I just imagined the Hulk innocently pointing at Bambi’s mother about those petunias.
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That will be in the Bambi live action remake.
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Now we know the truth. It was no gun shot that killed Bambi’s mother.
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Love the idea of a heroic monster. Glad you’ll explore that character. Um does James P. Sullivan from Monsters Inc. count? If not, Godzilla is a favorite as is the Hulk (not the ultimate version).
I can’t help thinking of Edward Cullen’s line in Twilight, “I don’t want to be a monster.” Okay. I won’t quote from Twilight again. 🙂
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I’m not sure about Sully only because he’s not really monstrous in behavior. He’s amazingly human. Godzilla is a good one because he does destroy a lot and act like a monster while doing ‘good’. I like how he turns up being a more neutral being. Really curious to see how the Godzilla/King Kong movie universe idea comes out.
Twilight . . . Yup. It existed and had disco ball vampires. That’s all I remember.
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Some of my favourite literary heroes are more anti-heroes… there is a lot to explore in psychology that makes the human more monstrous than the monsters; yet looking fine, they feel more terrifying.
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Anti-heroes are an odd lot. Though I think they’ve been getting darker in more modern times. It’s like violence and a hatred of authority is now part of the role.
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I know… and that leaves me cold. The inner conflict of the psyche is far more interesting and potentially chilling.
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Wonder what those types of heroes are called now.
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Probably not ‘heroes’… 😉
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You brought up a good point about anti-heroes.
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Thanks… a bit more interesting that tall, dark and handsome virtuosos…
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I explore this concept a lot in my work-most of the characters in The Book Of Lost Doors are monsters in some way. And I do think that it comes down to the choices that they make.
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Choices are definitely the key to what makes them a hero. There should be more books that explore it.
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Um. I think a good monster can be a hero. Evil is evil and hero status might be iffy.
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Evil going hero would require either a redemption storyline or it being told from their perspective. Many villains see themselves as the heroes.
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I love monsters; how they evolve, how they are perceived. I particularly like the contrasts and Hulk is a great example. There’s also a great level of unpredictability that must be fun to write – a complexity which make them so interesting to watch and read 🙂
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The unpredictability is a fun aspect of them. You get the sense that they’re always on the edge of going in the opposite direction in terms of heroism and morality.
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Ah, interesting question. I would put it that a monstrous-appearing character who wished to be regarded as a hero would have to have great patience and in some ways could never make a mistake. Patience with people who judge and respond with hatred or terror, and also because any small mistake or moment of temper could be taken as evidence that s/he isn’t a hero but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In my novel, The Grimhold Wolf, one of the characters becomes a “wolf man” type of werewolf (a hairy humanoid, like in the movie) and is continually mistaken for a demon. Villagers hunt her, etc.
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I can see that being a big problem. It is interesting how a character like that can have one mistake and be condemned, but one that is more attractive can gain forgiveness. There’s not even an explanation to it sometimes.
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