Red from Angry Birds
I like writing angry characters. Something about having a hero unleash their rage makes me put a lot more into a scene. Yeah, I’m probably angry a lot myself, which is why I connect to this emotion more than others. Then again, a lot can happen when somebody loses their temper. They can make a mistake or defeat an obstacle. Anger isn’t always a bad thing as long as you use it correctly. I mean, it isn’t too far off from stubborn defiance and determination.
An angry hero isn’t very unusual because this tends to be the mode that most anti-heroes fall into. Hulk, Punisher, Wolverine, Guy Gardner, Red (above), and so many others take their strength from losing their cool. This makes it difficult for them to work within groups unless they’re the leaders or the dynamic is designed to accommodate them. It really is hard to depend on a hero that might snap and go charging into a fight without thinking. This action tends to force the others into a situation that they might have been trying to avoid. For example, the plan is to sneak into the enemy base and make off with the new doomsday device. Instead, the angry hero overhears two guards making fun of his mother and now you’re battling through an army of goons. Worst part is that the berserker is rarely apologetic about their outbursts.
Most times this type of character is used to create friction among the other heroes. They get along with others to a point, but they maintain a standoffish aura to make sure people know that they’re ticking time bombs. It makes for entertaining tension, but I will admit that it gets old. Most characters can’t maintain the rage-a-holic role for a full adventure and this gets even trickier if you’re doing comics, which is where they tend to be more common. Sure, it’s fun to have them snap at others or create problems because their fists were feeling twitchy. It really helps to bring a blossoming group together and force them to mature. We’ve all had to figure out a way to deal with someone that works off one of the more troublesome emotions. Heck, I’m sure most of us have been that someone at some point in our lives. The thing is that, much like in real life, tension caused by a single person can get old and frustrating after a while.
Well, that’s another purpose for the angry hero. I think being temperamental and overreacting to situations is fairly common. Many people get angry about what is happening in their lives, so a hero that functions off this emotion can draw them into the story. That person is reacting like I want to or have reacted. More importantly, we get to see if they can overcome their rage, which can be self-destructive if allowed to go on for too long. For example, I’ve met people who were always angry, but read a Wolverine comic where he was meditating, so they tried it for themselves. This might be putting a lot on the shoulders of the character, but fictional heroes can be looked up to by the readers. Them developing beyond their anger can give hope to readers that feel like they’re in the same situation. On the other end of the spectrum, you can demonstrate what happens if you stay angry for too long.
In my own stories, the poster girl for anger is Nyx. She began with a really short fuse that made her a danger to others. She would even dive into fights without thinking and get herself injured. Over time, she’s mellowed to a point where she gets angry for good reason and controls it. Honestly, I think Nyx has spent so much time around Timoran that she’s inadvertently learned the barbarian way of using a primal rage as a weapon. Although the truth is that she found a reason to be happy and naturally settled down into a more reasonable hero. An evolution can be subtle like this where even the author wakes up one day to realize their berserker isn’t going wild at the drop of a hat any more. It’s probably better this way, but that’s just me. An intervention or severe beating can get the job done too.
Have you ever written an angry hero? Do you have one that you remember or is a favorite?
Legends of Windemere 
Great post, Charles! I really cannot remember having ever written an angry hero. My bad. 😦
There will definitely be one in an upcoming story. Thank you for this reminder!
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They’re an acquired taste. I think a lot of authors avoid them because of the negativity that stems from anger. It’s hard to balance with some kind of positive.
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The truth in my case is sad, Charles: I never considered an angry character! Anger is part of everyday life – therefore it should at least occasionally be part of a story.
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Have you ever had a character angry even temporarily? That seems to be more common than one fueled entirely by rage.
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One or two of them have been slightly annoyed. An enraged character is something else, therefore I feel the need to have one in an upcoming story. I love a good challenge. 😉
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Good luck with it. For some reason, the annoyed thing makes me think of a Hulk parody. ‘You won’t like me when I’m slightly peeved!’ *turns a little green and pushes over a garbage can*
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😀
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This is a good character arc for the angry hero. They change for better or worse. Either way it serves as an example. Good post.
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Thanks. It’s definitely a fun arc. One that I prefer to go up and down a bunch. Anger is so easy to fall into.
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Thomas Covenant… the angry anti-hero… a perfect characterisation.
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Keep hearing about him, but I need to look into the books. My thoughts always go to Wolverine and Punisher, but that’s my comic book background. I’ve noticed fantasy tends to put the dwarves as the angry heroes. Gimli was always rather surly.
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The Covenant books are quite dark… but very beautiful too.
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Dark can be fun. As long as there’s a little hope.
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There is always hope 😉
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for the reblog
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Welcome Charles- Good points 👍😃
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Thanks. I get those from time to time. 😛
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👍😄😄😄
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Great Blog! My hero does get frustrated at times but I like the angry idea.
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Thanks. Frustration is another fun one. Can lead to some interesting scenes.
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Of any that already exist, I tend to gravitate toward Wolverine. It may be the berserker rage, it might be the healing factor…but I’ve always found him to be awesome. With my own writing, the first to come to mind is Travis. He’s not usually outwardly angry, but it’s pretty much always there under the surface. He had started out in an abusive home. Then for the next decade or so, things seemed to turn around…and then various situations have cropped up to piss him off and he can definitely hold a grudge. I’m not sure if I’d characterize him as being an angry hero (or anti-hero), but he does have that streak to him.
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Wolverine may have been the first one I was exposed to. Either him or Punisher. I think I got a little bored with Wolverine when it started looking like his healing factor was as strong or weak as it needed to be. Took a spear through the gut and kept on walking without a care. Bopped on the head with a brick and he’s out? Didn’t really add up too well.
Internal anger is an interesting twist on the theme. The character is angry, but it never comes out like a rage. It can still be a driving factor in some fashion. Makes sense since everybody has their own way to handle anger. Some lash out and others bottle it.
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Thanks Charles.. I think having been brought up that anger tantrums were not allowed It was a while before I recognised the force of real anger.. I do get angry sometimes but I think my characters tend to have a controlled approach to it and then murder the person instead! Might have to work on that.. I have put in the blogger daily coming out later…Sally
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I’m guessing a lot of people are like that. We get told to keep our anger to ourselves as we grow up or to at least find a ‘healthy’ way to release it. Yet, I don’t think our anger-fueled obstacles are anything like what a hero would deal with. So, it’s a different level that what most of us would know. The usual methods of handling it like we would a tantrum don’t hold the same weight. Thanks for the inclusion.
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Pleasure Charles..
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Like Nyx, the protagonist in my new novel readily expresses anger (actually, all emotions!) and swears with abandon. One of the lessons she had to learn was how to channel the anger so it worked for and not against her when in battle. However, she’s also a black-belt martial artist and does know how to exercise self-control. Throughout the novel, she slowly evolved into a formidable hero. I love writing the occasional effusive scene; it not only ignites the plot and allows for some unexpected twists, but also gives me the freedom to express just about anything. Great post, Charles. Really enjoyed 🙂
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Thanks. I used to have cursing in my Windemere books, but figured it was better to get rid of the heavy ones. So Nyx says idiot and moron among the other mild ones. It’s funny how a long series can defuse an angry hero even without the author noticing. At some point, Nyx wasn’t getting upset as easily. She still unleashed the rage in situations that one could understand like being threatening or friends getting hurt. Did you find adding the martial arts background helped with the tempering?
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Yes; in fact, it was the key element in tempering Phoebe’s outbursts. Her Shifu (teacher) also reined her in on several occasions, and because she had such respect for him, she always took it to heart.
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Very cool. Sounds like a rather natural way to go with the evolution.
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Good post. I have not written an angry hero but understand how surprising it must be for an author to see the hero get mellow over time.
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I think the surprise fades into acceptance fairly quickly. Kind of nice to know they’re not going to die of a rage-induced heart attack at some point. Haven’t you had one or two angry characters in your Wednesday stories?
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Oh, but those are so short lived and not on a par with your books. I was thinking novels
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I vote that they count. Characters are still characters regardless of length. 😁
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Okay. I accept that. Mine tend to slow boil.
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Reblogged this on Words To Captivate ~ by John Fioravanti and commented:
Charles Yallowitz talks to us about angry heroes – the challenges and the benefits. An interesting read!
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Thanks for the reblog.
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You’re welcome, Charles.
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This is an interesting post, Charles – I can identify!
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Thanks. Getting the feeling that this is more common than I realized.
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I sure did for a spell and still do once in a while. Those characters are great for working off steam. 😛 😀 Great post, Charles.
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Totally agree about that steam release. Can be really cathartic at the right time.
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Anger is a strong emotion and a great motivation. I don’t think I’ve ever really written an angry character before, but I have had ideas for it.
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I’m seeing a lot of people in that position. Angry characters definitely have their appeal, but it looks like their personality barbs make them standoffish even to the authors.
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That’s true, you have to be careful on the anger front. Some characters may come off as selfish or something.
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Good point. I think that still works though. Adds another personality hurdle to get over. 🙂
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Definitely. 🙂
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Conflict is essential in a good story, and that’s bound to evoke a certain amount of anger in the characters. Anger can be fun, too – I come out with some of my best one-liners when I’m angry, and this goes for my characters, too!
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Never thought of the one-liner aspect of anger. My characters tend to come up with colorful threats and insults when enraged.
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Back in the day, I remember complaints when X-men writers started to mellow Wolverine a bit. He was fond of Kitty, back when she was 13, and once called her Punkin. Oh, the letters Marvel got!
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I’m not surprised. He was one of the earlier anti-heroes of comic books, so a mellowing was probably unexpected and feared. I remember one of the earlier writers for the X-Men saying the fun of Wolverine was that you never knew when he’d go berserk.
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