Legends of Windemere

Not the best description for this hero type, but I’m not sure what to call them.  This isn’t even to be insulting.  What I mean are characters who are trying to do good, but seem to lack the mental abilities to outwit their adversaries.  Inspector Clouseau is a great example in that he isn’t the most aware of his surroundings and still ends up winning.  He isn’t stupid and has his heart in the right place.  Yet, you can’t see him being the guy to come up with a brilliant plan and outsmart the enemy.  Off the top of my head, I’m thinking of the Naked Gun movies, Get Smart, and Inspector Gadget.

That is a trend with these heroes.  Many times they’re spies or cops with some level of mystery.  They also show up predominantly in comedies if they’re to be the main character.  Supporting versions of this hero can be found everywhere like most of the Dwarven characters in The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies.  Anyway, I think part of the reason for the spy/cop connection is because these are characters who tend to stumble into positions of power.  They get a promotion for the big capture when they don’t entirely deserve it.  At least not by the opinions of those around them.  For example, Inspector Gadget gets helped by Penny and Brain to the point where they do most, if not all, of the legwork.  He’s definitely inspired by Maxwell Smart and Inspector Clouseau.

I’m guessing that this is a character archetype that was birthed from parody.  They are a tease on the highly intelligent, charming hero that never mentally falters and can take on an entire enemy organization single-handedly.  The super cop and super spy have been around for a long time, so these oblivious versions are definitely a response to that.  As I said earlier, they show up mostly in comedies and that’s where they tend to be the most successful.  But can they exist elsewhere?

A future series of mine will try to have a main character who tries to do good, but tends to stumble around in the dark.  His logic is rather flawed and he lets curiosity override his common sense.  This will be a somewhat serious series, which will be interesting to see how the character handles everything.  On a lesser note, Luke Callindor kind of falls into this category.  His friends will point out that he means well, but doesn’t always think things through.  Luke is more inclined to leap into danger and think on his feet, which means he isn’t an idiot.  He’s just impatient and not always aware of certain things such as women and their intentions toward him.  This seems to work well in a group since there are other characters to counteract this flaw.  Yet I wouldn’t say Luke is a great example of this.  At least he grows out of the worst of his impetuousness.

So, what should you consider when you make a character like this?

1. They should have some confidence in their abilities even if they aren’t as good as they think.  Not so much arrogant, but convinced that they are skilled.  Again, look at how confident Inspector Clouseau is and how that rarely shatters even when he obliviously stumbles into victory.  A win is a win after all.
2. There has to be some redeemable qualities to avoid this character becoming nothing more than a sad punch line.  Sure it’s fun to see him fall down the stairs and into a door that knocks the assassin into the path of a ‘Cleat Wearers Unite’ parade.  Yet that always happening can harm the character.  Make him have sparks of insight even if they’re wrong, be brave in the face of certain death, kindhearted to a fault, or something other than bumbling luck.  This makes the audience admire something about the hero and not look them solely as a sight gag.
3. It helps to have some of the other characters around them be aware of the hero’s flaws.  The villains can keep thinking that the whole thing is an act to throw them off, but those close to the hero should know something is off.  This isn’t to say they should be mean or insulting toward the hero.  Although there is always the one.  Instead, they should be supportive and maybe do the secret helping thing that Penny and Brain do.
4. If the hero does uncover that they are not as skilled as they thought then you need them to fall hard.  It’s not a fun thing to have the floor ripped out from under you, especially in this arena.  This is where the character reveals that they might be smarter than they thought and a sudden realization appears.  I know this is cliche, but it’s the easiest way to help them recover.  Sure, you can have the new realization be wrong and they still find a way to undo the villain’s plans.  Yet you do need to demonstrate why this person is your main character when they seem inept.

So, what do you think of these character types?