Duke Nukem

I’ve been thinking about a certain character type that confuses me.  This is the tough badass that stands upon a pile of bodies while laughing and screaming for the next challenger.  A few macho/defiant quips are thrown, injuries are ignored, and emotions are locked in a tiny box that has been launched into the sun.  There isn’t even a way to go into detail because you rarely get depth with such a character. I guess what I’m wondering is if this is still a thing that people want.

Here’s how I got to this curiosity.  My heroes show emotions and you see that a lot in SLEEPER OF THE WILDWOOD FUGUE.  Most of the cast have a crying or emotional freak out moment.  At the very least, they demonstrate doubt or guilt.  This isn’t even counting Dariana’s personality that I won’t spoil here.  I’ve always enjoyed a hero who shows emotions, but it seems to be an issue at times.  Crying is a big thing that some people hate to see action-based characters do.  Yet I see this as a way of having the character transcend their powers, warrior training, and all other physical badass traits.  It makes them human to me.

It makes me wonder if this tough character is no longer viable even though people sometimes act like they want it.  Possibly it can only be used as a supporting hero or a joke.  I’m torn on it because some days I enjoy a mindless, unstoppable murder machine story.  What do people think about this archetype?