How to Write Morally Good Heroes (Writing Advice)

Learn how to write old school, morally good heroes--with examples from Captain America, Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Rocky!

Get Brandon's horror/thriller novel The Half Murders:

Get Brandon's horror/thriller novel BAD PARTS:

Get Brandon's supernatural thriller novel ENTRY WOUNDS:

NOTE: Some of my links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos. This does not affect my review of products. All opinions are my own. Thanks for the support!

Follow Brandon McNulty:

#WritingAdvice #WritingTips #Writing #author #betterstories #authortube #booktube #authortuber #howtowrite #BrandonMcNulty #WriterBrandonMcNulty #BadParts #WritingCommunity

=======================================

CHECK OUT MY OTHER VIDEOS:

Mastering Scene Structure:

Writing Scenes that Flow:

5 Fatal Mistakes that New Writers Make

5 Time-Saving Tips for Writers (And Readers!)

5 Scientific Inaccuracies in Movies, TV, & Books

The BEST Writing Exercise Out There

How to Write a Book Pitch

Writing Villains #1 - Start with Your Hero

Writing Villains #2 - Goals

Writing Villains #3 - Motivation

Writing Villains #4 - When to Introduce Your Villain

Writing Villains #5 - Plot Points for Villains

Writing Villains #6 - Impacting the Hero

The Anatomy of Story REVIEW:

Save the Cat Writes a Novel REVIEW:
=======================================

[TedMattos]

I would consider Samwise Gamgee, from Lord of the Rings one of my favorite morally good heroes.

[AskAScreenwriter]

Don't forget that “morally good” does NOT necessarily mean gullible or stupid.

There was a Superman comic where some thieves (I think) coated a dockside warehouse in lead foil so Superman couldn't use his X-ray vision to see inside of it. Almost as soon as they got to the warehouse after making their heist, Superman shows up even before they have time to unload their stolen goods. When they asked him how he found them so quickly, he just said something like “There's only one warehouse in the entire area that's coated in lead. Where do you think I'd check first?”

[raymk]

That grenade scene is one of the finest "show, don't tell" scenes in the history of cinema.
The writer established the relationships between each character, the conflict, and the resolution in less than a minute.
So simple, so elegant.

[austrociking]

Favorite morally good hero? Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings

[kendomyers]

The scene where the NYC train riders reached out to keep Spiderman from falling had a deep impact on my mother because of her experience

She was brand new to the United States in the 80s, carrying my older brother alone when he was still a newborn. She had heard New Yorkers were rude and had already experienced a little rudness. She grew up in London so the big city life wasn't new to her.

She was trying to work her way down to the subway, there was no elevator. Trying to carry my brother in one arm and push the stroller down the stairs with the other in the rush of people was really difficult.

She slipped and started falling, time slowed down as she cradled my brother, her newborn son, and braced for impact.

But instead she felt a dozen hands reach out and steady her, she found she was still on her feet.

A voice asked her if she was OK, she steadied herself, the hands melted back into crowd, then someone carried the pram down for her without asking as she walked the rest of the way to the bottom of the stairs.

She will never forget that moment the cold, uncaring city suddenly became human and protected her and her son, then quietly went back to it's business.

[jlb]

Great video. About the MCU Captain America, in the first Avengers movie Tony Stark is needling Rogers, saying everything special about him came in a bottle. It's so funny how untrue that is, what makes him really special he had LONG before he got the super serum, it's that goodness and his willingness to do the right thing even when he didn't have the strength & stature to back it up.

[scotthallgv]

Favorite? I know it seems kinda cheap to say this being that it was the focus of the video, but its always been Cap. Since I was a kid Ive loved this character and what he stands for. Like you said, he seems corny to a lot of people but to me his sincerity shines through and is aspirational. Cap is uncomplicated, direct, stalwart and thats appealing to me.

[PhoenixCrown]

Aang from ATLA is my favorite moral character. He is a pacifist charged with ending a tyrant's murderous reign. He struggles and is challenged repeatedly, and the climax of the show is incredibly powerful.

[errantwinds-upuu]

I liked Cap because he was getting challenged all the time. He's genuinely my favourite Marvel character even when people have said it was "lame."

[johnbrittaustin]

Also, Brandon: I have saved every single one of your videos I’ve ever watched, not because I’m a fanboy but because your advice is just that good. Rock solid, every time. Thank you.

[teddyhaines]

I think it's worth keeping in mind that what counts as a morally good hero can vary depending on the story and setting. For instance, comic book movies will generally require that such heroes don't kill anyone, but fantasy stories are often fine with morally upright heroes killing within reason. Compare Superman to Obi-Wan Kenobi or Samwise - the latter two certainly don't enjoy killing, but they'll do it if necessary.

[ardidsonriente]

Ashitaka is my absolute top.
His calm recognition of the circumstances, his indestructible composure, his permanent opposition to violence, his defense and acceptance of everyone, even those who are directly harming him, his politeness, his empathy, his absolutely rock solid morals, the way he assumes responsability without never expecting anything in return, not even to keep his life at the end, his ability to negotiate and truly lead normal people, his sincere, incredibly corageous openness to the unknown... He manages to be young, mature, honest and authentic at the same time.
Such a badass.

[Aaron-kjdv]

The reason I love Cap so much is because he's so morally good.

The writers do a good job making him stubborn and not always "good" for example him helping Bucky in the movie Civil War 3 was actually him helping a terrorist escape but he was so clouded by how much he loved his friend and his distrust of the government.

So his idealism and goodness is a flaw. He wants Bucky to be innocent and knows he probably is because he was brainwashed but there should be a process, not just Steve going "trust me bro"

[AllAhabNoMoby]

I never used to like Captain America, until Civil War, where he stands up against Government control, against fascism really. The writers really understood what a character like his would do under those circumstances, and he became an example for everyone who prefers dangerous freedom over (illusory) security.

[Kai]

My favourite morally good hero is Captain Picard. I think he's a great example of a leader with integrity and a moral compass and a fascinating character still

[umeayemundafatpanda]

Hi Brandon! I don’t know if you’ll see this or not but I just wanted to say thank you for all these videos! They have helped me with my book a lot and I learned a lot from them. I really enjoy these and please continue making them, thank you!

[Spades]

I've always liked Sonic, moreso his comic book counterparts than his in-game personality. He's super arrogant and sometimes insensitive, always showing off and taunting his opponents, knowing he'll always win in the end. But when his abilities are truly tested and the doubt sets in, he doesn't let up. He'll fight a losing fight and still try his best when he has everything to lose, and you realize he's not doing what he does because it's easy or fun, even though it clearly is a game to him most of the time. He doesn't do it to impress anyone or because it makes him feel stronger than his adversaries, despite what his showmanship might say. He fights because it's what is right, and what is necessary. He fights because he loves his friends more than anything and won't bear to see them hurt or dead. I like Sonic's heroism because it always looks like it comes from a place of ego, but under all the bravado and style is pure selflessness.

[srinblmlmlke]

this style of video has quickly become my favorite style of video. I feel like even if you’re not a writer they’re so entertaining. I wouldn’t mind if you redid past videos with new examples.

[DeclanFisher-wrqe]

Great video, Brandon! also, while I understand the argument of these heroes lacking depth, I have a simple, 5-word counterargument:
*Po from Kung Fu Panda*
He's probably one of the best heroes in animation, he's funny, awesome, compelling, and actually quite deep. (plus, being voiced by Jack Black is a huge plus) I think he checks off all the boxes for writing a good hero like this.

[LaserLady]

I see this SOOO much with your writing, Brandon!
If anyone watching needs an example - BUY HIS BOOKS! He practices what he preaches.