The reason is quite simple: we identify with them.  We see through their eyes.  We embody them in every aspect of ourselves.  We are human and so are they.  We want to be the hero and sometimes the villain.

That is why there are few things worse in any story than a completely unbelievable villain or hero.  A hero you cannot root for or a villain whose goals simply make no sense are incredibly difficult to read and even more difficult to watch on a 40ft screen.  That's why character creation is one of the most difficult aspects of writing.  Cataloguing and detailing the desires, strengths, weaknesses, and dark secrets of a character can be downright exhausting, especially when introducing a counterpart who embodies the exact opposite.  The most important thing to remember when creating said hero or villain is what aspects of the characters can be identified with.

In my years of writing fictional material, I’ve developed a fairly strong formula to creating the basics of the hero and the villainous counterpart.  Of course the major details must be filled in by the creator but the minutia is pretty much the same across the board.  Once you have outlined the basics of your characters life: race, sex, national origin, parentage, religion, place of birth, etc. you will be ready for the next step in Hero Creation.

Ask the following 5 Alter-Ego Questions while determining the basis of your character:
 
1)    Who does my character emulate in his personal life?

2)    What event illuminates my character to the concept of being a hero?

3)    When does my character discover the possibility of being a hero?

4)    Does my character want to be a hero?

5)    How does my character discover the possibility of being a hero?

Now these questions are very straightforward and can be answered easily with simple one line responses.  But you could answer them in greater detail, covering every nuance, and that will always provide better information for the next section because the journey doesn’t stop there.  After asking the 5 Alter-Ego Questions you must now ask the 5 Hero Questions:

1)    Did the illuminating event itself transform my character into a hero without his decision or did the consequences of said event inspire the concept within him?

2)    Do the characters that are emulated by my character reinforce any inspirations in his development as a hero or do they adversely affect his decision in the role?

3)    When my character realizes that he can become a hero, what exactly is the guiding force that reinforces his decision to become one?

4)    What effect does the catastrophe that occurs, allowing my character to actually act as a hero, have on his capacity for selfishness or altruism?

5)    Do the responsibilities of being a hero, coupled with events in my characters detailed past, have any effect on his choice to actually be or decline to be a hero?

Remember, any and all heroes can be applied to this basic formula.  Naïve, young and imaginative Bruce Wayne was adored by his parents who shielded him from the atrocities of Gotham City through their wealth.  When his parents were gunned down before his eyes, Bruce vows to avenge them by never allowing such an act to happen again if he can stop it.  He devotes his life to becoming an avatar of fear.  He becomes Batman.  And he never uses a gun when battling criminals.  All these basic facts can be dissected and drawn back to the Alter Ego Questions which in-turn inspires the Hero Questions.

Once the questions are answered, you will be able to determine the major basic functions of your hero.  Detailing the specifics are always up to you as the creator, but remember, just as every bit of information was important in making you who you are, every bit is important in detailing your character.  In your mind, these are thinking, breathing, living, and feeling constructs.  You know the details, but you never ask because they are second nature to you.  They make you human and believable so why shouldn’t they make your hero human and believable.  Detailing them for your audience can be difficult and may often seem tedious, but why would you ever be satisfied with creating just another Crazy Quilt or Henry Pym.

-Jarod Warren