So, can dislikeable characters be protagonists?
Yes. Yes, they can.
Don’t believe me?
Have you ever seen Breaking Bad? Walter White was a bad guy. So was Jessie.
But we, the audience, cheered for Walter. We cheered for Jessie. We hated Hank. Hank was the one of the dislikeable characters in the show.
Hank was the cop. He is hellbent on protecting his family from drug kingpins and trying to find the makers and distributors of a highly pure and addicting form of meth.
AND.
WE.
HATED.
HIM.
Walter and Jessie, on the other hand, the ones making and distributing the drug, were the heroes.
WALTER AND JESSIE WERE THE BAD GUYS, AND WE LOVED THEM.
But, Ryn, this is a book & writer blog, so why are we talking about Breaking Bad, a TV show?
Well, because someone had to WRITE those dislikeable characters, and Breaking Bad is so well-known. Even if you’ve seen it or not. Breaking Bad was my college lecturer’s example to discuss this topic with us. When he did, I hadn’t seen the show. However, I understood what he was saying, so I feel Breaking Bad is a brilliant example.
I’ll start by saying I watched Breaking Bad with my ex. He liked both Jessie and Walter, whereas Walter was a character I couldn’t back up for most of the series. (I understood him in the first season, but he lost me after that.) He always had a selfish motive, even when he did “good” things. Jessie was a weaker soul that Walter controlled and needed more help and support. However, Walter needed support before the start to stand up to his wife and then more manageable medical costs, which is the reason he started making and selling.
Walter, Jessie and Hank (and Skylar) are examples of how the stereotypical story roles can be reversed and make an audience put aside their morals.
Walter and Jessie were drug dealers.
They were fully aware of how addictive and detrimental their version of the substance was and worked towards perfecting their version and making it better – more addictive.
Hank was the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), whose sole job was to contain and clear the country of all illegal substances.
Even if you’ve never seen Breaking Bad, book lovers at some point will fall victim to or hear about the morally grey character.
The Morally Grey Character
For anyone unsure, the morally grey character is the character within a story which can neither be considered good nor evil. Their morals and intentions can sway from each opposing side. They could start a third side in which no one holds loyalty to the two big powers, or their intentions will always align with what is best for their own growth and survival. The big attraction to morally grey characters is that they usually have the most apparent and relatable flaws of any of the characters in the story. The “tragic backstory, but unredeemable victim” villain can have understandable beginnings, but their actions are so terrible that they are pitied, not to the point of redemption. The hero is usually very good, with minor to no flaws. They may have a sad childhood or be flung into an unknown world/situation with which the reader can empathise.
However, the big thing about the morally grey character is they try to keep neutral, giving advice, and the more you learn, the more you can feel connected to them. Almost as if this would be who you would want to be or meet in that story’s situation. So, despite them sometimes aligning with and helping the villain, the audience will still root for them.
The “Tragically Confused Villain”
Another situation is the “tragically confused villain” being the one who people like. Draco Malfoy is a good example. He was a bully and eventually aligned with the Death Eaters, but everyone could understand his position. His whole family were Death Eaters; he grew up around them. He was sheltered from knowing the true horrors of what Voldemort was capable of. That was until Voldemort didn’t take too kindly to Lucious Malfoy and made him and Narcissa suffer. It was then it dawned on Draco, but it was too late. He had no one to run to. No one could make him feel safe. Plus, even if he did, it would mean leaving his parents to rot under Voldemort and probably being punished for his actions.
The morally grey and understandable villain are two ways an audience can feel connected and empathic towards the “undesirable” side. Breaking Bad is an even better example of how you can turn these characters into protagonists. Ones who everyone rallies behind and discards the stereotypical hero (Hank). Even though I will admit, the actor who portrays Hank (Dean Norris) never really plays a good-leaning character. His characters are normally always someone who isn’t the villain or morally grey but just a bit off.
He is an incredibly brilliant actor and is good at those roles.
As for Walter and Jessie, Walter can fit into both morally grey and “tragic backstory, but unredeemable victim” trope, depending on how you view his character. Jessie can fit into a “tragically confused villain”.
Walter’s reasons for starting to manufacture meth were that he needed money for extortionate medical bills and to leave money behind for his family once he passed. Since he had a son with cerebral palsy and a new-born daughter. His other side comes after the first or second season, where Walter’s actions have more weight on his moral compass. His actions lead him to an unredeemable character status while still teetering on the line of morally grey.
Jessie, on the other hand, is very much like Draco. He falls into a bad situation at a young age, then someone much older than him takes advantage of his confused personal and moral compass. When he wakes up to reality, it is too hard for him to truly escape.
Conclusion
In the end, I fully believe that not only can conventionally dislikeable characters be protagonists, I think it makes for a much more interesting story. Breaking Bad was captivating because the story pulled the audience to side with the supposed bad guys. Harry Potter was (and still is) a world favourite because of the complexity of the characters. I don’t think another show or story could live up to the hype of either Breaking Bad or Harry Potter, but I will happily be proven wrong any day.
