Why I Love The "Bad Boys"

Professor Severus Snape. Spike. Captain Jas. Hook. Dr. Horrible.

These guys are some of my favorites in all of literature/media. They all have these deep personalities, complex, somewhat mysterious, and...intriguing.

I loved Professor Snape from the first. There was something about him...some...hint of depth behind the cold, dark eyes. I was hardly disappointed with his arc. You could say that the whole story of the Harry Potter series began with him. He taught Harry the spell that became his [Harry's] trademark.

Dr. Horrible is played by Neil Patrick Harris. Need I say more? He just exudes innocence. Even if he's trying to do something to get into the Evil League of Evil.

I didn't always love Captain Hook and Spike. I found a book a year or two ago that opened my eyes to Captain Hook's amazing character. The tagline reads "Even a Villain Can Have a Hero's Heart". It's...incredible. What happened BEFORE he became Captain Hook.

Spike has always been interesting. An amusing character, but who knew how deeply he really felt? And how could he look that way when something tragic happened?! There were also several "Save the Cat" moments in his arc in Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ["Save the Cat" is what every HERO has at the beginning of a story. They do something that gains sympathy with the audience. It's why we're willing to root for certain people]

Now - what do these guys all have in common?

They were changed and often did things because of one thing: love.

Professor Snape did everything because of his love for Lily that lasted well beyond her death. Dr. Horrible wanted to show Penny he loved her. And he didn't want to do something bad and risk losing her. [No spoilers here!]

Spike and Captain Hook were both changed by love. I won't go into detail but...watching Season 5 of Buffy I realized just how much Spike's character transforms into something great. There's a piece of flair that I think is the reason why Spike is so popular: "Spike: Because he had to EARN his soul."

And that's why I like the "bad boys". At least in film/television/literature. They have such complexity and depth and...they have to work through things to become better people.

I guess that's why heroes have always been less interesting to me. They're already through their journey. They're just kicking butt and getting the girl.