International Men's Day: Top Ten Favourite Male Characters

It's International Men's Day, and I've decided to celebrate by showcasing some of my favourite male characters.

What they all have in common is a deep sense of kindness and compassion for others - which unfortunately, are traits that are not only in short supply these days, but often looked upon with contempt and ridicule. I'm reminded of a line spoken by Naomi Watt's character in The Painted Veil in which she scoffs: "As if a woman ever loved a man for his virtue," and looking around at the type of men that fandom usually stan for, it's not hard to see her point.

Or as Simone Weil wisely put it: “Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.”

That assertion is up for debate, but an unfortunate side-effect of the assumption it raises is that heroic fictional characters, those who try to make the world a better place either through small acts of kindness or great feats of derring-do, are often dismissed as uninteresting, whereas those who commit themselves to violence, hatred and destruction are considered as sympathetic as they are fascinating.

Putting aside fandom's preferences, because YES I KNOW it's just fiction and shipping isn't morality, I still want to draw attention to the portrayals of good men in our media. Because simply put, I like seeing depictions of gentleness, compassion and empathy in any type of human, and it's Hercule Poirot who put it best in Evil Under the Sun: "To count - to really and truly to count - a [person] must have goodness or brains."

So these are some of my favourite male characters, not because they're morally compromised, or conflicted, or have sad backstories that justify their serial killing - but because they're fundamentally good people, and no less interesting because of it.

Richard Cypher

The protagonist of The Legend of the Seeker was just adorable. A pretty standard Chosen One narrative made him out to be the saviour of the world (even though the women in his life seemed to have things under control) but Craig Horner played him with such earnestness and energy that you couldn't help but be charmed by him.  

His best moment comes at the end of season one, in which (due to an extremely complicated sequence of events) he's thrown out of time and forced to try and reset things by following the clues left by Kahlan, who was forced to live out her life in the ensuing years. And to make sure he has the tools he needs, Kahlan not only marries Darken Rahl (the show's big bad) but bears him a son.

So by the end of the episode, you're a little nervous. There are dozens of stories out there in which male characters end up furious that their love interests sell themselves to their greatest enemies in order to help the man they truly love, and the writing itself creates some suspense over how Richard is going to react.

And then the moment comes. Kahlan is grappling with what she's done... and Richard isn't remotely fazed. He understands what her actions cost her and why she did them, then commends her on how incredibly brave she was. Throughout the season we've seen him sword-fight and cast spells, but it's not until this moment that we realize why exactly he's the hero of this story.

Christopher Pike

When it comes to men in positions of command, I think the most important unspoken question they have to answer for the audience is: "can we trust this guy?" Is he going to be fair to his subordinates? Will he keep his cool in a crisis? Can we rely on him to make the right moral decisions, no matter how complex or difficult they may initially appear?

In Captain Pike's case, the answer is yes, and his conduct proves it throughout the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. I really loved Anson Mount's portrayal of Pike (if memory serves, he's the third actor to take the role) and his ability to mingle a sense of authority with an easy-going nature.

When he issues commands, they're obeyed, but he's also not above having a laugh with the rest of his crew (my favourite example of this is probably when Tilly suggests every noun sounds cooller if you put the word "time" before it - and in his very next scene, he's thoughtfully putting it to the test when he coins the phrase "time rift").

Bow

In any configuration of characters that form a team of heroes, it's rare that a male character be characterized as The Heart - at least, not in the sense that Bow embodies that role. You could say that Xander was the heart of the Scoobies, or Flash the heart of the (animated) Justice League - but that purpose hardly ever stems from their nurturing, care-taking abilities.

In the trio of Adora, Glimmer and Bow, it's regularly Bow who advocates clear communication, initiates group hugs, and realizes the importance of steady support. He is after all, the guy who coined the term "best friend squad!" and it's obvious that keeping the trio of Adora, Glimmer and himself intact is part and parcel of saving the world.

When Glimmer and Adora are drawn into conflict with each other over the course of season four, it's Bow who tries to mend the breach - and though he's been unsuccessful by the final episode, I'm sure this will be his arc going forward. I mean, there's a reason he's got a big red heart on his armour.

Porthos

Porthos is the best Musketeer, and that's not up for debate. The casting of Howard Charles in the role for the BBC's 2014 take on the material was inspired, as it paid homage to Alexandre Dumas' own heritage, him being the grandson of Marie-Cessette Dumas, a black woman and slave.

Not accidentally, the subject of slavery is perhaps the one thing that turns the sweet-natured Porthos into a formidable opponent that his enemies fear, and he definitely fills the position of The Bruiser amongst the Musketeers. Yet for the most part, he's the most easy-going and well-adjusted of his compatriots, characterized by his love of fun, loyalty to his friends, and kindness to those in need. The scene that best sums him up is when he sheds tears at a funeral he knows is fake.

And honestly, compared to the other three (the womanizing of Aramis, the angst of Athos, the hot-temper of D'artagnan) he's definitely the best catch. Though his love life didn't get as much focus as the other three, his romances with women were always marked by respect and genuine affection.

Finn

I'm already angry about the fact that The Rise of Skywalker will inevitably squander Finn, for general wisdom dictates that it's far more interesting to learn how a privileged snot became a mass murderer than it is to discover how a child soldier immersed in propaganda and abuse came to the conclusion that he was on the wrong side and took steps to rectify that situation. I mean, what story sounds more interesting to you? /sarcasm.

In any case, Finn is my favourite character in the new trilogy, as his will to be a good person, to rescue himself from an institution that wants use him as a tool for destruction, and to stand against everything he instinctively knows is wrong is what drives him from the First Order to the Resistance.

More importantly, John Boyega captures the fear of what it costs to be a good person in a bad place. It's not easy - it takes guts and conviction to go against everything you've ever known, and this he demonstrates from the way he whispers to himself to remain calm, to his urge to simply grab Rey and get the two of them as far away as possible from the First Order.

He has the most harrowing backstory of any character in this new trilogy, so why Disney decided to make him comic relief is a mystery for the ages.

Drake Carne

It's depressing reading the Poldark message boards and seeing the overwhelming complaint that Drake Carne is both stupid and boring. Yeah, kidnapping his wife's child from her wealthy mother-in-law was an extremely bad idea, and yet it's his love for a girl who was hideously mistreated by her husband that spurred him to do it.

He and Morwenna were sweethearts before an arranged marriage cruelly separated them, though they were reunited after her husband's death. Drake walks into his new marriage with open eyes, knowing that Morwenna is fearful of intimacy, and never tries to pressure or guilt her into anything she doesn't want to do.

His understanding for an ordeal that he never personally experienced demonstrates his empathy, and his patience is boundless, telling her numerous times that it's enough for the two of them to be together. And he means it. As sad as he is for her, he also accepts that they might never have any children together, and assures her that this is less important than her right to feel safe.

As such, when Morwenna finally moves past her fear, on her terms, and in her own time, it comes across less as a "reward" for Drake as does is the natural conclusion of his unconditional love for her.  

Gilbert Blythe

When you think of love interests who exist entirely without drama or angst, you think of Gilbert Blythe. It's all in the last name really, for Gilbert is indeed very blitheful, as well as cheery, good-natured and honest (not withstanding his first interaction with Anne, in which he pulls her pigtail and calls her "carrots").

But once the two of them get over their bad first impression, a friendly rivalry turns into a genuinely strong friendship. And as L.M. Montgomery so beautifully put it:

“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps . . . perhaps . . . love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.”

The latest incarnation of this character, as portrayed by Lucas Jade Zumann in Anne With An E is a strikingly different take on the character from L.M. Montgomery's novels, being more serious and introspective than his book counterpart. I'm not entirely sure what they're going for here, but they're certainly pouring on the angst and narrative obstacles when it comes to his inevitable hook-up with Anne... but my ten year old self would have been absolutely besotted with this broodier, more romantic Gilbert, so who am I to complain?

Guybrush Threepwood

And now for something completely different. Guybrush Threepwood is the protagonist of The Secret of Monkey Island and its sequels, a series of computer games released by LucasArts back in the nineties. I grew up with it, and Guybrush (whose odd name is derived from a saved filename that combined the "guy" sprite with a Deluxe Paint "brush") is perhaps one of the most delightful characters in computer game history.

The best part of the game-play is that you can chose to make Guybrush either adorably naive or a complete smart-ass as he goes about trying to fulfil his life's ambition: become a pirate. He can be blunt or sly, witty or stupid, artless or cunning, and as a kid it felt great to make him say "buzz off Fester" to the local sheriff.

But there is a sweetness to him that's so endearing, whether he's having conversations with a dog or risking his life to save the woman he loves (who doesn't need it; she's got everything under control). Plus he can hold his breath for ten minutes!

Samwise Gamgee

Is there any other fictional character that embodies the trait of loyalty more than Sam Gamgee? His devotion to Frodo is the most important emotional connection of the entire trilogy, from begging not to be left behind, to physically carrying his incapacitated master up the side of a mountain.

Right in the midst of The Lord of the Rings fervour between 2001 to 2003 (and trust me, it was pretty intense in New Zealand) I ended up in arguments with friends over Sam's value and purpose in the story. Don't worry, they were arguments that I ended up winning, even if it took me three years.

I think my favourite Sam scene is one in which he isn't even present. Gandalf is talking about how Frodo has gone on his own into Mordor with the Ring, and Aragorn corrects him: "he's not alone - Sam went with him," at which point Gandalfs smiles a little to himself, and mutters: "good... yes, very good." Our wise old sage knows on some deep instinctive level that Sam's steadfastness and courage will be what sees Frodo through his journey - and he's right.

Hiccup

Watching Hiccup grow from a gawky pre-teen to an undeniably hot dad was one of the great joys of the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, and he exists as a quiet but powerful stand against toxic masculinity. Yes, the village of Berk is surprisingly progressive when it comes to gender roles (nobody has any qualms about sending their daughters into battle), but it's based on a machoist culture that thinks the best way to deal with the dragon problem is to take up arms against them.

Hiccup is special because he finds another way, partly by accident (it's a total fluke that he manages to hit that Night Fury) but also through his own gentle nature: he cannot bring himself to kill a defenseless creature. From there he turns his inventive mind onto doing something that no other Viking has ever done before: befriending and riding one of their foes.

To say this reaps rewards is an understatement, as it ends up changing the very fabric of his world, forging peace between his people and the dragons and establishing a mutually beneficial society for each one. And all because (in his own words): "I was a coward. I was weak. I wouldn't kill a dragon... because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and I saw myself." His empathy changes the world.

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When it comes to male characters, I have loved my fair share of bad boys: Allan from Robin Hood, Benvolio from Still Star Crossed, Dimitri from Anastasia, who all come under Nora Roberts's assertion that: "it's hard to resist a bad boy who's a good man." But in real life, men who are kind and self-aware and compassionate will always be superior to the creepy Kylos, Lokis and Snapes of the world (regardless of what their fangirls say).

It's summed up in an interview with Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), who on being asked: "do nice guys finish last?" on the red carpet, shot back: "even if they do, you still have to be a nice guy."