the all-powerful character in fantasy books.

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today’s topic:

all-powerful characters

Ever since I started this fantasy section on my blog, I have wanted to write discussions and this is the moment it is actually happening. Huzzah! I wanted to discuss the most powerful fantasy characters and think about their role and restraints in storytelling.

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Do you like power?

What does power mean?

What is the first character that comes to mind when I say all-powerful characters?

A wise king? A cruel king? A God?

Power can be measured in very different ways and is a relative word. Someone with the most power in one room can be faced with more powerful people in another room, or with a different kind of power they struggle to stand against. The reality of power is not quantifiable, but in today’s post, I am narrowing my view to solely focus on physical power in fantasy books.

I shall discuss the strengths and weaknesses of physically powerful characters, professionally ignoring the nuances of different kinds of power. I love seeing them in fantasy, nothing more scary than a politically powerful person, but this is not what I shall be talking about today. You’ve been warned.

Moving on… this next question is very important. Do physically powerful characters have any other purpose than peacocking their power in stories?

I will start this discussion very easily, with a direct answer, NO. Powerful characters are there to show their power, or else why would they have it? You can argue they are incapable of being main characters as they cannot face challenges and any conflict is ultimately resolved by them being the most powerful. This limits the plot and climax. The fights are essentially dick-measuring contests for power. Everyone has seen it and apart from the few cinematic scenes, it really is pointless and represents the worst way fantasy can be reduced to an action, and action only.

But, I love them.

Therefore, here is my case for why they still have their role in fantasy stories.

Wait, you fool, they can actually be the main character…

Comics and anime are the main formats that pop up when discussing powerful characters. Due to the mass commercialisation of comic characters in the West being basic, the first character that comes to mind is Superman.

Superman is the classic embodiment of strength and power. His body is essentially indestructible. He is strong. He is fast. He can flyyy. I mean, what can’t he do? This begs the question, what are his challenges? Hence the creation of Kryptonite which emits a unique, poisonous radiation that can weaken and even kill Kryptonians. He needed a weakness to become a captivating character. Let’s throw a rock at him.

However, any fan of Smallville will tell you that Kryptonite is annoying. It causes problems and every time it pops up, Clark is on his knees. The solution is another person throwing the rocks away so Clark can save the day. It was simply a roadblock for the sake of a delay, as otherwise, he would save the day easily. It gets to the point of being lazy writing. It is not even a challenge he can improve upon over time as he can’t gain immunity. It is necessary but a ball ache all the same. Yet I will add a reminder, specific to superheroes. They are written for a young audience but with the mass success they accumulated, adults add complaints as if they are the intended audience. Sometimes the simplistic route is intentional for the young audience.

Alas, I love Smallville and it illustrated how to handle such a powerful main character with nuance and intrigue. The strength of Smallville was the emotions it was able to showcase including those capturing what it must be like to be the most powerful person on a planet. The isolation of keeping a secret, learning who he can trust, the survival of the destruction of his planet, the lack of knowledge of his own ability and the struggle of not being able to save everyone. It was by far the most interesting part of his characters and those challenges weren’t so easily overcome. It goes to show you can be the most powerful person on earth and it will be the small human moments that are most worth your time.

The final note for the Super-Super-lad. He was good. Any discussion of power is never really about the amount of power one person has, but what you do with the power you possess. Most superheroes are perhaps not the most remarkable execution of this theme, capturing a clear-cut sense of justice for kids to look up to. Superman was a good one. His morals are as indestructible as himself. That’s why he was the main character. It is an idealistic view of power but sometimes it is comforting to experience this sense of pure righteousness and justice, a fun dream.

In contrast to the moral heroes I have just spoken about, it only seems fair I talk about The Boys. This comic series is intended for adults and carries a dark view of heroes (i.e. Homelander is an arsehole, but a well-written arsehole). The series successfully showed abuse of power and brought in those discussions of political and physical power. The nuance added a lot of complications and danger to challenge the ideal of heroes you typically see as children making it a great space for adults to explore these themes. Whilst, the most powerful character is more of a villain, I have included it here as it is close to the discussions of “heroes and villains”. Of course, it still does the flashy battle-power-dance at the end, but the theme heightens the story. Providing how powerful characters add to discussions, not just action sequences.

Now, I have brought up the moral weight of power, the characters can be bad or good, let’s talk about Lucifer Morningstar. The devil. The specific version from the DC comics. Being the son of God does tend to lead to power, but unlike Superman, he doesn’t use his power for all-mighty goodness. Yet he isn’t a villain like Homelander. The titular character exists in shades of grey.

Enter the interesting character dynamic. A character who acts for his own self-interest. It can lead to caring or reckless decisions. It allows for broader topics of human nature to be discussed and adds more intrigue to the audience as we question what is Lucifer going to do next? What motivates his decisions? Childhood? Love? Which one is most powerful? Where is the line of going too far with his actions? There is something human in this exploration as we see a character who captures a complex web of behaviour that feels more real and intriguing than characters on a set path. The power behind this character only raises the stakes which is certainly more intriguing, more risky.

strengths of all-powerful characters

• grand, cinematic displays of power, most likely with a snide remark
• inspires questions about what to do with power which can lead to strong themes and discussions
• emotional reasoning and weaknesses can be heavily explored

weaknesses of all-powerful characters

• they need a weakness, even if an easily defeated or one that pales in comparison to their power
• defeats can be unnecessarily dragged out for style points
• unattainable skills can only provide so much for the story
• powerful characters can be used for showy reasons, ignoring the dangerous reality of what powerful people can be like

At least they make good villains, right?

All-powerful characters suit the villain role. You want a challenge in your story. Follow the characters who have to defeat them.

When talking about power, my mind immediately shifted to Tolkien’s universe. He had a few characters that embodied mass amounts of power. This makes sense when you consider the villain they had to defeat and the scope of his world. He had multiple different civilisations that were affected by Sauron, the main antagonist, therefore it was well-considered for the various species to showcase different strengths and power. In fact, it was required to make it realistic for them to challenge Sauron and his might.

Sauron wanted world domination. One of those types, eh? All the mass amounts of power from the various moving parts made for an epic, intense story. One of the most well-known and celebrated fantasy stories. Sauron made for a dark, formidable enemy that believably got everyone’s attention. It wasn’t straightforward, the defeat wasn’t simple and took years to achieve. Tolkien added many aspects to highlight the “defeat the evil” plotline, proving it doesn’t have to be unimaginative to take this road. Did the magnitude of villainy make the books as strong as they were? Should every book seek to have a great villain such as him?

Ultimately Sauron brought communities together to defeat evil. It wasn’t a one-on-one battle and this expansive nature made the story what it was. To have a plot like this, you need a villain who is extremely powerful to justify the struggle. Even if it is ultimately a power contest, it shows how craft can make it so much more. It is important to note that a strength of “The Lord of the Rings” was not relying on powerful characters to tell their story, in fact, the heart of the story were the little guys. It almost seems backwards to do this but it wouldn’t be the same story without its specific outlook. It makes for a more harrowing, heartfelt story that people could connect to more easily (whilst not sacrificing those big displays). This is not to be forgotten as we discuss powerful characters.

Another villain who possesses the most power in their world is The Darkling from Shadow and Bone. He can control the creatures haunting the land and seeks to overthrow the rulers. Unlike Sauron, he represents more than cruel intentions. He is using his power for a cause he believes is just. In fact, at first, he isn’t presented as the villain. I appreciated the thought that went into his character, the reasons for his goals and an intriguing tie to the main character, Alina. It made for riveting storytelling with enough danger and heart to grip readers. Yet there was no denying his capability for cruelness and you see these moments slip out to create a haunting villain. His restraint and showcase of power equally had an impact on the story.

These nuances eventually boil down to a power content between The Darkling and Alina. Dark versus light, how poetic. Yet the care that went into the journey beforehand made the final showdown more emotional and dangerous. Explore the villain’s emotional weaknesses and the hero’s desire. Even with certain elements of commonality in the story, I appreciated how it used other characters to challenge one another.

Finally, I have to mention vampires. They are essentially Superman with a different diet. Vampires are incredibly powerful and centred in stories with defenceless humans. They are compelling antagonists and the lore has restraints to even the playing field. Writers can create haunting, memorable villains or imagine the lives/struggles of being a vampire. What We Do In The Shadows is a sitcom about the lives of ancient vampires in modern society. It easily shows creatures capable of intense power and struggles/weaknesses. Sometimes something silly, like not understanding the internet, but it still demonstrates struggles and emotional moments of the price of being a vampire.

To focus on vampires as villains again, I want to mention Dracula in A Dowry of Blood. He is the antagonist who uses his power to control his brides. Whilst he is a physically powerful creature, the story focuses on emotional abuse as well. A power everyone is cruelly capable of which brings forth a very human layer to the supernatural tale. It talks about defeating his evil and the trauma of enduring him.

This emotional layer to the story and discussions of power ensured it wasn’t just about a tantalising villain, but the cost of using power against another person. The abuse of power can be linked to physicality and this book haunted you with what he was able to do with body and mind. This book was able to show you the horror openly. It is a story that will stay with you because of this fact. I appreciate the truth and inclusion of power within this story because it has something important to say about it.

strengths of all-powerful characters

• grand, cinematic displays of power, most likely with a snide remark
• inspires questions about what to do with power which can lead to strong themes and discussions
• emotional reasoning and weaknesses can be heavily explored
• a great villain brings people together to overcome it
• to experience the most powerful villain being defeated is satisfying, with high stakes, especially if following a relatable hero
• powerful villains can have a strong connection to the hero to make for a complicated journey
• effective story-telling can use powerful characters to discuss the abuse of power in our own society

weaknesses of all-powerful characters

• they need a weakness, even if an easily defeated or one that pales in comparison to their power
• defeats can be unnecessarily dragged out for style points
• unattainable skills can only provide so much for the story
• powerful characters can be used for showy reasons, ignoring the dangerous reality of what powerful people can be like
• power contests for the resolution can seem simplistic
• you know the ending of them before they have happened
• “The Little Guys” creates a more heartfelt, compelling journey than any powerhouse (but you can have both)

Perhaps a cracking side piece is best…

We’ve talked about what happens when powerful characters are protagonists and antagonists, but what about when they are simply in the background as a vague helping hand. In this situation, the story isn’t swallowed up by their displays of power but readers still get the highlight of their character traits. Could this be the best of both worlds?

You could have… the wise teacher? The guardian angel? The lion voiced by Liam Neeson resembling the Christian god?

Aslan from Narnia is the most powerful being in Narnia and oversees everything as the powerful guardian to all. But he is not the main character, instead, the Pensieve children are our heroes. It is one of those cases where the main characters are new to the world so it makes sense for there to be beings more capable, or well-educated, than themselves. Instead, they learn from them whilst creating their own adventure. A subtle message, eh?

In plots with this set-up, sometimes you wonder why the most powerful don’t take more of an active role. After all, they would succeed easily. Normally the answer lies in it was someone else’s destiny, they were doing some important background work, they are suffering and need help etc. Basically, the hero can’t get a “get out of jail” card all the time so the author made sure there was a reason. However, in situations with such high stakes, I question whether these reasons are strong enough for the most powerful characters to be on side quests (or drinking tea), sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t. It isn’t my favourite version of this trope, but it can be done well.

Speaking of omnipotent figures, I will briefly mention a more direct god figure in storytelling. Mythology around the world includes deities in their stories. Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about them except for my little foray into Greek. Their stories and legends often included mortals and the Greek gods. The gods and goddesses act for various reasons in different stories, such as jealousy, protection or revenge. The gods’ emotional reactions affected mortals’ journeys, but it was for the gods’ own agenda meaning the stories weren’t straight-forward but forever altered by fickle emotions. These stories escaped the need for the most powerful characters to save the day because it wasn’t what the story was about to begin with. Divine Might by Natalie Haynes looked at the goddesses’ involvement in stories and the variety of reasons why they acted. Once again, this shows how power and emotional complexities can work hand-in-hand to create memorable, epic tales.

strengths of all-powerful characters

• grand, cinematic displays of power, most likely with a snide remark
• inspires questions about what to do with power which can lead to strong themes and discussions
• emotional reasoning and weaknesses can be heavily explored
• a great villain brings people together to overcome it
• to experience the most powerful villain being defeated is satisfying, with high stakes, especially if following a relatable hero
• powerful villains can have a strong connection to the hero to make for a complicated journey
• effective story-telling can use powerful characters to discuss the abuse of power in our own society
• powerful side characters can aid the main character’s journey without taking away the honest hardships
• learning wisdom from a powerful side character is realistic as knowledge should be gained

weaknesses of all-powerful characters

• they need a weakness, even if an easily defeated or one that pales in comparison to their power
• defeats can be unnecessarily dragged out for style points
• unattainable skills can only provide so much for the story
• powerful characters can be used for showy reasons, ignoring the dangerous reality of what powerful people can be like
• power contests for the resolution can seem simplistic
• you know the ending of them before they have happened
• “The Little Guys” creates a more heartfelt, compelling journey than any powerhouse (but you can have both)
• not a good enough reason why the most powerful character is on a bender (not a fan of cheap reasons)

I hope I demonstrated that all-powerful characters can be imperfect as a literary factor, with many strengths and weaknesses. Their restrictions of being too powerful can take away from the storytelling, yet I am still partial to them. The powerful characters I have discussed have added to their stories. I enjoy how they test the writers to make it work in a new and intriguing manner. Often leading to new layers in the story-telling. Perhaps the most obvious no can lead to the most interesting yes.*

*whatever you do with my words, please do not take this notion as dating advice.

Please tell me whether you think all-powerful characters are a strength or weakness of storytelling. What stories can you think of that demonstrate either side?