I’ve been thinking about the term “complex character” and how people tend to cite morally grey characters when they suggest complex characters. While moral complexity is certainly a type of complexity (Though it’s not inherently good writing just to have the character be morally grey! I’ll die on this hill. You still have to write moral ambiguity well), I’m wondering if there are any true heroes or true villains you would explain as complex.
To add, I also believe that a character can be a non morally grey hero without being perfect. And a villain can be truly just a villain without living and breathing by the concept of evil. Sometimes I see flawed good guys called morally grey or bad guys who make a good point called morally grey—but they are still a good or bad guy, not actually in the middle. So that’s something to keep in mind.
So if there’s a character you’d define as very complex but their complexities don’t lie in their morality, who is it and why?
by WisteriaWillotheWisp