: Re: How could a paragon character be an antagonist? I want to write a story featuring two main characters--Al and Bob. In the beginning, Al, the paragon, will be a kind, friendly, competent and

@Bryan361

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An additional option is to shift the moral compass of the story during the telling. If your story begins from a world view that celebrates Al's friendly generosity and warm kindness, but then slowly reveals bigger world issues which repaint that generosity as foolishness or worse yet deceitfulness; and if simultaneously, the reveal also justifies Bob's attitude, lending nobility and valor to what originally seemed self-serving; then you will get your juxtaposition of roles without having to change the fundamental nature of either of your characters.

For example, the opening scene introduces the friendly Al and the troubled Bob as new arrivals in an isolated city deep within the wilderness. Al strolls into the neighborhood bar and buys everyone a drink. He laughs easily and tells wonderful tales while listening attentively to tales which others tell in return. Meanwhile Bob sits in the corner, expressing anxiety and discomfort through closed up body language and distrusting furtive glances around the room. Late in the scene, Bob gets up and quietly leaves the bar while Al continues the festivities. A bar maid follows him out to see if he is okay but he is rude to her and then slips into the night.

Now as the story unfolds, the reader learns that Bob and Al are both spies; the advanced guard of an approaching army which will soon lay siege to the city. They have been sent ahead to gather information about the city's defenses and about any super humans who might live there. Al is pursuing his duties diligently but Bob has been having second thoughts about being a part of any evil army. He was trained to be just as outgoing and friendly as Al, but he is currently not sure whether that is the right thing to do. After much alone time and self contemplation, he decides to warn the city about the approaching army and join in on its defense. He goes on to be the savior of the city and the hero of the tale.

Now during this story neither character has changed their behavior at all. They are both behaving exactly as they did when we first met them. But as we, the readers have learned more about what is going on, our interpretation, of who each of these people is, has radically changed. Our perspective has changed even though the characters have not.

All of that having been said, and to actually answer your question, Yes there are many examples of initial heroes serving as the antagonist over the course of the story and each of your story designs have been used to this end.

President Alma Coin in the third book of Hunger Games is a great example of a covert criminal mastermind (as described in your first design).

Differentiating your lead characters based on their conflicting theories about how to handle a bigger problem (as described in your second design) will work, but it leaves the determination of who is ultimately right to the outcome of that problem. This makes your characters secondary to the problem they are fighting over. A good example of this kind of tale is the recent Captain America Civil War movie and associated comic stories.

Your third design explores a variation on the second design in which your chosen hero's choice is actually the wrong one and leads to disaster. Plots in which decision makers make disastrous mistakes is so common that it has its on genre, Tragedies. There are library isles full of stories which follow this design.

Keep in mind through out all of this that unlike in fairy tales, virtue is often a matter of opinion. Almost every villain thinks that they are the good guy and many a selfish act leads to an noble end. Be careful when working with themes of good and evil. They are slippery.

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