I am Obsessed With Alpha Male Characters!
I
remember the year 1997 being a defining time in my life when regarding Alpha
Maleology (yep I totally made up that word and now it's a thing). It was the
year that My Best Friend's Wedding and GI Jane came out. And the Julia Robert's
film (My Best Friend's Wedding) out performed expectations as did GI Jane. Why?
Because neither, according to a film industry professional, had a typical
'alpha male' as a lead character and they were still doing well. Come to think
of it, that entire year was kind of-- how shall I put it-- scarce on the hottie
front. At least for me. And believe me, that hurt a lot.
Don't
get me wrong, I liked some of the films that were released that year-- like Air
Force One, Nothing to Lose, Volcano, Kiss The Girls, In and Out to name a
few. But for me, they lacked my normal serving of hottie
hunkiness. What can I say? I like my leading man candy!
When
I think of an alpha male- character wise, he has to feel compelled to not only
save his friends and family but the world too while gaining the love and trust
of his woman.
Yes,
that's a difficult order to fill.
But I always say, when you do something, do it right or not at all. So as I went down my mental list of potentials, I realized
not any old alpha will do!
There
are prerequisites involved to be admitted inside this exclusive club. First, he must be hot! Tall and good looking is desired but
not a required. Because hotness
can be an internal quality. He may
not be considered traditionally handsome but when his 'can-do' personality is
added to his nice physique-- believe me, it will put him over the top.
For
example, Jeremy Renner in most circles would not be considered a gorgeous
man. From what I've read, he's not
exactly six feet tall and he has an unusually shaped nose! And in most of his movies, he wears a
broody expression that tends to draw his features downward. But damn if that man doesn't have a hot
bod on him and a 'fuck it all, try to keep up attitude!' He's all alpha to me.
Another
qualification for a leading man alpha is his underlying intentions. They must be good even if his
methodology is flawed. Okay, I
realize I'm about to shoot myself in the foot with this example but I think
these next characters (in another life) could have been good guy alphas. John Harrison aka Khan in Star Trek:
Into Darkness and Loki Laufeyson in Thor I, II and the Avengers. I'll start with Khan/Harrison. Let's put aside the fact that I find
Benedict Cumberbatch good looking.
Not gorgeous. Just good
looking. However when I saw him in
Star Trek, his 7 rating shot up to a 9!
First,
his physique fit the bill. In this
movie he was buffed to the nth degree. The powers-that-be in the make-up
department dyed his hair a raven black color which contrasted so well against
his starkly blanched pallor. As a
genetically engineered superhuman, he was strong, hot and smart.
Second,
he was a natural leader. Though
all of his crew was in hibernation, he still felt responsible for their
welfare. He thought about them
constantly and did things he considered to be good for their continued safety-
just like any captain would. He
thought like a leader, he planned like one and he fought the same way. John Harrison/Khan oozed
charisma, leadership, smarts and good ole fashioned know-how. He was so charismatic, he managed to
convince his mortal enemies-- Captain Kirk and his crew-- to trust him, if only
briefly.
Ojay
I'm not discounting the fact that he was nuts. I like to think his final break
down happened when he was told by the people who were supposed to be the good
guys, that his entire crew (whom he considered family) had been killed. He cried over it. It broke him. And in his
mourning, he sought revenge.
(Spoiler-- it turns out, they weren't dead, but still he thought they
were.) Okay so maybe destroying an
entire city block and subsequently an entire bunch of star ship captains may
have been a bit much-- but he did it because he was unable to forgive and get
past his pain. Yes he was a bit
kray kray...but at least he was consistent throughout the entire film and we
sympathized with his plight.
Then
there is Loki. Just watch the
first Thor movie and you'll see why the poor man went nuts. And by the time Thor 2 came around, his
adopted father had decided that the word nor the concept of forgiveness existed
despite the fact that he'd spent a lifetime lying to his son! I ask you this,
how can Loki practice forgiveness when his own father won't even do it? But I digress. Loki possessed confidence, strength,
battle smarts, cunning and common sense (something his older brother lacked in
the first part of Thor I). He knew
he could run the kingdom, like Khan/John Harrison, he went about obtaining his
goals in the wrong way.
The
last thing thing that makes a great alpha male is that he must be willing to or
is already fighting for something other than himself. We all know that one of the typical characteristics of an
alpha male is that they think own their world. But they also have a need to protect, to look out for
others. In my book, 'Blood Bond-
The Ferae', Colton McClain's family and friends are threatened by an enemy from
his past. He's determined to
protect the people he loves as well as send a message to any future competitors
who may contrary plans in mind.
An
Excerpt from Blood Bond- The Ferae.
An MMF:
Enraged,
Colton squeezed. Frank’s eyes bulged as he struggled for air. Suddenly, he recalled Lizzie’s words.
She was right, if he killed Frank, the sires would revolt. He released
him.
“Unlike you, I have a regard for life.
You’re going for a ride in my trunk and I’m bringing you up on charges
before the Council. And when they hear to the full extent about
what you did, they’ll take everything from you. You won’t even have
your family.”
Frank reared up and charged him, causing
Colton to stumble. He punched Frank in the stomach, then kicked
him in the groin before hitting him in the chin. Frank fell to the
ground. A warm liquid dribbled down the shoulder of his ripped
shirt. Colton wiped the
liquid. It was blood. Tasting it, he
discovered it was his own. Frank had bitten him.
“You piece of shit.” He placed his foot on
his chest. “I was going to spare you because it’s what my wife
wants. But not now.” Colton pulled out a large bowie knife he
brought with him. “Fuck the sires. They can all kiss my ass.”
~~~
Colton McClain possesses all of these
characteristics which makes him an incredible Alpha Male! Creating him and his
counterpart Jarrod added to my love for this type of book boyfriend!
Buy Links for Blood Bond
Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/
Bookstrand- http://www.bookstrand.com/blood-bond
Google Play- http://books.google.com/books/
Kobo Books-
http://prod-www.kobobooks.com/ebook
Author Bio:
Peyton
lives in Michigan where she dreams of summers that aren't so humid. She and her
husband have been married for over a decade and he often lends a helping hand
or opinion or two when she's writing a steamy love scene.
She
loves to travel and hopes to make it to a romance writers convention sometime
soon to meet her idols in the genre without getting too much
"stalkage" in the process.
When she is not on the net, she is reading
about the life of her latest "book boyfriend"from a favorite author
or in the midst of creating her own.
If
you'd like to to contact her, drop her an e-mail. She loves hearing from her
fans and admirers.
You can find Peyton on the web at:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/peytonbclarke
Twitter- https://twitter.com/peytonBclarke
Amazon Author Central- http://www.amazon.com/Peyton-Brittany-Clarke
Pinterest- http://www.pinterest.com/peytonbrittanyc/
Author Web Page- www.bookstrand.com/peyton-brittany-clarke
Thank you Blak for having me on your blog!
You're very welcome, Peyton, and thank you for stopping by. Great article! :)
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