Social:False protagonist

Short description: Literary technique

In fiction, a false protagonist is a literary technique, often used to make the plot more jarring or more memorable by defying the audience's preconceptions, whereby a character who the audience assumes is the protagonist is later revealed not to be.

A false protagonist is presented at the start of the fictional work as the main character, but is then removed from the role, often killed (usually for shock value or as a plot twist) or relegated to a different role in the story (i.e. making them a lesser character, a character who leaves the story, or revealing the character to actually be the antagonist).

Overview

In film, a character can be made to seem like the main protagonist based on a number of techniques (beyond just simply focusing the plot on their role). Star power is a very effective method; audience members generally assume that the biggest "name" in a movie will have a significant part to play. An abundance of close-ups can also be used as a subliminal method. Generally, the star of a film will get longer-lasting and more frequent close-ups than any other character, but this is rarely immediately apparent to viewers during the film. Alternatively, the false protagonist can serve as the movie's narrator, encouraging the audience to assume that the character survives to tell the tale.

Many of the same techniques used in film can also apply to television, but the episodic nature adds an additional possibility. By ending one or more episodes with the false protagonist still in place, the show can reinforce the viewers' belief in the character's protagonist status. Also, because TV shows often have changes of cast between seasons, some series can have unintentional false protagonists: characters who begin the series as main characters but then are replaced early in the show's run by other characters entirely. When the series is viewed as a whole, this can lead to the appearance of a false protagonist.

In video games, a false protagonist may initially be a playable character, only to be killed or revealed to be the antagonist. One key way in which video games employ the method that differs from uses in non-interactive fiction is by granting the player direct control over the false protagonist. Since most video games allow a player to control only the main characters (and their success or failure is based on playing skill, not pre-determined story), the sudden demise of the character that is being controlled serves to surprise the player.

Examples

Literature

• George R. R. Martin's novel A Game of Thrones, the first entry in the A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series, features chapters told from the point of view of numerous characters, but the most prominent is Ned Stark, who is the viewpoint character for the greatest number of chapters; in the television adaptation Game of Thrones he was portrayed by Sean Bean, the best-known actor in the cast. He appears to be the novel's main protagonist until the final chapters, in which he is unexpectedly executed.

Film

• Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho opens with Marion Crane as the main character. However, she is killed partway through the film, making the murder far more unexpected and shocking. Hitchcock felt that the opening scenes with Marion as the false protagonist were so important to the film that when it was released in theaters, he compelled theater owners to enforce a "no late admission" policy.

Video games

• 2001's Metal Gear Solid 2, developed and published by Konami, begins with the player controlling the preceding game's protagonist Solid Snake, who is investigating the creation of a new Metal Gear. The tanker Snake is on sinks, and he is presumed dead. For the rest of the game, the player controls Raiden, a rookie FOXHOUND operative, even after Snake is revealed to be alive. Hideo Kojima, the game's writer and director, explained his motivation for falsely advertising Snake as the game's protagonist to strengthen its theme of identity, as well as better showing Snake as a skilled special agent through the eyes of a rookie.
• 2012's Assassin's Creed III, developed and published by Ubisoft, begins with the player controlling an ancestor of the games titular Assassin's Order, Haytham Kenway, believing him to be an Assassin as well. Haytham fights alongside members of the American Revolution, eventually saving and becoming intimate with a Native American woman, who bears his son. It is eventually revealed that Haytham is actually a member of the Templar Order, the sworn enemies of the Assassin's. Hereafter, the player takes control of Haytham's son Ratonhnhaké:ton who trains as an Assassin, taking the name Connor, and fighting the Templar's influence in the revolting colonies. His journey leads him all the way to Haytham himself, whom he fights in the games climax.
• 2020's The Last of Us Part II, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, introduces the antagonist Abby, with her killing the preceding game's protagonist, Joel, early on in the game for unknown reasons. Ellie, the protagonist, seeks revenge and is controlled by the player over 3 in-game days until she encounters Abby again. From that point the player controls Abby in a flashback, playing from her perspective and learning her motives until she encounters and then fights Ellie. Afterward, the player alternates between both characters, culminating in a fight against Abby while playing as Ellie.

See also

• Antihero
• False hero
• Plot twist
• Red herring (narrative)