Super Hero and Super Villain Character Sketch

A character sketch is a quick rendering of a character, and it's a great way to begin creating a story – whether it's a short story or a novel. It's a resource a writer can fall back on when creating a scene or a conflict with another character. It's essentially a profile of a person – his/her physical characteristics, emotional tendencies, psychological scars, personal worldview, childhood memories, etc. – everything that goes into what it means to be a human being.

Writing a sketch is about asking and answering questions. In order to write a character sketch, you must ask yourself questions about your character. Only you, as the author, can answer these questions.

Character Sketch Outline

Create a superhero character that has a distinct superpower but also has a distinct weakness. The superpower can really be anything – use your imagination and try not to think of something that's already been used. The weakness can be physical or psychological – something that limits the extent of the superhero's ability.

Create a super villain that is the nemesis to your superhero. Think about the two characters became enemies. Apply the same charactertization techniques as you did to the superhero.

In a Word document, answer these questions in paragraph form for your superhero character. Also, find a picture on the internet that closely resembles the physical attributes of your character.

  1. What does your character look like physically? Be detailed – eye, hair, skin color, deformities, good looking or average
  2. Where does your superhero come from? Where are his/her family?
  3. What are character's likes and dislikes? – think about small things like food or cold weather, and even big things like dishonesty
  4. How does your character act? – think about quirky behaviors, sense of humor,, the way he/she talks with people
  5. What happened to your character in the past and how does it affect him/her now?
  6. What does your character want/need/desire?
  7. What does your character believe in – i.e., religious, political, world views?