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Why do readers keep rooting for characters who lie, manipulate, kill, seek revenge, and make objectively terrible decisions?

In this episode of Dragons & Spaceships, Brandi asks one big question: Why are morally gray characters more popular than traditional heroes? She looks at Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Vicious by V.E. Schwab, and The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang to explore what makes morally complicated characters so compelling.

In this episode:
- Why understanding a character can create empathy without approval
- How Kaz Brekker’s motivations make readers root for him
- Why Vicious blurs the line between protagonist and hero
- How Rin tests the limits of what readers are willing to forgive
- Where morally gray ends and villain begins
- Why perspective changes how we judge characters
- Whether readers want morally good characters or simply characters with a believable moral code

Brandi ultimately argues that morally gray characters work because they ask readers to hold two ideas at once: “That was horrible” and “I understand why you did it.”

Then, in Dragon’s Roar, Brandi connects the conversation to Sauron and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, asking whether making a villain more understandable actually makes them morally gray.

Who is your favorite morally gray character, and what is the worst thing you’ve forgiven them for?

#MorallyGrayCharacters #SixOfCrows #Vicious #ThePoppyWar #FantasyBooks #BookTok #BookPodcast #DragonsAndSpaceships