The lone wolf character archetype is one that we’ve seen quite often in books, movies, video games, and more. The idea of the lone wolf is complex and intriguing and can create a really interesting foundation for any story to build off of. The lone wolf tends to operate in a solo mentality and this mentality can help and/or hinder the main character. Today’s post will cover how you can create your own lone wolf character for your story, including how to build the backstory, the personality, and more.
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Understanding the Lone Wolf Character Archetype
The lone wolf archetype is a character who essentially operates independently, often choosing to be alone rather than interact with others. This character is very self-reliant and knows pretty much how to do everything on their own. They may come off as reclusive, anti-social, but they are very resilient and can be almost disenfranchised from society.
The lone wolf tends to present with an aura of mystery surrounding their personality, their past, and their beliefs. They reserve much of what their life is like to themselves and dole out only necessary information.
Additionally, the lone wolf may or may not have a sort of strong moral code. Perhaps they are driven by ethics, or they are driven by a lack of ethics and want to do whatever they want. There is a reason the lone wolf has become the lone wolf.
Crafting the Backstory
The backstory of the lone wolf character is a major part of their current personality. There are many things that you can think about in the lone wolf’s past that can help justify why they have chosen to be alone in the present day. For instance, they went through some sort of traumatic experience, went AWOL from the military, lost their family, went through an accident, were stuck on a tropical island by themselves, etc…
The lone wolf did not just decide to go on the isolated, reclusive path overnight. There was something deep that occurred that prompted them to take this behavior up and continue with it.
Defining Personality Traits
The next thing you need to consider for your lone wolf character are the personality traits that define them. The lone wolf is not just tough without flaws and is not just a strong person who has no vulnerabilities. As a writer, you’ll have to figure out how to balance between different emotions and traits to make the lone wolf a believable character.
There are many traits that we can identify across different lone wolf characters. Stoicism is a big one and this is where the character chooses to suppress their emotions, appearing calm and collected from an outsider’s point of view.
The lone wolf will be cautious of others and will not dole out trust easily to just anybody. They will find it hard to put their faith in others and may be resistant to companions and friends. They will, however, have a hidden layer of compassion and kindness beneath their tough personality. They have soft spots and are empathetic, but time has hurt their ability to express these things.
The Lone Wolf Needs Motivation
Like any good character, the lone wolf character must also have motivations, aspirations, and goals. These things will allow you as a writer to create a narrative that draws readers in and helps them contextualize your character in the story.
The lone wolf is likely seeking something like redemption or justice. They want to fight against something that wronged them or get revenge for something that happened in the past. Maybe they want to atone for a mistake they made before going on their lonesome path.
The lone wolf may also be seeking to live freely from society, away from rules and regulations or they may be trying to survive in a hostile world.
Whatever the motivations may be, they must be believable and fit into your overall plot and narrative.
Showcase the Relationships
Even if the lone wolf is alone now, at some point in time, they may have had good relations with others, which impacted their overall development as a character. For instance, maybe they had a mentor or a guide that helped them become the tough survivalist they are now. Maybe they once had a family that mattered but was lost, and that has spurred their new behavioral patterns.
You can also introduce adversaries and threats which influences the way the lone wolf acts. Maybe there was a person who hurt them and it led to them becoming a lone wolf. Whatever it may be, creating relationships and interactions with other characters helps to shape the way the lone wolf is positioned in the story.
You can craft a romance story with a lone wolf character and another character. The lone wolf learns to open up and love while the romantic interest helps the lone wolf grow out of their reclusive behavior and embrace life again. It’s a pretty interesting setup for a story that can really be well-done. If you want to learn how to outline a romance story, you can check this post out!
Make Your Lone Wolf Character Complex
It can be easy to fall into a pattern with the lone wolf character, but this will lead to you having a bit of a stereotypical character. You’ll have to go into the character’s internal conflicts, growth, and contradictions within their personality.
You should showcase things like the lone wolf’s desire for connection while still fearing the idea of attachment. There is also the idea of moral dilemmas and conflicts, where they struggle against their own code of ethics and have to juggle it with what is necessary. Additionally, the lone wolf is likely haunted by what happened in their past, which influences their present.
Make Your Character Dynamic
With most stories, the main character or characters must change by the end to show some sort of growth and/or transformation. You can realistically do this in any direction that you want, but most stories do enjoy having happier endings than not.
Whatever direction you choose to take with your character, you want to show how the lone wolf either changes and becomes more open or doubles-down on their pattern of behavior. You can put them in situations that challenge them or make them question their behaviors. You can also put them in a position where they must fight against their fears and do the right thing or break their personal code.
The idea is that by the end of the story, your character should’ve gone through some changes that makes them interesting and unique.
One example of a lone wolf character is Din Djarin, or the Mandalorian from Star Wars. he’s a lone wolf archetype for sure, taking up bounties across the galaxy and living on his own for most of his life. However, he must sort of become a father to a child and this challenges his pattern of behavior. It’s a great example in my opinion.
Another example that’s a bit different is Garrett from the Thief video games. In the Thief reboot from 2014, he’s clearly a lone wolf character who keeps a very small group of people he trusts and operates pretty much solo the entire time. He doesn’t trust easily and he’s a very skeptical person.
As an archetype, you can do a lot with the lone wolf. Curating a story around this personality can seem difficult, but the idea is that you have a character that starts out stoic and solid, unbudging for the world, something comes in this character’s way that challenges their behavior, and by the end, they will have changed–either for the better or the opposite.
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