First Draft

First Draft: Take Stock In These 99 Stock Characters You Can Write Into Your Screenplay

Published by
Ken Miyamoto

Career Criminal

This character commits high stakes crime and is often smart and highly skilled (Neil McCauley from Heat).

Champion

The character who is devoted to the cause/life/honor of one character and everything that they entail (Sam from The Lord of the Rings).

Child

This character is young in age or spirit, and loves adventure—or at least they think they do until they truly experience it (Tim from Jurassic Park).

Chosen One

They have been chosen by someone or some force and are the only ones capable of resolving the plot (Neo from The Matrix).

Chooser of the Chosen One

This is the character who finds and chooses The Chosen One (Morpheus from The Matrix).

Conscience

A classic character type whose sole purpose is to act as the hero’s conscience and moral compass (Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio or Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life).

Contender

A competitive underdog (Rocky from Rocky or Daniel from The Karate Kid).

Corrupter

Their primary role in the story is to bring out the worst in everyone (Rumpelstiltskin in Once Upon a Time).

Damsel in Distress

A noble and innocent woman in need of rescue (Kim in Taken or Lois Lane in Superman).

Dark Lord

The near-immortal personification of evil (Sauron from The Lord of the Rings).

Dumb Muscle

This character lacks intelligence, or fails to showcase it, and are tasked with doing the heavy lifting of the villain or any antagonist.

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Ken Miyamoto

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