Creating characters can be tricky. Trying to capture people’s personalities and defining traits into a facsimile of real life and present it, in written works or what have you, can be a difficult process for anyone, from legendary authors to new tabletop enjoyers. Dungeons and Dragons addressed this issue by creating a helpful, if restrictive, morality chart to help people categorize what drives characters. The Alignment Chart is broken down into nine squares, each row ranging from good to evil, and each column from lawful to chaotic. While not perfect, as most characters bleed through into other blocks, it’s a useful shorthand for creating guiding principles. It’s also the source of a wonderful thought exercise. IE, which characters fit into which category.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Today, we’re putting DC’s heroes and villains to the test by locking them to the Alignment Chart. We’ll be looking across the DC Universe to find which characters fit the bill for every alignment, go over what that alignment means, and why these characters are the perfect match for it. By the end of this list, I guarantee you that at least one entry will be the definitive example of their role. So, without further ado, let’s dive into DC’s character catalogue and discuss why they match D&D’s Alignment Chart.
9) Chaotic Evil — Joker
Let’s start with the evil and work our way to the good. Chaotic evil is the ultimate brand of selfishness. Chaotic evil characters are ones who truly only care about themselves and what they want. This means that they have no loyalty and are liable to throw everyone around them under the bus at a moment’s notice, simply because it would further their own goals. They are typically outright against ideals of society or coexistence because they can only prioritize themselves above all else. They tear society apart around them because they can’t function in it. They are the antithesis of structure.
When thinking about chaotic evil, no character comes to my mind faster than the Joker. The anarchist clown has shown time and again that he only cares about himself and his unending obsession with Batman. He only tolerates other people so he can have people to laugh at his jokes to fill his incredibly fragile, starving ego. Of course, he’s a downright monster, taking great pleasure in death and wearing a gleeful smile whenever he butchers an innocent. The Joker only cares about what he finds funny, and his sense of humor is a twisted, terrible thing. He’s the embodiment of chaos through and through.
8) Neutral Evil — Lex Luthor
Neutral evil characters are those who embrace the merciless, vile nature of evil, but do not commit to either law or chaos. They choose either one based on their needs, occasionally committing themselves to rules and codes of conduct, but also being willing to throw them away should the need arise. They are the greedy businessmen who cut funds to safety to line their own pockets. These characters are entirely selfish, but they are capable of existing in and around others in a way that those driven by chaos are not.
Lex Luthor is a prime example of neutral evil because he has exactly the kind of wishy-washy commitment that is driven entirely by his own greed and jealousy. At times, he holds himself to a standard, battling Superman and the other heroes in certain ways, with certain goals and stipulations. At other times, he’ll throw his own twisted morality aside to destroy the entire world if it means killing Superman. A prime example of this attitude is in “The Black Ring” storyline, where Lex fully believed and acted like a man who wanted to save the world in ways that heroes didn’t agree with, only to throw the chance to truly do that away to try to kill Superman. At the end of the day, Lex is just selfish.
7) Lawful Evil — Darkseid
Lawful evil is defined as those who seek tyranny above all else. They are people who genuinely believe in an evil, selfish way of life that coerces everyone and everything into an order where only the few thrive, while the majority suffer. To these characters, maintaining a corrupt order is what allows them to live out the lives they most want, be that as a soldier in a merciless army or a despot who rules over galaxies. Chaos has no place because, for these characters, the order imposed grants them everything they could ask for.
Darkseid is the prime example of lawful evil. His main goal is to plunge all of existence into a thoughtless existence as mindless slaves under his rule. He is the ultimate tyrant of evil who rules over an entire planet of slaves and monstrously abused citizens, whom he demands worship him. Heck, Darkseid was literally created as Jack Kirby’s fascist punching bag, meant to show the vileness and weakness of the ideology so he could tear it apart. Darkseid is many things, but at the end of the day, he’s just an evil politician who wants to lord over everything in his perfect little order.
6) Chaotic Neutral — John Constantine
Chaotic neutral characters value freedom at all costs, but not in the malevolent, destructive way that chaotic evil characters do. Chaotic neutral characters have their own desires and goals that they will pursue no matter what, authority be screwed, but they do not actively seek out destruction of order or inherently put themselves above others. These characters simply want to attain their own goals, whatever that may be. Oftentimes, these goals could be either good or evil, but they will always pursue them first and foremost. They may pursue noble purposes in ways that evil characters wouldn’t, but won’t go as far or be as altruistic as good characters.
Constantine is the premier example of a chaotic neutral character. He almost always works towards the greater good, usually aiming to stop some mystical evil, but he goes about it in ways that no hero ever would. He’s willing to betray friends and make deals with demons to get what he wants, but he’s also likely to save his friends and trick those demons so he can get away scot-free. Constantine will follow his own conscience, but will also prioritize his own life far before he throws it away. He can be selfless or selfish, but he’s never going to hold himself to a code.
5) True Neutral — Metron
True neutral means that a character subscribes to neither good nor evil, and is not particularly interested in chaos or order. This can manifest in a variety of ways. Some characters simply do not care about establishment or freedom or what have you, instead following whatever path they see before them as they see fit. Other characters consider themselves beyond the constraints of these labels, instead seeing themself as something that cannot be judged in any capacity. There are even some characters who strive to maintain a balance between all things, doing good and evil in equal measure, but never fully committing to either one.
More often than not, Metron does not care about ideals or villainy. His primary goal is to attain all knowledge in the multiverse and truly understand the Source, and he does not care for anything beyond that. He will willingly side with either New Genesis or the forces of Apokalips if it means furthering his research. He has helped both sides in equal measure, being a detriment to the universe’s heroes as often as he is an ally. Metron only cares about knowledge, and information itself can neither harm nor help.
4) Lawful Neutral — The Spectre
Lawful neutral characters hold the value of the law or a code of conduct above all else. These characters do not follow their conscience or any sense of desire, instead relinquishing the morality of their actions to whatever aligns with the laws they prescribe to. In their minds, people exist to uphold the law, and thus the law must be respected and enforced no matter what. This doesn’t mean literal laws, such as a country’s, but whatever system of order they view as mattering.
The Spectre is a prime example of lawful neutral because he defines his entire existence around the laws set by the Presence. He serves as the executor of the Presence’s vengeance, meaning that he punishes those who go against the holy laws established. However, the Spectre is very much a letter-of-the-law type of person. He sees things entirely in black or white, with someone either being guilty or not. He is incapable of understanding why someone might sin, only knowing that they must be punished for it. This inability to comprehend that nuance is exactly why he needs to be bound to a host.
3) Chaotic Good — Huntress
Chaotic good characters are ones guided by their conscience to do the right thing, regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. These characters actively buck the status quo and common law to achieve their ultimately good goal. Their aims are often altruistic and for the betterment of others, but they tend to be great-good, ends-justify-the-means sorts of people. They are more than willing to do what others consider to be bad if it fits their worldview, especially if that means committing crimes. This could range from stealing from the rich and giving to the poor to enacting vengeance on those who have harmed others.
Huntress is a shining example of chaotic good. She is definitely a superhero, fighting crime to save others, but most other heroes consider her methods to be far too brutal and exacting. She’s more than willing to buck their expectations and continue fighting anyway, often breaking laws and societal norms far more than her fellow heroes. Helena Bertinelli is willing to do whatever it takes to save the day, even if that means driving some arrows into the people who get in her way.
2) Neutral Good — Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
Neutral good characters work to help everyone, both respecting codes and authority while also being willing to go against the grain to save the day. They are guided by their conscience, but unlike chaotic good characters, they are willing to acquiesce and work to make the world better alongside the rules which govern it. They are truly selfless and altruistic, and will not let things like expectations stop them from doing what they believe is right. They put others’ needs above their own, and mostly work to help on individual levels.
The Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic peacekeeping organization that Kyle is a very active member and defender of, fighting to keep people safe across the universe. However, as much as Kyle believes in the oath, he’s also willing to go against the grain and fight for what he thinks of as right when that conflicts with the Corps. He’s an artist who is more than willing to rewrite his own code of conduct, aiming to do the most good however he can. He’s proud to be a Green Lantern, but is a hero first.
1) Lawful Good — Superman
To set the record straight, lawful good does not mean being beholden to the laws of the land. Lawful good characters are the most selfless and altruistic of the bunch, always prioritizing what is right above all else. They are the paragons of virtue and nobility, but that doesn’t mean they would follow unjust laws. Instead, lawful good characters have a very strong code by which they live their lives. Often, this correlates with governmental laws, but they are more than willing to go against them to follow their strict moral code. What separates lawful and neutral good is that lawful good characters strive for a kind order. They believe that a natural order of goodness should govern everyone’s lives.
With a paragon resume like his own, was there ever any doubt that Superman would be DC’s number one lawful good character? He’s the ultimate paladin, seeking to uphold values of truth, justice, and hope in every circumstance. He’s never willing to compromise what he believes in or go against his moral code, always sticking to it and finding a way to make it work despite adversity. Superman strives to create a world where his ideals are what guide everyone, forging a system that protects people and makes them happy. Superman has always been a shining example of how to live, and there’s nothing more lawful good than an inspiring paragon of virtue.
Which other DC characters do you think could fit these categories? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
More Comics
-
Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
