There are certain characters in movies and TV shows that tend to really resonate with the female audience. These characters tend to be dark, with a mysterious background, and what my mother would often call 'a tormented soul'. These characters, these men, have a haunted past, skeletons in the closet that reach out and grab them at every opportunity. And yet, through it all, they remain incredibly kickbutt, even though they are fighting the greatest war inside themselves.

These men are usually a bit rough and callous, they don't let people in, they don't show much outward caring, and they're often quite coarse, falling into the 'lone wolf' category more regularly than not. Examples of this dark, brooding protagonist would be the following; Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, Thorin from The Hobbit, Dean Winchester from Supernatural, and even anime characters like Kakashi (and Sasuke) from Naruto, and Harlock from Captain Harlock: Space Pirate.

These characters don't often talk much, or if they do, it's witticisms that hide the pain beneath. These men, despite the struggle they have gone through, and the torment they continue to bear, are fully and unequivocally...

Epic.

These are the characters that, when weapons are drawn, theaters fill with fangirl screams. These are the characters that make girls hit their friends on the arm out of excitement for what he's about to do.

So why do girls act like this? I mean, for some of these shows, the guy isn't even played by an actor, it's an animated character; just a drawing, completely unreal.

Well, there's a few reasons why women find the dark, brooding protagonist so alluring.

First of all, there's the looks. I'm not gonna lie, these characters are usually ridiculously handsome and drop-dead gorgeous (pun totally intended). It definitely helps that they're attractive. But that's not the only thing that makes women like them so much.

These men do what most women can't.

Look at the facts; these men have incredibly difficult pasts. Not only have they been able to deal with such struggles, but they're often extremely well-trained and can beat any enemies that come to them. They don't take crap from anyone and they're able to forge their own path. And, usually, as they fight for the cause that they feel is right, they find themselves. They find redemption from the ghosts of their past and freedom in the hope of a new tomorrow.

We wish we could be like that. We connect with these characters and in a way we live vicariously through them. I would go on a lot more trips to places I've never been, like New York City or San Francisco, if I knew that I could just punch out the first guy that tried to steal my purse or grab my body.

I wish I could just find my goal and stick to it as strongly as Aragorn sticks to getting Frodo and the ring to Mount Doom.

I wish I could have the dedication of Kakashi as he fights to protect Naruto and change the world.

I wish I could be as strong as Dean, who has literally been to Hell and back and still keeps pushing forward.

I wish I had the determination and faith of Thorin, who with only a small band of men set out to reclaim what made him, him.

These dark, brooding protagonists are a dramatized example of how I want to be. I want to be able to overcome my inner demons as well as my outer demons. I want to be able to kick the butt of anyone who tries to hurt me or my friends. These men have aspects that most women just don't (and that's partly because, well, they're fictional). But that's why we find them so alluring. Because, even for just a moment, we're with Harlock on the deck of the Arcadia, telling twenty enemy troops to get off our ship and then making them get off with just one weapon. For one moment, we're charging into the horde at the gates of Mordor with Aragorn, willing to give our last breath for the cause we believe in.

For just one moment, we're with Dean, sweaty and bloody but victorious.

These men have their demons, both inside of them and outside of them. But with each episode, each movie, we watch them fight, struggle, and conquer. And if someone whose mother died by a demon, if someone who lost their friends as a child, if someone who was exiled as a Ranger, can win against their demons...

Then I sure as hell can beat mine.

After all, Aragorn had the Fellowship, Kakashi had the Leaf Clan, Dean had Sam and Castiel, Thorin had Bilbo and the 11, and Harlock had his crew.

My partner beats all of those. If they can beat their demons with people like that, then I can certainly beat my own with Jesus Christ by my side.