I don't understand why some people find it odd to idolize fictional characters, especially if they're protagonists. I mean, that's why they're created, right? Aren't they created with the intention that at least one person will identify with them? Protagonists are often written sympathetically with relatable qualities, so what's so wrong with looking up to them?
Some people would argue that idolization of fictional characters isn't legitimate simply because they aren't "real." To some, heroes and idols are strictly real people like an athlete, celebrity, parental figure, and so one, but those people aren't immortal, not really. Sure, their legacies might be long remembered after they're gone, but the people themselves don't live forever. However, fictional characters do.
Fictional characters—whether they be from a book, short story, film, etc.—are always current and unchanging. Think about it; whenever you write about a fictional character, you are supposed to write about them in the present tense, however, real people are always written about in the past tense. Why? It's because these characters exist right here, right now in black-and-white, on the big screen, and what have you. The mediums by which they exist in are always current.
Fictional characters are forever bathing in the Fountain of Youth, and us fans are their Ponce de Leons, constantly discovering them and reveling in their magnificence. When we're dead and gone, our favorite fictional characters that we idolize will live forever, for they aren't bound by a vessel of mortal flesh as we are. Our heroes will always live on for someone else.
Everyone needs someone they can look up to at least some point in their lives whether they're too prideful to admit it or not, so why not choose one that will always be there between the pages of a book or in a movie/TV show? Imagine passing those characters onto others, onto your children; imagine making those characters family heirlooms.
To me, there's just something incredibly comforting about that as a writer. The characters I create, even if they probably won't become famous or anything, will live forever in paper-and-ink, in my script, in my publications. I'm proud to say that I've found my heroes and lived side-by-side with them, and one day, someone else will find them, too.
Fictional characters are real, regardless of what some people might think. Their personalities and stories exist. I bet as you read this, you had a character or characters in mind. You can describe these people, often better than you can describe most "real" people.
The next time someone asks you who your heroes/idols are, don't be afraid to talk about your Poussey Washingtons, your Dean Winchesters, or even your Steve Rogers.
