“Yes, it was love—unchangeable—unchanged,
Felt but for one from whom he never ranged.”
(The Corsair, Lord Byron)
As promised, this week’s Top List is part two of what I’m calling the “Byronic Hero Top 20 Series.” Part one focused on Byronic Heroes in Film, while Part three (my next list) will center on Byronic Heroes in Literature. This week is the Top 20 Byronic Heroes in Television (and I use the term “top 20” lightly as there are a few ties).
In the top 20 Byronic Heroes in Film, I presented a detailed list of the characteristics of a Byronic Hero, which was a combination of research and some of my own ideas. Check out part 1 for a refresher on the specific traits (such as passion, arrogance, and intellectual superiority…).
Remember, just because a character (or even a bad boy) presents some characteristics of a Byronic doesn’t mean they are one, whereas just because a character doesn’t present all of the traits doesn’t mean they aren’t one.
RELATED: Read Part One: Top 20 Bad Boys: Byronic Heroes in Film
This week, I thought I’d dig a little bit deeper into the Byronic Hero before presenting what I believe to be the best Byronic Heroes in Television as of 2013. At least the ones I’ve seen! So, let’s take a look at the varying types.
Not all Byronic figures look and sound the same. In Atara Stein’s book The Byronic Hero in Film, Fiction, and Television, she categorizes Byronic Heroes into three types. Her book blurb summarizes her argument quite nicely:
“Stein places her Byronic heroes into two camps: the leader-hero who pursues justice outside the law through explosive violence, illustrated in a trio of Clint Eastwood Westerns, the Crow films, and the Terminator films; and the angst-ridden loner hero who views his power as a burden and pines for human existence, represented in Anne Rice’s vampire novels and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels. She also provides a detailed examination of one manifestation of the Byronic hero who embodies traits of both leader-hero and gloomy egotist.”
Taking this a step further in presenting the three types, I would argue the type 1, or the leader-hero as Stein puts it, is the Byronic who embraces who or what he is. Type 2 is the brooder, the loner. Type ones will typically be sarcastic, a mocker if you will, who looks down on society.
It’s almost like the difference between an extrovert and an introvert – presenting in different ways. And then there’s type 3, which combines both elements, as Stein proposes.
RELATED: Read Part Three: Top 20 Bad Boys: Byronic Heroes in Literature
Two great examples of the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Byronic Heroes on Television are Spike vs. Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). And two: Eric vs. Bill (True Blood).
Where Spike enjoys being a vampire and mocks and laughs at situations, Angel broods in the corner and tries to become a do-gooder to make up for past sins. Eric and Bill present the same differences. Bill broods and mopes while Eric parties and runs a nightclub. Both are tortured, and both believe in Byronic love, but they approach it in different ways.
You can see the difference quite clearly between the two types in this fan video of Spike and Angel as they spar over their love for Buffy (trust me, this video is a must-watch; it is HILARIOUS):
Mick St. John from Moonlight is a good example of Type 3 in Television. He’s a vampire who is both leader-hero and gloomy egotist. He spends his time seeking justice outside the confines of the law while also brooding over the fact that he’s a monster, all done with sarcasm and superiority.
He believes he’s better than the other vampires while also believing he’s above humans – or at least their laws (even though he longs to be one).
Byronic Heroes in Television
This particular list includes examples of all three types. Since television is rife with Byronic Heroes, I tried to pick the best ones so you may find one you like from the list (trust me, I had to drop a few of my favorites as well).
My choices come from TV shows and TV movies, so there is no literature (although it can be adapted from it) and no feature films. Part 3 will be coming soon with a full list of the best Byronic Heroes in Literature (so make sure to subscribe below so you know when!)
Until then, read through the entertaining quotes of the Top 20 Byronic Heroes on Television.
BYRONIC HEROES ON TELEVISION
#20 Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who/Torchwood
“Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?”
It’s easy for immortals to become Byronic Heroes because they have more time to brood. Captain Jack is an example of an extroverted Byronic.
#19 Captain Wentworth from Persuasion (2007)
“Miss Elliot, I can bear this no longer. You pierce my soul. I’m half agony, half hope. Unjust I may have been. Weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years ago.”
Captain Wentworth is on the line between a Romantic Hero and a Byronic Hero. However, his “focus” and commitment to his love for Anne make me lean toward Byronic.
#18 Luther
DCI John Luther: Boss, these are very special circumstances; same rules do not apply.
DSU Rose Teller: Chain of evidence is like the ten commandments: it applies unto time and all eternal. Anything in the evidence safe is sacrosanct; we tamper, we risk voiding active cases.
DCI John Luther: Only if we get found out.
Luther is a rule-breaking British detective torn between his light and dark sides.
#17 Arvin Sloane in Alias
“I must admit, I was concerned for you when Sydney resurfaced. I remembered seeing her with Vaughn: their relationship reminded me of my own with my late wife. It was the kind of bond that even death cannot sever. Hmm, well apparently I misjudged.”
Sloane is a unique example of a Byronic villain with an obsessive personality and an intellectual superiority complex. He loves his wife and his obsession with Rambaldi equally.
#16 Henry in Blood Ties
Henry Fitzroy: I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away.
Vicki Nelson: You’re one of those guys who’s just riddled with nagging self-doubt, aren’t you?
Henry Fitzroy: I have a fair opinion of myself and hundreds of years of positive reinforcement.
Henry is a brilliant, underrated example of the leader-hero Byronic vampire. He loves what he is – and is completely confident in his love for Vicki.
#15 (Tie) John Druitt in Sanctuary
John Druitt: You’re with her now. Aren’t you? I know you, old friend. Your passion. Your passion for her it just comes off you like a bad smell.
James Watson: You leaked intelligence and had us ambushed by the SS just so that you could see her one more time. You are like a pathetic schoolboy with a crush!
Druitt is on the villainous side of the Byronic spectrum – but is completely focused on his romantic love – despite his villainy.
#15 (Tie) Tesla in Sanctuary
Helen Magnus: You’ve always been like this, haven’t you? Selfish and arrogant, putting your own desires before everyone else’s.
Nikola Tesla: I brought you here for two reasons: Because only you can help me finish what I’m working on and because I love you.
Sanctuary is full of Byronic Heroes! Tesla is my particular favorite due to his sarcasm, wit, and cynicism.
#14 Dean in Supernatural
Sam Winchester: Are you just supposed to sit there in the dark and suffer, even when there’s nothing that can be done at that moment?
Dean Winchester: Yes! You sit in the dark, and you feel the loss.
Dean Winchester is a type three Byronic Hero: leader-hero and gloomy egotist.
#13 Guy in Robin Hood
Guy of Gisborne: So tired. Every time I close my eyes, they come.
Friar Tuck: They?
Guy of Gisborne: Demons. Clawing at my brain. How can I get some peace?
Guy of Gisborne is a very attractive Byronic Hero seeking redemption for his villainous acts.
#12 (Tie) Oliver Queen in Smallville
“Take it from me, living without love is not really living, it’s just sort of existing. The question you have to ask yourself is what are you willing to risk for love?”
Oliver Queen is a confident Byronic Hero who believes in love and thinks he’s above society and its rules.
#12 (Tie) Lex in Smallville
“Anyone who doesn’t appreciate poetry doesn’t understand that it’s all about seduction.”
Smallville gave the audience the best and most layered version of Lex Luthor to date – simply by making him a Byronic Hero/villain torn between good and evil.
#11 (Tie) Damon in The Vampire Diaries
“I’m lost. I have a secret, a big one. But I’ve never said it out loud. What’s the point? It’s not gonna change anything. It’s not gonna make me good, make me adopt a puppy. I can’t be what other people want me to be. What she wants me to be. This is who I am. You are my existential crisis. Do I kill you or do I not kill you? But I have to Jessica because I’m not human. And I miss it. I miss it more than anything in the world. That is my secret. But there is only so much hurt a man can take.”
Damon is the ultimate bad boy! He longs to be human and be with Elena – but will he ever be good enough?
#11 (Tie) Klaus in The Vampire Diaries/The Originals
“And I could let you, die, if that’s what you want if you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself once or twice over the centuries, truth be told. But I’ll let you in on a little secret, there’s a whole world out there waiting for you, great cities and art and music, genuine beauty, and you can have all of it, you can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask.”
Byronic Heroes feel like they’ve stepped out of the Romantic Age and into the modern day. Klaus begins as a villain and eventually becomes a Hero. His love for art, beauty, and music hints at his Byronic qualities. His romantic focus on Caroline and then later on Cami proves it.
#10 Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
“I would die a thousand deaths if I knew she were waiting for me!”
He is the perfect Byronic villain.
#9 (Tie) Bill in True Blood
“She will never be yours and there’s nothing you can do. In this you are powerless. Accept it.”
Bill is a Byronic Hero, hoping his love for Sookie will redeem him.
#9 (Tie) Eric in True Blood
“Everyone who claims to love you: your friends, your brother, even Bill Compton; they all gave up on you. I never did.”
Eric is the type of Byronic Hero who oozes confidence and embraces his bad-boy qualities.
#8 (Tie) Sawyer in Lost
“Baby, I am tied to a tree in the jungle of mystery. I’ve just got tortured by a damn spinal surgeon and a genuine Iraqi. Of course, I’m serious. Just not seein’ the big picture here, Freckles. You really gonna let that girl suffocate ’cause you can’t bring yourself to give me one little kiss. Hell, it’s only first base. Lucky for you, I ain’t greedy.”
Lost is another series that loves and fully embraces flawed Byronic Heroes. Sawyer’s one of the most entertaining.
#8 (Tie) Sayid in Lost
John Locke: What if I told you that you could have anything you wanted. What if I said you can have anything in the entire world?
Sayid Jarrah: I would tell you that the only thing I ever wanted, died in my arms, and I’ll never see it again.
John Locke: What if you could?
The fake John Locke tempts Sayid with his major weakness: Sayid’s Byronic love for Shannon.
#7 Mick St. John in Moonlight
“Sixty years is a long time to deny yourself the touch of another, but you do it. Because you just can’t bear the thought of seeing yourself as a monster in someone else’s eyes.”
Mick St. John is the lovable, gentlemanly Byronic Hero seeking redemption and finding soul love with Beth.
#6 Davis in Smallville
Davis Bloome: A world without Chloe? No, you better have a plan “B” because I’m not losing her.
Clark Kent: Davis, if you truly care about her, you would let her go.
Davis Bloome: You got it all wrong, Clark. She *chose* to protect me. It was her idea for us to leave Smallville forever…The darkness – it doesn’t come out when Chloe’s around. She makes me…human.
You can hear Davis’s intellectual superiority over Clark. He believes that it’s silly to give up the person you love. Byronic Heroes are often selfish when it comes to their romantic focus.
#5 The Doctor in Doctor Who
“If I kill you, I kill her. But that implies, in this big grand scheme of gods and devils, that she’s just a victim. Well, I’ve seen a lot of this universe. I’ve seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods. I’ve had the whole pantheon. But if I believe in one thing – just one thing…I believe in her!”
The Doctor in Doctor Who presents with numerous faces and personalities. The 10th Doctor is arguably the most Byronic of the bunch. He loves Rose and believes in his love for her more than anything else. When he loses her, his full-on Byronic rage eventually comes out.
#4 Cole in Charmed
“I was dead before I met you, I was born the day you loved me, and my love for you will keep me alive, forever.”
Cole is another example of a selfish, Byronic Hero consumed by his love and passion for Phoebe.
#3 (Tie) Angel in Buffy/Angel
“I want to take comfort in you, and I know it’ll cost me my soul, and a part of me doesn’t care.”
Spoken like a true Byronic Hero!
#3 (Tie) Spike in Buffy/Angel
“Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.”
Spike’s backstory is obviously influenced by Lord Byron.
#2 Mitchell in Being Human
“You and me, it’s for eternity. Really forever…I don’t want to live without you. I can’t live without you. I can’t…I can’t.”
Mitchell is an example of a brooding Byronic Hero longing to be human. He finds love with his roommate Annie – and sees it as a twin soul love.
#1 (Tie) Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre (2006)
“God forgive me. And let no man meddle with me. I aim to keep her.”
Mr. Rochester is a redeemable Byronic Hero, played brilliantly by Toby Stephens in this adaptation.
#1 (Tie) Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre (1983)
“Is it better to drive a fellow-creature to despair than to transgress a mere human law, no man being injured by the breach?”
Timothy Dalton brings his deep understanding of Byronic Heroes to his performance, which pays off brilliantly.
Did I leave any of your favorite Byronic Heroes in Television off the list? Let us know!
Logan Echolls- Veronica Mars
“Logan, can we, like, borrow you?” / “Will I be returned in my current pristine condition?”
I miss Marcus Cole from Babylon 5. I think he makes a good byronic hero. 🙂
Don Draper – Mad Men
Sherlock, obvy
Vincent from the 1980’s Beauty and the Beast.
Timmy Shelby from Peaky Blinders. Captain Flint from Black Sails. James Delaney from Taboo.
But YES to Sayid!!!