The gold standard that I reference as a baseline for how to write an exceptional supporting character in fiction, is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist. Absolutely exceptional.
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Interesting contrast to Dune’s approach with Duncan Idaho. Idaho in the first few books is just a side character, over the course of the series he starts to play a more critical role. He is cloned/incarnated time and time again because people can count on him to do the right thing. By book six, Duncan demonstrates himself to be one of the greatest tacticians in the Dune Universe.
The revival card is used a lot in Sanderson’s Stormlight archives too. Jasnah, the assassin in white, etc. Its overuse becomes mundane.
Mae Hughes’s death is very unique in that regard, readers can actually feel the ripple effects of his death. The consequences of Mae’s assassination simmer across the entirety of the show.
The revival card is used a lot in Sanderson’s Stormlight archives too. Jasnah, the assassin in white, etc. Its overuse becomes mundane.
Mae Hughes’s death is very unique in that regard, readers can actually feel the ripple effects of his death. The consequences of Mae’s assassination simmer across the entirety of the show.