The CHARACTER of a werewolf...

[ShaneZeal]

little do people know, wolves are big on family. they don't just kill, they love too. example: at the end of Bad Moon he atacked his own loved ones. I fined that hard to belive.

[Templar]

little do people know, wolves are big on family. they don't just kill, they love too. example: at the end of Bad Moon he atacked his own loved ones. I fined that hard to belive.

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about. Since werewolves are supposed to be wolf and man, maybe the emotional characteristics that men and wolves share (i.e. the need for companionship) should be prevalent, rather than "they've gotta show more human traits like this" or "their character should have more wolf aspects like that" etc, etc.

That's just my two cents.

[nomadvgabond]

i think a good werewolf character is one who is very much comfortable with his werewolf side but at the same time feels like he cant be excepted amongst humans because of it. he should be funny but not loud and crazy. he should also be very serious but not mean. also he should be very honorable and respectful to those who deserve it. basically like batman with some differences and more funny more like cocky really but not cocky to the point where he gets himself into trouble.

[redwolfmoon]

Alright, on the majority, I like werewolf films for the sake of the horror film lover in me, watching preps run, scream, and die in a horrible bloody mess.
It is had to find a werewolf's character in a film, seeing as it is depicted as nothing but a human who transforms into a blood thirsty beast by the light of the moon. In human form they can be a good person affraid to harm others, or fully aware of their deep blood thirsty nature and take advantage of it.
I personally enjoy reading werewolf novels, Blood and Chocolate being my favorate. Vivian has the traditional outcast feeling among humans, yet constantly worried of how being found out could lower her chances even more yet still holds consciousness in her wolf form.

As for what makes a character one we love, Badassness always helps!! One who has his own torments, either of the past, mind, condition, or enemies and isn't affraid to show his aggression, yet still holds enough humanity to relate to anothers pain.
Knowing when someone is hurting, showing care for another, those are things that make us grow attached to a character. People like Darth Vader because you feel sorry for him, crap went down and he couldn't take it so he just gave up. Bond rocks cause he has all the big guns and chicks. We like characters because we feel for them or we want to be them!

[Terastas]

Hmmm....that's a good question, Matt....

To me, a good werewolf character would be one who demonstrates and nurtures the appearance of a dark and dangerous creature, but all the while having deep down the same needs and character of a human being. For example, I created a character for a story ended up trashing called Urie Langdon (UrieL, after one of the four archangels). He does what he can to portray himself as a cold and lethal individual, including introducing himself to the other main character by singing the first lines and chorus to 'Sympathy for the Devil' ("Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste...") and and saying stuff like "God? God is your father. God is your creator. God would do anything for you. Therefore, God is all powerful because He is love...
(leans in close) I don't love you."

However, despite the way he distances himself from others, he still manages to show up when he is needed, he takes the other protagonists under his wing despite his apparent opposition, and over the course of the story, one begins to feel that he would give his life for the other characters, which he eventually does. He does this because deep down, he's alone and numb, and by helping the other characters, he's able to actually feel some emotion again, which in turn drives him to keep them close by and protect them at all costs.

Even though you've scrapped the story, I would hold onto that character concept. He sounds like a very good antihero.

One of the chief protagonists in the book I'm working on is very similar. At first he appears stiff, cold, cynical, antisocial, etc., (kind of a cross between Spike Spiegel and Dr. House, if you will) and is only tolerated by those around him because he fights like the devil. It's eventually revealed, however, that he's dying; he took up combat so he could die like a hero instead of slowly and painfully in a hospital bed, and he's antisocial because he doesn't want anyone to mourn him.

I think antiheroes are so popular because they are intriguing, and there are usually a few complexities to them that make them who they are, which in turn make them more human and believable.

Going back on the subject, however, there's no one-size-fits-all way of describing a good werewolf character, except to say that the best ones are humans before Hollywood monsters. The worst characters are the ones that are not characters, essentially defined entirely by their savagery (Darkwolf, etc.). The second worst are the rich teens that claim to have major problems which usually involve popularity and dating (Teen Wolf, Cursed, etc.). Apart from the angsty teen MTV watchers, nobody finds that believable.

Which, umm. . . I hate to say it, but now that I think about it, I have a feeling that's why Blood & Chocolate might be a disappointment. It is essentially a werewolf Romeo and Juliet, right? Teen romance always sucks, and that goes for a lot more than just werewolf movies.

[redwolfmoon]

I know the upcomming Blood and Chocolate film is going to suck big bloody chunky bits.

[RedEye]

Don't worry RedWolfMoon: the Movie has so eviscerated the book that it's a hollow shell of itself. Think Underworld with Werewolves this time.
Wait for it to come out as a rental, then rent it and throw popcorn at the screen...that will at least double the entertainment value of this flick.

IMHO, A Werewolf's character would be the sum of whatever Human and whatever Wolf instincts remained after the shift. In some stories, neither are there, just a hungry, angst-y, crazy critter that regularly drags off somebody and eats them. (Wolfman)
In other stories, you have to use a microscope to even find the Wolf outside of the makeup. (Teen Wolf)
IF---the thing were to actually happen , I'd think that there woud be something of a melding between the two: Wolves and Humans aren't that alien to each other. The first shift would produce something that hid a lot, and tried to stay away from everybody; both Wolf and Human hide when something beyond their understanding happens to them. Over time, I suspect that you'd get Mr. Brownrigg's werewolf: Aware in both forms, competent in both forms, and part of a greater group- both Wolves and Humans seek comfort with others like them.
You could hope that the more noble traits of both creatures would be the dominant characteristics, but most likely the Were' would most likely be very similar to the Human. Noble Human, Noble Werewolf. Geeky Human, Geeky Werewolf; trying to find where to put his pocket protecter in a coat of Wolf Fur.
I suspect the Reasoned responses would favor the Human, while the instinctual reactions would favor the Wolf.
That's my two-bit's worth.

[Terastas]

At the very least, it can't possibly be any more painful than Cursed and Darkwolf were.

I kind of partially agree with RedEye about the personality being a meld of the two, but the thing is that werewolves grew up as a human, spend the majority of their time in human form and live in a human society, so the werewolf's mentality should swing more towards the human element.

We've had discussions about the possibility of a werewolf choosing to remain in full wolf form and living a simplified feral life, so the werewolf's mentality/personality wouldn't always be predominantly human, but I think it should be more close akin to the form they spend the most time as. I suppose it would be possible for a werewolf to spend exactly 50% of their time as a human and the other 50% as a wolf, but there isn't exactly a practical reason why someone would do that.

[Fang]

I think that the were's personality should be diferent, there are good humans and there are evil humans, I think that there should be weres that would give you a hug and lick your face, and those who would drag you off and eat you.

[Morkulv]

The character of a werewolf should be like that of any other were-types. Like therians for example. And by that, I mean a person who acts a lot more instinctual then other humans.