Fatal Flaw

Heroes have a Fatal Flaw which they wrestle with on a consistent basis. This may open them up for specific conflicts later—when a protagonist's fatal flaw is encountered through the course of a plot, the audience's reaction is very tense. This works for villains as well, usually being the character trait that drives their evil in the story. This is not to be confused with what Aristotle calls hamartia, also a key part of Tragedy. A hamartia is a mistake or error a hero makes which leads to his undoing. It is not the same as a fatal flaw (though the two often overlap). This confusion arose from the misunderstanding of Aristotle's Poetics in the 19th Century. In classic literature, a Fatal Flaw is often what prevents a Tragic Hero from succeeding, or serves as the cause of their Tragic Mistake. It is usually some sort of character deficiency listed below or, in conventional television, an addiction of some sort. In modern television, the Fatal Flaw is more likely to lead to a Very Special Episode. When a hero zeroes in on a villain's fatal flaw (and they usually do), do not expect them not to exploit it. open/close all folders Some specific Fatal Flaws: Abusing power Addiction to gambling Alcoholism Aloofness Ambition Apathy Arrogance Attachment to the past Bigotry Blindly following orders Bloodlust Chauvinism Cheating Constant Angst Constant remembering of one's misdeeds Cowardice Cruelty Claustrophobia Clumsiness Curiosity Cynicism Defeatism Denial Depression Desire for recognition via questionable means Difficulty to focus Dishonesty Disillusion Disloyalty Distrust Drug addiction Egotism Envy Excessive pacifism Extreme optimism Extreme views of morality Extreme views of justice Failing to communicate Failing to understand evil Failing to understand good Fatalism Focusing too much on winning Forgiveness to a fault Giving into despair Gluttony Greed Guilt Complex Gullibility Holding grudges Honor Hypocrisy Hysteria Idealism Idiocy Ignorance Immaturity Immorality Impatience Impulsiveness Inability to accept criticism Inability to accept defeat Inability to take compliments Incompetence Indecisiveness Indifference Inflexibility Insanity Insensitivity Irrational Hatred Irrationality Irresponsibility Jealousy Kleptomania Laziness Leniency to a fault Low self-esteem Lust Machiavellianism Meanness Megalomania Misanthropy Moochiness Naïvete Napoleon complex Narcissism Need for approval Need for love Nervousness Nihilism Obliviousness Obsession with neatness Obsession with order Obsession with someone Obsessiveness in general Opportunism Overconfidence Overreacting over petty reasons Overthinking Paranoia Passiveness Perfectionism Pettiness Phobia Politeness to a fault Poor integrity Prejudice Pride Purism Putting one's goals above everything else Reasoning to a fault Recklessness Reclusiveness Refusing to be pitied Refusing to forgive Refusing to give up Refusing to take a side Religious fanaticism Revenge Resentment Sadism Secretiveness Self-centeredness Self-indulgence Selfishness Selflessness Self-reliance to an excessive degree Self-serving phoniness Sense of entitlement Sense of inferiority Sense of superiority Sexual oversight Sexual promiscuity Shamelessness Short-sightedness Shyness Single-mindedness Skewed Priorities Sleaziness Sloth Social ineptitude Stinginess Stubbornness Tactlessness Taking too much responsibility for other people's misdeeds Treachery Uncompromising on principles Underusing one's own abilities Ungratefulness Unquestioning loyalty Using dirty tricks Vanity Vulgarity Workaholicism Wrath Note the resemblance to the Seven Deadly Sinsnote . Also see Virtue/Vice Codification for a more comprehensive list of vices identified by various authors throughout history. If the Fatal Flaw doesn't play any role in the story, it's an Informed Flaw. If the flaw isn't quite so fatal, you're likely dealing with Mr. Vice Guy. If someone else ensures that the flaw is fatal, it's Flaw Exploitation. A literal fatal flaw, as often seen in Science Fiction and fantasy, would be Phlebotinum Breakdown and/or Achilles' Heel. If you were looking for a fatal floor, see Pit Trap or Death Course.