Co-Protagonists in a Story?

The “protagonist” function is clear. S/He is the one pursuing the story goal. Some films, such as 21 Jump Street, seem to have co-protagonists. A lot of cop-buddy films seem to fit this. Where would you fit the secondary character? I’m also thinking about the tv series or movie “Alien Nation”. Perhaps one characters “pursues” while the other tends to “consider”. Any thoughts? I’ve faced this in my thriller story where one character is clearly pursuing while the other (IC) has felt like he’s hovering.

Well, if one of them is the IC, then they shouldn’t be hovering. They should be questioning and challenging their partner’s POV. It may be that they take less direct action against the plot (they might be the Skeptic or the Emotion character to the MC’s Sidekick/Reason), but even then, they should still feel like a vibrant character with a strong sense of energy. [Sidenote: I wish there were better names for the Reason and Emotion characters. Maybe the Rationalist and the… Pathist? Emotionalist? Pathologist? :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:]

The other interpretation could be that, while each character has their own personal traits, together they achieve the Protagonistic traits. Like Mulder and Scully, which you had in an earlier edit. Mulder’s Faith, Scully’s Disbelief, but while they’re on the job, they Pursue and Consider.

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