When I think of a character, I think first of what they should look like. Often I pick an actor to base them on, just so I have a rough idea of their appearance. Next, how they wear their hair. Long or short? What color should it be? Next, and most importantly, what colors they should wear? This is the longest part of the process.
Why is this so important and worthy of hard thought? Because I believe that colors reveal what the person’s true intentions are. When you think of Superman, what do you think of? Red, yellow, and blue, bright, clean colors. How about Batman? Black (and sometimes very, very, dark gray), mysterious and dark.
When you look at Superman and Batman, you know exactly what they represent, part of that is due to their color schemes. There have been times when we’ve seen Superman in black, but that’s always been unsettling, we know he shouldn’t be dressed in black. Colors set up expectations for a character, and therefore can either support or subvert those expectations.
Black is a very striking color, often representing villains. The above mentioned Batman is one of the exceptions to this rule, but we instinctively view black as representing evil, death, and fear. But black is also for power, sophistication, and elegance. Black’s power as a color is always enhanced when combined with white, often evoking an otherworldly quality. Look at Mimes for instance. Mimes are traditionally meant to be exploring the world as a mute outsider, who always wears black and white. In the more unsettling camp, we have creepypasta monster Slenderman, who wears a black suit and has a white face.
In fantasy fiction, characters who are associated with black and white often have a Destiny, a fate they can’t escape. These characters often have white or light blond hair and wear black, which makes their hair more striking. Now, as white hair is usually caused by age and these characters aren’t old, this color is the result of some sort of magic, species difference, or other unusual condition, also usually tied to their fate. Characters like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy, Geralt of Riva from The Witcher, and Elric of Melnibone from the works of Michael Moorcock all have this whole “fate” thing.
(Side note: Hamlet, as played by Kenneth Branagh, is towhead blond so he could count too.)
Often, this color combination means this character’s ultimate fate is death. The Destiny they chase, (or chases them… or something) means they will die pursuing it. This strain of tragedy seems inescapable for anyone who sports this combination; but what would happen if a character could escape their fate?
What if they could overcome what seems inevitable?
What if black and white meant justice, and not destruction?
The black and white hero could be an overcomer. He could defeat what others say he is.
He could chose life.