shroudofsorrow

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Neutral Good

"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong"

-Frederick Douglass

And now we come to the second of the nine alignments, namely Neutral Good. Characters who fit this alignment are most concerned with doing the right thing and helping others, and while they do not set out to break the rules or go against authority, they also see no problem whatsoever with doing so if they feel it is necessary. Basically, where a Lawful Good character would only break the rules if they felt it was absolutely necessary, a Neutral Good character simply does not care if they happen to break any rules in the process of doing what's right. They just don't set out to break the law either.

List items

  • While Batman has sometimes been more on the Lawful or Chaotic ends of the "Good" spectrum, he usually settles nicely in the middle ground between the two. After all as Superman himself has pointed out: "Batman is most concerned with protecting life". And he's right. Batman doesn't shed any tears if he happens to break the rules, but I would argue that he doesn't necessarily go out of his way to either. As always though it depends on the writer. I just feel that ultimately he is this due to having a lot of Lawful and Chaotic tendencies both.

  • Just like his predecessor

  • Thor tends to be depicted as the kind of guy who is most concerned with doing what is just and safeguarding Midgard from all manner of threats. While he respects the authority of both his father and the governments of the Earth he does not feel particularly bound to either one and has regularly disobeyed the former when Thor feels that his commands keep him from doing good.

  • The Boy Who Lived, Harry establishes early on that he lets his conscience dictate his actions rather than the rules. As such while he does respect the authority of some of the teachers at Hogwarts, as well as Dumbledore, Harry nevertheless still regularly breaks the school rules in the pursuit of doing the right thing. He does not necessarily SET OUT to break the rules however, rather he just doesn't care if he happens to break them. And that is why he's Neutral Good and not Chaotic Good.

  • She tries to be Lawful Good but ultimately proves to be just as willing to break the rules when necessary, and as such ultimately becomes Neutral Good.

  • Though his position as headmaster of Hogwarts would suggest he's Lawful, in actuality Dumbledore is comfortably Neutral Good, regularly side-stepping the rules for himself and others whenever it's in service to the greater good.

  • He fits this much the same way his good buddy Thor does

  • Just like his Marvel counterpart. Barring a few unfortunate misunderstandings and accidents of course.

  • Sometimes this, sometimes Lawful Good

  • In the hands of more recent writers, Hal Jordan tends to be portrayed as someone who, though basically a Space-Cop regularly goes against authority when he feels it gets in the way of doing the right thing and as such is somewhere in-between this and Chaotic Good.

  • Like Hal Jordan he can be this sometimes

  • They sometimes work with the other Lantern Corps, including the Green Lantern Corps, but do not feel obligated to obey the GLC's tight restrictions and are most concerned with being compassionate and barring a few exceptions, good.

  • Like the Indigo Tribe, they are most concerned with doing the right thing and spreading hope to those in need of it.

  • As the champion Blue Lantern this shouldn't be a surprise.

  • Dedicated Blue Lantern

  • Dedicated Blue Lantern

  • Another dedicated Blue Lantern

  • DC's resident heroic witch, who like many other superheroes is more concerned with being good than following the laws of the land.

  • The current Blue Beetle and one of many superheroes who fits Neutral Good due to being most concerned with doing the right thing.

  • Aaaand...here's another one

  • And another

  • Respects Batman's authority but is generally shown to be fine with breaking most other rules and laws besides. Like his mentor, Tim is most concerned with doing what is good.

  • Though sometimes Chaotic Good (usually under Gail Simone's writing) Barbara is usually more this along with many of the other members of the Batman Family.

  • Just like his mentor

  • Especially the DCAU version, where he is clearly most concerned with doing the right thing.

  • Though he is typically thought of as the embodiment of Lawful Good, Superman has sometimes slipped into this before, and what I take away from that is that if pushed, Superman will become Neutral Good but still generally prefers to be Lawful Good. So this is more what he becomes if that's not an option. Because with Superman, doing good really is more important than anything else.

  • Like Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman has been this some of the time. Also like Thor she respects the authority of the world's governments and her parental figure but also like Thor does not feel terribly bound to either one of them, at least not when portrayed by certain writers. Like with Superman and Batman, her alignment tends to change a lot but is always good in some way or another.

  • One of the X-Men's better examples of this.

  • Another X-Man who fits this

  • Though I have said he's more Lawful Good to me, Spider-Man is nevertheless generally viewed as being more this alignment, and ultimately I'd say that he and Superman are kind of similar in the sense that they try to be Lawful Good if at all possible but if push comes to shove will become Neutral Good due to favoring good over anything else. Spider-Man is also this in the Sam Raimi movie trilogy.

  • Fits this alignment more consistently than the real Peter Parker, being like many other superheroes most concerned with doing the right thing and while not deliberately going out of his way to break the rules, isn't too broken up if he happens to. I really wish Marvel would bring him back already.

  • In my Marvel Universe after going through character development

  • Seems to be this, though I don't know for certain. Someone be sure to correct me if I'm wrong

  • Somewhere in-between this and Chaotic Good I'd say. As the Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange deals with magical and supernautral threats to the planet, and due to the nature of both his powers and the foes he fights he is often forced to operate outside of society. In fact in the character's early years the general public didn't even know Doctor Strange existed!

  • Seems to be this, as he respects Reed and Sue's authority and to an extent the government's but doesn't feel tethered to it. So yeah, I'd say he's this.

  • Pretty much. While in his earliest days he may have been more True Neutral due to the whole "Heroes for Hire" thing, these days I'd say Luke is squarely Neutral Good, being a hero either on the streets or as an Avenger.

  • Once again I think this fits but I'm not 100% sure.

  • The classic iteration of the character. Modern Iron Man was Lawful Neutral and currently Lawful Good.

  • While I generally view him as text-book Lawful Good there is a strong argument to be made for Cap's being Neutral Good as he has repeatedly defied the orders and wishes of the government when it meant going against his conscience. And while Lawful Good characters CAN break the rules if they feel they need breaking, Cap does it often enough that you could make the argument that he's Neutral Good, especially when he briefly turned in the costume to keep from being tethered to the US Government, preferring to fight evil more on his own terms. And don't get me started on Civil War...

  • The movie version of the team, who work with SHIELD to a degree but also clearly favor battling evil on their own terms without government spooks breathing down their necks.

  • After realizing that being shackled by the government and just doing everything they say is actually not good and that they would do more good if they operate on their own terms.

  • They could be seen as this in that they do sometimes try to work with the powers that be in the hopes of forming some kind of good working relationship with them but at the same time don't feel bound to their rules and restrictions. Especially when they're not always in the mutant's favor.

  • Kind of in-between this and Chaotic Good. What I feel ultimately pushes them more into this alignment is how they take over the reigns after overthrowing the Empire, whereas if they were truly Chaotic Good they wouldn't necessarily want to put themselves in a position of authority over others. Of course given that as the New Republic they're Lawful Good I suppose it's not the strongest argument, but nevertheless here they are.

  • Though he is Lawful Good in the movies, Luke is nevertheless frequently this in the years after Return of the Jedi.

  • Though a dedicated follower of the Light Side and someone who believes strongly in Jedi principles, Qui-Gon was nevertheless viewed as a maverick by many other Jedi of his time, and was quite agreeable to casually bending or even breaking the rules if he felt it was necessary.

  • In his older years as Ben Kenobi, where he now behaves more like his old master Qui-Gon.

  • As Anakin during the Clone Wars, he alternated between this and Chaotic Good.

  • Respects Jedi teachings and ideals to a degree, but not so much that she doesn't sometimes go against them if she feels they get in the way.

  • After turning to the Light Side

  • While I think it's fair to say that Zayne tries desperately to be Lawful Good, circumstances force him to be more Neutral Good.

  • The REAL hero of the Star Wars saga

  • The Disney version

  • Again, the Disney version. And yes, Aladdin was a character who existed before the Disney film.

  • Ditto

  • Will wants DESPERATELY to be Lawful Good, but as Jack Sparrow himself put it: "Piracy is in your blood". As such Will ultimately becomes more Neutral Good.

  • Desires to do the right thing and be a hero but pretty casually goes against the wishes of the government and his own family to do so. Honestly I could almost argue that he's Chaotic Good.

  • The whimsical Italian plumber who is most concerned with keeping the Mushroom Kingdom and his Princess safe from harm, not so much obeying the rules

  • Same as Mario

  • In the Dante's Inferno video game after redeeming himself. Before that he was more Lawful Evil.

  • After being freed from his malevolent programming

  • Seems to be this, though I'll admit that I'm far from an expert in Metroid.

  • As more or less a heroic mercenary I figured he'd be either this or Chaotic Good.

  • Possibly Paragon Shepard depending on how you play

  • Except in Mass Effect 2 where he's VERY Chaotic Good

  • Except in Mass Effect 2 where like Garrus she's more Chaotic Good.

  • Post Character-Development where she resigns from Cerberus after seeing how evil they are and becoming most concerned with protecting humanity and keeping her sister, and the galaxy at large safe from the Reapers and her father.

  • While I would say he was Lawful Neutral in his younger years, by the time you recruit him I'd say he's become this, being most concerned with doing some true good before he finally dies and not being all that concerned with breaking the rules in the process, but also not being overtly contemptuous of authority the way Garrus and Jacob are.

  • "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients, sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps".

  • One of several Kingdom Hearts characters to fit this alignment

  • When a hero. Most would associate him more with Chaotic Good, but he does respect the authority of both DiZ and King Mickey.

  • Though initially True Neutral she ultimately becomes this.

  • Most concerned with helping Kilik and doing the right thing

  • In her own words she will never turn her back on people who need her, and is clearly most concerned with doing good and not terribly concerned with law or chaos.

  • You might say this is one of the few things the two siblings have in common.

  • Yet another AtLA character who fits this, despite what his initial allegiance would have you believe.

  • One of the few main Gargoyles who I feel is more Neutral Good than Lawful Good.

  • Fits this alignment the best out of all the Turtles.

  • Somewhere in-between this and Chaotic Good

  • One of the Turtle's closest allies alongside Splinter and Casey Jones, who among other things makes sure to keep their existence a secret from the rest of the world.

  • Usually, though many episodes from later seasons paint him (intentionally or otherwise) as a legitimately obnoxious individual. In his earlier years though he was pretty consistently this alignment.

  • Definitely the most consistently moral and idealistic member of her family.

  • A lovable panda who's biggest desire is to be a kick-butt kung fu fighter battling against the forces of evil.

  • After becoming a hero

  • Likewise

  • Has some ties to the US government but also clearly prefers to go his own way.

  • The Daniel Craig version, who disobeys orders he doesn't like but also operates within the system to a degree as a member of MI6

  • Admittedly I'm not the most knowledgable on Buffy-related things, but from what little I've seen and know he seems to be this.

  • Captain of the Enterprise but also a man who breaks the rules (like that pesky Prime Directive) quite often.

  • Post-Character Development when he starts letting emotions dictate his actions a little more.

  • The World' Greatest Detective who's biggest concern is solving the case.

  • While he's usually seen as text-book Chaotic Good there are times when he is legitimately Neutral Good, as he is often shown to respect the authority of Richard the Lionheart and in many versions of the tale only becomes an outlaw out of necessity and before that was an Earl. So yes, he is usually Chaotic Good, but not always.

  • The archetypal wizard who works with the good powers and authorities of Middle-Earth in the fight against evil but clearly does not feel bound to any of them. In fact he works outside of them as often as he does with them. Ultimately Gandalf is most concerned with stopping Sauron and his armies and keeping Middle-Earth safe from them.

  • In contrast to the Hobbits of the the actual Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bilbo I feel is more Neutral Good, being an everyman thrust into a big adventure and doing his best to follow his conscience while on it.

  • At his best, though he's obviously usually not this, typically being more True Neutral. Of course I could also say he's Neutral Good compared to most everyone else in that world.

  • As opposed to his more Lawful Good predecessor, Dan is most concerned with being the classic superhero and doing what he can to protect the innocent. An idealism that is sadly unrewarded by the end of the story.

  • Real-life example

  • Another real-life example, this one a comic book writer/artist!

  • Source of the page quote