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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/38986
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I want to ask about a certain style on how to present a character. I know Jack Sparrow is from a movie (and I've only watched the movies too) but I want to integrate in my writing how he was presented in the movies.

To be short, he's a protagonist but his screen time is less than the other characters. And also, in every Pirates of the Carribean movie, it's like there is a whole different "arc" for each movie, and it doesn't revolve around "main Jack Sparrow arc" or something like that.

I feel like Jack Sparrow is more of a side character but his presence has a huge impact on each movie arc. And the audience is always waiting for Jack Sparrow to come, even though there is an ongoing story parallel to whatever Jack is doing.

In other words, it's like he's a main character but he's not, because in every arc, he just pops in, contributes something, and pops out. And the other "main characters" progress with the story.

Is there a name for this kind of trope, or style, or like the literary device on how to present a character?

Original score: 58