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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40535
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40535
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **You can have the murder be of someone the MC knows, or of a stranger, but they will be different stories.**

If the murder victim is someone the MC knows, the MC's intentions will always be clouded with revenge. That's not a bad motivation, it just may not be what you want.

If the murder victim is a stranger, the MC's focus is on the immorality of what his father has done.

For Batman and Spiderman, the defining event in their lives is not (just) that someone they loved died, but that they lost one or both parents while they were still minors living at home (Peter's uncle was in a father role to him).

In your case, your character's defining event is realizing that his father is a bad person and focusing all his attention on stopping him. He doesn't have to lose someone he knows to come to that realization. So, if you add in that twist, make it count. Don't just throw it in hoping it makes the situation more horrific. "My dad ordered someone's murder" is more than enough to turn someone's love and loyalty into ash.

Original score: 3