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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44040
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44040
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Adding to linksassin's good answer about having a _cast of characters_ rather than a main, I want to point out what you said:

> The author takes special **care** of them. Provides them **wise thinking. Good luck. A charm.** In some cases **special powers** too. Sometimes readers bind that character to themselves, that's how they keep engaging with the story.

This is an incorrect assumption. It's true that the MC in a lot of genres (I'm thinking about young-adult fiction and fantasy, mainly) is often special in one way or another, but it doesn't have to be the case. It changes depending on the genre. **This kind of stereotypical main character, who wins his struggles because he's special, is completely unnecessary**. Fiction is full of protagonists that, while they do have skills and perks, are not "special" nor covered by [plot armor](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotArmor).

The real difference between a main character and a secondary one is _time_; how much time the author spends to show his struggles, describing his emotions and his thoughts, how much time is taken to develop his arc and so on. The more you write about a character, the more the audience will know him/her, and the more they will care (hopefully).

**If you don't want one MC, the easiest thing is to have two**. Balancing two (interesting) characters, giving each one the same depth and an equally strong story arc, is surely challenging, but it can lead to interesting results. Also, chances are that the readers that won't be able to "click" with one of your MCs will be able to relate with the other. A classic example of this is _[The Betrothed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Betrothed_(Manzoni_novel))_ by A. Manzoni, where both Renzo and Lucia are equally developed main characters.

If you want you can add even more characters and move towards a group cast of main characters. GoT is a good example, but there are many more in literature. Remember that a group cast tends to subtract emphasis from the struggles of a single person to underline the struggles of a group of people, of a political situation, of a nation and so on depending on the book.

Original score: 27