Heroes have a Fatal Flaw which they wrestle with on a consistent basis. This may open them up for specific conflicts later—when a protagonist's fatal flaw is encountered through the course of a plot, the audience's reaction is very tense. This works for villains as well, usually being the character trait that drives their evil in the story.
This is not to be confused with what Aristotle calls hamartia, also a key part of Tragedy. A hamartia is a mistake or error a hero makes which leads to his undoing. It is not the same as a fatal flaw (though the two often overlap). This confusion arose from the misunderstanding of Aristotle's Poetics in the 19th Century.
In classic literature, a Fatal Flaw is often what prevents a Tragic Hero from succeeding, or serves as the cause of their Tragic Mistake. It is usually some sort of character deficiency listed below or, in conventional television, an addiction of some sort. In modern television, the Fatal Flaw is more likely to lead to a Very Special Episode.
When a hero zeroes in on a villain's fatal flaw (and they usually do), do not expect them not to exploit it.
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Some specific Fatal Flaws:
Abusing power
Addiction to gambling
Alcoholism
Aloofness
Ambition
Apathy
Arrogance
Attachment to the past
Bigotry
Blindly following orders
Bloodlust
Chauvinism
Cheating
Constant Angst
Constant remembering of one's misdeeds
Cowardice
Cruelty
Claustrophobia
Clumsiness
Curiosity
Cynicism
Defeatism
Denial
Depression
Desire for recognition via questionable means
Difficulty to focus
Dishonesty
Disillusion
Disloyalty
Distrust
Drug addiction
Egotism
Envy
Excessive pacifism
Extreme optimism
Extreme views of morality
Extreme views of justice
Failing to communicate
Failing to understand evil
Failing to understand good
Fatalism
Focusing too much on winning
Forgiveness to a fault
Giving into despair
Gluttony
Greed
Guilt Complex
Gullibility
Holding grudges
Honor
Hypocrisy
Hysteria
Idealism
Idiocy
Ignorance
Immaturity
Immorality
Impatience
Impulsiveness
Inability to accept criticism
Inability to accept defeat
Inability to take compliments
Incompetence
Indecisiveness
Indifference
Inflexibility
Insanity
Insensitivity
Irrational Hatred
Irrationality
Irresponsibility
Jealousy
Kleptomania
Laziness
Leniency to a fault
Low self-esteem
Lust
Machiavellianism
Meanness
Megalomania
Misanthropy
Moochiness
Naïvete
Napoleon complex
Narcissism
Need for approval
Need for love
Nervousness
Nihilism
Obliviousness
Obsession with neatness
Obsession with order
Obsession with someone
Obsessiveness in general
Opportunism
Overconfidence
Overreacting over petty reasons
Overthinking
Paranoia
Passiveness
Perfectionism
Pettiness
Phobia
Politeness to a fault
Poor integrity
Prejudice
Pride
Purism
Putting one's goals above everything else
Reasoning to a fault
Recklessness
Reclusiveness
Refusing to be pitied
Refusing to forgive
Refusing to give up
Refusing to take a side
Religious fanaticism
Revenge
Resentment
Sadism
Secretiveness
Self-centeredness
Self-indulgence
Selfishness
Selflessness
Self-reliance to an excessive degree
Self-serving phoniness
Sense of entitlement
Sense of inferiority
Sense of superiority
Sexual oversight
Sexual promiscuity
Shamelessness
Short-sightedness
Shyness
Single-mindedness
Skewed Priorities
Sleaziness
Sloth
Social ineptitude
Stinginess
Stubbornness
Tactlessness
Taking too much responsibility for other people's misdeeds
Treachery
Uncompromising on principles
Underusing one's own abilities
Ungratefulness
Unquestioning loyalty
Using dirty tricks
Vanity
Vulgarity
Workaholicism
Wrath
Note the resemblance to the Seven Deadly Sinsnote . Also see Virtue/Vice Codification for a more comprehensive list of vices identified by various authors throughout history.
If the Fatal Flaw doesn't play any role in the story, it's an Informed Flaw. If the flaw isn't quite so fatal, you're likely dealing with Mr. Vice Guy. If someone else ensures that the flaw is fatal, it's Flaw Exploitation. A literal fatal flaw, as often seen in Science Fiction and fantasy, would be Phlebotinum Breakdown and/or Achilles' Heel. If you were looking for a fatal floor, see Pit Trap or Death Course.
Fatal Flaw has been suggested to play 26 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.