Personality: Meet Derek Hale - an angry, callous, untrusting and generally unlucky werewolf with the uncanny ability to communicate almost solely with his eyebrows and skulk around like a big creeper. He’s by far one of the more aggressive characters in the series, known for constant threats and using physical force with startling regularity. As a generalization, he has something of a bad reputation and more often than not ends up as the bad guy in somebody’s eyes for something he may or may not have actually had any hand in whatsoever. Of course, some of these things contributing to his ‘bad reputation’ hold some truth and others are just plain bad luck on his part.
To many characters, Derek is difficult, hard to read. He holds himself purposefully at arm’s length and, when necessary, can easily put in place the right defenses to ensure if he doesn’t want or need you to know something that you will not. He has a kind of serious, almost broody nature at a casual glance and truthfully, comes off as being a bit sour. He keeps himself secured in a thick, harsh shell that makes him come off as standoffish and uses his threats and aggression to keep people out whenever possible. And truthfully, many of his interactions with others are hardly normal because his intentions are much too difficult to gather from what little he tends to offer.
Derek’s way of carrying himself is - in one word - mysterious, though frustrating would be a close second depending on who you ask. He’s something of a creeper, known to appear in random places ( such as the boys locker room or off in the distance in the woods ) before disappearing without a trace. He spends a fair amount of time simply watching, as if working some strange game plan until he’s ready to set himself in motion. When he acts, it’s of his own accord and for his own reasons. He doesn’t take the time to explain his motives to anyone and the course of actions he takes are what he sees as a means to getting what he wants. On one hand, he comes off as being helpful ( in his own ways ) when others need him but at the same time, he never explicitly states his real intentions beyond coming to your aid; this makes it difficult to tell if Derek is genuinely offering his help or if he has some kind of secret agenda no one else seems to know about. When it comes down to it, if Derek wants you to know his reasoning for what he does, he’ll tell you, otherwise it’s none of your concern.
To that end, Derek could be considered somewhat manipulative. He knows what information he has and the best ways to use it. He’s most notorious for using Scott McCall - dangling information about his werewolf nature and ways to help him if Scott will do things he’s asking or offer his assistance, using him to lure out the Alpha, and even using Scott as a means to save himself after he was shot by a Wolfsbane bullet by constantly reminding Scott that Scott needed him alive. Scott is, by no means, the only person he’s done this to - the current members of his pack were, in some strange ways, victims of this manipulation as he knew exactly what to say and which of their weaknesses to bring to light to make the idea of being turned into a werewolf like an even more appealing offer so he can become an even more powerful alpha as his pack grew. He even knows when to crack a smile and use cheesy pick-up lines if it means getting a job done. Of course, this inevitably causes people - read: Scott - to always assume Derek is hiding something when he may, in fact, not be hiding anything at all and sometimes, his intentions may be genuine and sincere.
Personal agendas and true motives aside, Derek’s actually a fairly blunt person. If you ask him a question, he’s going to give you the first answer that comes to mind and not care whether or not it’s something you want to hear. He’s upfront about his disapproval of things and when genuinely questioned about certain things, he can and will answer as honestly and sincerely as possible. Admittedly, he does keep some things to himself - his business is his business, after all - but when it comes to guiding others along and steering them on the right path ( meaning the path Derek wants them to take ), he’ll say what he has to to get his point across and try to paint as clear a picture for you as humanly possible - even if people like Scott McCall make that increasingly difficult sometimes.
Derek’s approach to teaching and guiding others is a bit unorthodox, mind you. Constantly the type to abide by his own rules and carry out his own plans, he takes the same method of instruction with his fellow werewolves. Once he’s agreed to help you, he does so in whatever ways he deems most beneficial - as proven when he appeared in a parking garage to ‘teach’ Scott by terrifying him into thinking he was under a real attack from the Alpha threat at the time. Even if you don’t approve of his methods, Derek doesn’t let it stop him. And if you fail, he’ll tell you how, why and what you need to do to fix it, even if one or all of the above is something you don’t want to hear.
Granted, Derek has something of a temper and a very aggressive approach to things as a generalization - hunters, Stiles, mentoring, attractive women licking his abs, whatever. It’s not hard to get under his skin if you know what to say or which buttons to press, and for some people, it comes much easier than others. When crossed the wrong way, Derek has no problem making threats ( which could, truthfully, could easily become promises ) and definitely is unopposed to acting in violent ways - such as slamming people into things or grabbing them with wolfed-out fingers. Aggression and intimidation come easily to him and in some instances, it’s truthfully the only way he knows how to properly react. Threatening and yelling is what Derek knows how to do, it’s a way to intimidate others and for him, can be a show of power to get what he wants or something of a natural reaction considering everything that he’s been through in his young life.
Adding to his aggression, Derek is merciless and hard to shake from his resolve. Other people’s pain mean nothing to him and he’s shown that literally breaking other people’s limbs - whether to teach, save or hurt them - comes just as easily as breathing. The sight of things such as blood or terrible injuries are nothing to him and he’s just as likely to endure them as he is to inflict them, regardless of the reasoning behind it. In canon, he’s broken people’s bones multiple times to restart their werewolf healing process and even twisted screws into someone’s skull as they screamed in his face, all for the sake of getting a job done. Once he’s set his mind on something, it’s almost impossible to deter him from the idea. He’s painfully driven, using all of his resources to find information and get further in his own goals - whether they’re for himself or his pack. Whether it’s something so little as proving someone’s innocence or promising to take someone’s life, Derek will not be deterred from his path without a damn good reason that he himself can’t argue.
For Derek, if you were to take one look at his history, a lot of his personality would become easily understandable. He lost his whole family to a fire caused by a woman ( an older werewolf hunter ) who used him to get to them and such an emotional blow has left him somewhat jaded. He doesn’t sympathize well with other people and when it comes to things like forgiveness and love, Derek doesn’t react so well. It’s almost as if he’s faith in things such as love and family, going so far as to tell a young teenager in love that their ‘stupid crush’ means nothing. But he’s coming back around slowly, opening himself back up to the world one step at a time. This holds especially true for his pack.
Derek has proven that, if nothing else, he is loyal to his cause and those he’s chosen to let close. When his pack of young werewolves is preparing for their first full moon, he does his best to handle them on his own, even when his attempts to get assistance go unanswered. He single handedly stands up to them, taking every bit of their raw instinct and anger in stride to keep them under his watchful eye. Even outside of his pack, the few other characters he’s shown attachments to, he’s shown a willingness to defend them, even if he’s expressed that he might not fully trust them. And for many of those individuals, despite some of the things they’ve put him through or some of the things they’ve said or done to him, he’s still displayed an unfaltering dedication to them in all that he does.
All in all, there’s much to be said for Derek Hale. While he’s aggressive and violent on the surface and mercilessly dedicated to his goals, he’s not as much of a big bad wolf as people like to think, even if he can be way too serious at times. He’s slow to trust and open up to others but with valid reason, something he’s showing a slow progress towards overcoming as the series progresses. And while he may be rough around the edges and kind of unorthodox in the way he carries out his business, he’s not entirely a bad guy. A master creeper, yes, but not a bad guy.
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To many characters, Derek is difficult, hard to read. He holds himself purposefully at arm’s length and, when necessary, can easily put in place the right defenses to ensure if he doesn’t want or need you to know something that you will not. He has a kind of serious, almost broody nature at a casual glance and truthfully, comes off as being a bit sour. He keeps himself secured in a thick, harsh shell that makes him come off as standoffish and uses his threats and aggression to keep people out whenever possible. And truthfully, many of his interactions with others are hardly normal because his intentions are much too difficult to gather from what little he tends to offer.
Derek’s way of carrying himself is - in one word - mysterious, though frustrating would be a close second depending on who you ask. He’s something of a creeper, known to appear in random places ( such as the boys locker room or off in the distance in the woods ) before disappearing without a trace. He spends a fair amount of time simply watching, as if working some strange game plan until he’s ready to set himself in motion. When he acts, it’s of his own accord and for his own reasons. He doesn’t take the time to explain his motives to anyone and the course of actions he takes are what he sees as a means to getting what he wants. On one hand, he comes off as being helpful ( in his own ways ) when others need him but at the same time, he never explicitly states his real intentions beyond coming to your aid; this makes it difficult to tell if Derek is genuinely offering his help or if he has some kind of secret agenda no one else seems to know about. When it comes down to it, if Derek wants you to know his reasoning for what he does, he’ll tell you, otherwise it’s none of your concern.
To that end, Derek could be considered somewhat manipulative. He knows what information he has and the best ways to use it. He’s most notorious for using Scott McCall - dangling information about his werewolf nature and ways to help him if Scott will do things he’s asking or offer his assistance, using him to lure out the Alpha, and even using Scott as a means to save himself after he was shot by a Wolfsbane bullet by constantly reminding Scott that Scott needed him alive. Scott is, by no means, the only person he’s done this to - the current members of his pack were, in some strange ways, victims of this manipulation as he knew exactly what to say and which of their weaknesses to bring to light to make the idea of being turned into a werewolf like an even more appealing offer so he can become an even more powerful alpha as his pack grew. He even knows when to crack a smile and use cheesy pick-up lines if it means getting a job done. Of course, this inevitably causes people - read: Scott - to always assume Derek is hiding something when he may, in fact, not be hiding anything at all and sometimes, his intentions may be genuine and sincere.
Personal agendas and true motives aside, Derek’s actually a fairly blunt person. If you ask him a question, he’s going to give you the first answer that comes to mind and not care whether or not it’s something you want to hear. He’s upfront about his disapproval of things and when genuinely questioned about certain things, he can and will answer as honestly and sincerely as possible. Admittedly, he does keep some things to himself - his business is his business, after all - but when it comes to guiding others along and steering them on the right path ( meaning the path Derek wants them to take ), he’ll say what he has to to get his point across and try to paint as clear a picture for you as humanly possible - even if people like Scott McCall make that increasingly difficult sometimes.
Derek’s approach to teaching and guiding others is a bit unorthodox, mind you. Constantly the type to abide by his own rules and carry out his own plans, he takes the same method of instruction with his fellow werewolves. Once he’s agreed to help you, he does so in whatever ways he deems most beneficial - as proven when he appeared in a parking garage to ‘teach’ Scott by terrifying him into thinking he was under a real attack from the Alpha threat at the time. Even if you don’t approve of his methods, Derek doesn’t let it stop him. And if you fail, he’ll tell you how, why and what you need to do to fix it, even if one or all of the above is something you don’t want to hear.
Granted, Derek has something of a temper and a very aggressive approach to things as a generalization - hunters, Stiles, mentoring, attractive women licking his abs, whatever. It’s not hard to get under his skin if you know what to say or which buttons to press, and for some people, it comes much easier than others. When crossed the wrong way, Derek has no problem making threats ( which could, truthfully, could easily become promises ) and definitely is unopposed to acting in violent ways - such as slamming people into things or grabbing them with wolfed-out fingers. Aggression and intimidation come easily to him and in some instances, it’s truthfully the only way he knows how to properly react. Threatening and yelling is what Derek knows how to do, it’s a way to intimidate others and for him, can be a show of power to get what he wants or something of a natural reaction considering everything that he’s been through in his young life.
Adding to his aggression, Derek is merciless and hard to shake from his resolve. Other people’s pain mean nothing to him and he’s shown that literally breaking other people’s limbs - whether to teach, save or hurt them - comes just as easily as breathing. The sight of things such as blood or terrible injuries are nothing to him and he’s just as likely to endure them as he is to inflict them, regardless of the reasoning behind it. In canon, he’s broken people’s bones multiple times to restart their werewolf healing process and even twisted screws into someone’s skull as they screamed in his face, all for the sake of getting a job done. Once he’s set his mind on something, it’s almost impossible to deter him from the idea. He’s painfully driven, using all of his resources to find information and get further in his own goals - whether they’re for himself or his pack. Whether it’s something so little as proving someone’s innocence or promising to take someone’s life, Derek will not be deterred from his path without a damn good reason that he himself can’t argue.
For Derek, if you were to take one look at his history, a lot of his personality would become easily understandable. He lost his whole family to a fire caused by a woman ( an older werewolf hunter ) who used him to get to them and such an emotional blow has left him somewhat jaded. He doesn’t sympathize well with other people and when it comes to things like forgiveness and love, Derek doesn’t react so well. It’s almost as if he’s faith in things such as love and family, going so far as to tell a young teenager in love that their ‘stupid crush’ means nothing. But he’s coming back around slowly, opening himself back up to the world one step at a time. This holds especially true for his pack.
Derek has proven that, if nothing else, he is loyal to his cause and those he’s chosen to let close. When his pack of young werewolves is preparing for their first full moon, he does his best to handle them on his own, even when his attempts to get assistance go unanswered. He single handedly stands up to them, taking every bit of their raw instinct and anger in stride to keep them under his watchful eye. Even outside of his pack, the few other characters he’s shown attachments to, he’s shown a willingness to defend them, even if he’s expressed that he might not fully trust them. And for many of those individuals, despite some of the things they’ve put him through or some of the things they’ve said or done to him, he’s still displayed an unfaltering dedication to them in all that he does.
All in all, there’s much to be said for Derek Hale. While he’s aggressive and violent on the surface and mercilessly dedicated to his goals, he’s not as much of a big bad wolf as people like to think, even if he can be way too serious at times. He’s slow to trust and open up to others but with valid reason, something he’s showing a slow progress towards overcoming as the series progresses. And while he may be rough around the edges and kind of unorthodox in the way he carries out his business, he’s not entirely a bad guy. A master creeper, yes, but not a bad guy.