X-Men Destiny allows gamers to control the fate of one of three brand-new mutant characters forced to choose between saving humanity or ensuring its destruction.
But if the National Rifle Association played a steely John Wayne in reaction to gun-control proposals, prominent figures in Hollywood have acted more like Woody Allen characters.
This close relationship with one theatre company allowed him to develop characters for particular favourite actors, giving him much more artistic control over how the plays might be performed.
There are also many new novels that, like To Kill a Mockingbird, illuminate social issues not by writing through the broad strokes of history but by developing powerful characters who battle events over which they have little or no control.
London (CNN) -- To an outsider, Thursday's contest to elect the next mayor of London would appear to be a fight between two larger-than-life characters -- known best by their first names -- for control of the city's famous red buses.