"In football, fans adore their heroes for their talent and character, whether they are black or white, " he says.

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Great necessities will call out great virtues, and qualities that may seem dormant will wake into life, forming the character of new heroes and new leaders.

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Ordinary people can get very attached to their television heroes, so if their favourite character in Friends drinks Budweiser then they will want to too, the theory goes.

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Winder said returning to Fleming's original Bond storylines was a smart move, adding that Bond's longevity as a character -- as other action heroes have gone in and out of fashion -- was largely due to the tight plotting of the original novels.

CNN: James Bond: The world's favorite spy

Perhaps the most telling example is the character of Song Jiang, the leader of the Liang Mountain heroes.

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