Unlike Batman, your protagonist isn’t like to have a handy Bat-tool to help them out of a specific situation. While it might be handy to give your hero Bat-Gas, Bat-Antidote, Bat-Shark Repellent, or a Bat-Shovel, modern readers aren’t likely to suspend their disbelief far enough to accept that someone always carries the exactly right tool for every scenario.
But you can give your characters a variety of tools that aren’t so obvious, says mystery writer Zara Altair. “Just like the original TV character McGyver always had duct tape, your detective will rely on a tool that fits their personality,” she says. “A seamstress cozy protagonist may have a tape measure around her neck or rolled up in a pocket…If your sleuth is a law enforcement detective, they’ll have a lot of equipment.”
The important thing is to match the tool to the character. “In order for your sleuth to work well with the things you give them, your sleuth must know how to use the tools,” Altair writes. “In the same way you create aspects of your protagonist sleuth’s personality—internal makeup, likes and dislikes, physical characteristics, personality quirks—the tools form part of a realistic and relatable whole.”
