Trope Workshop:Heroic Dimples

For centuries, cheek dimples have been seen as a reflection of the ultimate heroism in a person by many cultures. This is no different in fiction. In the same way high cheekbones clue the audience that a character is sinister or not to be trusted, cheek dimples tell them there is goodness in this character. Dimples can show the character's innocence (especially if they're young), their positive morals, or Anti-Hero roguishness.

Comic Books

 * Shazam is almost never seen without his cheek dimples, as well as his alter ego Billy Batson. Other superhero characters vary on whether the comic artist had time/remembered to draw the dimples in, but Shazam's are common enough to be a trademark of his.
 * Desperate Dan in The Dandy is a giant, intimidating-looking cowboy, but his cheek dimples highlight his good faith—especially because he's extremely clumsy.

Film

 * 1978's Superman ironically lampshades the dimples the eponymous character had in the comics (albeit Depending on the Artist). When Lex Luthor's assistant/henchwoman Miss Teschmacher describes their enemy by pointing them out and calling him cute, it seems to convince Lex Luthor to begin Superman's torturing.
 * Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles is the only superhero main character with dimples in both cheeks, possibly a nod to classic comic book characters and how long it's been since he and others went into hiding.
 * Irene Dunne spent her entire movie career playing good characters, with dimples to match.
 * As the God of Mischief, Loki's dimples in the Marvel Cinematic Universe imply his roguish dubiousness and frequent double-crossing of many around him.

Literature

 * Scarlett in Gone with the Wind exploits this trope by consciously smiling demurely at potential suitors to show her dimple off. Rhett is the only man who notices this, later confronting her when she tries to involve herself in conflicts considered out of her depth, and tells to stick to what she knows: dances and dimples.

Live-Action TV
"Al: Oh, come on. Play nice. Look at my dimples. You know we'll just get a subpoena anyway."
 * Al the hero cop from Unforgettable. In the episode "True Identity", his dimples are mentioned by Gwen when she convinces him to attend a mixer where a duchess will be. Later in the episode, Gwen refuses to hand over her company's client list, so Al tries to convince her by telling her to "look at my dimples", implying he looks innocent enough to get what he wants, regardless.

Video Games

 * Police detective Sebastian Castellanos in The Evil Within has dimpled cheeks that add to his heroism, especially in the sequel. He doesn't smile much because he's a serious man (and a tortured alcoholic much later), but they're deep enough to still crease his cheeks when he's stopped talking.