Heroic Dimples

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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. No matter the length, width, shape, position or depth, dimples can show the character's innocence (especially if they're young), their positive morals, or Anti-Hero roguishness.

In-universe, other characters may point the dimples out or compliment them, due to the Rule of Cute. The dimpled character in question might point them out themselves or feel like they're Blessed with Suck, especially if they're the only recurring character with them. They might notice how manipulative their face dents are and use them to trick others with feign innocence.

Might also be paired with a Lantern Jaw of Justice.

Examples of Heroic Dimples include:

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.
• Blackhawk takes this Up to Eleven; almost all the members of the team have dimples.

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.
• Fittingly, both the 1920 and 1940 versions of The Mark of Zorro respectively starred dimpled actors Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power as the eponymous hero.
• The human man Ariel falls in love with in The Little Mermaid, Prince Eric, is a tall, dark and handsomely dimpled nice guy.
• 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.
• The Nth Doctor-like franchise run of the James Bond franchise led to some actors (notably Sean Connery)'s natural genetics adding to Bond's heroism, attractiveness and his mischievous sexual exploits on the job.

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 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.

Al: Oh, come on. Play nice. Look at my dimples. You know we'll just get a subpoena anyway.

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.