The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - CJ Nicholas

The first alpha male in the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is Tom Doniphon, who is unsurprisingly played by John Wayne. Growing up in Shinbone; a practically lawless town in the newly settled west, Doniphon learns to rule by law. Matheson claims "the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law". Doniphon is a prime example of the film noir anti hero as described by Matheson. His deeds are not always pure such as when he murders Liberty Valance not for the good of the town, but because Hallie wants Stoddard alive. Likewise he chooses not to accept the political nomination that could help bring statehood because it would interfere with personal interests. However, as the movie progresses Doniphon proves that he can act in good faith. He is as moral as the cruel west can allow, acting in a manner that others around see as admirable, or acting for "the highest good". Because of this Matheson would call Doniphon not just an alpha male but the unsung hero of the movie.
On the hand there is the alpha male Liberty Valance. He, like Doniphon, believes in ruling by law. In fact they share many similarities as both are "callous, remorseless, and manipulative", and both have seen cold blooded murder at their hands. What separates Valance from Doniphon and the villain from the hero according to Matheson is their ability to act in honor of the "highest good". She goes on to claim "Valence's antisocial behavior prevents others from leading fulfilled lives". By crippling the ability of an entire town to progress and and live freely, he blatantly violates the most fundamental aspect of virtue ethics and earns the title of villain. Valence prevents Peabody from his dreams of an aspiring newspaper editor and almost stops the town aspirations for statehood.
Rance Stoddard is in an entire different class than both Doniphon and Valence. He believes in rule of law and is weary to act against the universal morals ingrained in his head which are so obviously absent from everyday life in the chaotic west. While Doniphon and Valence created their own character through personal action and acting according to their personal morals and beliefs, Stoddard became who he was through the actions of others. He survives the shootout with Valence because of Doniphon. He lives on with Hallie because of Doniphon. He becomes successfully involved in politics because of Doniphon. Ironically Stoddard eventually succumbs to the corruption of the west by agreeing to a shootout with Valence and later accepting that his elevation to Senator and beyond was only possible because of Doniphon who receives no credit. Stoddard though according to Matheson is not the hero but more so an example of the pains and lawlessness of the west. He does not embody the existential idea that our morals are relative to our surroundings and that we make our own meanings in life. He does not act in honor of the highest good by the end of the movie when he is content with his successful life due to the action of Doniphon. In the end, the only hero could be Doniphon for his realization that acting in honor of the highest good was the only route possible, and more importantly he acts whereas Stoddard's situation is the result of Doniphon.
This characterization according to Matheson is true because a man is the "sum of his actions". In a lawless and ruthless west in which a man can only act as good as his surroundings allow, acting towards "fulfilling one's human potential" is all a man can do. In this film, that is exactly what Doniphon does.