protagonize

verb protagonizes · protagonizing · protagonized

1. transitive To set up as the protagonist, or most significant character or entity. Our project should be to protagonize ourselves, and yet, that project presents certain problems.
2. transitive To be the protagonist, or most significant character or entity (of a literary work, etc.). For the sake of convenience, the name “Ernesto [Guevara]” will refer to the young medical student who protagonizes The Motorcycle Diaries (henceforth, Motorcycle Diaries).