I think that Regulus Black is such an interesting character and that’s mostly because we’re told of his character through other people’s perspectives - we never meet him directly.
Slughorn: I got his brother Regulus when he came along, but I'd have liked the set.
indicates that Slughorn thought highly of the Black Family, Regulus included.
Sirius: My idiot brother, soft enough to believe them.
We know that the Black Brothers had a complex relationship but this reveals a key part of his character - he was soft, easily influenced. He would take the path of least resistance, he'd please his parents before doing the right thing.
His note: Â I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret... I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more.Â
Arguably this tells us that something happens that turns Regulus from the 'soft' boy that Sirius knew, to someone who would knowingly betray his parents and the path laid out for him. This gives us some indication that he's had a moral compass all along - he just chooses to ignore it. He either betrays the Dark Lord because he realises he is on the wrong side or more likely, he does it out of a sense of spite.
Kreacher: And he ordered — Kreacher to leave — without him. And he told Kreacher—to go home—and never to tell my Mistress—what he had done—but to destroy— the first locket.
Regulus had some form of affection or caring for Kreacher, trusted him enough to help him and to keep his secret. We can infer he's loyal but not to a fault.
I think that sometimes we can make his character cold, and overly competent but this raises the question of is it detrimental to his character?
The beauty of Regulus' character is that he is a tragedy by design. We learn of what he does in Deathly Hallows, but we're left to infer why. Despite ultimately giving up everything, we know that he really achieves nothing. We can paint him out to be a secret, surprise hero but we all know how the story plays out otherwise.
To most people, including his brother - he's a no name deatheater who was a victim of the first war. Yes, he found one horcrux, but he couldn't destroy it or find the others. Ultimately, his actions make the task for Harry just that much more challenging.
We talk about 'haunting the narrative' but Regulus is a character that couldn't ever reside over the story. We have Lily who truly does haunt the narrative but in contrast, how could Regulus when no one would even recognise his ghost?
His story is purposefully sad. This is why it sticks with us. All we get is actions which leaves the reader to fill in the reasons. We all curate Regulus Black slightly differently to each other. I think that this is what makes him such an interesting and revered character.
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