what is an anti-hero what are some good examples?

Question

I've read all the definitions and what not but still not sure what an anti-hero really is.

Answer 1

An anti-hero is the central character of a story or movie who's placed in the "hero" role- the one who has to save the world or whatever, but lacks the personal qualities of a hero.

Anti-heroes aren't the villians, because they work for a good outcome- although sometimes they don't intend to, and certainly don't give people any reason to trust them. They usually aren't friendly.

Anti-heroes are often selfish, dishonest or mean, sometimes they are criminals or other unsavory types. They look out for #1 first and foremost, If they have to do something nice or self-sacrificing, they'll do it when nobody is looking.

Riddick from the movies "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick"is an anti-hero. So is Leon the hitman from "The Professional" and V from "V for Vendetta". Clint Eastwood's role as "Dirty Harry" is another example.

In books, Thomas Covenant from "Lord Foul's Bane" is the very definition of an anti-hero.

Answer 2

I think the term anti-hero does not refer to a villain. It refers to a dark hero. A hero who does good things but in a bad way.

Some versions (the darker ones) of Batman may be considered an Anti-Hero.

Any of the "heroes" in Sin City.

The anti hero does the right thing usually. He saves the bus full of children from the madman. But he doesn't do it the way Superman would. He does it by cutting off the bad guys head with a chainsaw in fromt of the schoolchildren or killing some civilians in the process.



Lots of other examples.

Answer 3

An anti-hero is one who doesn't follow the rules of behavior and/or decency as a traditional hero does, but still works to achieve a good conclusion. In the early days, Spider-Man was considered an anti-hero since he had human frailties that affected his actions and decisions, unlike heroes such as Superman. My favorite example of an anti-hero is Han Solo.

Answer 4

Not neccessarily a villain, an anti-hero is a character with villainous or generally negative behaviour and often advances selfish or ignoble goals but most often fights with the "good guys" or is considered a protagonist. Somtimes they may be heroes with noble goals but have villain-like or uncouth personal qualities. Often considered "grey" characters due to their moral ambiguity.

Examples of possible anti-heroes:

Batman
Johnny C from Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
Catwoman
John Constantine from Hellblazer
Jesse Custer from the Preacher series
Spider Jerusalem from Transmetropolitan
Magneto from the X-Men series.
Marv and Dwight from Frank Miller's Sin City
The Punisher
The Shadow
Spawn
"V" from V for Vendetta
Venom
Wolverine
Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell from Prison Break
Edmund Blackadder from BBC's Blackadder series
David Brent from The Office
Archie Bunker from All in the Family
Al Bundy from Married with Children
Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm
Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald from Cracker
Tommy Gavin from Rescue Me
Gregory House from House
Vic Mackey from The Shield
Ally McBeal from the eponymous series
Jimmy McNulty from The Wire
Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly and Serenity
Michael Scofield from Prison Break
Michael Scott from The Office
Homer Simpson from The Simpsons
Bart Simpson from The Simpsons
Tony Soprano from The Sopranos
Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Al Swearengen from Deadwood
Kerr Avon and arguably several other lead characters in Blake's 7

Answer 5

An anti-hero or heroine is a protagonist or part character who lack the features that heroes have: morality, idealism, or perhaps braveness. they are very misunderstood characters who're heroic in some attributes, yet are seen as villainous characters. Anti-heroes are greater enjoyed by potential of visitors because of fact of their connection with the authentic international and how effortless that's to sympathize with them. they are additionally greater badass than usual heroes, complicated, and intensely unsuitable. although they might have organic motives whether their strikes are corrupt. An occasion is Kratos from the God of conflict franchise, who's pushed by potential of revenge and could not hesitate to kill everybody who stands in his way. although he had a enormously tousled beginning up, as he became into forced to commit fratricide against his very own brother and later on whilst he killed his spouse and daughter unknowingly. This makes him a tragic character, as on an identical time as searching for revenge for his father's betrayal, he's likewise searching for forgiveness. yet another occasion is Severes Snape from Harry Potter, who betrays Dumbledore (however Dumbledore asks Snape to kill him) and had many villainous characteristics. although because of undeniable fact that he became right into a sufferer of bullying and his basically chum and love interest, Lily Potter, Harry's mom, did not return his thoughts for her, this makes him an exceedingly unhappy character. however there are heroic characteristics approximately him as he protects Harry on dissimilar activities and dies doing so. Even J.ok. Rowling defined him as an anti-hero.

Answer 6

The phrase that comes to my mind is from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure":

"You don't want to get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel."

I've always believed that the anti-hero was a self-deprecating/loathing loner type, as opposed to the confident golden boys.

Answer 7

Kratos is the anti-hero protagonist in the God of War franchise. He is driven by revenge for his father's betrayal and will slaughter anyone who gets in his way, whether they are innocent or guilty. This causes many people to view him poorly, even his own father and the people he wants to protect. However like many anti-heroes, Kratos is a very tragic character, as he is searching for forgiveness while seeking revenge at the same time. He had a pretty messed up beginning, losing his brother even before and after he died, and then unknowingly killing his own wife and daughter, the only people who weren't afraid of him.
Severes Snape from Harry Potter. Snape was a victim of bullying and unrequited love. So this does give us good reason to sympathize with him. Also while he does have a lot of villainous qualities, he does have some heroic ones, like when he saved his friend/crush's son, Harry on multiple occasions. I personally see him as both an anti-hero and a tragic hero, for Snape dies in the end, his final thought drifting to Lily, Harry's mother and Snape's only friend who he loved.
Women can be anti-heroines too, like Jennifer from I Spit on Your Grave. She was a victim of mass rape, causing her to seek revenge against the ones who wronged her. She kills them one by one, showing no mercy and making sure that they suffered before she finally ends their suffering. However if you think about it, since rape is a very touchy subject for anyone, you can sympathize with her. I mean she had her innocence taken from her unwillingly and that can be more than enough to drive people insane. However she refused to be a victim and chose to fight back.
Thana from Ms. 45. Like Jennifer Thana was a rape victim, but she killed her attacker right afterwards. She then becomes an assassin killing men. While she can save people, she doesn't allow the criminals to be taken to justice, and her indifference to her actions does make her a very villainous character in anyone's eyes. However it is obvious that she can be heroic, and as a rape victim, people can sympathize with her as well.

Answer 8

a main character in a story who is presented as the hero, yet is more of a villian. the only example I can think of is the character "Pink" from The Wall.

Answer 9

The Joker

Answer 10

some one that is not a hero with no qualities of being one