The Anti-Hero: Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?

Ahhh, the Anti-Hero. Some of you may be wondering what exactly IS an Anti-Hero. Well, I'm here to explain.

Here's a definition of an Anti-Hero: An antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis. 


Basically, an antihero is an amoral person who does some good...sometimes. 


In one definition, the appeal of the antihero is that he or she is often a HERO. Namely, he or she does what we wish we could. Where superheroes like Superman and Wonderwoman do it because they lack the physical limitations we do, an antihero does it because he lacks the moral limitations. Very often these antiheroes end up stealing the show. Sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them.


Let me give you some examples from FILM:

• Captain Jack Sparrow, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Sure, he ends up making right decisions for the most part, but he is a law breaker, a drunk, and for the most part amoral.
• Han Solo, in Star Wars: He is a rebel, a loner, and out for himself. In direct contrast to Luke Skywalker, the hero and "all that is good".
• Batman, in The Dark Knight: While his intentions are good, his methods leave something to be desired. He is willing to break the law to accomplish what he wants.
• Clint Eastwood, in just about every movie he's ever made: He's the kind of guy who is not afraid to duel and pull the trigger first.

Examples from literature:

• The Dark Towers, by Stephen King: Roland puts his quest for the Dark Towers above the lives of his friends. 
• Sherlock Holmes has been known to commit a few crimes to solve his mysteries. He even does cocaine on occasion.
•  Severus Snape, in Harry Potter. Has ties to the Dark Lord, dislikes Harry and yet does good at times.
• Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Edmond Dantes in The Conte of Monte Cristo

Examples from TV:

• Dr. Gregory House, House MD
• Timothy Riggins, in Friday Night Lights: Hometown Hero on the field who always chooses wrong from right, drinks, and basically is a trouble maker. But everyone likes him because he has a good heart and can put on a charming face.
• Jack on 24: Not afraid to break the law to do what he needs to do.
• Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Oh, there's more, I assure you. In fact, I got almost all these examples from TVTROPES. Check their site out for many more examples from various genres.

So, were you surprised to see some of your favorite characters portrayed as an Anti-Hero? I was. Hans Solo...sigh...I loved him more than Luke. It was that blustery, rebel attitude that really drew me in. In my mind, Han was the true hero.

In my current book, I have two villains. Evil, they are. There is no hero material in them at all. But I think in my next book, I may have to give the Anti-Hero a try. 

How about you? Has you ever written an Anti-Hero? What did you love about him/her? What did you hate? 


Sherrinda