Oxford defines an Anti-hero as "a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes". This definition is short, simple, and gives you a general idea of what this type of character brings to a story. But having the hero of a story lack heroic attributes can lead to confusion and mal-reception of the character. While the idea of an anti-hero may seem simple enough, the anti-heroes that have been popularized in modern culture are anything but, and show the complexity to show a well-written and compelling anti-hero.
One of the most popular iterations of the anti-hero trope in recent times is...
This "merk with a mouth" is the current king of the anti-hero model, in popularity and significance. With his seemingly non-existent moral compass and tendency to find humor in even the most dower of situations, sets Wade Wilson well apart from any other leading character in many other action films, and the comic books that he originated from.
While he does commit "heroic" actions in his stories and movies, the fact that they are usually for selfish reasons and not the greater good, makes these actions less-than-heroic when all is considered. This, coupled with the fact that in his universe he is literally the best ever mercenary, means that he cannot be considered a hero in the typical sense. However, since he is also not inherently evil, or have overarchingly evil tendencies and motives, he is not a typical villain either. This interesting middle ground is where the anti-hero thrives.
Some other great examples of anti-heroes are the Punisher, Captain Jack sparrow, and Walter White. Each of these characters have good intentions, but achieve these goals in less than admirable methods. The Punisher being a cold killer, Captain Jack being a thief and up to general no good, and Walter White being a drug dealer, and a rather large one at that.
Away from the high-octane adventures of these types of anti-hero, there is another type of anti-hero that is perfectly exemplified by Winston Smith from George Orwell's novel, "1984".
Winston is much more of an anti-hero than Deadpool in the way that he shows no signs of a typical hero whatsoever. While Deadpool has his charismatic gestures and naturally courageous mentality, Winston is just a normal guy, living in an incredibly messed up society.
Winston goes through his days hating his controlling government and trying to rebel against it, but does so while living in fear, knowing that he can and will be taken out for any form of rebellion.
This gray and boring type of person is understandable for the setting, as heroes cannot truly exist in the work in which Winston resides, but as we experience this story through the eyes of this character that seems to lack any "conventional heroic attributes", we are right in the story of an anti-hero.
The anti-hero is another vessel for the reader or viewer to witness a story from a certain point of view. these types of characters are not as common as the traditional heroes, but in some cases can be more relatable to the general populous. Seeing a flawed person try to achieve their goals in ways that may not be morally obvious or even without a type of special "spark" of brilliance, may be compelling, if written well, in ways that the perfection of ancient heroes or royalty of princes never could. These different perspectives are key topics in our course and help us to become critical thinkers while reading/observing, but also in our everyday lives, an aspect that's value cannot be understated in the world that we currently find ourselves in.
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