The Appeal of the Antiheroes

If we look at the definition, many sources define the antihero as a main character or a notable figure that lacks conventional heroic qualities. However, it is hard to determine who the antihero of a story would be just by this definition since heroic attributes depend on the values of the society of the time. For example, in classical Greek literature, merely not being strong and manly enough could make you an antihero in the story. By today's standards, however, it is hard to determine who is the hero, the antihero, and the villain, because contemporary literature has started to produce flawed and complex characters with gray morals. Now, let's look at what separates an antihero from the heroes and the villains, and why a well-written antihero can make a story much more interesting.

As I stated, contemporary literature and movies like to follow more nuanced storytelling with more complex characters. Instead of heroes with an unshakable moral compass and never-ending courage to save the day, we have more human characters with flaws and fears that we can relate to. For example, Daredevil is a hero, but he doubts his morals and his means to achieve them constantly, drives his friend out of his life, gets hurt easily, sometimes fails to achieve his goals, and even gives up sometimes. He would have been easily considered an antihero in earlier times, but he is still a hero in his story. Because his goals are altruistic and heroic, his means are also generally heroic, and he has a moral code that he sticks to.

Here, the distinction lies within the goals and methods of a character. A hero is someone with good and heroic goals using good methods, and a villain is, in contrast, someone with evil, bad goals using bad methods. An antihero lies within these two, they might fit into three different categories:

1- They might perform good actions but have unheroic, selfish intentions. They might be motivated by vengeance or the survival of themselves and no one else. Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars, at the beginning of the story, would fit this category. Sure, he performed heroic actions, but his sole motivation was always to protect his loved ones, which is not so heroic and kind of selfish. It was his selfish motivation that drove him off the good path, he did immoral things just to protect his loved ones again. Eventually, he became the bad goals guy, which means villain.

2- They might have good goals, like the greater good of society, but use unheroic methods such as violence, killing, and manipulating. Light Yagami from Death Note is a good example. Light is using the death note to achieve a just society devoid of crimes, but he is killing people to achieve his goal, even the good ones that get in his way.

3- They might try to do good deeds, but fight with their inner demons at the same time that get in their way, such as dealing with severe trauma, or a mental illness. This might result in self-destructive behavior, having a bad attitude, depression, addiction, etc. For example, Jessica Jones struggles with the trauma of an abusive relationship, alcohol addiction that causes anger issues, and self-destructive behaviors that sometimes get in the way of her good actions.

We might list many iconic antihero characters like Walter White from Breaking Bad, V from V for Vendetta, Light Yagami from Death Note, Deadpool, Punisher, Batman, Jack Sparrow, and such. But what makes them so compelling? A very good use of antiheroes is to put them in conflict with the hero, pushing and questioning their bottom line. For example, the Punisher pushes Daredevil constantly, bringing up the fact that his heroic methods are never enough to defeat evil, making him question his morals and methods. The ends-justify-the-means type of antiheroes makes us question how much bad deeds are justified for achieving a greater good and how much bad action crosses the line. If the antihero's arc is towards a villain's path, then the journey that way compels us to determine at what point they became completely unsavable and what makes a person bad. And contrasting them with heroes emphasizes how choosing the good path and remaining on the road require such will and strength despite all the evil and hopelessness. Because choosing the immoral path and corruption is always the easier choice. It makes you appreciate the hero much more.