Antiheroes are often some of the most interesting characters in films, asking audiences to question their own strict views on morality. There are many conflicting definitions of antihero dating back long before film was even invented. Generally, an antihero is someone who fights for the side of good, despite not having the virtues typically associated with heroes. There is often a tension between your motivations and your actions. It is important to distinguish between antiheroes and villain protagonistswho are completely immoral even though they are the main characters in the story.
Antiheroes fall outside the traditional boundaries of good and evil, which is part of what makes them so fascinating. Their unique moral codes tend to make them unpredictable characters and can harm a group's dynamics if they act alongside pure heroes. The New Hollywood movement led to a boom in antiheroes in cinema in the 1970s, and they have captivated audiences across many genres ever since.
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Loki
The MCU
Loki's time in the MCU has seen him go through several major character changes. The trickster god starts out as a villain in Thor and The Avengers, trying to seize power on Asgard and Earth by any means necessary. Although many MCU villains are eliminated and never heard from again, Loki returns for a complex redemption arc. In the next two Thor sequences, he embodies the antihero archetype.
Loki's time in the MCU has seen him go through several major character changes.
In Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, Loki forms a tentative alliance with his brother. Thor is always wary of Loki, but knows he can use his brother to defeat greater evils. For example, Thor and Loki work together to take down Hela when she threatens all of Asgard in Ragnarok. Loki continues his antihero streak in his own spin-off TV showeventually concluding his arc by accepting a more purely heroic role, sacrificing himself for the greater good.
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Fifth
Jaws (1975)
Jaws It wasn't the first shark movie, but it's the one to which all subsequent thrillers in the subgenre have been compared. Part of what it does Jaws so special is the dynamic between the three main shark hunters. During the long stretches of the film without the shark rising to the surface, their tense working relationship provides enough tension and intrigue to keep the plot moving.
Quint's presence as an antihero makes him a fascinating addition to the team, and he leads the other men to question their own motivations.
Quint presents himself at the town meeting clearly stating that he is motivated by money. He may work alongside Brody and Hooper to ride the shark's Friendship Island, but his motivations aren't as noble as theirs. This creates a lot of internal conflict within the team as the three men wait for their chance to take down the shark. Quint's presence as an antihero makes him a fascinating addition to the team, and he leads the other men to question their own motivations.
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The guy
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Big Lebowski is one of the Coen brothers' best films, and much of its comedy is built around its protagonist's antihero status. The Big Lebowski is a shaggy dog ​​crime story that seems quite traditional at first glance. There's a case of mistaken identity and some eccentric criminal archetypes, like a Hitchcock thriller or a film noir classic, but The Dude is a reluctant antihero who just wants to change the dirty carpet and go bowling with his friends.
The Big Lebowski is one of the Coen brothers' best films, and much of its comedy is built around its protagonist's antihero status.
The plot of The Big Lebowski suits a detective character just like Chinatownis Jake Gittes or The Maltese FalconIt's Sam Spade. Instead, the Dude is a slacker who doesn't care about the crimes being displayed in front of him unless he can directly benefit from them. The tension between his antihero motivations and the dynamism of the plot is what gives The Big Lebowski such a unique sense of humor.
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Sonny Wortzik
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Heist films usually feature some type of antiheroes because they are characters that the audience can root for, even if they are committing criminal acts that may seem immoral on the surface. Dog Day AfternoonSonny Wortzik is one of the best examples of this archetype. He may be robbing a bank full of hostages, but he's doing it to get money for his lover's gender affirmation surgery.
The moral divide between Sonny's motivations and his actions is something that appears in many great heist films. Danny Ocean in Ocean's Eleven is seen as a hero in contrast to the man he is trying to steal from, Dalton in Inner Man is an antihero because his theft is used to expose a much worse crime, and Baby in Baby Driver is forced into a life of crime to help care for his adoptive father. Like Sonny, these characters all lack the strict morality that makes a true hero, but their actions are easily justified.
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Max Rockatansky
Mad Max franchise
The character Max Rockatansky was first played by Mel Gibson in the original Mad Max trilogy, but Tom Hardy takes on the role in Mad Max: Fury Road. One thing that unites the two interpretations of the character, in addition to his stoic and laconic personality, is his status as an antihero. Max often finds himself on the side of good, fighting dystopian despots like Immortan Joe and Lord Humungus, but he rarely shares his allies' virtuous motivations.
Max often finds himself on the side of good, but rarely shares his allies' virtuous motivations.
After the death of his wife and son at the hands of Toecutter in the first film of the franchise, Max surrenders to a life of fighting in the desert. He forms alliances and serves causes only insofar as they meet his own needs. In Fury Road, for example, he helps Furiosa rescue Immortan Joe's wives because it's the only way to escape the War Boys. After the Furious spin-off, the future of Mad Max the franchise may have to return to its popular antihero.
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Travis Bickle
Taxi Driver (1976)
Travis Bickle is one of the great archetypal antiheroes in cinema history and a character who has inspired many other antiheroes. Many critics noted the similarities between his story and that of Arthur Fleck in 2019 Clown, which is one of the most famous recent examples of a big screen antihero. Robert De Niro was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Travis, and the film helped develop Martin Scorsese's career as a master of the crime genre.
Travis Bickle is one of the great archetypal antiheroes in cinema history.
Travis sees it as his mission to purge society of the filth he witnesses every night while working. He feels inspired to help Iris break out of a life of underage sex work, but his motivations for doing so also suggest that he romanticizes the idea of ​​himself as a vigilante hero. With a single goal in mind, Travis doesn't hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way. The end of Taxi driver showcases its blood-soaked violence, but there are some question marks about how much of what's on screen is just part of Travis' fantasies.
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Captain Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
Captain Jack Sparrow is a selfish pirate who often finds himself on the side of good, especially when facing British Imperial forces in the Caribbean. Will Turner believes he can form an alliance with Jack, but is repeatedly shown Jack's true nature. The character was so popular that he soon became the central figure of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but it's worth remembering that he has a supporting role in the first film.
Jack arguably works better as a supporting character than as a focus. This allows him to maintain an air of mystery that manifests as an unpredictable streak. Even when he gains prominence in the franchise's sequels, he remains faithful to his antihero archetype. His priorities include rum and women, but his huge ego also means he can be easily persuaded to serve others.if only to maintain his precious captain status.
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The nameless man
The Dollars Trilogy
Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name in Sergio Leone Dollars The trilogy has influenced many cinematic antiheroes over the years, although he was inspired by Toshiro Mifune's character in Yojimbo. Overcoming the legacy of a character from an Akira Kurosawa film is no easy task, but Eastwood's performances are just as captivating in the Dollars trilogy that the Man With No Name became an almost wordless cinematic icon.
He is a lone wolf who follows his own code of ethics, even if it does not always align with the common social understanding of morality.
The Man with No Name is referred to by a few names, but they can all be easily dismissed as nicknames. He is a lone wolf who follows his own code of ethics, even if it does not always align with the common social understanding of morality. Unlike other western heroes, he will shoot first and fight dirty if he needs to. His mysterious origins make him an even more compelling antihero.
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Han Solo
The Star Wars franchise
Although Han Solo ends up fighting alongside the Rebel Alliance, he only joins them by pure coincidence. Before meeting Luke Skywalker in Mos Eisley, he is a smuggler who only looks out for himself and his friend Chewbacca. Han agrees to help Luke first because of the promise of money he needs to pay off his debt to Jabba the Hutt. Without this external motivating factor, he would probably not show any interest in the dangerous mission.
Although Han Solo ends up fighting alongside the Rebel Alliance, he only joins them by pure coincidence.
A major turning point for Han occurs at the end of A New Hope, when he returns to join the Rebels in destroying the Death Star, even though he has already been paid. This is almost immediately reversed in The Empire Strikes Back, when he threatens to abandon the Rebels once again while arguing with Leia on Hoth. Han's growing loyalty to the cause is driven by his loyalty to Luke and Leia. Once they disappear from his life, he returns to his smuggling habits, as shown in The Force Awakens.
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Michael Corleone
The Godfather Trilogy
Michael Corleone starts out as the black sheep of the family. He is an honest military man who wants nothing to do with his family's criminal business, but soon finds himself on the verge of inheriting the position of Godfather from his ailing father. Your motivations are fair, at least in your own eyes. He simply wants to protect his own family, especially his father Vito, his sister Connie and his partner Kay.
Michael ends The godfather having completed his transition to being a full-fledged anti-hero.
Michael ends The godfather having completed his transition to being a full-fledged anti-hero, doing what needs to be done to protect himself and his family. The morality of his actions can be debated, but it is certain that if he did not act first, he would likely have faced consequences from rival families. The Godfather Part II finally sees Michael become more of an outright villainby abandoning his initial moral code to kill his brother in an act of cold-blooded revenge.