# Best Anti-hero ever...? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2001, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695 "2001-08-17T05:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/21 "2001-08-17T14:51:01Z")
Some of my favorie anti-heroines: Books—Lorelei Lee, the venal, dizzy, unapologetic golddigger in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.” TV—Patsy and Edina from “AbFab.” Awful, awful women and simply delightful. Movies—Margo Channing from “All About Eve” and Phyllis Dietrichson from “Double Indemnity” are hard to beat. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/22 "2001-08-17T14:58:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > **Thomas Covenant. Angus Thermopyle.** Ditto…Covenant is the role model for anti-heroes. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/23 "2001-08-17T14:58:34Z")
Nicholai Alexandrovitch Hel from [Shibumi](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345311809/qid=998060170/sr=2-1/107-3439604-8329335) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/24 "2001-08-17T15:06:03Z")
I’d go with Yossarian. But who is this Man with no name guy? ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/25 "2001-08-17T15:15:52Z")
Books - Captain Jonathon Randall from the “Outlander” series TV - that lady from “Weakest Link” Movie - The British Officer in “The Patriot” and Vince Vaugh’s character in “Psyco 2”. ---
**Author:** ![Silvio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Silvio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvio)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/26 "2001-08-17T15:23:12Z")
from movies- Vito and Michael Corleone Travis Biddle from TAXI DRIVER from literature- Elric of Melnibone Satan from PARADISE LOST from TV Tony Soprano ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/27 "2001-08-17T15:23:14Z")
> [@](#): > > But who is this Man with no name guy? That is Clint Eastwood’s character in three speggetti westerns **A Fistfull of Dollars, A Few Dollars More,** and **The Good, The Bad and The Ugly** And I have to agree he was a great anti hero “Sorry Shorty” ---
**Author:** ![Sophie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sophie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/28 "2001-08-17T15:37:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lyllyan \* > \*\*Books - Captain Jonathon Randall from the “Outlander” series > TV - that lady from “Weakest Link” > Movie - The British Officer in “The Patriot” and Vince Vaugh’s character in “Psyco 2”. \*\* I’m not sure I agree with you about Randall. How is he an anti-hero? I just saw him as a bad guy. And of course, **Silvio** , you are so right about Satan. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/29 "2001-08-17T15:50:41Z")
Thank you Eve, for coming up with some anti-heroines. My first thought was: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > \*\*It’s John Constantine, star of the comic book Hellblazer, of course. \*\* but since that’s been taken- and Alex, and Satan- how about Rocketman (Slothrop) from “Gravity’s Rainbow”? ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/30 "2001-08-17T16:32:48Z")
My heroes have always been anti heroes… 1. Comic book: Wolverine, nuff said Bub! 2. Movie: Here’s some quotes from Bill Munny: “All right now, I’m comin’ out. Any man I see out there, I’m gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I’m not only gonna kill him, but I’m gonna kill his wife. All his friends. Burn his damn house down.” “I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned.” 3. Television or Cartoon: Spike (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) One of my favourite lines is when he says he really doesn’t want to destroy the world because he likes it; it has soccer and all these people running around like Happy Meals on legs. “Just let me kill this guy before we save the world” sums up his attitude. 1. Literature: Thomas Covenant / Angus Thermopyle Angus Thermopyle appears in Stephen Donaldson’s Gap series and is a truly despicable character from start to finish. Despite this, Donaldson makes one care deeply about what happens to this shitbag. The whole series is populated with anti-heroes, perhaps why this is why I enjoyed it so much. 1. My pick for all time would be Thomas Covenant and I would add that The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever stand as one of the greatest works of literature of all time. ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/31 "2001-08-17T16:34:42Z")
Thought of another good one… Zorro! As far as anti-heroine i’d probably have to go with… damn I forget her name… the team leader for the Gen13 cross comic dV8… damn… um… Sublime! What a hottie 😉 Amp, were you being sarcastic? If so, props because I actually got a good laugh out of seeing the Tick on here. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/32 "2001-08-17T16:37:42Z")
Oh, and how could I forget Divine as Babs Johnson in “Pink Flamingos” and as Dawn Davenport in “Female Trouble?” An anti-hero and anti-heroine in one big, glamorous, overly-madeup package! ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/33 "2001-08-17T17:26:13Z")
You must be joking! As an anti-hero, he only commits one evil act in six long books. (Only the first three were good, but they were great!) Comic books: Batman. Breaks the law and beats the crap outta bad guys. Movies: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “Who are those guys?” Novels: Huck Finn Real life: Bill Clinton TV: Michael Kelso (Ashton Krutcher) That 70s Show. So despicable, yet so likeable. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/34 "2001-08-17T17:49:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sophie \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > I’m not sure I agree with you about Randall. How is he an anti-hero? I just saw him as a bad guy.] \*\* You could be right, but I like these books so much I mention them anytime I can. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/35 "2001-08-17T18:20:07Z")
We may need a few definitions here… A hero is one who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and oftentimes favored by the gods. A hero is a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. Adding “anti” would indicate the opposite. Thomas Covenant is a coward posessed of little physical or mental strength. He is consumed with fear and disbelief and feels that he has been cursed. In many cases he acts out of a sense of self preservation. He treats others callously as he believes they are a figment of his deranged imagination. Yet, he saves the world and in the process, becomes transformed. The anti-hero does not have to be evil but rather, works from a different set of motives than your typical hero. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/36 "2001-08-17T18:24:45Z")
Have to agree with **Scylla** on Nicholai Hel, and **Silvio** for Elric (Michael Moorcock loves the anti-hero protagonist). In the same vein, Vlad Taltos from Steven Brust’s books started out as a good anti-hero (an assassin, climbing the organized crime ladder). Of course, Zelazny’s Amber series is also rife with nasty protagonists. ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/37 "2001-08-17T18:34:35Z")
Cut n’ paste from [Webster.com](http://Webster.com) Main Entry: an·ti·he·ro Pronunciation: 'an-ti-“hE-(”)rO, 'an-"tI-, -“hir-(”)O Function: noun Date: 1714 : a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities So, just to furthur clarify… Batman, not anti-hero Spawn, anti-hero King Richard the Lion-hearted, not Robin Hood, is Wyatt Earp, nope (well, as far as we know) John ‘Doc’ Holiday, is “Good Cop”, not “Bad Cop”, is Luke Skywalker, nope Han Solo, yep G.I. Joe, not an anti-hero Rambo, anti-hero I could keep going, but i’ve proven my dorknitude. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scupper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Scupper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scupper)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/38 "2001-08-17T18:38:08Z")
Another vote for Elric, but I prefer Karl Edward Wagner’s character “Kane.” I’d also like to nominate Macbeth in the literature category and the “Harmonica Man” from \Once Upon a Time in the West\ in the movie category. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/39 "2001-08-17T19:07:02Z")
Andrew Vachss’s Burke. He lives and works outside the law, using loopholes in the system, has the strangest set of comrades imaginable (only in NYC!), and specializes in the destruction of pedophiles. I absolutely love these books. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695/40 "2001-08-17T19:13:10Z")
**broccoli** I don’t see how you can say Batman is not an anti-hero and Robin Hood is one. OK Batman has many different tellings of the story and sometimes he is pure hero, sometimes anti and sometimes comic hero (Live action TV show) The batman I enjoy is the anti-hero batman. He is a lawbreaker. He is a man possesed by inner demons. He has a lot in common with his foes. (Two face especially) Robin Hood is actually supporting the true king and fighting against the usuper. (at least in the versions I know) As far as Anti-Heros go though I like Bill Munny and the Man with no Name. Or in the film named after him Ed Wood or the main character in American Movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-anti-hero-ever/76695.md?page=3)