# Who’s your favorite anti-hero **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [February 23, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253 "2023-02-23T19:48:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/1 "2023-02-23T19:48:04Z")
Over in the avatar thread, I mentioned that I liked movies with an anti-hero. My Avatar - Lucas Jackson (Cool Hand Luke), Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver), Eddie Felton (The Hustler), like that. So I decided to make a thread about them. I did a search, looks like the last thread was just shy of 20 years ago, so maybe it’s time to regurgitate the topic. I’ve read that Bickle was one of the first anti-hero protagonists. Not sure if that’s true but if it is, I’m sure that only applied to movies. American movies, probably. Anyway, what are your favorite anti-hero (protagonists)? Movies, books, graphic novels, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/2 "2023-02-23T20:06:44Z")
The first one that comes to mind is Leon in _Leon_. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/3 "2023-02-23T20:07:43Z")
Andy Sipowicz. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/4 "2023-02-23T20:38:27Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Over in the avatar thread, I mentioned that I liked movies with an anti-hero. My Avatar - Lucas Jackson (Cool Hand Luke), Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver), Eddie Felton (The Hustler), like that. Might need a definition of anti-hero for the purpose of this thread…? I would consider an anti-hero to be a likeable rogue, or a flawed protagonist with some good qualities. Under that definition I would say Lucas Jackson from Cool Hand Luke and Eddie Felton from The Hustler would apply, but not Travis Bickle. Been awhile since I saw Taxi Driver, but as I recall, Bickle was a sad, extremely maladjusted, mentally ill character who nearly assassinated a politician. He became a ‘hero’ through dumb luck. The movie was an indictment of society’s lack of good judgement when it came to who they considered heroes. I would not consider him even an anti-hero. Some might say Walter White on Breaking Bad was an anti-hero, but I would consider him to be a straight-up bad guy. Though he may have evolved from good guy → anti-hero → bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/5 "2023-02-23T20:40:15Z")
“First anti-hero protagonist”? I’m not so sure. Some examples of anti-hero protagonists: 60’s - Clint Eastwood’s **Man With No Name** (aka Blondie) in Sergio Leone’s _Man With No Name_ trilogy 50’s - Sterling Hayden’s **Johnny Clay** in _The Killing_ 40’s - Fred McMurray’s **Walter Neff** in _Double Indemnity_ 30’s - Paul Muni’s **Tony Camonte** in _Scarface_ 20’s - George Bancroft’s **Bull Weed** in _Underworld_ 10’s - Hmmm, maybe Richard Barthelmess as **Cheng Huan** in _Broken Blossoms_ 00’s - I’m guessing there was at least one out of France or Germany ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/6 "2023-02-23T20:40:54Z")
Toss-up between Clint Eastwood’s Blondie and Dirty Harry Callahan. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/7 "2023-02-23T20:43:24Z")
Malcolm Reynolds ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/8 "2023-02-23T20:44:03Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > “First anti-hero protagonist”? I’m not so sure. Some examples of anti-hero protagonists: > > 60’s - Clint Eastwood’s **Man With No Name** (aka Blondie) in Sergio Leone’s _Man With No Name_ trilogy > > 50’s - Sterling Hayden’s **Johnny Clay** in _The Killing_ > > 40’s - Fred McMurray’s **Walter Neff** in _Double Indemnity_ > > 30’s - Paul Muni’s **Tony Camonte** in _Scarface_ > > 20’s - George Bancroft’s **Bull Weed** in _Underworld_ > > 10’s - Hmmm, maybe Richard Barthelmess as **Cheng Huan** in _Broken Blossoms_ > > 00’s - I’m guessing there was at least one out of France or Germany Robin Hood beats them all by a large margin. ETA: ok, I just see that you meant anti-hero protagonists in film. But the OP allowed characters from all fictional art. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/9 "2023-02-23T20:50:21Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Robin Hood beats them all by a large margin. I was addressing the remark that Travis Bickle (1970’s movie) was “among the first anti-hero protagonists”. On the other hand, is Robin Hood even an anti-hero? True, he fights against legal authorities, but they are uniformly evil and corrupt. He does only good deeds, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/10 "2023-02-23T20:51:59Z")
My favourite antiheroes are Elric of Melnibone and Rincewind the Wizzard. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Robin Hood beats them all by a large margin. Robin Hood is just a regular hero. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/11 "2023-02-23T20:52:31Z")
Teenage me would have said, “Lobo.” Actually, now that I think of it, that’s still my answer. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/12 "2023-02-23T20:52:34Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Might need a definition of anti-hero for the purpose of this thread…? From Wikipedia, > There is a controversy over what exactly defines an antihero. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an antihero as “someone who lacks heroic qualities”, yet scholars typically have differing ideas on what constitutes as an antihero. Some scholars refer to the “Racinian” antihero, who is defined by several factors. The first is that the antihero is doomed to fail before their adventure begins. The second constitutes the blame of that failure on everyone but themselves. Thirdly, they offer a critique of social morals and reality.[[8]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero#cite_note-8) To other scholars, an antihero is inherently a hero from a specific point of view, and a villain from another.[ Myself, I went with the last definition. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/13 "2023-02-23T20:53:13Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > On the other hand, is Robin Hood even an anti-hero? True, he fights against legal authorities, but they are uniformly evil and corrupt. He does only good deeds, as far as I know. I had the same thought, but isn’t Robin Hood the archetype for all noble (in the moral sense) outlaws who steal from the rich and give to the poor that followed? Some outlaws from the American West were given the same fictional treatment. ETA: I had Bob Dylan’s song “John Wesley Harding” in mind, for me a similar, though rougher character than Robin Hood: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/drOLqPlVA_c/hqdefault.jpg "Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drOLqPlVA_c) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/14 "2023-02-23T20:54:45Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Teenage me would have said, “Lobo.” I can see that–like Wyatt Earp he never shirks or cowers from a fight. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/15 "2023-02-23T20:56:32Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > noble (in the moral sense) Yes, and that’s precisely what’s disqualifying for antihero status. Robin displays _all_ the heroic traits - ingenuity, courage, morality. The authorities he opposes are depicted as illegitimate and evil. To be an antihero, he’d have to have at least _one_ moral failing.Taking from the rich to feed the poor isn’t that. Neither is staying loyal to the true King. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/16 "2023-02-23T20:59:51Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > ETA: I had Bob Dylan’s song “John Wesley Harding” in mind, for me a similar, though rougher character than Robin Hood: Now this guy is definitely a candidate for an anti-hero (fi something of a psychopath as well). As I recall, he was reputed to have shot a man in the head because he wanted to see if his bullet would bounce off of his shiny bald head. 😲 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/17 "2023-02-23T21:04:08Z")
Yeah, Dylan tends to be liberal with the known facts when writing historical songs, and he has always sympathies for the outlaw. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/18 "2023-02-23T21:06:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Teenage me would have said, “Lobo.” > > Actually, now that I think of it, that’s still my answer. Teenage me would’ve said Adrian Veidt, and I likewise see no reason to switch that up. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/19 "2023-02-23T21:11:11Z")
The character Henry Miller from his autobiographical novels. He’s constantly portraying himself as an unrepentant asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/20 "2023-02-23T21:11:25Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > My favourite antiheroes are Elric of Melnibone and Rincewind the Wizzard. Damn, I entered the thread to mention Elric. And I hadn’t considered Rincewind in that light before, but now I can see him that way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253.md?page=2)