# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/21 "2023-02-23T21:13:02Z")
Snake Plissken from _Escape from New York_ and _Escape from L. A._ ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/22 "2023-02-23T21:13:22Z")
Anti-hero, explained. (around :24) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eftvfjCrC4s/maxresdefault.jpg "DC League of Super-Pets | End Credit Scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eftvfjCrC4s) ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/23 "2023-02-23T21:15:58Z")
[Pancho Villa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa). Believe he would be considered an anti-hero on this side of the border. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/24 "2023-02-23T21:18:24Z")
I like Becky Sharp from _Vanity Fair_. Thackeray even specifies that the book is the “Novel Without A Hero”. Becky’s supposed to be a bad girl, who is only interested in social climbing, money, rank, and attention. But she’s also clever, talented, funny, and has a tremendous bullshit detector. She’s contrasted with Amelia Sedley, who we are supposed to admire because she’s virtuous and naive, but she is in fact boring and unimaginative. Becky Sharp was the inspiration for the character of Scarlett O’Hara, I believe I read once. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/25 "2023-02-23T21:26:51Z")
Sawyer from Lost. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/26 "2023-02-23T21:34:24Z")
I’m not sure favorite is the right word, but compelling, certainly: Stringer Bell in The Wire. Here he is learning how to put his drug dealing empire on a sound business footing: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mDBq-OU1rHo/hqdefault.jpg "Stringer Bell's Macroeconomics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDBq-OU1rHo) j ---
**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, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/27 "2023-02-23T22:04:54Z")
So he too was brave, courageous, and bold? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/28 "2023-02-23T22:13:33Z")
Flashman, Blackadder, Alan Lewrie… ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/29 "2023-02-23T22:46:26Z")
To identify with: Yossarian, Randal P. Mc Murphy and Rick Blaine. To watch: Porter from Payback, Hud, TMwNN, Butch Cassidy and Sundance. As far as definitions go, the wiki list includes some I would consider full villains. ---
**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, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/30 "2023-02-23T22:47:57Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Might need a definition of anti-hero for the purpose of this thread…? > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > To other scholars, an antihero is inherently a hero from a specific point of view, and a villain from another. I like that. However, I’m sure there are cases where two people can watch the same movie and root for and have deferent perceptions about the characters in the film. Since there are differing definitions, for the purpose of this thread I’ll allow a little latitude as long as they fall within what generally defines them. ---
**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, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/31 "2023-02-23T22:51:03Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Robin Hood is just a regular hero. I know he is portrayed as such, especially by Disney, but he is a lawbreaker in the society in which he lives. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/32 "2023-02-23T22:56:02Z")
Randle Patrick McMurphy. From the book. The movie one is cool too, though. [![](https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/characters/test-resources/pics/OFOCN/1.jpg) ](https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/characters/test-resources/pics/OFOCN/1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/33 "2023-02-23T23:01:55Z")
30+ posts and no Boba Fett? Hurray! The cult has been deprogramed! ---
**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, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/34 "2023-02-23T23:06:31Z")
Moist von Lipwig Cohen the Barbarian and the Silver Horde Esmeralda Weatherwax Sam Vimes ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/35 "2023-02-23T23:08:02Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I know he is portrayed as such, especially by Disney, but he is a lawbreaker in the society in which he lives. So what? Since when is a hero necessarily someone who upholds the law? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/36 "2023-02-23T23:08:32Z")
The historic Robin Hood, if there was such a man, might have been a murderous outlaw. The literary Robin Hood is certainly a good guy, robbing from the rich [booo! hiss!] and giving to the poor [yay Robin!]. He’s like the Batman of his time. Hero or anti-hero depends on your point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/37 "2023-02-23T23:14:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He’s like the Batman of his time. Hero or anti-hero depends on your point of view. Batman is arguably more of an anti-hero than Robin Hood. Robin genuinely cares about people and wants to help them; Batman just wants to hurt bad guys. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/38 "2023-02-23T23:54:20Z")
Serge Storms (created by Tim Dorsey) and Slippery Jim diGriz (created by Harry Harrison) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/39 "2023-02-24T00:09:06Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I know he is portrayed as such, especially by Disney, but he is a lawbreaker in the society in which he lives. So was the French Resistance. A key part of the Robin Hood mythos is that he’s resisting an usurper, King John, in support of the true king, Richard, who is off fighting the Crusades. He’s resisting an unlawful government on behalf of the “proper” order. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253/40 "2023-02-24T00:09:34Z")
You are right. I was thinking about an old popular image of Batman. I have long contended he is psychotic and that has become clear his resurgence in comic novels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favorite-anti-hero/980253.md?page=3)