Top Ten Anti-Heroes

An anti-hero by definition is the opposite of what a hero is supposed to be. While this definition works, the truth is that people are seldom as simple as that definition would have you believe. The anti-hero archetype has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity as our society begins to question many of the black and white views it has held for so long. This less-than-perfect figure captures our imagination in books, movies, and more and makes us realize that sometimes doing the wrong thing for the right reasons or the right thing for the wrong reasons may be the right thing in the end.

10. Richard B. Riddick

Riddick almost qualifies as a sympathetic villain rather than an anti-hero accept for the fact that he isn’t near as evil as he would like you to believe. Riddick is a hardened criminal who winds up stranded on a desert planet with several other survivors. At first Riddick seems to be the epitome of a violent criminal but as we watch the story unfold we learn that while he is violent, he also is capable of being heroic when other people’s lives are on the line. Riddick is the classic example of how sometimes even those who seem beyond redemption still care.

9. Robin Hood

The classic example of someone who does the wrong thing for the right reasons, Robin Hood has been part of our culture for hundreds of years. He steals from the rich to give to the poor and defies corrupt authority with bravery. Robin Hood stands out so strongly in our cultural conscience because he represents the inner fire in all of us to correct injustice wherever we may find it even if it means operating outside the law.

8. Eric Draven

Better known as The Crow from both the comic books and movies of the same name, Eric Draven is a great example of how loss and grief can drive a good person to the brink. Eric Draven and his fiancé were murdered by a group of thugs and he returns from the dead to seek out vengeance against those who killed him. While Draven’s desire for vengeance is completely understandable, what qualifies him as an anti-hero is the depths he sinks to in order to bring justice to his murderers.

7. Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is the definition of losing oneself to anger. Starting out as scientist Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk is the product of a scientific experiment gone wrong. Because of changes created by exposure to gamma rays, Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk whenever he becomes too angry. The Hulk himself is a creature of pure rage and knows no morals or reason, blindly seeking to destroy everything in his path. The Hulk is representative of how the anger inside us can lead us in directions we would never go even though we may see ourselves as good people.

6. Rorschach

Rorschach represents the desire in all of us to bring justice to those who deserve our anger the most. He represents the inner demon in every person on this planet when confronted with the horrors we are able to perpetrate on one another. What makes Rorschach an anti-hero is the fact that he is doing what he believes needs to be done regardless of the cost to his own humanity. He gladly sacrifices what it means to be a member of society in order to destroy those he considers too evil to deserve to live.

5. Wolverine

Wolverine is what can happen when a person is forced to endure too much pain. While he has a muddy back story in the Marvel Comic universe, we do know that he was experimented on in very painful ways which led him to become extremely animalistic. Because of this ferocity Wolverine’s moral compass is skewed and he often does things in the heat of the moment that he later regrets. What keeps Wolverine from being a villain instead of an anti-hero is that he does try to do the right thing even if he often does it in the wrong way.

4. Han Solo

Han Solo is the epitome of the heartless mercenary turned good guy. In the Star Wars saga Solo is a smuggler who become involved with a galactic rebellion when he takes on a couple of passengers by the names of Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. They find themselves on a giant space station called the Death Star and seek to rescue Princess Leah but of course Han Solo expects a reward. By the end of the movie Solo has bonded with Skywalker and returns in the nick of time to save his young friend. Han Solo’s story may be kind of text book fare but the character does it with such flair that he will always be remembered as one of the great anti-heroes of all time.

3. Jackson Teller

Jackson Teller is a member of a motorcycle gang named the Sons of Anarchy. His motorcycle club does bad things including dealing in illegal guns. While Jackson Teller does bad things, he has certain values that all of us share. He cares about his family, he supports his friends, and he tries to do right by those he loves. However, while Jackson is mostly a good guy he also doesn’t hesitate to use violence to solve his problems which is what makes him an anti-hero.

2. Jack Sparrow

Captain Jack Sparrow is perhaps one of the most beloved anti-heroes in recent history. Sparrow is a pirate captain who has no real redeeming qualities but winds up earning our love and devotion anyway. He cheats, steals, lies, and betrays both friends and enemies and yet still we cheer for him because at the end of the day we know he helped other people out even if it was a bit unorthodox.

1. Batman

Batman is the epitome of what it means to be an anti-hero. Batman does not do things the way they’re supposed to be done or for the reasons we think they should be. Instead Batman ruthlessly pursues his vendetta against the underworld of our society by any means necessary. What makes Batman so fascinating to us is that he does what so many of us wish we could do when we get hurt and that’s go out and kick the bad guy’s butt. Maybe someday another anti-hero will come along who better represents the true complexities of the archetype but until then Batman is the top dog in the anti-hero universe.