So as kids we must've grown up watching superhero animated series or comics, some even have spent part of their teenage years and even part of their adulthood reading comics, through out the years we've developed a taste either into heros, villains or antiheroes, today I would like to make a special of some Anti-heroes, so to start off lets clear our heads with the definition of the word "antiheroe" .....
What is and Antiheroe?
The notion of anti-hero is used to define the character who, in a story, exhibits behaviors and characteristics that do not coincide with those presented by the conventional heroes. In this way, although their actions can be considered heroic, their procedures and purposes are not.
#10 Spawn
Even though many things have been fading away through time, Spawn is a natural born antiheroe, battling everything he beleives should be eliminated (or what needs to be), without skimping on violence or repairing in rules of conduct. Something that has been adding followers who admire the dark tone of their stories, as there aren’t many who are encouraged to develop adventures in that tone.
#9 Wolverine
"I'm the best at what I do, but what I do is nothing nice." This phrase created by the screenwriters Chris Claremont and Frank Miller became the slogan of Wolverine in the 80s, also sums up perfectly the philosophy of the anti-hero, if it is that such a thing exists. Despite belonging to the X-men, Logan prefers to work alone, which is worth many clashes with his colleagues. Wolverine is important for the listing because it is one of the first characters to settle the anti-hero figure.
#8 The Punisher
(Frank Castle) Like Wolverine, The Punisher began as a Marvel villain, though his subsequent development led him to be considered on the "good" side. His methods of combating crime illustrate a personality in perfect harmony with the world: murder, extortion, torture and kidnapping. As we said, perfect harmony with the world. Unlike other anti-heroes, Frank Castle seems to find a twisted satisfaction in murdering his enemies, which certainly makes him one of the most bloodthirsty characters.
#7 V
Inspired by Robin Hood, another great anti-hero of popular mythology, V has no qualms about attacking any authority in favor of his anarchist philosophy. The romanticism of the ideals is represented in V, whose true name is never revealed, thus attacking against the personal recognition that all classical hero seeks.
#6 Green Arrow
(Oliver Queen) Oliver Queen, AKA The Green arrow, created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp back in 1941, making his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73.
Oliver Queen the best man behind the bow, taking his body to the limit, after being casted away in an island, and making a bow from scratch, Oliver realized that the meaning of his life was justice and so he became the Green Arrow, he relies on great skills with the bow and arrow also on close combat and a great sense of humor, Green arrow is not the hero that fits the label of a superhero such as Superman or The flash, he does heroic acts without the heroic reasons, and that is what makes a great antiheroe.
#5 Deadshot
Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, started out as a simple vigilante in Gotham City, who later decided to turn to the assassin/mercenary life – and was getting handsomely paid to do so. He has a gun mounted on each wrist and he is considered the deadliest marksmen in the DC Universe. Much like Bullseye in the Marvel Universe, Deadshot is said to “never miss,” and to help prove it, he once shot an apple off of the head of Captain Boomerang while his eyes were closed. With all of that being said, strictly classifying him as a supervillain would be categorically false.
#4 John Constantine
This cynical, working class occult detective is another creation from Alan Moore, who apparently modeled the character after the singer Sting. He’s got a foul-mouth and seems to be pretty addicted to danger in his life of pursuing sorcery and dark magic, while also being quite reckless and hanging around the lowest scum of humanity. The character always ends up hurting those around him, particularly his friends who end up paying the price for his mistakes quite often.
John tries to do the good thing, he’s just trying to rid the world of evil in his own way. The short lived television series that aired on NBC portrayed the character as an anti-hero who was haunted by the sins of his past.
#3 Red Hood (Jason Todd)
Jason Todd is a very recognizable name to many comic book fans. Young Jason found Bruce Wayne/Batman as a mentor once Richard “Dick” Grayson had grown up, making Todd the second Robin. But Jason was caught tampering with Batman’s Batmobile (after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths) – and it became clear that Jason wasn’t going to be like Grayson. Jason was rougher around the edges and had much more of a mean streak in him – but that ended once the Joker beat him to death with a crowbar. Or did it?
Jason came back as the Red Hood and truly became an anti-hero, encompassing all of the skills he had learned from Batman, but with a willingness to kill. He’s trying to clean up the streets just like Bruce, but he’s doing it by any means necessary. This whole story arc is actually quite similar to Bucky Barnes’ transformation into the Winter Soldier in Marvel Comics. But Jason Todd as the Red Hood has left an impression on many fans – word is, Ben Affleck is going to be adapting this story for his solo Batman film.
#2 Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex is a classic anti-hero living in the 19th Century on the American western frontier. Hex decided to become a bounty hunter after he gunned down his first criminal, “Mad Dog” Lucas McGill, while Lucas was beating his own wife. Hex’s cynicism, the brutal scar on his face and his overall reputation paint him as a pretty bad individual, but he does hold a code of honor, protecting those who are innocent. That really is the definition of an anti-hero.
Josh Brolin kind of ruined the character for mainstream audiences, though, when he starred in that Jonah Hex movie in 2010, which was terrible. Jonah Hex doesn’t have any superpowers, but he did in the 2010 film – possessing the ability bring the dead back to life, which is admittedly a pretty powerful gift. But in the comics, Hex simply had a tremendous amount of talent and training. Jonah’s reflexes are so strong that he once was faster on the draw than even Batman. If you’re a non-superpowered individual and you’re able to one-up Batman, you’ve got some pretty amazing skills.
#1 Batman
Yes, Batman is on the list because the character has certainly displayed some very anti-hero-like actions in the comics, or even certain animated features. Bruce Wayne becomes Batman to stop criminals and deliver justice in Gotham and this is a trait of the usual “good guys.” However, with so many writers adding their own take on the character, Batman has developed some very dark and questionable behavior at times. The character is often described as a vigilante which usually isn’t considered to be “good.” While the argument will continue over whether or not the character truly is an anti-hero, for the sake of this argument, let’s say that he is.
Killing is not the only factor in determining an anti-hero. Batman doesn’t go out of his way to kill his foes, but consider his distrustful nature. He once compiled files of the powers and weaknesses of his JLA team members and crafted ways to take each one down, if they ever turned evil for whatever reason. As far as half of the Justice League was concerned, Batman crossed some serious personal boundaries. Things got even worse when those files were used against them. Dick Grayson ends up walking away from Bruce when he sees how Batman is willing to cross the line.
What are your thoughts on this? share them with us and tell us who are your favorite superheros, villains or antiheroes.
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