Film: Sympathy For The Antihero

Heroes have been around since the beginning of time, whether they are good or evil. A hero that comes to mind that are both of those things is the one and only, Deadpool. Deadpool is considered an anti-hero to many because his actions are bad, but they help society become safer. Basically, his job is to kill people that may cause a burden to society and bring them down. By killing these people, it makes society feel safe knowing they will not be bothered by bad individuals. Deadpool is on the anti-hero journey, meaning he "ventures forth from the world... and comes back from his mysterious power to" give favors to the people in need (Indick). Deadpool has two very specific archetypes; the trickster and the fool. These archetypes form who the individual is as a person and gives him character. The decisions made by this anti-hero affect his archetypes by being extremely taunting and self-centered.

There is no doubt that the popularity of the anti-hero as we know it has increased in recent times. With unlikely, yet popular moral gray protagonists like Jack Bauer, Dexter, and Gregory House leading some of the most popular TV shows and characters like James Bond, Lisbeth Salander, Tyler Durden (from Fight Club), and Jack Sparrow being some of the most memorable in movies, it is not surprising that there has been an increased interest to understand what causes this characters to be so popular (Peter Jonason in et al., 193). What is it that makes them as likeable, if not more, than a normal hero? How come we relate to characters that perform actions that, if done in real life, would cause us to see them in a whole different light?

Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman—what do all these characters have in common? They are all products of the human aspiration to be saved. The word hero is passed around too much these days. A hero is not a football player that scores the game-winning touchdown or the goaltender who saves his team from a loss. A hero is usually an ordinary person that did extraordinary things. A true hero is really never a hero at all; at least not in their own mind. However, there are various cases today in which we see the exact opposites of these characters, the anti-heroes. The anti-hero is one who cannot be classified as a hero, for that said character lacks natural heroic qualities. However, the anti-hero cannot be described as a villain either.

In the reading, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes” by Stephen Garrett, he points out that anti-heroes are becoming more popular than the traditional hero. Garrett states, “the word hero is abused in the news, the sports reports, and even in conversation” (318). For example tabloids recognize someone who battles a drug addiction and overcomes it or a substitute kicker for the football game kick the winning field goal (318). You see he argues that traditional heroes are “boring” and that there are no longer any more real heroes (318-321). Anti-heroes are characters or people who are just evil but still get the viewers to like

This is almost the direct opposite approach that The Avengers took which perhaps conveys how much the public’s emotions changed in those seven years between 2005 and 2012. One of the major shifts since 9/11, evident in both The Dark Knight Trilogy and the slew of Marvel Studios films such as The Avengers and the Iron Man Trilogy (2008-2013), are that superheroes are now longer unstoppable gods, but instead are presented as flawed, traumatised and unsure about themselves who suffer setbacks and defeats yet nevertheless continue to do what is necessary for the safety of the world. This is an overt reference to the post-9/11 mind-set of moving on and still doing what must be done against terrorism. This is most exemplified in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013) in which, instead of being presented as an idealistic, patriotic God, Superman is instead portrayed as a naïve and damaged human who just happens to have these extraordinary powers. Furthermore, Zod, the antagonist, causes much destruction in Metropolis, which very much resembles

The film, The Shining, follows a family who moved to the Colorado Rockies for the winter so the father, Jack Torrance, can take a job as a caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. Jack received this job after the previous caretaker, Charles Grady, went crazy and murdered his wife and two daughters. Jack’s son Danny has these disturbing psychic visions that revisit him many times throughout the film, including ones of the murdered Grady daughters and blood pouring out the elevators. Danny relates to the head chef of the hotel, Dick Hallorann, because they both have telepathy so they bond in a way no one else in the film does. Throughout the film there is an interest in room 237 and everyone is affected by in in some strange way; when Jack

In reality, however, these heroes are rare and it is almost impossible to decipher the real heroes from the people who seem to be heroic. It is in this situation where a new classification is necessary—the anti-hero. An anti-hero is a central character who lacks the characteristic heroic qualities; they do seemingly heroic actions for less than righteous motivations. This is not to say that anti-heroes are vile beings incapable

Anti-heroes do not solely exist in the fictional world. There are people in the real world, everyday who fit the anti-hero description. They are… the Mob. In ancient times loyalty was purest form of respect. It was a way of life. One was loyal to his or her family, govern, king, and God. Hand in hand with loyalty, comes the right to revenge. The Mob is one of the few “societies” that has reserved that tradition. For example: when a family member is assassinated, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the surviving family to avenge that death. This loyalty to one’s own, coupled with the fierce determination to protect them, are incredibly heroic qualities. Organized crime families are oohed and ahhed by the press and pop culture, and have their own fans. While these people are not ideal role models, they possess heroic qualities worthy of aspiration.

How many superhero movies have you seen recently that did not have a villain? Almost every movie or story that we have today has Some type

Quality’s such as a distorted sense of morality, a self-serving or selfish cause, or qualities that would be considered dark fit the role of anti-hero with distinction. An important distinction to make in respect to the anti-hero archetype is that the anti-hero is not the villain. The villain of a story is just that, the villain. While it is true that they can be like the

Loki, the God of chaos, is known as the “doer of good and the doer of evil.” He, like Cartman, is always looking for a way to cause havoc. Whether they intended to or not, they never pass up the opportunity. In the chapter “Thor and Loki in the Giant’s City,” Loki is seen telling multiple tales about his adventures with Thor at the feast, and is sure to highlight the things that make Thor look bad. For instance, his strength was no match to the dwellers if Jötunheim, and when he had to dress as a bride to retrieve his hammer, Mjölnir.

The role of the anti-hero is to represent what society despises like cruelty, cowardice, self-interest, and dishonesty. The anti-hero is the opposite

Villains are just like us but they allowed their temptations to consume them. As people we have villainous thoughts all the time, though we chastise ourselves for them, they definitely appear. The idea of portraying a villain wouldn't be too hard because I only have to imagine myself letting one of my own flaws consume me. We could become villains at any moment, "When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you," Friedrich Nietzsche said, and he means that when you think about these temptations enough, you yourself will fall into temptation. I almost let my weight problem consume me, but I was able to realign myself into a proper way of thinking. Trying to pull off the act as a hero is like lying to your audience, no ones truly a superhero, but everyone can relate to a

They should have the motive and justification to trump their hero. He made it relatable to certain audiences, which is good, but not the masses of readers. Freeman exposes that of the working class in New York City and where unity comes from entirety. He describes their efforts on building the social and economic structure of New York and that not every hero wears a cape. But he also fails to stay on topic and coherent with the actual working class as opposed to how they helped New York City. Masterson presents the superior argument as it advocates for villains to have meaningful motives and complex attitudes, just as the hero would have, and just as us humans have. She even says how, “Your villain is no different” (Masterson 715). And she does this through her simple, yet powerful diction to make your villain, “credible, logical, and believable, but not likable.” (715) She makes it easy, broad, and coherent for her audience to the masses to comprehend, thus making her argument the clearest and most straightforward out of the

Loki is the embodiment of, “Of course it was Loki. It 's always Loki.” Loki is unquestionably the biggest question mark within Norse mythology. He is portrayed as a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, his role is shrouded in mystery; what was his purpose in the ancient stories. Loki’s character arises questions about his role; was he a plot device, a foil for the Aesir, or maybe he was meant to be used as a warning to child? Within the pantheon of Norse gods, he was an anomaly; his fellow gods are mostly one dimensional and Loki is anything but. Loki is the antithesis to the culture the Norse gods represented; honor, courage, fidelity, truth, discipline, hospitality, industriousness, self reliance, perseverance. Loki is