Rise of the Antihero

We respect him and fear him; we love her and hate her. This is the story of the antihero and it's not a new thing--it's actually been around for a while. I mean, think about it: we love that bold hero who always does what's right and finds the most moral path, even by means of darkness. However, is this a realistic human trait? Is this truly an identifiable character type?

Fear-inciting, yet likable and relatable:
how plausible is this really?

Allow me to explain a phenomena that I call "the family principle" of the antihero. It's represented by the father and the brother (I use these two family roles, but they are equally applicable to women, i.e. "fathers and brothers" could just as easily be "mothers and daughters" or any number of familial combinations):

First, there's the father, who we love and respect. He is a role model for us to look up to and admire for the morally correct choices he makes. We see his struggle and root for him to make it through and save the day. His primary part to play is the idealistic role model.

Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop

Then, there's the brother who we love and respect, but we're also able to see his faults. He is on the same level as us and sometimes makes selfish or stupid choices. We admire him for the good that he does, but can sympathize when he does something wrong and suffers for it. His primary role is the imperfect companion.

For the purposes of this article, I will primarily focus on the brother, or "antihero." The antihero doesn't have as strong of a moral compass as the father, or "hero." She/he is often confused about the right path to take or is under the impression that their goal is noble enough to do some creative moral accounting to justify their actions.

Think about the characters in the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western movies. He does a lot of not so moral things, but when it counts whether for the good of all or for his own self-interest, he comes through. Another interesting antihero is Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. He is a character that is very likable and charismatic. He often does the right thing, but he's not afraid to kill or cause large amounts of collateral damage to anything in the immediate vicinity.

You got a Fist Full of Dollars?  Or are you just feelin' lucky, punk?

There is a spectrum of antiheroes. There are some that are generally heroic, like Spike, but there's others that are corrupted with the power they have like Light Yagami from Death Note. The power that he has corrupts him to the point of insanity. Eventually his noble goal of ridding the world of crime drives him to only act out of self-interest, even if that means killing innocent people and loved ones.

Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop--another great antihero.

It is this wide spectrum of varying traits that makes the antihero interesting. We can pretty much always have an idea of what the hero will do, but we have no idea on the outset how the story of the antihero will go. We don't know whether it will end in triumph or tragedy. You'll just have to watch to find out.

Logan Christensen

(Pragmus Alpha)

CEO of Pragmus Media