anti-heroes
Morally ambiguous leads
Anti-heroes are protagonists who lack conventional heroic qualities—courage, morality, idealism—yet still occupy the central role in a story.
Where traditional heroes inspire admiration, anti-heroes may be cynical, selfish, morally ambiguous, or outright villainous, yet audiences follow their journeys anyway: Walter White and Tony Soprano are television's most famous anti-heroes.
The appeal often lies in their complexity and relatability.
Story's central figure
- flawedHaving faults or imperfections
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- complexityState of being complicated
- conflictedEmotionally at odds
outcast · brooding · misunderstood · cynical · jaded · loner · anti-villain
Fair treatment under law
- revengePunishing a wrongdoer
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- maskedHaving face covered
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
outlaw · rogue · mercenary · assassin · vengeance · extrajudicial · guns · violence
Undermining established authority
- deconstructionAnalysis exposing self-contradiction
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
- arcCurved line segment
transformation · trope · foil · antagonist · deuteragonist · grimdark · noir · pulp
protagonist
Story's central figure
- flawedHaving faults or imperfections
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- complexityState of being complicated
conflicted · outcast · brooding · misunderstood · cynical · jaded · loner · anti-villain
justice
Fair treatment under law
- revengePunishing a wrongdoer
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- maskedHaving face covered
underground · outlaw · rogue · mercenary · assassin · vengeance · extrajudicial · guns · violence · crime-fighter
Deadpool
subversion
Undermining established authority
- deconstructionAnalysis exposing self-contradiction
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
arc · transformation · trope · foil · antagonist · deuteragonist · grimdark · noir · pulp · revisionist
trickster
Cunning deceiver in myth
- LokiNorse god of deception
- PrometheusFire-stealing benefactor of mortals
- CoyoteNamed trickster deity
Anansi · Odysseus · Hermes · Maui · Raven · Reynard · shapeshifter · cunning
- heroesheroines, Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman
- character typesprotagonist, antagonist, villain, protagonists, villains
- alienationestrangement, social isolation, disconnection, exclusion, outsider
- Nihilismmeaninglessness, nothingness, emptiness, futility, absurdity
anti-heroesheroes
Admired courageous figures
white knights · paragons · good guys · noble heroes · boy scouts
anti-heroesvillains
Evil characters in narratives
antagonists · archenemies · supervillains · nemeses · big bads
anti-heroesmythic heroes
Celebrated characters from folklore
epic heroes · role models · action heroes · romantic heroes · Prince Charmings