10 All Time Favourite Villains

In terms of fiction, an antihero or antiheroine is a main character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes such as idealism, courage, and morality. The conventional traits of a hero are courage, bravery and most importantly righteousness. However, anti-heroes lack those qualities. They should not be mistaken as antagonists. They are more like a bridge between the protagonist and the antagonist, many times being the protagonist. Here are 10 favourite anti-heroes.

Posted On November 11th, 2020

Eve, Killing Eve

Eve Polastri is overly interested in female assassins, their psychologies and their methods of killing. After brashly investigating behind-the-scenes in relation to a witness she is handling, she is fired from MI5. Eve is a woman teetering on the brink of solace and destruction, of immense security and staggering danger.

Damon Salvatore, Vampire Diaries

The lead in the tv series, Vampire Diaries, Damon is anything but heroic. He is unreasonable, self-indulging, arrogant, ruthless and even murderous. Yet his character development leads him towards a path where he is seen in a more positive light but at his core, he is reckless and cruel.

Nina, Black Swan

Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman, is a ballet dancer who strives for perfection at the beginning of the film. Her desire for perfection turns into an obsession as she begins to leave behind her good side and indulge with the darkness inside her. She finishes her full transformation at the end of the film becoming the Black Swan.

Deadpool

Deadpool is anything but the conventional superhero. He tries to kill himself on more occasion than one openly breaks the third realm, criticizes other heroes (Wolverine, subtle hints) and is less concerned with fighting evil and more with solving personal grudges.

Maleficent

Maleficent is a demoness who fell in love but after a heartbreak, she turned into a cold and reckless creature. Yet her character development evolves when Aurora is born and she becomes an almost maternal figure.

Dexter

Dexter Morgan has a dominant character as a high functioning psychopath because he can manipulate everyone, undetected serial killers, and act as a wolf in sheep clothes. He is ruthless, fearless and not afraid to be murderous.

Annalise Keatings, How To Get Away With Murder

She seemed to have a perfect life and was respected for being a great lawyer and a great criminal law professor, whom her students both fear and admire. She is far from righteous but her strength is unlimited in every way.

Michael, The Godfather

He is secretive, visionary, and independent. However, because of his independence, Michael at first does not want to follow his father into a life of crime. Although he seems righteous in the beginning we come to realize he is not what he plays to be.

Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones

When it comes to Cersei, no amount of self-reflection is exercised that might introduce more complex emotions such as remorse, grief, or self-compassion. In fact, she was not afraid to imprison her own daughter.

Lucien Carr, Kill Your Darlings

Lucien takes Allen down a path of decadence. He is reckless and poisoned on the inside. He is a troubled student stirring trouble wherever he goes. He is very conflicted by his feelings towards Kammerer and struggles to break ties.