"Mad Max the anti-hero, what others can you think of?" Topic

Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic anti-hero with some heroic aspects, or a hero with some anti-heroic aspects. Are there any other anti-hero types from science fiction, fantasy or history that you believe are the embodiment of the anti-hero?

Kane.
Elric of Melnibone.
Josey Wales.
The Man with No Name.
Yojimbo.
Dirty Harry.
Sir Harry Flashman.

slippery Jim Digriz
Lucifer (DC comics)
John Constantine

x42

Edit:- I think this will be a very long list as all the best heroes are flawed in some way.

Kev Hawkins
Jack of Shadows
Sam (lord of Light)

Uhtred of Bebbanburg

link

Elric from Michael Moorcock's stories.
Deckard from Blade Runner? (At least he isn't much of a hero)

Kratos from the God of War video game series. Batman from the graphic novels, who is more of a pyscho than most of his enemies.

Lord Soth
Hellboy
Han Solo
Tyrion Lannister
Indiana Jones
Darryl from walking dead

Julian Assange

Julian would just be a 'non-hero'.

Well, we all like our heroes to be flawed don't we, the maverick detective who doesn't follow the rules etc.

Darth Vader, so much more interesting than boring Luke.
Sir Lancelot

Many historical leaders, who frequently exhibit extreme psycopathic traits. Napoleon, Caeser, Lenin, Trotsky…and dare we even go there…Hitler…

As the Stranglers observed, no more heroes any more.

Batman's an anti-hero.

Ron

Solomon Kane
Conan

Thomas Covanant the Unbeliever

Joachim Steuben from the Slammer's books.

Mind you, Alois Hammer himself isn't terribly nice either, but less, er… 'driven' than Steuben.

Khan Noonian Sing ("get me someone cheaper than Riccardo Montalban!"). Not very heroic, perhaps, but…. certain admirable qualities.

John T

Conan
Mike Hammer
Philip Marlowe

Travis Bickle

Riddick
Machete
Spike (Cowboy Bebop)
Vash the Stampede
Angel (BTVS)
Frank Castle

Cant believe no one said Snake Plissken!

Darryl from walking dead

Darryl is not an anti-hero. Other than being gruff and largely anti-social, he is a hero.

RICK has over time become very much an anti-hero.

Wolverine

Roy Batty from Bladerunner

Most of the "Magnificent Seven".

Greymouser
Pancho Villa
Robin Hood

Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly!

John Wick
Victor von Doom…sometimes.

Billy Jack
Wyatt
Billy

Birds of Prey (TV)

Kerr Avon

Al Swearengen.

The Punisher.

Lord Soth isn't an anti-hero, he's just a villain.
Lots of the listed characters here are just villains. I don't think some folks understand what an anti-hero is.

Tony Stark, before he perfects the Iron Man suit.

The Equalizer

Philip Marlowe

Jack Burton.

Constantine
Judge Dredd

George Taylor (Charlton Heston), Planet of the Apes
Regards
Allan

V
Rincewind
Jayne Cobb

Definitely Thomas Covenant
Blackadder

Tank girl
Sharpe
Flash
Jack Sparrow

Joan of arc
El Cid
Buffy
Rambo
A Team

There is one more to remember 'Chuck Norris'

Nikolai Dante is probably the 2000AD example of the anti-hero.

Bruner the bounty hunter.

Jonathan E. from Rollerball (the original 1975 movie not the remake mess)

John Taylor from the Simon R. Green Nightside series and Shotgun Suzie (eventually)

Hakaider

@feetup > joan of arc is not anti-hero, she was very pious and highly devout.

cool hand luke
bullit

Are you serious? How about we list off every romantic heroine or every wise old man? Or how about we just throw up random lists of people we've heard of? ;-)

I would disagree with Batman and Vash the Stampede but Cudel from Dying Earth, that is an anti-hero if I ever encountered one

Cugel for sure :-) I recall from an interview somewhere (Dragonsfoot?) that Gygax gave Cugel as an example of what a Chaotic Evil player character would look like.

Vash doesn't seem like an anti-hero to me. He's not a big fighter but he genuinely intends well for others.

Punisher

I guess the Govenor was an anti hero for a few episodes before he got his golf swing down pat

Does George Castanza from Seinfeld count?

Conan

The Goon

The anti-hero is not simply a hero with flaws; that's just called "effective characterization." Nor is the anti-hero the villain, or antagonist, of the tale (though a traditional or even accepted villain can become the anti-hero of a particular story). No, the anti-hero is simply the hero that does not act or express the expected notions of heroism, nobility, or morality, and may in fact speak against them and even society as a whole, but nevertheless acts to protect or aid others, possibly even against his or her own stated intention or self-interests. Kelly's Heroes are anti-heroes. They don't give a crap about the reasons for the war, and they consider the patriotic stuff just a bunch of BS. What they want is gold. They aren't killing the enemy because the enemy is bad, they're killing the enemy because he has the gold. Yes, they wind up advancing the war effort and liberating a French town from the Nazis, but that's just an accidental by product of their dissatisfaction and greed.
Han Solo is thus an anti-hero: "I ain't in it for your revolution, sister. I expect to be paid."
But Batman is not. He's a flawed hero, but his motivation is altruistic and pro-society, with little thought of self. He is therefore a hero in the true sense.

Most of Clint Eastwood's characters, starting with Blondie.

Corbin Dallas
Solid & Naked snake
Duke Nukem
Max Payne
Paul Kersey
Remo Williams
Steve Austin
Rooster Cogburn
Han Solo
Omar Little