They’re the bad boys. The gentleman thief. The lovable rogue. The reluctant hero.What makes a character in a novel or movie an antihero? Well, first, he’s one of the main characters.We usually don’t really like him/her, but find ourselves rooting for them.They may have some very bad traits, but there’s something about them that makes us care. Sound complex? Yep, those antiheroes are usually a combination of many characteristics. Let’s look at TV’s Dexter. He’s a SERIAL KILLER for Pete’s sake, but he really cares about some people, has a conscience, and after all he only kills bad people! What’s not to like?Or Homer Simpson – dumb, lazy, cheap, terrible role model.But he apparently cares for his wife, his children at certain times, and makes us laugh. Antiheroes can be selfish, addicted to drugs/alcohol, corrupt, uncaring; but they somehow become a more complete person at the end of the story.Comic book characters are not all superheroes – look at Batman, Hellboy, or Wolverine and Magneto from the X-men. Fighting outside of the law and not showing respect for others – yet we want them to defeat the really, really bad guys. And who wasn’t fooled by Severus Snape – after hating him and constantly blaming him for so much evil and all along he was protecting Harry! Who knew?We know Charlie Harper’s sins, and Captain Jack Sparrow, they're apparently drunk 24/7. Victor Frankenstein was just messing around and experimenting when he created the monster – it surely wasn’t the plan? As a child I always rooted for Robin Hood, now that I look back, he was just plain stealing, yeah it gave it to the poor, but he was still stealing! Scarlet O’Hara in the epic novel Gone with the Wind was really just a spoiled brat with a mean, selfishness that somehow attracted Rhett Butler.So, even if they are a screw-up, a loner, a rebel, or obnoxious, the writer convinces us that even with those imperfections (that we all live with and identify with), we like our antiheroes! Is Edward an antihero?
