Antihero: definition, traits, history and cultural examples

The antihero is an expression of the modern subject in all its social ambivalences and antitheses; his existence is based, as it were, on his ambivalences (social contradictions). These social contradictions culminate at the threshold of modernity, from which the antihero emerges, now unable to find answers and solutions to the ontological challenges of the modern, secularized world, and distinguished as a hero precisely by his empathetic helplessness. He is also characterized by his humanity, which can equally turn into (self-)destructive hatred and an unpredictable rage. The result is a character "devoid of all heroic and active traits, showing no initiative and facing events helplessly and incapable of action, with strict passivity or resignation and boredom."

In addition, an antihero often evokes an identification among his generational peers. His "heroism" expresses itself in the fact that he ridicules the societal bourgeoisie and love of order, against which he nevertheless actively does nothing or can do nothing. This is because, on the one hand, he is himself a part of this society due to his middle-class origins, his parents and/or friends, and because, on the other hand (precisely because of this), this society appears as an overpowering opponent that cannot be defeated. Thus, there is also a sometimes comedic-satirical, sometimes tragicomic part in the portrayal of an antihero throughout. Due to his inevitable failure, he is a tragic figure on the one hand. On the other hand, the humorous side is revealed above all by the unmasking of the contrast with the virtuousness demanded as a matter of course by society and the actual, namely imperfect, downright human character of the anti-hero, who has no interest at all in being as virtuous and thus conforming as society demands, if not explicitly then at least implicitly. He is characterized by nonconformity and a critical attitude, which in turn can be reversed when this gradually turns into conformity (keyword: "Che Guevara cult"); he is thus characterized (in addition to his humanity) above all by originality. This in turn enables him to recognize falsehood and dissimulation in other people. He possesses a critical education, i.e. his own opinion, which he has formed himself and all by himself.

The characteristics of the antihero are common:

• Isolation and loneliness (being an outsider)
• passivity and boredom (as opposed to active intervention/action)
• a critical attitude towards society
• Melancholy/Resignation
• constant failure and losing, which shows itself, for example, in the impossibility of realising dreams or even ideals

In the various works with antiheroes, other characteristics or interpretations of this type of character are also apparent, so that this list cannot be universally valid.

Relationship hero - antihero

An antihero can be a protagonist or a supporting character in a story, but never an antagonist (see below). An antihero is not to be confused with a villain. The prefix "anti-" does not refer to the word "hero", but to the heroic qualities that are not present. It is precisely these weaknesses that make the antihero sympathetic and offer the reader potential for identification.

The main difference between the antihero and the hero is that the antihero, unlike the hero, is doomed to fail and thus his story has no happy ending. He can only become a winner or victor at the end of the story if the antihero is not the protagonist, in which case the protagonist is always the hero and the antihero merely the supporting character.

One must not confuse protagonist - antagonist with hero - antihero. It is indeed the case that an antihero has no direct "real" hero worthy of identification as an actual antagonist; at most, this hero would be portrayed as so exaggeratedly good and virtuous that he would in turn appear repulsive and be identified as an antagonist. An antihero as protagonist is and remains the actual hero of the story, he just does not behave like a virtuous hero, would even like to go against these virtues so-called by society, which nevertheless always run the risk of losing humanity. An antihero is therefore never the antagonist of a story.

Many antiheroes become a "classic" hero or superhero by masking themselves and using a pseudonym. Their functions, for example in the case of a superhero, are based on protection against two arch-enemies. First, he needs the illusion of a fighter for justice and thus protection from society, which in the aggregate could not reasonably deal with his humanity and incognito. Second, it would be fatal for a superhero to have a villain learn his human identity. In comics and movies about superheroes, the antihero is established from the beginning. Thus, the most popular superheroes are heroes merely in the role of their alter ego, but are consistently antiheroes in real life; e.g., the brilliant but rather timid scientist Bruce Banner (Hulk); a bumbling nerd like Peter Parker (Spider-Man); as an exception, Superman, where Clark Kent is the alter ego and the hero character (a former inhabitant of the planet Krypton) is the origin character. In the end, a superhero is again a human being who contrasts sharply with his alter ego.