An antihero is a literary term used to describe a character who is different from a traditional hero. A traditional hero is usually someone who is respected by many people, admired by others, and has a clear purpose or role in a story. While antiheroes may do things that most people would consider heroic, they often continue these actions not because they believe they are the right person for the job, but because they feel they must do so.

The "Racinian" antihero is described by three main traits. First, the antihero is certain to fail before their journey or adventure begins. Second, they blame others for their failure, not themselves. Third, they challenge or question the values and beliefs of society. Some scholars believe that an antihero can be seen as a hero from one perspective and a villain from another, depending on the situation.

In stories, an antihero is often the main character involved in the conflict, whether as the main character or as someone causing the conflict. This is because the antihero chooses to take part in the conflict on their own, not because they are called to help others. Their personal goals and desires are their top priority, with other concerns coming later.

History

An early example of an antihero is Thersites from Homer’s works. He speaks out against powerful people, showing a dislike for authority. The idea of antiheroes also appears in ancient Greek plays, Roman stories, and Renaissance books like Don Quixote and tales about mischievous characters.

A more modern example is Karna from the Mahabharata. Karna is the sixth brother of the Pandavas, who represent goodness. He was born out of wedlock and raised by a lower-caste charioteer. The Pandavas look down on him, but Duryodhana, the main villain, respects Karna’s skills and becomes his friend. Karna ends up fighting on the wrong side of a war that is meant to be just. His story shows problems in society, the flaws of the heroes, and questions about whether the war was truly right.

The word "antihero" was first used in 1714, appearing in works like Rameau's Nephew from the 18th century. It also includes characters called Byronic heroes, created by the poet Lord Byron.

In the 19th century, Romantic literature helped make antiheroes more popular, especially through characters like the Gothic double. Antiheroes became a way to criticize society, as seen in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, where the unnamed main character questions the world. Antiheroes acted as opposites to traditional heroes, a change that writer Northrop Frye called the "center of gravity" in stories. This shift showed a move from stories about noble knights to ones about everyday people and ironic tales.

Huckleberry Finn (1884) is called "the first antihero in American literature." In The Real Charlotte (1894), a character named Charlotte Mullen is described as an antiheroine.

Antiheroes became more common in 20th-century books, especially in works like Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915), Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea (1938), and Albert Camus’s The Stranger (1942). These stories feature main characters who feel lost, bored, and disconnected from the world.

In the 1950s and 1960s, American antiheroes were often lonely and struggled to communicate. They were more active than their French counterparts. In Britain, antiheroes appeared in works by writers called the "angry young men." During the 1960s, antiheroes were less common in stories, but they returned in books and movies. From the 2000s to the 2020s, TV shows like The Sopranos, 24, House, Dexter, Breaking Bad, and others featured famous antiheroes. By the 2020s, scholars also studied "antiheroines," or strong female characters who challenge traditional ideas about women being kind or obedient.

In a 2020 essay titled Postheroic Heroes – A Contemporary Image, German sociologist Ulrich Bröckling explored how modern society balances traditional heroes with new, less heroic role models. In art, French artist Thomas Liu Le Lann created a series called Soft Heroes, showing tired, modern antiheroes who seem to give up on the world.