Anti-Hero vs Anti-Villian
It has come to my attention that many people don’t seem to make the distinction between an Anti-Hero and an Anti-Villain anymore. This is something that has bothered me so I am here to set the record straight!
An Anti-Hero does things that are heroic for the wrong reasons.
An Anti-Villain does things that are villainous for the right reasons or for reasons that may be perceived by some to be righteous in nature (however misguided they may be). Think: Vigilantes.
An anti-villain and a sympathetic villain typically have some crossover. A sympathetic villain is the reasons why a person does villainous things is understandable but not always justifiable or forgivable. Most anti-villains are sympathetic villains, but not all sympathetic villains are anti-villains.
And, all of this is different from the Redeemed Villain.
Here are some examples of Anti-Heroes:
Severus Snape:
Snape only chose to swap sides to try to protect Lily (the love of his life) and when he failed, he kept working for the light side out of obligation and guilt. Some people may to sort him into the role of Anti-Villain and say “he was only mean to Harry so that he’d believe he was actually a death eater and he would be a more efficient spy”. Personally, I say, no. That was the reason he killed Voldemort. There is no reason why he should have acted that way towards an 11-year-old. Snape was a mean and selfish dude (fight me). The ONLY time he crosses over into Anti-Villain territory was when he when he kills Dumbledore when Dumbledore asks him to and in the process helps to keep Malfoy from having to do it. Though, he was bound to help Draco with an unbreakable vow so take that how you will.
Spike:
Up to the point at which Spike goes to get his soul back, Spike was a classic cut and dry Anti-Hero. He originally only joins up with Buffy to take out Angel and then later joins the gang when he is forced by a literal chip in his head to stop hurting people. It is a mutual arrangement and he’d gladly go back to being a bad guy. He eventually falls for Buffy and decides that he’ll fight the good fight no matter what, but this is ONLY done for selfish reasons - so that Buffy will like him more. After he gets his soul he transitions to a more traditional full-on hero.
Here are some Anti-Villains:
The Punisher:
He is out for revenge and he does it in the form of cold hard murder. He does villainous things. But, he does it because so many shitty things happened to him. And, he only kills other bad people. He rides the line between hero-vigilante and villain. So, for the purpose of this example, we aren’t looking at his stand alone series, but his role in Daredevil season 2 where he is in opposition to Daredevil. In this season his role is the villain, but he is still a sympathetic one who has his reasons some-what grounded in good intentions.
Sasuke Uchicha:
In his hunt for power Sasuke isolated himself from his friends and chose to follow a mad man and (nearly) killed anyone who got in his way. And at one point he was trying to take down a whole government I’m pretty sure (idk I haven’t watched all of Shippuden yet). But, his revenge and need for power was rooted in his wish to avenge his family and reclaim the power of the lost Uchiha clan. He was just a huge dick about it and was really misguided and angry.
Examples of Sympathetic Villains who aren’t Anti-Villains:
Loki:
Loki has always been devious but his swap over to the side of villainy came when his discovered that his father had been lying to him all his life and that he was actually a monster which he and everyone else had been taught to hate and fear. Family betrayal is sucky and it helps us to understand why he went on a rampage, but it isn’t exactly enough to tip him into Anti-Villain territory. He is still really really selfish in his actions. Though hopefully after Thor 3 we may see a little bit of a change of heart, who knows what the future will hold.
Draco Malfoy:
Draco is a fan favorite for forgiving. Partially because he was just a teen when everything went down and partially because he was down right scared of ole voldy the whole time and also cause his family (father) sucks. I totally find these reasons (plus a few of his actions in the last book where he starts to show regret) to be enough to forgive him for his choice to become a death eater. But he is still a selfish spoiled brat and that hasn’t changed. But, while they were justifiable and perhaps forgivable reasons, they weren’t exactly righteous in the way that an anti-villain’s reasons are so he doesn’t make the cut.
Note: Both Sympathetic Villains and Anti-Villains frequently slip into the role of Anti-Hero when the need suits them. For example: Loki saving the day in Thor 3 (because you know that wasn’t ENTIRELY selfless of him).
An example of a character who frequently switches between Anti-Villain and Anti-Hero:
Klaus Mikaelson:
Klaus was introduced to the Vampire Diaries he was a villain, but he quickly became an Anti-Villain who, by his own reasoning, does everything that he does for the sake of his family and to prove to his father (who hates him) that he is stronger. But this comes of really badly and even the family he is trying to protect sometimes hates him for his actions. He will literally stab his sister and lock her in a box just so he knows she is safe. This is particularly true in the spin off series The Originals. But, he has Anti-Hero properties built into these goals. Every time he saves the day, it is for himself or his family, not because its the right thing to do. Everything he does is double layered in selfishness and perceived good intentions. In my opinion, because of this, he is one of the most complex characters on TV. Don’t even get me started on his relationships with Caroline (and Camille).
It should also be noted that just because a villain’s reasons for being bad are understandable, it does not always make them redeemable. They would have to have a serious change of heart and make up for their actions moving forward by proving they have changed and regret their previous actions.
The best example of a Redeemed Villain:
Zuko:
One of the best character redemption arks of all time, Zuko goes from a selfish brat villain to a big goddamn hero. Zuko starts out as a Sympathetic Anti-Villain. He was cast out by his own father and banished until he returns with the Avatar (a believed fool’s errand) and all his actions are DIRECTLY related to his wish to regain his honor in his father’s eyes. But, he is an angry, spoiled, salty teen with very few redeeming qualities to begin with. Then, he goes through a period of questioning, and then he completely skips over the anti-hero stage (though he stuck his toe in it way early on when he was the blue spirit) and becomes a redeemed villain. He apologies to the heroes of the show, makes amends by helping them, becomes friends with them, and then helps to save the day. All his actions after his switch are unselfish and for truly good reasons.
So, I hope that helps! I know that there can be a lot of overlap. And that’s ok! I’m not saying that a character can’t exist in all the categories, just I hope we can be able to recognize and tell a part the different labels. Just lumping all characters into the term Anti-Hero when it doesn’t always apply does a disservice to the layers that morally complex characters have.
Disagree with my examples or definitions? I’d love to have a conversation about it!
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