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Top 5 Wednesday is a feature created by Lainey from the youtube channel gingerreadslainey.

This week’s topic is: Favorite Anti-Heroes

From TV Trope: an antihero is a protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero. (S)he may be bewildered, ineffectual, deluded, or merely apathetic. More often an antihero is just an amoral misfit.

Misfit, not always doing things in the “proper” way and not usually having the conventional look of a hero were the characteristics I used to comprise my list. 
Batman (from Dark Knight Universe) by Frank Miller

Batman is a hero, right? Well, he fights crime in Gothan city, but his methods aren’t always ideal. He takes the law into his own hands, being both judge and executioner; he kills, he’s anarchic, etc. There are some controversy on whether he is really an antihero, but Frank Miller says he is, soooo


Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Unlike Michael Fassbender, Rochester is ugly, he is amoral, he is broody, he does things without thinking of the consequences. He is also a Byronic Hero:

The Byronic Hero … is invariably courteous toward women, often loves music or poetry, has a strong sense of honor, and carries about with him like the brand of Cain a deep sense of guilt. He is almost invariably sympathetic in spite of his ‘crimes,’ none of which involve unnecessary cruelty.


Marv from Sin City by Frank Miller

Marv is strong, ugly, has mental issues, kills people with his bare hands. But he has a strong sense of justice. He kills the bad guys, he seeks to repay debts, he respects women (to an extent). He is a classic noir anti hero.


Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire Series

Tyrion, what to say? He uses whores, he throws money away, he is “ugly” (book Tyrion is much worse than show Tyrion – he actually lost his nose, has different colored eyes, and a much uglier scar), he plots, he does more stuff  (no spoilers!). But he is kind where others aren’t, he tries to work in King’s Landing, to make the realm a better place. And still he is hated by most of those surrounding him. Anti hero!


Severus Snape from the Harry Potter Series

I don’t to spoil anyone who hasn’t read HP (these people exist! they are no myths!), so maybe don’t read this:

But I just have to say that even though Snape was once affiliated with Voldemort, even though he committed acts of evil, he redeemed himself by working for the side of good. And he has love in his heart. He is my favorite character of the series. That is all.

Sadly, there are only men in this list. The only female I count think of was Regina from Once Upon A Time (who is my favorite character of all time for everything), but since she is not from a “book” I decided not to include her for now. But I need more female antiheroes to root for! Are they out there? Am I missing them on stories I’ve read because the anti-hero idea is more fit to a male role in my subconscious? Maybe a character I like is an antihero and I couldn’t see her that way because of preconceptions of what the term means?

Or maybe they don’t really exist?

What about my list? Do you agree with these characters? Do you have an argument for them being/not being anti-heroes? I want to know!

Tell me about your favorite antiheroes and heroins.











