Why Antiheroes aren't Villains

Summary

This script explores the concept of the 'ideal hero' and contrasts it with the 'anti-hero' archetype. It delves into the characteristics that define a hero, such as strength, nobility, and moral uprightness, and then imagines what happens when these traits are stripped away. The discussion considers how a character's motivations, methods, and goals can shift them from hero to anti-hero to villain. It touches on the evolution of what constitutes a hero across different cultures and eras, and how modern storytelling often embraces complex, flawed characters. The video also contemplates the moral ambiguity of anti-heroes and the gray areas they inhabit, challenging the audience's own ethical judgments.

Takeaways

• 😀 The script discusses the concept of the 'ideal hero', who is portrayed as flawless, strong, and morally upright.
• 🧔 It explores the idea of an 'anti-hero', a character type that deviates from the traditional hero archetype by possessing flaws and sometimes morally ambiguous traits.
• 🔍 The script questions what makes a hero by suggesting the removal of typical heroic qualities, such as strength or noble lineage, and replaces them with negative traits like cowardice or selfishness.
• 📚 It references the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Wikipedia to provide different perspectives on the definition of an anti-hero.
• 🎭 The discussion includes historical context, mentioning how the perception of heroism has evolved over time, with physical traits once being more important than moral ones.
• 🤔 The script challenges the audience to consider the moral complexity of anti-heroes, who may use questionable methods to achieve what they believe to be a good end.
• 🎭 It contrasts anti-heroes with villains, suggesting that while both may engage in morally dubious acts, anti-heroes ultimately seek a positive outcome, unlike villains.
• 📽️ The video script references various pop culture examples, including characters from 'Kill Bill', 'The Punisher', and 'Deadpool', to illustrate the anti-hero concept.
• 🎨 The script touches on the importance of storytelling and how the narrative context can shape our understanding of a character's morality and heroism.
• 🌐 The video concludes by promoting the streaming platform 'Nebula', which offers exclusive content for creators and fans, and encourages viewers to explore the platform for more in-depth content.

Q & A

What is the definition of an anti-hero according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an anti-hero as a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities.

How does Wikipedia expand on the concept of an anti-hero?

Wikipedia suggests that an anti-hero usually comes with one or more of the so-called dark Triad traits: psychopathy, narcissism, and machiavellianism.

What is the historical context of the term 'anti-hero' and how has it evolved?

The term 'anti-hero' has evolved over time. In antiquity, heroic qualities tended to be physical, such as strength and bloodline. However, in modern times, moral traits have become more important, and an anti-hero is often characterized by a lack of traditional heroic qualities, but still ultimately striving for a good outcome.

How does the script differentiate between a hero, an anti-hero, and a villain?

A hero is someone with strong moral fiber who may be flawed but tries to do the right thing. An anti-hero lacks that moral fiber and may exhibit the opposite traits, but still ultimately tries to do something good. A villain, regardless of their moral qualities or motivations, is someone who ultimately does something bad.

What is the significance of the character Thersites from The Iliad in the context of anti-heroes?

The character Thersites from The Iliad is significant because he was seen as an anti-hero in his time for criticizing King Agamemnon, which was not considered a heroic quality. However, later interpretations began to view him as a hero of sorts for speaking truth to power.

How does the script describe the characteristics of a modern hero?

A modern hero is described as brave, loyal, selfless, and chivalrous, regardless of gender, age, social status, or physical appearance.

What is the role of flaws and weaknesses in the characterization of a hero in modern writing?

In modern writing, giving heroes flaws, weaknesses, and doubts is a sign of good characterization. It makes them feel deeper and more complex, rather than detracting from their heroism.

What is the difference between a byronic hero and an anti-hero?

A byronic hero is characterized by stormy passion and emotional torment, evolving from the tragic hero archetype. An anti-hero, on the other hand, lacks the moral fiber of a traditional hero but still ultimately tries to do something good.

How does the script explain the appeal of anti-heroes to audiences?

Anti-heroes appeal to audiences because they operate in a gray area, forcing viewers to confront not just the story's morality but their own. They leave room for argument and muddy the ethical intent in audience interpretation.

What is the significance of the platform 'Nebula' mentioned in the script?

Nebula is a streaming platform created by creators for creators, offering ad-free content, exclusive videos, and classes for creators. It provides a space for content that may not fit within the constraints of platforms like YouTube.

Outlines

00:00

🦸 Ideal Heroes and the Concept of Anti-Heroes

The paragraph introduces the concept of an ideal hero, characterized by physical strength, nobility, and moral uprightness. It poses questions about what would happen if such a hero were to lose these qualities, suggesting a transition into the archetype of an anti-hero. The discussion leads to the idea that anti-heroes are complex characters who may not possess traditional heroic traits but are still compelling and often loved by audiences.

05:06

🧬 Evolution of the Anti-Hero and Modern Perceptions

This paragraph delves into the evolution of the anti-hero archetype, discussing how societal views on heroism have shifted over time. It contrasts the classical hero with the modern anti-hero, noting that physical attributes are less important today than moral traits. The paragraph also touches on how characters like Spider-Man, despite their flaws, are still seen as heroes rather than anti-heroes, and it introduces the concept of the 'Byronic hero,' which is an evolution of the tragic hero archetype.

10:09

🔪 The Distinction Between Anti-Heroes and Villains

The paragraph explores the fine line between anti-heroes and villains, focusing on the motivations, methods, and goals of each. It suggests that while anti-heroes may employ morally questionable means, their ultimate goals are perceived as good, unlike villains whose objectives are inherently bad. The discussion includes examples from popular culture, such as Deadpool and Thanos, to illustrate the differences and complexities in character motivations and audience perceptions.

15:10

🌟 The Impact of Anti-Heroes on Storytelling and Morality

In this paragraph, the focus is on the impact of anti-heroes in storytelling, particularly how they challenge the audience's moral compass. It discusses the importance of understanding a story's internal morality to interpret characters correctly. The paragraph also touches on the gray areas that anti-heroes inhabit and how these characters can lead to debates about ethics and intentions, ultimately making the audience confront their own moral judgments.

Keywords

💡Hero

A hero, in the context of the video, is an idealized figure embodying virtues such as strength, nobility, and moral rectitude. The video discusses how the concept of a hero is often clichéd and flawless, representing the pinnacle of what a hero should be. However, it also explores the complexities and nuances when these qualities are stripped away, leading to the emergence of different archetypes like the anti-hero.

💡Anti-Hero

An anti-hero is a central concept in the video. It refers to a character type that lacks conventional heroic qualities, often displaying traits like selfishness, cowardice, or moral ambiguity. The video discusses how anti-heroes can be compelling because they operate in a moral gray area, challenging the audience's perceptions of right and wrong. Examples from the script include characters who might be violent or ruthless in their pursuit of goals that are ultimately good.

💡Moral Fiber

Moral fiber denotes the presence of strong moral principles and virtues in a character. The video contrasts heroes, who are said to have moral fiber, with anti-heroes, who may lack it. It's a key differentiator between characters who are traditionally seen as good and those who are more complex and potentially more relatable due to their moral ambiguity.

💡Villain

A villain is a character who embodies evil or antagonistic traits and is typically the adversary of the hero. The video discusses how villains are often motivated by selfish ends and their actions are distasteful, unlike anti-heroes who, despite their flaws, aim for a good outcome. The distinction between anti-heroes and villains lies in their ultimate goals and the morality behind them.

💡Chosen One

The 'chosen one' is a trope where a character is predestined or chosen by fate to fulfill a specific role or mission, often of great importance. The video mentions this concept to highlight how it contributes to the clichéd nature of the ideal hero. It contrasts this with the anti-hero, who may not have such a noble or divine lineage.

💡Complex Characterization

Complex characterization refers to the depth and development of a character's personality, including their flaws, weaknesses, and moral ambiguities. The video suggests that giving heroes significant flaws is a sign of good characterization, making them feel more real and relatable. It contrasts this with the ideal hero who is often portrayed as flawless.

💡Dark Triad

The Dark Triad is a term used in psychology to describe a group of three personality traits: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. The video mentions the Dark Triad in relation to anti-heroes, suggesting that these characters often exhibit one or more of these traits, contributing to their complex and morally ambiguous nature.

💡Byronic Hero

A byronic hero is a type of character archetype characterized by moodiness, passion, and emotional torment. The video distinguishes the byronic hero from the anti-hero by noting that while both may lack traditional heroic qualities, the byronic hero's darkness is more about emotional depth rather than a departure from heroism.

💡Moral Ambiguity

Moral ambiguity refers to situations or characters where it is difficult to determine right from wrong. The video discusses how anti-heroes often exist in a state of moral ambiguity, making them compelling and challenging for audiences to interpret. This ambiguity is what allows anti-heroes to explore the gray areas of morality.

💡Character Development

Character development is the process by which a character evolves over the course of a story, often involving changes in personality, beliefs, or motivations. The video touches on the importance of character development, especially in creating complex characters like anti-heroes, who grow and change in ways that challenge and intrigue the audience.

Highlights

The concept of the 'ideal hero' is discussed, characterized by strength, nobility, and moral uprightness.

The idea of stripping away heroic qualities to explore the nature of an anti-hero is introduced.

Anti-heroes are defined as protagonists lacking traditional heroic qualities.

The evolution of what constitutes 'heroic' is examined through different cultural and historical lenses.

The character of Thersites from 'The Iliad' is presented as an early example of an anti-hero.

Modern heroes are characterized by moral traits rather than physical ones.

Flaws and weaknesses in heroes are signs of good characterization rather than anti-heroism.

Spider-Man is used as an example of a hero with flaws, contrasting the classical hero archetype.

Batman is discussed as a complex hero with dark traits, but not an anti-hero by modern standards.

The term 'Byronic hero' is introduced as an evolution of the tragic hero archetype.

The 1990s are highlighted as a period when anti-heroes became popular, often with dark and violent traits.

The distinction between anti-heroes and villains is explored through motives, methods, and goals.

The importance of the story's context in determining the morality of a character's actions is emphasized.

Anti-heroes are praised for their ability to challenge the audience's moral judgment and interpretations.

The video concludes by encouraging viewers to consider their own moral boundaries when evaluating anti-heroes.

A call to action is made for viewers to subscribe to Nebula for exclusive content and creator support.

Transcripts

this is the most perfect hero of all time the  absolute Pinnacle of what a hero should be in  

every way cliched the point of transcendence with  no flaws or weaknesses whatsoever a strong virile  

man of course irresistible to women unmatched  on the battlefield he's probably from a noble  

or even Godly bloodline but even if he isn't  he's definitely some variety of the chosen one  

the world is his to save he's trued his ideals  and would never hurt an innocent hack I bet he'd  

spare's enemies if given the choice he doesn't  Ravel in violence but fights for those unable to  

fight for themselves and of course his goal  is to stop the evil villain the ideal hero  

extra emphasis on the quotation marks but what  would happen to this hero if we started to strip  

away some of those qualities what is he without  his strength and good looks What If instead of  

the chosen one he was a mere commoner or even  something lower like a criminal or an invalid  

what if he was cowardly rude selfish what if he  accomplished his goals by any means necessary even  

if it meant betraying his allies or hurting the  innocent what if he isn't motivated by any high  

ideals or worse just doesn't have any what  if he only cares about his own Survival or  

revenge on those he feels have wronged him and  what if the person standing in the way of that  

goal just so happens to be the villain what  is this what have we made is he still a hero  

or has he become something else well actually  we do have a term for it a complex much loved  

archetype one you've probably heard of before  what we're looking at here is an anti-hero [Music]

thank you did you know that we make more than  YouTube videos it's true like this one about the  

magic of crafting living beings or this one  about angels and why artists surrender them  

in the ways that they do you can see all of  them over on our streaming platform nebula by  

signing up for just thirty dollars a year that's  just 250 a month visit go.nebula.tv tailfoundry  

and use code tail Foundry for such a well-known  well-loved archetype the anti-hero is honestly  

a pretty nebulous concept everyone seems to  understand this thing in slightly different  

ways the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines  it as simply a protagonist or notable figure  

who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities  Wikipedia takes it a bit further suggesting that  

nantyhero usually comes with one or more of the  so-called dark Triad traits psychopathy narcissism  

machiavellianism what's more if you were to look  at its companion article the list of fictional  

anti-heroes you would be forgiven for assuming  that the term anti-hero pretty much applies to  

every character ever written including Donald Duck  and at least half the Looney Tunes I think a lot  

of this disconnect comes from what we understand  to be quote heroic qualities which of course means  

something different to every culture and era  you may have noticed earlier that I specified  

our ideal anti-hero as a man that's because for  a long time just being female would be enough to  

qualify a character as an anti-hero in Antiquity  heroic qualities tended to be less moral and  

More Physical strength fortitude bloodline and of  course masculinity classical Heroes like Hercules  

aren't given a lot of character development we  know who they are and what they did and that's  

about it and with so little to go on in terms of  quantifying the nature of heroism it was pretty  

easy to fall out of it back then not of noble or  Divine lineage not particularly strong not the  

peak of masculine bravado well back then they'd  have probably thought of you as an anti-hero but  

that's definitely not how we think of them these  days in fact by modern standards the earliest  

example of nanti hero really just isn't scarcities  a Greek soldier from The Iliad is described as  

hideously deformed bow-legged hunchbacked head  drawn out to a point with a mere tuft of heretopit  

in the story he steps forward during a war meeting  to criticize King Agamemnon for profiting from  

Warfare at which point our hero Odysseus beats him  with the King scepter until he cries making the  

other soldiers laugh later interpretations of the  character including Shakespeare's tend to present  

their cities as a hero of sorts himself unafraid  to speak truth to power but at the time of the  

iliad's writing that wasn't seen as a heroic  quality back then Heroes didn't speak truth to  

power they were loyal to their King despite how  we feel about it now back then the good guy in  

the scene was Odysseus who put the freak in his  place it was only hundreds of years later when  

standing up against tyranny began to be treated  as more heroic that the anti-hero interpretation  

of their cities caught on but their cities himself  never changed the way people interpreted him did  

to this day it's pretty rare to see a hero that  isn't conventionally attractive even rarer to see  

one that's disabled technically by our working  definition so far either of those things would  

still be enough to qualify a character as an  anti-hero today but I think very few people  

would identify say Quasimodo from the Disney  adaptation of the Hunchback of Notre Dame as  

an anti-hero he's a traditional hero who just  happens to have a physical deformity and that's  

because somewhere along the line moral traits  became far more important than physical traits  

and how we Define a hero a modern day hero is  brave loyal selfless chivalrous it doesn't matter  

whether they're a man or a woman child or adult  king or ragamuffin considered pretty or not and  

okay maybe that's a lot to expect of one character  not all characters are going to have all of these  

moral qualities sometimes they're going to  be missing one or a few or even most of them  

so does that technically make them all anti-heroes  well contrary to what we saw in our ideal Hero at  

the start in modern writing giving their Heroes  significant flaws and weaknesses is simply a sign  

of good characterization no one wants to read  about Mr no personality being perfect for 200  

Pages giving their Heroes flaws weaknesses and  doubts makes them feel deeper more complex for  

instance Spider-Man isn't really possessed of  the self-confidence in commanding president's  

traditional Heroes tend to have by classical  standards this quintessentially adolescent  

awkward humble character would be considered an  anti-hero but we don't really think of Spider-Man  

that way do we he's become one of our classic  models for what a hero looks like his flaws  

make him more interesting and take nothing from  his heroism honestly if I were to pick any of the  

big golden age heroes to be a secret anti-hero I  think Batman would come closest sure he has almost  

as many heroic traits as the unquestionably heroic  Superman they're both strong handsome successful  

Brave compassionate and follow a strict moral  code against killing but Batman is also just so  

dark and brooding and tortured makes it sort of  hard to reconcile him with the classical image  

of a morally virtuous hero doesn't it it doesn't  however actually Rob him of any of his heroism  

he's not really an anti-hero by modern standards  he's more of a byronic hero a heroic archetype  

that became popular in gothic fiction during  the literary Romantic Era instead of a lack of  

heroic qualities a moral fiber byronic heroes are  basically just real Moody they're characterized by  

their stormy passion and emotional torment instead  of a departure from heroism in the way of the  

anti-hero the byronic hero is more of an evolution  on the tragic hero think Oedipus or Macbeth  

so Darkness not the same as villainy you  can absolutely be a tortured hero but still  

a hero through and through nevertheless I think  anti-heroes in the minds of most people are still  

fairly dark and that's not surprising given what  happened to them in the 90s it was around this  

time that anti-heroes really started to enter the  popular conscience and they did it in uh Grizzly  

fashion the popular anti-heroes of the time were  often amoral violent or outright Psychopathic  

the bride from Kill Bill is an assassin vicious  in pursuit of Revenge for the death of her baby  

The Punisher Delights in murdering the bad guys  he's pursuing in the most brutal ways imaginable  

these are edgy violent characters who don't even  feel a little bit bad about what they're doing  

they aren't afraid to blow up the city they don't  care if they kick the dog all they care about is  

getting what they want so there's that dark Triad  Wikipedia was telling us about but wait a sec  

doesn't this sound a bit more like a villain than  a hero kicking the dog blowing up the city that's  

certainly not what a hero does right where do  we draw the line when do you fall so far from  

hero that you finally flip over into villainy  and wear it between the two does the anti-hero  

exist well first we kind of have to get villains  so let's go back to our hero turned anti-hero from  

the start we already know that you can do all  kinds of terrible things without quite becoming  

a villain per our 90s anti-heroes right so what  traits can we give him to create a True Villain  

here's where I think we start to look at not just  morals and traits but methods motives and goals as  

well like our anti-hero our villain is probably  motivated by purely selfish ends rather than  

the greater good the methods he uses are probably  similarly distasteful unjustified violence torture  

betraying allies and using them as cannon fodder  but the goal that's where we really start to draw  

a line villains want something bad obviously but  unlike our villain even if their motivations are  

less than pure in their methods are downright  detestable our anti-hero ultimately wants  

something good in the movie Deadpool for instance  our protagonist wants to take down the evil  

scientist Ajax not because of the horrors Ajax  perpetrated during his attempts to create super  

soldiers but because he wants revenge on the man  who tormented him for years and ruined his life he  

pursues that goal by ruthlessly interrogating and  murdering Ajax Associates even when he's given the  

opportunity to continue his question a more lawful  manner by joining the X-Men Deadpool in true  

anti-hero fashion declines and that I think is the  key difference both villains and anti-heroes are  

capable of terrible things but in the end we as an  audience know that what the villain wants is bad  

and what the anti-hero wants is good no matter  how dark tortured or morally questionable the  

anti-hero is trying to achieve something that we  can ultimately agree with although notably this is  

not the same as a villain who thinks they're doing  the right thing I know the difference seems subtle  

but I think it's an important one think of Thanos  in The Avengers series he's convinced that he's  

saving the universe by killing half the beings  living in it somehow his logic is transparently  

flimsy even from a distance it nevertheless makes  him a more interesting more nuanced villain than  

one who knows and accepts that what they're doing  is evil more empathetic just look at the subreddit  

R Thanos did nothing wrong to see this in action  it's a joke but look how resonant this character  

has become just because he had what he thought  was a good reason for doing what he was doing  

the word for this self-deluded type of villain  is not anti-hero but anti-villain and we probably  

need to do a whole separate video on those at  some point too if you really want to see that  

be sure to leave a comment so I think we have a  pretty good working boundary here a hero by modern  

standards is someone with strong moral fiber who  may be flawed but tries to do the right thing an  

anti-hero doesn't really have that moral fiber  may even exhibit the opposite but still ultimately  

tries to do something good and a villain no matter  their moral qualities or their motivation is  

someone who ultimately does something bad there  you go easy but there is one tiny problem here  

how do we know whether what these characters are  trying to do should be considered good or bad to  

begin with the obvious answer is that you should  use your own moral judgment which is of course  

highly subjective based on where you live the  era you are born in and so many other factors  

beside but I'm going to venture to say here that  that is not the right answer you can of course  

determine what you personally think the morality  of the character's goals are but what about their  

cities if we think of him as a hero it suddenly  makes the text look very alien and unempathetic  

why would the author knowingly cast the story's  true hero Odysseus in such a harsh light the  

answer is that he wouldn't remember at the time  and place of this story's writing it wasn't  

seen as a moral for Odysseus to treat this poor  soldier in the way that he did I think to answer  

this question how do you know what's supposed to  be good or bad in the story and therefore who the  

heroes and the villains are is that the story will  tell you instead of applying your own judgment  

here you can use the text itself the context of  the story to determine the roles of its characters  

you can usually tell who's who through the  language used to describe them and their  

actions or whether the author ultimately chooses  to vindicate or punish them you can always opine  

about the morality later but the story will make  a lot more sense in the moment if you listen to  

its implicit sense of morality first and to that  point this is one of the things I love so much  

about anti-heroes and one of the reasons I really  want to make a video about them by definition they  

operate in a gray area who they are Depends so  much on what we understand about their ultimate  

aims if we don't know what to think the story  doesn't tell us the distinction between anti-hero  

and villain all that disappears sometimes their  goals even change part way through as they slowly  

transition into villainy and we barely even notice  but in the stories where we just can't quite tell  

if their motives are good or bad everyone just  kind of becomes a character this is more common in  

mature Works where the intended audience is adults  and the intended Aesop is none anti-heroes leave  

us room to argue they muddy the Ethereal intent in  audience interpretation in a way that forces you  

to confront not just the story's morality but your  own as well these characters want good things but  

when do their methods and motivations become so  reprehensible that you abort them instead of cheer  

them on the most powerful thing about anti-heroes  is in my opinion that they make you ask where  

is that line for you well certainly feels good  to cover that topic this is a video we've been  

waiting to make for years and next week's video is  also something I've been waiting to make for quite  

a long time it's about magic systems and what  magic really means to us as storytellers it's  

one of my favorite videos we've made in a while  unfortunately it's still going to be another whole  

week before you get to see it although you could  go want it right now if you wanted to it's already  

online waiting to be watched ad free over on our  streaming platform nebula actually we've got a  

bunch of stuff over there that you won't ever  be able to see here on YouTube full videos like  

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this one thanks for watching and keep making  stuff up I'll see you next week bye [Music]

[Music]