Comic book superheroes can sometimes be boring because publishers have a character status quo they strive to maintain. Creators change the status quo from time to time, but it always reverts back. Tony Stark is a womanizing tech genius. Steve Rogers is a flag-saluting super soldier. Peter Parker is a broke, wall-crawling do-gooder. Sometimes these characters get a revamp, but they always revert to status quo. It’s why comic book antiheroes are so interesting.
Comic book antiheroes generally do the right thing the wrong way relative to traditional superheroes. Some antiheroes have no problem killing as long as they stop evil. There are antiheroes who switch from hero to villain often and yet stay popular. Other antiheroes have no concept of moral nuance and could cause the evil they sincerely want to prevent.
Here are seven antiheroes who are a lot more interesting than their traditional do-gooder counterparts.
1. Punisher
After Frank Castle lost his family in a gangland gunfight, he became the Punisher. The Punisher is one of the most popular comic book anti-heroes out there. What makes him interesting is the fact that he does not see himself as a hero. The Punisher is not trying to inspire the public or influence another generation of legacy heroes.
The Punisher is on a one-man mission to stop crime. He is a serial killer of killers when you think about it. Yet, we view him as an antihero because his tragic, anti-crime obsession aids the public. Also, if you ask me, what really makes the Punisher one of the most interesting antiheroes is the fact that he does not care about public opinion.
He just does what needs to be done because most people accept being victims as well as the rules of a corrupt justice system. Also, the Punisher probably looks down on regular citizens who need him to right every wrong. The Punisher maims, tortures, and kills criminals in his fight against crime. If he is a superhero, we need to change the definition of that word.
Punisher Max by Garth Ennis Omnibus Vol. 1 is an 828-page trade that collects the first 30 issues of the 2004 Garth Ennis run. This trade also collects the 4-issue Punisher: Born series, which recontextualized Castle’s origin. Get it now on Kindle for $34.99.
2. John Constantine
John Constantine is a bisexual English magician and con artist. Constantine is also an all-around insufferable, selfish, self-absorbed back-stabber. He’s the type of man who will backstab demons. He’s charming and is always thinking 20 steps ahead. Constantine has a tragic back story, but it does not change the fact that he is one of the most conniving comic book antiheroes out there.
In the comic books, he has sacrificed dear friends to save his own skin or for the greater good. In the story “A Feast of Friends,” Constantine traps a human-hopping demon spirit inside an old childhood friend, Gary Lester. Lester, an amateur magician and drug addict, does not appreciate the gravity of Constantine’s plan. Constantine traps the demon in Lester’s body. However, the demon will now cannibalize Lester from the inside. In the end, Constantine holds Lester’s hand and watches him perish.
Constantine is not evil, but it is hard to call him a good guy with a straight face. He will do the right thing as long as someone else has to pay, and he can kick his own consequences down the road for as long as possible.
If you’re interested, check out John Constantine, Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Omnibus Vol. 1. This 1,584 hardcover collects the first 22 issues of the 1988 Hellblazer run as well as several tie-in issues. This trade also includes “A Feast of Friends.” Buy it now at Amazon for $71.
3. Deathstroke
Slade Wilson is basically the mercenary version of Captain America. Wilson is a one-eyed, former Army veteran. He took a super-soldier type serum that slowed his aging and enhanced his reflexes, intelligence, and strength. He is historically a Teen Titans villain, but has also become a regular villain for Batman. In recent years, Deathstroke has become an antihero willing to do the right thing for the right price or if his own interests or agenda align as well.
Actor Joe Manganiello, who infamously played Deathstroke in two DCEU post-credit sequences, was supposed to have more appearances. Manganiello was supposed to portray Deathstroke as the main villain in the scrapped Ben Affleck Batman film and a Justice League sequel.
4. Blade
Did you know that Blade, one of the coolest comic book antiheroes, was little used as a character before 1998? Blade made his debut in Tomb of Dracula #10 in 1973. While the character had a fanbase, he did not make many comic book appearances after the 1970s vampire cultural craze. Marvel brought the character back in the early and mid-1990s to middling success.
Blade did not really blow up in popularity until the 1998 Wesley Snipes film. Think about it: the coolest antihero is a vampire/human hybrid who kills people and has to constantly fight the urge to feast on human blood himself. Not many traditional superheroes can get away with those traits.
5. Magneto
Magneto is one of the coolest and sometimes most ridiculous comic book antiheroes. While most casual readers know Magneto from cartoons, video games, and the Fox-era films, Magneto has long been a favorite of comic book readers. Still, the character is notorious for being the X-Men’s deadliest foe in one run, then an ally in another. Magneto has been an X-Men team member or leader in the comics, too.
Magneto also has one of the most tragic and complex character backstories and personalities. He is a child survivor of the Nazi concentration camps who became a mutant supremacist. In the comic books, Magneto thinks mutants are superior to humans. It’s also amazing how often Magneto engenders the trust of the X-Men. In X-Men #25 in 1993, Magneto uses his power to painfully rip the adamantium from Wolverine’s body.
Before the recent Krakoa era, the X-Men had a moral code they fought for, even if the world saw them as enemies. Magneto has always seen the superiority of mutants over humans and has had no problems using the X-Men to further his agenda.
6. Daredevil
If you’re reading this list, then you probably know about Charlie Cox’s career-defining portrayal of Daredevil. I am also a fan of the 2003 Ben Affleck Daredevil film, even though I can admit it’s bad. However, I think it is folly to see Daredevil as a superhero. I think Daredevil is one of the most hypocritical and self-sabotaging comic book antiheroes ever.
Matt Murdock is a deeply devout Catholic man who dresses as the Devil to fight crime. He is a lawyer known for helping poor clients and trying to find every legal means to right wrongs. When he is unable to get justice legally by day, he acts as a vigilante by night and beats up gangsters. This cognitive disconnect and well-meaning hypocrisy depresses Matt. He sometimes takes his mood out on his friends or pushes them away.
While he is a ladies’ man, he regularly pushes his lovers away, too. These qualities make Daredevil a fascinating and interesting character to read.
7. Rorschach
Rorschach is probably the greatest of the comic book antiheroes. Yet, he is very unlikeable, even if he was trying to do his version of the right thing. In the original Watchmen comic, Rorschach was a homophobe, possibly a racist, and an extreme right-wing ideologue. Rorschach hated the innocent people he worked to save, even though he made it his duty to be a “hero.”
One of the most interesting things about Rorschach’s personality is that he did not believe in moral nuance. Something was all good or all evil. After learning that Ozymandias perpetuated a hoax that killed millions to stop an imminent nuclear war, Rorschach didn’t care. Even Owlman knew exposing Ozymandias would make the world worse than it was before.
Rorschach didn’t care and was hell bent on exposing the plot. Dr. Manhattan had to kill Rorschach to stop him. However, Rorschach had previously sent his journal to a magazine that could still potentially reveal Ozymandias’ plot. Imagine Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman in that situation.
Comic Book Antiheroes
When I was a kid, modern superheroes were good or evil. There weren’t any nuances or grey areas when it came to superhero morals. Superheroes would save cats from trees and did not want anything in return. Now, characters like The Boys, Deadpool, Kraven the Hunter, Suicide Squad, Venom, Scarlet Witch, and more blur the line between hero and villain.
Whether this is a good or bad thing is for you to decide. Still, these are sure interesting times to be a comic book reader.
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