In Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, the titular character is contextualized as a total villain, but in reality, he is a good, person at heart. Captain Hammer on the other hand, outwardly behaves like a hero but is selfish and mean on the inside. For instance, Dr. Horrible states on numerous occasions that he wants to rule the world to make it a better place. Captain Hammer, however, acts like a hero because he enjoys the attention it gives him.

For my last blog post in Critical Thinking and Writing, I’d like to explore the concept of nuanced heroism in other stories. One of my favorite graphic novels, Watchmen, does a great job of portraying people who are contextualized as heroes, but make many morally questionable decisions for the cause of justice. Two of the most interesting characters in the book, Ozymandias and Rorschach, are prime examples of this kind of hero yet are polar opposite in character. Ozymandias is a wealthy businessman/philanthropist who once fought as a costumed hero, and is outwardly characterized as one of the greatest human minds in the world. However, it is eventually revealed that he has masterminded a plot to kill millions of people by faking an alien invasion in order to stop nations from sparking nuclear war and wiping out all human life. Rorschach is a vigilante who uncovers this plot and resolves to telling the world about, but sacrificing humanity’s best opportunity for survival. It is in this conflict that exists the idea of nuanced heroism: is it better to prevent the murder of many but let even more die, or cause the death of many to save even more?

I recently saw the new Marvel superhero movie Matt Wahl with my friend Black Panther. Wait, what? Anyways, I noticed that not only was the movie groundbreaking in terms of being the first superhero movie with a mostly black cast, but its portrayal of women was especially feminist. Almost all the women in this movie are respected and powerful in their own right, and have a sense of agency and leadership that inspires and guides T’Challa into becoming the king of Wakanda.

Take Shuri, for instance: she is T’Challa’s sixteen-year old sister, and she is the smartest person in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to this date. She is an inventor of incredibly advanced technology and the Black Panther’s armor, making Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit look like a pile of legos. Additionally, she is skilled in combat, and is cool under pressure; she at one point takes on the main villain while instructing a confused CIA agent how to fly a Wakandan airship.

Another great female character is found in Okoye, the general of the Dora Milaje bodyguards and second in command to Black Panther. She is a fierce and skilled warrior, arguably more so than T’Challa. There is a scene in the movie where Black Panther hesitates in combat, and almost gets someone killed; she does not hesitate to call him out for his mistake. Additionally, she is dutiful and loyal to the throne, abiding by her code even when T’Challa is overthrown in ritual combat.

Nakia, T’Challa’s love interest, is more than a Lois Lane within the movie; she goes out of her way to pursue what she believes is right even if it compromises her relationship with T’Challa. She is always dedicated to humanitarian causes, and her desire to help others eventually sways T’Challa’s attitude towards this cause.

In recent times, anti heroic qualities have been increasingly associated with masculine ideals. This can be seen in many movies; one such example would be Clint Eastwood’s character in the Dollars Trilogy. He plays a quiet, brutal, deadly man whose actions speak far louder than his words, and is always looking to make money out of a situation. Another example can be seen in many depictions of James Bond; Bond has always been somewhat chauvinistic, and has a very cold, brutal nature about him. Character in these movies over the years have been idolized for the masculine qualities; they care only for their own well-being, and are generally dismissive of women.

This ideal of masculinity can be seen in Oscar de Leon’s struggle in the Dominican Republic and in college in New Jersey; he is overweight, nerdy, and struggles to develop sexual relationships with women as per the standard of masculinity present in the world around him. His roommate, Yunior, however, is very much the embodiment of this ideal, and serves as a foil for Oscar’s character. Though Oscar never embraces the masculine culture he is so tormented by, he does eventually have sex with Ybon, the prostitute, even though it gets him killed; though he dies, Oscar rejects the concept of invulnerable masculinity and allows himself to be vulnerable with other women.

Lucifer is the protagonist of biblical epic Paradise Lost. In this story, the angel Lucifer rebels against God, whom he describes as a tyrannical, evil despot. He is cast out of heaven, and builds an army of fellow rebel angels who seek to overthrow God. Though they eventually fail, Lucifer’s struggle and motive is a timeless moment in literary history. Much like the titan Prometheus, Lucifer disobeys higher power; In this situation, however, Lucifer does this out of a belief in his own inherent power, and argues that it is “Better to reign in hell, than to serve in heaven.” This marks a shift away from the concept that God is all knowing and all powerful, and posits instead that Lucifer’s character spawns a whole new tradition of heroes who do not follow the noble, holy path of moral virtue.

This new anti hero is a very popular trope in modern pop culture; some notable examples are the characters from gangster movies. Take the film Goodfellas, for example. The protagonist, Henry Hill, is a smart, handsome man who is well-respected amongst his peers. However, he is heavily involved in the mob, and commits heinous crimes on a constant basis. While he may have some admirable qualities, such as his brotherhood with his fellow mobsters and his hard-working attitude, he also cheats on his wife and abuses his status to benefit himself.

Another example of an anti-hero would be Trevor Phillips from the video game Grand Theft Auto 5. Trevor is essentially a psychopath, regularly engaging in brutal murders of often innocent people. In many ways, he is a reflection of the way many people play the video game; going on bloody rampages, running over civilians for the fun of it, killing cops, blowing up vehicles, and causing pointless mayhem.