Walter White, Tony Soprano, Don Draper, Jack Sparrow and even Michael Scott. All of these iconic characters have one thing in common: they're all anti-heroes.
If you're unsure of what I'm talking about, an antihero is a central character in a story, movie or drama who lacks the typical qualities of what we would consider a hero. In the last 10-15 years, there has been an increase in the anti-hero in mainstream television. Some of these characters are from the most popular television shows that have aired in the last five to 10 years such as "Breaking Bad," "The Sopranos" and "The Office."
There's a reason these programs are some of the most popular to air on television. We empathize with these characters and we recognize that even the most prominent of people have flaws. For example, there's Michael Scott. He's probably not the first person to come into your mind when talking about anti-heroes, but he's got all of the qualities. Michael Scott is loved for his ignorance and narcissism. What we see in his character is a man who is unaware, or not concerned with the backlash and offense that comes from his actions. He repeatedly offends his employees one way or another with an inappropriate joke or comment. He's horrible to his employees, yet we can't help but feel for him as we know he's just trying to win the affection of them, in a way that's not appreciated.
Anti-heroes tend to have this general inability to follow the rules that society puts in place whether that be laws or socially accepted behavior. For example, in Walter White's case, he engages in horrible activities, such as cooking meth, for the sake of his family. He's heroic in the sense that he wants to provide for them after he's gone, but the way he goes about it is completely backwards. In the time that he's apparently providing for his family, he's not there for them physically: him and his wife fight, and his kids barely see him, if at all. The same goes for Tony Soprano—he's fitting his role as a family man by practically running a mob on the side. The way these characters live their life is ironic because how they function in society is not socially acceptable, making them anti-heroes.
Anti-heroes are interesting because we tend to identify with them. We recognize that now, you don't have to have super powers and capes to be considered a hero—you can have flaws. Even though what these characters do is awful, we can see their struggle and we feel for them. We want Michael Scott to be respected by his employees, and we want Walter White to succeed, even though it's probably the most illegal thing he could do.
The rise of the anti-hero is just beginning, and the more the popularity of these characters grows, the more we will eventually see them on the small screen. Anti-heroes are the characters that are more identifiable. Although most of us don't run a mob or a huge meth operation, we recognize that it's possible to make mistakes and still become great. We can overcome these dark associations within us, and ultimately become our own hero. Kryptonite is no longer necessary.
