Hero Types: Modern Concepts

The Anti-Hero
      The selfless hero is the first form of anti-hero as the direct opposite to the Greek warrior hero. The Greeks would view all of the selfless hero's traits as weakness, yet the selfless hero fulfills the definition and conventions.  The selfless hero's culture also supports the traits.
     That said, we are left still with the concept of an anti-hero. For many, this role is fulfilled by heroes with an amoral code who have no compunction against killing. However, remember that moral codes are but one trait, and not the sole determiner of a hero's status. The Greeks killed their enemies. To not do so was a sign of weakness.
     While characters such as Spawn, Wolverine, and The Punisher go against modern morality, they reflect back to the warrior hero, and this is but one trait, not all of them.
     What, then, is an anti-hero? An anti-hero fulfills the definition and conventions, but has no heroic traits. Rather than courageous, determined, strong, wise, and faithful, the anti-hero is cowardly, gives up, weak, foolish, and unbelieving. Yet, despite all of these impediments to being a hero, the character still manages to fulfill the definition.
     Example: Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever

The Villain
     The villain is not, strictly speaking, solely the opposition to the hero. Instead, many villains hold close similarity to heroes with regard to conventions and traits. The sole determining factor between a hero and a villain is the definition. Where a hero improves his or her society for the better (whether seeking to do so or not), the villain seeks only to improve him or herself, often to the detriment of the society.
     Frequently this puts the villain in opposition to the hero, and makes for an excellent agent of Nemesis. The villain, though, is not dependent on the hero, and may exist in stories of myths independently, with no mention of a hero.  In fact, the force of Nemesis (often acting in concert with the society) can stand between the villain and his or her objectives, just as with a hero.
     Examples: Lex Luthor, Green Goblin.

The Nihilist
     Not all villains are equal. There exists a subset of villains who are not out for their own benefit at the cost to their society, but out to destroy society for whatever reason. These villains want to eliminate their own society, and cannot even claim to be part of another society.
     Examples: Mordred (King Arthur), The Joker, Thanos (Marvel Comics)

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Myth Guide

Hero Types: Modern Types

Common Man hero
     This hero type shows that anyone can be a hero.  Typically, heroes in myth have divine parentage or are of some kind of noble class, raising them above everyday people. The common man hero shows that anyone can become a hero.
     Examples: George Washington, Davey Crockett, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone

Reluctant hero
     The reluctant hero attempts to bow out of becoming a hero by trying to dodge the call.  There is no desire to actually step up and become a hero.  Only reluctantly does the hero emerge and accept the quest (usually after having been on it for some time).
     Examples: Bilbo Baggins (Modern literature explores this idea more than mythology. For many cultures, not accepting the call is a sign of cowardice.)

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Concepts >>

Hero Types: Classical

Warrior
     The warrior hero conquers enemies primarily through force of arms and cunning.
     Examples: Hercules, Perseus, Achilles, Beowulf

Selfless hero
     The selfless hero is the warrior's anti-hero.  The traits a selfless hero possesses are almost in direct opposition to that of the warrior hero, and the methodology of the selfless hero does not rely on force of arms or cunning.
     Instead, the selfless hero uses words, humility, faith, morality, and piety to accomplish his goals.
     Examples: Jesus Christ, Elijah, Job, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Chivalric hero
      The chivalric is a combination of the warrior and selfless hero types.  Popular during the high Middle Ages, the heroes have a high morality and a warrior ethic.
     Examples: King Arthur, Sir Gawain, Tristan.

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