It’s been several years since superheroes became a own film genre. Comic book icons such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman or Iron Man have appeared on the big screen, becoming box office and media phenomena over time. popular (pop) culture. But the cinema and TV, eager for stories that attract more audiences, have also welcomed antiheroes, very successful characters only in comics.
What is an antihero?
He is a character contrary to the heroes, who are mostly almost perfect beings (or from another world). Antiheroes are full of flaws, like most people, and willing to do acts that a superhero would never do. That is why they captivate us as much or even more than the heroes themselves. The antihero has often had a tragic life (at least several of those based on comics), so they reflect the defects that make us human: hatred, revenge, resentment, fear, shame, sadness.
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And which one do you identify with? We help you with this list of some of the best antiheroes that have been adapted from comics to film and television.
“Moon Knight” (2022)
Mark Spector (oscar isaac) is a young son of a Jewish rabbi, a former heavyweight boxer, and a former Marine. After serving for his country, his life changed when he had to work on an excavation in Egypt. During his stay at the place, he suffered a serious accident that left everyone thinking that he had died.
However, he was miraculously saved by a mysterious force that revealed itself to him as Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the Moon. The mysterious being spoke to Spector through visions, in which he offered her a second chance to live in exchange for becoming a kind of vigilante. Marc accepted the offer and became known as Moon Knight. The series based on a Marvel comic of the same name is soon to premiere on Disney Plus.
“Morbius” (2022)
He is a vampire antihero played by the Oscar winner Jared Leto and based on a Marvel comic. Before gaining the powers from him, he was Doctor Michael Morbius, a high-level biochemist suffering from an extremely rare and deadly blood disease. Desperate for a cure, he performed dangerous experiments on bat DNA and was transformed into a vampire. The film will be released in April after several postponements.
Spawn (1997)
The 1997 feature film did not do justice to Spawn (played by Michael Jay White). He is an interesting Image Comic antihero who is originally a government assassin who is betrayed and when he dies he makes a pact with hell to return to Earth, but he does so with surprising powers because it is the key to the final judgment. HBO Max streams an animated series far better than the movie.
“Ghost Rider” (2007)
Two movies were made based on this Marvel character of the same name. The good Nicolas Cage played Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider. The character’s backstory is based on the German legend of Faust: The demon Mephistopheles sends his bounty hunter of the damned, the Ghost Rider, to retrieve Saint Vengeance’s contract for control of a thousand corrupted souls.
Seeing that the deal would give the demon the power to bring hell to Earth, the Horseman refuses and escapes with him. In 1986, Mephistopheles approaches 17-year-old Johnny Blaze, offering to cure his father’s cancer in exchange for Johnny’s soul. The film received negative reviews from critics, but was a box office success that led to a sequel, titled “Ghost Rider: spirit of vengeance” being made in 2012 with Cage reprising his role.
Hellboy (2004)
This film was directed and co-written by Guillermo del Toro and starred Ron Perlman as “Hellboy”, and is based on the graphic novel “Hellboy: seed of destruction from dark horse comics” by Mike Mignola. The highly successful film sees this anti-hero living with a dozen cats and limited access to the outside world, and considered an urban legend by the general populace, as he secretly works to keep the world safe from paranormal threats with his team, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Then they released a sequel of relative impact: “Hellboy II: the golden army”.
“The Raven” (1994)
“The Raven” is a 1994 film based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book series of the same name, in which the protagonist, Eric Draven, a young rock guitarist, is brutally murdered along with his fiancée Shelly. A year later, Eric returns to Earth, guided by a black raven, seeking revenge.
The film achieved notoriety even before its premiere because during filming the protagonist Brandon Lee died after being shot in a scene by actor Michael Massee by accident. It was thought to abandon the project after his death, but it was finally decided to go ahead, using a double, dark scenes and computer retouching.
Dredd (1995)
Hailing from 2000 AD British comics, Dredd is a ruthless lawman known as ‘Judge’ who along with his companions has the ability to apprehend, convict and execute criminals. In 1995 a movie starring Sylvester Stallone in the role of Dredd was released, but it was not until 2012 that the character received the adaptation it deserved in Dredd with Karl Urban in the lead role.
“Blade” (1998)
From the Marvel factory. Blade is a half-mortal, half-vampire man, capable of walking in sunlight. He tries to avenge his mother’s death and stop vampires from taking over the world. This film stars wesley snipesas well as its sequels: “Blade II” and “Blade: Trinity”.
In the year 1967, a pregnant woman is treated in a hospital after being bitten by a vampire, but doctors think the wound is an animal bite. They try to revive her, but she dies after delivering her baby. The child inherits the vampires’ strength, bloodlust, and enhanced senses, but does not suffer from their weaknesses, such as garlic or sunlight. He grows up to become Blade, the vampire hunter.
Deadpool (2016)
Wade Wilson, after being subjected to a cruel scientific experiment, acquired special powers that turned him into Deadpool. Armed with his newfound abilities and a twisted sense of humor, he sets out to hunt down the man who nearly destroyed his life. This Marvel adaptation with Ryan Reynolds It’s been such a hit that he’s on his way to his third movie, and he’s one of your favorite superheroes (anti-heroes).
Constantin (2005)
The film is based on John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), a character from the DC Comics Hellblazer comics. Born with the gift of seeing the angels and demons that live on earth in human guise, John Constantine took his own life to escape visions of him. Resurrected against his will, he patrols the earthly border between heaven and hell seeking to save himself from eternal damnation for his suicide and exorcising demons back to hell in an attempt to curry favor with the heavens. .
“V for Vengeance” (2006)
After a world war, London is a police state occupied by a fascist government. A vigilante known only as V (Hugo Weaving) uses terrorist tactics to fight against the totalitarian state in which he now lives. Stemming from Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta comic, the man behind the mask is Guy Fawkes, who in a dystopian future England takes on a ruthless regime and destroys the UK Parliament.
“The Punisher” (2004)
“The Punisher” is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and stars thomas jane. Frank Castle is an FBI agent with an impeccable career, who poses as a dealer named Otto Creig in an undercover operation to stop some weapons smugglers.
In an ambush set by the FBI, a shootout breaks out and the result is the death, by mistake, of the son of Howard Saint, a businessman who is dedicated to money laundering. This causes his wife and his children to be killed. So, Frank Castle begins his revenge on crime by serving as judge, jury, and executioner. He is without a doubt one of the most real anti-heroes (human and without powers) in comics. He has had two more movies, a TV series, and will have another soon.
“Peacemaker” (2021)
Series based on the character of the same name, derived from the movie “The Suicide Squad” and created by James Gunn. John Cena introduces us to Christopher Smith, who first appeared in Charlton Comics in 1966. Smith is a pacifist and diplomat committed to the pursuit of peace.
He does not hesitate to use force for his cause and although he does not have any type of superpower per se, he is capable of using any type of existing weapon. He is a vigilante who does not conform to international laws, usually operates on his behalf, and wears a bulletproof suit that frees him from almost any projectile fired at point-blank range or from a long distance. A born antihero.
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