- What's up, friends?
Drinking, swearing, not using coasters.
There's nothing cooler than a bad boy.
I should know, I'm something of a bad ass myself.
- [Natalie] You cried during Air Bud.
- It was, it was really sad.
(sniffles)
You know, come to think of it,
the notion of the rebellious anti-hero
has kind of been done to death in Hollywood
and particularly in comic book
and action films as of late.
With the new Hellboy reboot, yet another flawed,
reluctant hero is hitting the big screen,
but has this type of character become trope?
This week on Heat Vision Breakdown,
we look at the oversaturation of anti-heroes
and ask how to make them stand out in a crowded landscape.
(upbeat rock music)
To start things off, it's best to actually address
what makes a character an anti-hero.
Technically, an anti-hero's a protagonist who has traits
and characteristics that are not traditionally heroic,
i.e. being unselfish, courageous
or in possession of strong morals.
You know, basically every human being
to some extent or another, except maybe Emma Stone,
she's perfect.
- I'm going to hug the hell out of you.
- Taken literally,
any character who's not an anti-hero by that definition
would be pretty boring, frankly.
But over the years, a more defined,
easily identifiable version of the anti-hero
has emerged in media,
a sardonic, self-destructive, narcissistic,
wise-cracking rogue who begrudgingly saves the day.
While such characters can be immensely entertaining,
and often riveting to watch,
when they become the overwhelming majority
of on-screen heroes, it can start to feel a bit much.
Partying with Post Malone can be a lot of fun,
having him crash on your couch for three months
is a bit much.
Your face tattoos are frightening my dog.
(dog whimpers) (dog barks)
This particular brand of anti-hero
is all over the comic book landscape,
from Wolverine to Iron Man,
to Guardians of the Galaxy to Hellboy.
Of course, these are all beloved heroes,
but without the stellar performers
that brought them to life,
they can be a bit hard to differentiate.
Seriously, if you read Doctor Strange and Tony Stark's line
without seeing which character said what,
could you honestly tell them apart?
Could you, Natalie?
- [Natalie] No!
- There you go.
Here's a basic breakdown
of pretty much every superhero origin,
outside of Captain America, Shazam and Spider-Man,
you know, The Boyscouts,
Over the past decade and a half.
(dramatic music)
A rebel who plays by his own rules
is thrust into a situation where they must finally grow up
and take responsibility,
but not so much responsibility
that they aren't still stickin' it to the system,
and stand up to some baddie who breaks even worse rules.
Throw in some quips and a big CGI battle sequence at the end
and bam, you just made $1 billion.
- Why make trillions when we could make
(dramatic instrumental music)
billions?
- The anti-hero cliche exists
outside of comic book movies as well.
Han Solo, Sherlock Holmes,
both of the Cumberbatch and RDJ persuasion,
John Wick, Jack Reacher, every Fast & Furious character,
the entire frickin' A-Team.
It's a long list.
And if you think it's a trope
that only exists in male characters,
not only are you a sexist,
but you also clearly forgot The Bride from Kill Bill,
Catwoman, everyone in Ocean's 8, even Arya Stark
and really, Captain Marvel when you think about it.
Her main goal is to eradicate a race of aliens,
she doesn't follow the command of her instructor,
you know, he's evil, but she doesn't know that yet,
and she drops quips with the best of 'em.
Anti-hero.
You're welcome.
(screaming)
There's a reason these types of characters work.
They're relatable in many ways
while simultaneously being idealistic figures
audiences can look up to.
Watching someone struggling with their own failings
and overcoming them is inspiring.
Add a charming actor and witty, cheeky one-liners
and it's no wonder fans will want to watch it,
but it can also backfire spectacularly.
Nothing's worse than a character who thinks they're suave,
but can't quite pull it off.
2016's Suicide Squad introduced
an entire gallery of literal anti-heroes,
they're the bad guys.
In case that bit of plot subversion was lost on you,
don't worry, the characters in the movie
will literally remind you all the time.
- I'm known to be quite vexing, I'm just forewarning you.
- Lady, shut up!
- The film's approach to its irreverent heroes was clunky,
relying on a lot of telling and not as much showing
to make its characters appear subversive and cool.
The result was a film that was panned by critics and fans.
It also made nearly $750 million, won an Oscar
and scored Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn
her own spin off film?
Really?
Now you might be saying, Pat, you're an idiot.
And while that is certainly true,
and the current trend of smarmy bad boys
doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon
because it's basically printing money,
you should remember that the same things
were likely said a decade ago when dark anti-heroes,
not the quippy type, mind you,
dominated the television landscape
on shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Shield,
The Sopranos, Wire, House, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy,
SpongeBob. - SpongeBob?
- He was the worst neighbor in the world.
The guy's a monster.
While the dark anti-heroes of the small screen
have slowly gone by the wayside,
Better Call Saul not withstanding, that show is great,
their puckish film counterparts
may be approaching a tipping point
and a new wave of traditional heroes is emerging.
At the center of all the snarky, one-liner spitting,
cocky heroes of the MCU is a paragon of traditional heroism,
Captain America, the Mister Rogers of superheros.
Chris Evans' version of the classic character
has been the unwavering central figure,
holding the Avengers together for nearly a decade now
and all the while doing what is right above all else.
Except, you know, maybe that time
he and his buddy jumped Tony Stark
for getting mad about Bucky murdering his mom.
Meanwhile, new arrivals like Wonder Woman and Shazam!
are wholesome, courageous heroes on the DC side
that have resonated deeply with fans.
We're still without a Superman,
the literal archetype for stalwart superheros,
but it seems unlucky the darker take on the character
from Zack Snyder's films will ever return.
While back in the MCU, Spider-Man continues to be
the plucky neighborhood hero of Queens.
A little neighborhood of over two million people.
I never really understood why they called him that.
And lives by perhaps the most heroic code in all of comics:
- [All] With great power comes great responsibility.
- Stop doing that, guys!
I want to say the line.
Anti-heroes, when done well, are incredibly compelling
and even noble, traditional heroes like Cap and Spidey
have elements of self-doubt, indecision and trepidation.
But this current notion of the anti-hero
may be growing stale,
even if box office numbers haven't quite reflected it yet.
Archetypes can be useful, endearing, challenging,
but over time even ideas and approaches to characters
that were once groundbreaking
can feel like they're treading on well-worn ground.
As we gear up for the end
of the current iteration of the MCU
and a new frontier for DC,
will we begin to see the tides shift away
from the established plucky bad boy persona
that has dominated the landscape for so long?
Well, that'd be just super, man.
("Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who)
So what do you guys think,
has this version of the anti-hero grown stale,
or are you still excited to see
quipping bad boys on the big screen?
Let us know in the comments right down there.
Don't forget to subscribe
and join us here every Friday morning
for new episodes of Heat Vision Breakdown.
- [Natalie] Was Suicide Squad really that bad?
- Yes!
It's bad.
(lively rock music)
It's so bad.