Top 20 Greatest Comic Book Anti-Heroes

This government agent is usually portrayed as a ruthless and manipulative person who will kill anyone who stands in her way. People have nicknamed her “The Wall” because she absolutely refuses to move once she has her mind made up. While she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty, she often has a task force at her disposal that can execute her dark missions for her. But she doesn’t exactly bond with them. Not only has Waller sacrificed members of the squad, but she’s personally attempted to kill a few of them herself. Despite her dark actions, she continues to fascinate us because of her single-minded pursuit for justice. Waller doesn’t care how many people die if it serves her idea of a greater good.

In a dystopian future where law enforcers are judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one, Joseph Dredd is the deadliest crimefighter of them all. He lives in a world where crime has gotten out of control. On a daily basis, Dredd doesn’t mind doing whatever it takes to enact harsh justice. The judge is so dedicated to his job that he rarely removes the helmet that identifies him as a law enforcer. Since Dredd doesn’t mind resorting to extreme violence and heavy artillery to take down perps, he’s never been considered to be a straight up hero. But the cold and ruthless Judge has been celebrated for everything he’s done to clean up Mega-City One.

After being abandoned as a baby, Gambit was effectively raised by Fagan’s Mob, a gang of street thieves, and later by the Thieves’ Guild – whose MO is pretty self-explanatory. The mutant learned to fight for sinister means. With the help of his signature staff and kinetic abilities that could even make playing cards into serious weapons, Gambit became known as a dangerous man. However, he later sought redemption by joining the X-Men. A few members of the team were against Gambit joining. While he may not be everyone’s favorite mutant, he consistently proves that he won’t let his dark past prevent him from embracing a bright future.

Known as a petty dabbler of dark arts, John Constantine is the kind of person who would put his eternal soul on the line to cure his cancer. But that’s far from the only risk he’s taken. After spending years jeopardizing others or straight up ruining people’s lives, he decides to do better. Constantine goes on to use his knowledge of the occult to help other heroes deal with supernatural threats. Underneath his cynical personality and antisocial tendencies, he has a genuine urge to make the world a bit better. At the same time, Constantine still isn’t afraid to resort to dark measures to get the job done. His allies never know what he’s prepared to do to defeat whoever is giving him trouble.

Life was already rough for this US Marine turned mercenary before he adapted his lunar costume. After one of his missions went south, he was wounded and left for dead. But just before Marc met his end, he was saved and recruited by the Egyptian God of Vengeance. He went on to become the brutal vigilante known as Moon Knight. Many villains that were unlucky enough to cross his path learned the hard way that Marc wasn’t always forgiving to criminals. Additionally, there are occasions where one of his darker alternate personalities would take the reins. Marc has shown remorse for the amount of bodies left in his wake. Despite his reservations, he’s continued to be a beacon of hope in the night.

While Black Adam started out as a cartoonishly evil nemesis for magical heroes, a revised origin transformed him into the anti-hero we know today. He was once a hero of ancient Egypt that was given the powers of Shazam because of his noble deeds. But after being corrupted by dark influences, he was attacked and imprisoned for centuries. Once Black Adam was revived in the modern day, he decided to resume his quest for justice by any means necessary. The magical anti-hero’s extreme methods tend to concern good and bad guys alike. While Black Adam’s moral code may be way out of date, he won’t stop fighting for the defenseless anytime soon.

Elektra Natchios is friend, foe and love interest to Matt Murdock, sometimes all at the same time. But she’s much more than a Daredevil supporting character. Mysterious as she is deadly, the anti-hero assassin began fighting at a very young age shortly after her mother’s tragic death. Elektra managed to get training from the light leaning Chaste and the much darker Hand organization. Through working with the two factions, she took on values from either end of the moral spectrum. Elektra can be a fierce protector or a merciless killer at a moment’s notice. To her, justice isn’t black and white.

Although the mysterious lettered vigilante keeps his true name a secret, his intentions are very public. This anarchist isn’t afraid to openly call out his oppressive government for all of their misdeeds. And when words fail, V picks up his knives to get his very sharp points across. His actions have garnered him a reputation as a tremendous freedom fighter among his fans. Meanwhile, his enemies see him as a dangerous extremist who likes to spill blood. And there are some allies who see him as a combination of both. V simply refuses to be bound by traditional moral limits as he continually fights for freedom.

An alien symbiote came from beyond the stars with hopes of bonding with a strong host. Although Venom’s relationship with Peter Parker resulted in a bad breakup, the alien started to find its place on earth after it met Eddie Brock. The pair was initially obsessed with petty revenge and satisfying a growing appetite. But after some soul searching, Eddie and Venom decided to use their great powers for dark responsibilities. The team is infamous for taking out bad guys with horrific methods. While their vision of justice isn’t pretty, it’s incredibly effective. In each of their stories, it’s a toss up whether they’ll be seen as a hero or a villain. There’s definitely a reason they call Venom “the lethal protector”.

Shortly after making her debut as a twisted sidekick in “Batman: The Animated Series”, Harley Quinn found instant popularity. She started out as a psychologist that wanted to help the Joker. However, she fell for him so hard during their sessions that she broke him out of Arkham and became one of his most loyal disciples. Harley was willing to follow Joker into any vat of acid until she realized that he was only using her. Once free of his influence, she embraced her heroic instincts and set out to help people. Harley willingness to use over-the-top violence and kill has made it hard for her to find a place among traditional protagonists. But her humor and good intentions have made her an anti-hero icon.

Bucky Barnes seemed to meet his end after a World War 2 mission went horribly wrong. As it turns out, he survived to fight another day. But instead of being reunited with his comrades, he was experimented on, given a metal arm, and brainwashed. Bucky spent decades being sent out to assassinate people whenever his handlers needed his service. It wasn’t until he ran into his old friend Captain America that he was able to regain his sense of self once more. Although Bucky still had a desire to be a hero, he was too haunted by his brainwashed actions to stay in the light. Over time, he accepted his role as a Dark Avenger and continued serving the world as the Winter Soldier.

Gotham’s most famous burglar first appeared as a straight-up antagonist to Batman. But it didn’t take long for their relationship to get complicated. Catwoman has gone from being his nemesis to love interest and back to an antagonist again. At times, she’s okay with apprehending thieves if it means she’ll get the bounty. Catwoman will also side with a big bad before saving Batman’s life from that very same rogue. Needless to say, she’s rarely on one side or the other without an ulterior motive. Catwoman has become a DC icon who constantly keeps us guessing. We never know what side of the law she’ll fall on until the very last moment.

Desperate to save his dying father, Johnny Blaze sold his soul to the demon Mephisto. This dark deal gave him incredible powers and a spirit of vengeance. Whenever evil is around, Johnny’s normal face is replaced by a flaming skull. The only thing scarier than his appearance are his hellish abilities. While he looks like a demon, the Ghost Rider’s goal is to create Heaven on Earth..When he’s not protecting the innocent with all he’s got, he’s likely taking a villain out in a horrific way. The mantle of Ghost Rider has been handed to different anti-heroes over the years. But no matter who holds the spirit of vengeance, you can bet that they won’t be kind to criminals.

Slade Wilson started out as a straightforward Teen Titans villain. They had trouble overcoming him due to his super-soldier upgrades, powerful weapons, and immense fighting skill. After Slade started battling other DC heroes, it became clear that he was more than just a one track big bad. Deathstroke had no problem accepting contracts that required him to kill without question. However, he still had an honor code and twisted sense of morality that prevented him from going off the deep end. At times, Slade has even fought alongside the heroes if their goals align with his. It’s unlikely that Slade will become a permanent member of the Justice League. However, he just might help the heroes when they least expect it.

Once a high-profile government assassin, everything understandably changed for Al Simmons after he was set on fire and sent to Hell. While there, he made a deal with the devil to return to Earth and see his wife one last time. But Al Simmons didn’t know that he had also agreed to become an agent of justice known as Spawn. After seeing the darkest parts of the living world and afterlife, this anti-hero put aside any reservations towards using violent means to get results. Anyone unlucky to upset Spawn is at risk of being subjected to horrible torments before they die. But underneath his terrifying exterior and gruesome actions, there’s still a good man who’s constantly going through hell.

Always watching, never compromising, Rorschach is every criminal’s worst nightmare. Walter Kovacs had a rough upbringing that already gave him a cynical view of the world. But after he started his crime fighting career, he kept encountering the worst scum humanity had to offer. Rorschach got to a point where he refused to give a single inch to anyone who stepped over his moral guidelines. While his enemies were understandably terrified, his allies knew better than to push him too far. Rorshach doesn’t care if he’s outnumbered or up against a friend. If he sees someone crooked, he’ll do whatever he can to stop them from getting away with murder.

Originally, this talented merc was seen as a lazy ripoff of Deathstroke. After all, his civilian name was Wade Wilson and the original DC inspiration was Slade Wilson. But Deadpool forged his own legacy once jokes and fourth wall breaks became crucial to his character. While Wade was consistently very funny, he also kept being a seriously deadly merc. Even when he was working with heroes, he struggled not to leave a path of carnage in his wake. Deadpool has shown audiences on numerous occasions that he’s got a good heart. The merc just has trouble keeping his finger off the trigger while cracking jokes. Even if he’s never seen as a true hero, he will likely go down as the funniest anti-hero ever.

Comic readers famously voted to have the rough-around-the-edges Jason Todd get killed by the Joker. Surprisingly, the once hated character’s popularity spiked after he returned from the dead and became the Red Hood. Upon returning to Gotham after his apparent death, Jason Todd became a violent vigilante who went after terrible criminals. His willingness to kill criminals without abandon led him to clash with his former mentor Batman. The Dark Knight wasn’t able to completely convince Jason Todd to abandon his violent tendencies. However, the Red Hood did try to tone down his killer instinct. But if Jason ever sees red, he won’t hold back.

When Marvel fans hear the word “anti-hero”, Frank Castle is probably the first name that springs to mind. Castle was a veteran who returned home and saw his entire family get gunned down. After that tragic incident, he devoted his life to punishing villains with extreme prejudice. He used his mastery of martial arts and skill with weaponry to execute legions of villains. As the Punisher’s kill count rose, he became more desensitized to violence. Despite his lack of restraint, he still had a sense of morality that made him a good ally. Though most Marvel heroes and police dislike his methods, it’s unlikely he’ll stop punishing enemies anytime soon.

Logan’s unusually long life has given him plenty of time to embrace his good and bad sides. Although he can get animalistic at times, the X-Men mutant has a conscience and code. But he also has a short temper and no patience for those who cross him or anyone he loves. And whenever Logan is pushed too far, he uses his razor sharp claws to cut enemies down to size. While Wolverine is very good at what he does, he’s always been torn about what he had to do To survive. The constant war he wages within himself has always made him a fascinating character. His success on the page led to the creation of many anti-heroes that tried to follow in his bloody footsteps.

Who’s your favorite comic book anti-hero? Let us know in the comments.