History AntiHero / ComicBooks

* Billy Butcher of ''ComicBook/TheBoys'' is an ex-CIA agent with a stone-cold hatred for so-called superheroes, many of whom in this verse (particularly Homelander and [[spoiler:Black Noir]]) are evil as all get-out. He is incredibly manipulative, and will do or say anything it takes in order to get the results he wants. As the series progresses, he moves out of antihero territory and into VillainProtagonist territory, especially when his final plan -- [[spoiler:killing all humans with Compound V in their blood, no matter how minute]] -- is revealed, which results in Wee Hughie outright calling him a ''supervillain''.

* Rayek from ''Comicbook/ElfQuest'' always does what he thinks is best for the entire elfin race, without ''ever'' stopping to ask the rest of the elfin race what ''they'' think is best for them.

* ''ComicBook/{{Foolkiller}}'' is often described as a crazier version of ''ComicBook/ThePunisher''. However, Foolkiller's definition of fools extends beyond criminals. He also includes negligent mothers and their violent children, racists of any color, trash talk-show hosts, greedy merchants, hypocritical war protesters, exploitative businessmen, a university dean who, during a press conference, took a patronizing stance on the issue regarding insensitive sexist language, and anyone else who he thinks is a fool.

* Cassie Hack in ''Comicbook/HackSlash''. Her motivation is mostly admirable, but her tactics and personality are... not role model material.
* ComicBook/JohnConstantine, ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}''. This is one of the reasons why he was ExiledFromContinuity in the first place.
* Tommy Monaghan, the protagonist of Creator/GarthEnnis' ComicBook/{{Hitman|1993}} is exactly the popular definition of an anti-hero. JerkAss, selfish, amoral, professional assassin with superpowers, who nonetheless manages to do good things, whether because he's getting paid to do so, or because somewhere down there he really wants to do something good.

** The Cloak of Night was an early example, being a silent gun-wielding vigilante who went after criminals and anti-prohibitionists.

** The Cloak of Night was an early example, being a silent gun-wielding vigilante who went after criminals and Prohibitionists.

!!Other
* Crackerjack in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', not in the sense of being grim and ruthless, but in the sense that he fights crime and saves people primarily for [[SmugSuper his own self-aggrandizement]] and is, simply put, a jerk. At least, this initially seems to be the case, but he's portrayed in a more favourable light in later stories.
** The Confessor would probably like to be an out and out hero, but he can't escape the dark side of his nature, on account of [[spoiler: being a vampire.]] Tough break, if you think about it.

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' is the top lawman in a CrapsackWorld, and often the only thing preventing the deaths of millions. He is also a brutal fascist who uses lethal violence as a first resort, and the laws he upholds are often heartless at best, and cruelly Kafkaesque at worst.

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' is the top lawman in a CrapsackWorld, and often the only thing preventing the deaths of millions. He is also a brutal fascist who uses lethal violence as a first resort, and the laws he upholds are often heartless at best, and cruelly Kafkaesque at worst.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'' has the Dinobots, a FiveManBand of Anti-heroes, though how much of an anti-hero they are depends on the individual (and [[DependingOnTheWriter who's writing them]]). They don't really care about that whole "protect innocent life" thing, they just want to fight. And none of them, not even Swoop (the OnlySaneMan of the bunch), like [[BigGood Optimus Prime]]. Indeed, they spend much of the time they're active doing their own thing, rather than helping the other Autobots.

!!Franchise/TheDCU
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Batman is a classic and well-known anti-hero who has had a significant influence on comic book anti-heroes. Batman displayed the traits of the modern anti-hero since his debut in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'', 1939. However, Batman's status as an anti-hero ultimately depends on who's writing or portraying him; many have leaned towards a more traditional idea of heroism. For example, while Creator/FrankMiller's fits this trope like a glove, it's really hard to describe Creator/AdamWest's Series/{{Batman|1966}} as an anti-hero.
** Jason Todd, the ComicBook/RedHood. In ''ComicBook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' he states that he's become LighterAndSofter in recent years, noting that he no longer enjoys killing people, even criminals.
** In the story ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'', ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'' is the protector of Gotham. Her methods are questionable at best -she took over Gotham and rules the place with an iron fist- and she is kinda jerkass, but her only goal is protecting people, saving innocents and stopping criminals.
* Franchise/TheDCU introduced a slew of Anti Heroes to "replace" their traditional heroic characters during UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|OfComicBooks}} -- the Eradicator for Franchise/{{Superman}}, [[Comicbook/{{Azrael}} Jean Paul Valley]] for Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Artemis}} for Franchise/WonderWoman, [[Franchise/TheFlash Dark Flash]] -- though whether they were supposed to emphasize how good the originals were in comparison or a cynical attempt to get with the DarkerAndEdgier trend of the '90s depends on how charitable you are. The only one with any staying power was Franchise/GreenLantern Kyle Rayner, but he was never really an Anti-Hero to begin with. Kyle Rayner was brought in to replace Hal Jordan [[spoiler:who had become the supervillain, Parallax]]. He didn't need to be dark and edgy.
* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'': Most heroes regard the Red Lanterns as violent jerkasses at best (and to be fair, most of Red Lanterns are blood-thirsty and evil). However, inhabitants of worlds saved by Guy Gardner's Red Lantern squad consider them saviors and freedom fighters.
* ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, the Helena Bertinelli version, was easily one of the most violent and willing-to-kill "heroes" in the DCU. She was, in a sense, Batman's Batman; if Batman is the paradigmatic dark, grim-and-gritty DC hero, Huntress was the one who was too dark for Batman. Interestingly, ''{{Series/Arrow}}'' made Huntress an [[AdaptationalVillainy out-and-out villainess]] with very little change to her basic personality.
* ComicBook/JonahHex, who has been around since 1971.
* Say his name, comic fans: ''SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}}''. Definitely TheLancer on the spacefaring [[ComicBook/LEGIONDCComics L.E.G.I.O.N.]] team, and in ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' as the de-aged Slobo.
* The Comicbook/{{New 52}} version of ''Comicbook/{{Superboy|New52}}'' is one of the NominalHero kind. This version of Superboy has no interest in heroics beyond what it takes to survive/gain his freedom. Between the first and second issues, he kills many of his captors by reflex and feels no remorse or guilt, tortures a group of soldiers who hold him at gunpoint, and flat out threatens to kill anyone who stands in his way. Issue #4 seems to be steering him towards being a KnightInSourArmor.
* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
** Supergirl was briefly an anti-hero during the ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' storyline. She was short-tempered, irrational, mad and more than a little bratty... and even so, she wanted to use her powers to protect and help innocent people and punish evildoers.
--->'''Supergirl:''' So it took the [[Characters/GLRedLanternCorps Red Ring of Rage]] for me to finally find acceptance. So what? This planet will live. And I pummel anyone who says otherwise.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', the eponymous character is a backwards bad-tempered loony but she wants to do the right thing.
* Franchise/{{Superman}}. At least, the original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Man of Steel. Superman didn't become the big boy scout we know and love until UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, or possibly even TheFifties. Back in TheThirties, Superman was an anti-hero, fighting for truth and justice but was more like Franchise/{{Batman}}, terrifying criminals and threatening to kill them. While he never actually killed anyone, he would more often than not avert SaveTheVillain - in ''Superman #2'' (1939), Superman just stands and watches a villain die slowly from a poisonous gas. As in, ''stood in the same room with the dying man as he begs for help''.
-->'''Villain:''' Help me!... The pain... I-I'm choking... I can't breathe!\\
'''Superman:''' You're only getting a taste of the fate you planned to doom others to!
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
** The Post-Crisis ''ComicBook/{{Wonder Woman|1987}}'' revamp paved the way for Diana and all of the Amazons to become Anti-Heroes rather than their previous incarnation as a PerfectPacifistPeople by changing their origin from being female refugees from over the centuries who ended up on Paradise Island and chose to take the oaths of fealty and pacifism and go through the conditioning necessary to become Amazons, to a bunch of immortal warrior women from the Bronze Age whose culture has essentially not evolved since then. Di only started to actually verge on becoming an Anti-Hero late in the run when she killed Maxwell Lord.
** The Post-Flashpoint ''ComicBook/{{Wonder Woman|2011}}'' revamp took things even further by making Diana a true Anti-Hero whose friends point out she is a bit too eager to kill, turning the Amazons into a society of rapists and murderers, turning ContinuitySnarl/DonnaTroy into an outright villain, and changing ComicBook/WonderGirl into a thief with dangerous problems with authority.

!!Franchise/MarvelUniverse
* ComicBook/{{Cable}}, Deadpool's former {{Heterosexual Life Partner|s}}, debuted as a NinetiesAntiHero. As he became more intrinsically entwined with the Summers' TangledFamilyTree, he mellowed out... slightly. He still bounces back and forth, DependingOnTheWriter and what book he's in. Even at his most heroic, he's still a big believer in the ends justifying the means.
* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} was originally an ClassicalAntiHero or KnightInSourArmor, but then drifted to UnscrupulousHero or GuileHero when assembling ComicBook/XForce, although he later reconsidered. He seems to have settled at CrazyPrepared badass under Creator/WarrenEllis and others.
* Daimon Hellstrom: The Son of Satan. The BadassCrew he joins in ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies 3'' is a ''team'' of antiheroes, including ComicBook/{{Morbius}} the Living Vampire and ComicBook/WerewolfByNight.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, when he does good, doesn't do it out of ChronicHeroSyndrome: it's for personal gain (money, revenge, fame, women, or satisfying a whim), to placate his feelings of guilt, or because higher powers manipulate him into doing so. He once saved the world from losing its free will to an alien, mass-hypnotizing entity. In his first ongoing series, he flies into a psychotic rage whenever someone removes his mask (his "face") or infiltrates his house. He WouldntHurtAChild, but he's completely disrespectful of adult life, downright sadistic, and willing to do pretty bad stuff for money. His self-justification is that his cancer-based HealingFactor makes his brain so messed up that he's completely insane and not responsible for his actions. He's both a HeroicComedicSociopath and a SociopathicHero.
* The Comicbook/IncredibleHulk, while always up to stop a bad guy and capable of empathy and loyalty, frequently leaves a trail of destruction on his path (though [[NoEndorHolocaust Marvel claims it's usually without victims]]) and clashes with other heroes. It's even worse in incarnations such as Joe Fixit, an amoral hedonistic mob enforcer; the Green Scar, who in ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that breaks both people and properties; and the Comicbook/ImmortalHulk, who isn't called "Devil Hulk" for anything. Hulk’s allies and family aren’t much better. His cousin ComicBook/SheHulk was this originally before becoming nicer but is still terrifying on a rampage, his wife ComicBook/BettyRoss once a sweet young woman is now violent and bitter DarkActionGirl, his son Skaar is a bloodthirsty sword wielding savage who joins the ''ComicBook/DarkAvengers'' and his best friend and former KidSidekick Rick Jones becomes a destructive monster before being cured, getting killed, and resurrected as a creepy yellow-eyed gamma zombie.
* ComicBook/IronMan. Originally a full-fledged hero, if soometimes a bit of a {{Jerkass}} [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold (if a goodhearted one)]], he has been operating in an increasingly grey moral area in recent years. His actions in Comicbook/CivilWar in particular are severely appalling, and that's not even getting into his stints as a member of ComicBook/TheIlluminati. He’s become nicer since then, mainly due to a certain Creator/RobertDowneyJr [[Film/IronMan performance]] affecting the comic version.

* Comicbook/MoonKnight, occasional hero, frequently just a crazy bastard.
* Comicbook/ThePunisher is a BadassNormal, [[BadassLongcoat trenchcoat-wearing]] VigilanteMan who often uses extreme amounts of violence to combat criminals. Why do super heroes fight ''super'' villains? Because the Punisher shot the lesser ones. Even more so in [[ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX the MAX series]], which has neither super villains nor super heroes. On one occasion, the Punisher killed [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique two pimps, crippled four and stabbed another one in the eye in order to get information]], only to find out that they didn't have it. Later in the same story, he disembowels a human trafficker, among other things. However, as an Anti''hero'' he's ultimately on the side of good, going after evildoers specifically to punish them for their actions against the innocent, as opposed to the evildoers themselves who spill innocent blood for profit and/or fun, and he ''does'' [[PetTheDog show kindness]] on several occasions, especially towards children.

* Franchise/SpiderMan himself [[CharacterizationMarchesOn originally]] could be quite the self serving jerkass at times. In one comic he gatecrashed [[ComicBook/HumanTorch Johnny Storm]]’s house party and picked a fight with Johnny just because he was jealous of the attention the latter got. Fans however complained to Stan about Spidey’s jerky behaviour in the fan mail section and soon Spider-Man’s negative traits were dropped and he became the AllLovingHero we know him as today. Although [[DependingOnTheWriter certain writers]] (such as [[ComicBook/DanSlottSpiderMan Dan Slot]]) turn him into a flawed AntiHero and even a AntiVillain when ComicBook/DoctorOctopus [[GrandTheftMe took over his body]] in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''.
* ''Comicbook/SubMariner'' -- Namor the Sub-Mariner, since the beginning. He's a month older than Batman, but nowhere near as influential. Usually moving between this and being an Anti-Villain.
* The Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}} were villains who wanted to pass as heroes, only to discover that GoodFeelsGood and ditching their megalomaniac boss ComicBook/BaronZemo. While still not below using ruthless tactics, their moral changes went to "good guys" (Songbird and Mach-1, helped by them falling for each other), "at times good guy" (Techno, who was still with Zemo when the team turned on him, and is often just out for himself), and "why am I supposed to be good?" (Moonstone, a PsychoPsychologist whose ambition and selfishness always makes her fall into darker paths).
* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' was [[DarkerAndEdgier notorious]] for [[AdaptationalJerkAss turning]] nearly every single mainstream Marvel hero (with the exception of Spider-Man) into either a JerkAss AntiHero or in the case of ComicBook/BlackWidow an [[AdaptationalVillainy outright villain]]. But the biggest example of this is ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, whom in the 616 universe is an [[BigGood exemplar]] of moral purity and borderline [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorruptible]], is a [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero racist, sexist, jingoistic douchebag]] in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates''. Although he is still technically a hero who believes in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream, Ultimate Cap is undeniably an AntiHero compared to his main universe counterpart.
* ComicBook/{{Venom}} has gone through the entire morality spectrum throughout its existence, [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor from straight up hero, to Anti-Hero, to Anti-Villain, to a Complete Monster villain.]] It usually depends on who's being the host to the symbiote at the time:
** Eddie Brock, the Symbiote's primary host, was originally a straight-up villain before becoming an Anti-Hero (well, [[NinetiesAntiHero of a kind]], anyways...) and after his stints as Anti-Venom and Toxin has been trying to make the leap to full heroism, with mixed results.
** Angelo Fortunato, ComicBook/MacGargan, and Lee Price are all villains, and exceptionally [[AxCrazy insane]] ones at that.
** Flash Thompson, by contrast, has successfully become a full-fledged Superhero later on and earned the respect of much of the hero community.
* Franchise/{{Wolverine}}, has the occasional gentle moments usually inspired by either a MoralityPet or {{Love Interest|s}} but he’a still TheBerserker of the X-Men for a good reason and has one of the biggest bodycounts in Marvel. As he says in his SignatureLine: “I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn’t very nice”.

--> '''Villain''': Help me!... The pain...I-I'm choking... I can't breathe!\\
'''Superman''': You're only getting a taste of the fate you planned to doom others to!

* ComicBook/{{Venom}} has gone through the entire morality spectrum throughout it's existence, [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor from straight up hero, to Anti-Hero, to Anti-Villain, to a Complete Monster villain.]] It usually depends on who's being the host to the symbiote at the time:

-->'''Eggman''': Shadow? What do you want?
-->'''Shadow''': Your death, Eggman. I'm going to snap you like a twig, then use you for kindling.
-->'''Eggman''': Not if I avoid you like the... devil? Wait a second! Good guys [[ThouShaltNotKill don't kill]]! Isn't there a [[RecycledInSpace hedgehog moral code]]?
-->'''Shadow''': Sonic holds such beliefs. Then again, he's a hero, I'm not.

** Flash Thompson, by contrast, has always been a full-fledged Superhero and earned the respect of much of the hero community.

!!Franchise/{{DCU}}
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''
** Batman is a classic and well-known anti-hero who has had a significant influence on comic book anti-heroes. Batman displayed the traits of the modern anti-hero since his debut in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'', 1939. However, Batman's status as an anti-hero ultimately depends on who's writing or portraying him; many have leaned towards a more traditional idea of heroism. For example, while Creator/FrankMiller's fits this trope like a glove, it's really hard to describe Creator/AdamWest's Series/Batman1966 as an anti-hero.
** Jason Todd, The Red Hood. In ''ComicBook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' he states that he's become LighterAndSofter in recent years, noting that he no longer enjoys killing people, even criminals.

* The Franchise/DCUniverse introduced a slew of Anti Heroes to "replace" their traditional heroic characters during UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|OfComicBooks}} -- the Eradicator for Franchise/{{Superman}}, [[Comicbook/{{Azrael}} Jean Paul Valley]] for Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Artemis}} for Franchise/WonderWoman, [[Franchise/TheFlash Dark Flash]] -- though whether they were supposed to emphasize how good the originals were in comparison or a cynical attempt to get with the DarkerAndEdgier trend of the '90s depends on how charitable you are. The only one with any staying power was Franchise/GreenLantern Kyle Rayner, but he was never really an Anti-Hero to begin with.
** Kyle Rayner was brought in to replace Hal Jordan [[spoiler:who had become the supervillain, Parallax.]] He didn't need to be dark and edgy.

* ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, the Helena Bertinelli version, was easily one of the most violent and willing-to-kill "heroes" in the DCU. She was, in a sense, Batman's Batman; if Batman is the paradigmatic dark, grim-and-gritty DC hero, Huntress was the one who was too dark for Batman. Interestingly, the TV series {{Series/Arrow}} made Huntress an [[AdaptationalVillainy out-and-out villainess]] with very little change to her basic personality.

--->'''Supergirl:''' So it took the [[Franchise/GreenLantern Red Ring of Rage]] for me to finally find acceptance. So what? This planet will live. And I pummel anyone who says otherwise.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', the eponymous character is a backwards bad-tempered loony but she wants to make the right thing.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman''

* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} was originally an ClassicalAntiHero or KnightInSourArmor, but then drifted to UnscrupulousHero or GuileHero when assembling X-Force, although he later reconsidered. He seems to have settled at CrazyPrepared badass under Creator/WarrenEllis and others.
* Daimon Hellstrom: The Son of Satan. The BadassCrew he joins in Marvel Zombies 3 is a ''team'' of antiheroes, including ComicBook/{{Morbius}} the Living Vampire and ComicBook/WerewolfByNight.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, when he does good, doesn't do it out of ChronicHeroSyndrome: it's for personal gain (money, revenge, fame, women, or satisfying a whim), to placate his feelings of guilt, or because higher powers manipulate him into doing so. He once saved the world from losing its free will to an alien, mass-hypnotizing entity. In his first ongoing series, he flies into a psychotic rage whenever someone removes his mask (his "face") or infiltrates his house. He WouldNotHurtAChild, but he's completely disrespectful of adult life, downright sadistic, and willing to do pretty bad stuff for money. His self-justification is that his cancer-based HealingFactor makes his brain so messed up that he's completely insane and not responsible for his actions. He's both a HeroicComedicSociopath and a SociopathicHero.
* The Comicbook/IncredibleHulk, while always up to stop a bad guy and capable of empathy and loyalty, frequently leaves a trail of destruction on his path (though [[NoEndorHolocaust Marvel claims it's usually without victims]]) and clashes with other heroes. It's even worse in incarnations such as Joe Fixit, an amoral hedonistic mob enforcer; the Green Scar, who in ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that breaks both people and properties; and the Comicbook/ImmortalHulk, who isn't called "Devil Hulk" for anything.
** Hulk’s allies and family aren’t much better. His cousin ComicBook/SheHulk was this originally before becoming nicer but is still terrifying on a rampage, his wife ComicBook/BettyRoss once a sweet young woman is now violent and bitter DarkActionGirl, his son Skaar is a bloodthirsty sword wielding savage who joins the ''ComicBook/DarkAvengers'' and his best friend and former KidSidekick Rick Jones becomes a destructive monster before being cured, getting killed, and resurrected as a creepy yellow-eyed gamma zombie.
* ComicBook/IronMan. Originally a full-fledged hero, if soometimes a bit of a {{Jerkass}} [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold (if a goodhearted one)]], he has been operating in an increasingly grey moral area in recent years. His actions in Comicbook/CivilWar in particular are severely appalling, and that's not even getting into his stints as a member of the Illuminati. He’s become nicer since then, mainly due to a certain Creator/RobertDowneyJr [[Film/IronMan performance]] affecting the comic version.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan himself [[CharacterisationMarchesOn originally]] could be quite the self serving jerkass at times. In one comic he gatecrashed Johnny Storm’s house party and picked a fight with Johnny just because he was jealous of the attention the latter got. Fans however complained to Stan about Spidey’s jerky behaviour in the fan mail section and soon Spider-Man’s negative traits were dropped and he became the AllLovingHero we know him as today. Although [[DependingOnTheWriter certain writers]] (such as [[ComicBook/DanSlottSpiderMan Dan Slot]]) turn him into a flawed AntiHero and even a AntiVillain when ComicBook/DoctorOctopus [[GrandTheftMe took over his body]] in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''

* The Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}} were villains who wanted to pass as heroes, only to discover that GoodFeelsGood and ditching their megalomaniac boss Baron Zemo. While still not below using ruthless tactics, their moral changes went to "good guys" (Songbird and Mach-1, helped by them falling for each other), "at times good guy" (Techno, who was still with Zemo when the team turned on him, and is often just out for himself), and "why am I supposed to be good?" (Moonstone, a PsychoPsychologist whose ambition and selfishness always makes her fall into darker paths).

** Angelo Fortunato, Mac Gargan, and Lee Price are all villains, and exceptionally [[AxCrazy insane]] ones at that.

* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, has the occasional gentle moments usually inspired by either a MoralityPet or LoveInterest but he’a still TheBerserker of the X-Men for a good reason and has one of the biggest bodycounts in Marvel. As he says in his SignatureLine: “I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn’t very nice”.

* Shadow, from ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog''. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in issue #133.
-->'''Eggman''': Shadow? What do you want?
-->'''Shadow''': Your death, Eggman. I'm going to snap you like a twig, then use you for kindling.
-->'''Eggman''': Not if I avoid you like the... devil? Wait a second! Good guys [[ThouShaltNotKill don't kill]]! Isn't there a [[RecycledInSpace hedgehog moral code]]?
-->'''Shadow''': Sonic holds such beliefs. Then again, he's a hero, I'm not.

* [[http://www.indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=3429 Elizabeth Rose]] is definitely one, almost heading towards VillainProtagonist levels. The other guy seems to be one too, but only in situations where he can't help it.

* John Constantine, ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}''. This is one of the reasons why he was ExiledFromContinuity in the first place.
* Tommy Monaghan, the protagonist of Creator/GarthEnnis' ComicBook/{{Hitman}} is exactly the popular definition of an anti-hero. JerkAss, selfish, amoral, professional assassin with superpowers, who nonetheless manages to do good things, whether because he's getting paid to do so, or because somewhere down there he really wants to do something good.

* The titular character of the ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}'' series is very much this trope, his vast intelligence and strict code of honour tempered by the fact... well, that he is a selfish, self-centered ass who is defined by his own pride and somewhat childish petulance at the fact that he cannot fully define his own existence. His heroic acts include [[spoiler: saving the existence and putting himself at risk to save Elane Belloc and possibly Mazikeen.]]

* [[spoiler: The protagonist Joshua Carver]] of ''ComicBook/NoHero'' is one of the darkest antiheroes ever. He is by his own admission a monster that is sent out to kill other monsters and locked up in a cage the rest of the time. It's also heavily implied that he was a SerialKiller before the government found him. The only reason he isn't an outright VillainProtagonist is because the only people the readers get to see him kill [[spoiler: are a bunch of supervillains masquerading as superheroes who rule the world with good PR, a chain of deals, and lots of money.]]
** [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the group Joshua Carver kills off was so vitally connected to the world and its affairs that everything goes straight to hell, literally and figuratively. So it is painfully clear that FailureIsTheOnlyOption]].

* Every single protagonist in the ''Comicbook/SinCity'' series qualifies as an Anti-Hero, though given the WretchedHive they live in, it's a given. Marv, for instance, [[SociopathicHero feels no remorse for torturing and killing a great deal of people over the course of his story]], even bragging about it on one occasion, but he has several lines that he crosses only with extreme reluctance, such as [[WouldntHitAGirl hitting a woman]] or killing an innocent.

* ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}'' (that is, from Todd [=McFarlane=]'s comic book of the same name).

* ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}''

* ComicBook/JonahHex, who has been around since 1971.
* Franchise/{{Superman}}. At least, the original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Man of Steel. Superman didn't become the big boy scout we know and love until UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, or possibly even TheFifties. Back in TheThirties, Superman was an anti-hero, fighting for truth and justice but was more like Franchise/{{Batman}}, terrifying criminals and threatening to kill them. While he never actually killed anyone, he would more often than not avert SaveTheVillain - in ''Superman #2'' (1939), Superman just stands and watches a villain die slowly from a poisonous gas. As in, ''stood in the same room with the dying man as he begs for help''.
--> '''Villain''': Help me!... The pain...I-I'm choking... I can't breathe!\\
'''Superman''': You're only getting a taste of the fate you planned to doom others to!

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'': Most heroes regard the Red Lanterns as violent jerkasses at best (and to be fair, most of Red Lanterns are blood-thirsty and evil). However, inhabitants of worlds saved by Guy Gardner's Red Lantern squad consider them saviors and freedom fighters.
* The Comicbook/{{New 52}} version of ''Comicbook/{{Superboy|New52}}'' is one of the NominalHero kind. This version of Superboy has no interest in heroics beyond what it takes to survive/gain his freedom. Between the first and second issues, he kills many of his captors by reflex and feels no remorse or guilt, tortures a group of soldiers who hold him at gunpoint, and flat out threatens to kill anyone who stands in his way. Issue #4 seems to be steering him towards being a KnightInSourArmor.
* ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, the Helena Bertinelli version, was easily one of the most violent and willing-to-kill "heroes" in the DCU. She was, in a sense, Batman's Batman; if Batman is the paradigmatic dark, grim-and-gritty DC hero, Huntress was the one who was too dark for Batman. Interestingly, the TV series {{Series/Arrow}} made Huntress an [[AdaptationalVillainy out-and-out villainess]] with very little change to her basic personality.

* ''Comicbook/SubMariner'' - Namor the Sub-Mariner, since the beginning. He's a month older than Batman, but nowhere near as influential. Usually moving between this and being an Anti-Villain.
* Daimon Hellstrom: The Son of Satan. The BadassCrew he joins in Marvel Zombies 3 is a ''team'' of antiheroes, including ComicBook/{{Morbius}} the Living Vampire and ComicBook/WerewolfByNight.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, when he does good, doesn't do it out of ChronicHeroSyndrome: it's for personal gain (money, revenge, fame, women, or satisfying a whim), to placate his feelings of guilt, or because higher powers manipulate him into doing so. He once saved the world from losing its free will to an alien, mass-hypnotizing entity. In his first ongoing series, he flies into a psychotic rage whenever someone removes his mask (his "face") or infiltrates his house. He WouldNotHurtAChild, but he's completely disrespectful of adult life, downright sadistic, and willing to do pretty bad stuff for money. His self-justification is that his cancer-based HealingFactor makes his brain so messed up that he's completely insane and not responsible for his actions. He's both a HeroicComedicSociopath and a SociopathicHero.
* ComicBook/{{Cable}}, Deadpool's former {{Heterosexual Life Partner|s}}, debuted as a NinetiesAntiHero. As he became more intrinsically entwined with the Summers' TangledFamilyTree, he mellowed out... slightly. He still bounces back and forth, DependingOnTheWriter and what book he's in. Even at his most heroic, he's still a big believer in the ends justifying the means.
* ComicBook/IronMan. Originally a full-fledged hero, if soometimes a bit of a {{Jerkass}} [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold (if a goodhearted one)]], he has been operating in an increasingly grey moral area in recent years. His actions in Comicbook/CivilWar in particular are severely appalling, and that's not even getting into his stints as a member of the Illuminati. He’s become nicer since then, mainly due to a certain Creator/RobertDowneyJr [[Film/IronMan performance]] affecting the comic version.
* Comicbook/MoonKnight, occasional hero, frequently just a crazy bastard.
* The Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}} were villains who wanted to pass as heroes, only to discover that GoodFeelsGood and ditching their megalomaniac boss Baron Zemo. While still not below using ruthless tactics, their moral changes went to "good guys" (Songbird and Mach-1, helped by them falling for each other), "at times good guy" (Techno, who was still with Zemo when the team turned on him, and is often just out for himself), and "why am I supposed to be good?" (Moonstone, a PsychoPsychologist whose ambition and selfishness always makes her fall into darker paths).
* ComicBook/{{Venom}} has gone through the entire morality spectrum throughout it's existence, [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor from straight up hero, to Anti-Hero, to Anti-Villain, to a Complete Monster villain.]] It usually depends on who's being the host to the symbiote at the time:
** Eddie Brock, the Symbiote's primary host, was originally a straight-up villain before becoming an Anti-Hero (well, [[NinetiesAntiHero of a kind]], anyways...) and after his stints as Anti-Venom and Toxin has been trying to make the leap to full heroism, with mixed results.
** Angelo Fortunato, Mac Gargan, and Lee Price are all villains, and exceptionally [[AxCrazy insane]] ones at that.
** Flash Thompson, by contrast, has always been a full-fledged Superhero and earned the respect of much of the hero community.
* ComicBook/SpiderMan himself [[CharacterisationMarchesOn originally]] could be quite the self serving jerkass at times. In one comic he gatecrashed Johnny Storm’s house party and picked a fight with Johnny just because he was jealous of the attention the latter got. Fans however complained to Stan about Spidey’s jerky behaviour in the fan mail section and soon Spider-Man’s negative traits were dropped and he became the AllLovingHero we know him as today. Although [[DependingOnTheWriter certain writers]] (such as [[ComicBook/DanSlottSpiderMan Dan Slot]]) turn him into a flawed AntiHero and even a AntiVillain when ComicBook/DoctorOctopus [[GrandTheftMe took over his body]] in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''
* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} was originally an ClassicalAntiHero or KnightInSourArmor, but then drifted to UnscrupulousHero or GuileHero when assembling X-Force, although he later reconsidered. He seems to have settled at CrazyPrepared badass under Creator/WarrenEllis and others.
* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' was [[DarkerAndEdgier notorious]] for [[AdaptationalJerkAss turning]] nearly every single mainstream Marvel hero (with the exception of Spider-Man) into either a JerkAss AntiHero or in the case of ComicBook/BlackWidow an [[AdaptationalVillainy outright villain]]. But the biggest example of this is ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, whom in the 616 universe is an [[BigGood exemplar]] of moral purity and borderline [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorruptible]], is a [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero racist, sexist, jingoistic douchebag]] in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates''. Although he is still technically a hero who believes in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream, Ultimate Cap is undeniably an AntiHero compared to his main universe counterpart.

* From ''Comicbook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'', Spider Jerusalem who loves to [[KickTheDog eat puppies]], shatter illusions, knock people's teeth out and drive his poor editor to the brink of insanity, but he's also about the only journalist left in his world who tells the truth no matter what. He was also willing to selflessly sacrifice himself to [[spoiler: bring down The Smiler]].

* ''Comicbook/SamAndMax'': They solve crimes and save the world, but will cheerfully do horrible things along the way, often without strictly having to. Max in particular is a creature of pure Id who will do whatever comes into his head, and while Sam comes across as comparatively more level-headed, he's often only motivated to restrain Max because of potential consequences rather than any real morality. Nevertheless, they are contractually required to be good - their original creator has given free leave to have any writer use them as long as they are "on the side of the angels".

* ComicBook/SpiderMan himself [[CharacterisationMarchesOn originally]] could be quite the self serving jerkass at times. In one comic he gatecrashed Johnny Storm’s house party and picked a fight with Johnny just because he was jealous of the attention the latter got. Fans however complained to Stan about Spidey’s jerky behaviour in the fan mail section and soon Spider-Man’s negative traits were dropped and he became the AllLovingHero we know him as today. Although [[DependingOnTheWriter certain writers]] (such as Dan Slott) turn him into a flawed AntiHero and even a AntiVillain when ComicBook/DoctorOctopus [[GrandTheftMe took over his body]] in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''

* Sometimes the Comicbook/IncredibleHulk due to multiple personality disorder. Joe Fixit, especially.

* The Comicbook/IncredibleHulk, while always up to stop a bad guy and capable of empathy and loyalty, frequently leaves a trail of destruction on his path (though [[NoEndorHolocaust Marvel claims it's usually without victims]]) and clashes with other heroes. It's even worse in incarnations such as Joe Fixit, an amoral hedonistic mob enforcer; the Green Scar, who in ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that breaks both people and properties; and the Comicbook/ImmortalHulk, who isn't called "Devil Hulk" for anything.
* ComicBook/IronMan. Originally a full-fledged hero, if soometimes a bit of a {{Jerkass}} [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold (if a goodhearted one)]], he has been operating in an increasingly grey moral area in recent years. His actions in Comicbook/CivilWar in particular are severely appalling, and that's not even getting into his stints as a member of the Illuminati.

* The Comicbook/{{New 52}} version of ''Comicbook/{{Superboy}}'' is one of the NominalHero kind. This version of Superboy has no interest in heroics beyond what it takes to survive/gain his freedom. Between the first and second issues, he kills many of his captors by reflex and feels no remorse or guilt, tortures a group of soldiers who hold him at gunpoint, and flat out threatens to kill anyone who stands in his way. Issue #4 seems to be steering him towards being a KnightInSourArmor.

* ''ComicBook/IronMan''. Originally a full-fledged hero, if soometimes a bit of a {{Jerkass}} [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold (if a goodhearted one)]], he has been operating in an increasingly grey moral area in recent years. His actions in Comicbook/CivilWar in particular are severely appalling, and that's not even getting into his stints as a member of the Illuminati.