FEATURE ARTICLE: Suicide Squad & Anti-heroes

Credit: DC Entertainment

In most books, movies, and TV series, the main characters always are extremely likable. They are made to be compassionate, selfless, brave, intelligent, and so many other traits that people associate with heroes. We tend to look up to heroes, who manage to follow their dreams while caring for the good of all. These people are who you most often see in any imaginary world; which is why instead I'd like to discuss another group of people, who aren't as well-known. Anti-heroes are defined as central characters in a story, movie, or drama who lack conventional heroic attributes. Today, there are many anti-heroes to be found in literature and film, who tend to add a unique flair to whatever story they are a part of.

Since the movie Suicide Squad is coming out really soon, I feel like it would be a perfect example to show what anti-heroes really are. In case you don't know much about what the Suicide Squad is, it's a group of people who were chosen by Amanda Waller to team up and go on dangerous missions where they have a high chance of dying. These people who have been chosen are mainly villains with little care for heroic qualities that many main comic book characters have. Their work for the Suicide Squad is meant as a way to help them cut down on their time imprisoned.

To mention just some of the anti-heroes involved, the Suicide Squad includes Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and others. All of these characters are often seen as villains, which cements their label as anti-heroes since they're the ones that the entire movie is focused on. Each of them lacks many qualities people define as "good" and therefore their motivation in fighting for the Suicide Squad is much different than that of other heroes. If you watch the trailer, which is amazing, especially since Bohemian Rhapsody is the background music, it's obvious that none of these characters really care about doing things for the good of others. For example, at the end of it, Harley Quinn breaks the glass on a storefront and casually steals an expensive purse, which I can promise you is not something you'd be seeing a superhero such as Captain America or Superman doing.

But seriously, watch the trailer, it's amazing.

   

Moving on, another example of an anti-hero is Deadpool, who also had a recent movie come out about him. Again, like with the Suicide Squad, his purpose in fighting doesn't actually have to do with the good of all, and rather has to do with helping himself, which is why he's an anti-hero. As a mercenary, he gets paid to fight for employers, regardless of the actual reason behind fighting or if what he is doing is "good". Added onto his anti-hero-like tendencies, he tends to be talkative, and this helps add a humorous element to the movie and comics. 

You can probably name many other anti-heroes you've read about or seen on screen. For example, Megamind is one as the main villain of his story with the movie focusing on his perspective. Another example is Adelina Amouteru from the book The Young Elites by Marie Lu. But I think it's important to actually get more into these characters, and how anti-heroes can add an intriguing twist into any plot line. 

Most of the time when you watch any average action movie, the villain is portrayed as this heartless, cruel, person (or being). The watcher immediately is made to despise the villain, not caring about their backstory. It is rare that you'll see a villain who gets a thorough telling of their reasons why they're doing what they are. It's much easier to hate somebody when you can't think of them as human or as having a consciousness. But when you add in a consciousness or feelings, it complicates a lot. Sometimes, the villain could even have a really logical reasoning behind their actions, which might just make you question why you sided with the hero. Overall, when writers give villains a consciousness, they are adding another layer of reality into the story that really changes how one might see it or read it. 

In all honesty, we tend to do this in real life, too. I saw this video online a while ago, and I found it really interesting. It helps relate this topic of villains or enemies being just as human as the heroes are in fiction, to what's going on in reality. 

   

Back to a lighter note, if you're a writer, it's a good idea to try experimenting with any villains in your stories more by trying to make them more reasonable. Doing so always helps any story feel more developed. It's also kind of fun! I tried doing this with one of my stories, by having the main character be an abusive dictator, and so far I've enjoyed writing from a new perspective. It's a challenge since you really have to think about how somebody who doesn't care about morals would think, but it's worth it! 

I hope this article helped you see all of your most cringe-worthy villains from a different perspective! (Except Umbridge, I don't think I could ever stop hating her). Comment below your favorite anti-heroes or any villain that you seriously love who I might not have mentioned! Thanks for reading!