How to Create an Anti-Hero

We all love an Anti-Hero, think Han Solo in Star Wars, John McLane in Die Hard and most of Clint Eastwoods characters. Venom, Lucifer Morningstar, Wolverine, Tony Stark, Rorshach, Magneto and Loki… the list is long. Female Anti-Heroes are less common, but some delicious examples are the Widow from Into the Badlands, Jessica Jones from Marvel comics and Yennifer from The Witcher. The quintessential example of an Anti-Hero from the Egyptian pantheon is Set. 

The Anti-Hero is a villain character that has a redemption arc that works, remember the villain has a redemption arc they turn away from, the Anti-Hero turns towards it. They are not so irrevocably broken that they can’t be redeemed, in addition they are capable of Heroic actions; at some point in the narrative they will put the interests of others before themselves. This is the pivot point in their development arc when they will choose redemption over the descent into evil. How do you create a plausible Anti-Hero Character?

Firstly, get the Anti-Hero template, you can download it from the Online Bazaar.

Begin with deciding what their Fatal Flaw is, their most unattractive trait, a repeated pattern of bad behaviour that they are trapped in, common ones are alcoholism or fear of commitment. Add their Achilles Heel, this area of vulnerability is the key to cracking open their softer side, examples are a kindness for children or kittens, respect for women etc. Generally it’s related to their Moral Compass. But it might be related to their Fear.  Once you have established their Fatal Flaw and their Achilles Heel, figure out the source of their pain, how they got so broken. This will tell you their Fear (what they will do anything to avoid or prevent happening) and their Lie (the twisted view of the world that they have due to the source of their pain). This is related to their Justification (how they justify their bad behaviour to themselves and others).

Build out their softer side with their Happiest Moment, Redeeming Feature(s) and Secret Desire, now or later, depending on what works for you. Remember your Anti-Hero must appeal to your reader, so (s)he can’t be all dark, (s)he can’t be a total loser, (s)he must have some attractive traits. Charisma, humour, abilities that make them stand out, a kindness for kittens, something that makes them appealing and relatable.

Now consider their relationship to the inciting incident of the story and the story (or External) problem. What is their Motivation for getting involved in the story? This is related to their Starting Goal and it has to be powerful because their initial reaction (powered by their bad behaviour) will probably be driving them in the opposite direction (causing internal conflict). Alternatively, their bad behaviour can draw them into the story, a gambling weakness, debt, breaking the law, wrong place wrong time…creating danger and conflicting emotions.

What are their Personal Stakes and what is their relationship to the Big Stakes? This is where their Moral Compass kicks in and they are forced to the pivot point choice. How does this play out? And what is their Heroic Capability? What is their Real Need (the solution to the internal problem)?

How are they related to the Antagonist/Villain? The more personal this connection is, the more emotionally powerful the story will be. What is their relationship to their Internal Nemesis (their fatal flaw)? What is the solution to the External Problem?

Answer all these questions and you will have a consistent and believable psychological profile for your Anti- Hero and will then be able to write a detailed backstory and character profile for your them, whom your readers will love and remember.