Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories of all-time
Harry Potter
Fantasy Movies The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
One Piece
Netflix The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch in 2026
Uma Thurman's Devora Kasimer sitting at a make up table looking at a group of bloody ballerinas in her mirror
Streaming Services 3 new to Prime Video movies you need to watch this weekend (March 27–March 29)
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Best Spider-Man movies
Marvel Movies The best Spider-Man movies of all time, ranked from worst to best
The Serpent's Skin
Horror Movies The Serpent's Skin is the neon-soaked, blood-splattered queer love story I've been waiting for
Walton Goggins as the Ghoul in Fallout season 2
TV The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch right now
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Best superhero movies: close-up images of Captain America, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Superhero Movies The 25 best superhero movies of all time
Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Frankenstein
Horror Movies The 25 best Netflix horror movies to watch right now
Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man.
Thriller Movies The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

50 Greatest Movie Antiheroes

Features
By George Wales published 16 December 2011

It's good to be bad

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Alfie

The Antihero: A womanising reprobate who couldn’t care less how many hearts he breaks, so long as he gets his leg over.

Effortless Cool: Michael Caine plays the character as a seedy, amoral snake, a thoroughly bad egg with a dangerously powerful hold over women. Forget Jude Law’s smug playboy, Caine’s Alfie is the real deal.

Tony Montana

The Antihero: Tony Montana is living the American dream. So what if he’s killed a few people along the way? Rules are there to be broken…

Effortless Cool: Burying your head in a veritable mountain of cocaine before grabbing hold of a machine gun the size of a small child is one hell of a way to go out.

Snake Plissken

The Antihero: War hero turned criminal Snake nabbed two Purple Hearts before turning over to the dark side. Not a man you’d go out of your way to cause trouble with…

Effortless Cool:
He’s only got one eye, which automatically gives him a boost in the cool stakes. Then he goes and saves the President, which isn’t too shabby either.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
  • (L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip. The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
  • Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now

Jules Winnfield

The Antihero: The jheri-curled hitman who metes out furious vengeance upon those who displease Marsellus Wallace. Having seen the cruelty with which he offs Brett and his pals, we should be terrified by Jules, but then again, he is one cool cat.

Effortless Cool:
Check his wallet. It will tell you all you need to know.

Gordon Gekko

The Antihero: A role model for a host of braying, braces-wearing fucktards who appear to have entirely missed the point that Wall Street was a satire. That said, you can’t help but grudgingly admire his total devotion to lining his own pockets!

Effortless Cool: Noone has made a blue shirt-white collar combo look even vaguely cool before or since, which should tell you something about the character’s charisma.

Marv

The Antihero: Despite thriving on violence and visiting prostitutes at every possible opportunity, Marv has actually got a heart of gold, providing you're willing to look for it. It’s quite well hidden you see…

Effortless Cool: Who would have thought that hideous facial disfigurement could work so well as a look?

Max Rockatansky

The Anti-Hero: Watching your wife and child get run over by a gang of rapists and murderers would be enough to tip anyone over the edge, and so it is with Max. Put simply, he goes mad.

Effortless Cool: Motorcycle leathers have never looked so kick-ass. Perhaps it’s the way Max accessorizes them with a sawn-off shotgun that does it…

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

D-Fens

The Anti-Hero: A divorced, unemployed, middle-aged man who loses his rag amid the heat of a steamy LA summer. Thankfully, most mid-life crises don’t manifest themselves in the form of an uzi-assisted rampage…

Effortless Cool: Be honest – who among you hasn’t wanted to go postal in a fast food restaurant at one time or another? D-Fens is just liberated enough to actually go through with it. Or should that be unhinged enough…?

Batman

The Antihero: A gravel-voiced, black-clad avenger, who takes the law into his own hands on a nightly basis to deliver something that measures up to his personal view of morality. We’d say that makes him an antihero rather than a superhero…

Effortless Cool:
He’s got some pretty nifty gadgets in his locker. Our favourite? The bat-shaped throwing stars. Badass…

John Rambo

The Antihero: You do your bit, serve your country and come home to be treated like a bum? Well some people might stand for that sort of treatment, but not John Rambo. Now, where’s that M60…?

Effortless Cool:
Rambo offers his aggressors a way out on numerous occasions, but they singularly fail to heed his warnings. “Don’t push it,” he advises, “or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe.”

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 4

Prev Page Page 3 Next Page Page 5
George Wales
George Wales
Social Links Navigation

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.

Read more
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
 
 
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
Movies The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Keanu Reeves as FBI Agent Johnny Utah and Patrick Swayze as Bodhi "Bodhisattva" in the movie Point Break.
Hulu The best movies on Hulu to watch right now
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man.
Thriller Movies The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
 
 
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
 
 
Latest in Movies
Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies Nintendo fans are torn on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's big Peach and Rosalina twist: "It's a blatant retcon"
 
 
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sci-Fi Movies Avatar's future seems secure as one producer says they're going "full speed ahead" on Avatar 4 and 5
 
 
Yoshi (Donald Glover), Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) posing in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies Despite a low Rotten Tomatoes score, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already breaking box office records
 
 
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies Forget Fox, we can't stop thinking about this Metroid Easter egg in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
 
 
Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys in Weapons.
Horror Movies Weapons prequel Gladys adds Godzilla writer as we get one step closer to horror villain Aunt Gladys' return
 
 
A creepy ice cream man tipping his hat in his bloodstained truck with a zombie child holding an ice cream cone
Horror Movies Eli Roth wants his upcoming horror movie Ice Cream Man to "outdo Hostel and Green Inferno"
 
 
Latest in Features
Animal Crossing characters look up at the moon
Animal Crossing Animal Crossing helped me process grief, and I'm not alone: "Visiting her island has brought me a lot of peace"
 
 
PS5 Pro and PS5 original console on a wooden table
Peripherals Console gaming on a VPN: what works on PS5/Xbox Series X
 
 
A haughty-looking man in robes gazes down at the viewer while standing against a colorful background
Tabletop Gaming MTG Secrets of Strixhaven finally fixes a problem I've had with Magic for years
 
 
Marathon Triage runner
FPS Games Yes, Marathon is hard – but that is liberating
 
 
Key art for Neopets: Mega Mini-Games Collection - The Neopian Arcade Odyssey showing colorful creatures against a blue background
Action Games This Neopets mini-game collection proves it's actually good to preserve bad games
 
 
Jung Ji-Hoon as Im Baek-jeong in Bloodhounds season 2.
Streaming Services These are the 3 new to Netflix shows I'll be watching this weekend (April 3–April 5)
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Chris Hemsworth as Mike in Crime 101
    1
    6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and more (April 3–April 5)
  2. 2
    Animal Crossing helped me process grief, and I'm not alone: "Visiting her island has brought me a lot of peace"
  3. 3
    Slay the Spire 2 dev teases 3 new modes: something "very competitive," one for players who don't "have the time" for "the Slay the Spire experience," and a new multiplayer setting
  4. 4
    Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord is officially renewed for season 2 before season 1 has even premiered
  5. 5
    Slay the Spire 2 devs were caught off guard by 13,000 negative Steam review spike: "It was much more extreme than any previous types of negative feedback"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...