The first and the latter may be obvious, but the antihero falls in a grey area that is difficult to describe. Where the Superhero and Villian actively oppose one another, the Antihero is no villian but neither are they your typical hero.
Antihero Definition
An antihero is often the protagonist in a film, novel or comic. They are conflicted individuals similar to the superhero in some ways but lacking the same altruistic qualities that characterise a hero. Examples of antiheros include Robinhood, Deadpool & Annalise Keating from the How To Get Away With Murder series.
Antihero vs Hero
There are numerous types of antiheroes, and they all fall in the large grey area that exists between between good and evil. Varying from characters that traverse a similar path to the traditional hero to a self-centred cynical individual and then the heroic villain that takes bad actions to benefit society e.g targeting and killing murderers.
Generally, antiheroes are good willed but are open to taking any means necessary to achieve their goals. Having good morals is their last consideration. They can be motivated by the greater good or more selfish intents. This is the main differentiation between this character and the traditional hero.
Antiheros are relatable to the audience as they are realistic characters who can be sympathised with. This makes them very relatable as life often isn't black or white and they potray the daily struggles we all go through.
Antihero vs Villain
Antiheroes are not quite a villian however. The villain is a character that has inherently bad intentions and zero boundaries. The villain stands in the way and opposes the hero. The antihero does not stand in the heros way. The antihero is always almost the main character and although the audience may or may not agree with their chosen actions, they appreciate the motivations and sympathise with this character. This is rarely the case in with the villain.
An interesting point I came across is that heroes and villians are actually similar in many ways. They both usually have the same back story of pain. They are usually orphaned or hurt in someway. The difference in the character development is down to how the hero/villain responds to pain. The villain declares "The world hurt me and so I'm going to hurt it back" whilst the hero proclaims "The world hurt me and so I wont let it happen to anyone else". Their attitude and actions therefore stem from their chosen mindset.
Awaiting a villain that has it their way...
