In a cinematic era heavy with do-right superheroes who usually tell the audience their reasoning behind saving the day, it’s refreshing to come across their anti-hero counterparts who feel a bit more begrudged to save the world just because they're told to. Instead of relying on past trauma or a moral obligation, these anti-heroes seem to be more interesting in these modern times. Some question their abilities and why they have them in the first place or why people depend on them so much when they just want to be treated like everyone else.
Anti-heroes bring a certain consciousness and more humanistic side to the hero genre, for they see themselves as people and not saviors. The appeal of the anti-hero is not because they denounce fighting or being the hero, but their seemingly flawed nature speaks to viewers survival instincts. Let’s take a look into a list of bankable anti-heroes who inevitably help save the day and could lead their own solo feature length movies.
9 Black Cat—Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Felicia Hardy, also known as the Black Cat, is a Marvel comic character created in the 1970s. At that time, Marvel was testing a bunch of new ideas, and Black Cat came out of that train of thought. She has been a hit with comic lovers ever since and has appeared in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and video games. She is a skilled fighter and master burglar, though she doesn't possess superpowers herself. She can sometimes be seen fighting with Spider-Man, but has also fought against him as they were in an on-and-off relationship. If she were to get her own movie, we could expect it to have several twists and surprises, along with big cameos from superpowered villains and heroes. She has the ability to bring viewers a grounded heroine that relates to the audience, with the potential to be a big property if taken seriously.
8 Terry McGinnis—Batman Beyond
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A Batman Beyond movie has the potential to do great, and it’s not hard to imagine Terry McGinnis in a live action film, fighting new and modern villains in a changing technologically advanced Gotham. The city has changed since Bruce Wayne was the caped crusader, and the criminals are more sophisticated in their lawbreaking, all while being even more physically dangerous to Gotham’s populace. Terry McGinnis taking the torch as Batman would mark a fresh start for old fans and new. The viewers could have an entirely new hero to follow with his own flawed origin story and a new Batman with his own new set of characteristics. This movie could show his triumphs, failures, and struggles to ultimately overcome his adversities and become the next protector of Gotham City.
7 Rick Sanchez—Rick and Morty
Rick Sanchez is such a beloved character and Rick and Morty is a popular show with several seasons. Now would be the perfect time to craft a solo movie for Rick Sanchez. Viewers know Rick for being side-by-side with his angsty and always cautious grandson, Morty, who tries hard to add a conscious levity to Rick's wild moments of total disregard for anything. But surely there was a great adventure Rick had absent of Morty. Rick was a wild scientist before going on adventures with his grandson, and it would be exciting to see Rick in his youth start trouble in the known and unknown reaches of the universe. Audiences know Rick is great at improvising through confrontation with the unknown, so this live action movie could be one for the ages.
6 Casey Jones—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The wild card out of the bunch, Casey Jones is brash, cocky and loyal to his friends to the bitter end. This Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles anti-hero believes in family first and has a budding relationship with April O’Neal. Now, imagine if you will, the hockey mask wearing crime fighter showing audiences the darker side of New York with his own spinoff movie. Let’s consider the facts, the Foot clan is the biggest organized crime group in the city, and it would be interesting to see Casey Jones fight the Foot clan on his terms. The movie would be full of twists and turns, and considering that Casey Jones' running mate is arguably the fan-favorite Raphael, this film could be a smashing success.
5 Tom—Toonami
Tom came about during a time when the famed channel, Cartoon Network, made it their missions' statement to usher in a new era of 24/7 cartoons for the kids of the new millennium. He was tasked with being the small, cartoon loving robot host of Cartoon Networks’ Toonami period. Tom became an adored host on the network with countless fans, because his enthusiastic approach to introducing the latest cartoons and episodes was intermixed with the crazy adventures he endured while traveling through space on his ship, named The Absolution. Fans would get so excited about the possibility of this fun space marauder helming his own feature length film. Given the characters' propensity for adventure and danger with his robotic friend’s always close by, Tom could prove a very bankable character on the big screen.
4 Arya Stark—Game of Thrones
A lot of people enjoyed Arya Stark in the cultural phenomenon that was Game of Thrones. So much so that fans have been asking for more of this small but deadly anti-hero. Arya was thrown into a dizzying world that wanted her dead at every turn and her resilience forged a mighty force. In the series finale, Arya told Jon that she's going west of Westeros, and no one knows what lies that far west. Considering that Kit Harrington has stated he’s coming back to reprise his role as Jon Snow, many believe Maisie Williams should come back and carry her own film as well. This popular character would absolutely be able to explore the Game of Thrones lore all while expanding this compelling universe in her own solo feature length film.
3 Guts—Berserk
One of the most interesting and popular characters in Manga history is Guts. The famed anti-hero is from the legendary Manga saga Berserk and the subsequent cult classic animated series in 1997. In the story, Guts spends a lot of his time demon hunting, so he can stave off being devoured by them—for he has been cursed as a sacrifice to demons. But before he was a flawed hero who took down demons with his enchanted armor and a massive sword, he was a vulnerable orphan. Tragically born from a mother dead upon his conception, Guts was taken in by a strict, cold disciplinarian named Gambino.
Gambino was the leader of his own mercenary group whose trials of war hone Guts into the courageous, sword wielding, demon destroyer he inevitably becomes. But perhaps there is a case for a movie to be made, dealing with Gut’s early life. With Berserk being one of the hotter franchises on this list, it causes exciting speculative talk for fans who are vying for any new piece of content they can get their hand's on. This leads long time fans back to the same question, will a Berserk movie ever be made?
2 Kratos—God of War
Although there has never been an official God of War show, the visuals and storytelling from the popular video game franchise has given the blueprint for what could be an amazing feature film. The fact of the matter is that Kratos left a bloody, action packed trail of mayhem through some of humanity's greatest mythos and legends. The God of War has traveled from Greece to Asgard, and no matter his intention’s trouble always seems to orbit the god from Greece. It’s clear that with all the unique places and people the God Of War has encountered, seeing Kratos on the big screen only makes sense. Couple that with the fact that there are still so many mythologies out there untapped, there is no doubt this is a property that would garner massive excitement and anticipation upon its possible theatrical release.
1 Vegeta—Dragon Ball Z
Vegeta is the most well-rounded of the initial Dragon Ball Z characters. We first meet him as the shows greatest villain, but he is defeated by the main hero, Goku. Viewers then learn that Vegeta is the Prince of all Saiyans, whose people were treated like second class citizens by the diabolical alien known as Freiza. The alien also wiped out Vegeta’s home planet, killed his father and forced the young prince into a life of servitude. This plays a role in the development of Vegeta’s attitude, but seeing it on the big screen could really allow the audience to see a side of Vegeta not shown before. The interpretation of this anti-hero in the animated series had more emotional depth than his counterparts, which could lead to a compelling feature length film.