Thursday 27 August 2015

Is Wolverine An Anti-Hero?

Wolverine is the most popular character amongst the X-Men, whether it be cartoon, comic or movie, Wolverine stands above the rest. But something that i've always heard people describe him as is an anti-hero, but is that true? Wolverine is rebellious, arrogant, aggressive and in some cases, homicidal, but there's more to being an anti-hero than that. A while ago i talked about how Batman wasn't an anti-hero, he was dark, but his morals and actions were in the right place. Wolverine is a little bit more of a blurred area, he's definitely a good guy because he's part of the X-Men and does the right thing, then there are his relationships with his fellow X-Men, he may not get along with Cyclops, but for the most part he respects his other members, and though he doesn't always listen to them, he still trusts them. Not to mention he gets along well with kids, particularly Kitty Pryde. Then there is the fact that he's vicious and at times, a killer, this is usually the key factor in deciding whether Wolverine is an anti-hero or not, most heroes don't kill, Wolverine has little quarrel with it, more than willing to kill villains should it be deemed necessary. Now I don't necessarily think a hero committing murder instantly means he's an anti-hero, afterall, Green Arrow is also willing to kill, but he's not an anti-hero. I've said before that what defines an anti-hero is someone who you question your support for them, that make morally questionable decisions and can act selfishly. This is where Wolverine becomes the blurred line, he does make questionable decisions, he does act selfishly and even fights against his fellow heroes...but we never question our support for him, we always believe he's a good guy and in the end will make the right choice. So maybe that's why he's such a beloved character, he has plenty of the elements of an anti-hero, but the incorruptible core of him that he'll always do the right thing that gives us as the audience faith in him, and that faith is what undeniably makes him a hero.

-Danny

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