In the past, there was a clear, cut-and-dry image of heroes and villains. Today, that is no longer the case. Anti-heroes and anti-villains are seen regularly in mainstream media, gaining exponential visibility in film, television, and even music. Popular anti-heroes characters recognizable today include Dexter Morgan from Dexter, Tony Soprano from HBO show The Sopranos, and Walter White from Breaking Bad. Some popular anti-villains known today Magneto from The X-Men, Kratos from God of War, and Shadow from Sonic the Hedgehog. Even children’s movies are showing nuanced characters, as seen in the new Disney movie Mufasa: The Lion King.
Most know the story of Scar from Disney’s The Lion King, but in 2024, Disney released a new perspective of the well-known and loved tale. Mufasa: The Lion King tells the story of Mufasa as a child, meeting a young boy named Taka, Scar’s birth name, and the adventures of them fulfilling their destinies. Disney begins the story by highlighting the boy’s childlike personality: pure and naive; Taka’s innocence establishes the beginnings of an anti-villain archetype. Mufasa meets Taka after a flood separates him from his parents; the boys immediately become close and grow up as brothers together. Though once they both fall in love with the same girl, their loving relationship goes astray.
Simple heroes and villains are no longer mentally stimulating enough for our continuously developing society. The increase of complex characters such as anti-heroes and anti-villains is a result of the growing emotional intelligence society is gaining. Most people don’t consider themselves to be heroes, as the reality is that they are imperfect, but neither consider themselves to be villains as they still want love, affection and happiness. Anti-heroes and anti-villains are not perfect and have many undesirable traits that people can relate to. Most importantly, anti-heroes and anti-villains are complex, following the reality of most individuals. More individuals are coinciding, connecting and empathizing with anti-heroes and anti-villains, finding similarities between themselves and these characters. People aren’t perfect, and watching a TV show, movie, or character struggling with similar difficulties helps society accept their own struggles and flaws.
As a result of the interconnectivity that social media has provided, society is gradually accepting mistakes and personal flaws. Today there exists a new societal mentality known as the “villian era," which is not about “tapping into your dark side motives — [instead] it’s about empowerment and choosing to be your best self when faced with adversity” (“What Does It Mean To Enter Your 'Villain Era'?”). Even music today embraces being messy, immature and selfish. In obsessed, Olivia Rodrigo says, “But I can't help it, I got issues, I can't help it." She feels mentally immature obsessing, but accepts her flaws by demonstrating obsession as a natural and human emotion. The rise of anti-heroes and anti-villains demonstrate a growth in emotional and mental intelligence in society by accepting mistakes, flaws and personal boundaries.
Work Cited
“What Does It Mean To Enter Your 'Villain Era'?” Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, 1 February 2024, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/villain-era. Accessed 11 March 2025.