<\/p>\n Harley Quinn<\/a><\/strong> was actually not a comic book invention. She was first used in the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series<\/em> television show. Due to her massive popularity on the show, DC Comics began adding her to several comic books afterward. Her backstory is slightly tragic. She was once a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, where she met The Joker. She fell in love with The Clown Prince of Crime, and helped him escape. Quinn would go with him, and depending on the origin you like most, he essentially made her insane. Whether it was through electroshock or falling into some acid. Harley became infatuated with Joker, ignoring how horrible he was.<\/p>\n Their romance was relatively one-sided, as Joker was always incredibly abusive to Harley. He also did not mind leaving her behind on crime sprees to take the fall. Eventually, she had enough and left Joker to venture out on her own. That led to her own crime issues, but Harley was not a psychopath like Joker. She actually cared for others, and wanted to help. Her crimes would land her on the Suicide Squad, a team of criminals led by Amanda Waller that are sent on suicidal missions. Should they survive, their sentences will be reduced. Harley did go out on her own beyond this. The entire time, she had no problem ending lives by any means necessary.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the longest time, The Watchmen was essentially separated from DC Comics. Writer Alan Moore wrote the comics to sort of be their own standalone series, where they did not fit into the mainline universe. However, some of the characters might remind you of major DC characters. Today though, they are part of the mainline universe. The Watchmen team was certainly not known for their light work with bad guys. Although they did many heroic things, they also went far beyond this. Perhaps the person who went too far the most is The Comedian<\/a><\/strong>. Though the name might sound like he’s some sort of Joker-like clown, he certainly wasn’t.<\/p>\n He was made to sort of appear like a Captain America type that went in the wrong direction, towards more of a Peacemaker territory. The Watchmen logo, the smiley face with a bullet hole, is essentially The Comedian’s calling card. Comedian did not mind going above and beyond the call of duty, but he also seemed to also cross lines one cannot come back from. This included ending the life of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (or so he claims) among other major figures. It seemed The Comedian could never escape war mode after the Vietnam War ended. He remained in government work but enjoyed the protection that afforded him too much.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n V for Vendetta was also written by Alan Moore, but he did this away from DC Comics as a graphic novel. Eventually, DC asked him to bring a short series to their company due to the novel’s popularity. DC would put the series in the Vertigo section until it was shut down. Now, the series is only available under DC’s Black Label, which includes various comics made for more mature audiences. V for Vendetta<\/em><\/a><\/strong> follows the actions of a character simply known as “V.” The world is sort of dystopian and post-apocalyptic, where this version of the United Kingdom experienced a nuclear war.<\/p>\n A White Supremacist, neo-fascist leadership is now in charge of the country. Often using some Christian biblical principles to support their actions. The nation is now a police state, with opponents of this being exterminated and\/or sent to concentration camps. V is an anarchist revolutionary, dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask wherever he goes. To make sure he gets attention for his actions, he begins his revolutionary campaign in theatrical ways. He believes they need to abandon fascism, in favor of anarchy. At the same time, he is also on a mission to end the lives of his former captors. V is certainly one of the best comic book antiheroes today.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Felisha Hardy found herself in a world of crime mostly due to her upbringing, as her father was not exactly on the right side of the law most of her life. He was a notable cat burglar that Felisha learned a lot from. As she went off to college, she was sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend as a freshman. This led her to train herself in numerous fighting styles along with acrobatics so that never happened again. That led eventually to following in her father’s footsteps as a cat burglar, where she took on the unique name of the “Black Cat<\/a><\/strong>.”<\/p>\n Interestingly, Hardy has sort of a superpower that allows her to subconsciously affect probability fields, which results in “bad luck” for her enemies. This, of course, helps her name make more sense. While she was clearly a villain, her run-ins with Spider-Man led to a romance with the spider. Though short-lived, he was able to inspire Hardy to leave crime behind. She did for a while and even remained one of Spider-Man’s trusted allies, but she would still commit crimes off and on. Black Cat does not often end the lives of her enemies, but she does not mind going to extremes at times. Making her one of the best comic book antiheroes, in our book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We referenced the now-defunct area of DC Comics where some of the more mature comic book series were sent before the DC Black Label. Vertigo Comics were pretty impressive, though too mature for younger viewers. One of the biggest characters here was Jesse Custer<\/a><\/strong>, otherwise known as Preacher. Of course, Custer is a preacher from Annville, a small town in Texas. Sadly for him, he is possessed by a supernatural creature named Genesis, the infant of the unauthorized. It is an unnatural coupling of both an angel and a demon. When it came down, the overall incident flattened Custer’s church and killed his entire congregation. Genesis has no concept of individual will but is made up of both pure goodness and pure evil.<\/p>\n Therefore, it seems to be capable of handling the world around it. Of course, the power Custer possesses with Genesis makes him one of the most powerful characters in the universe as it rivals God himself. Custer decides to seek out God, as he apparently abandoned Heaven when Genesis was born. Custer is driven by both right and wrong, so he does not mind helping others on his journey but will go to extremes. That includes taking on both sacred and profane enemies. Including the Angel of Death and a serial killer named “Reaver-Cleaver.” Whether it is via supernatural powers or with a gun, the Preacher brings a righteous fury wherever he goes. Thus making him one of the best comic book antiheroes ever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nathan Summers is the son of “Cyclops” Scott Summers and Jean Grey clone, Madelyne Pryor. Mister Sinister manages to get Nathan away from them, but before he can fully infect Nathan with a techno-organic virus, he is saved. Of course, it is still in his system but in the future…he can be treated. Thus, they’d head to the future to ensure Nathan survived. Eventually, the techno virus is stopped but it still affected him some. That only led to some extra mutant powers due to the cybernetic enhancements the virus offered, such as enhanced strength and speed along with being able to interface with any technology. Of course, he also has telekinesis and telepathy. All of this led him to become a notable warrior, known as Cable<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n He became a major enemy to Apocalypse in this future world but decided to go back in time a few years before his own birth. This is a time in which his parents aren’t who they once were. Cyclops is with Jean Grey, not her clone at this time. Thus, making interactions with Cable pretty awkward. Cable puts the X-Force together with a lot of newer mutants to take on present-day threats in this newer era. It is clear that Cable’s line is pretty much invisible. If he feels a life needs to end, even that of a child, he will end it if he believes it will ensure the safety of mankind. There are very few comic book antiheroes this cold and unwavering, making Cable one of the best in our eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Originally, Jason Todd<\/a><\/strong> was the new Robin once Dick Grayson decided to venture out on his own as Nightwing. Batman often needs a Robin, and Todd was someone that impressed Bruce Wayne. He feels there is a darkness in Todd that differs from Dick but assumes he can put him on the right track. This all goes to crap when The Joker manages to capture Jason and beat him nearly to death. To ensure he’s ended, Joker blows up the building he left Jason in. Ra’s al Ghul released The Joker from prison to distract Batman while he did his own thing, but Ra’s for all of his faults, he’s still an honorable man. It affected him greatly that his actions led to Jason’s passing. Therefore, he arranged for Jason’s body to be taken while a double was put in his place that Bruce would bury.<\/p>\n Jason was then put into the Lazarus Pit, which was mostly used to heal and not bring people back from death. Jason did come back, but the Pit changed him, only enhancing his darkness. Joker was known as “Red Hood” before his current persona, so Jason adopts this on his quest to end Joker’s life. He does not mind letting mobsters do their thing, trying to regulate crime rather than stop it. He will use guns, going against Batman’s training and no gun rule. Todd also does not mind ending any life if he believes were bad people. A lot of readers love Jason Todd and believe he is one of the best comic book antiheroes, mostly because he makes very good points. Batman leaves horrible villains like Joker alive only for them to end more lives. Todd could end Joker and thereby spare countless lives in the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Judge Dredd<\/a><\/strong> is likely more popular from his movies than from his time in the comic book world, yet this is where he started. If there is one character that screams the word “antihero,” it is most certainly this man. Dredd is a law enforcement and judicial official that lives and operates in the distant future within a city known as Mega-City One. The city surely fits its name, as it covers most of the eastern coastline of the United States. Known as a “street judge,” Dredd’s job is to find those who have done wrong and arrest them. Yet he is also given the freedom to not only convict, but also sentence people. More than that, if he believes a person has done something horrible or irredeemable, he can also execute the criminals as he sees fit.<\/p>\n Of course, this presents a huge set of problems that makes Mega-City One come across as a police state, run by authoritarian leadership. Since the Justice Department has so much power, they act as the government itself. Thus, Judges are ruling class citizens. This is also now a common system in the years following 2070. He is one of the best comic book antiheroes, but the system that gives him such power is seen as a top issue for readers. This is why Dredd has been written to not always trust other Judges from other territories, nor those inside his own. He’s also not always willing to back the Justice Department, giving him some separation from the terrible world around him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Floyd Lawton is an assassin who is hired by several criminal and sometimes government officials to take out one or more people. Yet he might also be employed to steal something off and on too. He’s considered a pretty safe bet for most to employ because, well, this man does not tend to miss his target. He earned the name of “Deadshot<\/a><\/strong>” as a result of this ability. While he was initially written to just be a brilliant sniper, his character was expanded more to also never really miss a shot on people from mid to close range too. Deadshot is not exactly a bad person, however. He does these jobs because the pay is terrific and he’s quite good at the work.<\/p>\n He cares about his family and usually is depicted to have either a wife and daughter or just a daughter that he is trying to provide for. Of course, his actions are still illegal in most places, which is why he’s had run-ins with the likes of Batman and Green Arrow over the years. That landed him in prison where he, like Harley Quinn, was added to the Suicide Squad. Due to his excellent leadership and assassination skills, he has often been used as the leader of most missions the Squad is sent on. Due to his role in the Squad, he’s often been considered a hero. Which makes him one of the best comic book antiheroes in our book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We request that you try to not think about Elektra’s appearances in movie form. Perhaps you could think of her use in the Daredevil and Defenders show though. In those shows, like in the comics, Elektra<\/a><\/strong> is often portrayed as a well-trained assassin. She often wields a twin pair of sai as her primary weapons but is known to use several others. She does appear first as the primary love interest of Matt Murdock (Daredevil), but they are usually portrayed as romantic partners that simply do not work. There is an attraction due to both being gifted, well-trained fighters. Along with their shared history as kids.<\/p>\n However, Daredevil might be willing to beat down thugs to near death. Yet Elektra does not mind ending lives at all. Her overly violent nature makes working with her nearly impossible for Daredevil. Yet it also sometimes puts them in direct conflict with one another. Elektra is also someone who uses her gifts to take on odd mercenary jobs too. This routinely puts her in the crosshairs of many powerful people but also results in death wherever she goes. Of course, she is not a monster and does do a lot of good. How she goes about it is the problem, which is why she ranks as one of the best comic book antiheroes in comic book history.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rorschach<\/a><\/strong> is most known for his work within the Watchmen<\/em> series. However, he became such a standout that DC Comics ended up using him in various other storylines off and on. In fact, throughout most of the Watchmen series, most feel Rorschach is the main protagonist. As he is the main driver of the plots and stories, often acting as the narrator. Within the world he was originally part of, he’s first introduced as the only masked vigilante to remain active on his own terms. Laws were passed that outlawed masked heroes from operating outside the United States Government. This leads to some conflict with the police\/government for Rorschach.<\/p>\n What makes Rorschach one of the best comic book antiheroes is that he believes simply in moral absolutism. There is good and evil, without any shade of grey or potential issues that caused someone to do something bad. This is why he will ruthlessly punish anyone he believes is doing something bad. His name is also connected to the mask he wears, which uses constantly morphing inkblots based on the Rorschach inkblot test. The mask will morph based on his issue with “splitting” or seeing things in extremes. As the ink shows how he’s unable to see the dichotomy of both positive and negative qualities within himself or in others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Selina Kyle is a gifted cat burglar, capable of likely stealing anything from anyone. Known as Catwoman<\/a><\/strong> due to her impressive acrobatic skills and burglary prowess, she actually does not have superpowers. In spite of all of her impressive abilities, everything she is was taught\/learned. Naturally, due to being a comic book female, she was given a “catsuit” one might wear on a heist. Except her’s is usually a tight, one-piece outfit. To protect herself, she tends to use a bullwhip that is capable of impressive extensions. Thus, she can use it to protect herself or for scaling across buildings, and much more.<\/p>\n Her use and design were not exactly well-liked by the Comics Code Authority. This led to her disappearing from Batman comics from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Of course, she did come back and was even featured on the Adam West, live-action Batman television show. Due to her infatuation with Batman and eventually Bruce Wayne, Selina decided to often work with the Dark Knight as one of his trusted allies. Eventually, they became romantic partners and have been off and on for decades now. However, she’d often still operate as a criminal who did not mind crossing lines Batman wouldn’t. Making her one of the better comic book antiheroes to us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We should first make you aware that there are quite a few Ghost Riders, with three main versions being worth mentioning. However, we’ll mostly be referring to Johnny Blaze<\/a><\/strong>, the original Ghost Rider. Blaze was initially a stunt motorcyclist who agreed to give his soul to Satan to save the life of his father. It is later revealed “Satan” was actually the arch-demon Mephisto. When around evil at night, Blaze’s flesh is consumed by hellfire, which causes his head to become a flaming skull. Of course, he rides a flaming motorcycle and can wild blasts of hellfire. The hellfire overall is a weapon for Ghost Rider that he can do several things with.<\/p>\n One thing it can do is “burn the soul.” This will not leave any physical injuries on a victim but affects them greatly. His newer Penance Stare is considered almost worst than death. Ghost Rider will lock eyes with someone and induce self-mortification. This gives that person the feelings or pain others felt for their every negative action, behavior, sensation, and sins the person was responsible for causing in their lifetime. While Blaze protects the innocent, he acts as a literal executioner for most of his opponents. This is what makes him one of the best comic book antiheroes. If one does not do wrong, they have nothing to worry about. If they do, no one from Heaven or Hell can protect you from the Ghost Rider.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a lot to Jonah Hex that is, quite frankly, surprising to most. Of course, most know that Hex is a bounty hunter that is usually based somewhere in the Old West. Often, he is based around a small town but he travels all over to capture bounties. He is horribly scarred on his right side, which is usually the first thing people recall about the character. It happened several different ways, depending on the storyline or universe he’s in. The original way it occurred was from an Apache Chief giving him the “mark of the demon” for cheating in a trial by combat against an Apache warrior. Hex was taken in by the Apache as a youth, after being sold into slavery by his father. He grew attached to an Apache woman named White Fawn who he planned to marry upon returning from war.<\/p>\n But his Apache brother did that instead, resulting in their trial by combat. Jonah Hex might have a cynical, often destructive personality that is hard to deal with. However, he has a code to protect and avenge innocent people that he does not ever back away from. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths<\/em> storyline, Hex is transported into the distant future<\/a><\/strong>. While it is presented as a post-apocalyptic timeline, it was still just the 21st Century. Yet that separated him roughly 200 years from his own time. This resulted in his obvious future knowledge and even made him aware of time travelers who happened to end up in his Old West time off and on. Thus, Hex is usually presented as an interesting character that can often surprise people. Especially those who do not know of his future trip.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the surface, many will likely disagree with this. Claiming the Incredible Hulk<\/a><\/strong> is not one of the best comic book antiheroes because he is not really even an antihero at all. However, those people would be VERY wrong. Bruce Banner is a brilliant scientist who is overexposed to gamma energy, giving him a Jekyll and Hyde issue, where he transforms into the Hulk. Of course, Banner often cannot help when he transforms into the big green guy. Usually, it takes getting angry to do this. This is often why those around Bruce try to keep him in a zen state.<\/p>\n The assumption is that Hulk is some mindless monster that is willing to hurt anyone and destroy whatever he feels like. This is not actually true, as Hulk usually always has a reason for what he does. He usually gets combative with supposed “good guys” due to them attacking him first. That is often the issue Hulk runs into. He’s an antihero because he will fight good guys, and he will also “smash” far too much. Thus causing great destruction wherever he goes. Essentially, he is not the kind of threat to the world some assume. However, he is still a monster that often struggles to know when enough is enough. Elevating his anger only makes this worse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We know, the Devil himself is somehow an antihero? Wouldn’t he be a villain entirely?!? Not exactly, as the Lucifer comic book series does not exactly follow the biblical stories of Lucifer. Rather, it mythologizes him as well as several major biblical characters like Adam and Eve, the Archangels, and God himself. We’re utilizing the “Lucifer Morningstar<\/a><\/strong>” name rather than simply Lucifer to distinguish the two. Initially, Morningstar rose to comic book popularity in a Vertigo comic book series from DC named “The Sandman<\/em>.” Eventually, he would get his own spin-off title due to being so freaking interesting for fans. Lucifer is the ruler of Hell, a job God put him in. But he feels God sattled him with a role that did not fit him. Thus, he abandoned his role in favor of living among humans…which isn’t received very well.<\/p>\n The comic series centers on the issue of “free will.” Lucifer claims a person supposedly has willpower and uses himself as an example of that individualized willpower, which is in direct conflict with the Christian Church’s predestination concept. Lucifer’s words are blasphemous in Heaven’s eyes, but Lucifer retorts with the idea that rebellion, all sin, and damnation itself are then caused by the plans of their creator, God. Thus, he rejects God’s rule and moral philosophy as tyrannical and unjust. His beliefs and work among humanity often puts him in conflict with his angel brothers among other biblical and sometimes mythological characters. Lucifer does not often handle things as humans would, often ending criminal lives. Yet this man is one of the best comic book antiheroes ever created, without question.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Harley](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/harley-quinn-prison.jpg\")
Harley Quinn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/comedian-dc-comics.jpeg\")
The Comedian<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"V](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/v-from-v-for-vendetta.jpeg\")
V<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Black](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/black-cat-felicia-hardy.jpg\")
Black Cat<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Jesse](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/jesse-custer-preacher.jpg\")
Jesse Custer (Preacher)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Cable](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cable-marvel.jpeg\")
Cable<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Red](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/red-hood-dc-comics.jpeg\")
Jason Todd (Red Hood)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Judge](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/judge-dredd.jpeg\")
Judge Dredd<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Deadshot](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/deadshot.jpeg\")
Deadshot<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Elektra](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/elektra-mcu.jpeg\")
Elektra<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Rorschach](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/rorschach-watchmen.jpeg\")
Rorschach<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Catwoman\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/catwoman.jpeg\")
Catwoman<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Ghost](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ghost-rider-johnny-blaze.jpeg\")
Ghost Rider<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Jonah](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/jonah-hex.jpg\")
Jonah Hex<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Incredible](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hulk.jpeg\")
The Hulk<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Lucifer](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/lucifer-morningstar-2.jpeg\")
Lucifer Morningstar<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Namor](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/namor-2.jpeg\")
Namor The Submariner<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Spawn\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/spawn.jpeg\")
![\"Blade](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/blade-marvel-comics.jpeg\")