The comic book movie anti hero is often a fans favourite. They live by their own extreme moral code in isolation from society. Flawed in appearance or mind they possess all the qualities of a potential villain but choose not to be one. Here are a few of the best comic book movie anti heroes:

Marv (Sin City 2005)

At 7 foot tall with a buzz cut and heavily scarred face Marv isn’t exactly the pin up boy of graphic novel hero’s. A sufferer from an unnamed mental condition that causes some short term memory loss Marv is the trench coat wearing, super strong, torturous character of the Sin City series. In the gritty 2005 film he is portrayed by Mickey Rourke.

Being a sucker for a dame is perhaps the only thing holding him back from being the psycho killer that mirrors his appearance.

“These are the old day’s man, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They’re back! ”

V (V for Vendetta 2005)

V is the poetically spoken, highly intelligent freedom fighter out to dismember the corrupt government who disfigured him during experiments. Wearing the iconic Guy Fawkes mask V slashes his way through government officials whilst saving and nurturing and every day woman called Evey. The film differed from the comic series and received a mixed reception but the iconic role of V was portrayed well by Hugo Weaving. V’s focus on the totalitarian government is perhaps the only thing keeping him away from being your every day experimental monster.

“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof”

Constantine (2005)

Taken from the comic book series hell blazer John Constantine has the power to see Angels and Demons in their true form on earth. After attempting to commit suicide and being revived at a young age he is dammed to hell the next time he dies. Constantine develops lung cancer as a result of chain smoking and his life evolves around exercising demons on earth. Ok so the film isn’t great, it got stuck in the mid teen category when it should have gone all out but Constantine is as anti hero as you can get and there is enough material and cult following for a remake.

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“Heaven and hell are right here, behind every wall, every window, the world behind the world. And we’re smack in the middle”

Tom Stall aka Joey Cusack (A History of Violence 2005)

Tom Stall appeared to be a family man in a small town in Indiana. After a violent altercation in his coffee shop where he killed a man he was revealed to be a former gangster called Joey Cusack. He had run away from home some years ago in a bid to change the killer and person he was. A violent and dangerous man thrust back into his old ways due to his former family finding out about his whereabouts. His forgotten past and yearned for present make him the extremely dangerous anti hero that he is.

Tom Stall: In this family, we do not solve problems by hitting people!

Jack Stall: No, in this family, we shoot them!

Rorschach (Watchmen 2009)

Son of a prostitute, Rorschach is the most relentless sociopathic member of The Watchmen. Rorschach remained an active crime fighter after the law was passed to outlaw masked vigilantes and was key in uncovering the murder of The Comedian. He is fuelled by hatred towards society and an extreme rigidness of right from wrong, this unwillingness to accept an alternative to his own though process leads to his demise at the hands of one of his own partners. Rorschach’s gravelly vocals provide a narrative to Zach Snyder’s 2009 flick in which Jackie Earle Haley steals the show

as the disturbed crime fighter. Named after a psychological test he has to be on the list as one of the best anti heroes of all time.

“The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout “Save us!”… and I’ll whisper “no.”