A man lies prone on the roof. Before pulling the trigger, he whispers, “One batch, two batch, penny and dime.” The bullet flies across a distance equal to 18 football fields in about four seconds to connect with the unsuspecting murderer of an eight-year-old, ending his life in an instant. An antihero is a main character who lacks “hero qualities.” Most commonly, they lack the sense of idealism and morality that a hero would have. This archetype is seen across many forms of media, such as comic books, television series, movies, and even stories dating back to 1714.

Antiheroes are included in works such as Othello. Although the interpretation of an antihero is broad, characters such as Othello, Cassio, and Emilia are seen as antiheroes as they lack defining traits a hero might usually possess. Othello, the protagonist of the story, might be considered more of a tragic hero because Iago manipulates his actions. However, he still acts in a selfish manner throughout the story which ultimately leads to his downfall. I have seen some interpretations of Othello where Iago is seen as an antihero rather than a villain. Iago, however, acts for himself with no regard for whomever’s life he is harming in the process. He is willing to get an innocent woman killed in order to gain power. He is willing to steal, manipulate, and kill to get his way. These are not the acts of an antihero but of a villain.

Antiheroes are notorious for their willingness to kill people in the name of honor and justice. A couple of examples are the Punisher and Wolverine. Both have shown a willingness to kill with very little remorse but only do so in the name of justice and honor. This is in contrast to pure heroes who might not kill at all or pure villains who kill with little regard for human life.

Unfortunately, killing people, guilty or not, probably wouldn’t land you a spot in heaven. There is a spot in hell just for those who kill. According to Dante’s levels of hell, Circle VII: Ring One-Violence is reserved for those who are “violent against acquaintances and strangers.” The specific punishment for this ring is to be submerged in blood. The more people you’ve killed, the deeper you are lowered. Whether you kill those who deserve it or not, you still commit acts of violence against those people. That is what classifies antiheroes as antiheroes and not heroes.