Angel: Hero or Anti-hero?

[Kana]

I was considering Angel's moral position of late (for obvious reasons) and it led me to wonder if I considered him a hero or an anti-hero.

Pushing aside his desoulled periods and...

Spoiler

...Season 8 when he was more or less considered a villain...

Do you think over the course of both shows, Angel can be considered a a hero or anti-hero?

Not to sway you but I'd look at definitions of being heroism and antiheroism, the intentions and goals and the said person and the means they employ to execute those goals.

So Angel, Hero or Anti-hero? You decide!

 

[LostBeloved]

I believe that Angel's character is flawed. He desires to be this wonderfully heroic man and dometimes the burden that he carries are too much for him resulting i less than perfect actions. Every character has had this in time (except for Buffy she almost always does whats right. lol. But I think hes just a struggling sul trying to even out his misdeeds.

 

[The Scourge]

Neither, with the way he has been written lately.

 

[NY State of Mind]

He's a hero...sure he's had some Anti hero moments but all the best hero go through that...Batman, Spider-man, etc.

 

[Hale Caesar]

I believe that Angel's character is flawed. He desires to be this wonderfully heroic man and dometimes the burden that he carries are too much for him resulting i less than perfect actions. Every character has had this in time (except for Buffy she almost always does whats right. lol. But I think hes just a struggling sul trying to even out his misdeeds.

I really like this answer

 

[VisionGirl]

Merriam-Webster defines hero as:

1a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
b : an illustrious warrior
c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
d : one who shows great courage

2a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work
b : the central figure in an event, period, or movement

3plural usually he·ros : submarine 2

4: an object of extreme admiration and devotion : idol

So, he certainly fits b, d, and a (and to my gals in Merrick, 4 LOL!). But c is more questionable. He certainly is admired for his achievements & noble qualities a lot of the times, but his actions are not always good and his intentions are not always noble. On the one hand, he seems very human in this, but on the other, it is probably the wrestling with the demon within that brings that side out.

Anti-hero is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

: a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities

Which is not what I originally thought. But, I'll go with that. If we're going by that definition than no. Although he makes mistakes, has serious flaws, and sometimes selfish motives, I wouldn't make a blank statement that he is lacking in ALL heroic qualities (& the definition did not say "some").

TVtropes.org defines hero as:

The good guy, seeks to defeat the villain, save the princess, find the treasure, etc. Generally the central figure in Action Series and Adventure Series. Always wins in the end.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Heroes

Don't forget to look at the Venn diagram on that page. 🙂
They have a very looong anti-hero definition and it starts:

A character archetype that is almost as common in modern fiction as the Ideal Hero, an antihero is a protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero. (S)he may be bewildered, ineffectual, deluded, or merely apathetic. More often an antihero is just an amoral misfit. While heroes are typically conventional, anti-heroes, depending on the circumstances, may be preconventional (in a "good" society), postconventional (if the government is "evil") or even unconventional. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AntiHero

TVtropes says that Angel is a Byronic Hero, Celibate Hero, Hurting Hero, or Tragic Hero. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/Angel

 

[Ripper666]

Sometimes he is a Hero and sometimes an antihero. But I think in the most BTVS episoedes he the antihero.

 

[Willow My Love]

He's not a hero. He never was. He's a vampire that tries to do the best he can, but sometimes fails. But I think he is, at heart, a good guy. He does try to atone.

And I think, yet again, Joss and co. have ruined a wonderful character. They really seem to LOVE doing that.

 

[OhWow]

I don't think he is an anti-hero. An anti-hero might be Faith or Lindsey in terms of the Buffyverse. Dr. Horrible is the perfect example of one! And of course Unferth from Beowulf is such a classic anti-hero that he can't be unmentioned. So, after saying that I would not consider Angel an anti-hero.

I do think he is a hero though. Using my personal definition: A character who sacrifices their own luxuries and indulgences to help others and serve a greater purpose Then yes, I would absolutely consider Angel a hero! He makes mistakes, he has flaws, but what hero doesn't? Flaws are a fundamental part of the a hero's definition, whether they are human, superhuman, or god.

 

[orpheusxi]

I haven't read the comics, but in the TV Buffyverse he was always portayed as someone who wanted to do right but the circumstances always didnt lead to a successful good task. Season 2 of BTVS sort of touched on this with Angelus & maybe S3 with The First trying to mess with his brain, but it becomes a more prominent theme in his show like during S3 where he tries to be a good dad for Connor but circumstances just dont allow it, S4 where he ruins Jasmine's thrall for what he feels is the greater good & S5 where he takes over W&H to do good & work from the inside out. he also took the unconventional way to try and do something good by locking the lawyers in the room & isolating himself from AI in S2

 

[white avenger]

I think that Angel WANTS to be a hero, because he truly believes that in that way he can in some small way atone for the pain and suffering that he has caused over his centuries as a vampire. Unfortunately, he sometimes works so hard at being SEEN as a hero that he loses track of actually BEING one, as observed by Cordy in Season 5. Angel epitomizes the old saying, "One 'Aw, s**t' cancels a thousand ''Attaboys,'" and he seems to be getting way too many 'Aw s**ts' lately.

But you just gotta give the guy credit for determination.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Oooh, fun topic! I have thought extensively on this, and come to this conclusion...

I believe Angel possesses traits of both archetypes.

What do I mean by this?

Angel is no saint. He possesses many traits of an antihero. But no one can argue that Angel has and does exhibit heroic acts. He is courageous, brave, and self-sacrificing. He fights for the good of humanity willingly, and until recently, seemed to believe in our inherent goodness. YET, morally, Angel often misses the mark on the hero scale. His decisions are often morally ambiguous (Lindsey, anyone?). Angel is also defined in part by his "tragic flaw", which is of course, the means in which heroes often "fall." Angel's failure of character, like Hamlet, is his gullibility. This flaw is how Twilight came about.

To be honest though, I think Angel's more of a Byronic hero than an anything. After all, his focal struggle is his constant fight against his alter-ego, the other part of himself which represents the evil inside him, Angelus. Angel is arrogant, introspective, moody, (later on) wearly and cynical, doubting his ability to make a difference and if his mission is pointless. Antihero defined.

The modern fictional hero - of which Angel is one - could simply refer to the main character of a work. Many have referred to, say, Holden Caulfield as a 'hero' even though few would define him as one.

I think in a lot of ways Angel is no hero. He's just simply a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, so he rose to the occasion and dealt with the fantastic hand he was given. Ordinary guy who was given an extraordinary gift. But sometimes I'm astounded by the things Angel does. He is a truly terrific character, even if I hate him. Angel is interesting in part because his one self, Angel, embodies what is good and what he wants to be, and his alter-self, Angelus embodies the evil he is fighting against.

So, in conclusion, Angel is both a hero and an antihero. With maybe a dash of Byronic hero mixed in.

In a lot of ways, antiheros are more appealing, because they are not larger-than-life. They are not perfect. They are flawed - like us. They are not Gods but men. It's the heroes we can't relate too. Unless, of course, they fall, and then we can see ourselves in them perfectly.

 

[dexeded]

Spike, I think, is the series' main anti-hero. I've always thought of Angel as a hero--he's always touted as the Champion, the good noble souled vampire. Though he does have his flaws and lapses, as all good characters do, Angel is ultimately a hero.

 

[dGenerate]

On a scale of evil>neutral>good, he definitely leans toward good. But although he's done heroic acts, it's questionable as to whether it's to appease his own inner-torment or because he truly feels compelled to help the helpless.

 

[Kana]

I think Angel believes in good as a concept, but often falls short of his own ideal. The problem with any hero is that every decision they make can be seen as morally reprehensible depending which moral tools one uses.

The decision to save Darla, for example, from a Utilitarian perspective, be seen as something of a transgression as Angel can save many people and Darla can barely save herself. Nevertheless, it doesn't necessarily negate the inherent kindness in which the decision was steeped.

He's often faced with many catch 22 situations often making him tragic hero, but I think the Byronic hero actually fits nicely.

 

[WillowHallow]

In certain contexts he is a hero. When he risks his life in an early episode of angel where a demon turns him human, he has a amazing day with Buffy. However, he is willing to give this up for the greater good, and he is the only one who remembers it.
He has seen a few things which may have made him depressed throughout his exsistance: loosing Darla and Drusilla, loosing Buffy, being killed by Buffy, the deaths of Cordelia, Fred, Wesley. He doesn't know how to properly and healthily express his emotions, leaving him to brood, and this is why we could see him as an antihero.