Sociopathic Anti-heroes
These types of anti-heroes are those that lack the justification that justified anti-heroes deserve. They are often criminals and audiences are not easily, if ever engaged by them due to the hope of seeing their transformation or atonement, but rather out of sheer curiosity. They can certainly showcase a set of morals and ethics, but only through the skewed perspective within their own criminal worlds.
Tony Soprano (The Sopranos)
James Gandolfini at the beginning of his career-defining role as Tony Soprano. Image: HBO
Tony Soprano is perhaps the perfect example. He was a loving husband and father, but he often cheated on his wife and even hit his children. He was a loyal friend, but only to a point. If a criminal code was broken, friendship—and even family—didn’t matter to him. In the end, he deserved what he got (or didn’t get, depending on your Sopranos ending theories). His actions and lack of morals and ethics caught up with him, but audiences loved to peek into the underbelly of America.
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