Summary
Sometimes, video game fans get a little tired of always playing as heroes like Mario or Lara Croft. Every so often, it’s nice to control a character who’s a little more morally ambiguous. That’s why some of the most successful video games of all time star anti-heroes, which are protagonists whose heroic attributes are compounded by significant character flaws.
Video games have introduced some of the most iconic anti-heroes to fiction, including Joel Miller fromThe Last of Us, Shadow the Hedgehog from theSonicfranchise, and Ciri fromThe Witcher. However, there are also a lot of anti-heroes who originate from films (or at the very least, have been definitively interpreted by films) who would also make great video game characters someday.
Skills/Abilities
Bounty hunting, weapon handling
Although Rick Deckard, like many of the characters on this list, originated from source material, he’s best known as being portrayed by Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott’sBlade Runner. A bounty hunter tracking down runaway androids (or, replicants), the film sees the character develop a strong compassion for androids, though at the start of the story he is heartless towards them.
It’s surprising that, for one of the most iconic roles of Ford’s, Rick Deckard hasn’t made a video game appearance.There have been a fewBlade Runnervideo games, for Commodore 64 in 1985, for PC in 1997, and for VR systems in 2018. However, none of these versions feature Rick Deckard as a playable character or even NPC.
Weapon handling, stealth, computer hacking
Alan Moore is notoriously against his own IP being adapted, which is true of 2005’sV for Vendetta, despite its critical and commercial success. As a result, there has been no video game adaptation ofthe comic book writer’s graphic novel series, but the 2005 film would be a great way for its iconic lead, the enigmatic freedom fighter V, to commit some virtual anarchy.
As a playable anti-hero, there are a lot of cool things that V could do in a video game, making it potentially similar in gameplay to theAssassin’s Creedfranchise. Especially givenV for Vendettabeing a DC Comics series, perhaps there’s even a world in which V crosses paths with other iconic DC Comics characters like Batman, or even Alan Moore’s ownWatchmencast.
Stan Lee (writer) & Jack Kirby (illustrator), Joss Whedon (screenwriter/director)
Appears In
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, What If…?
Witchcraft, chaos magic, dreamwalking, reality warping
It may not technically be fair to group the Scarlet Witch in with this list of strictly movie-inspired anti-heroes, given her storied history in the comics. That being said, Elizabeth Olsen has completely redefined the character of Wanda Maximoff, which means if there was ever to be a Scarlet Witch-centered video game, projects likeWandaVisionwould make for an interesting source of inspiration.
For now, Wanda Maximoff is playable in games likeMarvel RivalsandMarvel’s Midnight Suns, but that’s as one playable character amongst a cast of Marvel Comics heroes. Given the character’s increased popularity over the years (as well as her current absence from the MCU), now’s the perfect time to delight Scarlet Witch fans with a proper video game based on Olsen’s portrayal.
Hand-to-hand combat, weapon handling
Park Chan-wook’s 2003 filmOldboyis one of the most iconic action films of all time, but has yet to be adapted into a video game. It has, however, had an American remake from 2013 starring Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen, but most fans of the original film can agree it’s far inferior. Nevertheless, this revenge story would make for a perfect action video game a laGrand Theft Auto.
The film’s anti-heroic protagonist, Oh Dae-su, played by Choi Min-sik, would be a particularly fun character to play, with his character getting to escape prison, hunting down his enemies, and getting intosome seriously brutal fights along the way. Thankfully, there’s a low bar for adaptingOldboyoutside its original film, so maybe a video game adaptation is the right move.
Weapon handling
If any of Quentin Tarantino’s movies are primed for a video game adaptation, it’sKill Bill. Starring Uma Thurman as “The Bride,” it’s a bloody revenge story inspired by martial arts films and 1970s exploitation. It’s almost shocking that the film, given its two-part release in 2003 and 2004, didn’t get a video game, as it was duringthe height of blockbuster movies being adaptedinto video games.
Whether it’s a side-scrolling beat-em-up or aGod of War-esque hack-and-slash, The Bride’s story seems like a perfectly suitable video game premise, rising up the ranks of Bill’s cronies level by level. It could even be fun to see some other Tarantino figures appear as playable characters, such as Jules fromPulp Fiction, Django fromDjango Unchained, and Shoshanna fromInglorious Basterds.
Derek Kolstad (screenwriter) & Chad Stahelski (director)
John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, The Continental: From the World of John Wick
Weapon handling, mixed martial arts
Even if you’ve never seen anyJohn Wickfilms, it’s not hard to see how the anti-hero could translate to a video game. Keanu Reeves is no stranger to video game adaptations, having contributed his voice toThe MatrixandConstantinevideo games, and even for John Wick’s cameo appearances inFortniteandPayday 2. A properJohn Wickvideo game, however, seems severely overdue.
Perhaps with the upcomingBallerina, starring Ana de Armas, it’s the perfect opportunity to adapt the richJohn Wickuniverse into a video game. Whether it explores some older adventures of Reeves' character prior to the events of the first film, or a completely new character who just crosses paths with John Wick, it’s a great setting for a high-stakes action-adventure title.
Paul Dini (writer) & Bruce Timm (illustrator), David Ayer (screenwriter/director)
Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), The Suicide Squad
Like Scarlet Witch, Harley Quinn technically shouldn’t belong on this list. Not only did she originate inBatman: The Animated Series, but there’s been plenty of video game featuring Harley, includingBatman: Arkham KnightandInjustice 2. However, like Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda, Margot Robbie’s interpretation of Harley is a completely fresh take on the character.
Her portrayal has certainly rubbed off on other interpretations of Harley Quinn, including the HBO animated series starring Kaley Cuoco. Nevertheless,getting to have Margot Robbie herself reprise the characterin a video game adaptation ofBirds of Prey, featuring The Huntress and Black Canary as well, would be an inspired choice for DC if they have no plans of reviving Harley anytime soon.
Sergio Leone (screenwriter/director)
A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and the Ugly
Bounty hunting
One of the most iconic characters in the history of film is Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name, a staple of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns.Video games have already perfected representing the Wild West, thanks toRed Dead Redemption, so it seems like a perfect fit to adapt Leone’s film masterpieces into a video game series re-introducing audiences to Eastwood’s silent sharpshooter.
Of course, the Man with No Name has inspired his fair share of video game characters, from Solid Snake ofMetal Gear Solid, as well as the MS-DOS point-and-click gameThe Town with No Name. His last appearance inThe Good, the Bad, and the Uglysaw the character ride off into the sunset to adventures unknown… maybe we could see what some of those adventures were?
Driving, weapons handling, mechanical engineering
Charlize Theron’s Furiosa fromMad Max: Fury Roadwas an instantly iconic movie hero, though Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance in 2024’sFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagaproved the character’s roots were as an anti-hero. Separated from her family, Furiosa becomes an undercover mechanic for Immortan Joe, before getting promoted as his Imperator by the end of the film by taking down Dementus.
Mad Maxin particular is a franchise ripe for video games, featuring a vast and rich open world and epic driving sequences. The 2015 video game primarily follows Max himself, but seeing a game exploring Furiosa’s story post-Mad Max: Fury Roadmay be the best way to continue the character’s story if a film never happens, and George Miller has already named Hideo Kojima as his choice to helm that game.
Driving, weapons handling
Video game fans love complicated characters, and what’s more complicated morally than the plot ofThelma & Louise? The film’s titular characters find themselves on the run after killing a stranger at a roadhouse, trying to make it to Mexico to evade getting caught. It’s easy to imagine the film being translated into a female-centricA Way Out, with mandatory co-op playing.
In terms of gameplay,Thelma & Louisecould combine the open worlds ofRed Dead Redemptionwith the intensity ofGrand Theft Auto, letting players make their way to Mexico while evading capture and, if they want, committing even more crime. Hopefully,the game’s ending could leave the duo better offthan the ending of the film certainly does.
