Author: FunGuyFromYuggoth (---.cox.net)
Date: 09-17-2003 18:45
The Avenger is an archetype that is often portrayed in literature or cinema as the "anti-hero," because in seeking to right a personal wrong, or in "hunting monsters," he or she becomes the monster itself. Sometimes they snap out of it and become normal people or heroes. Sometimes they don't.
Though they may bear some similiarities to the Sociopath and the Fanatic, the Avenger is a "Lone Wolf" and is averse to collaborations. Charles Bronson, Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris, and a plethora of 1970s and 1980s action heroes typify this villain. Innumerable sword and sorcery genre heroes have become Avengers (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in "Ill Met in Lankhmar").
The most significant thing about the Avenger is that they are classified as evil because they are acting outside of the Established Law and Order of whatever universe they find themselves in. They are tragic and dangerous figures for protagonists to come across, because they often elicit sympathy once their situation is explained, but they rarely give time to explaining themselves, their focus is singular: once crossed, they are dangerous, especially in the modern setting ("Azrael" and "The Punisher" come to mind).
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