Bad Guys are Exhausting to Watch—So Why Do We Keep Rooting for The Anti-Hero?
They lie, cheat, manipulate and even kill—sometimes all in one episode. Yet they remain the most compelling personalities on screen. Think Walter White, Tony Montana, Joe Goldberg; we all have our favorites, but these are far from the heroes of the show.
Antiheroes don’t follow a typical redemption arc. Often, they never get the comeuppance they so rightly deserve. Instead, they keep breaking the rules, getting away with it, and doing it all over again. We’re talking about everyone from warlords to drug dealers to serial killers—characters we’re supposed to hate, but somehow, we don’t.
What keeps us rooting for these characters, despite everything?
To understand, it helps to look inward and consider what makes these personalities so compelling. As two psychology experts explain, there’s something about the way these characters navigate the world that draws us in and makes it hard to look away.
What is an Antihero?
First up, let’s start with the basics. Antiheroes have main character energy, but they’re hell-bent on doing the wrong thing. These characters hold our attention because they’re complex, unpredictable and usually a little dangerous. While they may not be your typical protagonist, antiheroes have a mission and aren’t afraid to do whatever it takes to complete it.
Although antiheroes come in many forms on TV and beyond, two personality stereotypes crop up again and again: the ENTP and the INTJ in the Myers and Briggs system.
ENTP: The Ultimate Scene-Stealing Antihero
Charming, chaotic, and hard to predict, ENTPs steal scenes and for great reason. This personality type is all about fast thinking, faster talking, and breaking the rules that don't serve their interests. Whatever scenario they find themselves in, they find a way to turn the tables, and do it with a glimmer in their eye.
“ENTPs thrive as antiheroes because they are brilliant, quick-witted and utterly unpredictable,” says clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Ann Monis. “They do not just break rules. They enjoy dismantling systems just to prove they can.”
Not sure what we mean? Think Loki and Tyrion Lannister. These characters manipulate power dynamics with humor, charisma and a sharp instinct for survival. They aren’t necessarily evil by nature, but they’re not interested in being good either. When it comes down to it, they’re unlikely to take the virtuous route to get what they want.
INTJ: The Cool and Cunning Antihero
INTJs take a very different approach from ENTPs. These antiheroes aren’t interested in entertaining anyone with clever tricks; every move is part of a larger plan. They operate with a blueprint and always have a backup, just in case. Precision and order define their approach.
“INTJs work so well as antiheroes because they rely entirely on logic, long-term planning, and personal vision,” says Monis. “They are not driven by a need for approval. Instead, they are focused on outcomes, and they will sacrifice anything to get there.”
This is the model you see in characters such as Walter White or Thanos. Every decision is intentional. You won’t find them acting chaotically or breaking rules for the thrill. Instead, these characters have everything mapped out, considering every angle and knowing exactly what to do next.
“Unlike ENTPs who thrive on disruption and enjoy the chaos, INTJs see themselves as correct and justified,” Monis explains. “They believe their version of order is necessary, no matter the consequences. That certainty is what makes them so unsettling.”
Why Do We Love Rooting for Antiheroes?
Whether you’re quietly cheering as a killer hides a body or feeling a thrill when a drug dealer escapes the police, there’s often a sense that your reaction isn’t quite right. These characters do things most of us would never even consider—in fact, being in their shoes would be a nightmare. Yet, that’s exactly what makes antiheroes so appealing. We’re drawn to watching them act out impulses we keep in check, and we’re fascinated by how they manage to get away with it.
“Antiheroes captivate audiences because they represent the raw, unfiltered version of human nature that most of us suppress,” says Monis. “Society teaches us to control our impulses, follow rules and prioritize collective harmony. But antiheroes reject those constraints. Watching them allows us to vicariously experience freedom from consequences.”
But it goes deeper. When you’re truly absorbed in a series or movie, there’s a strange sense of comfort, too. Dr. Sam Zand, psychiatrist and founder of Anywhere Clinic, notes that antiheroes reflect something more authentic than traditional heroes ever could. “While traditional heroes embody idealism, morality and clarity, antiheroes are messy, morally ambiguous, and often emotionally wounded,” he says. “They allow us to explore inner conflict without shame.”
Stories with antiheroes flip the narrative, inviting us to understand what drives these characters. We’re not meant to copy their actions—most of us wouldn’t even consider it—but to explore why they make the choices they do. Watching someone take a path we’d never choose ourselves gives us a chance to ask why. We’re transfixed by their every move because we never know if—or when—they’ll finally stop.
What If You Relate to the Antihero?
Worried you’re the problem here? You needn’t be. Feeling drawn to a certain kind of antihero doesn’t mean you are one, or there is something wrong with you. You might simply empathize with what they want, whether that’s power, control, detachment or rebellion.
Still, noticing a pattern in the characters you return to might reveal something about yourself.
“It definitely suggests something, but I would not say it always points to a person’s exact type,” Monis explains. “When someone gravitates toward an ENTP antihero, they might be responding to that energy, that boldness, that sharp edge that says what no one else will. It might reflect a part of them that wants to push limits.”
With INTJs, the attraction often comes from a desire to have more distance from their own emotions or more confidence in their own judgment. As Monis notes, it’s these qualities people admire—not the actions themselves.
Ultimately, being drawn to these roles can be a way to explore traits we often keep in check in everyday life—boldness, disobedience, detachment, even calculated aggression. “It’s not necessarily that we condone the behavior,” says Zand. “But witnessing it in a fictional world can feel cathartic.”
Can Bad Guy Characters Change How We Think?
Catharsis aside, it’s natural to wonder if binge-watching antihero stories is doing something to your brain. If you spend hours rooting for someone who lies, steals or worse, does it actually change you?
Possibly, our experts say. While watching terrible deeds on screen doesn’t mean you’re going to copy them, it can shift your sense of what feels normal. Over time, choices that might have shocked you in the first episode start to feel less surprising.
“Repeated exposure can subtly shift our emotional tolerance, though not necessarily in a harmful way,” Zand explains. “The more we engage with a certain type of narrative or behavior, the more familiar, and potentially normalized, it becomes.”
Of course, as viewers, we understand that what happens on screen isn’t real life. Watching Harry Potter doesn’t make you believe you can cast spells, just as following an antihero’s journey doesn't make you think poisoning your business rival or laundering money through a car wash is a reasonable solution to your problems.
That said, it’s worth approaching these stories with a critical mind. If you find yourself getting too caught up—or even rooting a little too hard for the antihero—it might be time to take a step back. Mixing in stories where good prevails can help keep your perspective balanced.
“It’s a psychological exercise in complexity,” Zand explains. “We learn to hold multiple truths at once. But without critical reflection, that exposure can desensitize us to behaviors we’d otherwise reject.”
Takeaway
The most compelling antiheroes aren’t just causing chaos for the thrill of it. Even their worst decisions are rooted in a logic that makes sense to them, if not to us. That’s what keeps us watching: they’re puzzles we want to solve, characters whose motives we’re driven to understand. No matter how many lines they cross or how far they stray, we stay invested—always hoping to crack their code, and never quite able to look away.
