Examples:
- Dr. Hannibal Lecter — Silence of the Lambs
- Vincent and Jules — Pulp Fiction
- Patrick Bateman — American Psycho
The Anti-Villain is pretty straight forward. While their intentions may be evil, such characters are present in the type of story that showcases that "villain" as having characteristics that are appealing or sympathetic to the audience. Anti-Villains are often, but not always — in the case of Hannibal Lecter — the forefront of the story. One could even say that they are written as the protagonist, as is especially the case in Pulp Fiction with Vincent and Jules. Make no mistake, they are evil. They have done some evil things. You could put those characters in other categories below, namely The Criminal, however, because we learn more about them and learn that they have appealing and sympathetic characteristics, and because we are seeing much of the story through their perspectives, they’ve now become Anti-Villains.
