Create characters who break the rules
What do Deadpool, Catwoman, and Tyrion Lannister share in common? They’re all anti-heroes: protagonists readers root for, even though they don’t behave like a “proper” hero. They might, for instance, be cynical, selfish, reckless, or openly immoral. They might also do the right thing for the wrong reasons. But they’re not the villain, because the story still gives us enough humanity, vulnerability, or logic to cheer for them.
Sound like a tricky character to pull off? Reedsy Studio’s anti-hero template helps you bring them to life with 50+ questions — starting with the basics (name, background, occupation) and then digging into their psychology, from values and desires to fears and contradictions.
Use this template to write:
- The classic anti-hero — reluctant, anxious, and underestimated (Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit)
- The knight in sour armor — cynical and self-interested, but not heartless (Han Solo, Star Wars)
- The pragmatic anti-hero — willing to get their hands dirty (Edmund Pevensie, The Chronicles of Narnia)
- The unscrupulous anti-hero — vengeance-driven and increasingly brutal (Conan the Barbarian)
- The hero in name only — still the protagonist, but barely redeemable (Walter White, Breaking Bad)
Build three-dimensional anti-heroes
Get access to 70+ curated questions in Reedsy Studio that guide you through the moral logic, desires, fears, and justifications behind compelling anti-heroes. Every question is designed to help you build a character readers can understand, even when they don’t agree with them:
Desire & ambition
- What does your anti-hero want most?
- What do they consider their greatest achievement?
- What fate would they consider worse than death?
Fear & vulnerability
- What is their greatest fear or insecurity?
- What regret from their past still haunts them?
- What part of themselves do they most despise — but can’t change?
Love & loyalty
- Who or what is the greatest love of their life?
- Who do they truly value as a friend or ally?
- What quality do they admire most in others?
Morality & justification
- What do they believe is the most overrated virtue?
- When do they lie — and what makes it “worth it”?
- What motto or creed do they use to justify their choices?
Power & opposition
- Who do they despise most — and why?
- Who do they admire as a real-world or fictional “hero”?
- What trait in others do they find most unacceptable?
Identity & inner conflict
- What is their most defining characteristic?
- What is their current state of mind at the start — and at the end?
- If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
Legacy & meaning
- How would they choose to die, if they had control?
- If they were reincarnated, what would they come back as?
- What journey or home would truly feel like “theirs”?
Each prompt is 100% customizable, so you can shape your own Q&As and dive as deep into your anti-hero’s contradictions as your story demands.
Give your antihero the world they deserve
Just as no man is an island, characters don’t exist in isolation. In Reedsy Studio, you can connect your anti-hero template directly to your other planning templates — building a network of story elements that reinforce motivation, conflict, and consequence.
Link your anti-hero to their rival, their moral foil, or the one person who still believes in them. Track the alliances, betrayals, and emotional ties that shape every hard choice they make.
Reedsy Studio gives you the tools to connect all the dots in your story universe — so your character’s “wrong” decisions always feel rooted in the world around them.
Your morally gray characters, always with you
Reedsy Studio automatically saves every change you make, so your character work is always current, backed up, and easy to revisit. And because Studio works on any device, you can develop your anti-hero’s code, flaws, and contradictions anywhere — at your desk, on the train, or mid-plot crisis. Your story world travels with you!
An anti-hero template trusted by hundreds of thousands of authors
Reedsy’s templates are in use by over hundreds of thousands of authors, and the anti-hero Template similarly applies our proven, writer-first approach to morally gray character development — now inside the full Reedsy Studio ecosystem.
The Anti-Hero Character Template includes:
- Customizable character fields
- A curated bank of questions that explore their identity and psychology
- A structure you can adapt to fit any genre
Beyond the template, Studio provides:
- A full universe of planning templates (story structure, worldbuilding, scene planning, timelines, and more)
- Seamless integration between templates and your manuscript
- A full-featured manuscript editor for drafting and revision
- Automatic saving and cross-device syncing
- Export options in multiple formats
- Collaboration tools for writing partners
- A distraction-free writing environment
