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	{{~~about\|male~~ ~~action heroes~~\|~~action~~ ~~heroines\|list~~ of ~~female~~ action ~~heroes~~}}		{{short description\|Archetypal protagonist of action-genre fiction}}
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			An '''action hero''' (sometimes '''action heroine''' for women) is the protagonist of an ] or other form of entertainment which portrays action, adventure, and often violence.<ref>{{citation \|title=Blood, guns, and testosterone: action films, audiences, and a thirst for violence \|author=Barna William Donovan \|publisher=Scarecrow Press \|year=2010 \|isbn=9780810872622}}</ref> Action heroes are depicted in exciting or perilous chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. Other media in which such heroes appear include ]s, ]s, ], ]s, ]s, ]s, and ].
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	{{Dynamic list}}
	The archetypal '''action hero''' is the protagonist of an ] or other entertainment which portrays action and adventure.<ref>{{citation \|title=Blood, guns, and testosterone: action films, audiences, and a thirst for violence \|author=Barna William Donovan \|publisher=Scarecrow Press \|year=2010 \|isbn=9780810872622}}</ref> Other media in which such heroes appear include ]s, ], ], ]s, ]s, ]s, and ].

			==History==
	==Male action heroes==
			The origin of the action hero is rooted in the history of ] with adventure stories being primarily written for boys, to imagine being men on travels and experiencing exciting action. Shawn Shimpach wrote, "The young, white men who were (or became) the aggrandized subjects of these stories motivated the narratives through their penchant for action and resolved conflict through violence informed by grit, wits, and innate skill, securing, in each story, the future of the world for which they were responsible and in the process confirming their masculine identity." In the early twentieth century, this storytelling was commercialized, and the stories were "readily adapted" to film. One of the earliest action-hero actors was ].<ref name="shimpach">{{cite book \| last=Shimpach \| first=Shawn \| year=2010 \| chapter=The Hero \| title=Television in Transition: The Life and Afterlife of the Narrative Action Hero \| publisher=Wiley \| isbn=978-1-4443-2068-8 \| pages=33–34 }}</ref> In the '']'', Donald Liebenson wrote, "Douglas Fairbanks was Hollywood's first major action hero, best known for the costume epics that established him as the screen's most dashing swashbuckler."<ref>{{cite news \| last=Liebenson \| first=Donald \| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-06-14-9606140270-story.html \| title='King of Hollywood' a tribute to action-hero Fairbanks \| work=] \| date=June 14, 1996 \| accessdate=December 2, 2022 }}</ref> One of the defining action-hero characters played by Fairbanks was ], which ] called "the most influential action figure in film history and the happiest movie warrior of all time".<ref>{{cite news \| last=Sragow \| first=Michael \| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/zorro-100-birthday-movies/2020/12/29/455d6e30-4596-11eb-a277-49a6d1f9dff1_story.html \| title=Zorro at 100: Why the original swashbuckler is still the quintessential American action hero \| newspaper=] \| date=January 1, 2021 \| accessdate=December 2, 2022 }}</ref> Fairbanks was followed by ], who achieved fame as ] in the 1938 film '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine \| last=Ehrlich \| first=David \| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/from-swashbucklers-to-supermen-a-brief-history-of-action-movie-heroes-60935/ \| title=From Swashbucklers to Supermen: A Brief History of Action-Movie Heroes \| magazine=] \| date=September 1, 2015 \| accessdate=December 2, 2022 }}</ref>

			In the middle of the twentieth century, "...the action genre was predictably populated by suave, attractive heroes living adventures of thrilling, exotic excitement, unimpeded by (if clearly aligned to) national, cultural, or state borders." When television became commonplace, shows that featured action heroes included '']'' (1952–1958), '']'' (1961–1969), '']'' (1962–1969), '']'' (1964–1968), '']'' (1966–1968), and '']'' (1966–1973). Shimpach said they "offered up extraordinary (if not always completely serious) white men who resolved conflict through direct action and violence while displaying their effortless mastery of urban spaces, new technologies, fashion, and their own bodies."<ref name="shimpach" />
	===Actors===

			==See also==
	====Classic action heroes====
			* ]
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			* ]
			* ]
			* ]
			* ]
			* ]

			==References==
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			{{reflist}}
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	====New action heroes====
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	===Film===
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	===Television===
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	* ] from '']''
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	* David Starsky from '']''
	* Ham Tyler from '']''
	* Cordell Walker from '']''
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	===Video games===
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	* Huang Lee from the ]
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	* ] from '']''
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	* John ''Soap'' MacTavish from '']'' and '']''
	* Alex Mason from '']''
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	* Edge Maverick from '']''
	* ] from the ]
	* ] from the ]
	* Point Man from the ]
	* ] from the ]
	* Max Payne from '']''
	* ] from the ]
	* ] from the ]
	* John Price from '']'' and '']''
	*The Nameless Protagonist from the '']
	* ] from the ]
	* ] from the ]
	* Regret from '']''
	* Reznov from '']'' and '']''
	* ] from the ]
	* Simon ''Ghost'' Riley from '']''
	* ] from the ]
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	* Jack Slate from the '']'' series
	* "Serious" Sam Stone from the ]
	* ] from '']''
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	* Snow Villiers from '']''
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	===Animation===
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	* ] from '']''
	* Akio Asakura from '']''
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	* ] from '']'', '']'' and '']''
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	* James Bond, Jr. from '']''
	* Marshall BraveStarr from '']''
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	* Gon Freecs from '']''
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	* Takumi Fujiwara from '']''
	* InuYasha from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* Jason in ] (equivalent to Joe in ])
	* Lion-O from '']''
	* Mark in ] (equivalent to Ken in ])
	* ] from '']''
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	* Captain Planet from '']''
	* ] from '']''
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	* Ryo Saeba from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* Yusuke Urameshi from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* Ziv "ZZ" Zulander from '']''
	{{div col end}}

	===Literature===
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	* ] from '']''
	* ] from the ]
	* Judah Ben-Hur from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* Percy Blakeney from '']''
	* ] from the ]
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	* Edmond Dantès from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* ] from '']''
	* ] from '']''
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	* ] from '']''
	* ], a prominent hero in ]
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	* ] from the '']'' and '']''
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	* ] from the ]
	* ] from ]
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	* The Spider from '']''
	* ]
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	* Wilfred of Ivanhoe from '']''
	* ] from the ]
	{{div col end}}

	==Further reading==		==Further reading==
	*Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. ''Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks.'' London: Routledge, 2001.		*Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. ''Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks.'' London: Routledge, 2001.
	*Tasker, Yvonne. ''Action and Adventure Cinema.'' New York: Routledge, 2004.		*]. ''Action and Adventure Cinema.'' New York: Routledge, 2004.

	==Notes==
	{{refimprove\|date=July 2012}}
	{{reflist}}

	==External links==		==External links==
			*{{cite web \|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090100360_pf.html \|title=The Lost Action Hero \|newspaper=]}}
	* - '']''
	* - '']''

	{{Stock characters}}		{{Stock characters}}

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Latest revision as of 07:23, 23 November 2024

Archetypal protagonist of action-genre fiction

An action hero (sometimes action heroine for women) is the protagonist of an action film or other form of entertainment which portrays action, adventure, and often violence. Action heroes are depicted in exciting or perilous chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. Other media in which such heroes appear include swashbuckler films, Western films, old-time radio, adventure novels, dime novels, pulp magazines, and folklore.

History

The origin of the action hero is rooted in the history of imperialism with adventure stories being primarily written for boys, to imagine being men on travels and experiencing exciting action. Shawn Shimpach wrote, "The young, white men who were (or became) the aggrandized subjects of these stories motivated the narratives through their penchant for action and resolved conflict through violence informed by grit, wits, and innate skill, securing, in each story, the future of the world for which they were responsible and in the process confirming their masculine identity." In the early twentieth century, this storytelling was commercialized, and the stories were "readily adapted" to film. One of the earliest action-hero actors was Douglas Fairbanks. In the Chicago Tribune, Donald Liebenson wrote, "Douglas Fairbanks was Hollywood's first major action hero, best known for the costume epics that established him as the screen's most dashing swashbuckler." One of the defining action-hero characters played by Fairbanks was Zorro, which Michael Sragow called "the most influential action figure in film history and the happiest movie warrior of all time". Fairbanks was followed by Errol Flynn, who achieved fame as Robin Hood in the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood.

In the middle of the twentieth century, "...the action genre was predictably populated by suave, attractive heroes living adventures of thrilling, exotic excitement, unimpeded by (if clearly aligned to) national, cultural, or state borders." When television became commonplace, shows that featured action heroes included Adventures of Superman (1952–1958), The Avengers (1961–1969), The Saint (1962–1969), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968), Batman (1966–1968), and Impossible (1966–1973). Shimpach said they "offered up extraordinary (if not always completely serious) white men who resolved conflict through direct action and violence while displaying their effortless mastery of urban spaces, new technologies, fashion, and their own bodies."

References

Barna William Donovan (2010), Blood, guns, and testosterone: action films, audiences, and a thirst for violence, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 9780810872622
^ Shimpach, Shawn (2010). "The Hero". Television in Transition: The Life and Afterlife of the Narrative Action Hero. Wiley. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-1-4443-2068-8.
Liebenson, Donald (June 14, 1996). "'King of Hollywood' a tribute to action-hero Fairbanks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
Sragow, Michael (January 1, 2021). "Zorro at 100: Why the original swashbuckler is still the quintessential American action hero". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
Ehrlich, David (September 1, 2015). "From Swashbucklers to Supermen: A Brief History of Action-Movie Heroes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 2, 2022.

External links

"The Lost Action Hero". The Washington Post.

Stock characters

By ethics and morality

Heroes

Classic hero	Action hero Christ figure Chosen One Everyman Folk hero Knight-errant Legacy hero Mythological king Paladin Superhero Youngest son
Antihero	Byronic hero Man alone Tragic hero
Other	Cyberhero Super soldier Space marine

Rogues

Lovable rogue	Gentleman detective Jack Trickster
Tricky slave	Zanni (servants, clowns: Harlequin, Brighella, Scapino, Pulcinella and Pierrot)
Outlaw	Bad boy Gentleman thief Pirate Air pirate Space pirate
Other	Good cop/bad cop Rake

Villains

Antivillains	False hero
The mole	Double agent Evil twin Terrorist
Social Darwinist	Dark lord Mad scientist Supervillain
Monsters	Bug-eyed monster Evil clown Killer toy Monster girl Skeleton Slime Swamp monster Vampires Zombie Nazi zombies
Other	Alazon Archenemy Folk devil Igor Masked villain Miser Vecchio (wealthy old men, Pantalone and Il Dottore) Il Capitano (self styled captain, braggart)

By sex and gender

Feminine

Love interest	Bishōjo Blonde stereotype Farmer's daughter Girl next door Hooker with a heart of gold Ingénue Loosu ponnu Magical girlfriend Catgirl Monster girl Manic Pixie Dream Girl Vixen
Hag	Cat lady Crone Fairy godmother La Ruffiana Loathly lady
Hawksian woman	Dragon Lady Femme fatale Tsundere
Woman warrior	Jungle girl Magical girl Virago Strong female character
Queen bee	Princesse lointaine Southern belle Valley girl Yamato nadeshiko
LGBT	Class S Laotong
Lady-in-waiting	Columbina Mammy stereotype
Geek girl	Gamer girl
Damsel in distress	Final girl Princess and dragon

Masculine

Harlequin	Pierrot Scaramouche
Father figure	Wise old man Elderly martial arts master
Young	American mappillai Himbo Ivan the Fool Jack Jock Little Johnny Nice guy Nice Jewish boy Superfluous man
Prince Charming	Bishōnen Knight-errant
Primitive	Feral child Noble savage Caveman Mountain man
LGBT	Seme and uke Otokonoko
Bad boy	Pachuco Black knight

Others
Adolescent clique Barbarian Clown Dragonslayer Donor Fool Identity formation Imaginary friend Innamorati ("The Lovers") Little green men Magical Negro Mole people Pop icon Redshirt Shoulder angel Sidekick Straight man Tokenism Town drunk Tragic mulatto Truck-kun Village idiot White savior

Categories:

Latest revision as of 07:23, 23 November 2024

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links