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Long gone are the times when movie characters had to be either good or evil, with nothing in between. These days, it's much more common for the characters to have all shades of gray, both good and bad sides. Some of the best movie anti-heroes are so popular among the fans precisely because it's difficult to put them in a single category.
They're dangerous, sometimes downright deadly, but at the same time, they can be charming, sympathetic, or nice to other people, even helping them when they need it. As such, it's easy to cheer them on, sometimes even at the expense of the so-called "pure heroes."
8 Jack Sparrow
In the later movies, the charm of Jack Sparrow waned a bit but in the first and second movie, Johnny Depp's Jack is a charming rogue. He brings chaos into the lives of both Will and Elizabeth and isn't above lying to people or taking advantage of them. For example, he steals a boat from Zoe Saldana's Anamaria.
However, at the same time, Jack does his best to protect his friends. He could have easily broken his promise to Will any time they were searching for Elizabeth, but instead, Jack made sure they both survived. What's more, his mannerisms and sense of humor as well as many memorable quotes earned him many fans among the audience.
7 Charles Foster Kane
Citizen Kane (1941) is one of the greatest classics, and it stood the test of time. A large reason for its success is its main character, Charles Foster Kane, played by the movie's director Orson Welles. He starts out as a poor fellow but eventually becomes a media mogul the likes of whom the world has never seen.
While Kane does everything in his powers to achieve success and doesn't consider other people, he's ultimately sympathetic because the audience knows the type of life he left behind yet was unable to escape in the end. Furthermore, the final suggestion that Kane was looking for his lost childhood the entire time lends even more depth to his character.
6 John Wick
It's difficult to cheer on characters killing people in movies, dozens of them, but John Wick is the exception to the rule. One reason for his popularity among the fans is Keanu Reeves' charismatic performance. Another important fact to take into consideration is that the audience knows where John is coming from.
After losing his wife, he focuses on showing love to his dog, the last thing he has left after his wife. Yet when John's dog gets murdered, John sets out on a path of revenge that the movies manage to feel justified, even though he kills dozens of people.
5 Léon
Another professional killer who is even more sympathetic than John Wick is Jean Reno's Léon. This silent, lonely killer starts taking care of a young orphaned girl, Mathilda, whose family had been killed by a corrupt cop and his men. Léon teaches Mathilda everything he knows and helps her get her revenge. Despite his line of work, Léon ultimately comes across as a sensitive and kind man.
When the audience sees him taking careful care of his plant who's his best friend, they quickly understand that Léon is much more than just a killing machine. He proves this, even more, when he risks everything, his life included, to protect Mathilda and avenge the death of her loved ones, especially her little brother.
4 Loki
To this day, Loki remains one of the most popular MCU villains - perhaps because there's more to him than just being evil. Despite Loki's less-than-stellar behavior and his tendency to betray his family, the fans can understand where he's coming from...that he searches for a place to belong.
Loki brings a lot of trouble to the Avengers in their first team movie but he eventually ends up working with his brother, helps him more than once, and even tries to kill Thanos, the ultimate MCU big baddie. Loki's repeated appearances in the MCU gave him the chance to redeem himself and made him a fan-favorite antihero.
3 Deadpool
It would be a mistake to mention Loki and not include Deadpool as well, considering he's the definition of antihero in Marvel movies. Deadpool's abilities make him somewhat unpredictable and dangerous to many but at the same time, Deadpool isn't a stereotypical bad guy. In his two movies, he's motivated by love and devastated when he loses it.
He also wants to build friendships, which is something villains don't tend to bother themselves with. Deadpool gets even more chances to shine in the comics where he helped other superheroes multiple times, such as Spider-Man, with whom Deadpool has a unique friendship.
2 Severus Snape
Of all the Harry Potter characters, Severus Snape is one of the most complex and beloved ones. Everybody knows the way he treats Harry and other Gryffindor students. Yet as the series later reveals, Snape has spent a better part of his life helping the students, Harry included, and risking his life for other people when he served as a double agent in Voldemort's ranks.
Yes, Snape has committed his fair share of mistakes during his life, but his effort to protect Harry (from Quirrell in the first movie, for example), as well as his ultimate sacrifice, proves that he has managed to atone for his past errors.
1 Han Solo
The Star Wars series has multiple characters who could be considered antiheroes (such as Kylo Ren) but Han Solo is by far the best. Harrison Ford plays him as charming and intelligent yet also a bit selfish...a man who wants nothing to do with the big fight.
As all fans of Star Wars know, Han Solo changes his mind (Princess Leia might have had something to do with that) and joins the Resistance, fighting against the Dark Side. As time progresses, Solo becomes more and more likable because he stops caring about himself and lends his intelligence and resilience to those who need it the most.