The Modern Anti-Hero in a Historical Perspective

This paper explores the evolution of the modern anti-hero through a historical perspective, examining how key American cinematic works—Taxi Driver (1976), The King of Comedy (1982), and Joker (2019)—reflect the socio-political atmospheres and historical shifts of the United States. Rather than traditional villains or destructive forces, these anti-heroes emerge as society's "losers"—marginalized individuals driven to extremes by systemic pressures, disillusionment, and alienation. By analyzing Travis Bickle, Rupert Pupkin, and Arthur Fleck, the study traces a trajectory from post-Vietnam disillusionment and urban decay, through the rise of show business and a media-obsessed consumer culture, to contemporary crises involving economic inequality and failing social welfare systems.