Antiheroes
The meaning of this term is sometimes used to describe a protagonist who is ineffectual and unfortunate, rather than resolute and determined, and on other occasions it refers to the protagonist of a work whose actions or motives are evil or questionable. In short, the antihero, or anti-hero, tends to be a fictional character who may appear to be the counterpart of a hero in the traditional sense.
The antihero can also be constructed as a parody of the hero. This device appears clearly in characters such as Don Quixote, who parodies the brave and daring knights of the Middle Ages, and, closer to our own time, Get Smart (Agent 86), a television character who parodies the spies of the world powers.