(Credits: Netflix)

From our childhood, we are taught to become heroes. Certain examples are given that build the image of a hero in our mind, someone who is perfect or saves the world. However, as we grow up, the realisation of “every story has two sides” hits us, and this saying fits perfectly in the context of some imperfect Netflix heroes.

Over the years, the streamer has brought brilliant content for us, which has helped people realise that protagonists can be full of flaws too and still be the hero. The biggest example of this is Joe Goldberg from You, who essentially was a villain, but the audience still rooted for him. But enough about him, it is time we broaden the spectrum and move on to others who aren’t as good as they seem.

It sometimes takes you more than one watch to realise that the character you have been rooting for, who seems perfect, has its own cracks; all you need is to change the perspective a bit. But sometimes, all that is required is one watch, and the realisation hits. These heroes mess up, they hurt people around them, and sometimes they cause more damage than the villains. And maybe that’s not bad; in fact, it makes them more relatable and human.

These are complicated, unpredictable heroes who are often more relatable than the perfect guys, and we need more of them to redefine the trope. Some of them try their best and still fail, while others convince themselves they are doing the right thing when, deep down, they know they are not. Whatever the reason, their messy choices make them the most interesting part of the story.

So here are five Netflix heroes who might look like the good guys on paper but are actually a lot more questionable than you think.

Five Netflix heroes redefining the trope

BoJack Horseman – BoJack Horseman

At first, BoJack looks like your run-of-the-mill washed-up celebrity, and he is looking for redemption (“classic BoJack”). Like many of us, he wants to be taken seriously, where all his efforts go into the likes of him proving to the world that he is more than the silly sitcom star he used to be. However, whatever happens across the show is always against his main agenda. Every time he tries to change, disaster strikes, he gets cold feet tackling the consequences, and ends up hurting the people who he is closest to and care about him. This includes Diane, Todd, and even the young actors who look up to him.

What makes him such a complicated “hero” is that the show never excuses him. BoJack is self-aware and knows the ill consequences of his actions, yet he soldiers on, one mistaken boot before the other, scrambling to hold on to any semblance of good in him, but ending up a self-sabotaging. He is selfish, insecure, and destructive, reeling from a pained past and trauma everlasting, and that is exactly what makes him heartbreakingly human (or horse). He is not your conventional hero to follow or look up to, but a reminder that not all main characters deserve our sympathy, even if they are genuinely hurting as a result of their decisions.

Marty Byrde – Ozark

If you take all the thrills, twists and turns out of Marty’s life, he is just your average middle-aged man living next door. And since that is not the case here, and Marty has his hands deep down into crime, though unwillingly, he comforts himself by liking to believe that he is “forced” into doing it. On the surface, it looks like he is laundering money for a cartel to protect his wife and kids. But dig deeper, and you will see the truth that this man has enough pride and greed driving him, which are just as powerful as any threat around him.

Every decision he makes (mind you, consciously) pulls his family further into danger. His calm, rational tone makes it feel like he is in control, but really, he is addicted to the game. Marty is less of a hero and more of a cautionary tale about how ambition can disguise itself as protection and yet make you root for the same.

Anna Delvey – Inventing Anna

Anna Delvey was never the hero, neither in the show nor in real life. But the way she has been portrayed has misled a lot of people into thinking that she is a girl with a sad past who committed fraud just to survive. In the show, she is framed as a bold hustler, a young woman who is conning New York’s elite, as they deserve to be. But she is not doing that because she is some modern-day Robin Hood; all that is just for her own benefit. In the show, she is magnetic, funny, and strangely inspiring. Somewhere, she even flirts with painting herself as a hero of her own story, but, at the core, she is a manipulator who destroys friendships and trust without a second thought if it will propel her.

What makes Anna so fascinating is how easy it is to get pulled in or be fooled by the portrayal of her evil in a brighter light. Her confidence in the show makes you want to root for her, even as she lies her way through every room. Anna is proof that not every lead deserves applause, even when they are the most fun person onscreen.

Devi Vishwakumar – Never Have I Ever

Devi Vishwakumar, our favourite intelligent brown queen who has inspired an entire generation of teens is an important one on this list. Devi is smart, funny, and pretty sharp, too, and the kind of lead you instantly want to cheer for. But at the end of the day, she is just a teenager wanting to make her love life (or lust life) perfect by having sex with the hottest guy in school.

However, as you grow with her character in the show, you realise how often she sabotages herself and others and is extremely selfish when she wants something. All of this comes with her pathological lies, her occasional manipulation, and her treating her friends like side characters in her personal drama. Still, Devi works because her antics are relatable. She is messy in the exact way so many teenagers are messy, carrying the burdens of insecurity, impulsiveness and desperation to be liked, which makes her a grounded hero and not a polished one.

Jonas – Dark

If there is one Netflix hero who proves good intentions can still ruin everything, it is Jonas. This leading lad of one of the most successful shows on Netflix spends the entire series trying to fix the past, present and future, manipulating the forcefield that is time, to save people and stop a disaster. What is heartbreaking is that every choice he makes seems to trap him, and sadly, not just him, but everyone else around, leading to an even bigger mess.

The tragedy of Jonas is that he never really becomes the saviour he wants to be, as he runs from the ultimate truth that no one is beyond the irreversibility of time’s punishing hand. He is the true definition of a broken hero who can only win by losing his loved ones, and his determination to do otherwise blinds him. By the end, you start to wonder if he is really a hero at all or just another piece in the cycle of destruction, and that grey space is exactly what makes him unforgettable.