Women heroes?

[Neroon]

Faith. Although probably not a "hero" per se.

Would she be an example of an anti-hero?

 

[Hermiod]

Faith. Although probably not a "hero" per se.

Would she be an example of an anti-hero?

No, she'd be an example of an outright villain.

 

[Neroon]

Okay, I must not have seen enough of "Buffy" to get an accurate read.

 

[Ethros]

By the end she'd converted back to good so it's fair to label her as a hero

 

[Hermiod]

By the end she'd converted back to good so it's fair to label her as a hero

I haven't seen anything beyond the end of Buffy and Angel, but her assistance in fighting the Beast and later the First was more to do with self preservation, wasn't it ? People working for the First kept trying to kill her in jail and it was going after the entire Slayer line. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

 

[3D Master]

By the end she'd converted back to good so it's fair to label her as a hero

I haven't seen anything beyond the end of Buffy and Angel, but her assistance in fighting the Beast and later the First was more to do with self preservation, wasn't it ? People working for the First kept trying to kill her in jail and it was going after the entire Slayer line. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Nope. Faith was poised to stay in prison (where she put herself in) to do her time. Even Wesley asking for help did not make her do anything, until he told her that Angel was in trouble, as in, he was once again Angelus. Any idea of self-preservation hadn't even entered her mind. The only thing she thought was: "Guy who didn't give up on me in trouble, me help."

 

[Hermiod]

^Yeah, I forgot that. Even then, though, helping Angel doesn't necessarily make her a hero or even an anti-hero.

 

[3D Master]

^Yeah, I forgot that. Even then, though, helping Angel doesn't necessarily make her a hero or even an anti-hero.

She went with Willow because as Angel told her, there is no way to ever pay her debt, she can only struggle eternally doing the right thing, to get as close to that impossible goal as possible.

 

[Hermiod]

^I would just like to point out at this juncture that even Dr. Doom's word is his bond and he repays his debts.

 

[Rii]

I would just like to point out at this juncture that even Dr. Doom's word is his bond and he repays his debts.

I'm not sure what you're driving at here. Her debt to Angel was because he believed in her when no-one else would, because his example gave her the strength to stop running and face the consequences of her actions. If she was still the same woman who shot Angel in "Graduation Day" she would've killed him in "Five by Five". She was so disgusted by her own existence that she sought to goad Angel into killing her. Instead he demonstrated to her that the longer, more difficult path to personal change and redemption was an achievable or at least worthwhile one, and set her upon it.

Faith certainly has no debt of any kind to motivate her return to Sunnydale. Sure, the Bringers would've continued to pose a threat if she'd remained in LA or gone elsewhere, but heading towards the centre of their operations was hardly a recipe for long life. She spent a long time running, the logical choice would've been to keep running. Willow conveys that the Scoobies could really use Faith's help in Sunnydale and she goes, despite all the personal baggage awaiting her there.

Another vote for Faith as "anti-hero".

 

[ria 75]

I happen to have seen those episode again recently and I think what Faith does in Angel S4 is pretty heroic and selfless. So, added to her crimes, I guess that makes her an anti-hero.
She never even pronounces the word "redemption" once, but that's what she's been going through. In part because she makes no such claim. (Sorry if I'm getting it wrong, I didn't see the part where she goes to jail recently.)