In fiction, an antihero (sometimes antiheroine as the feminine) is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is contrary to that of the archetypal hero, yet typically retains many heroic qualities.^{[citation needed]} The term dates to 1714, although literary criticism identifies the term in earlier literature. In contrast, an antivillain is considered to be an antagonist who, in contrast to the archetypal villain, elicits considerable sympathy or admiration.^{[citation needed]}

There is no definitive moment when the antihero came into existence as a literary trope. The antihero has evolved over time, changing as society's conceptions of the hero changed, from the Elizabethan times of Faust and William Shakespeare's Falstaff, to the darker-themed Victorian literature of the 19th century, such as John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, written in the mid-18th century, or as a timid, passive, indecisive man that contrasts sharply with other Greek heroes to Philip Meadows Taylor's Confessions of a Thug. The Byronic hero also sets a literary precedent for the modern concept of antiheroism.

Mattafix are a UK duo, made up of Marlon Roudette and Preetesh Hirji. Their sound is a fusion of hip hop/rap, R&B, reggae, dancehall, blues, jazz, soul and world. They won the Sopot International Song Festival in 2006.

Marlon Roudette was born in London and is the son of Cameron McVey, a British music producer, and Vonnie Roudette, a designer and artist from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. As a young child he moved with his mother and sister to St. Vincent, where he began his music career, and returned to London when he was 18. Preetesh Hirji was born in London of dual-Indian parentage and grew up in the heart of West London, where he started at Eastcote Studios on Kensal Road.

Mattafix released their first single "11.30 (Dirtiest Trick in Town)" as a limited edition on Buddhist Punk Records on 13 January 2005. However, the song never charted.

Their second single, "Big City Life", was released by EMI on 8 August 2005. It was a considerable hit, managing a number 15 in the United Kingdom and a number 1 in Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and New Zealand. It also had considerable success in other European countries where it reached the top 20. It can also be heard on the soundtrack to the hit video game FIFA World Cup Germany 2006, designed by EA Sports, and was included in the NOW! 62 UK compilation, the duo's first and only song to date, to be included in the series.

John Joseph Cardiel (born December 14, 1973 in San Jose, California) is a professional skateboarder who grew up in Half Moon Bay and Grass Valley, California and currently resides in Sacramento, California.

He started Anti Hero Skateboards on Deluxe Distribution along with Nick Perry in 1995.

His sponsors are Vans, Anti Hero, Spitfire, Independent Truck Company and Chrome Industries.

In 2003, at the end of a 4 week road trip from Brisbane to Melbourne in Australia to film the skateboard movie Tent City, John Cardiel lost his footing while running alongside the van and was run over by its trailer. He injured his spinal cord and wasn't given any chance to ever walk again, but after five months of rehabilitation in the hospital and a few months in a wheel chair he was able to regain the use of his legs.

After a hiatus, he later emerged on two wheels instead of four being featured in the 2008 street fixed gear cycling film "Macaframa" directed by Colin Arlen and Colby Elrick. He attributes his recovery to his cycling, and continues to be an advocate of street fixed gear cycling.