In the age of superhero films, 2023 was filled with heroes for audiences to root for. Superheroes aren't the only types of heroes in film. Audiences find themselves rooting for all sorts of protagonists, from superheroes who try to disarm their opponents with non-lethal strategies, to anti-heroes who only know violence as their means to win the day. However, it takes more than saving the day to be a hero.

A hero is someone with principles who puts others above themselves and looks out for the majority. Honor and integrity play a big role in what it means to be a hero. Somebody who only does the right thing for recognition isn't doing it for the right reasons. Being a hero requires making hard choices. This past year gave audiences plenty of heroes to admire and emulate, and these are the best heroes audiences saw on the silver screen in 2023.

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Miles Morales

The Spider-Verse trilogy will go down as one of the best superhero trilogies of all time. Fans eagerly await the third and final installment in the trilogy, but 2023 treated them to the fantastic follow-up to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Both films followed Miles Morales as he adapted to a significantly larger world than he was accustomed to.

Across the Spider-Verse placed Miles Morales in a moral conundrum where he either upholds the very fabric of reality, or saves his dad from imminent doom. He already inadvertently doomed an entire universe with his actions, and threatens the existence of his own universe. What makes Miles such an excellent hero is his ability to stand up against even those he looks up to, such as Peter B. Parker. He could fall in line and allow his dad to die, but he's willing to question what actually happens if he challenges a canon event. Brilliant minds surround him, but not one of them tests a hypothesis like Miles does.

Edgin the Bard

It's easy to write off Edgin as a hero when he's surrounded by more overtly heroic allies than he is. Xenk, the paladin, extinguishes the forces of evil and helps citizens everywhere without question or expectation of a reward. Doric, a tiefling druid, frees prisoners and stands against those poisoning her home because it's the right thing to do. Edgin the bard, on the other hand, was a thief who always wanted more than what he had. Even as a member of the Harpers, an organization responsible for defending the innocent from those with nefarious goals, he resorted to theft, jump-starting the events of Honor Among Thieves.

But even before the film's ending, when he becomes the fully realized hero he was meant to be, he exhibits heroic qualities that set him above some of the other protagonists. Whenever morale is down among his friends, Edgin is there to inspire them. He continually helped them believe in themselves when they didn't. He was a leader through and through.

John Wick

Perhaps killing isn't the most heroic thing a character can do in a story. After all, Batman and Superman try to teach their audiences that heroes should rise above those they subdue. Not to mention, John Wick was an assassin who killed complete strangers for cash and without question. That's not why he's seen as a hero, though. In the context of his movies, he's the protagonist. He exhibits far more honor and integrity than the other assassins and mob bosses he encounters. John Wick doesn't kill indiscriminately.

John Wick: Chapter 4 shows just how noble the title character is. He doesn't kill innocents, and when he has the opportunity to eliminate one of the assassins on his tail, he refuses. Instead, he takes the opportunity to save the assassin's dog from certain death, resulting in the dog's owner allowing John to live.

Rocket Racoon

Rocket has always shown hints of honor during his adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Still, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has the abused science experiment finally realize his full potential. Not only does he exact revenge on his cruel, sadistic creator, he saves an entire civilization.

While the previous installments in the trilogy balanced each character's involvement, they both put Peter Quill in the spotlight. Not Vol. 3, though. Rocket becomes the film's focus, evolving beyond the two-dimensional gunslinging raccoon that the other two films presented him as. There were always hints of something more behind that furry muzzle, but it's not until the trilogy's third entry is he fully realized as the main protagonist. He even becomes the team's new leader by the end of it.

Ninja Turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo & Raphael)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem finally put the "teenage" in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This animated movie follows the four heroes living a secluded life away from the human world they longed to be part of. With the help of their new, accepting friend, April O'Neil, they earn their chance at joining the world above the sewers.

They initially go about their heroics for the wrong reasons, doing the right thing only to gain acceptance. However, when they learn of Superfly's nefarious plan to turn Manhattan's humans into mutants, they try to stop him because it's the right thing to do. Along the way, they show Splinter, their father figure, that not all humans are bad people, which warms him up to the idea of them enrolling in high school. The characters each learn something about themselves, such as Leo gaining his voice as the team's leader.

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