List of vigilantes in popular culture

This is a list of vigilantes featured in popular culture and entertainment media. For commentary, see the main vigilante article.

Film

• A Misunderstood Boy (1913)
• Broncho Billy and the Vigilante (1915), Broncho Billy
• The Vigilantes (1918)
• Westward Ho (1935)
• The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936)
• The Purple Vigilantes (1938), The Three Mesquiteers
• Border Vigilantes (1941), Hopalong Cassidy
• The Oxbow Incident (1942)
• Lone Star Vigilantes (1942)
• The Vigilantes Ride (1943)
• Vigilantes of Dodge City (1944), Red Ryder
• Cornered (1945)
• Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947), Red Ryder
• The Vigilantes Return (1947)
• The Vigilante (1947)
• Desert Vigilante (1949), Durango Kid
• Vigilante Hideout (1950)
• Dirty Harry series (1971, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1988)
• Shaft (1971) and (2000)
• Billy Jack (1971)
• Coffy (1973)
• High Plains Drifter (1973)
• The Seven-Ups (1973)
• Walking Tall franchise (1973, 1975, 1977; 2004)
• Death Wish series (1974, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1994)
• Street Law (1974)
• T.N.T. Jackson (1974)
• Truck Turner (1974)
• Deadly Hero (1976)
• Taxi Driver (1976)
• Trackdown (1976)
• Vigilante Force (1976)
• Lipstick (1976)
• Deadbeat (1977), (aka: Tomcats; Getting Even; Avenged)
• I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
• Mad Max (1979)
• The Exterminator (1980) and its sequel Exterminator 2 (1984)
• Fighting Back (1982)
• The Star Chamber (1983)
• Vigilante (1983)
• Savage Streets (1984)
• Pale Rider (1985)
• Lethal Weapon series (1987, 1989, 1992, 1998)
• Mr. India (1987)
• Above the Law (1988)
• Shahenshah (1988)
• Batman franchise (1989, 1992, 1995, 1997; 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016)
• Spider-Man franchise (2002, 2004, 2007; 2012, 2014)
• The Punisher franchise (1989, 2004, 2008)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise (1990, 1991, 1993, 2007, 2014, 2016)
• Darkman (1990)
• Hard to Kill (1990)
• One Good Cop (1991)
• Vigilante Cop (aka Shoot First: A Cop's Vengeance, TV 1991)
• Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
• Falling Down (1993)
• The Crow (1994)
• The Guyver 2: Dark Hero (1994)
• The Shadow (1994)
• Jimmy Hollywood (1994)
• Leon aka The Professional (1994)
• Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995)
• Desperado (1995)
• Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996)
• Eye for an Eye (1996)
• The Crow: City of Angels (1996)
• A Time to Kill (1996)
• Blade franchise (1998, 2002, 2004)
• The Boondock Saints (1999) and its sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
• The Limey (1999)
• Chopper (2000)
• The Crow: Salvation (2000)
• Unbreakable (2000)
• Skins (2002)
• Daredevil (2003)
• A Man Apart (2003)
• 4 the People (2004)
• Catwoman (2004)
• Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
• The Incredibles (2004)
• Man on Fire (2004)
• Saw series (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
• Suspect Zero (2004)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• Anniyan (2005)
• The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
• The Devil's Rejects (2005)
• Four Brothers (2005)
• Hard Candy (2005)
• Sin City (2005)
• V for Vendetta (2006)
• Vagabond Vigilante (2006)
• The Brave One (2007)
• Death Sentence (2007)
• Hot Fuzz (2007)
• Ghost Rider (2007)
• Outlaw (2007)
• Shooter (2007)
• Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
• Straightheads (2007)
• Gardener of Eden (2007)
• Taken (2008)
• Hancock (2008)
• Beer for My Horses (2008)
• Gran Torino (2008)
• The Spirit (2008)
• Watchmen (2009)
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
• Harry Brown (2009)
• Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
• The Reverend: Vigilante Vampire (2009)
• Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
• Defendor (2010)
• Edge of Darkness (2010)
• Faster (2010)
• Kick-Ass (2010) and its sequel Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
• Machete (2010) and its sequel Machete Kills (2013)
• Super (2010)
• Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)
• Gone (2012)
• Bad Ass (2012)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
• Dredd (2012)
• Jack Reacher (2012)
• The Lone Ranger (2013)
• Prisoners (2013)
• Odd Thomas (2013)
• The Equalizer (2014)
• John Wick (2014)
• Kite (2014)
• Mr X (2015)
• Suicide Squad (2016)

Television

Literature

• Crossfire (1998) by Miyuki Miyabe
• The Virginian by Owen Wister (1902), the first American western novel based on the theme of "frontier justice"
• Zorro (1919) by Johnston McCulley
• Blue Belle (1988) by Andrew Vachss
• Without Remorse (1993) by Tom Clancy, explicitly about an ex-US Navy SEAL wiping out a gang of drug dealers
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005), and Dexter in the Dark (2007) by Jeff Lindsay, with adapted TV series Dexter (2006), all about fictional character Dexter Morgan who by day is a blood splatter expert for the Miami-Dade Police Department and by night hunts down and kills those who he feels "deserve to die"
• A Stout Cord and a Good Drop by James Gaitis (Globe Pequot, 2006), a lengthy literary work of historical fiction based on a rigorous analysis of the facts associated with the Montana Vigilantes, the infamous Montana hanging spree of 1863-64, and the foundation of the Montana Territory in the midst of the American Civil War
• The Chocolate War (1973) by Robert Cormier, The Vigils, a semi-private group (students and teachers know of them but do not speak of them) who run the school, giving students "assignments" that bend or break school rules and regulations
• The Executioner (1963-) by Don Pendleton, a book series about an ex-US Army Master Sergeant sniper named Mack Bolan and his "war" against the Mafia
• For All the Rude People, the protagonist kills people that are rude to young or less fortunate people
• Khabardar Shahri (rough Hindi translation of "vigilante"), one of the most famous vimal series of novels by Surender Mohan Pathak in which the hero, a serious offender on brink of reform takes up arms once again to punish five rapists one of whom is nephew of the kingpin of the local crime syndicate which results in a new gang war and the unfortunate Vimal find himself back in world of violence
• Dirty Weekend (1991) by Helen Zahavi is about a young woman who kills seven predatory males over three nights. It was later made into a movie (1993) by film director Michael Winner.
• Heart's Blood (2012) by Jess C Scott is a rape and revenge themed novelette, written in a series of email exchanges.

Comics

Video games

References