Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24589671-20141006180403/@comment-24674051-20141022205148

I think that's a good way to look at it. You might say that an anti-hero has the viewpoint of "The end justifies the means", where the Hero is going to be more selective on how he gets to the end.

Wikipedia defines it this way: An antihero is a leading character that acts in an unheroic manner, or lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, and morality.

Regina has fit all of the above roles.

Villian Regina = Evil Queen. (No Elaboration Needed)

Anti-Hero Regina = Neverland Arc. (Goal is heroic, to save Henry, her means are still questionable, such as ripping out the Lost Boy's heart to make him take a message to Henry).

Hero Regina = Wicked Arc

In my opinion, the anti-hero role is more difficult to master, both from a representation and and interpretation aspect, than either the hero or villain. Both Robert Carlyle and Lana Parilla do an amazing job bringing just the right characteristics to their characters to handle the anti-hero role.