Anti-heroines have become prominent in popular culture, yet their presence in video games remains underexplored. This article examines Queen Marika, the Eternal, from the video game Elden Ring as a case study in anti-heroinism. Drawing on media, literary and narratological theories, as well as Deleuzian-Derridean perspectives, the study situates Marika in a post-heroic world in which traditional moral binaries of good and evil are destabilized. The analysis reveals that while heroism in Elden Ring serves as an unattainable ideal, it shapes the contours of anti-heroism and anti-heroinism, offering a contrastive axis for understanding Marika’s character. Defined by violence and trauma, Marika’s actions reflect a paradoxical pursuit of heroic ideals through morally complex choices. This study concludes that Marika embodies an anti-heroine whose efforts to transcend her flaws are perpetually undermined by the post-heroic sociopolitical context of Elden Ring .
Fikejzová et al. (Sun,) studied this question.