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Trump and the rise of the antihero

Updated 4:20 PM ET, Tue May 31, 2016

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Bryan Cranston's Walter White, right, in "Breaking Bad" was the ultimate 21st-century antihero: a teacher-turned-meth kingpin.
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Bryan Cranston's Walter White, right, in "Breaking Bad" was the ultimate 21st-century antihero: a teacher-turned-meth kingpin.
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James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano was the mob boss who killed while visiting colleges with his daughter on "The Sopranos."
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano was the mob boss who killed while visiting colleges with his daughter on "The Sopranos."
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Jon Hamm as Don Draper in "Mad Men" was dapper but emotionally brutal.
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Jon Hamm as Don Draper in "Mad Men" was dapper but emotionally brutal.
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Hugh Laurie's Dr. Gregory House on "House" was a medical detective and drug-addicted narcissist.
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Hugh Laurie's Dr. Gregory House on "House" was a medical detective and drug-addicted narcissist.
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Kevin Spacey plays Francis Underwood, the antihero in chief, on "House of Cards."
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Kevin Spacey plays Francis Underwood, the antihero in chief, on "House of Cards."
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Damian Lewis was heartthrob terrorist Nicholas Brody in "Homeland."
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Damian Lewis was heartthrob terrorist Nicholas Brody in "Homeland."
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Edie Falco, right, was both brilliant and bad in "Nurse Jackie."
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Edie Falco, right, was both brilliant and bad in "Nurse Jackie."
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Ben Affleck blurred the lines between good and evil as Batman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Ben Affleck blurred the lines between good and evil as Batman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
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Robert Downey Jr. embodied Tony Stark's dark personal history in the title role in "Iron Man."
Photos: Trump and the rise of the antihero
Robert Downey Jr. embodied Tony Stark's dark personal history in the title role in "Iron Man."
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Is Donald Trump's ascendancy the result of the rise of the antihero on small and big screens? From Tony Soprano to Walter White, Julian Zelizer says, "Americans no longer expect virtuous protagonists." Here are the twisted TV and film antiheroes who keep us watching.