Are Villains in Films All Bad?
It is common for cinema to present black and white thinking good vs evil, right vs wrong.
Human experience is much more complicated.
Most people do not live in such extremes, we make mistakes, we struggle with choices, and we exist in the middle. In the moral gray area. Maybe that is why we find ourselves drawn to “villains.”
It is not because we agree with their actions or choices, nor is it because we crave the destruction but because we relate to the emotions that drive them. In a good story, villains do not wake up one day and decide to cause harm to others, but rather they are shaped by their experiences, their pain, and even their fear. These are the characters that are hurt and rejected which we as people can relate to.
Heroes often represent the people we aspire to, but villains often represent the parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of. The anger of feeling powerless, the insecurity of wanting to be seen. The fear of being abandoned. These feelings we all have had to face one too many times. A well written villain is compelling not because they are evil but because they are human. They are us.
Loki: The Need to Be Seen
Loki happens to be one of the clearest, most common, examples when it comes to relatable villains in cinema.
At first glance he is seen to be run by jealousy of his brother and desire to be stronger. In this he betrays his family, his home, and even himself. He often manipulates others to get what he wants. That seems like a clear-cut case, right?
As the movies/series goes on you begin to see the facade crack. Is this power for power's sake? Or is this a man who is cracking under the pressure of never feeling like he belongs?
After Loki finds out he was adopted, he struggles with his identity and his place in his family. He has spent years comparing himself to his older brother, often being forced into the shadow of the favorite son. Who does not understand the feeling of being overlooked? Or feeling like you have to prove yourself to feel worthy?
Loki’s choices, although destructive, come from a very human feeling making him much more relatable than our movies hero.
Magneto: When Trauma Shapes You.
In the same Marvel universe, we have Magneto.
Like many of us, me included, sometimes we do things or react in ways due to our past. Unlike some other villains Magneto actions do not span from wanting destruction, his actions come from fear and survival.
Born as Erik Lehnsherr he was a Jewish child in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. He experienced hatred, violence, and a systematic attempt to erase him and his people. Because of this, his views on humanity are skewed. He carries the belief that power can turn against vulnerable groups.
Magneto’s experience during the Holocaust has made it so he believes humanity will turn on the mutants the same way. He sees the mutants as a vulnerable minority who could be feared, controlled, or even destroyed. His mindset is that he has seen this all before. His hatred for humans does not come from superiority or just out of the blue. It comes from fear and the need to protect. He has witnessed the worst of humanity and therefore is not open to the idea of coexisting.
Trauma has become the lens in which he views the world. Because of that he is constantly looking for history to repeat itself. Though maybe not to this extreme, we all know what it is like to be judged, excluded, misunderstood or afraid of being hurt again. Going into survival mode, protecting ourselves and the people we love from what we perceive as danger is incredibly relatable, is it not?
Zuko: Redemption
Prince Zuko, our childhood villain. One of the most redeemed loved villains in probably any animated series.
When we first meet Prince Zuko, he is the antagonist chasing the Avatar in an attempt to regain his honor. On the surface he seems angry, relentless, and obsessed with defeating the hero we have come to love. As the story unfolds, we discover that Zuko is not obsessed with the sake of being obsessed but rather because he feels unworthy.
In the series, Zuko is rejected emotionally and physically by his father who burns him and banishes him after he spoke out about a cruel decision. At that point Zuko was shown that his value depended on whether or not he could prove himself. He thought if he could capture the avatar that would prove he was worthy and he would regain his father's approval.
What makes Zuko such a good villain is that he struggles internally. He is not consumed by hatred, as it is rather a symptom of his experience. Throughout the series we see moments where he questions his choices, shows compassion, and struggles between how he was raised and what he believes is right. His journey is beautiful because it is not about becoming more powerful; it is about finding himself and understanding that he does not need to be the most powerful to be valued.
The reason we keep connecting with these villains like Loki, Magneto, and Zuko is not because we see ourselves in their actions but because we see ourselves in our emotions.
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