This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Asa Conroy. Find them on Instagram at @asakayconroy. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
There is a long debate about the likability of villains. It doesn’t matter if it’s Walter White from Breaking Bad, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, or even Satan from Paradise Lost. The audience likes villains either as much or even more than they like heroes. Some people proudly admit they believe that villains are better than heroes. Others are more ashamed. But why is that? Why do we like villains? Is it okay to like the villains?
I think the short answer is yes, but the long answer is that it is more complicated than that. One simple yes does not cover all the reasons and ways that people like villains. If you like villains there are probably some questions you should ask yourself. Which isn’t accusatory, but something you should also ask about liking heroes. Discover why you are drawn to the characters you like, and then you’ll see how that applies to villains.
What Questions Should I Ask Myself?
Some questions may vary. Not every villain appears the same way in every genre or every medium. Sometimes the villains are the antagonist and sometimes they’re the protagonist. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a few suggestions for you, because I do:
- What is appealing about them? Kind of a basic question, but worth asking to get started. It’s simple so simple answers. You could go more in-depth, but you don’t have to for this question.
- What traits do I like about them? This one digs a little deeper because it focuses on specific things about them. It also can uncover the things that you don’t like about them. Some people find appearances appealing, but what about their anger, drama, vengeance, etc.
- Do I agree with them? This is where it starts to get tricky. Some people don’t want to admit that they agree. Oddly enough, there are people who don’t want to admit that they don’t. It’s a weird thing to disagree with a character you like, but it happens.
- Am I willing to condemn them? Villains do bad things. That’s like the most basic thing about them. Across the board. Villains can do bad things, but can you admit that about a character you like?
Denying Denial: Of Course, I Can Condemn Villains!
I’m glad that you can, but that can’t be said for everyone. I’m sure you’ve seen it around if you’ve watch, read, or played anything with bad guys. Some fans struggle to like bad/villainous characters because of what that may say about them. The first act is often denial. “he’s just a silly guy, “she’s just a girl who wants to have fun,” or “they didn’t mean it.” Just one excuse and denial after the other. Look there’s no denying sarcasm, but not everyone is in on the joke.
Some fans of villains are worried about the company that they keep. They don’t want people to think they’re bad because they like someone who does bad things. So, their response is just deny, deny, deny. Either it’s suggesting that they never did anything bad or saying that people are overreacting. Take Sharpay Evans from High School Musical. She’s not on the level of Darth Vader or Hannibal Lector, but she’s considered a villain. Yet, there has been discourse over the years to say that she isn’t. Sharpay manipulated, bullied, and sabotaged people around her. Does that mean we can’t like her? No. Does that mean we can’t feel bad for her when she loses? Also no. We don’t have to forget how she hurt people to like her as a character.
The Company We Keep
Moving away from Sharpay, there’s no denying that worse people like worse villains. They have no problem with denying the bad things that villains do because that’s why they like them. Some people call villains more realistic; that if something terrible happened to you, you would want to destroy the world too. “If I had Superman’s powers, I would be Homelander. I wouldn’t be saving cats in trees.” Everyone who says that think they’re discovering some deep philosophy on human nature when really, they’re admitting that not having Superman’s powers is what’s stopping them from doing terrible things.
Although, that does relate to an explanation put forth by psychologists. They believe that fiction acts as a safety net for darker impulses and sinister thoughts that repulse us in real life. It’s not us doing it, but it’s someone else fulfilling those ideas. Specifically, someone who doesn’t exist and is potentially hurting people who don’t exist. Has there ever been a time where you got mad at someone and didn’t react, but later you thought of all the ways you could. Whether it be saying the right words that would’ve one the argument or punching your bully in the face. It’s like wish fulfillment but focused on the undesirable and uncomfortable parts of ourselves. But those impulses can be alleviated by villains. Possibly not for everyone, but that is a subject that is beyond my expertise.
Villains are Complex Characters
Just like heroes. The most interesting villains are complex characters. Their traits aren’t always evil, villainous, bad, and more evil. Villains can be intelligent, ambitious, and confident. All the words I could use to describe a hero. You could even describe a random side character like this. We can see traits we apply to ourselves that we apply to villains. That is how villains become relatable, when we can see the similarities. Alternatively, that is also what makes their relationship to the story more significant and them even more interesting.
Take Two Face or Harvey Dent for example. Harvey is often portrayed as a longtime friend of Bruce Wayne (aka Batman). He was charming, intelligent, and devoted to justice. He cared strongly about the law and how it could help people. That was until he was attacked for being good by someone who was bad. He lost everything, including himself, as he became Two Face. But Harvey wasn’t actually gone for good. Despite the crimes he committed he still saw Bruce as a friend. Even as Batman (which he usually knows). He’s locked in a struggle between good and evil with himself. He’s one of the most tragic Batman villains for a reason. And that reason is why he has so many fans.
Remove yourself from the story
Something to learn from the Sherlock Holmes fandom. Watsonian versus Doylist. These terms refer to two different ways to look at a story. Watson was the narrator and Doyle was the author. Watson isn’t going to know why Doyle made the choices he did, but Doyle knows Watson. That can also speak to the more symbolic or representative roles that villain can play that are more than just defeating the hero. That may be their reason for existing in the story, but outside of it they can represent thoughts, ideas, messages, and more.
In a Watsonian or “In-universe perspective,” they may be terrible or irredeemable. However, in a Doylist perspective or “out-of-universe perspective,” the author did that for a reason, and I enjoy it. Which is to say, you can admire the writing of the villain without admiring the villain themselves. Think about the role they play and how effectively they play it.
Who better to explain this with than Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove? Yzma is a silly, malicious, power-hungry diva. People love her even though she tried to ruin Kuzco’s life and staged a coup. However, she had to be this way to keep the nature of the film. A villain who is nothing but malicious and scary isn’t entertaining to kids. On top of that, Yzma plays her role as the antagonist well. It’s heavily implied that she raised Kuzco, so the negative traits and behaviors he unlearned during the story, came from her. She effectively caused the problems that could only be solved Kuzco, Pacha, and even Kronk. Yzma’s creators designed her to be an interesting villain that people could enjoy.
Why do we like villains?
The same reason we like heroes. We just do. They do things that we don’t and probably never will in a million years. We may not all have the same explanation or experiences enjoying villains, but it still happens. It’s something that can investigate for ourselves, with the help of advice from psychologists. We may even have to listen to Tumblr on why this is the case (no offense Tumblr). Villains can be an outlet, an exploration into our interests and desires. They can be relatable and/or play their part. Either way, the reasons we like villains are our reasons.
Have you ever asked why do we like villains? What’s your answer? And who are your favorite villains? Let us know in the comment section below!
Leave a Reply