No matter which era you grew up in there was always a hero protecting people from the Villain. Captain Planet vs. Captain Pollution, Thundercats vs. Mumm-ra, He-Man vs. Skelator, GI Joe vs. Cobra Commander. Yes ladies, even Jem and The Holograms had enemies. For those who are too young to remember these names, how about we go with, The Justice League or The Avengers (even though these were around just as long).
We in general idolize the heroes for their strengths, confidence, power, and wit but, do we not more relate to the Villain? Follow me for a second....
The "bad characters" are usually the ones who are misunderstood, mistreated, and taken advantage of; they were once the victims if you will.
We are now seeing more movies humanizing the villains, Venom, Maleficent, and Joker. Even in The Avengers, a few times we see moments of weakness with Thanos and we also learn to kind of like Loki; the "adopted" son who conflicts with his origins vs what he can be. Yeah, Thor is a God, carries a hammer, and makes the ladies swoon, but Loki is also a God, carries sarcastic humor, and pokes fun of himself. Some of us women rather laugh than lust and none of us want to be placed in a pool of choices. *Sidebar: Fellas hear me out, there are those of us who are loyal due to respect not because lack of options...put that in your savings and let it collect interest.
Before becoming Villains, these characters faced some type of turmoil in their lives that changed their outlook of the world. Something switched. Isn't that what happens to all of us? Somewhere in our subconscious, whether we want to admit it or not, we more connected with the Villain, but to admit that is to admit we are bad people, yes? No, that's not what it means. The hero is who we want to be, the one people admire, look up to, praise, and love. In reality, the Hero holds everyone's burdens and has more responsibilities than he can handle.
We are all capable of being that hero, but the Villain is who we try to escape from even though, some of the elements of the villain are relative to us.... wanting something so badly that we overlook who it pushes away, disappointment, betrayal, loss, suffrage, pain. Yes, you can say Batman and Iron Man faced these things in their own backstories, but remember, both of them are human and part of being human is experiencing something that deeply affects you.You respect the one who loves you but, you never forget your first heartbreak?
Of course, I'm not saying if you've struggled at any point in your life it excuses you to be hurtful, but there is a saying that goes, "Hurt people HURT people." How much do you allow your pain to guide your actions?
Even after the 9/11 attacks, a large portion of America turned their heartache into frustration against anyone who resembled the terrorists. Kids getting severely bullied at school, coworkers being outcasted, neighbors' homes being vandalized, people having to hide their culture in fear of being harassed or assaulted. (Sorry, this is a sensitive topic all around, but it is important to address pain on all sides. We all have some darkness within us.)
Back to the fictional villains; what we learn with these movies and stories is not to rule out the Villain as always being "that bad guy". Their aggression has a source. Remember the Star Trek movie with Chris Pine? We are introduced to a character called, Nero, who felt the Federation did nothing to protect his home resulting in the loss of his family. His resentment fueled his revenge.
One of the fictional hero/villain relationships I most like is with Professor X and Magneto. They both want the best for their people but, have different ideas of what best is. Although, we fall into the propaganda of Magneto being the opposing one. Yet, can you not empathize with his backstory? His early life experiences changed him into what we know him to be. How did Professor X grow up again? C'mon now, many of us were not born into affluent families so my hand rests on Magneto's shoulder.
And soon, we'll get to view the new script of who Joker was before becoming the painted-face villain. Honestly, he's one of my favorites, from Jack Nicholson, to Heath Ledger, to now Joaquin Phoenix. And I'll never forget the scene when Jack Nicholson is vandalizing famous works of art while dancing to Prince's Partyman. I wanted to be that character, only for that one scene. And my favorite line with Heath Ledger is, "Why so serious?" In an alternate perspective, that line reminds me to 1. Not take myself too seriously and 2. Whatever obstacle I am facing, I will eventually be able to joke about it.
Our experiences can turn us into many different things. Much like deciding what's right and what's wrong. What may be right for you may be wrong for someone else and vice versa. The outcome is what waits for us in our character development.
We are always somewhere in the middle of being the Hero and being the Villain.
Everybody wants to be a hero, but when it comes down to it... all you're really doing is trying to survive. -- The Invaders: Genesis (2010)
