08-29-2012, 10:37 AM | #1 |
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What is it that makes a character a villain?
From what I have seen in films - Virtually all villains were victimized at one point. However, instead of being able to rise above it, some people become what victimized them, and the hate spreads like a sickness.
A villain essentially has a negative impact on everyone around them. Because something bad happened to them, and because they cannot forgive and forget, they desire to make the whole world pay because if they are unhappy, then everyone has to be. And if they cannot seek revenge against the actual person who caused them pain, they seek to take their anger out on others. Heroes and villains in some films are usually faces of rebellion. The hero is the light face of it, and the villain is the dark face of it, but truly, the real villain is usually the system itself that the hero and villain oppose. |
08-29-2012, 11:16 AM | #2 | |
the low Art Gloominati
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08-29-2012, 11:32 AM | #3 |
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A good villain needs a good hero to play off of. We have to like the hero or at least like what he's trying to do and the villain, for whatever reason, has to want to stop the hero from obtaining his objective.
So if the hero needs to save the bus full of orphans, the villain needs to do everything in his power to stop him. He might even have a valid reason for doing it, like his parents were murdered by orphans or there are secret files on the bus that would destroy everything the villain had ever worked for. If the hero is working towards world peace, the villain just needs to start a war for whatever reason. That said, if the hero isn't likable and his goal isn't something the audience can get behind, then you have failed. |
08-29-2012, 11:37 AM | #4 |
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I enjoyed reading that dronepool. Very insightful. I agree with him. Thank you for posting that.
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08-29-2012, 11:47 AM | #5 |
the low Art Gloominati
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Glad you enjoyed it, figured it was on topic.
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08-30-2012, 11:00 PM | #6 |
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I personally don't like when a villain is too sympathetic, some of them are just assholes - and I like those. When you trace a villains 'rudeness' to some past horrible thing and they 'never forgive/vow revenge/hold a massive grudge' it defangs a villain, imo. because at some point, they could be redeemed or whatever. And if they don't, it's like "Shit, all he needed was therapy and they blew him up." It never sits well for me.
The bad guy in Die Hard is my type of villain. No tragic past or grudge, he's just a dick. One dimensional, sure, but I'm good with that. |
08-31-2012, 10:14 AM | #7 |
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To me, it's realistic to have a villain have that type of past because most villains in real life don't see themselves as bad people. Bin Laden for example probably saw 9/11 as a good thing since his people were attacked by U.S. troops before.
It also just seems like every villain had something bad happen to them: Max Cady from Cape Fear (the remake) - He was given an unfair trail and was sexually abused in prison. Freddy Krueger - Abused as a child by his step-father, and bullied in school. Jason Voorhees - Born deformed, bullied as a child, and left to drown. The Wicked Witch of The West - Her sister died. Jigsaw - Dying from cancer. Norman Bates - Abused by his Mother. Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid - Has a physically abusive man as his sensi. That man's name... John Kreese - Served in Vietnam, and could have been a P.O.W. at one point. Plenty of Vietnam vets had a hard time adjusting to life after the war, and Kreese was clearly one of them, which explained his anger and hate. Then of course, there's characters like The Terminator, Jaws, Michael Myers, etc. Of course, it could be said that Jaws is a wild animal who doesn't know any better, and is just looking for food, and/or he is defending his turf. But I agree not all villains are victims, but I think plenty are, which explains their actions. But I can also agree that having a villain who has no likeable traits and is just an asshole or a bitch can be entertaining as well, especially when they get their comeuppance. |