Introspective Thoughts on Villains and Heroes
Don't pay me any mind, this just came to me as I drove him listening to Dr. Horrible. :)
If you're interested in my thoughts, it's below the cut and discussion is welcomed!
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During the last few years, I've begun to see a revolution in the way people view villains and heroes. The 20th century worshiped the hero and everything they stood for. Batman and Superman were the early iconic superheros, one was an avenger and the other was the perfect defender, and they ruled over the dreams of many people as protectors. But during the later half of the 20th century, people shifted from the perfect hero that was worshiped from afar to a more down-to-earth, realistic being that people could relate to on many levels such as Spider Man and Iron Man because these heroes had faults similar to their own. Villains during this time were pretty one-dimensional with the occasional well-rounded being that had reasons for going down his darker path. But people didn't try to relate to the villain or want to understand them.
However, I noticed recently that people have started to crave the villain's stories. People want to know why the villain wants to rule the world, or why they hate the hero, or what reasons they need to stay a villain. People want to connect to the villain because he helps define the hero and explain why the hero is the hero, and why he is the villain. Recent examples of this type of villain are in shows such as “Dexter”, which is about a serial killer who is exploring what it means to be normal or why he acts the way he does. The show digs great character depth into the mind of a serial killer and why Dexter would keep doing what he does and how he views the world. The audience likes him because he can be so frank about what he thinks, admire his attempts at forming connections and trying to bridge the distance between people in relationships, and understand that he needs to kill.
Another example of the villain story is in the online musical “Dr. Horrible's Sing along Blog”. This villain is completely humanized and becomes the center of the story with his point of view tainting our conceptions of his world. He hates the hero, he gives reasons why he hates him and why he thinks he should rule the world, and at the same time, he gains the audiences sympathy for the fact that he is trying desperately to work up the courage to talk to the girl he likes in the laundry mat. It is very clear he is not a nice person, he hates the government, and he hates how the hero can get everything he wants without working for it.
I believe Dr. Horrible and Dexter are the beginnings of the villain revolution just as Iron Man and Spider Man were the beginnings of the hero revolution. I think that in time, we will see more and more villains where the audience can be sympathetic to them and their reasons and may even hate the hero, but still clearly understand that the person they are sympathetic to is the villain. I think that while Dr. Horrible has brought a large amount of attention to internet content, I think the ramifications of the sympathetic villain that gains his audiences' worship will be wide-spreading.
If you're interested in my thoughts, it's below the cut and discussion is welcomed!
-
During the last few years, I've begun to see a revolution in the way people view villains and heroes. The 20th century worshiped the hero and everything they stood for. Batman and Superman were the early iconic superheros, one was an avenger and the other was the perfect defender, and they ruled over the dreams of many people as protectors. But during the later half of the 20th century, people shifted from the perfect hero that was worshiped from afar to a more down-to-earth, realistic being that people could relate to on many levels such as Spider Man and Iron Man because these heroes had faults similar to their own. Villains during this time were pretty one-dimensional with the occasional well-rounded being that had reasons for going down his darker path. But people didn't try to relate to the villain or want to understand them.
However, I noticed recently that people have started to crave the villain's stories. People want to know why the villain wants to rule the world, or why they hate the hero, or what reasons they need to stay a villain. People want to connect to the villain because he helps define the hero and explain why the hero is the hero, and why he is the villain. Recent examples of this type of villain are in shows such as “Dexter”, which is about a serial killer who is exploring what it means to be normal or why he acts the way he does. The show digs great character depth into the mind of a serial killer and why Dexter would keep doing what he does and how he views the world. The audience likes him because he can be so frank about what he thinks, admire his attempts at forming connections and trying to bridge the distance between people in relationships, and understand that he needs to kill.
Another example of the villain story is in the online musical “Dr. Horrible's Sing along Blog”. This villain is completely humanized and becomes the center of the story with his point of view tainting our conceptions of his world. He hates the hero, he gives reasons why he hates him and why he thinks he should rule the world, and at the same time, he gains the audiences sympathy for the fact that he is trying desperately to work up the courage to talk to the girl he likes in the laundry mat. It is very clear he is not a nice person, he hates the government, and he hates how the hero can get everything he wants without working for it.
I believe Dr. Horrible and Dexter are the beginnings of the villain revolution just as Iron Man and Spider Man were the beginnings of the hero revolution. I think that in time, we will see more and more villains where the audience can be sympathetic to them and their reasons and may even hate the hero, but still clearly understand that the person they are sympathetic to is the villain. I think that while Dr. Horrible has brought a large amount of attention to internet content, I think the ramifications of the sympathetic villain that gains his audiences' worship will be wide-spreading.