By T.K. Wilson (Rated G)
I’ve been noticing a trend in Western cartoons, the trend of the “misunderstood” villain. You know the ones, the ones who have such sad reasons for being bad you feel like they’re almost justified in their actions.
Almost.
There’s a difference here between a character like Mr. Freeze, who was objectively a good man before being corrupted by revenge, and characters like Syndrome from The Incredibles who uses his trauma to justify his crimes.
After cartoons like Steven Universe made the concept popular, these types of “villains” have become nearly ubiquitous. For those unfamiliar, Steven Universe is about the titular Steven, a half-alien boy learning how to protect the world with the help of his mother’s old freedom fighter team. This show became famous (or infamous) for having Steven beg and cry and appeal to the antagonist’s “better nature” to end hostilities without fighting. Nine times out of ten it actually works and they are immediately forgiven and trusted. This is all well and good, but it sets a really bad precedent.
Not everyone can be redeemed. Some evil needs to be stamped out.
By contrast, Sailor Moon, the long running anime and manga, has no illusions about this. Sailor Moon and her Pretty Guardians are reluctant to kill, absolutely, but the evils that they face must be destroyed. These are cosmic threats; all life in the universe is at risk if they succeed. There is no talking their way out of it. There is no sympathy. If they must be killed, then they will be. Even if some villains do redeem themselves, it is usually before they die. Even then, their crimes must be atoned for.
I draw this comparison between Steven Universe and Sailor Moon because the former is essentially a “magical girl” show. Only Steven Universe draws on the worst qualities of a magical girl show. These shows often draw on the feminine urge to protect, nurture, and love as a form of superpower, but true magical girls know sometimes the most loving thing you can do is defeat evil so that others might be spared. Redemption and forgiveness are earned, not automatically granted. Steven is a “magical boy” with no teeth; Sailor Moon, for all her faults, has the courage to see that sympathy can only be offered to those who have earned it. Those who seek only to destroy must be defeated.
In conclusion, a villain, to be a real threat, needs to have teeth. No amount of sad backstory and sympathy should defang a villain in a given work. Of COURSE, redemption is an option… but only if it is earned. Sympathy is an option… but evil actions must be stopped. Sympathy and redemption do not automatically cancel out evil. To say that they will is a mistake. Mr. Freeze has to go to jail, not because we don’t feel sorry for him, but because his actions warrant it. Cosmic evils must be defeated because more people will die if they are not. Both are just. Cheap redemption is a trap and just plain sloppy storytelling to boot.
LogoSophia Magazine 