Reluctant Villains

I've heard it said that everyone is the hero of their own stories. Everybody believes they are doing the right thing, whatever it is they're doing. Anyone who honestly thinks they are a villain is completely insane; that's basically the perfect example of a sociopath.

Now, I do want to add one layer of complexity to this. There are some people who truly think that the things they do are not good. The catch is that they feel as though some outside influence is forcing them to do bad deeds. In this case, they are not villains, but victims of a nefarious other. The idea here is that doing bad things does not necessarily make somebody a bad person. The key factor is why they do it.

From here, we approach the idea of the reluctant villain. This is the character who does bad things, but for understandable reasons.

I was having a conversation about superhero movies with a friend, and The Incredibles vs. Megamind was brought up. I said that The Incredibles was a good movie, but it was a pretty boring one. The story was standard and simple and wrapped up nicely. Megamind, on the other hand, had a tinge of intrigue to the characters. The bad guy wasn't really the bad guy. He was misunderstood. He was a victim of severe bullying. He felt as though he had been pushed into villainy. And when his outside situation changed, so did he.

Another version of the reluctant villain is the one who accepts the moniker of villain, and explicitly tries to wreak havoc and chaos, but does it because he sees the world around him as reprehensible beyond reprieve. This character is a proud villain because his villainous ways will lead to a better world (the calm after the storm, if you will). My favorite example of this, not to mention one of my favorite stories ever, is Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog. It truly depicts a torn, conflicted character, one who is evil, and wants to be evil, but also wants to have the hero's life.

I find reluctant villains to be the most fascinating characters right now. They are the most complex individuals, both from their own perspective and from ours. Entire stories can be told just of their inner struggles, but all the while, they are also actively doing things that make for compelling stories on their own. They also make us wrestle with our own morals and question how quickly or strongly we judge others' actions. Try to make one up and see what they get themselves into.