I’m a good person. At least, I tell myself I am. I look out for people, I try to make fair decisions, I think about how my own actions affect the bigger picture, but I’ve never been able to relate to superheroes — only ever the villains. What does that make me?
I never really understood that I actually related to villains until I took a test that determined my personality to be ENTP-T. I am extroverted; I put my intuition over my observations. I am guided by my thoughts rather than my feelings. I am prospective and always ready to change my plans on a dime; I am, well, turbulent. What does all that mean? In summary, I am an opinionated person who will confidently fight for my opinions, and I won’t let anyone tell me I’m wrong (even if I am) because I used my mind to form my standpoint.
When I took this test, it showed me characters and celebrities that also share my personality; one was the Joker. This shocked me because he was listed amongst people who influenced their world in a very positive way. But the Joker is anything but a positive influence, right? How could it be I related so well to someone who thrived on chaos? It fascinated me and helped me to look back at a whole slew of villains I might relate to.
What makes a villain evil? Is it their intentions? Is it their actions? Is it their lack of empathy for the people they destroy as they carry out their quest for whatever sinister plan they have concocted? It could be one or two or all of those things or so much more. Sometimes, it’s unclear why villains think and do the things they do.
Most times, villains have a tragic origin story. Much like the superheroes we all know and love, villains have experienced some kind of hardship. But with heroes, their tragedy makes them vow to protect humanity so no one ever has to experience the loss or hardship they endured; with villains, their experience turns them sour. It robs them of their innocence and turns them against the world. Instead of seeking to rid the world of its evil, they succumb to it and let it take over their minds.
We see the heroes in a positive light. We don't see the bill incurred by the city when they destroy 60 blocks of prime real estate, nor do we hear about the injuries endured by innocent citizens caught in the crossfire of the climactic fight between the hero and the villain. I'm not saying this makes the hero evil, but he, too, is a flawed individual.
Villains' clemency is rarely portrayed in superhero stories. We rarely see the innocent people they decide to spare. We don't ever see them struggling with their decisions. They are always portrayed as cold and unfeeling. Even Darth Vader had to have been nice at least some of the time — look at all the employees he had! You're telling me there was not one redeeming quality about his leadership?
My point is not that evil villains can be great bosses, but that the line between moral and immoral is fine and shiftable. We are shaped by the world, and while some of us succumb to the negativity we encounter and others rise above, we are all still the product of our environments. There is always a little bit of compassion in the evil, and there is always a little bit of carelessness in good.
If you take everything at face value, you will put everyone you encounter into one group or the other. But remember that not everything is as it seems. Sometimes we don't see the destruction caused by one's good intentions, and sometimes we never get a chance to understand the humanity of those who are deemed evil.
I guess I relate more to villains because I hope to see the good in every person. I try to believe that there is something more than just hatred inside them and that they are the way they are because they were simply not strong enough to take the positive route — an incredibly difficult thing to do for some. I see that they are misunderstood. I see that life has been unfair to villains, and I can understand how that feels — but I came out the other side a more positive and constructive person. I think every villain deserves a chance at that.
