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Do we really need to sympatize with villains?
#1
I used to enjoy the figure of "the villain" because they made me think of evilness as an force that we cannot control or even preddict, so I don't enjoy the idea of having sympathetic villains



[+] 2 users Like calistemia2x's post
#2
One man's villain is another man's freedom fighter. That's one angle.
Villains are humans just like we are, and they are broken, just like we are. That's another angle.
The state is actually in the wrong/evil, and the villain is actually the good guy. That's another angle.
Sometimes, evil is really good, and good is really evil. That's another angle.
Drama would be nothing without the villain/antagonist/anti-hero.
Very little is black and white. The rest is enshrouded in the fog of war.



[+] 1 user Likes olichan12's post
#3
The problem with the villain being evil for evil's sake is that it should eventually be stale. That isn't to say that it can't still be enjoyable, we rewatch and reread our favorite books even though they are static in nature. But for me, seeing the same trope over and over again leaves me unfulfilled and in particular, the good/evil dichotomy is incredibly unrealistic. A sympathetic villain, unlike the clearly evil villain, lets us participate in the narrative. When deciding if they deserve our sympathy, we bring all of our experience to the table to judge them. Thus in our pronouncement is a reflection of our own values, rather than just the media's creator's.



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#4
I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE MORE DEPTH THAN JUST A VILLAIN WITH NO MOTIVE, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUSTIFY EVERYTHING LIKE IN MALEFICENT.



#5
Sympathizing with a villain means that they're relatable and probably have a more realistic background. For some people this means that the story is more interesting and dynamic.

Really, it depends what you're looking for in a movie or tv show. You don't have to sympathize with the villain for them to be an interesting character, but it does add an element to the story if it's possible.



#6
Evil for evils sake is the kost boring motive



#7
I usually simpatize for the villain Smile



#8
Both should exist, someone  being purely evil & then someone who isn't evil but just has the wrong grasp on things. & everything in between.



#9
Sometimes it can be an interesting perspective, but that reminds me Disney is releasing a movie from the perspective of Cruella DeVille as the hero. Like, I do not need to sympathize with someone who wants to skin 100 puppies, WTF Disney?



#10
perhaps it make us all a little evil lol



#11
No movie creators can make us belive whatever we want though.



#12
I strongly believe in the sympathetic villain trope. Not because i want the audience to feel bad, but because i want them to think about the concept of perspective. I want a villain who is only a villain for opposing the goals of the protaganist, rather i just want an antagonist. Like lets take a page from AoT (Spoilers). So both major parties involved, the Marley and the Paridisians are unwilling to step down. The Marley are acting in response to the terror that the eldian empire brought upon the earth for a thousand years and the terror they still represent even if they are but a fraction of what they were. They still are holding a gun to the head of the world waiting to pull the trigger. The paradisians (the current remnants of the eldian empire) are (or were) largely unaware of their power/threat and simply want to exist in peace and live as normal people. The rest of the world cannot allow them to exist however since as long as an eldian lives, the threat of the founding titan is present. The paradisians are not guilty of anything and are simply trying not to die. Both sides are justified in their right to exist and both sides have done heinous things in the past or present. There is no noble or right side in their war. Its just a war for survival built on fear and hate. For most of it we only see one side of it, eren’s. An eldian. We think that his side, his fight, his people are the ones in the right. Simply because thats whose eyes we see through. Then the story progresses and we see more of the world and see through more eyes than just erens and other eldians. We see the outside world and everyone elses perspective and finally see that both sides are fighting for the same reason. Eren as a protaganist, usually justified in his actions, starts to blur the lines of justice and becomes an anti-hero. The “villains” turn out to be people trying to end the conflict as peacefully as possible. Good stories should make you feel conflicted about who you should really root for



#13
I understand where you're coming from, but I can't deny that it's alit more interesting to understand the motives of your enemy, then to simply fight them for the sake of being on the opposing side



#14
I see it as we could all be the villain, given the right(wrong?) circumstances. It's all human nature and everyone despite what they claim has the ability be evil, again in certain circumstances. You might even be the villain in someone else's life story without even knowing it just because you simply exist, like how extremists on every side of the spectrum vilify certain types of people based on nothing but ideology etc.
Take whatever villain in whatever scenario and you will find some redeeming qualities or some underlying philosophy that actually makes sense but is overshadowed by the villains actions.