A Villain’s Heart.
If the Devil is in the details, it could explain how Villains operate, and why they lose so badly, when they lose; but don’t we all?
We are going to take a look at a few examples of classic villains and the commonality of their wounds being the cause of their wreaking havoc on humanity. This is also the reason there is still hope for humanity.
In the movies, there is just the villain and the superhero and it’s pretty black and white for a good old fashioned battle of good and evil. I’m going to take us on a journey into the depths of some of our favorite Villains wounds, [Our favorite Superhero’s Victories and the balance of the two.]
In “Into the Spider-Verse” (SPOILER ALERT), Kingpin almost destroyed multiple universes simply because he missed his family. No regard to the fact that they left because of his life choices to be destructive in the first place. Observing this, allowed me to remember how sadness and anger interact with one another and how it effects the decisions made in reference with the experiences that made him sad in the first place. Sadness and Anger blind people from seeing solutions, or in this case, a reason to not end the world. When it feels like the world is ending in our personal spaces, what do we do? Villains terrorize other people, while Hero’s work to keep things together.
Originally, I wrote off examining the Joker for this article, but then nothing else made more sense for a portion of the point I’m looking to make of people whole being. Get it?
Let’s look at the Joker, a very well known villain in the Batman series. The reason I want to start with him is because his origins are a combination of unknown, unfamiliar and just plain confusing for someone looking to make sense of him as a being. We all know that he has a complete disregard for society and all of its rules; he is feared and revered all in the same breath for a lot of people because of the previously mentioned disregard for society. Part of us all wants to completely ignore rules and just live our best lives. Granted, I’d like to think all of us wouldn’t fall into killing people for entertainment but I digress. I only know myself.
The world over the years has changed more than what we can keep up with outside of our own adjustments for survival. As things change and evolve, we have the choice to grow in good, or bad, or hop back and forth between the two in the unavoidable search for balance in a seemingly doomed world. I have yet to meet a villain that is not just a hurt person that as decided to work to make others feel what they feel. I’m sure you have heard “hurt people hurt people”. Then would it be safe to say “Healing people heal people”? What then should be said of our beloved “hero’s”?
Could Hero’s just be an expression of Humans and their internal struggle of good and evil?
Have you ever saved yourself? Defeated the parts of you that were out to keep you from living your best life? Decided to live another day after wanting to take your own life? If you answered yes to any of these things, you are both a Villain and a Hero. As a whole human being, you are bound to go through the highest emotions of Joy, Euphoria, Excitement, Ecstasy, as well as the lowest moments of Sorrow, Despair and fear. We tend to forget that both extremes and the things in between are all a part of life. We get so hung up on trying to stay more in one, or avoid the other that we forget bitter makes us appreciate sweet, no? Villains Never Give Up. Neither do the Hero’s. That constant battle is what keeps us going. What would any of us do if Tom caught and ate Jerry? If Batman Killed the Joker, If Joker killed Batman? We would lose our sense of faith that they will keep fighting, that sense of self in all of us that knows the battle is never truly over. Be a Villain, Be a Hero, Be all of yourself. Fight the battles that save the city of your soul. And remember, Love. Repeat
