Geeks logo

Our Villians are Heros, our Media isn't.

A Case for the contemporary Anti-Villian and their portrayal in TV/Film

By The MEDA ProjectPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
3

Have you noticed that the villains you see in today's media are, well, relatable? Two of the biggest and most praised comic book movies, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, feature antagonists whose motives are not only relatable and relevant but whose arguments are...correct. And yet, both of these characters are extremely problematic in their nature.

Killmonger of Black Panther wants to end an oppressive system, using the technology of an elitist society that kept its resources, technological and medical advancements hidden from the rest of the world. In his eyes, not only should they have been sharing these aids and helping those being oppressed all over the world, but it's their obligation to do so. This is something that rings very true in today's society, with our current global pandemic showing just how starved of resources the middle and lower classes are. Thanos of Infinity War (we will only be using his character traits from this film as those displayed in Endgame are, while related, deviate from his pre-established character structure) saw first hand that resources are finite and that overpopulation (more so overconsumption) would deplete all resources and leave everything to perish. For him, removing half of the demand needed for these resources indiscriminately would not only be the best action but the only action that can possibly save the most people (and for those that argue he could've doubled the resources, the very proven concept of Induced Demand also, unfortunately, proves Thanos correct in his stance).

So, if both of these antagonists are correct in their ideologies, how are they problematic? The problem arises when you take into the fact how these two are portrayed - they're murderous sociopaths and extremists that dissuade the audience of the very causes they stand for.

Killmonger wants to distribute the resources to turn the oppressed into the oppressors, and kill what could potentially be tens of thousands of people in what is essentially an act of revenge against a country that abandoned him. Thanos whats to rid trillions of lives all at once, indifferent to the effects that would have on multiple microcosms and societies throughout the galaxy, and will sacrifice those he loves to do so. This, in turn, tells the audience that causes such and redistribution of wealth, shared resources, and environmentalism can only be achieved through extreme and deadly means, which also leave the impression that these things shouldn't even be attempted to begin with.

This is a problem that comes with a lot of today's contemporary villains as they are portrayed in Film and TV. While they are relatable and often correct in their message, their ends don't justify the means. Ozymandias of Watchmen, Magneto of X-Men, Zaheer of Legend of Korra (honestly all of the villains in LOK) all fit into this mold. But this isn't really too much a fault of the trope, as it is a fault of the media that trope is presented in.

Throughout the history of TV and Film, there is always a need for a clear cut villain. The villain is supposed to represent what we fear the most in any given time period and the internal turmoil within our society. The 60s was the Cold War and Civil Rights, the 70s was the Vietnam War, 80s was Russia, Drugs, and Disease, and the 90s-2000s was terrorism, natural disasters, and 9/11 (as you can see, were highly influenced by war). Since the turn of the 2010s, between politics, foreign involvement, multiple financial crises, social justice, global warming, and a whole host of other things, villains have now become representative of what we fear in today's world, which is our failings as a society.

Now, while this isn't inherently a bad thing (if anything it's a great thing to bring light to how our society needs to start to fix a lot of broken systems and overlooked issues), it becomes a problem when it exists in a medium that inherently vilifies any representation that it uses. What's the point of highlighting things such as classism, oppression, and environmentalism if you're just going to say "These issues are very bad, but doing something about them could be a lot worse"? Well, the good thing is, there are exceptions to this.

Let's take a look at one of the TV's most praised Anti-Villains and their acclaimed show; Walter White of Breaking Bad. Walt doesn't start the series with any villainous nature, he's a down on his luck chemistry teacher who is just diagnosed with late-stage cancer. He starts his journey with a gripe against the exploitative medical system and capitalist structure, using his knowledge of chemistry to make Meth and collect just enough money to keep his family from falling into debt and poverty long after he is gone. His goal and the reason behind it, are not only relatable but start off as highly justifiable. Over the course of the show, he slowly becomes more and more selfish, self-centered, and indifferent to the consequences of his actions. By the end, he's hated by everyone he holds dear in his life. He's ruined lives, directly or indirectly killed hundreds to possibly thousands of people, and put his family in direct danger. And yet, his actions end up justifying the means. He's not an extremist or a sociopath, it's well established that he did what he did due to an oppressive lifestyle, even if that reasoning eventually turned into something more selfish and prideful and by the series end, arguably wins. He succeeds in making sure his family is well off, he frees his protege and companion from imprisonment, and dies with a sense of pride and happiness in his work. He is very much the villain, but his fight against an oppressive system isn't overshadowed by some over the top goal or agenda, nor is he beaten by the status quo. Walter, while being the bag guy in his own story, still comes off as a relatable human who strove and succeeded in beating the system.

There are many Anti-Villain characters like this. Shogo Makishama of Psycho-Pass is a Humanist whose very existence breaks the system that society has completely given its free will and freedom to, and so he wants to show society that it needs to take back control of its freedom and make its own choices. Shawn of The Good Place is an inherently evil character (a literal demon) who both acknowledges that the system for humans getting into the Good Place is broken and that he only got into the protagonist's way because his job is dead-end and it brought him some enjoyment to his life. Even Viktor and Ivan Drago (yes, the same Ivan Drago who killed a man in a boxing ring in a movie that was anti-communist propaganda) fall into this category, as they have to deal with the weight of nationalism, pride, abandonment, and past history coming back to haunt them, all the while having the singular goal of breaking the protagonist and his mentor both physically and mentally to get themselves both out of poverty and national & familial shame.

These Anti-Villains all share one thing in common. They're realistic. Their goals and executions aren't these ultra grandiose things, but instead are personal, and their executions are things we see every day in our actual day to day lives. We can all relate to not fitting in the confines of society or having our freedoms stripped away, being in a dead-end job in a broken system, being abandoned, crushed under the weight of debt, or not having the same sense of nationality as those around you. We also can relate to taking that frustration out on someone who we blame for it (Viktor and Ivan) or associate with it (Shawn), or taking back our freedom and using our gifts to better our predicaments (Walter), or taking up a cause to try to change or influence that system (Shogo). It also helps that these characters either end up succeeding in their goals to some capacity (Walter), influence the system and those that partake in it (Shogo), or learn of a better way to go about their goals while still remaining true to their established character (Viktor and Ivan).

In All, we need more Anti-Villains like these. That's not to say any of these characters are perfect, but that they're a stepping stone into more nuanced villains that aren't just eco-terrorists who want to end everything or extremists who want revenge. Anti-Villains should be relatable and have goals and motives that we ourselves can agree with, but they shouldn't always have to be murderous or bombastic in nature. Keeping their executions more relatable, grounded, and realistic not only helps the often positive or relatable message that they hold but also keeps from the media screaming a message that having a good cause is deadly. With the turn of the new decade, there is hope that we will craft the perfect Anti-Villian, one that positively motivates us while also being a powerful and impactful force upon our protagonists.

pop culture
3

About the Creator

The MEDA Project

Hello, and welcome to The MEDA Project!

Media, Entertainment, Design, and Advocacy - describe the fields in which we will be engaged, educated, grown, studied, lived, and experience every day.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.