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Villain Personality Test

A Personality Test Exclusively for Pop Culture's Most Wanted

By Gideon BrownPublished about a year ago Updated about a year ago 3 min read
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Villains. The portrait of humanity's worst aspects. They represent our selfishness, our carelessness, and our deepest fears. They can be savages, dictators, or terrorists. Presidents, celebrities, or blue-collar workers. They can be outcasts or socialites, masterminds or brutes, zealots or narcissists, or maybe just someone who had a bad day. They come in so many shapes and sizes; is there a common thread between them?

Yes, there is. It's called the Dark Triad.

Narcissism, the idea that a person is better than everyone around them; Machiavellianism, the idea that the only way to power is to bend others to your will; and psychopathy, extreme indifference towards the well-being of oneself and others. These traits make up the Dark Triad, a list of personality traits almost universally looked upon as evil and undesirable. And what's more, they are very real. After all, what is a villain if not a reflection of the worst parts of ourselves? But the question is, which villains represent which parts?

In this series, we will be rounding up pop culture's most wanted, looking at their actions and interactions, and putting them in one of seven different categories based on the Dark Triad. To put it simply, we are going to give these villains a personality test. (And if you look closely, seven villains have already been revealed.)

Disclaimer: Although this and other articles in the Villain Personality Test series are based on legitimate psychology, the descriptions of people with these personality traits are educated guesses and are not meant to be attributed to real people.

Ground Rules

The Triangle of Evil

One by one, we'll test each subject for each trait, starting with narcissism, then going to Machiavellianism, and ending with psychopathy. Depending on how they score, we'll place them on the diagram above and announce their archetype.

Archetypes

The Bully (Nar-)

Loudmouthed, petty, and self-serving, Bullies pay close attention to outward appearances and use intimidation in any form, including violence, to make their enemies small and get the attention they live for.

The Schemer (Mach-)

Schemers are master manipulators, specializing in deception and treachery of almost any variety. They tend to be paranoid, introverted, and highly intelligent.

The Maniac (Psy-)

To Maniacs, the world is just a place full of things to break. They are impulsive, thrill-seeking, and completely callous toward human suffering in any form.

The Puppetmaster (Nar-, Mach-)

Puppetmasters are social predators who excel in emotional manipulation. They are excellent at making people see the world their way and making friends that "might come in handy."

The Tyrant (Nar-, Psy-)

Charismatic and imposing, Tyrants amass power by terrorizing their opponents by any means necessary. They tend to identify themselves closely with a single ideal and hide behind it.

The Predator (Mach-, Psy-)

A common subject of true crime podcasts, Predators revel in bending their victims to their will by tormenting or killing them in certain, often horrific ways.

The Balancing Act (Nar-, Mach-, Psy-)

Balancing Acts work actively against the very concept of goodness and law. They believe that everyone else is inherently evil and are obsessed with anyone who says they aren't, such as law enforcement.

Conclusion

And there you have it. The test is in place. Now, all we need are the subjects. And thanks to the wonder of pop culture, we have those in abundance. So this is the mission: for your viewing pleasure, we'll be breaking down every villain, scoundrel, and antagonist we can find. And from Macbeth to Homelander and everyone in between, we'll be placing them on the diagram. Where does the Joker rank? Norman Bates? Hans Landa? The list never ends. We'll be lifting each villain's mask one at a time. Suggest your favorites and stay tuned because starting us off is a ne’er-do-well you're sure to be familiar with...

Bum, bum, bum, bum, ba-bum, bum, ba-bum...

Next: Darth Vader

entertainmenthumanitypop culture
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About the Creator

Gideon Brown

Gideon Brown is an amateur writer who specializes in character building, suspense building, world building... pretty much just building. He sincerely thanks you for visiting and would appreciate it if you would share any stories you enjoy.

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  • Alex H Mittelman about a year ago

    I liked this a lot and saved the article!!!

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