These are the villains who, when you stop and think about it, actually have a really good point.
Batman vs. Superman
We love to romanticize the idea of an all-powerful space alien physically imposing American ideals and law on citizens despite having no official authority.
But just re-read that sentence! Superman is kind of a nightmare when you take him to his logical conclusion.
And Lex is simply a more forward-thinking individual than most. Did he pee in a jar and make a senator drink it before blowing up a ton of people? Sure. But we’re not here to condone his terrible actions … rather to point out that his fears and motivations are absolutely valid.
Roughly 80% of Ocean Master’s motivation is personal greed and pride … but he’s not wrong about one specific thing: wearetrashing the ocean. And in the real world, there isn’t a race of sea gods (that we know of) ready to protect fish from the accumulating garbage we’ve cast into their habitat.
It shouldn’t take a fictional underwater world to make us stop being such insufferable pollution goblins. Yes, it’s not nice to cast a tsunami upon our shores. But we see no reason why Aquaman and his fam shouldn’t hurl every grain of microplastic and discarded condom right back from which it came.
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
As much as we love John McClane, he’s a real spoilsport when it comes to elaborate heists. In the case of Simon Gruber, his plan to steal the gold reserve is coupled with a desire to limit casualties – making him not much different than a charming Danny Ocean. And can you imagine the kind of horrific body count that would ensue if the Bellagio happened to house a McClane-like character?
On top of this, you can’t really blame him for being sore about that whole fiasco with his brother. Yes, Hans was a pretty bad dude … but as Simon himself puts it, “There’s a difference between not liking one’s brother and not caring when some dumb Irish flatfoot drops him out of a window.”
Blade Runner
You simply can’t have a list of tragic villains without poor Batty. Born into servitude, Roy has all the strength and combat knowhow of a ‘roided-out Klingon combined with the emotional experience of a three-year-old child. It’s no wonder he goes completely berzerker on his creator, crushing his head like a spoiled cantaloupe.
While his methods are violent and desperate (due to his design), he’s not wrong in his quest to extend his life. He’s not wrong for a lot of reasons that ultimately force the audience to wonder just why the heck this noir dystopia chose to grant swole machines withanyangsty intelligence. Isn’t this why we have drone operators?
Resident Evil
Every zombie outbreak begins with some idiot leaving a lab door slightly ajar or, in the case of Resident Evil, performing flat-out sabotage. The A.I. of this extremely hazardous genetic research facility his only one job: keep the evil inside. And yes, if that means hilariously decapitating folks with a barreling elevator cart then she will not hesitate.
But despite her efforts (and awesome lasers), a group of curious dunces force their way inside her facility … ultimately unleashing a resurrecting virus upon the world and causing the extinction of mankind. Way to go, puny humans!
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
We’re not breaking any new ground by pointing out that Ferris Bueller kind of sucks. He’s a serial truant coddled by his friends and family at every turn. He will, 100%, grow up to run a gouging pharmaceutical company. The only man with the desire to stop this future Hitler is Ed Rooney, a living-martyr who spends his entire day being repeatedly crapped on by fate.
You could say that Ed is a big grumpy jerk, but what you’re really seeing is the product of years dealing with a sociopathic Bueller. This movie is the dark final chapter in one man’s descent into professional defeat.
X-Men Series
Depending on which film you are watching, both Magneto and Mystique pivot often from the side of good … but never do they attempt to compromise with the human world that fears and despises them so much. They are, after all, a more evolved version of us.
And it’s extremely hard to convince a man who personally witnessed atrocities that the mutant-fearing government will ever find a non-violent solution. Their kind has been dissected and reticulated and hunted with giant retro robots. That kind of neverending stress will make just about anyone want to drop a stadium on the President.
Captain America: Civil War
Just imagine witnessing your whole family killed because a group of wisecracking superhumans were forced to fight a crazed robot that they accidentally created. There’s a big argument for the theory that most of the Avenger’s problems were caused by their own existence. Meanwhile, us mortals are stuck being bystanders – powerless to control a handful of random strangers with world-dominating abilities and fleeting sympathy for the consequences.
Zemo isn’t a good guy – but his anger isn’t unjustified. We the audience see countless moments where Iron Man or Captain America question the morality of what they are doing … but the rest of the world doesn’t see those moments. So, of course,there are some angry civilians out there – Zemo just happens to be the one smart enough to fight back.
The Planet of the Apes Series
Most of the recentPlanet Of The Apesfilms are centered around the ambiguity of “heroes vs villains” by highlighting some serious jerks on both sides of the great monkey war. Koba is one of those jerks, stopping at nothing to eradicate humankind and even screwing over his fellow apes in the process.
But with his brutal history at the hands of lab technicians, can you really blame him? Koba’s background, as detailed in the official movie prequel novel, is seriously tragic. It led him down a dark ideology that, considering the actions of many human foes, isn’t completely inaccurate.
Star Trek: Insurrection
The plot of Insurrection is centered around a small group of space hippies who have gained immortality by inhabiting a planet with healing properties that could cure galaxies-worth of illness. Instead of allowing the Federation to relocate them, they have chosen to greedily fight off any invading group despite having no native right to the land.
Somehow we are describing the “good guys” of this plot.
Ru’afo is the villain – a member of this community who was cast out after attempting to overthrow the government. His methods areobjectively eviland his motivation is revenge … but he and the Federation are not wrong to want to use this cosmic healing to serve a much larger good than a small town of life-hogs.
