Do you remember one of the famous dialogues from the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s movie Ra.One, when Shekhar Subramaniam (role played by Shah Rukh Khan) said – Main aaisa game banaonga… jis mein villain kabhi nahin harega (I will make such a game… in which a villain never loses). The audience developed a deep fascination with villains, with Ra.One making him the strongest character in the movie.
Moreover, in the recent Netflix series Squid Game Season 2, you might find a lot of promotional as well as fan-made videos of rapper Thanos playing negative roles in the series. The audience again developed a fascination with villains as Thanos’s character was praising how his villainous persona adds a unique twist to the show.
Similarly, Thanos, from the Marvel Universe, was represented as the antagonist who had wiped out half of the world’s population and yet, many praise his motive. There are a bunch of movies, series, anime and many more where the villains get appreciation by overshadowing the heroes.
What do you think, why do we more connect with the villains rather than the hero? Why are the antagonist characters like Thanos and others more fascinating to audiences than heroes?
The psychology behind the fascination with villains
The human psychology behind the fascination with villains is rooted in the character specialities of the villains for their complexity and unpredictability. Unlike the traditional heroes which we used to see to be bound by some ethics, codes and positivity, the villains nowadays capture the audience’s attention by showing both the dark and positive sides of human nature.
You might have observed that when you are a child, you appreciate heroes and never like villains. As soon as you grew older this concept totally changed and you started to relate with villains. From here the fascination with villains starts.
Well, when we were children, we were always taught that heroes represented goodness and justice, whereas villains represented evil and a negative aura. During that period we used to see the world as black and white because of lack of understanding. When we started to grow our understanding of many things improved and we started to see multicolours besides black and white.
Our fascination with villains is because a lot of villains are the most compelling. After all, there is a cathartic element in them. Villains turn into negative characters when they embrace a lot of flows, insecurities and struggles throughout their lives. The negative decisions they are making are often because of pain, losses and injustice that we often ignore or are not shown to us making them a compelling character.
In real life, we as a human, also often struggle with a lot of pain because of injustice, insecurities and so on like a villain does in a cinema or other entertainment places. We can connect with the villain because he was too a common man like us and due to severe pain and injustice, he became that evil person who does not care about anyone.
The concept of shadow-self
Carl Jung introduced a concept of shadow-self that can better depict our fascination with villains. Jung narrates that, every person has their hidden side that is full of desires, instincts and emotions. We do not want to show it to others because we want to be a good person in front of other people. Those who showed their hidden sides to others became the villains and those who did not show these traits became the heroes.
Carl Jung wrote, “Unfortunately there can be no doubt that man is, on the whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be. Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. At all counts, it forms an unconscious snag, thwarting our most well-meant intentions.”
As we grew, we started to understand this concept. Our child whom we see as a villain started to understand their struggles to become a villain. We started to understand the importance of self-acceptance and the impact of exploring the hidden side of humans that generates our fascination with villains.
What is the anti-hero trend in modern media?
You might have heard about some anti-hero characters like Walter White and Thomas Shelby, so what is the concept of anti-hero? Anti-heroes are mostly the narrative protagonists who do not have the qualities of a hero like strong morale, selflessness, courage or justice. Anti-heroes are rejected by society because of their questionable decisions and actions.
The famous anti-hero character, Walter White, from Breaking Bad can be taken for better comprehension of our fascination with villains and the growing trend of anti-heroes. Walter White was a struggling chemistry teacher who became a ruthless drug lord. His initial intention of provide his family with a good life because he was diagnosed with cancer. However, as long as the series progressed he entered into the illegal drug trade where he had the same intention but with a decline in morale. Henceforth, instead of becoming a villain at the end of the series, the audience accepted him as an anti-hero because of his character’s complexity.
Another example we can explore here is The Professor from the famous Money Heist series. The writer portrayed The Professor as a mastermind criminal. He is brave, intelligent and brilliant like a hero does but having no morality. However, he fights against the system and his excellence turns him into a hero in most of the viewer’s eyes and the series became very popular.
Anti-hero vs villain
You might get confused with the terms anti-hero and villain. Well, there is a difference between both the terms. An anti-hero is mostly a central character like The Professor from Money Heist who does not contain any qualities of a hero. On the other hand, the villain is a character that directly opposes the hero and they are ruthless, self-serving and have a dark desire like Thanos from Marvel.
So now you might be wondering, do we have a fascination with villains or with anti-heroes? Well, our fascination mostly leans towards the anti-heroes. While the villains have their own agenda and are driven by pure malicious desires, the anti-heroes have their own goals that make them complex and relatable to the modern day.
The anti-heroes mostly exist in the morally grey areas where they create confusion among the audience regarding the bad or good side of their actions. The audience can connect with them on a deeper level because anti-heroes mostly appeal to the audience by using their abilities to challenge the notions of rights and wrong.
If you observe the filmmaking industry closely, the line between the hero and villain is wiping out and anti-heroes are rising. The anti-heroes have the traits of both the heroes and villains. Because of this growing trend, writers have been focusing on anti-heroes and directors are showcasing both sides of an anti-hero as a villain and a hero. Movies like Venom, Joker, Kabir Singh, Tumbbad and so on are attracting the audience’s attention and generating billions of dollars by following the anti-hero trend.
FAQ
Why are audiences more fascinated with villains than heroes?
The human psychology behind the fascination with villains is rooted in the character specialities of the villains for their complexity and unpredictability. Unlike the traditional heroes which we used to see to be bound by some ethics, codes and positivity, the villains nowadays capture the audience’s attention by showing both the dark and positive sides of human nature.
What is the psychology behind the fascination with villains in modern media?
Villains turn into negative characters when they embrace a lot of flows, insecurities and struggles throughout their lives. The negative decisions they are making are often because of pain, losses and injustice that we often ignore or are not shown to us making them a compelling character.
How does the concept of shadow-self explain our attraction to villains?
Carl Jung narrates in the concept of shadow-self, that every person has a hidden side that is full of desires, instincts and emotions. We do not want to show it to others because we want to be a good person in front of other people. Those who showed their hidden sides to others became the villains and those who did not show these traits became the heroes.
What is an anti-hero and how does it differ from a villain?
Anti-heroes are mostly the narrative protagonists who do not have the qualities of a hero like strong morale, selflessness, courage or justice. Anti-heroes are rejected by society because of their questionable decisions and actions. On the other hand, the villain is a character that directly opposes the hero and they are ruthless, self-serving and have a dark desire like Thanos from Marvel.
What are some recent movies and series that feature anti-heroes?
Movies like Venom, Joker, Kabir Singh, Tumbbad and so on are attracting the audience’s attention and generating billions of dollars by following the anti-hero trend.
Why are anti-heroes becoming more popular in modern storytelling?
If you observe the filmmaking industry closely, the line between the hero and villain is wiping out and anti-heroes are rising. The anti-heroes have the traits of both the heroes and villains. Because of this growing trend, writers have been focusing on anti-heroes and directors are showcasing both sides of an anti-hero as a villain and a hero.
