One of the most intriguing aspects of a film is the antagonist. Viewers are captivated by a good villain; one that is both unique and sinister. But how do the bad guys that we all know and love become who they are? How does a war-hero like Michael Corleone turn into the spitting image of his Crime Lord father? How does a boy slave like Anakin Skywalker grow up into the most tyrannical being in the galaxy? Does power alone corrupt the individual who possesses it? When observing the nature of these iconic evildoers, there are two important factors to consider: a trauma that occurred in their lifetime, and a mentality they develop to formulate an ideal civilization.
When looking at the origin of a villain, it's crucial to look at an event in this character's life that left him or her scarred. Most of the time, this event is the death of a loved one. In The Dark Knight, Two-Face suffers the death of the woman he loves at the hands of a homicidal maniac. In Star Wars, Anakin watches his mother die after being in captivity for a month. The J.J. Abrams Star Trek features Nero justify his war with the Federation and the destruction of Vulcan after having watched Romulus explode. However, this external force does not always produce villains, for heroes are faced with the same traumas. Batman, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, and countless other protagonists have family members that were killed without mercy. Hence, the correlation between emotional suffering and heroes and villains, means that there is a choice every individual under these circumstances must make. This one decision will come to define them. The villain pursues vengeance, while the hero seeks justice. Furthermore, the circumstances surrounding the time and place of the character's trauma play a part in the path he or she takes. One of the key aspects of Batman's origin is that the young Bruce Wayne is coming out of a Zorro film when his parents are murdered. The heroic swashbuckler figure serves as an inspiration to Bruce to fight evildoers and protect the innocent. Had he gone to see something like Dirty Harry instead, using a gun to fight criminals might've been more appealing to the Dark Knight. Prior to Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader, he has a graphic and terrifying vision of his wife's death. Having had dreams that have come true before, he intends to stop at nothing to keep this one from becoming reality. Being rash, hot-headed and determined, he is easily seduced by his seemingly harmless friend Palpatine. In the textbook I use for AP Psychology, author David G. Myers states in chapter 15, "Behavior emerges from the interplay of external and internal influences" (Myers, 624). Myers couldn't have put it better. Countless examples in cinema and literature illustrate this concept. In the graphic novel Batman:The Killing Joke, a Joker origin story which Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan used as a major source of inspiration for their films, Jack Napier is a failed comedian desperately trying to provide for his family. Coming from a rough childhood, his economic and social status are extremely low. With nowhere else to turn, he agrees to do a job for the local mafia in order to put food on the table, taking on the persona of the Red Hood. But when Batman shows up at the scene, one thing leads to the next and Napier falls into a vat of acid, where he is transformed from the inside and out into the legendary maniac. Yet it is the psychological aspects of this character that unleash the smiling menace. Therefore, a traumatic event that a character experiences, combined with the internal and external influences surrounding it, is an essential factor in the development of an antagonist.
The best villains are the ones that think they're the heroes. They conceive philosophies and ideas that they see will benefit the world they are in. Some of the most thought provoking lines in The Dark Knight are when Joker and Two-Face voice their mentalities. Joker believes in anarchy, "I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are"; while Two-Face bases his principles on fairness, "The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased, unprejudiced, fair". A fundamental aspect of a villain is his or her determination. The antagonist seeks to create what is in his or her mind, an ideal, utopian society, and will remove anyone that stands in the way. Lord Voldemort strives to unify wizards and witches of "pure blood", and rid the world of all he sees as unfit. Despite the evil and treacherous acts of violence he commits, he sees them as necessary. And again, internal and external influences play a crucial role in the formation of the villain's mentality. After years of ceaseless fighting in the Clone Wars, young Skywalker sees the Empire as an intriguing and logical idea. With the lack of trust he receives from the Jedi Council, and his desperation to save Padme, Palpatine becomes more and more convincing. After losing his family to a murderer who goes unpunished, Ra's al Ghul strives for a better world, and abandons the laws of society. Seeing the corruption within the bureaucratic system, he devises his own form of government. But unlike his opponent Batman, he believes human lives are necessary losses in order to return civilization to the Garden of Eden. As the villain's mentality develops, it consumes the individual's character, to the point where no external force can dissuade him or her from pursuing that course. In The Godfather, the final scene before the Don's death features a classic father and son conversation. As Vito Corleone reflects on his life and the state of his empire, he says to his son Michael, "I never wanted this for you". But do these words challenge the new head of the Corleone family to turn from his murderous ways? No. The once admirable, noble war-hero oversees the brutal murders of his enemies while watching his Godson's baptism, and taking an oath on Holy Bible. Once the mind of the villain takes it's form and corrupts the individual, it becomes nearly impossible for the character to turn from the path of evil. Yet there are instances nonetheless. Darth Vader's redemption at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi illustrates a very Christian view of the nature of good and evil. While few antagonists overcome the demon within them, the ones that do are the most interesting. To see a character fall, and over time return to the light is incredibly powerful. But for such a transformation to take place, the antagonist's overarching mentality must be challenged. Hence, the villain must possess a mentality that he or she believes will change the world for the better.
From Don Vito Corleone to Darth Vader to Joker, villains are some of the most influential characters in film and literature. Beyond a classic evil laugh or punchline, a bad guy has the power to challenge one's perception of society. Two fundamental aspects of the antagonist are: a traumatic experience that takes place at some point in his or her lifetime, and a mentality the character develops to formulate an ideal society. It is these elements that make monsters out of everyday people.
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