Many have studied the importance of heroes and villains of fictional stories to analyze the real society in which we live. For the creator of stories, in my humble opinion, there is a great responsibility in the creation of the hero, as he or she is the axis of the narrative. That’s who the reader or viewer will look for in search for answers and, who will identify with to create a connection to the story. However, I believe that a major responsibility lies in the creation of the villain. This is the character that plays the role of conflict, in which the author discards the dark side of the story, and who awakes in the audience their greatest fears. It’s no secret that people identify with characters, whether heroes or villains, and hence the fascination around them. So what happens when the villain gets to have as real nuances that lead us to question ourselves about the true role of evil in our society?
Mike Alsford, says in his book “Heroes and Villains”, that the main objective of the villain is to exert power over others, and describes how the villain represents those big inner fears, especially the fear of losing freedom, something that according to many philosophers, historians and scholars, is one of the things that humans value the most. Individualism is the prime characteristic of the villains who situate themselves above the rest, and this causes them to act according to their own will, imposing their power, rules and standards. They are the evil masterminds of the story, and the catalysts of conflicts. And sometimes the villain character is so real that we may think, “that villain may be my neighbor” and even when we see real evil acts in our society, we can conclude that it is due to the influence of fictional villains in our culture.
That is why at this time I am fascinated and terrified at the same time with two villains that have generated much discussion within the followers of their stories. They are Joe Carroll, villain of the series “The Following” portrayed by actor James Purefoy, and The Governor of the series “The Walking Dead” portrayed by David Morrissey. Although they are two different types of villains, the idea of this new type of villain has appalled me: an attractive, intelligent, charming, and obviously powerful psychopath character. Both characters can get so real that it leads me to think that out there may be thousands of Joe Carrolls walking around looking for followers, or Governors seeking for opportunities to create their own Woodbury. Admittedly, part of the success of these two series lies in the force exerted by its villains. Moreover both series are based on fascinating, visceral, and majestically written stories, combined with an incredible cast of actors, and perfectly defined characters. Certainly two of the series that have captivated me most in recent years.
My hope from the bottom of my writer and spectator’s heart is that good always triumphs over evil. I am in favor of happy endings that give humanity hopes and reasons to continue believing in light. However, this does not take away the fact that evil leaves havoc on its sufferers, and that somehow it defines the stories, the path of the characters, and in a big way lessons not only for the audience but also for the very own creator of the story.
What do you think? Who is your favorite villain and why?
