I like
monsters. Like Hagrid in Harry Potter, I
think they’re interesting. I’m not a fan
of horror movies because there’s rarely a surprise with the monster. The monster is the bad guy, he (or she) (or
it) is evil and out to destroy and there’s not much depth beyond that. I much prefer the sort of stuff Joss Whedon
does where sometimes the monster is the innocent victim of prejudice, sometimes
it is evil, sometimes it’s charming and funny but still does the most appalling
things (kitten-eating Clem as an example).
I like
characters who are people. I don’t like
having everything up front and no surprises.
I like discovering that the “good” guy has a streak of darkness in him. I like it when the bad guy has a sympathetic
(if twisted) rationale for what he’s doing.
I like having the possibility that either one might cross the line.
One of
my favourite universes is the X-men universe and I think a lot of the
characters have that kind of depth. Not
all, but the ones who have been developing with multiple writers over decades
have some good backstory to play with.
Magneto from the movies is a great example of a villain for me. This is a guy who has been kicked in the
teeth by life again and again. He’s been
persecuted for being a Jew, for being a mutant.
His family was killed by the Nazis, his wife and children were killed
(or so he thought). By the time we meet
him, he is determined to make certain no one is ever going to attack him
again. He’s not willing to trust to
diplomacy, it’s failed him again and again.
He truly believes that the only way to protect himself is to make sure
he’s the one in charge. There is the
tantalizing possibility that maybe Xavier and the X-men will be able to
convince him of the error of his ways.
He’s not evil in the classic melodramatic sense. He has flaws in his thinking and standards of
behaviour but there is a strange sympathy to his point of view.
Compare
Magneto with Batman. Batman also had a
traumatic experience in his life and dedicated himself to making sure it would
never happen again. Same motivation as
Magneto. But Batman isn’t trying to save
the world, he’s only dealing with the immediate situation in front of him (this
particular mugging, robbery, whatever).
You would think Magneto’s noble and lofty goals would make him a better
person but in this case it actually makes him worse. It’s his belief in his noble goal which lets
him justify some really appalling means to get there. Batman has a strict line he won’t cross, but
there’s always the risk that this particular situation or villain will push him
over.
A hero
who is never tempted into darkness is boring.
A villain who is just Evil is boring.
A writer may not always have time to get into all the backstory, but
there should be something besides one-dimensional motivation.
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