The women of Practical Folks might have meant this video as a joke, but it's not exactly a lie that there's a certain attraction to villains. As Harley Quinn once said "I've always had this strange attraction for extreme personalities. They're more exciting, more challenging. You can't deny there's an element of glamour to these super criminals." We have to ask why? Why do we heavily admire characters with terrible morals? In real life if somebody blew up a hospital like The Joker inThe Dark Knight, that person would have become public enemy number 1 in the area. Goblin King or not, if somebody stole a baby they wouldn't be the icon of female desire in fantasy like David Bowie's Jareth from Labyrinth. Disney parks even dedicate their Halloween season set up to the dastardly villains.
For me, two villains that I'm truly attracted to are Fire Lord Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones. There can be so many more villains I can rant about being attracted to, but these two are so despicable it's shocking they have fans. Fire Lord Ozai is the king (more like a dictator) of a country which wages war on the rest of the show's fictional world. He's abusive to his children, abuses his power, and desires only to watch the world burn (literally). Cersei Lannister is pretty similar but actually loves her children. She drinks more wine then there is coin in the Westeros bank, enjoys seeing people killed, and even set a majority of King's Landing on fire after her two of her three children were officially declared dead. So then, why are they attractive? Why do I think about what it'd be like to walk beside these two in their palaces, asking questions and being the devoted servant who nodded along, saying "Yes my king/queen, whatever you say" and being awarded some type of affirmation. Even if I know in reality if I was in Game of Thrones are Avatar I'd despise their every action.
Last year one of my friends ran a minor experiment where they had us look at a mugshot and read about some of their crimes. The point of it to see if we're less harsh on those who we deem pleasing to the eye. When the hypothesis came back as true, something clicked inside me. Think of the Disney corporation for instance. Traditionally their villains, such as Lady Tremain, Ursula, and Hades, do not follow the traditional ideas of beauty. Portrayed as the ideals however are the heroes. Large muscles, fabulous hair, not a wrinkle on their body. Villains such as Prince Hans or Gaston however break these stereotypes, proving that a villain can be ugly on the inside, but gorgeous on in the inside. Perhaps this is a factor?
I've asked some other friends who have admitted to liking villains why they are, and while there are various answers, they were all ones I highly agreed with. Many of my friends said they liked villains because they drive the plot, you could have a terrible hero, but your villain better be well written and someone who makes the show interesting. The two work off of eachother. For example, Light Yagami and L from Death Note.
Light Yagami was the best in his class. When he obtains a notebook which allows him to kill people as long as he knows a name and a face. With this and his connection to the Japanese police Light uses the notebook to kill criminals, hoping to wipe the world of sin and become the god of a new world. The police notice an increase in deaths and thus hire the world's greatest detective, L, to catch him. It's a psychological thriller which can be watched over and over again. The two feed off each other's energies, and some fans have even reported that the series went down hill after L's death. While it was entertaining to the end, it was obvious the tension between Villain and Hero was stronger between L and Light then it was Light and Near/N.
It could also be because of the idea of the bad boy/girl gets us riled up. Perhaps we want to live vicariously through them. We know in real life we wouldn't want to kill anybody, but the idea of the adrenaline rushing as you hold onto your bad beau or belle riding down Gotham or Metropolis on their get getaway ride similar to Harley and Joker towards the beginning of Suicide Squad.
Perhaps it's certain elements of their design, a voice which drives us nuts with lust such as Benedict Cumberbatch as Kahn, Perhaps we imagine them being into the same stuff we are, or perhaps part of it is the desire to be able to change them, knowing from single moments of intimacy that there was once a man who cared for poetry and art then someone who wants to make the world burn. Imagine, a person who desires only to make people scream, but with you is delicate and careful. Being the one spared when everything else is destroyed.
If your favorite character is the villain, it's okay. Many people find them the best of the series. Wanting to know more about who they were or are when not shown on screen is always interesting. After all, just as Harley said they really are more exciting and challenging with a hint of glamor. You can still love a character, even if you truly hate them.
A special thanks to Practical Folks for giving me permission to use their video.
