Have you ever seen a movie and wondered how you can't seem to bring yourself to hate the villain? Me too. For some reason, some villains are almost impossible to hate, even if they are the reason for the death of hundreds or thousands (or 50% of all living creatures).

These villains somehow manage to make a place in our hearts despite being evil and unfitting of the image of a hero we have in our minds. But why is that? Why do we seem to be so attracted towards someone we are supposed to hate?

Vision

Some of the best storylines are the ones where the villain has a strong sense of vision of how he or she wants to see the world and how they are willing to cross any limits whatsoever to make their vision come true.

Their sheer willpower and stubbornness, even though being highly immoral, inhumane, illegal, and extremely dangerous, shows how dedicated and committed they are towards their ambitions.

Confidence is something that is irresistible for us humans, even if it may be used for a purpose that we do not support. We simply love the idea of "destroying everything in the path" until the goal is achieved.

While a hero's role in a movie or any fiction is usually just "Stop the bad guy", a smart villain sees the big picture. He doesn't necessarily want to fight the hero. He does so because the hero is an obstacle in his way to achieve something bigger.

Story writers know about this better than anyone else. They make their villains likable by adding a serious purpose behind their evilness, unlike other petty villains who just want to make a buttload of money.

Freedom and Unpredictability

Unlike heroes, villains are unpredictable because they are not constrained by morality or law and hence are free to do whatever they wish and however they wish. This means they have more of what every human wants: freedom.

Heroes, though being the ideal role models, are super predictable as they have to obey and follow the rules set by the society. If they don't, they don't exactly fit for the hero image we consider superior.

Curiosity only arises for the unknown, and that's the reason why villains are sometimes more exciting to watch and learn about, because they have a backstory that is lesser known than that of heroes. There is mystery in their personality.

And this mystery, pleases us. It makes us restless and wanting to know why the villain is the way he is. We secretly want to experience the same freedom they have, but we are too afraid to admit it because human ethicality isn't something we want to break.

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Continue reading:

Why Is It So Hard To Hate Movie Villains Sometimes?

Vision

Freedom and Unpredictability

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