Bring on the Bad Guys

While thinking about heroes and heroines for my previous blog, I reflected upon the flip side of the coin: villains. After seeing Star Wars back in 1977, I remember clipping newspaper and magazine articles of Darth Vader, and assembling a scrapbook. There weren't any photos of Luke Skywalker or Han Solo taped within those pages, only his Dad with the deep, raspy voice. I'd guess that I found Vader's costume and mastery of the Force extremely effective, which is key in creating an appealling villain.

Even in comics, the villains tend to be visually interesting: Dr Doom, Dr Octopus, Bizarro, the list goes on. It makes sense that a dashing hero requires cool (yet dastardly) foes to battle, otherwise the fight for truth and justice may get boring. The challenge of overcoming a well designed villain helps remind the reader/viewer how cool the hero is in the first place.

Sherlock Holmes is an exception; I found his analytical and deductive skills so amazing, he didn't require a foil to increase his 'coolness' for me. I haven't even read 'The Final Solution' yet, it's certainly on my 'to-do' list.

Professional wrestling is a prime example where a hero requires an effective 'heel' to be entertaining; I often found myself rooting for the 'bad guy' when watching wrestling Saturday mornings with sandwich in hand. Saying my prayers and taking my vitamins didn't seem as cool as The Undertaker strolling menacingly toward the ring.

So here's to the bad guys; thanks for your efforts and willingness to be constantly defeated. Someone out there appreciates you!