Bad guys and good guys who a secretly the same
You guys must know this one too: there’s a “bad guy” and a “good guy” in a story, but their actions are pretty much the same. Good guys do bad things in the name of the common good, and bad guys do good things to protect people they care about. There is no difference in actions. And I have to admit, this really bugs me: stop calling them “bad” as if you were any better! Also, it is one of the things I think contribute to the “attractive villain” mania we’ve got going on.
BEFORE YOU READ ON BE AWARE THAT THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR HARRY POTTER, AGENTS OF SHIELD AND THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.
Take for example Grant Ward vs Melinda May. Both are spies. Both have been trained the same way. Both have killed people. Melinda even killed a little girl once. So, wherein lies the difference? Well, Melinda killed the little girl to save the agents the girl had turned into her puppets. It was for the greater good. Grant killed because he was ordered too (Fitz-Simmons for starters). The thing that turns the team against Ward is that he betrayed them and was working for the other side all along. Friendly reminder: he’s a spy. Granted, he then goes on to do things none of the “good guys” would have ever done, but he is first branded a “villain” because he was loyal to the wrong person – or at least the person on the opposite side of the war.
Another example is Severus Snape and Dumbledore. Both were at one point playing with the dark arts. Both had a change of heart because of a loved one (Ariana and Lily). Both have done unspeakable things. Their actions are not that different when you boil it down. In this case, though, there is a genuine difference: repentance. But only to some extent. While Dumbledore forswore the dark arts after the death of his sister, he still grew up to raise Harry “like a pig for slaughter”. Some might argue that Snape was still worse, given the way he treated his students. And yes, he was a horrible teacher, I’m not denying that. But Dumbledore literally sent one of his students to his death. That action in itself, without the emotions or the explanations attached, is not the actions of a good teacher either. Once again, it is not their actions that make them “good” or “bad”. I’m not sure you can say it is their change of heart either, since Dumbledore still pursued the deathly hallows (by borrowing James’ cloak) long after he had grown up and supposedly giving up the darkness.
A third example could be the Salvatore brothers. Here Damon is literally introduced as the bad one. Steffan is the one with the “hero hair” and Damon is a “self-professed serial killer”. If we go with a body count though, how many of you are willing to bet that ripper Steffan has killed more people than serial killer Damon? And yes, I know, I know, Steffan cannot control it, it is not his fault, he feels bad, etc. But from a physiological point of view, can’t the same be said for Damon? He spent his whole life trying to live up to what people demanded of him. His father beat him. His mother left him. The love of his life said he wasn’t enough for her, she wanted Steffan too. I’m not saying that a bad childhood excuses becoming a serial killer, I am saying that pent up rebellion against expectations and norms are to be expected, and that since he is a vampire (a predatory species) killing might come as a more natural response to him than throwing china at the wall. So, is he really that different? He’s less dangerous than Steffan. He has more control than Steffan. He isn’t a danger to those he loves like Steffan is. Well, my personal opinion is that anyone who calls Damon the bad brother deserves a Gibbs slap.
For those of you who might hate me now for dragging your favorite characters through the mud, let me just say: this is a thought experiment in what makes a “bad guy” bad, not an attempt at slandering beloved characters.
My point is this: we now live in a world where the “goodness” of a character is not determined by how they look (like witches in the old fairytales) or by how they act. We have mixed it all together to the point where everything is basically the same shade of grey and the only way to distinguish between “bad” and “good” is by who is telling the story. Yes, sometimes it is about the “good guys” having remorse, yes sometimes it is about the “bad guys” deliberately choosing to do these bad things. Most of the time though, it comes down to who these characters surround themselves with. Grant Ward went with Hydra because Garret was the first one to ever have faith in him. Severus Snape went for the Deatheaters because James and the others bullied him. Damon Salvatore went out on his own, no one to support him or keep him on the right track, because Steffan denounced him and Lexi told him to stay away for his brother’s sake.
The people we surround ourselves with often become who we are – thereby not taking away the responsibility of the individual, but merely pointing out that the right hand offered at the right time can mean the difference between “good” and “bad” in many cases. After all, Ward feels deeply and genuinely wants to help, Snape only seeks the comfort and safety of a group or family, and Damon is so incredibly protective and willing to sacrifice himself for those he loves – even if he would also gladly sacrifice others for those he loves.
