Types of villains that CAN potentially have redemption arcs in stories
The lovably goofs. Villains who aren’t much of a genuine threat, and are moreso there to be an obnoxious obstacle to our heroes. The things they do aren’t too awful, but are bad enough to warrant them being villains. These usually appear in media for young children and/or comedies. An example would be Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket in the Pokemon series
The misguided rival. These villains are often a villain due to circumstance. They are usually someone who has been raised with, or indoctrinated by the larger evil into conforming to, believing in, or fighting for the bad guys. While they are genuinely bad people and do hold horrible views, often bigoted in nature or supportive of horrible systems like imperialism, they can be redeemed because they simply do not know any better, but can be educated on the matters at hand. Oftentimes, these characters are victims of neglect or abuse from the hands of a more powerful villain. Examples would be Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Catra from She-Ra: Princesses of Power, Peridot from Steven Universe, or Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter
The brainwashed. The most simple of the bunch, a villain who is not acting of their own accord. The horrible things they commit, perhaps even murder, can be forgiven because they were not in control of their own actions when they did it. Examples are The Winter Soldier from Captain America, or debatably The Incredible Hulk.
The desperate and/or lied to. A villain who is only on the side of evil to suit their own interests, to survive; or someone who has been fed a lie about the bad guys that causes them to see them as good. These characters are often more neutral in their allegiences, simply staying with whoever best suits them at that moment. Alternatively, if they are being lied to, they could see a potential redemption arc when the facade has been pulled away and the truth comes out; causing them to rethink their choices. Examples of this are a little harder to think of, but I’d say (maybe) Loki from the MCU, or Entrapta from She-Ra: PoP.
The real victim. Villains who are only commiting evil deeds because of something that has happened to them. These villains can only be redeemed if the things they do are not too severe, so no redeeming someone who commits genocide because someone ate the last biscuit. These are often villains who have been so heavily traumatised by some sort of event in their past that it drives them into a place of such desperation that they lash out or become ‘corrupted’ so to speak. These villains may also remain perfectly sane but simply be blinded by pure rage and fury at the events of their past. Examples of this are Te Ka from Moana, debatably Loki, Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist, or Ghost from Ant Man and The Wasp.
There are more of course, but those are a few.
Now for villains that CANNOT, and SHOULD NOT be redeemed.
The bigot. The villain who, unlike the indoctrinated, genuinely believes the horrible things they say and do. They genuinely are racist, homophobic, transphobic, etc; and refuse to acknowledge any other arguments and/or refuse to change because they really do believe they’re right in their fascist views. Examples of this are: Andy Demayo from Steven Universe (don’t @ me), Kimblee from Fullmetal Alchemist, or Severus Snape from Harry Potter (again, don’t @ me)
The Overlord / The Warlord. The villain in an extreme position of power who uses said power to conquer and colonise. Debatably the worst of all. These villains are iredeemable regardless of their views of the world (IE: The bigot) because they commit atrocities on such a high level that no amount of repayment would ever suffice. The kinds of atrocities they commit are things like genocide, colonisation, imperialism, slavery, and much more. Examples of this are: The Diamond Authority from Steven Universe, bolded because they seem to be getting redeemed in the show as we speak. Thanos from Marvel comics and/or The MCU, Fire Lord Ozai from The Last Airbender, Hela from Thor Ragnarok and many more.
Rapists. I dont need to explain this one.
The abuser. A villain who mistreats and abuses those around them for whatever reason they may have, and has a lasting and horrific effect on their victims. This includes anything from child abuse to domestic abuse and everything inbetween. Examples include Mother Gothel from Tangled, or Lusamine from Pokemon Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon.
There are more, of course, but that’s all I can think of right now.
So you might be wondering why these kinds of characters shouldn’t be redeemed. Surely even the worst people have feelings too? Surely people can change? And yeah, you’re right. Even the evil people of the real world, even our world’s dictators who commit genocide and other acts of evil do have feelings… But here’s the thing.
If you commit fucking GENOCIDE, then you should just be killed??? I’m not sure how to explain it outside of it just being INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS. If someone has done something so so so awfully horrific as that, then no matter what they do, no matter how they feel, they HAVE to be taken down. It is the morally right, even the morally necessary thing to do.
But surely, its just fiction, right? So it doesnt matter, right? WRONG. To say that fiction does not affect reality just says to me that you’ve been living under a rock for your entire life. Showing the message that such genuinely evil people deserve a second chance is INCREDIBLY dangerous and is the kind of bullshit centrist rhetoric that has landed us in the political climate we have today; where nobody ever actually DOES anything about the awful things happening around the world because ‘uwu they have feelings too’. Teaching this to young children is especially damaging. Everyone needs to know that such atrocious acts of evil are 100% NOT FORGIVABLE. AT ALL. EVER. UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I don’t care if they have feelings or even if they feel bad for what they’ve done. They did it. That’s what matters. Even in a story of fantasy where atrocities can be undone (IE: Avengers Endgame or whatever), they still DID the thing and that’s why they should face justice.
The reason that the former list of villains CAN be redeemed, while also having feelings and feeling bad for what they’ve done, is because the things they have done are comparatively not that bad. Even a character who has commited murder could face a redemption arc in a story depending on the context and how such an act is handled within the context of the narrative (IE: Scar from FMA, or Loki). But such atrocities as genocide, slavery, and everything else I listed are not forgivable. They are not repayable debts. A villain who has killed just one, or even a few people can be redeemed by having them dedicate their lives to repaying for those crimes, because they know that what they’ve done is wrong and awful, and while the ACT may be unforgivable, its on a relatively small scale so it can be worked around for the story. But when things go from murder to GENOCIDE, there’s no going back. Killing hundreds, thousands, or millions of people is never ever ever a repayable debt. Not under any circumstance at all.
TL;DR: Stop teaching children that we should forgive our oppressors, that we should forgive fascists and dictators, or that we should forgive any other equally evil people. It is an incredibly harmful message and it will, and has had consequences in the real world.
stormborns
origamiaround
jbbartram-illu
2087
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
dailybridgerton
andulkaphoto
