Doki Doki Literature Crimes - A DDLC Thing(?)
Hey, a lot of people make out Yuri, Monika, MC, even Natsuki sometimes to be the equivalent of comic book supervillains with the moral nuance and consideration they're afforded. But what if the girls actually did play the role of comic book supervillains? Which ones would they be?
Of course, I believe in our dokis absolutely to do whatever they set their minds to, so I'm sure that they would make outstanding original villains. However, that's going to have to wait for a future post. Right now, I'm assigning each of them one DC and one Marvel antagonist to take the place of, starting with:
Poison Ivy -- Pamela Isely is, much like Monika, brilliant, environmentally conscious, associated with the color green (as well as the metaphysical Green), and bad with social situations. She also has a penchant for manipulating others' minds with her pheromones, especially their romantic attraction, while being herself a raging lesbian.
Thanos -- It should be noted that comics Thanos is a very different beast from the MCU adaptation. Monika isn't killing half the club to save on paper. Instead, in the original, Thanos was motivated to seize the Infinity Gems and warp the fabric of reality because of a one sided, maladaptive infatuation with Death, in an attempt to win her affection. Killing half of everyone was just to win her over (it failed, just like the Space Classroom).
Harley Quinn -- This one I'm a little unsure of, but it feels strong enough. Harleen Quinzel is a trained psychologist, and therefore very good at reading people, much like Sayori. Also like Sayori, she is mired in dependency issues, and relies on her relationships for validation. She has an upbeat personality, an aloof and kooky approach, and a romantic connection with Poison Ivy.
The Beyonder -- The Beyonder isn't a very traditional villain, which is good, because neither is Sayori. Most of his villainous action comes from using his cosmic power in an attempt to understand a universe he wasn't ready to be a part of. This mirrors Sayori in the worst and normal endings, saddled with staggering reality bending control and a perspective too large for her. Also, he dresses like a seventies disco icon, which Sayori could own.
The Yellow Lantern Corps -- Yuri would make an outstanding Yellow Lantern. YL's are powered by fear. Fear of the outside world, fear of rejection, fear of intimacy, fear of one's self, one's urges, and one's future. This fear is combined with the imagination - with the lurid, creative imagination of a poet - to constitute one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. All Yuri has to do is give into and channel the gnawing doubts and dark visions that consume her.
Carnage -- Carnage is a blood drinking, shapeshifting, squirming mass of alien goo that bonds to and empowers a host. It is noise sensitive, prefers shadows, and has an interest in the occult. It plays into themes of instability, dark urges, body horror and bodily autonomy. In all honesty, I think Yuri would be an excellent host for this creature.
Bane -- Natsuki is Bane. This is objectively the best take in this post, and you're going to have to trust me. Bane is a person who has been deeply affected by the trauma of growing up in an abusive environment, and has thrived despite this but still had his ability to be form relationships shaped by the experience. He's someone who forms deep, intense bonds with those he can open up to, and remains distant to everyone else. He has a complicated relationship with his substance intake/metabolism. He is often underestimated and written off as a dumb brute, but is actually a Batman level genius with a warrior poet's soul, just like Natsuki.
It may feel obvious to use the Buffsuki meme as a basis for Banesuki, but it is actually so much better if you just give a somewhat toned normal Natsuki the outfit.
Ultron -- Ultron is an artificial intelligence deeply affected by the neglect of its crappy dad (Hank Pym in the comics) and how that has shaped its outlook on the hostility of broader humanity. Ultron is also absurdly resilient and difficult to destroy, and easy to underestimate as a dumb, programming bound robot until it pulls complex strategy and creative thought on you unexpectedly. Further, many of its faceplates have little fangs.
The Riddler -- Why does the Riddler riddle? Not for money, not for power, not even, truly, for fame. The Riddler riddles in a quest for identity, to imagine a solution to the character of E. Nygma. The Riddler riddles because he can't identify himself any other way. He takes his nerdiness, his obsessions, his commitment to aesthethic, and he makes himself the bit, in order to be something. He's also fundamentally self focused. Hurting people isn't a goal, but it inevitably happens as he plays through his games.
Taskmaster -- Taskmaster is defined by two things. He's primarily individualistic in his motivations, and he changes himself in response to those around him. He copies the abilities of others and gets most of his success from reflecting and anticipating those moves, which lowers his ability to assert his own identity (something that he compensates for with a loud, snarky personality, and Mabel could compensate for in other ways). But he's also a mercenary that drifts from employer to employer, route to route, whatever serves him best. Plus he rocks a cape, big boots, and a skull mask, which I think Mabel could manage.
I'd like to note, briefly, that this is a post about supervillains, and as such maximally focuses on the negative traits of the club members and the ways they could be taken to extremes, without factoring in mitigating factors and character growth. That's the conceit here, and it is not meant to be hate towards any of them. Also, supervillains are literally cool as ****.
