TBHX has given me more thoughts, so I’m going to share them because why not?
Last time I discussed heroes. This time I want to talk villains. Because TBHX is taking the superhero/villain concept and mixing it up in a way I didn’t expect. Beware spoilers for episodes 1-7 and a theory worthy of threads, polaroids, and corkboards.
At the start of the series, the villains introduced fit the normal superhero story narrative. The heroes run on trust, the villains run on fear. And yet the first villain introduced is a disgruntled boss who takes advantage of his employees. And that is important. Because I’m sure in the past of the TBHX world the dangerous villains were the ones who used fear to give themselves superpowers. Villains like E-Soul’s nemesis Zero were the true threats to the world, and the heroes rose up to defeat them
In the present day of TBHX, the villains no longer run on fear. They run on fame and business. They make villains like Cheng Yaojin and God Eye. Of course I am talking about the hero companies and perhaps the Hero Association that allows those companies to thrive.
Consider what has happened in the first seven episodes. Cheng Yaojin was turned into a villain by Treeman as much as by the Spotlight Organization. If Treeman hadn’t canceled the contract with Cheng Yaojin’s company over seemingly one bad proposal, Cheng Yaojin wouldn’t have chosen to listen to the Spotlight Organization.
The second villain shown in the series, Wreck, is literally someone that Treeman themselves built up as a villain from the ground up.
The third villain is a girl trying to save her hero from the image that the public and the Hero Association and likely his hero company, Treeman, perpetuated. I mean, look at the statue. That reminder that Firm Man always stood firm was costing the hero and the Hero Association and Treeman both knew of the cost. They had to given Firm Man’s special furniture. And yet they stood by and let the poor man suffer for so long. To the point that Wolf Girl felt like the only way to save her hero was to become a villain.
The fourth villain is a bit tricky, because God Eye kind of doomed himself. But given his powers and likely need for the truth as a side effect, I think Treeman falsifying nearly everything about Nice would drive him off the brink. This is a hero whose whole schtick was the truth, and Nice’s hero brand was built on near complete lies.
And then we switch heroes, from Nice/The Commoner to E-Soul. And the villains appear to be regular old criminals. Kidnappers, robbers, etc. No notable villain with fear-based powers to be seen as Yang Chen robs E-Soul of his trust. Instead we get to see a hero fall and become a villain, but not an open villain. Not one whose actions and powers are marked with darkness and shadows. One who looks, talks, and seemingly acts like a hero: Yang Chen. The first villain in the series who runs on trust instead of fear. Because how else would you describe someone who killed a hero who did nothing wrong in cold blood? And isn’t that terrifying?
Because let’s be clear. Villains who run on fear are likely not the ultimate villains in this series as they would in superhero stories past. Villains like Yang Chen (who I refuse with all my soul to call E-Soul and shall henceforth refer to as The Puppet) who masquerade as heroes are dangerous but not the big boss. We’ve seen the hints for who the big bosses, the most dangerous villains are: the hero companies. With maybe an exception or two.
Sure, “Uncle Rock” is the scariest of the villains of the entire series to this point. But looking at how the hero companies and Hero Associations treat their heroes, how can we be sure this guy is the only corrupt CEO? How much corruption is there in this hero business? What about Treeman’s Shang? His reaction to his son’s death chilled me. Something is not right with that man, and his company’s care for their heroes has been shown to be completely exploitative and manipulative. These businessmen dealing in heroes seem to be doing the most damage in the show, and I think that’s on purpose. A hint of the villains the heroes truly need to find a way to bring down. A system that needs to be shattered and built back up into something that truly works for the heroes and public instead of their own bottom dollar.
My question is, will the heroes see the villains most likely to destroy them and their world before it’s too late?
Or maybe the evil Spotlight Organization isn’t a subsidiary of the Hero Association and I’m just on the wrong side of insane.
