I normally would not have time to make a super long post like I know this will be, but since I am stuck in a mechanic’s shop after an accident in another state, I think I have the time.
So I have been absolutely obsessed with Villains are Destined to Die since the crazy year of 2020. I found the webcomic by chance and then NEEDED to know how the story ended and read the whole light novel series. It is just such a fantastic story, but something that has really stuck with me is the foils in the guys.
To start, Winter is really the only odd one out. I feel like this fits super well considering he was the only one to break free of the brainwashing the first go around and then reversed time. While he doesn’t remember this past, it isn’t the only thing that sets him apart. The other guys all have similar skill sets and Winter is the only one that does not fit in line with that, but also has magic. He honestly is much more similar to Penelope herself given she isn’t much of a physical fighter and relies on her magic.
Now on to the actual foils, I’m going to start with Reynold and Derrick.
Now, I personally really REALLY hate Derrick. This is because he is so confusing and his behavior is frustrating. Even after getting explanations, it never justifies what he did to Penelope. He blamed her, shamed her, and basically disowned her, but he still wanted her to rely on him. He wanted her to smile and treat him well, while also wanting her to ignore his problematic behavior.
At the start of the story, Reynold isn’t much better. It’s not that he wants Penelope to continue acting like she cares and ignoring his bad behavior, but his bad behavior was almost worse than Derrick’s at the start. I mean, it was his actions that ultimately led to Penelope turning into a monster, and her suffering years of horrid abuse at the hands of the staff. Then why don’t I hate him??? Because unlike Derrick, he displays growth.
They both did awful things to Penelope, but that’s how they complement each other. Derrick won’t admit he was wrong and continues with his old habits of just blaming Penelope. I know he was brainwashed for part of that, but we are shown very clearly how he treated her like this even without the brainwashing. If anything the brainwashing just made him more emotional is the best word I can think of. However, Reynold admits he was wrong. He apologizes, and he does not at all think that his apologies are enough. He actively works on his relationship with Penelope. He wants very similar things to Derrick in terms of their respective relationships with Penelope, but he does not expect her to give him what he wants. He works to get what he wants, and understands that does not entitle him to her affection romantic or familial. Even when he slips back into bad habits because of the brainwashing, he still admits he was wrong, apologizes, and explains himself. He goes through so much growth and self reflection where Derrick remains pretty freaking stagnant throughout the series.
Callisto and Eckles also foil each other in a very similar way to how Derrick and Reynold foil each other.
Now, for as much as I hate Derrick, I hate Eckles more. I understand he has been through quite a bit. It is no small thing to be a young prince and the sole survivor of your family while watching your kingdom fall apart in front of you. Then he was sold into slavery and was horribly abused and used. This will undoubtedly mess a person up, and then Penelope wasn’t much better. They were both very aware they were using each other and that a lot of what they displayed in front of each other was false. However, this was the perfect combination for an obsession to bloom. We see that he does not at all love Penelope; he was obsessed. He was possessive and willing to put her in horribly dicey situations knowing it could, and hoping it would, impact Penelope negatively so she would have no one else to turn to but him. He admits this to Penelope after he brings Ivonne back to the estate. He needs her, but not in a healthy way. He does not try to become someone Penelope can rely on, but tries to force her to rely on him. He rarely, if ever, prioritizes what Penelope wants/needs. This next example is spoilers for the comic readers, so skip to the next paragraph if you want to avoid those. But it gets to a point that he even subscribes to the mentality of “if I cannot have you, no one can” after trying to straight up kidnap her.
Then we have Callisto. He is a character that is for sure, and to say he doesn’t share some of those fun qualities with Eckles would be a lie. We see how Callisto is possessive and can be forceful. I mean, he takes the medallion from her at the hunting competition, insists she is his partner at his birthday banquet (given she had technically said yes), forced his way onto the balcony after they danced, and even just insisting they are a couple through like…. The whole series. He also wants her to rely on him. However, I view this as being different from Eckles because he approaches these qualities differently. He at no point that I can recall, puts his feelings above Penelope’s. He will not force her into unfavorable situations just so he can posses her. He sees her as his lover, not his object. We see that so clearly when they basically break up before her coming of age ceremony. He was angry and confused and hurt, but he ultimately respected her decision. We also see how he changes for her good ol’ Mr. Darcy style. He knows she doesn’t like his violent tendencies, so he works really hard on restraining himself. Even actively not killing Ivonne because he KNOWS Penelope would not be happy to see a dead body outside. He wants her to rely on him, so he goes to her and helps her when he knows she needs it. At all intersections, he prioritizes Penelope’s wants and needs.
These two are really just two sides of the same coin. Eckles is that toxic love, the obsession that prioritizes owning someone versus a deep and passionate love that prioritizes becoming the best you can for someone else. They both want Penelope, but they want her in different ways and take different steps to win her over. For as forceful and Callisto seems, he is not willing to push, and for as passive as Eckles seems, he will to anything to force her over to him.
There are so many shared, similar qualities amongst the men, but we really get to see how those same qualities look when portrayed in a healthy manner over the toxic counterparts. It helps that all these characters are written so well! Derrick and Eckles are so easy to hate because they do deplorable things that make sense for their characters , not because they are written poorly. Reynold and Callisto are so lovable because they make mistakes and grow from them while also not having the expectation of that we as readers just forgive them without them working for it.
