When it comes all the way down to it, no one actually thinks they’re a villain. Even essentially the most evil character a storyteller might dream up isn’t strolling round going, “Isn’t it fantastic how evil I’m?” No, they legitimately imagine they’re doing the best factor, even when anybody with a working mind might see in any other case. Essentially the most cartoonish villain merely thinks the world could be a greater place with everybody else subjugated beneath his oppressive rule.
However that implies that each protagonist is somebody’s villain, and never even essentially the dictatorial monsters. Numerous so-called “heroes” are incompetent to the purpose of inexcusable negligence, or their solipsism threatens to smother their environment till it turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, or they’re only a dick for no motive and it’s bizarre nobody talks about it.
Consequently, when consumer youre_a_lizard_harry requested r/AskReddit, “Which character shouldn’t be technically a villain however is definitely worse?” Reddit had loads of long-simmering grievances towards fictional heroes to air.