Two Faces of Villainy

Although heroes are the idols of our society, the heroes we have come to love for their
perfection and benevolent nature would be nothing without their enemies. The villain is the
essential piece of every hero that defines the opposite end of the moral compass and represents
all evil that must be overcome. The villain hopes to bring the hero down to their level by
damaging their image and tearing down everything the hero stands for to prove the hero is not as
perfect as you believed. They entice the dark depths of our imagination and touch on
temptations you would not dare consider in the real world. The perfect villain not only appeals to
the bad side of the reader but also looks for sympathy, while trying convince others their twisted
view is correct so that others will be evil too. Villains use manipulation and create chaos, but
their end goal is always to break the moral righteousness of the hero and allow evil to triumph
over good. Through Iago playing Othello as his fool, and the Joker perpetually trying to break
the Batman, we see the villain as an essential piece of the hero. The evil character and all their
mischievous efforts to draw more evil into the world allows the hero to prove their valor.
For all that is good in the world, there is an equal and opposite evil. The hero
encapsulates the good side of things while villains embody the evil. Villains strive to tarnish the
reputation of their counterparts to destroy your belief in the hero and prove their actions are
justified. They are reckless and although they are selfish they often not only act to improve their
image but bring everyone else down as they do so. Villains are truly evil in a sense that they
oppose the standards of society and resist the fundamental morals that bind humans together.
Villains disrupt a society as they spread their evil by bringing in anarchy, deceit, and violence
into an already imperfect world.

Starting with Iago from Othello, we have possibly Shakespeares greatest example of
villainy. Iago is selfish, greedy, dishonest, manipulative, and uncontrollable. Iagos anger comes
from being passed over for the position of lieutenant and fuels an inconceivable plan that leads to
the deaths of four innocent people. Iago should be hated by all for his outright disloyalty as he
betrays his friends and his wife, all because of his rank. Despite how despicable he is, the reader
must admire the ease and intelligence with which Iago orchestrates his plan. Iago carefully plans
each and every step from telling Emilia to steal Desdemonas handkerchief so he may plant it on
Cassio, to deciding Cassio would be the perfect pawn in his plan to destroy the hero Othello.
Like Iago, the Joker from The Dark Knight is an ideal villain. The Joker wreaks havoc
everywhere he goes, from robbing banks to blowing up hospitals and prisoners in jail cells. The
Joker thrives on his unpredictability and chaotic flair. He shares many traits with Iago, such as
dishonesty and their ability to manipulate others, but the main linking trait that is the epitome of
all villains is their desire to destroy the reputation of the hero and the enjoyment they have in
doing so. Both enjoy creating the chaos in an effort to persuade the world that its okay to be evil,
so much so that their real goals are not goals of self-improvement but instead they have goals of
defacing a prominent hero. Although Iago states his plan is revenge for not being lieutenant, Iago
receives his promotion after destroying Cassios reputation and continues with his plan to ruin
Othello. The Joker admits his real plan is to just to break Batman when he says he could kill just
kill him, but playing with him is too much fun (The Dark Knight). These actions prove the
villain is truly motivated by hopes of humiliating the hero and smearing their portrayal to the
world. Villains are not out just for their own success but are after the downfall of their
adversaries. Villains wish to ruin the hero in every way to show the world that no one is perfect.

They want to corrupt those who are seen as incorruptible, and make the world question
everything they believe.
Among the things essential to the perfect villain are certain traits that help them achieve
their plans. First of these traits is being manipulative. Manipulation is the strongest of Iagos evil
characteristics and is the basis for his entire plan. Iago uses his skills of manipulation to contort
those around him and bring his plan to fruition. Before the end of the first Act Iago says:
After some time, to abuse Othellos ear
That [Cassio] is too familiar with his wife.
He hath a person and a smooth dispose
To be suspected, framed to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,
And will as tenderly be led by th' nose
As asses are.
I have t. It is engendered! Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the worlds light. (1.3.437-447).
Iago makes it clear to the audience his plans to use Othellos trust to manipulate him and
make him a fool. He states how easily Cassio will be framed and compares Othello to an ass.
Iago also puts his manipulative skills on display when he gets Cassio drunk (2.3.44-120). In a
similar fashion to how Iago abuses Cassio, the Joker turns someone close to Batman into a

weapon as well. Through an elaborate trap that could only be created by a mastermind, the Joker
forces Batman to choose between saving Rachael Dawes, his longtime love interest, and Harvey
Dent, Gothams leading criminal prosecutor. In a typical villain way, the Joker tricks Batman into
going after Dent instead of Dawes by lying about the addresses. Batman arrives late leaving
Dents face permanently deformed, and Rachael dead. As Dent is in the hospital recovering, the
Joker pays him a visit and convinces him chance is the only thing thats fair in life. From this
moment, Harvey Dent, an icon for justice in Gotham, that spent his life putting bad guys behind
bars, becomes two-face, a villain that kills people based on the flip of a coin.
Just as Cassio means nothing to Iago, Harvey Dent means nothing to the Joker, both are
simply pieces in the plan to bring down the greater hero and prove that evil is stronger than good.
The Joker and Iago have no trouble manipulating the image of weaker characters, and aspire to
do the same to the main hero that opposes them. The use of Dent and Cassio as pawns of their
games demonstrates the mercilessness the villain exhibits on their path to ruin the hero. Anyone
that can be used to help break the hero will be victimized, and there will be nothing but apathy
given by the villain in return. They do not care for others, only themselves, and this extreme
selfishness allows the villain to abuse anyone at their disposal to get what they want. The lesser
characters show the vulnerability we all face of succumbing to the villains temptations and set
us up for the showdown that ensues between the disreputable villain and the proper hero.
As a product of their self-centered natured, the villain is free from the restraints of
considering the effects of their actions on others. Because villains are only concerned with their
own goals, and are willing to do anything to accomplish them, the villain becomes extremely
unpredictable. Although their plans have been crafted very meticulously, they create chaos every
step of the way. Each villain offers complete disregard for the amount innocent lives harmed in

their path to destroy the hero. The Joker bombs a hospital and forces passengers on a boat to
decide if their boat or the other boat is going to be blown up. Iago not only kills Roderigo, and
Emilia, his wife, but also convinces Othello to kill Desdemona, Roderigo to attempt to kill
Cassio, and leads Othello to kill himself.
Through the chaotic nature with which they disrupt society and their manipulative deceit,
villains represent all that is evil in the world. By killing the innocent and creating chaos this idea
can be strengthened in the reader's mind. As the villain opposes the rules of society they can be
interpreted as evil. This allows the hero to be justified in their struggle against the villain.
Without the villains going to such extremes such as killing Rachael or tricking Othello into
killing Desdemona, the audience cannot see the hero as truly heroic for fighting against the
villain. The truly evil acts of the villains allow the audiences to break from the trap that weaker
characters have fallen into due the villains trickery. Iago uses his soliloquys to carefully portray
himself to the audience as he looks for sympathy and understanding. The audience feels
themselves start to root for the villain as their manipulation and deceitful manner take effect.
However, the devastating consequences of villains plans ultimately show the why the villains are
wrong, and how the hero is right to oppose them.
Before the audience is able to break free from this trap, the villain tries to persuade as
many people as possible that their view is rational. Although villains are evil, in a twisted way,
they believe they are justified. The villain hopes to show the audience that evil acts are
honorable, that Iago is right to go after the promotion he deserves, and the Joker is vindicated in
doing as he pleases for fun. Before Desdemonas death, Iago pleads with the audience and asks
if he really is a villain (2.3.356-382). Iago knows perfectly well that what he is doing is wrong
but still has a desire to win others to his side and gain their sympathy. Throughout the play Iago

uses his soliloquys with the audience to play the victim, as if he was wronged, and attempt to
convince the audience to believe in him. The villain wants the audience on his side, to root for
them in their efforts against the good of mankind. The villains belief they are acting properly is
shown by the Joker when he says I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these
civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve (The
Dark Knight). The Joker believes the proper nature of the hero is overrated and dares the
audience to explore the realm of possibility that evil is desirable. Villains encourage selfishness
and the pursuit of your goals without letting anything stand in their way.
Iagos pleas for sympathy and the Jokers joy of creating chaos make you wonder about
the importance of societal pressures to behave, as the villain makes a subconscious draw to the
dark side of every reader. The villain is able to explore unfulfilled desires through actions that
one could not commit in society. Jeffery Jerome Cohen spends time exploring the appeal of
monsters in literature. Viewing villains as the monsters of society, we can see how villains also
make an appeal to the dark fantasies of the audience. As pointed out by Cohen, The monster
attracts. [Those] who terrify and interdict can evoke escapist fantasies. Cohen also goes on to
attribute the continued popularity of monsters to our feeling of distrust and loath[ing] while at
the same time we envy its freedom (Cohen). Villains, and their chaotic nature, are free from all
bounds of the law and morality. Villains are free to explore their desires and express their
feelings without repercussions because they are expected to misbehave and do what they want
without needing reason. Villains express a freedom we cannot experience in the real world. We
envy the villains complete freedom and for a moment we find joy in the possibility of
experiencing this freedom. The villain and its freedom offers a tempting alternative to reality, but
the hero shows us why the villain is wrong.

The opposition of the villain against the hero is the essence of every heroic tale. With
their chaotic instincts and manipulative demeanor as well as their negligence for the wellbeing of
others, a true villains goal is to destroy the hero. The Joker and all his acts of evil is attempting
to break the Batman. He wants to destroy the highest of moral high ground in all of Gotham by
getting Batman to kill. If Batman killed the Joker, the Joker would be happy, because he would
have succeeded in destroying everything Batman stands for. The vigilante prides himself on
clearing the streets of Gotham without the use of deadly force. In the end, the Joker wins as
Batman breaks his rule not to kill, as he falls off a building with Harvey Dent to protect an
innocent boy. In doing so, the idea of Batman is also broken. The Joker successfully proves that
even Batman was not capable of cleaning up Gotham City without getting his own hands dirty.
Othello, who fell victim to Iagos scheme and killed his wife as well as ordering Iago to kill
Cassio, is also ruined. In both cases the villain was able to get what they wanted, as Batman says
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" (The Dark Knight).
Iago and the Joker make perfect villains because of their ability to break the hero and get
what they want in the end. Both survive the chaos they create and are taken away to be removed
from society. Iago is sent to be tortured while the Joker is sent to be locked away in jail. This
shows the audience the consequences of evil acts and allows some redemption for the hero as the
culprit is punished. Although they are captured, both walk away feeling some success because
they had destructive motives and were able to bring down the beloved hero. Iagos plan ends
with Othello dead, while the Jokers actions lead to Batman being viewed as a murderer and
villain by all of Gotham as he is chased away by law enforcement.
Whether or not the villain succeeds in breaking the hero is not important to the literature.
Instead the importance lies in showing the villain as wrong so the hero can be seen as just. At the

end of both stories, we see a tragic ending with no real winner, but we feel compassion for the
fallen hero and no sympathy for the captured villain. Being representative of all ideas that are
evil, the villain sets the bar for how not to act. The villain wants to draw others into their beliefs
by showing how liberated they are to enjoy themselves and take what they want, sooner or later,
the ramifications of the villains actions allow us to see why they are wrong. Despite their
failures, the hero, in their final actions, still maintains the behavior society has deemed
admirable. When Othello realizes the grave mistake he has made, he finds there is nothing he can
do but take his own life. After the horrid acts he has committed, the only peace he could find was
in his justified suicide. The high honor of Othello contrasts with the guilty Iago who tells Othello
he will hold his tongue to never give him satisfaction of any kind (5.2.355-56). After Batman
kills Harvey Dent he accepts the blame for the death and says hell take on the role of the villain
so that Gotham can continue to believe in Dent as a hero. The reactions of the heroes after the
villains have succeeded is indicative not only of the heros honor but also of how one should
behave when they have done wrong, whereas the villain upon being captured is perfectly content
in each case. The difference in behavior between a failed hero and a successful villain
exaggerates the disparity in their ideals and shows the hero as truly great while the villain is
someone to be despised. Without the villain however, the hero and all his good acts can only be
compared to ordinary citizens. The villain provides a polar opposite as an example of the
radically wrong behavior. The villain completes the hero by providing an opposing view on
proper conduct.
The villain is essential to the heros story not only as a literary tactic to allow the author
to dig at your tempting dark fantasies but also shows the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of
virtues as a way to accentuate the honor of the hero and validate his or her actions. The

despicable acts of villains reinforce the proper acts of the hero and allow the audience to root for
the hero and accept the ideals of the hero. Villains use manipulation and create chaos as they
attempt to bring about the downfall of the hero, and win others over to their evil ways.
Ultimately, the villain allows the audience to side with the hero and to see true acts of heroism.

Works Cited
Cohen, Jeffery Jerome. Monster Culture Monsters. Ed. Brandy Ball Blake and L. Andrew
Cooper. Southlake: Fountainhead Press, 2012. Print.
The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, and Christian

Bale. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008. DVD.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York,NY: Simon

& Schuster Paperbacks, 1993. Print.