Fiction

           When it comes to fictional characters, I have a history of being fascinated with the “misunderstood, genius villain” whenever I’ve read novels or watched movies that included such. In some cases, that fascination might even be dubbed “attraction.” But only if the bad guy isn’t that evil. He’s just misunderstood. Even as a child, my most memorable dream was the one where Skeletor and Evilyn captured me and kept me in a dungeon. The two of them played chess at a table in the same room while I looked on in fascinated horror. Later, He-man came and rescued me, but I must admit I rather enjoyed being in the room with Skeletor more than the part where He-man showed up. I kind of laugh about that now..Skeletor, really?

              

            In middle school I read the Dragonlance novels, which are Dungeons & Dragons based fantasy fluff, but at the time I loved them. The main misunderstood genius there was Raistlin, a neutral wizard who later turned evil. I always liked him, and thought about how I'd be his friend if I lived in that world.   I wasn't at all interested in the kind yet dimwitted muscular types. Yuck.

              And of course the Harry Potter story’s misunderstood genius, Severus Snape, is a perfect example of this archetype. Especially as played by Alan Rickman. And in the end, he really was a good guy, right?

 

                So earlier this week everyone at my house was watching Spiderman II, the one featuring the evil Doc Ock, a genius who is taken over by his evil creation but in the end he comes to his senses and saves the day. The bad guy in the first Spiderman movie, The Green Goblin,  was very unlikeable, in my opinion. But this guy? I really like this guy.

 

I think it helps that at the beginning of the story you see his other side, and his relationship with his loving wife of many years. I was reminded later that he also stars as an evil sorcerer in the recent movie, The Sorcerers Aprentice,  a character which I also rather enjoyed.  He was also a Sheik in The Prince of Persia, not to mention his appearances in countless other movies over the last 30 odd years. The actor’s name is Alfred Molina, and when I see pictures of the actor himself, he’s not that interesting to me… except maybe the British accent and the Mediterranean ancestry.  But those characters he plays…

             Of course, there is always the odd good-guy in a story that is interesting to me. It's never the muscular model-looking guy, or the macho smart-alec that is meant to be the love interest. Usually. No, it's more likely to be the awkward Jeff Goldblum character, or maybe something like John Rhys Davie's character from Sliders, Professor Maximillian Arturo. I always really liked him too, but he was lacking in that "villain" quality. If it can be referred to as a quality. Actually, Doc Ock could be considered a dark version of that same character, in a way.

             I can't say that I'm honestly attracted to this dark genius type in real-life. Real people who feel they are a "misunderstood genius" always seem a little too self-absorbed, bitter, attention-seeking and depressing in real circumstances, and not at all interested in anyone but themselves. In fact, my husband could be said to have the opposite of these qualities: he is friendly, upbeat, personable, and cuddly. Perfect for a real marriage! A moody evil genius would have been a horrible match for me, when I really think about it. But I still like them in movies.

                This is just another one of those weird things I find myself thinking about during pregnancy. What kind of characters do YOU like in movies and books?