Mister Freeze is a tragic villain. It is easy to really sympathize with his and his struggle. He wants to save his wife and get revenge for his now ruined life. It is hard not to want his to succeed in his mission.
Batman still tries to stop him. Of coarse in the end the evil boss get's his come up en's, but Mister Freeze goes to Arkham Asylum. That is something that shows the integrity of both the characters and the show.
The show gives the villains a fair shake. The are not dimensionless and pure evil, they have hopes, dreams, and something that leads them to villainy. What the show teaches us as a group that no matter how justified that committing a crime is wrong. Mister Freeze made me root for him, and want him to end up succeeding.
When he didn't, it gives you a sense of disappointment in yourself. At a time when it can seem appropriate for vengeance or to get back at those who hurt you we are shown the consequences. This also set Batman apart from them. He does what he does to protect people instead of vengeance. The show gives the audiences a line between good and evil. People can understand that the difference is and connect to the hero. By seeing what makes Batman the good guy we can further accept him. In addition we no longer treat the villains as just bad guys, but as people who need help and made bad choices.
I think this helps the community that enjoys and watches the show begin to understand that in the world people are not just evil. People are always people even if they are the "bad guy." Batman shows the audience the moral line.
It is easy to see villains as less-than-human. Your post reminds me that this is not always the case. Good post.
ReplyDeleteThe last two sentences of the second paragraph are a really good contradiction of a common ideology in the media, which is that the villians are bad people. I think it is important that you pointed out that villians are people too because it gives us a new perspective to keep in mind when watching the show.
ReplyDelete