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Why are all the modern DC villains all the same?

posted 5 years ago by [deleted]
12 replies | jump to latest

They're either some bald rich scientist/businessman with daddy issues (e.g. Lex Luthor and Dr Sivana), or they're some bespectacled nerd who turns into a super-villainess (e.g. Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and now the Cheetah).

The annoying thing is that different variations on most of these characters exist in the comics, but the dullards at Warner Bros seem to keep trotting out the same formula again and again as if they have a particular vendetta against clever bald kids or nerdy women with glasses.

How about we have an alpha-jock or beauty queen type villain for once? Is poor Chad and Becky out-of-bounds for mockery now because of the whole incel/school shootings thing? Weird, since Chad and Becky (AKA Donald and Ivanka Trump) still represent the most powerful and privileged people in society, not some bitter little 90lb nerd living in his mom's basement.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

What could be worse than a bald rich scientist that turns business man that hates their father?

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[–] flyingeddies (44) 5 years ago

Gonna have to nope all over this one...
Batman '89-TDKR - nary a bald rich baddy out of like 50 bad guys total. Not even Bane (not rich, bald by choice).
V for Vendetta - Hitler looking bad guy
Constantine - The Devil! Hairy.
Watchmen - Young hairy Ozymandias
Green Lantern - Freaky huge orange hairy guy. Never got past the trailer. Can't name him.
Suicide Squad - Witch with...hair.
Wonder Woman - Harry Potter Wolfman guy. With hair.
Justice League - Steppenwolf
Aquaman - Younger brother with gorgeous flowing locks
I think what you meant to say is, "Why are Lex Luthor and Dr. Sivana both bald?"

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Batman Returns - bald rich guy with daddy issues + bespectacled nerd
Batman Forever - bespectacled nerd
Batman & Robin - bespectacled nerd
Green Lantern - balding rich guy with daddy issues
Suicide Squad - bespectacled nerd
Wonder Woman - non-bespectacled female nerd
And if I was being really petty, Patrick Wilson is rich and balding in Aquaman, but at least he isn't a nerd and his issues are with his mommy rather than his daddy

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[–] flyingeddies (44) 5 years ago

Come on now - let's take this one step at a time. You venture into glasses and nerdiness in a COMIC BOOK FRANCHISE? And you didn't mention nerdiness in the bad guys in your OP. You're moving the goal post.
Balding isn't bald btw.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I mentioned nerdiness.

I suggested that there two recurring types of villains in these films, balding rich scientist guys with daddy issues, and bespectacled nerds, often but not always female, turned hellcats.

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[–] flyingeddies (44) 5 years ago

"or they're some bespectacled nerd who turns into a super-villainess"
I took that sentence to mean exclusively female. I think it's what you meant the first time too.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Good point.

They're mostly female, but there are a few exceptions, like Ed Nygma in Batman Forever, and he's a latent homosexual with feminine attributes.

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[–] flyingeddies (44) 5 years ago

Gotta say... this is my first troll argument since the IMDB days (tear). I missed it so.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I'm no troll.

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[–] flyingeddies (44) 5 years ago

WHOOOOOOSH!

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[–] HarlemEagle42 (16690) 5 years ago

Zod's bald?

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[–] TheAdlerian (2092) 5 years ago

I know what you're saying, although you're wrong.

I would like villains who have a good point.

I hated Joker in Dark Knight, because he wasn't crazy, but had a good point to make. That's not appropriate for Joker, but it's what many comic movies are missing.

A hero ought to stand for something related to ethics. A guy wouldn't go to all the trouble to be Batman, etc unless he had some REALLY strong beliefs. So, the bad guy must have them too, unless he's just some monster. A very dangerous villain with super powers would have to be strongly motivated to use them and harm mass numbers of people.

If he's just "miffed" then he would have to be insane to use his powers on that level, which doesn't make sense.

In the case of Shazam, you have to remember that Dr. Sivana didn't really have that many issues. Rather, the demons saw he had some and amplified them to turn him bad. The demons wanted to return to the world to spread chaos, so that's fairly complicated. But, they didn't explore the demon's psychology much in the film, and they should have.

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