Over Analyzing Comic Books (Villains)
By multiverse 3 Comments
Below are my thoughts on villains:
Types of Villains: Part of how easy or difficult it is to defeat a villain depends on the goals of the villain. There are several types of villains with their own corresponding goals. First, some villains are simply out for money. One example of this type of villain would be Captain Cold. Such villains should be relatively easy to capture and imprison/rehabilitate. Second, some villains have personal motives. Mr. Freeze would fit into this category. Such villains should be relatively easy to capture and imprison. Third, some villains are serial killers. The Joker would be an example of this type of villain. Such villains should be moderately difficult to caqpture but once imprisoned should stay there until they die. Fourth, some villains are members of organized crime/terrorist organizations. Kingpin would be an example of this type of villain. These villains would most closely resemble the comic book supervillain. They should be very difficult to capture and the hero should rarely interact with them directly. Law enforcement should need to spend considerable time and resources building a case against villains involved in organized crime/terrorism. Once captured they should remain in jail until they die.
Villain Imprisonment: In real life law enforcement typically doesn't sit idly by and let criminals escape from prison whenever they like. I tend to think comic book law enforcement should work the same way. It has been mentioned that someone like Mirror Master would be difficult to keep locked up. There are certainly villains powerful or intelligent enough to find a way to escape from a traditional prison but their are also heroes smart enough to find ways to prevent their escape. I find it difficult to believe that if Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, and Peter Parker worked together to create a metahuman prison, villains could just break out at will.
Mirror/Evil Universes: One common theme in comic books, particularly DC, is the notion of a universe where the counterparts to Superman etc. are evil. However, in my opinion there are a few problems with the way these universes are depicted. First, I often find myself liking the evil universe better than the regular one. I particularly feel this way about Star Trek's mirror universe because there are more aliens, the people are better dressed, and seem to be sexier. A reader or viewer shouldn't like the evil universe. Second, evil is somewhat hard to define. If Spider-Man is a brutal dictator, then that would lead to one type of universe. However, if Daredevil has conned the citizens of the United States, that would lead to a different type of universe. Third, reversing the roles of heroes and villains would not necessarily lead to a world in which villains always win. Imagine if Owlman had to overcome heroic versions of Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Bane. I tend to think he would have a rather difficult time overcoming all seven of them at once.