So another question for Fay Onyx. With villainous characters like Darth Vader & the Joker it seems like the best thing for the disability community is to focus on a single flawed element of the villain rather then an entire condition. But what if the villain is a new take on an old archetype? Would a more modern take improve things or would it better to narrow the focus to a single element (fear of losing a war, trouble focusing in combat, or some kind of relatable phobia) of the character instead?
Thanks for the question! Creating disabled villains that portray disability respectfully is definitely challenging. There are a lot of different things to think about here. For me, a lot of this comes down to the disability that is being represented and how the villain functions in the story. Disability can be represented in speculative fiction in three main ways. The approach that is used shapes the requirements for creating a respectful portrayal of disability.
The first option is to portray a real-world disability. In this case, there is an ethical responsibility to represent real-world disabilities realistically because inaccurate representations spread misinformation and stereotypes. Most often this means doing research and putting a lot of effort into portraying the full nuance of the disability. In addition, the more the disability is connected to the plot, the more work will be needed to create an accurate portrayal.
The third option is to represent disability by portraying multiple sapient species with different access needs. This approach is often used to emphasize the ways in which the physical and social environment shape experiences of disability. For example, human cities are not designed for the physical needs of merpeople, so an ablebodied merperson might need to use a mobility device, like a wheelchair, to get around. Even though the characters in these scenarios are typically ablebodied and neurotypical for their species, they still represent experiences of disability, so it is important to be aware of any relevant stereotypes.
One of the other challenging aspects of villains is that some of the techniques for making them threatening can be counterproductive to creating a nuanced representation of disability. For example, keeping a villain mysterious is a key technique that is often used for making a villain threatening, but it greatly reduces the depth and nuance possible for disability representation. This means that the disability chosen for a character needs to be carefully matched with how they function as a villain. For example, if you want to portray a villain who struggles with depression, a sympathetic side villain that the audience gets to know in detail would be a much better fit than a mysterious main villain that is only ever glimpsed at a distance.
A Villain with Good Publicity is one of the most frustrating opponents a hero can ever face. On the surface, this villain works within the system and commands a great deal of respect from the average citizen, but behind the scenes, conducts all manners of nastiness. Even the heroes (or the audience!) may be fooled until The Reveal, unaware that The Man Behind the Man is someone so publicly trusted.
Should the heroes know the truth, they're still stymied by the fact that no one else does. Attempts to bust the villain will be met with harassment lawsuits, breaking & entering or assault charges, or bad press. The heroes may even be falsely painted as villains in the public eye. (Some heroes embrace this image and become the Lovable Rogue or the Anti-Hero.) Should the heroes turn up actual evidence that something is up, it'll probably be ripped up by the villain's crack legal team (which Villains With Good Publicity always have), or spun to look like honest behavior.
The Villain With Good Publicity is very good at getting the hero (or other innocents who get too close to the truth) accused of criminal activity. Then again, heroics are 90% based on breaking and entering, stalking, trespassing, assault, battery, and espionage anyway, so they may have a point there.
Worthy Opponents, Enigmatic Minions, Punch Clock Villains and other types of sympathetic antagonists often find themselves working for the well-liked villain, unaware of what their boss is really up to.
In an episodic series, a Villain With Good Publicity is a good way to preserve the status quo; the best the hero can hope to do is foil a particular plot, not bust the actual villain. Although not always legally invincible, often the only way to defeat this foe permanently is to kill them. Heroes in this situation will frequently try to Trash Talk the villain, or tell them they won't get away with it.
If the heroes are really unlucky, they're up against the entire government (or church, depending on the setting). The villain might also be a single person within the government, a corporation head or other public figure with a good PR department, or a religion engineered for this purpose. There's also a good chance that the villain is using copious amounts of bribery to keep their image clean. If things get even worse, the people whom the hero tries to protect will actively assist the villain against the heroes.
This villain may be portrayed as a hero (or the hero), and may even think of themself as the hero. Their villainous acts might even be portrayed as heroic, maybe by using Negatives as a Positive. Alternative Character Interpretation may lead to viewing a story's hero as a Villain With Good Publicity. If this villain's been recognized as a good man for so long that they slowly begin to forget about being evil in the first place, it can lead into Becoming the Mask.
Additionally, certain opportunists may take advantage of the villain's pristine reputation to extort them for their personal gain. Depending on how the villain operates, this may end with the extortionist being given "go away money" or whatever they were trying to obtain, or it may end with the extortionist being silenced.
Compare with Falsely Reformed Villain, where a villain puts on short-term pretense of reform. Contrast with most Evil Overlords and Card Carrying Villains who make no attempt to hide their villainy, and the Ancient Conspiracy, which hides its entire existence. The exact opposite is a villain who has a 0% Approval Rating, and a more extreme version is the Devil in Plain Sight (whom no one cares about one way or the other). Can be a form of No Hero to His Valet. Greenwashed Villainy is a common form of this.
In some settings, the villain may actually have a plausible case for being considered a (sorta) good guy. If so, expect the setting to lean towards the "cynical" end of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. May use Too Funny to Be Evil as an affable PR tactic. Villains who win over the fans are Rooting for the Empire or Draco in Leather Pants.
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