This was actually a blog post of a topic I had planned long ago, yet never completed or released until now.
--- Qualities of Heroes and Villains ---
Here is a picture I found to set the mood:
^ from: www.barchestergreen.co.uk - Either you are a hero/heroine to others, or you are a villain/villainess to others. How you are perceived depends on who you are around and how he/she/they feel in your presence. Which side do you stand? Which side do you want to stand in some peoples' lives?
Most people seen along the lines of heroes or villains are based on qualities they have and how people perceive these qualities. How is someone at handling himself/herself in certain situations? Is there always something with that person?
In the case of heroes/heroines, these are people whom are innocent and likable. They represent those who don't get into trouble or cause trouble. They always seem to do the right thing and always seem to be the ones making decisions for the well-being of others. So when a hero somehow does wrong, the amount of trust others have in heroes feels threatened. Almost as if whom one sees as a hero isn't exactly a hero in terms of always making the right decisions and doing the right things to protect others (including the hero's/heroine's image to others).
In the case of villains, these are people whom always seem to be up to something or have some sort of agenda that makes them seem suspicious or worthy of dislike. They never seem to be of any good and are commonly causing trouble or making fools of themselves. A villain in the classical sense is never supposed to have malice or regard for the well-being of innocent and trustworthy people and entities. Some who may see a villain as slowly becoming a hero may somehow think differently of a certain evil character.
Sometimes (and in some stories), someone who is a hero ultimately becomes a villain, and some villains end up becoming heroes. Plot twists and changes in various things help provide this sort of drama that keeps things interesting. Some people are completely neutral or just about neutral- not a villain, but not exactly a hero either. Passing judgment on such people is shaky at best. Such imbalances in good and evil pertains to real life in addition to fiction.
Basic Heroes and Villains in Fiction.
In various forms of fiction, you have a handful of personalities who act as heroes and villains. Some actors can portray the ultimate heroes... and some the ultimate villains. Some seem completely natural always trying to be the one to save the day and provide hope. Some others are natural in being a polarizing and fearful figure. And then, there are some are too much of good people to be on the villain side. Or maybe someone is too vile to ever take on a heroic role. There are also characters that go from hero to villain or villain to hero.Besides "traditional" heroes and villains, there are some heroes and villains who have to work together to defeat a common enemy or enemies. To give you an example of a hero-villain team, imagine if Batman and The Joker had to work together to defeat a certain enemy.
Heroic Villains and Villainous Heroes.
I'll define this section to relate to those who perform actions from the other side to reach certain outcomes. Most people think of Robin Hood in this regard- stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Heroes usually don't commit crimes or perform evil acts to try to protect others. Sometimes, though... you have to play the enemy's game to beat the enemy.Lots of people in our lives can be heroes or villains depending on what we think they represent to us in our lives and what they do to make us think they are heroes or villains. Someone you love may also be someone who you may secretly despise. So these matters vary from person to person. You may be happily in love with someone, but there may be someone else just looking to break up your relationship out of jealousy or anger. Someone may always show up at an unusual and unexpected time who seems incredibly suspicious. Certain actions or qualities of others will either lower or heighten the level of panic or concern.
As important as recognizing heroes and villains are, dealing with them is even more critical. Certain things you may do or say can intensify love or hate among yourself and the other person or other people. I've had people whom hated me that eventually loved me. Enemies turned friends and friends turned enemies are all a part of society and life. How you balance the scales dealing with heroes and villains depends entirely on you.
Your Hero AND Your Villain: Frenemies.
You might have a friend who also serves as your enemy. Enter the realm of "frenemies." A frenemy is both your friend AND your enemy. It is possible a frenemy will enjoy your successes, but then wait for the right moment to express his/her evil intents to you. It is possible you may not share a solid friendly bond with a frenemy. Sort of like a complicated bond. Or sometimes, a frenemy may hate everything you stand for but is willing to fight with you to eliminate a common enemy. Frenemies can be as much as heroes/villains as any true hero or true villain (as you perceive them to be).Pro Wrestling as a Hero/Villain Example.
Let's look at heroes and villains from something I am familiar with- professional wrestling. No better place you can sense heroes and villains than in professional wrestling. Storylines help add a little flavor to professional wrestling, and people willingly choose whether to accept or decline them.In professional wrestling speak, heroes and villains are respectively referred to as faces (heroes in this case) and heels (villains in this case). Faces represent all that is good and of good character. They usually make all the right decisions (or seemingly all the right decisions) and are very well-liked among fans. Heels represent all that is evil with characters up to no good. Such heels play dirty and are often disliked by fans. Certain personalities can instantly change the flow of an organization from the promotion he/she represents by performing certain actions. Here is an example- a well-liked wrestler may attack another well-liked figure in an unexpected way and at an inopportune time. Beating that person leads to one face to turn heel. Likewise, a pro wrestling heel may turn face by beating down another heel. There are also factions in pro wrestling which give you a sort of team to either root for or despise. Certain alliances help fuel chemistry among given people. Keeping up with these storylines adds some value to watching pro wrestling.
The ability to play the role as someone good or evil lends itself to certain personalities that help define them while in the business. But if you want examples of heroic figures and villain figures, pro wrestling is one such media to follow.
The main points on this topic have now been expressed. Please check out the next section now.
--- Are There Ever True Heroes or Villains? ---
Let me look to sports to provide the answer to this question. Certain athletes are seen as heroes because of what they've done while playing sports. Think of the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Joe Paterno, Jim Boeheim, Hope Solo, and people like that. They have all been regarded highly for their successes in sports. However, they all have been among the ones whom have cheated for using performance enhancing drugs and things like that. Some people looked to such figures as some of the premier athletes their respective sports. But because they've cut corners to become such celebrated figures, many people disregard and dismiss such personalities. Some even say they've given a black eye to the sports they've contributed to.You can praise someone for as much as you can or hate someone for as much as you can. I don't necessarily think there are any true heroes or true villains. To say such figures exist mean they ALWAYS do what they do for the better of one's personality and character- whether good or bad (depending on what someone deems good or bad). You can have inspirations, but I don't really believe in heroes or villains. Not everyone has always done the right thing or always did the wrong things. Just as much as nothing is perfect, no one is any kind of true hero or true villain. Some people whom you see as heroes have done things you're not going to disagree with or like; and I am not just talking about people who did wrong in the past but have since cleaned up their image.
I at least don't think there is a such thing as a true hero or a true villain, and I don't think there ever will be. People and entities do good and bad things- sometimes great deeds and disgusting conduct. However, I don't think someone will be a true hero or true villain to others. Some people flip the script so many times that not even some other people regard or care being considered a heroic figure or an evil figure.
The notion of a true hero or a true villain is that one is one is supposed to always do the right or wrong thing depending on what others deem right or wrong. Certain qualities and actions of others lend themselves to one being likable as a hero or worthy of dislike as a villain. As much as you aren't going to truly agree/disagree with any one person, you likely aren't going to always regard someone as a complete hero or role model. Whether or not we love and respect someone depends entirely on the sum of one's positives and negatives. That even includes seeing people in our lives as heroes/heroines and villains/villainesses. No one is truly a true hero or even a true villain. Most people are true heroes and true villains in our lives only in the sense that some of their qualities boastfully and brightly speak of their character. Only thing I will say is that certain actions will make certain people be defined best by those actions. So if one is best known as being a molester or committed an negative action that far outweighs any positive qualities, then that purely defines the balance of one being a hero/heroine or a villain/villainess.
--- Heroes and Villains: Final Thoughts ---
Every one of us have heroes and villains in our lives. We all have certain agendas and feelings towards us that make us unique. It is purely natural to have or associate people as heroes and villains. Some people may see others as genuine, and they may see certain others as shady. No matter who you regard as a hero or a villain, you may equally be seen as a hero or a villain to others. You are as much a compliment or a threat to others as others may think of you. Some people may even flip the script and start becoming more like a heroic figure or a villain figure to you. All of us will have heroes and villains in our lives. It is as much a spice of life as variety is. Even people who take on dark or questionable lifestyles are subject to being heroes or villains in the lives of certain people. Someone who may exhibit himself/herself to be a diva and be completely unsociable may actually be someone friendly and helpful to certain other people.No matter what, we are all heroes and villains to various people. How we are perceived makes all the difference in whether we are helpful or threats. It may also be possible for some people to be both helpful AND hurtful. No matter what, there is a unique (and sometimes playful) quality of being both good and bad in the eyes of others.
Believe it or not, this is a VERY old topic I wanted to release a long time ago. It wasn't until recently that I decided to post this topic for discussion. Feel free to offer your thoughts on this topic. Feel free to offer some discussion and express certain points, such as...
What do you think about the notion of heroes and villains? Of what level of importance do you see being a hero or villain in someone's life? Do you think it is possible to be both a hero and a villain at the same time?
You are welcome to chat about this issue. Also feel free to share my blog and its posts if they interest you (I do my best to make all of my material interesting enough to share). Thank you for reading!
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