The villain’s journey is rare in popular culture--most characters are fully-formed tyrants with little to no story arc. This book examines the villain’s decline and subsequent struggle toward redemption, asking why these characters are willing to cross moral lines that ‘good’ characters are not.

Table of Contents Introduction Part I: The Journey Condemned by Society: Magneto The Scarring: Killmonger Tainted Vision: Thanos Refusal of the Call: Khan The Mentor Tempts: Fantastic Beasts Constructing the Talisman: Doctor Horrible When You Look into the Abyss: Saruman The Slippery Slope: Darth Vader The Road of Failed Tests: Babylon 5 Sacrificing the Anima: Kylo Ren The Villain’s Stronghold: Wicked Competing with the ­Hero-Shadow: Megamind The Inner Shadow as Conscience: Marvel’s Jessica Jones Murder of the Weak Father: Game of Thrones Epiphany: A Christmas Carol Twisted Success: Spike Refusal of the Return: Despicable Me Turned by Love: Severus Snape The Magic Chase: Gollum Crossing the Return Threshold: The Huntsman: Winter’s War Master of the Two Worlds: Good Omens Embraced by Society: Battlestar Galactica Part II: Archetypes Born Evil: Voldemort Beast: Twilight Potential Brutality: Deadpool 2 Unwanted Child: Smallville Created Monster: Wreck-It Ralph Sidekick: Darth Maul Bully: Draco Malfoy Traitor: The Chronicles of Narnia Entitled Brat: Ghostbusters Seducer: The Boys Madman: The Dark Knight Trickster: Loki Misunderstood Hero: Maleficent Fanatic Hater: Colonel Stryker Mad Scientist: Jekyll & Hyde Ordinary Guy: ­Spider-Man Society’s Outcast: The Joker Restrictive Father: Captain Hook Smothering Mother: Shrek 2 Tyrant: The Hunchback of Notre Dame Nietzschean Superman: Watchmen ­Philosopher-Villain: The Hunger Games Evil Sage: The Rise of Skywalker Former Power: Davros Vicious Ghost: Paranorman Conclusion Works Cited Index