2024: The year of exceptional villain origin stories!

This year we got the closure we always wanted about some of the most hated villains in cinema history! Here’s a deep dive into how the transformation from good to evil started for each one of them!

Are villains born or created? To answer this is why prequels and villain origins stories exist. Over the years, we’ve got enough and more backstory on the hero but lately, the trend has been to get to know why the villain is the way he is. What life altering event occurred for these villains to create havoc and instill fear in audiences even today? I remember how scared I was of Scar as a kid. It was not what he did, it was more about how his mind worked that scared me. The smirk when he was about to do something wrong and the zero remorse on his face are psychopath tendencies that most villains in cinema history share.

But if you really look closely, you’d realise the root cause of all of them being so cruel to people is because they never got the love they deserved from the world. Most of them still are longing for love. This year, we learnt how the wicked witch of the west truly just wanted to be seen for who she was and not what she looked like but society really let her down. Hence she took things in her own hands. These stories aren’t for us to judge what’s right or wrong but more to look at things differently. Now that these prequels have been released, things from the main story makes so much sense and we have a whole different perspective on things.

Also Read: Mufasa: The Lion King review: A tear jerking tribute to the Lion King and how it all began in the circle of life

These are the 4 villains who we got to know on a much deeper level in 2024.

Scar - Mufasa: The Lion King 

Mufasa: The Lion King showed us Scar’s past when he wasn’t even called by that name. Little prince Taka loved the fact that he found a brother in Mufasa (shocking, I know). They were glued to each other all the time and to see that was unfamiliar yet eye opening. To see his personality turn from good to evil, to see him lose all his innocence and let deceit take over his mind, all because of a broken heart by Sarabi was a poignant journey for all of us as viewers. Scar is one of the most feared Disney villains of all time, so to see an era where he wasn’t always like that teaches you that no one is born evil; hurt people hurt people!

Elphaba - Wicked Part 1

Elphaba or ‘the wicked witch of the west’ from the Wizard of Oz has one of those villain origin stories you will feel bad for. Simply because after watching Wicked you realise that she was never even a bad person. Elphaba had really strong principles in life hence she revolted against the cruelty done to the animals who can talk in Oz Land. Because this goes against the government’s plan and because she wouldn’t help them with her powers, they staged a fake propaganda that she is the ‘wicked witch of the west’. That's how that name came into existence and that’s how we all came to know that the so-called ‘witch’ who we were hating on was actually trying to do something good. Yes, our entire life has been a lie.

The Penguin - The Penguin

The Penguin, as a show, gave us a lot of clarity on why Oz is known as the true villain of Gotham City. We know him as someone who constantly lies and carries the need to be anything but a ‘saviour’ to the people. In the series finale, we see beyond his desire to be the “good child” to his mother or friend, revealing that he ultimately believes in only one person: himself. It’s a show about a power-hungry man who cares less about the casualties along the way which makes us realize the malice that always existed in his mind.

Joker - Joker 2

Joker or Arthur Fleck had a troubled childhood and developed psychopathic tendencies as he grew up. It became difficult for him to feel anything. He couldn’t differentiate when to laugh, when to cry and when to feel empathy. He had an off beat personality for sure but society had let him down as well. He longed for love and respect but got zilch in return. All of this pent up sadness is what eventually led him to doing all the heinous crimes he did in Gotham City. Joker, which released in 2019 and its sequel which released this year, deep dives into his life entirely. How he became Batman’s number one rival and how he found his soulmate in Harley Quinn had us all shift our conversation from the hero who saves the day to the villain who wreaks chaos.

Which of these villain origin stories was your favorite one this year? Let us know in the comments below!

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge