Villains are Children of the Structure
Villains often amass their power through long periods of time and singular obsession. Marvel’s Thanos arrived at a catastrophic choice through his own logic of solving the universe’s resource crisis, but his journey spanned decades. Villains are beings who have become “powerful” within the rules permitted by society. Their corruption is tragic, yet at the same time, it serves as a mirror reflecting the contradictions of the structure. Philosopher Hannah Arendt explained evil not through “monstrous will” but through its “banality” within a system. The emergence of a villain is not merely an individual’s deviance; it can be the consequence of issues that the social system allowed and ignored.
Heroes are Anomalies of the Structure
Heroes transcend that order. They bypass laws and procedures, changing the world through personal conviction. Batman punishes criminals through private violence, and Spider-Man moves faster than any institution. Ultimately, they become “unelected holders of power.” Michel Foucault described power as an “invisible network of relations.” Heroes shake this network to create a new order, but that order also stems from individual belief rather than democratic consensus. Consequently, the subject of responsibility becomes ambiguous, and there is a risk of creating a new kind of imbalance.
The Question of Legitimacy
In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls stated that a just society is one designed so that “the greatest benefit is provided to the least advantaged.” Does the justice of a hero satisfy this condition? I ask: If one truly wishes to be just, why not seek to change the structure? Why not build power within the system and condemn the strong through legal procedures? The hero’s way is dramatic and immediate, but it ultimately distorts the world’s order and merely gives birth to a different kind of “powerful” being.
Perspective After Trauma
Living with CPTSD has made me more sensitive to the justification of violence. The people who hurt me in my childhood were powerful, and those who failed to protect me were also powerful. Therefore, I now wish to be someone who holds the powerful accountable rather than simply becoming one of them. Aristotle defined justice as “giving each person their due.” To me, justice is not revenge, but the restoration of balance. It is not covering violence with more violence, but rebuilding order in a way that excludes no one.
The Justice I Desire
I desire sustainable justice, not momentary revenge. A society where one builds power within the structure, corrects contradictions with that power, and ensures that everyone feels safe. Perhaps it is not about being a hero, but about becoming the kind of “villain” who renders the need for a hero obsolete in reality. That is the form of justice I dream of.
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