Broadely , I would attribute it to things getting worse. And the increased awareness and reaction to things getting worse.
Sliding it neatly in with the rest of the modern pantheon of stories where, they don’t contest things are bad. It’s just that the villains want to solve the problems in a way that’s worse.
The trope is named Kick the Dog, and it’s really old. Viewers need to hate the villains so that it is satisfying when they become the victims of violence, harassment, or karmic justice. But audiences like compelling, sympathetic villains. A villain who sees themself as the hero gives the storyteller license to challenge conventional thinking and make the counter-argument without alienating people who like the status quo.
And the inverse is Save the Cat, where a character does something that makes the audience like them.
Don’t forget about the third trope in this triangle: Boof the Hamster.
Lemmiwinks! Lemmi, Lemmiwinks! Lemmiwinks!
Perhaps because they receive funding and collaboration from the US Department of Defense to define a set political perspective and global position.
This why the vulture is one of my favorite villains. Guy just trying to provide for his family.
Yeah. The guy trying to provide for his family and his own employees… damn that rich ass Stark
“The very concept of “revolutionary violence” is somewhat falsely cast, since most of the violence comes from those who attempt to prevent reform, not from those struggling for reform. By focusing on the violent rebellions of the downtrodden, we overlook the much greater repressive force and violence utilized by the ruling oligarchs to maintain the status quo, including armed attacks against peaceful demonstrations, mass arrests, torture, destruction of opposition organizations, suppression of dissident publications, death squad assassinations, the extermination of whole villages, and the like.”
-Michael Parenti, Blackshirts and Reds
Batman in 2024 is full on the bad guy imo. How much good he could do for the city through his fortune and company. He could set up education programs, become a politician and help pass and fund real change. Instead he rather put on armor worth more than most homes, and beats the shit out of low income henchmen who probably keep working for these villains cause they can’t get a job elsewhere. Also Batman is a pussy and indirectly responsible for murder for letting all those villains live, as per peacemaker.
