We all know about that part in movies where they try to make us feel bad for the guy who killed millions. And whether it works or not, it is still better than if they didn’t.
Now if I were to write a book with a dude named Big Bad, and he was the meanest guy ever and hurt people just because he can… that’s boring. But if Big Bad only kills people in power and is seen as a bad guy by the corrupt individuals he is killing, then that’s a lot better storytelling. Obviously, if I were to just say he does it for fun or to feel something because he is a psycho who hasn’t felt anything in years, that’s a lot better than just saying he does it just because, but its still not great.
Now you might be wondering what I’m trying to get at– well, it’s hard to explain. I think that that part in movies where they make you empathize with the bad guy is the best part of a movie from a storytelling perspective because weirdly you feel that he should get what he wants, even if that’s, well… evil.
When in Avengers Infinity War and Endgame they bring in all of your favorite characters to fight the big evil Thanos, you’re obviously on the side of the heroes. But when Thanos delivers his speech about hunger and over population, you can’t help but feel like he is right to a certain degree, just going about it the wrong way.
All in all, I think that, in movies, the heroes not being 100% in the right makes for a great story and better than if the heroes are right simply because they are the heroes.