We all know their names. Names like The Joker, Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Bane. They are as synonymous as the heroes who try to stop them. A hero in the world of comics couldn’t exist without the villain. But a villain on the other hand can.
DC Comics takes a closer look into the world of villainy with Necessary Evil. First unveiled in San Diego
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| Narrated by the great Christopher Lee |
In so many ways it’s the villain who is far more interesting than their super-hero counterpart. Many of DC’s creative voices from Geoff Johns and Jim Lee to Marv Wolfman and Dan DiDio as well as filmmakers like Zack Synder and Richard Donner express their own personal views on why the appeal. Even psychologist look into what makes them tick and why we can relate. They do so my dissecting their motivations. What drives Lex Luthor? Here is a man who has everything, money and power. He can buy anything and yet in his eyes, his life is missing something because he isn’t Superman.
Then you have someone like The Joker who has proven that he has no regard for human life and yet he knows that he needs Batman in order to give his own life meaning. He is the twisted ying to Batman’s yang. Many of the relationships we see and read about have a symbiotic dynamic to it. They need each other in order to have validation. We’ve seen this throughout history of DC Comics from Sinestro and Hal Jordan to the Reverse Flash and The Flash to Black Manta and Aquaman. This is an ever-growing list and an interesting look into our own lives.
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Super-Villains: The Joker, Sinestro and Lex Luthor
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In the end, there is a fine line that separates our heroes from our villains. It’s the heroes sense of morality and justice that keeps him or her from crossing that line of no return. In many ways we’re able to identify more with the villain than the hero we root for. We do this because we see a little of ourselves whether we want to admit it or not, in their back story thus sometimes making them more human than they appear. But like our heroes, we do not cross that line of morality and justice.
Necessary Evil is a worthy addition for any fan of DC. It is also a refreshing and eye opening look into the world of our favorite villains. It’s through them that makes us appreciate the hero even more.
***1/2 (out of 4)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
