Some time ago I found a reddit topic named “Who are your favorite fantasy villains?” (You can read it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/8cxc6u/who\_are\_your\_favorite\_fantasy\_villains/)

One of the comments answered this:

Favorite, as in written so vile that they were able to draw the most visceral and palpable hate out of me would probably be Griffith (Berserk.)

Then I have a lot of favorites that I have a wide variety of nuanced feelings toward. Jaime, Cersei, and Glokta are all fantastic, insomuch as they can be called villains. They all do pretty shitty things, but they have realistic motives, and they wouldn’t consider themselves villains, (and neither would some readers.)

And I’ll just say, the (Abercrombie) character that I assume /u/MikeOfThePalace is talking about is also great.

So, this person thinks that Griffith from Berserk is the most vile and hateable character in the fantasy genre but at the same time has nuanced feelings for Jaime, Cersei from ASOIAF and Glokta from The First Law and doesn’t really consider them villains despite the things they have done.

So, do you agree or disagree with this statement?

  • bofh000@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Just because we get to see some positive traits in them doesn’t mean they aren’t villains. A character can be as nuanced as the writers wants, I don’t think anyone would disagree that people who hurt children on purpose are villainous. Sure they can have their good moments and their journey of discovery and what have you. It doesn’t erase their past acts, they just need to atone for them and keep on the straight and narrow. What can I say, the road from absolute villain to nuanced complexity and a very checkered past is hard.