Summary
Most stories have heroes and villains. Sure, there can be nuance. Anti-heroes have been a thing for ages, and making villains more complex by giving them relatable qualities can be very effective, but ultimately, there is still a designated hero whom audiences are expected to root for.Even a sympathetic villainis still an antagonist who stands in the way of the hero. However, sometimes the lines between them can get a bit blurry. There are times when the hero is really no better than the villain, or starts to feel like a villain in their own right. Sometimes the protagonistisa villain who has to battle an even bigger villain or seeks some kind of redemption. And sometimes, expectations are subverted about whom the real antagonist is. An apparent villain can turn out to be on the hero’s side, or at least form a truce due to a common problem. Likewise, a seemingly loyal ally could reveal they were a mole for the antagonist all along.
When it comes to video games, if there is a specific character (or group of characters) that are under the player’s control, it can usually be assumed that they are the hero. If there is a particular enemy they are opposing, it can be assumed they are villains. But sometimes, games like to mess with this format. A lot of RPGs, for instance, will incorporate some form of karma system that includes options for being evil. Sometimes,the line gets a bit murky, and the hero has to contend with the realization thatthey are actually the true villain of the story,regardless of their actions. This can be difficult to pull off, but pretty effective when done well.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for all the games listed
BioShock Infinitehasa strange story for its protagonist Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton detective and army veteran who happens to have a less-than-ideal past. Turns out he is actually a war criminal who participated in the real-life Massacre at Wounded Knee, where he committed atrocities that even shocked his fellow soldiers. As a Pinkerton he was not much better; he became known as the go-to guy for busting labor strikes. Also, he sold his daughter to pay a gambling debt.
Booker couldeasilyhave been a villain in something likeRed Dead Redemption 2, but a big part ofBioShock Infinite’sstory is whether he can atone for his past crimes. As is the series standard, things get a lot more complicated, with the reveal that the game’s antagonist, Zachary Hale Comstock — the ultra-nationalist ruler and “Prophet” of the flying city of Colombia — is actually Booker from an alternate timeline. One particular choice in their lives was the distinction that caused them to become different people (they were both offered a baptism; one accepted, and the other refused).
Jonathan Blow’s indie game centers around protagonist Tim trying to help a princess who is being chased by a “terrible monster.” For what seems to be a fairly straightforward side-scrolling puzzle game, it might not sound like anything suspicious at first, but some clever time manipulation mechanics hide the big twist at the game’s conclusion.
The “terrible monster” is in fact Tim himself. The supposed rescue has actually been the princess desperately trying to escape from a dangerous stalker (a detail reinforced with hints that Tim is motivated by some past mistake he hopes to erase).There have been a few different interpretations of the game’s deeper meanings, but it is clear by the end that Tim is not the brave hero he thinks he is.
The Last of Usalso ended withJoel starting to feel like a villainafter he single-handedly destroyed any hope of curing the fungal virus responsible for the current state of the world.The Last of Us Part 2features a similar moral ambiguity, just with an extra dash of cruelty.
The game begins with a simple revenge story in which Ellie pursues apparent antagonist Abby after she kills Joel. While her motives are understandable, Ellie’s ruthlessness and an uncanny talent for leaving bodies in her wake call into question the ethics of her behavior. Things really ramp up around the halfway point when she finally catches up to the “villain.” Suddenly, the same events are shown from Abby’s perspective, with Ellie taking on the role of villain. By the end, it becomes a lot harder to tell who to root for.
While protagonist Wander’s motivations and goals (wanting to bring back his dead girlfriend) are understandable, his methods for achieving them are… not so great. In fact, he ends up causing a lot of problems. His first mistake is making a deal with a mysterious entity that turns out not to have his best interests at heart. Despite this, Wander goes on a quest to slay a bunch of giants, none of which have done anything to deserve his wrath. Many of them even attempt to avoid fighting him altogether.
When he does finally defeat every single Colossus, it turns out doing so has released a malevolent entity bent on destruction, the same entity whose guidance Wander has been following. Also, he may have also cursed his girlfriend once she is resurrected, and possibly doomed the rest of the world as well. So basically, Wander’s attempt at heroism ended up making things worse for almost everyone else, including himself.
Yager’s cult classic shooter is structured around a simple question: What does it mean to be a hero? The basic plot of the game involves protagonist Martin Walker searching for his mentor, who hasapparently gone all Colonel Kurtzand taken over a sandstorm-ridden Dubai. Unfortunately, Walker turns out not to be very good at being heroic.
His efforts to “help” the people of Dubai include firing white phosphorus at civilians and destroying their primary water supply. The real kicker comes at the end of the game, when he discovers the apparent villain he’s been after died before Walker even arrived. The real monster, the real Colonel Kurtz, was actually Walker himself, whose atrocities throughout the game have failed to accomplish anything more than to cause pain and suffering.
