They all seem to want to be Heroes.
Adam tells Hiro that once humanity rallies together after unleashing the Shanti Virus, he'd be "their hero".
Sylar comments to Peter "You're the villain, Peter. I'm the Hero." (this one I'll admit is a stretch)
The twelve founders of the Company apparently came together in an attempt to save/change the world.
Elle smiles and comments positively when Mohinder mentions that she saved their lives (from Sylar). Although for her, she might have just been glad that Bob wasn't going to beat her a** for letting Sylar go.
But did anyone else notice this? Feel free to tear me apart.
Full Version: Something the villains share in common...
I can honestly say that I agree and noticed that about Adam and Sylar. Sylar and Adam seem to think they do the right things by doing the opposite. They're just cuckoo bananas.
Adam Baldwin once said something about villains - that they always think they're right, that they're the heroes and that anyone trying to stop them is doing more harm than good. He said they when you're playing a bad guy it's important to remember that the character always thinks of himself as the hero.
I agree with that.
doubleshiny and peterthesavior25, thanks for the responses. Good points both of you.
I wonder if any of them will actually become heroes...
I wonder if any of them will actually become heroes...
I always think that the only way you can really progress a villain's character is either through redemption, understanding or death - otherwise they become two dimensional and just keep popping up to cause trouble. I like to think that they could go someway to redeeming Sylar, I think there have been various plot points leading up to what could possibly be some kind of redemption storyline.
The thing about Sylar is his entire character has biblical traces. Remember in early season one, that room which was almost like a confession box? With sinner written on the walls? Been a while since I’ve seen that episode, but didn’t it belong to Sylar? His name is the biggest giveaway to me – Gabriel Grey? Obviously we all know the significance of Gabriel, and to me the word Grey basically represents the fading horizon at the end of the path his destiny is leading him on. Think morally grey; he wants to be special, to be unique, to lead a life of significance, but to lead this existence is to walk on a path laced with blood.
In my opinion he is the ultimate villain, think of every story you’ve ever heard and every film you’ve ever seen, they all share similar motivations for turning to ‘the dark side’ for lack of a better phrase, and we are seeing that progression in Sylar. As a character he represents the downtrodden, the people in society who feel condemned to a life of insignificance, who feel betrayed by fate… many of us at times feel so dreadfully unimportant and unappreciated, and this is the turning point for evil, when people are twisted by feelings of insignificance, anger and resentment; that is the birth of true evil. Yet it all does tend to depend on the person, it’s the closest you’re gonna get to a ‘test from god’ how we react to adversity, it’s what determines who is a hero and who is a villain.
We all crave a legacy and to leave our mark on the world but it is our choices that decide whether we leave a positive/ negative after effect. While Sylar is by no means innocent, we know for a fact he isn’t pure evil, right at the end of season one we saw his humanity when as a son, he tries to make his mother proud and gain her blessing, yet does not attain the acceptance he seeks – another step closer to spiritual degeneration. That whole scenario reminded me he isn’t a fully formed villain, sure he’s on his way to becoming one since killing his mother was sort of a coming of age in my eyes… anyone ever notice how he sometimes seems quite juvenile in his approach? It’s as though he isn’t quite a man yet, and therefore not a real villain in every sense of the word.
Basically, although he has done wrong he is generally acting on the fundamental drives and desires that command us all. It would make poetic sense for redemption to be part of his destiny, but I think it’ll take a while to see this come into play. You could say Sylar seeks to become a god and to me that seems to be the consequence of leading a life of mediocrity – a blind ambition for importance.
In my opinion he is the ultimate villain, think of every story you’ve ever heard and every film you’ve ever seen, they all share similar motivations for turning to ‘the dark side’ for lack of a better phrase, and we are seeing that progression in Sylar. As a character he represents the downtrodden, the people in society who feel condemned to a life of insignificance, who feel betrayed by fate… many of us at times feel so dreadfully unimportant and unappreciated, and this is the turning point for evil, when people are twisted by feelings of insignificance, anger and resentment; that is the birth of true evil. Yet it all does tend to depend on the person, it’s the closest you’re gonna get to a ‘test from god’ how we react to adversity, it’s what determines who is a hero and who is a villain.
We all crave a legacy and to leave our mark on the world but it is our choices that decide whether we leave a positive/ negative after effect. While Sylar is by no means innocent, we know for a fact he isn’t pure evil, right at the end of season one we saw his humanity when as a son, he tries to make his mother proud and gain her blessing, yet does not attain the acceptance he seeks – another step closer to spiritual degeneration. That whole scenario reminded me he isn’t a fully formed villain, sure he’s on his way to becoming one since killing his mother was sort of a coming of age in my eyes… anyone ever notice how he sometimes seems quite juvenile in his approach? It’s as though he isn’t quite a man yet, and therefore not a real villain in every sense of the word.
Basically, although he has done wrong he is generally acting on the fundamental drives and desires that command us all. It would make poetic sense for redemption to be part of his destiny, but I think it’ll take a while to see this come into play. You could say Sylar seeks to become a god and to me that seems to be the consequence of leading a life of mediocrity – a blind ambition for importance.
QUOTE(Enemy of Reality @ May 26 2008, 04:45 PM) 
The thing about Sylar is his entire character has biblical traces. Remember in early season one, that room which was almost like a confession box? With sinner written on the walls? Been a while since I’ve seen that episode, but didn’t it belong to Sylar? His name is the biggest giveaway to me – Gabriel Grey? Obviously we all know the significance of Gabriel, and to me the word Grey basically represents the fading horizon at the end of the path his destiny is leading him on. Think morally grey; he wants to be special, to be unique, to lead a life of significance, but to lead this existence is to walk on a path laced with blood.
In my opinion he is the ultimate villain, think of every story you’ve ever heard and every film you’ve ever seen, they all share similar motivations for turning to ‘the dark side’ for lack of a better phrase, and we are seeing that progression in Sylar. As a character he represents the downtrodden, the people in society who feel condemned to a life of insignificance, who feel betrayed by fate… many of us at times feel so dreadfully unimportant and unappreciated, and this is the turning point for evil, when people are twisted by feelings of insignificance, anger and resentment; that is the birth of true evil. Yet it all does tend to depend on the person, it’s the closest you’re gonna get to a ‘test from god’ how we react to adversity, it’s what determines who is a hero and who is a villain.
We all crave a legacy and to leave our mark on the world but it is our choices that decide whether we leave a positive/ negative after effect. While Sylar is by no means innocent, we know for a fact he isn’t pure evil, right at the end of season one we saw his humanity when as a son, he tries to make his mother proud and gain her blessing, yet does not attain the acceptance he seeks – another step closer to spiritual degeneration. That whole scenario reminded me he isn’t a fully formed villain, sure he’s on his way to becoming one since killing his mother was sort of a coming of age in my eyes… anyone ever notice how he sometimes seems quite juvenile in his approach? It’s as though he isn’t quite a man yet, and therefore not a real villain in every sense of the word.
Basically, although he has done wrong he is generally acting on the fundamental drives and desires that command us all. It would make poetic sense for redemption to be part of his destiny, but I think it’ll take a while to see this come into play. You could say Sylar seeks to become a god and to me that seems to be the consequence of leading a life of mediocrity – a blind ambition for importance.
In my opinion he is the ultimate villain, think of every story you’ve ever heard and every film you’ve ever seen, they all share similar motivations for turning to ‘the dark side’ for lack of a better phrase, and we are seeing that progression in Sylar. As a character he represents the downtrodden, the people in society who feel condemned to a life of insignificance, who feel betrayed by fate… many of us at times feel so dreadfully unimportant and unappreciated, and this is the turning point for evil, when people are twisted by feelings of insignificance, anger and resentment; that is the birth of true evil. Yet it all does tend to depend on the person, it’s the closest you’re gonna get to a ‘test from god’ how we react to adversity, it’s what determines who is a hero and who is a villain.
We all crave a legacy and to leave our mark on the world but it is our choices that decide whether we leave a positive/ negative after effect. While Sylar is by no means innocent, we know for a fact he isn’t pure evil, right at the end of season one we saw his humanity when as a son, he tries to make his mother proud and gain her blessing, yet does not attain the acceptance he seeks – another step closer to spiritual degeneration. That whole scenario reminded me he isn’t a fully formed villain, sure he’s on his way to becoming one since killing his mother was sort of a coming of age in my eyes… anyone ever notice how he sometimes seems quite juvenile in his approach? It’s as though he isn’t quite a man yet, and therefore not a real villain in every sense of the word.
Basically, although he has done wrong he is generally acting on the fundamental drives and desires that command us all. It would make poetic sense for redemption to be part of his destiny, but I think it’ll take a while to see this come into play. You could say Sylar seeks to become a god and to me that seems to be the consequence of leading a life of mediocrity – a blind ambition for importance.
That's a very good point!
QUOTE
The thing about Sylar is his entire character has biblical traces. Remember in early season one, that room which was almost like a confession box? With sinner written on the walls? Been a while since I’ve seen that episode, but didn’t it belong to Sylar? His name is the biggest giveaway to me – Gabriel Grey? Obviously we all know the significance of Gabriel, and to me the word Grey basically represents the fading horizon at the end of the path his destiny is leading him on. Think morally grey; he wants to be special, to be unique, to lead a life of significance, but to lead this existence is to walk on a path laced with blood.
In my opinion he is the ultimate villain, think of every story you’ve ever heard and every film you’ve ever seen, they all share similar motivations for turning to ‘the dark side’ for lack of a better phrase, and we are seeing that progression in Sylar. As a character he represents the downtrodden, the people in society who feel condemned to a life of insignificance, who feel betrayed by fate… many of us at times feel so dreadfully unimportant and unappreciated, and this is the turning point for evil, when people are twisted by feelings of insignificance, anger and resentment; that is the birth of true evil. Yet it all does tend to depend on the person, it’s the closest you’re gonna get to a ‘test from god’ how we react to adversity, it’s what determines who is a hero and who is a villain.
We all crave a legacy and to leave our mark on the world but it is our choices that decide whether we leave a positive/ negative after effect. While Sylar is by no means innocent, we know for a fact he isn’t pure evil, right at the end of season one we saw his humanity when as a son, he tries to make his mother proud and gain her blessing, yet does not attain the acceptance he seeks – another step closer to spiritual degeneration. That whole scenario reminded me he isn’t a fully formed villain, sure he’s on his way to becoming one since killing his mother was sort of a coming of age in my eyes… anyone ever notice how he sometimes seems quite juvenile in his approach? It’s as though he isn’t quite a man yet, and therefore not a real villain in every sense of the word.
Basically, although he has done wrong he is generally acting on the fundamental drives and desires that command us all. It would make poetic sense for redemption to be part of his destiny, but I think it’ll take a while to see this come into play. You could say Sylar seeks to become a god and to me that seems to be the consequence of leading a life of mediocrity – a blind ambition for importance.
In my opinion he is the ultimate villain, think of every story you’ve ever heard and every film you’ve ever seen, they all share similar motivations for turning to ‘the dark side’ for lack of a better phrase, and we are seeing that progression in Sylar. As a character he represents the downtrodden, the people in society who feel condemned to a life of insignificance, who feel betrayed by fate… many of us at times feel so dreadfully unimportant and unappreciated, and this is the turning point for evil, when people are twisted by feelings of insignificance, anger and resentment; that is the birth of true evil. Yet it all does tend to depend on the person, it’s the closest you’re gonna get to a ‘test from god’ how we react to adversity, it’s what determines who is a hero and who is a villain.
We all crave a legacy and to leave our mark on the world but it is our choices that decide whether we leave a positive/ negative after effect. While Sylar is by no means innocent, we know for a fact he isn’t pure evil, right at the end of season one we saw his humanity when as a son, he tries to make his mother proud and gain her blessing, yet does not attain the acceptance he seeks – another step closer to spiritual degeneration. That whole scenario reminded me he isn’t a fully formed villain, sure he’s on his way to becoming one since killing his mother was sort of a coming of age in my eyes… anyone ever notice how he sometimes seems quite juvenile in his approach? It’s as though he isn’t quite a man yet, and therefore not a real villain in every sense of the word.
Basically, although he has done wrong he is generally acting on the fundamental drives and desires that command us all. It would make poetic sense for redemption to be part of his destiny, but I think it’ll take a while to see this come into play. You could say Sylar seeks to become a god and to me that seems to be the consequence of leading a life of mediocrity – a blind ambition for importance.
Very nice perspective.
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