Hello, I would like you to meet my son Sinestro and my daughter Maleficent. Well, not really, but the way things are these days someone will need to explain how the arch villain of the Green Lantern comics and the dark queen of Sleeping Beauty originally got their names. Come on, Sinestro was Sinestro when he was a revered member of the Green Lantern Corps. Didn't anyone suspect that someone named Sinestro just might turn to evil? Its like inviting Wreck-it Ralph to dinner and being totally surprised when he... No doubt Maleficent turned to evil because of all the taunting she must have received in school. Then there was the draconian no wings or horns policy the school board rigidly enforced.
Truth is when I was a child villains were just throwaways. They existed for the sole purpose to teach children that Good always triumphs over Evil, or at least it is supposed to. Now days, The Wicked Witch of the West gets a back-story and a werewolf or vampire could potentially become your son-in-law/ daughter-in-law. I'd really hate it if my daughter had to get a wild animal permit in addition to marriage license or that they were constantly overdrawn at the blood bank.
Maybe this is because as a society we don't deal in absolutes any more. Do you really think House or Nurse Jackie would last 5 minutes in a 1950's doctor show? My guess is in a 50's medical show these losers would be shown the door in the last 5 min of the show.
Yet I cannot be sure just what the compassion towards villains really means. We all cheered when Darth Vader saved Luke at the last moment, and we finally learned why he turned to the Dark Side. Is it not the focus of the Christian doctrine that Christ can redeem anyone who repents? Doesn't that bring us back to Good is Stronger than Evil?
Ok let Maleficent receive mercy (along with a name change) from her writers. Just do not tell me I have to endure Lord Voldemort as a neighbor. To me at least Evil is still Evil.
