User blog comment:GokaiWhite/PE Proposal - Bahamut (Final Fantasy XV)/@comment-2059440-20190519182900

I think few PE can be grey zone (unless they go to complete extremes) - the problem being a PE kind of has to be of an evil alignment and have no real sympathy.. someone who means well is someone audiences can sympathize with, even if they don't like what they do..

compare that to guys like Peter Stegman, who are completely unable to be sympathized with and when they do show moments of humanity it is quickly erased by their own actions (for example Stegman had a moment of humanization when he played the piano and almost won over the protagonist, before his vicious nature made said protagonist realize that there was no good in sympathizing with him).

this is why most versions of Thanos can't count - because while Thanos causes untold destruction he normally has a greater plan at hand (even in comics) which results in healing the universe or fixing something : compared to Darkseid, who is usually PE because his greater plan normally simply is to cause pain and suffering.