User blog comment:Queen Misery/Jerk Versus Villain/@comment-1969141-20110126004806/@comment-1705775-20110127121904

intent isn't always as important as methods - when you think about it most villains aren't intentionally being evil, they mean well.. their methods are just abhorrent.. I'm going to be a little controversial and say this: many real-world villains' intentions started off as noble (at least to their culture/society) but became infamous due to their methods, which were immoral and criminal.. a character who wants to make the world a better place but is willing to slaughter innocents in the process is just as much a villain as someone who intentionally does evil - also people like Norman Bates and whatnot are not intentionally evil as they are insane.. it's debatable whether insanity can be considered villainious, especially given the changes in society about mental illness.