INSPIRED BY THE VILLAIN!
How could it happen that someone would look up to the bad guy?
I first became inspired by design because of my love for the bad guys. I know that it might seem strange to find inspiration from the villains of the world, but that’s what happened to me! I was always fascinated by them! I would read about them in stories and constantly ran into them in video games. I thought about them all the time and began drawing them. Here is a picture of a character I drew who started out as a bad guy. He is a cyborg, part organic and part machine, big, strong and brutal.
Was the love I had for villains in the movies based on my real life?
I think so. I was the youngest in my family, and I felt like I was always a bit outclassed. It seemed like I was smallest, youngest, and weakest. I could identify with a character that was looked down upon by others. Another thing that makes me gravitate to the villains is their looks. They usually seem powerful, and also strong, fearful and intimidating. I wanted to be powerful and strong, just like them! These qualities inspired me, and I hoped I could develop similar traits.
Could a villain have any loveable qualities?
Probably so, and I would always look for them. Sympathetic villains do exist. It sometimes feels like the villain is shown as the big bad boss, as if they are always on top. For example, Darth Vader is the big villainous leader in the original Star Wars. Later in one of the sequels, Darth Vader is revealed to be Luke Skywalker’s father, and ultimately Vader saves his son from the Emperor. In this manner Vader redeems himself as a villain.
Darth Vader PNG Image — PurePNG | Free transparent CC0 PNG Image Library
https://purepng.com/photo/18968/people-darth-vader
My fascination for villains would increase more and more when I had the chance to play a villain in a fighting game. That villain was Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is a villain because he always kidnaps Princess Peach at the beginning of the game. He is strong, mean, and tries to take over the galaxy. To this day, whenever I play the Smash Bros. series, I still pick Bowser as my favorite character to play. Playing this game is one of my passions that brings me joy. As I did some more research on Bowser, I noticed an annoying trend. Every time Bowser is in a Mario game, he gets thrown under the bus. You almost feel sorry for him. He either gets thrown into a lava pit, thrown into a black hole, or hit in the face at the end of the game. Things never end well for him! His redeeming quality is his caring for his son, Bowser, Jr. He also saves the Mario World from a different villain who is even worse than he is!
Bowser Is Officially The Greatest Video Game Villain Of All Time | Nintendo Life
https://images.nintendolife.com/5e1ca09c13971/big-bad-bowser-is-number-one.large.jpg
Playing Bowser added more fuel to my fascination, especially for discoveries of a bad guys turning good. For example, in the movie Despicable Me, Gru starts off as a villain by popping a kid’s balloon. Then he makes a plan to steal the moon using the children as a distraction. But these children see something in Gru that not everyone else sees. They look at him not as a villain but instead as a father figure. This shows that villains can be redeemable, and Gru ends up rescuing and taking excellent care of the girls. These qualities of redemption that some villains show demonstrate that good can sometimes come out of bad.
Gru/Gallery | The Parody Wiki | Fandom
https://parody.fandom.com/wiki/Gru/Gallery?file=Gru_despicable_me_3.png
What is my purpose?
Throughout my life, I have developed many ideas for characters and stories rolling around in my head. I am passionate about bringing all of these ideas to life. The magic of design is that it helps me to make this possible so I can further my purpose, which is to share my ideas and stories with others. In this way, I hope to make an impact on the world by using design.
