Geeks as movie villains

[j9ac9k]

Lex Luthor ("BvS")
Hector Hammond ("Green Lantern")
Aldrich Killian ("Iron Man 3")
Max Dillon/Electro ("ASM 2")
Victor Von Doom ("F4")

We've always had evil scientists as villains - the natural embodiment of our anxieties about scientific progress. (and an always marketable strain of anti-intellectualism) But lately they've gotten ... geekier. (less so with Doom, but he still applies - especially since he was originally a different evil archetype in the comics) Lizard in "ASM" was an evil scientist, but wasn't a geek so he's not on this list.

In addition to that, Killian, Hammond and Dillon all worshipped (auto-correct tells me "worshipped" has one "p" - does that seem right?) or at least admired the hero before becoming powered and turning to evil. What is that about? Some need to blame our heroes for creating the evils they fight? (i.e. Ultron) Is redemption now an intrinsic part of the new heroic narrative? (post Spider-Man perhaps?)

[Drz]

The Incredibles?

[Huntsman Spider]

Hmm, that's actually a pretty interesting premise. Spider-Man and TV series/DC Extended Universe Flash are pretty much the epitome of "geek as hero," so it's always a fascinating idea to explore the flipside of that archetype, "geek as villain." With heroic geeks, we see them rising above their comparatively low social status and overcoming their personal flaws, anxieties, and insecurities to become the heroes and champions that save the world (or as much of it as they can). Villainous geeks, on the other hand, amplify the more negative aspects of the geek archetype/stereotype --- social awkwardness turns into bitter resentment of and alienation from their peers and society in general, which can facilitate antisocial, i.e. criminal or villainous, actions and behavior, pride in their intelligence turns into a superiority complex that can again lead to antisocial conduct when coupled with the aforementioned alienation issues.

There's also the idea that geeks who become villains are simply taking the opportunity to live out their power fantasies, as an allegory to real-life geeks who idolize superheroes or even super-villains, not for any perceived goodness or virtue on those characters' parts, but simply because they're powerful. This can factor into the admiration Aldrich Killian held for Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 or Max Dillon for Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man 2 before perceived or actual rejection by Stark and Spidey respectively caused them to snap. Ultimately, the difference between "geek as hero" and "geek as villain" is that heroic geeks overcome their flaws, anxieties, and insecurities while villainous geeks remain mired in said flaws, anxieties, and insecurities and overcompensate for them by lashing out at others, either specific individuals or society in general.

[j9ac9k]

Ha -- yes. Great points. I suspect we're more likely experiencing the conflicted dramatization of the subconscious minds of film and comic book writers more than anything else.

[Huntsman Spider]

Ha -- yes. Great points. I suspect we're more likely experiencing the conflicted dramatization of the subconscious minds of film and comic book writers more than anything else.

Good point there, as well, since all fiction is reflective of the writer's reality or perception thereof on one level or another. There's also been a lot of work done on deconstructing the geek archetype/stereotype, in regards to how exclusionary geek culture can be and how male geeks view and/or treat women and girls as a factor in that exclusionary behavior and attitude, so that could also play a part in the increased visibility of villainous geeks. Hell, this goes all the way back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sixth season, which featured as the primary villains a trio of rather pathetic-seeming nerds whose individual and collective neuroses drove them into trying to become Buffy's nemeses.

In the process, the series ended up exploring the dark side of the geek archetype/stereotype, particularly regarding their fantasies of power and control that had certain misogynistic shades, especially with the Trio's leader. He basically tried to turn his ex-girlfriend into a sex slave via mind control, then accidentally killed her when she broke free and tore into him for it, and escalated to outright murder when humiliated from a defeat by Buffy, which led to his own death at the hands of a vengeful and magically supercharged Willow. To me, that's still the peak of geek villainy, if only because it was the first real example of such that I saw, and it was developed over the course of an entire season, allowing the viewers to see how regular socially maladjusted geeks could degenerate into dangerously antisocial individuals, given means and opportunity.

[Dr Will Hatch]

The Trio on Buffy is a great example of misogynist nerds, like the ones you find on Reddit today.

[ChrisIII]

Outside of comic book films, the Ghostbusters reboot did this as well.

[j9ac9k]

Outside of comic book films, the Ghostbusters reboot did this as well.

I didn't see the reboot, but the other Ghostbusters both had geeky characters who were hot for Sigourney Weaver who then turned evil, but only because they were possessed. Interesting if they repeated this trope but made the geek more willing to turn bad. (over the years geeks have begun to own their anger at the world and society at large are no longer as dismissive of these potential time-bombs?)

[ChrisIII]

He was sort of an ignored, vengeful bell-boy in a hotel, and pretty much wanted to build a gateway to lure ghosts into the world and become a powerful one himself. In a way he's a bit like Ivo Shandor in the first film (Not seen unless you count the game)-and while Louis and Gonaz were kind of good people posessed, this guy's pretty much a bad seed all the way. He does possess other characters though, such as Chris Hemsworth's secretary.

[j9ac9k]

Jim Carrey's Edward Nigma qualifies too. Especially how much he admired Bruce Wayne then felt betrayed by him.

[t hedge coke]

Not a movie, but tv, but I'm watching Martian Successor Nadesico again, and one of the big reveals is that the alien invaders with giant robots are spoilers:

an incredibly geeky space colony the Earth governments had covered up

end of spoilers.

The Nazis/American White People's Party in The Blues Brothers are clearly Nazi geeks. Literally, over-obsessed fanboys. Cosplay. Painting little models.

[j9ac9k]

The Nazis/American White People's Party in The Blues Brothers are clearly Nazi geeks. Literally, over-obsessed fanboys. Cosplay. Painting little models.

I hate Illinois Nazis....

[Immortal Weapon]

Would Sam Jackson's character in Unbreakable count?

[Forseti]

His character in Kingsman: the Secret Service was pretty geeky.

[t hedge coke]

Would Sam Jackson's character in Unbreakable count?

Absolutely. Dude's dyed in the wool, diehard, some kind of dye/die fanboy. Probably several shades of.