Star Wars: A New Hope And Watchmen

Since childhood, we have been forced to engrave in our minds a mental image of what a “villain” must look like. Whether it’s the “big bad” wolf or the cookie “monster”, cliché conventions have become our method of familiarity; a method by which we distinguish hero from villain. Names and monstrous appearances have only enhanced these conventions, thereby making it harder to understand the more complex villains. Thus, two stories will be used to understand the varying range of villains that circulate popular culture in today’s world in an attempt to solidify the basis upon which a character may be deemed a villain or not. The visual representations of villains in Star Wars: A New Hope and Watchmen, prove that villainous nature can range from

For example, Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope is completely clothed in Black. He is shielded by armor that is part of his body and his face is covered. In fact, Darth Vader embodies a monstrous appearance because we do not know if his face is mutilated or if the armor is for protection; ambiguity creates fear in this scenario. Moreover, the respirator used for breathing that covers his face further emphasizes the appearance of monstrosity due to machinery being engraved upon his face permanently. He stands tall, never scrawny, and speaks with a commanding, robot like voice that amplifies the ambiguity and fearfulness of Darth Vader. On the contrary, Adrian Veidt in Watchmen is well poised due to his aura of being a business man. In fact, while embodying his alter ego known as Ozymandias (Ozzy), he appears in heroic-like clothing; a cape, a costume colored in purple and gold signifying elegance, and a superhero belt which makes him seem more powerful and sophisticated in comparison to the other characters of Watchmen that dress mediocre. He stands tall as well and takes an authoritative stance. Unlike Darth Vader, Adrian Veidt dresses in suit a tie for some part of the comic; purple being the color of his clothes signifies royalty and wealth, something Veidt is known to embody.

For example, Darth Vader is in a way the leader of a group; he is never alone. His dictator like behaviour is feared by others especially when he says, “I find your lack of faith disturbing” (Star Wars, 1977), after which he strangles a fellow ally, thus proving his ability and power to hurt others. However, Darth Vader is also intelligent, skillful, and strategic because he does create a plan to destroy an entire planet. In addition, Darth Vader kidnaps Princess Leia, an act that requires courage, skill, strategy, and determination; these qualities can also be possessed by heroes. On the other hand, Adrian Veidt is known to be the “world’s smartest man” (Watchmen p.19). Veidt had always been a smart child and achieved mediocre grades on purpose to keep his remarkable intelligence out of suspicion (Watchmen p.245). His plans to bring earth to a utopian state prove his intelligence and effectiveness in making strategic plans. However, he maintains a serious composure throughout by looking out windows and investing himself in deep thoughts. Veidt seems to be constantly analyzing the environment around him and almost takes on a dictatorship role when he takes it upon himself to “help the world” (Watchmen 129) independently. This