Because sympathetic villains are very easy to write, and there are data that does show how movies that have sympathetic villains tend to get good reviews.

However…. like Syndrome from Incredibles once said

And thats my problem with recent villains these days.

I understand…. that having relatable and sympathetic villains is easier to write and get audience to care about the movie/story. But…. sooner or later you’re going to have problems writing other compelling villains because you’re going to use up all of your good guys.

I think this trend really got mainstream after MCU made Thanos sympathetic, and why Thanos in the comic is showing cracks in his writing.

I think MCU Thanos being sympathetic works because it’s not comic Thanos, and we really didnt get an established “personality” from Thanos in the MCU before Infinity War so its not jarring.

However…. after Infinity War Marvel Comics decided to make everyone be sympathetic and that includes Thanos, and that does not work for me.

Thanos in the comics went from telling Corvus Glaive that commiting suicide would be less painful than what Thanos would do to him

to…. being sad that an alien little girl doesnt like him and Thanos…. has PTSD and hallucinations

You guys kind of see what I’m saying? When everyone has sympathetic backstories, it gets repetitive and boring because I’m seeing the same person, just with a different appearance.

My problem is that MCU is focused on creating sympathetic villains…. but they forgot they need to make villains charismatic and likeable.

I think while having sympathetic villains is great it’s getting really tiresome.

Tell me, are Voldemort, Palpatine, Heath Ledger’s Joker, Joffrey Lannister and Freiza great villains because they were “sympathetic”? Do they have any motivations that make the audience feel bad for them?

No, what makes them cool and popular with the fans are their personality, appearance, and powers. We like to hate Joffrey Lannister or Freiza because of their charisma and peresonality that makes us feel attached to them in a strange way.

People often bring up 2017 Stepphenwolf or Malekith as examples of why sympathetic villains work… and I disagree.

2017 Stepphenwolf and Malekith dont work because they dont have a likeable personality or charisma. Their dialogue, the way they talk makes me want to fall asleep and cringe.

2021 Steppenwolf works better for me. He’s trying to conquer the planet because he wants to find the Anti-Life Equation for Darkseid in order to go home. Sure, his motivation isnt “sympathetic” and I really dont care for him. But what makes Steppenwolf a badass is his powerful fighting abilities, personality, and appearance.

Saying a villain is only “interesting” because they are sympathetic is like saying Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot are boring because they dont have a “sympathetic or tragic” backstory.

Personally…. I am fine with sympathetic villains but it gets boring and repetitive when every single villain has a tragic backstory. Just give me a villain that has great banter with the protagonists and I’ll be happy.