The Ideal Movie Villain Should Be Rich *And* Good-looking

Interesting. I'm actually inclined to agree with you, but that's because I think the Batman villains often have a pathos that derives from their tragic background and/or difficult circumstances.

But I think so-called Hate Sink villains should never be ugly. They should have at least *something* going for them, and not just inherited wealth because that isn't something they personally brought to the table. That's why I like Hate Sink villains who are handsome jock types, like the type of villains you find in high-school movies.

This is true, I'm thinking of a couple of movies where guys like Kevin Spacey or Daniel Bruhl were revealed as big-time villains, nobody suspects the small, ordinary-looking guy, and they're great in movies where the villain's identity is in doubt.

But I still think that your go-to villain is rich, attractive, and physically powerful, because those things both give him or her *power*. If you are going to present your villain straight-up, with no searching, then it's best to present someone wealthy, attractive, physically formidable, highly intelligent, and well-connected, because all those things give a person power in this world. They're going to be someone even the most badass hero is going to have trouble defeating, plus the audience can resent or envy their wealth or looks. A villain who's been overly favored by fortune is SO easy to hate.

I'll admit that I was asking a fatuous question, albeit one that might stimulate an interesting discussion.

I agree that there shouldn't be such prescriptive rules when it comes to art. What I personally object to is the 'Hate Sink' villain which I'd regard as someone who was (born) rich, stupid, ugly and useless, and doesn't bring anything to the table. At least a handsome or beautiful rich kid is admired for their beauty (even if they were born with that beauty). No one is admired for being born rich and spoiled; just resented and possibly envied.

As it happens, I generally enjoy it when a villain is oppressed and downtrodden, possibly because of a trauma, or socioeconomic experiences, or because they belong to an oppressed demographic; becauese it tends to give them a degree of pathos, which is much more interesting than the aforementioned 'Hate Sink' or 'Straw Man' villain.

Agreed. I like that villain (not in the sense that I liked him as a person, but in the sense that I liked him as a concept). And not only was he wealthy and very handsome, he was also quite charming. You could see what Anna saw in him, before he was revealed as the baddie.

It's an unobtainable ideal for most people, and once one gets to a certain age (i.e. once one is past childhood), one should be able to understand that. FWIW, I'm reasonably good-looking (although when it comes to status, money matters far more for men than good-looks, and, alas, I am poor), but I instinctively identify with 'homely' and 'ugly' people because they are the 'underdog', so to speak, and what decent, right-minded person can begrudge the under-dog?

Plus, in recent years, we've started to discover that pretty boys from earlier generations (i.e. the Depps and Pitts and Francos of this world) are perhaps not as perfect as we once all believed. I can only imagine that the Goslings and Evans will also go through the same routine in a decade or so. Wealth and good-looks, particularly in Hollywood, tends to breed a certain entitlement and toxic masculinity, *particularly* among men who openly identify as 'feminists' and 'progressives'. And as Harvey Weinstein proved, one doesn't even have to be good-looking to be a hypocritical 'feminist' and 'Democrat' as the serial rapist and DNC/Hilary/women's charity contributor sadly demonstrated.

No doubt I'll be excoriated for that last paragraph, but I'm a staunch leftist, albeit one who HATES hypocrisy, and that tendency to target fellow libs, who aren't as genuine as me, no doubt rubs some people the wrong way. But attacking Trump is like shooting fish in a barrel. We all know that he is a POS (although many were much later than me to recognise this, judging by all the Hollywood people and politicians, including the Clintons, he was once chummy with). Now it's time to identify *future* Trumps (i.e. men who everyone currently love and adore, but will eventually show their true colours; and anyone who says Trump was *never* adored by the centre and centre-left, is a LIAR; the photos of him chumming around with the Clintons, Jesse Jackson, Spike Lee, and other 'progressive' celebs are easily found online).

'Both' what?

100% agreed.

I was spitballing, but I certainly prefer a tragic, semi-sympathetic 'villain' to an all-out evil one. I was thinking of those situations where filmmakers, unfortunately, plump for simplistic 'Hate Sink' antagonists.