We all love villains, it's true- the escapism of a hero fighting a great villain is something that continues to entertain us constantly. Loads of villains, all in one place? Sounds like Heaven, right?
Wrong.
The saturation of villains is something that's annoyed me for a long time, especially within the media of film. More specifically (though not exclusively) in 'superhero' films. Villains should be a dangerous antagonist within their storyline, a true antithesis to our hero. By having multiple villains within a narrative, the writer or creator risks diluting the fear that an enemy should create within the audience. With every villain added to the narrative, the effect builds up- the audience is simply left with one or two favoured enemies within the story, and the rest are forgotten or simply become a frustration to them.
Maybe some examples could help explain.
1. Iron Man 2
No. of Villains: 2
Bugged me from the very beginning. In all fairness, it had the same number of villains as its predecessor, but it was Justin Hammer that tipped this scale over the edge of stupid. Ivan Venko (in the comics, named Whiplash, though this is never mentioned in the film) was, in my opinion, more than enough of a villain to match Tony Stark: his physical threat is enough of a challenge to create a viable threat and his intelligence prevents him becoming a simple task for Stark. The exoskeleton- style suit he creates towards the beginning of the film could very easily have been extended later, just as Iron Man's was during the first film (possibly mirroring the process with his own Russian twist on proceedings). The development of this character that would be threatening in every way would have been far more interesting than what actually transpired.
The problem with Hammer is that he didn't really DO anything- he funded Venko, and the robotic minions at the climax of the film, but didn't truly threaten Stark at any point. Even when they were together, and actually having a battle of wits or intelligence, Hammer ended up as the one thing a villain absolutely must not be: comic relief.
The Rightful Villain: Ivan Venko
2. Batman and Robin
As much as I love Batman (And believe me, I do) this has always got on my nerves. Mr Freeze is a well crafted, inspired villain, when written properly (see Batman:Sub Zero for a perfect example). Poison Ivy is... well, she's Poison Ivy. Her manipulation of the mind with pheromones could actually sound genuine- with the right scientific jargon, anyway.
The next part of this is best explained in the style of the Animaniacs:
GOOD IDEA: Make a superhero film with two villains who's superpowers can be explained within the realms of science, giving them both opposing views in their quest for world domination, and having a great betrayal between them.
BAD IDEA: Make a film with two villains, played by Arnold Schwarzeneger and Uma Therman, creating rubbish and exaggerated origin stories with a ridiculous script and fill it with cheesy one-liners.
Rightful Villain: The film should never have been made
