Why Are Villains Often Portrayed As Ugly, Dark And With A Weird Voice?

[Dause]

I think in most movies and TV series aimed at Adults, they do typically make the "bad guy" act in a less stereotypical way. For shows aimed at children or less matured groups though, without throwing in those stereotypes the children might not even catch that "oh, this is supposed to be the bad guy!", which helps them realize what actions in said show are supposed to be good and what actions are supposed to be evil. (Because they can't tell all the time) As for making things dark, it makes sense because most bad things in general happen in literally dark places, and wearing darker clothing or looking darker helps you blend in. Very deep or very high voices can both (potentially) act as a method of intimidation, which a bad person 'might' utilize if they are the confrontational type. As for ugly, I guess it us just that concept where if you do bad things, this is how you will be. They are trying to paint being the bad guy as, being bad in all aspects and not personality.

[LegateLanius]

This concept is very old dating back probably further than Ancient Greece. At least in Ancient Greece, there is a correlation with equating beauty and goodness. There is also the halo effect in regular life, a documented psychological phenomenon wherein people's judgment on another person's traits spills over to other unrelated traits, ei she's hot she must be of good character. According to an actual scientific subject on the topic, beautiful criminals usually get more lenient sentences then their ugly counterparts, regardless of the severity of their crime, but when the crime in question is fraud, the tables are turned: attractive frauds almost consistently get the longest convictions.

[Ellie-V]

Lack of imagination. I would take a villain more seriously if they didn’t seem threatening. Cuz then when shit hits the fan, it’s a complete surprise and it’s hella scary. But no. Everyone loves to use the old fashioned skeleton of villain building. Dark, moody, and visually unappealing.

[cherryphi82]

Because we associate beauty with goodness and ugliness with evil. We also have very specific connotations of what is beautiful and why.

[ChocoLada]

You mean like Modulok, from He-Man and the Masters Of The Universe (7:47)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c_Yqxy1bTQ

Yeah, well, even some good characters have weird voice :D
But yeah, Modulok definitely has one of the weirdest voices I ever heard.

http://www.frankshemanpage.net/gateway04.JPG

[Raymond_Reddington]

You sure about that? I can name a few villains who are good looking:

Tom Riddle
Harley Quinn
Handsome jack
Negan
Jaime Lannister
Prince Charming
Haytham kenway
Draco Malloy
President Snow
Matthew Patel
Lucas lee
Todd Ingram
Roxanne richter
Kyle Katayanagi
Ken Katayanagi
Gideon Graves
Tohru Adachi
Jim Moriarty
Gina zanetakos
The main character in the borderlands games
Faith seed

[AxlStahlmann]

I'd say most directors want the villain to be very transparent. They don't want the audience to question who is wrong and who is right and they don't want people loving the villains (which is odd because some of them, such as Loki from Avengers, are pretty darn handsome/beautiful). Plus, it's harder to accomplish in terms of script writing and might not fit in the time frame that they want the movie to last. Black and white is easier to paint in, but gray offers a better picture.

[Nik1hil]

Honestly.. It's the flawless beautiful people who are the Villains and the ugly scarred once you can count on to save the day..

It's like " Jesus Loves you, but the Satan does that thing with the tongue that you love "

[RolandCuthbert]

Maleficent was not evil in the flick, Curious. She actually ended up being the good guy.

And perhaps that was the trend in the past. It is no longer a trend, I think.

[Schaggy]

I don't normally see them as ugly or with wired voices but I guess that all comes down to preference. But I imagine it's you help you connect more with the hero/protagonist.

[ZanyInternetName]

That's because those qualities normally make a character unlikeable or suspicious to the viewer and more often than not that's what villains are supposed to be. Not judging, just saying.

[Bananaman177]

People who are different are treated as outcasts. This alone will not necessarily make somebody become a villain, but it's certainly a key ingredient.

[Diznedude]

We have been conditioned by films and movies that bad guys are large, unattractive and weird or menacing. It's the old concept of good guys wear white hats and bad guys wear black

[foodtv]

Because it would be against what society coined them to be if they were beautiful, bright, and wonderful sounding.

[IlyaTheImpaler]

I don't know...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6QAjY_7AuM

[splext]

Because stories are written by the 'hero's'. Most people would over exaggerate how flawed their enemy is to make themself look better

[lomimore]

Because they do ugly horrible stuffs.
But some especially in modern movies vilains are really attractive and super sexy

[Aynsof]

In order to portray them ad villains most will use the common socially accepted indicators

Occasionally some go different though...

[ENTP_EMO]

Irony humour? Because the villains in real life are the heroes. And heroes are sometimes the villains.

[ShortCircuit]

Dark, because darkness is humans' most primal fear; ugly and a weird voice, because they need a reason to be evil lmao

[jimyee]

Because that's what we associate with evil/bad. It's a defining characteristic in the fight between good and evil, it's easily identifiable

[Michel16]

Maybe because it's easier to dehumanize the characters. The less they look great and the more they are appart from the "normal society", the better the chances for them to be unliked because of their ugliness and their lack of human similarities.

[lurikatia]

Bc they want to teach kids dumb shit... and they grow up being... or he must be very smart to break through those stereotypes... but he will fee different... lonely... and will prefer to pretend those stereotypes ro fit in

[halfbowsey]

That's the reason for the tragedy genre.. when the good guy dies

[alice55]

Surely because they don't want the public to like them.

[Anon-ymous1]

Because no one wants to be ugly or have a weird voice so we naturally have an inherently negative reaction to those characters.

[gclark2708]

My guess is so that it mirrors their intentions/ personality and also to make it more clear cut and simple

[Nobodyx]

I guess they do that to make them stand out and let children know who's the villain.

[LucasSchoubye]

That is mostly only true for kids shows. For more adult shows the villains can be charming like hannibal or the lannisters

[estherstephenx]

Not always. In Black Panther the villain isn't portrayed as any of these. and in 13 Reasons Why Season 2, the villians aren't portrayed with these attributes just with pain in their history

[britpop]

In a lot of thrillers the baddies are seemingly completely normal

[Catholicgirl22]

https://youtu.be/98BYiChrtW4

[kakaloo]

Ugly/weird voice -> bulling -> low self esteem -> become a villain.

That's it! :D :D :D

[shubhamchachapara]

Exactly. But in some serials you can find sexy and nice girls as villain

[Guanfei]

Imagine a carebear being a villain? Would that impress you?
I don't think so.

[Approximus]

To make them unlikeable. They will most likely meet an ill fate so the writer wouldn't want you to take their side.

[jakeofalltrades]

because if they were beautiful people wouldn't see them as villains

[Kubiiq0]

It's important for kids, this thing is a lot in films/tv-series for kids... but if you saw anything, what isn't for kids, you should know it's not

[EricAndrew]

I would think that it is a mechanism used to make it easier for the audience to not like them and take the side of the protagonist. Just a guess.

[LilytheHorcrux]

Not all of the time. Villains are the most attractive characters in some movies and novels. 🔥

[HerOverThere]

I don't know cause my girls & I are villainous bitches who are hott AF 👌

[Desconhecida]

Good question.
in real life Evil comes as a Hot girl on a Harley or a George Clooney in armani suit on a ferrari.

[bigbuzz777]

ya that's discrimination against ugly weird voiced people...

[Drifting_tiger]

Your thinking to hard about this bro. Don't take the shit personal 😂😂

[Dude_1820]

I enjoy the more comical villians like Kim Possible's Dr. Drakken ( blast from the past) and the dude from the first Kingsmen Samuel Jackson played

[SaoirseS]

Why do they most always have British accents?

[Stan_Control_]

Thanos was pretty ok.

[leledolan]

Shego in kim possible is attractive

[Elenor-1]

So it’s easy to hate them

[CancerMeta]

because they are villains? hehehhe

[Dearthx]

All I need to say is Gaston

[GoodGuy131]

Darth Vader is an exception for that... Okno😂

[Salmon4056]

well not always

[Anonymous]

So the dumbasses know who the villain is.

[StayTuned]

Not always

[t3hhottdawg]

I don't think Azula's voice is that weird hahah

[oldoldold]

Sigh

[Prafullrana27]

Due to their ego

[Wowgirl10q]

I'm not ugly

[Biance]

Joker is hot tho