Line #44 Main/AlikeAndAntitheticalAdversaries


1	We can tell a lot about a person by knowing what groups they're a part of. What's more, we can tell a lot about a conflict depending on who makes up the given groups. Authors can take advantage of this to design the [[ShadesOfConflict overtones of a conflict]] by engineering the groups at war into being homogeneous (all alike) and/or heterogeneous (all different). This can have up to four combinations[[note]]or eight if it's a three sided conflict, but we won't go there[[/note]], as detailed below.
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3	!!This comes in four flavors.
4	* '''Heterogeneous Heroes vs. Homogeneous Villains:''' The "classic" set up. This is used when an author wants to portray good as multicultural or what not and the bad guys as all alike and all equally evil. The good guys will often work by TeethClenchedTeamwork and be a very diverse RagtagBunchOfMisfits, both superficially ([[FiveTokenBand race]], using {{Custom Uniform}}s), and seriously -socially, [[MultinationalTeam culturally]], religiously, or [[FourTemperamentEnsemble temperamentally]]. To contrast, the baddies will usually be monochromatic in very obvious ways. At the very least they will [[DressCodedForYourConvenience all dress alike]], and complement that overt gesture by being [[KnightTemplar ideological or religious extremists]], all the same [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang ethnicity]], being solely [[AlwaysMale men]] [[MonogenderMonsters or]] [[AlwaysFemale women]], or even implying that an entire ''[[PlanetOfHats species]]'' [[AlwaysChaoticEvil are all equally villainous]]. One extreme representation of this is to make the villains NotEvenHuman, rather being a horde of identical [[RobotWar robots]], [[BugWar insects]] or [[OpeningACanOfClones clones]]. The symbolism here is that heroes can come from any walk of life, but villains are all the same. This can be especially useful when using non-human enemies or imaginary ideologies, as it can avoid designating any real world equivalents as bad[[note]](Of course, it may instead make the kids at home think that all aliens are evil)[[/note]].
5	* '''Homogeneous Heroes vs. Heterogeneous Villains:''' Flipping the above has an interesting effect. Having the heroes share the same background (be it family, home town, or ideology) or world view [[JustForFun/HowToGatherCharacters can make it easier to bring them together]]. The similarities don't necessarily have to be religious, ethnic or even in wardrobe, however they share enough similarities of one kind or another that viewers who know the characters can infer that good people share these same unifying trait(s) and values. Conversely, a bunch of [[EqualOpportunityEvil diverse minions]] led by the CosmopolitanCouncil show that evil can take any shape, and warns that TheDarkSide isn't exclusive in its membership (and avoid irate censors). One interpretation of this is that evil is divisive, while good is unifying. Heroes [[ThePowerOfFriendship can work together]], villains [[TheStarscream backstab]] each other [[VillainBall into failure.]]
6	* '''Heterogeneous Heroes vs. Heterogeneous Villains:''' Portraying both as heterogeneous groups has the effect of making a conflict seem [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism very worldly,]] or possibly even [[GreyAndGrayMorality gray.]] By removing easily identifiable unifying traits it makes it difficult to tell apart heroes and villains, at least in terms of characterization, and allows the author to dive right into questions of just what separates good and evil, heroes and villains. In these cases the conflict may be characterized as TheFederation against the AntiHumanAlliance.
7	* '''Homogeneous Heroes vs. Homogeneous Villains:''' On the other hand, monochromatic bands of heroes and villains are very... well, archetypal. Here the differences between characters are drawn not from obvious background or appearance, but in motivation and character. A story where both bands are of "identical" groups can focus more on what brings entire groups into AlwaysLawfulGood and AlwaysChaoticEvil territory, while spending time focusing on individual motivation.
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9	It's worth mentioning that a story can begin with either side (or both) as homogeneous and transition into a completely heterogeneous cast with the help of characterization, an EnemyCivilWar, and of course the DefectorFromDecadence who [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch protests]] their brother's ways. If this is SpeculativeFiction, then sometimes InTheFutureHumansWillBeOneRace will come up.
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11	----
12	!!Examples:
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14	[[foldercontrol]]
15
16	'''Het-H vs. Hom-V:'''
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18
19	[[folder:Film]]
20	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
21	** ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' has the multi-species Rebels and the [[PuttingOnTheReich implied in costume]] fascist Empire. EU material confirms the Empire to be speciesist, employing (mostly) only white male humans.
22	** In ''Film/ANewHope'' all rebels are human as well, making it Hom-H vs. Hom-V. And in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', the use of the bounty hunters makes it more Hom-H vs Het-V. It is explained in the [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends EU material]] that in the beginning the military branch of TheAlliance was indeed mostly human, because the Empire's treatment of non-humans made them distrustful of ''all'' humans and because humans are the only ones allowed into military training and only human worlds are allowed to have a militia.
23	* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' Also an example of Het-H vs Hom-V, as the members and allies of the Order of the Phoenix have varied backgrounds and include different species (werewolf, half-giants, house-elves), while the Death Eaters are all pureblood white men [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Bellatrix]] who use other creatures as mere footsoldiers.
24	* ''Franchise/TheMatrix'':
25	** ''Film/TheMatrix'' takes this trope to the next level: it has a diverse group of characters as the rebellion, spanning multiple races, ages, and genders, but the villains -the agents- are as homogeneous as you can get: they have the same appearance, voice, costume, etc.
26	** ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'': The ruling Council of Zion has a non-white majority of councillors and a majority of women (Hamman is the only white male on the Council), while the villain that emerges as the primary antagonist begins literally turning everyone in the Matrix itself into copies of himself; its hard to get more homogenous than that with your evil army.
27	* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'' has a group of extremely unique protagonists, led by a ReasonableAuthorityFigure. The villain is a standard OmnicidalManiac who wants to TakeOverTheWorld, and his plan mostly involves [[SendInTheClones cloning himself to create an army]].
28	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', the heroes are a fairly diverse police force, comprising all kinds of animals, and the main character is an outlier even for them. The villains- [[spoiler:while they claim to be working for all prey species- are all sheep]].
29	[[/folder]]
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31	[[folder:Literature]]
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33	* ''Literature/TheCityWeBecame'': The diverse main cast, representing New York, is contrasted with the uniformity of the Enemy which tries to make cities more uniform, and the Woman in White always appears as a white woman as well as [[spoiler:being the AnthropomorphicPersonification of a scarily uniform city herself]].
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35	[[/folder]]
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37	[[folder:Live Action Television]]
38	* In ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', the Federation was a peaceful amalgam of various species who each bring their own unique culture and perspective to the table as they working together to explore the universe and learn about each other and themselves. The Borg share many of the strengths of the Federation, such as cohesion/cooperation, adaptability, the drive towards self-improvement, but distort them into villainous traits. Cooperation is achieved through total conformity and enslavement to the HiveMind, their adaptability makes them a terrifying threat that can overcome any enemy strategy or technology eventually, and their drive towards improvement and "perfection" is not a journey of self-reflection and personal achievement but an endless war of expansion and conquest across the galaxy in which they improve themselves by assimilating other races and technology through force.
39	* The original ''Series/{{Star Trek\|The Original Series}}'' also had this with the Enterprise bridge crew being ethnically diverse including a black woman, which would have been impossible at the time, and an [[HalfHumanHybrid half alien]] whereas the main enemies were the Klingons and Romulans who were portrayed as fairly homogeneous.
40	[[/folder]]
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42	[[folder:Video Games]]
43	* Subtly done in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' (though you would ''hardly'' call the protagonists [[VillainProtagonist heroes]]). While gang members at the bottom of a gang tend to be any gender or race, the further up you go in a gang the more homogeneous in race and origin they tend to be (for example, the top Ronin leaders are all rich UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese guys). Right from the start, the generals in the Saints are [[FiveTokenBand a diverse group.]]
44	[[/folder]]
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46	[[folder:Western Animation]]
47	* By the end of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', members of all four nations are working to defeat [[TheEmpire The Fire Nation]], including characters from all over the already-highly-heterogeneous [[TheFederation Earth Kingdom]].
48	* In ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'' the four main planets in the story ([[PlanetOfHats Rock, Ice, Fire, and Bone]]) have spent generations raiding each other for resources but join forces to survive against the onslaught of the [[ImplacableMan Beast]] [[PlanetEater Planet]]. TeethClenchedTeamwork is in full effect for the heroes, while the villains field thousands upon thousands of literally FacelessMooks; the only conflict on their side is the opposing styles of their generals, which can be summed up as AttackAttackAttack versus invoking DividedWeFall via subterfuge, with a third entity acting as the representative of the Beast itself casting the tie-breaking vote.
49	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': The Planeteers have different personalities and traits, while the villains plans all involve the destruction of the environment or the social order.
50	* Some ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' series employ this on a physical level. In [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 G1]], it's implied a large portion of the Decepticon army [[https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/0/03/YourFirstMistake-ColdConstruction.jpg has the same body-type as Starscream]] (in addition to the named main Decepticons that also resemble Starscream), in contrast to the relatively varied designs of the Autobots. Otherwise, the Decepticons use different types of identical {{Mooks}} (ex. the Sweeps) or FacelessGoons (ex. ''[[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime Prime]]'' Vehicons), which the Autobots usually don't have equivalents of.
51	[[/folder]]
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53	'''Hom-H vs. Het-V:'''
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55	[[folder:Films - Animation]]
56	* ''WesternAnimation/ChildrenVSWizards'': Being an Orthodox Christian propaganda film, this variant is invoked to fit with the film's ultranationalistic agenda. The antagonists (if their names and horrendously offensive accents are any indication) include [[GreedyJew Jewish people]], East Asians, Britons, Americans, Arabs, [[CategoryTraitor traitorous Russians]], and more. The protagonists, meanwhile, are all Slavic, Eastern Orthodox, and ethnic Russian. Even fellow Orthodox Christians - the two Greek priests and the Kosovo Serb old woman appearing in a flashback - are mere supporting characters who do not involve themselves in any action.
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59	[[folder:Live Action Television]]
60	* Various breeds of Franchise/PowerRangers, most notably [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers the first group]], consisted of a group of teenage martial artists from Angel Grove fighting a seemingly random mishmash of human- and non-human-shaped monsters. Interesting, some of the human-shaped monsters came from a family that was predominantly monster-shaped, and vice-versa, further underscoring the heterogeneous mix that was evil.
61	[[/folder]]
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63	[[folder:Western Animation]]
64	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': The Planeteers are a good example of an on the surface diverse cast that is nonetheless homogeneous. They all come from different continents and backgrounds, but share a common passion to save the planet. Meanwhile, their RoguesGallery is amazingly diverse, being motivated by greed, pride, gluttony or sheer spite. While the good guys are all united in saving the planet for the same reason [[ShapedLikeItself (which is that you should)]], the villains all have very different motivations.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats\|1985}}'':
66	** The early episodes of the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats\|1985}}'': the title heroes (with the exception of NonHumanSidekick Snarf) were all Thunderian {{Catfolk}}, while the mutants were several varieties of {{Beast\|Man}}men. As the setting developed, it became more Het-v.-Het, as the [=ThunderCats=] allied themselves with other residents of Third Earth, including the Amazon women and robot teddy-bears.
67	** This pattern holds in ContinuityReboot ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'', with TheHero Lion-O coming to understand that to defeat EvilOverlord Mumm-Ra's multi-species armies, he must gather {{Beast\|Man}}men allies as well.
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69
70	'''Het-H vs. Het-V:'''
71
72	[[folder:Comic Books]]
73	* The ComicBook/XMen vs. [[VillainOfTheWeek bigot group of the week]]. The X-Men, being mutants, come from diverse walks of life, and the humans who "hate and fear them" and routinely mess up their front yard are also (usually) very diverse. The message being that bigotry and intolerance, like goodness and heroism, can come in any shape and size.
74	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' has traditionally been very black and white with its faction, but the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW run of comics]] has cemented shades of grey on both sides of the war (and introduced neutrals too). ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' has nearly an all-Autobot cast and yet features some of the most evil and twisted characters in Transformers history. In a similar manner, many Decepticons are shown to be [[WellIntentionedExtremist misguided revolutionaries]] who originally were fighting for a good cause.
75	[[/folder]]
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77	[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
78	* The prequel trilogy in ''Franchise/StarWars'' uses this in the leader heroes and antagonists to demonstrate just how morally gray the war is. The Separatists aren't all bad, nor are the heroes fighting for the right reasons. They're all [[BigBad Darth Sidious']] [[ManipulativeBastard pawns.]]
79	[[/folder]]
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81	[[folder:Literature]]
82	* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', both sides of the conflict are very heterogeneous, both in species and personalities. Yeerks, by their very nature, must essentially '''become''' different species (in addition to more traditionally recruiting other species, like the Taxxons, for their uses). Humans, Hork-Bajir, and Andalites all oppose the Yeerk forces. Both factions have individuals who switch sides or change beliefs or alliances, and a major theme of the series as a whole is that no one species is all good or all bad.
83	* In ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'', this is zig-zagged. Abolish, the heroes, Vanguard, and presumably also the independents are all varied, however, Abolish seems to only have four basic types: psychopaths, mindless dupes, fanatics and people trying to get out. On the other other hand, the villains do get a lot of characterization, and the heroes may seem more heterogeneous only because they get even more.
84	[[/folder]]
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86	[[folder:LiveActionTelevision]]
87	* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' featured The Federation, the Klingon Empire, and [[spoiler: [[EnemyMine The Romulans]]]], against The Dominion [[note]] itself made up of several different species[[/note]], the Cardassians, and [[spoiler: the Breen]]. This, [[GreyAndGrayMorality along]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo with]] [[WhatTheHellHero many]] [[ThisMeansWar other elements]], went along with this show being DarkerAndEdgier than ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' had been.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Video Games]]
91	* The Alliance and the Horde in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' each consist of five or six different races united towards common goals. Graying things up further is that, despite their own animosity, the Horde and Alliance have (reluctantly) worked together in the face of common enemies.
92	** A much less gray example from the same game is Twilight's Hammer (villainous) vs. The Earthen Ring (heroic).
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95	[[folder:Western Animation]]
96	* ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'': Both the Masters and their adversaries are extremely diverse.
97	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': Unlike [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender its predecessor's]] Het-H and Hom-V status (the Four Nations versus the Fire Nation), the show introduces season finale villains of each bending type as well as a balance between male and female antagonists.
98	** Special recognition to the Red Lotus, the Book 3 villain team consisting of equal genders and a bender of each element (each possessing unique abilities with their element), led by an Airbender. This parallels the original Gaang's diversity, to showcase the aspirations of the villains aiming to SaveTheWorld.
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100
101	'''Hom-H vs. Hom-V:'''
102
103	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
104	* ''WesternAnimation/FireAndIce1983'' has the heroes all represented as caucasian, while the bad guys are [[BeastMan Beast Men]] who are led by TheManBehindTheMonsters.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
108	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In the prequel trilogy, the infantry troops are all nearly identical, whether genetically or by being the same model of robot.
109	[[/folder]]
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111	[[folder:Literature]]
112	* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' has courageous heroes motivated by The Power Of Love and cruel villains motivated by self-interest, prejudice and insanity (in varying quantities).
113	* Though in terms of alliances ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' has '''both''' sides of the conflict employ diverse peoples and even species, on the ground Sauron was the only one to employ mixed forces with Goblins, Orcs, Uruk Hai, Trolls and Easterlings. The hero factions only unite on the field on a handful of occasions. Interestingly, the diversity of The Fellowship is often remarked upon.
114	[[/folder]]
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116	[[folder:Western Animation]]
117	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' traditionally has very unified factions. Despite their quirks, the Autobots are all generally moral, peace-loving and defenders of good. Decepticons, similarly, are all cruel, oppressive, selfish and power-hungry.
118	[[/folder]]
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