Robert A Heinlein's
The Rolling Stones points out that for every
Superhero, there must be a
Supervillain to give him purpose. Heinlein's
Number of the Beast further notes that if the
villain is
killed, he must be replaced by a
son that's just as evil and
Bad Ass as his predecessor, if the story is to continue.
In short, where would that
caped clown be without
you, his rival, his foil, his
Arch Enemy? Nowhere, that's where. You've been around for as long as
he has, after all!
Like your heroic counterpart, you have
powers, skills and technology that
elevate you above the average person, or indeed, the average criminal. Really,
mundanity is for suckers. Why rob a bank by barging through the front door in a ski-mask, when you
could release crippling fear-toxin through the AC, bust through the wall in your
power suit, teleport into the vault, or cast a spell that
turns the staff to stone?
Of course, you need to look
cool while doing this, and don't forget those
identifying marks, unless you want to stay
under the radar. If you have a day job, you'll wanna keep it
quiet too, because those parti-colored do-gooders will be gunning for you.
And while we're on the subject, don't those bastards just ruin everything? Spoiling your
plans for as long as
you can remember! Heck, they even trashed your
house that one time! I mean, you're only knocking over banks...or levelling cities, or taking over planets...y'know, basically doing your own thing. Why've they got such bugs up their butts anyway? What'd you ever do to them, aside from stalking them and
antagonizing their loved ones? You do that to
everyone!
Anyway, you've had enough! You're gonna bust
out of prison again, get some
friends together, and really show them this time! It's not even
about your goals anymore! It's about seeing those costumed vigilantes
pay for their interference! After
all you've survived, you know you're due for a win. This time it'll be different!
You hope.
Supervillains can be found in any work that features
Superheroes.
This
is an excellent deconstruction as to why supervillains never go to jail.
See also
Evil Counterpart,
The Psycho Rangers,
Dark Magical Girl.
