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The Evil Dance Partner: Invitation to Write #20

For Writers:

Superheroes need dance partners, and those dance partners are the supervillains. Without Lex Luthor, Superman never leaves Smallville; without the likes of the Joker and his ilk, Batman just lives life as the ordinary Bruce Wayne.

Villains have all of the special powers and all of the intelligence that heroes possess, and they always seem as though they could destroy the hero and take over the world. This perceived balance of power between the forces of good and evil makes the comic book reader or animated series viewer believe that everything is at stake. Traditionally, good always wins in the end, but the success of the hero depends on the real possibility of failure.

This world view is very much in line with a religion like Zoroastrism, where the gods of good and evil are equals – as opposed to Christianity, where it’s established as a foregone conclusion that God will eventually destroy Satan once and for all.

Assume the role of the villain. What event, if any, brought you over to the dark side, and what would be your diabolic purpose? Are you driven by jealousy, greed, hate, power, etc.?

"It's better to be good than evil, but one achieves goodness at a terrific cost." – Stephen King

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