Khan is now played by blonde, blue-eyed Benedict Cumberbatch, replacing the Mexican Ricardo Montalbán, reinstating the original concept of the character as a kind of Aryan super-man. First introduced in the Star Trek episode “Space Seed”, the similarity between Khan and Kirk was pointed out.
This got me thinking of how I have made a number of references to the Dark Opposite in a number of recent posts, and I wondered if this was part of a current fashion to find an interesting opponent in recent ongoing series seeking to rejuvenate themselves.
If you haven’t been paying attention, I discussed a few months ago how Bane in The Dark Knight Rises was Batman’s dark opposite, and then again James Bond was shown his dark opposite in Silva in Skyfall.
Okay, three movies does not signify a trend, but it is interesting to me that all three of these movies are reboots of series which stretch back at least 45 years. While I have taken the term “Dark Opposite” from Christopher Booker’s exhaustive study of narrative The Seven Basic Plots, these are not really the character’s opposites. I feel an opposite is like the Joker to Batman - a character who is fundamentally different from the hero. While a character’s Dark Opposite is almost the same as the hero, but having taken the “Dark Path”. Bane is as brutal and relentless as Batman, Silva was as good a secret agent as Bond. In The Wrath of Khan, Khan is shown to be as dedicated, charismatic and resourceful as Kirk.
In my opinion, these make more interesting opponents for the hero as there is a fundamental recognition between them. The clash of ideologies between the anarchist Joker and control-freak Batman shows a fascinating contrast of world views, but their characters are so different there is little for them meet on.
By taking two characters who are almost the same, they can disagree on the small amount they do disagree on all the more violently. I have often thought it ironic that the Abrahamic religions have such a fiery past when they agree on 95% of their respective faiths. They have far more in common than, say, Christianity and Shinto. The Joker and Batman are so different from each other that there is little point in one trying to convert the other. In Bond, Silva sees a kindred spirit whom he tries to sway his world view.
The similarity between characters like this, often means they have, to some extent, a shared history. This can foster a connection between them, allowing each to see the other as human. A familiar frame of reference means they can relate to each other.
At its most intense this dark opposite can become a friend of family member. The villain knowing the hero intimately provides him or her with more opportunity and ways to hurt the hero. The villain knows the hero’s weak spots because, to some extent, they are likely his, too. And his skewed moral compass allows him to exploit these weaknesses mercilessly.
In the latter half of the story, the dramatic possibilities expand. The fact the villain is a dark version of the hero forces the hero to look at himself and his choices - the villain is the hero if the hero had made the wrong choices. Handled well, this can foster a sense of identity between the audience and the villain. We can see the tragedy in the villain making his fall a real punch in the stomach.
If, in the final reckoning, the villain elects to follow the path of darkness, though, they become a more complete villain than someone who was simply born bad. As Aristotle observed in The Poetics, the tragic hero who is scuppered by an accident or innate character flaw is of no cautionary benefit to the audience. The best tragic heroes are the ones who are undone by an error in judgement, and fail to learn from it. There, but for the grace of god, we go.
If, on the other hand, the hero succeeds in redeeming the villain, the knowledge that we can all be saved is joyous.
As with the current fashion for reboots, remakes and offshoots, it may be the pressure to come up with a new and interesting villain for the hero forces the writer to find a villain who is more like the hero. Kirk could fight Klingons, but they are so different can one be said to be right and the other wrong. They are different, alien cultures, and we are not in a position to say their culture is wrong. If, however, the hero and villain are almost the same, it forces a story that is more reflective.
Usually this results in deeper characterisation. The story can become a character study, looking into why people do bad things. Of course, just because the hero and opponent share an origin is no guarantee of depth. Superman and Zod and his cohorts all came from Krypton, but can provide an opportunity for some more nuanced writing.
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