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Why I think Adam from Hazbin Hotel sucks as a villain.
a year ago
General
I know I'm likely going to get hate comments for this, but, yeah, I don't think Adam is a good villain. There, I said it. Burn me at the stake. I mean, I don't know what to tell you, but I find Adam to be a VERY weak villain, especially considering that people seem to believe that he represents heaven's hypocrisy and acts as Charile's foil, like him being an outspoken jackass that somehow got into heaven.
That's my issue with him, and Viviziepop's villains in general. They're all cartoonishly evil. As such, I don't find Adam interesting, especially since there is no subtlety or nuance, treating the audience as if they're all stupid and wanting to hammer the point about how Adam is a foul-mouthed jackass who makes penis jokes all the time.
It's also oddly flat. I find that the best villains, like Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows' James Moriarty, Owlman from Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2, Senator Armstrong and Judge Claude Frollo from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame to be the ones that make you think or you can see where they're coming from. I didn't really get that with Adam.
Like, you don't have to make him out to be a foul-mouthed jackass who loves to make penis jokes to get across that he's a horrible person and point out the hypocrisy of heaven.
He's essentially just become the designated bad guy in a show fill with people just like him and I found him even more annoying than a comedic. Even if Adam does split his roles, it doesn't mean he's a good villain or even a good foil. Charlie was a person who believes in redemption, while Adam is just a foul-mouthed jackass who loves to make penis jokes. So really, what is Adam even to Charlie?
He sure isn't as good as Senator Armstrong.
So, yeah, Adam is a great example and lesson on how not to write a good villain: he's one-note, cartoonishly evil, lacks any subtlety or nuance to his character, and is not even a good foil to the protagonist. Now, I'll admit, my design with Toshineko wasn't exactly subtle either, with his military uniform giving him a dictator-vibe, but, at least, I actually try to make him a good foil to Lucario, as well as make him more dimensional and complex than all the mustache-twirling villains tend to be.
That's my issue with him, and Viviziepop's villains in general. They're all cartoonishly evil. As such, I don't find Adam interesting, especially since there is no subtlety or nuance, treating the audience as if they're all stupid and wanting to hammer the point about how Adam is a foul-mouthed jackass who makes penis jokes all the time.
It's also oddly flat. I find that the best villains, like Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows' James Moriarty, Owlman from Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2, Senator Armstrong and Judge Claude Frollo from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame to be the ones that make you think or you can see where they're coming from. I didn't really get that with Adam.
Like, you don't have to make him out to be a foul-mouthed jackass who loves to make penis jokes to get across that he's a horrible person and point out the hypocrisy of heaven.
He's essentially just become the designated bad guy in a show fill with people just like him and I found him even more annoying than a comedic. Even if Adam does split his roles, it doesn't mean he's a good villain or even a good foil. Charlie was a person who believes in redemption, while Adam is just a foul-mouthed jackass who loves to make penis jokes. So really, what is Adam even to Charlie?
He sure isn't as good as Senator Armstrong.
So, yeah, Adam is a great example and lesson on how not to write a good villain: he's one-note, cartoonishly evil, lacks any subtlety or nuance to his character, and is not even a good foil to the protagonist. Now, I'll admit, my design with Toshineko wasn't exactly subtle either, with his military uniform giving him a dictator-vibe, but, at least, I actually try to make him a good foil to Lucario, as well as make him more dimensional and complex than all the mustache-twirling villains tend to be.
