Do you root for the bad guy?

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Most the time I do. Because like someone said, the foils or antagonists are usually more developed characters.

In the vampire trilogy I'm writing (the title of which my screen name is based on) the "good guys" don't really have all that much of a victory...both sides just kinda wind up getting screwed up beyond belief.

Spoiler.

Yes, almost all of the time! LOL But I've always put that down to the British love of the underdog *hehe*.

Honestly, though, when I think of everything that I watch...I always side with either the bad guy or the underdog or the character who's, you know, difficult and misunderstood, because I see more depth in them than in the sickly sweet heroine/hero.

I have had endless long discussions on the JEM mailing lists about why the Misfits are better characters than Jem and the Holograms. Unfortunately, not many people see things in as much depth as I do and are very capable of contradicting themselves, each other and basically putting across arguments like "Jem is better because Christy (series writer) made her the hero!". Which is frustrating for me!

I also hate hypocrisy and there's a tendency for heroes to be hypocrites. I.E the hero is allowed to kill someone but the bad guy is not, etc. I prefer the bad guys because they are what they are and don't pretend otherwise. I find a lot of people don't quite understand that a bad guy can do bad things in a show BECAUSE they're a bad guy, and a hero SHOULD NOT do bad things BECAUSE they're the hero. (A major issue I have with the JEM mailing list. Sigh.)

I like characters who have angst, depth, issues and imperfections. So I rarely side 100% with the hero. I like Snape in Harry Potter. I admit that I was fond of Lex Luthor in Smallville, at least for the first few seasons. I've always liked Mystique and Rogue from the X Men series/comic because both have issues and naughty tendencies.

So it's not always the 'bad guy' with me but the one who doesn't quite fit the picture.

I've always thought that's because I don't fit the picture, though one of my obsessions is writing, and when I look at the characters I create, there's never any danger of a Mary Sue in my fic worlds :S

Apple

Let me know when you are finished; I'm interested in reading.

Don't hold your breath--it'll take years. I just started a month ago because I was focusing more on an unrelated novel until that point.

Snape is very much my favorite charector in harry potter, i liked him much better then all the others and therefore the end of the last book (for those who know it!) REALLY upset me! I always go for the wierd, the tortured or the just plain not nice.
Like riddick from pitch black...he's great.

I'm going a bit off the original topic here, but that's interesting. If I look at my favorite TV shows, the thing they all have in common is that they're incredibly predictable and repetitive, chock full of catchphrases and cliches. I find that very comforting. I actually tend not to like episodes much where the formula's diverted from.

Lol, how funny-- yes, I always root for the bad guy in stories and in movies. I have never really admitted this before. The bad guys are usually smarter, more complex, and have cooler clothes and decor in their domiciles. Lex Luther is 100x more interesting than superman. I'll take lex luther over superman any day .

This is not quite true... the minor superheroes often die permanently, usually because a bad guy won.

It might be morbid of me, but I really do enjoy a good death scene--bad guy, good guy, sidekick, random bystander... It's not that I like to see people dying; but that I'm rather encouraged to see examples of people facing death with honor... Doesn't take superpowers to do that. Doesn't even mean that you're a "good guy".

Far too few writers these days are making bad guys with any sort of courage or honor; I wish there were more of that sort. The kind of bad guy you could understand and maybe even respect (though not admire)... despite that what he's doing is evil. (Example: A lot of the Klingons in the original Star Trek were like that. Also, some arch-enemies in the "darker" superhero stories... the problem is that a lot of superhero stories have villains that are little better than caricatures. A lot of villains in the classics are like that; though some aren't.

As a kid, I used to be fascinated with stories of martyrs... (My grandma's Catholic; so I always had plenty of stories like that). I still have a fascination with death; it's at least 10% of the reason I like sci-fi and fantasy so much. When you put characters in extreme situations and have them face death (whether it happens or not), you learn a lot about who they are.

I've heard a lot about Aspies being fascinated with death in general, though; so I suppose it's to be expected.

Short answer: No, I don't root for the bad guys; but I don't mind if they win, either. What annoys me more than anything is if they're unrealistic caricatures meant for you to laugh at or meant to disgust you, with no redeeming features.

It's not who wins, really; it's the story that matters.

aspies tend to grow up feeling outcast or alienated from social groups. villians are often social outcasts as well. therefore it is natural to identify with the villain.

however, if the hero is not a traditional goody two shoes, it is easier to identify with them. i should say it is easier to identify with "antiheroes." superman was always difficult to identify with..as i child lex luthor never seemed all that bad to me, and i rooted for general zod in superman 2. batman is easier to identify with because he is much darker.

did anyone see unbreakable? if so, did you find it easier to identify with sam jackson's character?

For me it depends how deep the characters are, I can't stand "good guys" that have flawless characters and are morally perfect...

I much prefer darker, more complex heroes like Conan, Batman, Alexander etc.

Otherwise I always root for the bad guy

In The Incredibles, I wanted Syndrome to win. He was super-gadgeteer extraordinaire, yet he was defeated by jock Mr. Incredible, cheerleader Elastigirl, and their kids. Where's the justice?

I do but you know he/she's gonna lose. Everything like this has the same cliche. Good guy wins bad guy loses.

there are cases where i hate the villain. i watched 'Following' a few nights ago. the protagonist is a shy writer with aspie-like traits. he winds up being sold out by his charasmatic friend, who turns out to be the villain. although it is nice to see a film or story end with the protagonist lose, it sort of bothered me that the villain was such a prick. it reminds me of how trusting i have been to certain people in the past, only to realize they'd been using me all along.