Villain Peg: Dark Phoenix (X-Men)

In The Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey becomes a being of pure thought and unlocks her endless potential as a psychic and telekinetic during a successful attempt to save her team. Trying to control her newfound powers and failing, Jean transforms from Phoenix to Dark Phoenix (big difference, we know)—a being capable of destroying the entire universe…and comes pretty damn close to it, too. While people still debate about whether Dark Phoenix is an inherent part of Jean or was an entirely separate entity that possessed her/took on her form, in the end Jean takes control of it and drives it out of her.

The lesson: Learn to dance with your demons.

Villain Peg: Hush (Batman)

Hush, aka Thomas “Tommy” Elliot, is one of the lesser-known Batman villains, but boy, does he pack a wallop. He serves as Wayne/Batman’s foil, nursing a childhood hatred and jealousy of him and orchestrating increasingly complicated plans to take him down. After a botched plot in cahoots with The Riddler, he goes as far as to get the other supervillain of Gotham out of the way to enact his nefarious schemes. Yup, he gets the Joker out of the way just to get to his nemesis. Did we mention that he even gets plastic surgery to look like Bruce? Can you say, “dedication?”

The lesson: The amount of baggage you carry is your own business—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Villain Peg: Harley Quinn (Batman)

Thanks to Suicide Squad, we’re all pleasantly acquainted with the former Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, part-time lover and full-time accomplice to Batman’s arch-nemesis, The Joker—misleading the impressionable into thinking that Harley x Joker is an actual #RelationshipGoals peg, aside from a domestic abuse catastrophe. Since her introduction into the Batman universe, Harley’s won hearts the world over thanks to her charm, wit, naiveté and devotion to whoever she cares about at the moment. Her dysfunctional relationship with the Joker aside, her attempts to break free of his hold on her are nothing short of admirable. She’s vulnerable and formidable all at the same time, drawing even the most skeptic readers to her character. Anyone who’s a fan of character growth and freedom from victimization will inevitably find themselves drawn to Quinn.

The lesson: You’re stronger than most people give you credit for. Don’t let their expectations get in your way.

Villain Peg: Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)

A little-known villain in the Doctor Strange universe, Kaecilius is slated to be the villain in the new film starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton, coming out in November in Philippine theaters. Kaecilius is a Master of the Mystic Arts who breaks off from The Ancient One and forges his own way due to his belief that The Ancient One is only out for his own gain. Thus he forms his own sect to accomplish what he believes is the right thing to do. In contrast to the comics, where Kaecilius is the lackey of Baron Mordo, the film sets him up to be an amalgamation of various Doctor Strange villains—one that isn’t purely evil despite being the token antagonist, confronting Strange with a perspective that challenges his own.

The lesson: Don’t write someone off until you understand their motivations.

What life lessons have you learned from your favorite supervillains? Sound off in the comments below!

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