Antagonists and the God Complex

[Irineu]

Hello everyone!

Introduction​

Remember that topic I wrote about Earthbound and ASD? I saw that you liked the way the topic was structured, so this one will look alike, but it will address another type of psychological in video game characters.

What is the God Complex?​

If you search Wikipedia, it will appear: "A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. A person with a god complex may refuse to admit the possibility of their error or failure, even in the face of irrefutable evidence, intractable problems or difficult or impossible tasks. The person is also highly dogmatic in their views, meaning the person speaks of their personal opinions as though they were unquestionably correct. Someone with a god complex may exhibit no regard for the conventions and demands of society, and may request special consideration or privileges."
This is a resume of how people with this social behavior act, that is, people do not necessarily need to think they are a deity to be in that complex. Was it difficult to understand? If you have watched Death Note, imagine a person with a personality similar to that of Light Yagami. A person with this complex usually has the following characteristics:
-Arrogance
-Apathy
-Consistently violent
-Intolerance of criticism
-High self-esteem
-Misanthropy/Antisocial Trends

Connection with Antagonists​

It is very common for you to see antagonists with this kind of mentality in all kinds of works (mostly video games). In video games, the antagonist usually has the goal of dominating the world, destroying humanity or another personal goal that involves the previous two as a consequence. But why does this kind of villain want this? He thinks that the only one worthy of ruling the world of mortals is him? Does he think that all mankind is a plague, and only he has the right to exterminate it? Does he think his personal desires should be realized even if it negatively affects other people? This is a case that ranges from plot to plot, but we have a similarity between these goals. They are all goals that a person with the god complex would have.

Contrast with the Protagonist​

The protagonist, in most works, tries to represent the opposite of what the villain would be, rather than evil and arrogant, he is generally good and humble. In RPGs for example, the protagonist starts at Level 1, with no talent or personal desire, he just wants to stop the villain from doing evil. This is the controversy of most entanglements, a protagonist with no natural talent or advantage, who just wants to prevent something bad from happening, that defeats an antagonist who was born with certain advantages compared to other people and wants to at all costs fulfill his goal... This is a case similar to Link and Ganondorf. While Link needs to make a journey to become strong enough to defeat Ganondorf, he has been born more powerful than most people around him.

Conclusion ​

One phrase that could sum up the last part of the topic is: "Any tree is so big to the point that cannot be overthrown." The consequence of an individual not surpassing their god complex is always falling, video games have proven this to us a lot of times. This applies not only to antagonists, but to all kinds of being.

That's all!

 

[Xenphir]

I've not really been a fan myself. I prefer smart antagonists that when notice something is off or is going wrong changes and adapts like a river, not stand still and take the issues like a rock.

 

[Irineu]

I've not really been a fan myself. I prefer smart antagonists that when notice something is off or is going wrong changes and adapts like a river, not stand still and take the issues like a rock.

Kira is that kind of "villain." Despite his great self-esteem, he was always making sure nothing went wrong. Light is an exception in this case, since most of the villains with the god complex are sure that their plan is perfect.

 

[Xenphir]

Kira is that kind of "villain." Despite his great self-esteem, he was always making sure nothing went wrong. Light is an exception in this case, since most of the villains with the god complex are sure that their plan is perfect.

Yeah I loved Death Note for its unique PoV and blurred lines. I think the main importance in any antagonist is to make them... human? They are people who believe what they are doing is right, even if it is being done in the wrong way. Anything is better than a villain who is evil just to be evil because its idk fun? xD

 

[NinjaKittyProductions]

To some extent, that is why I loved the alignment system in D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder. You can have a villain that is Lawful Evil... that is one who follows the laws in order to further his own agenda, who has a code of conduct (such as not killing children, even though his minions might), and who can easily blend in to a hero party to destroy it from the inside out.

So I agree with what was said previously, god complex villains are to cliche and overall boring :3.

 

[samkfj]

I do like antagonists with this quality--however not for the big bad.

I find this quality great for maybe a mob boss, a corporate leader, a criminal mastermind... but I prefer my big bads to have more defining, reputable and even more heroic qualities. For me--it makes their defeat all the more to cheer for.

Edit: To elaborate- I enjoy the occasional rooting for the villain, especially if they do something interesting. For me--there's nothing more frightening than a villain that does something friendly, kind or heroic, because you know they either don't mean it, or are trying to mind break the actual heroes.

Also as a bonus--I like a villain that has very skewed ideals that motivates their cause; especially if their ideals are in tune with the hero. So--as an extreme case:

If the hero is striving for world peace by eliminating animosity; the villain would be striving for world peace by removing people from it.

 

[Kupotepo]

@Irineu, depend on the antagonists For an example, if antagonist is a god, then he has a god complex because he is a god. Nothing wrong with that.
Yes, I could see the situation where a god complex on a protagonist would not make sense like a zombie.

I know right that the lack of diverse personality of antagonists makes the story boring quick.

 

[Irineu]

To some extent, that is why I loved the alignment system in D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder. You can have a villain that is Lawful Evil... that is one who follows the laws in order to further his own agenda, who has a code of conduct (such as not killing children, even though his minions might), and who can easily blend in to a hero party to destroy it from the inside out.

So I agree with what was said previously, god complex villains are to cliche and overall boring :3.

I think the alignment system in D&D quite interesting. A villain with god complex is not necessarily in the Lawful Evil group (I think most of them are closer to being Neutral Evil than Lawful Evil).

I do like antagonists with this quality--however not for the big bad.

I find this quality great for maybe a mob boss, a corporate leader, a criminal mastermind... but I prefer my big bads to have more defining, reputable and even more heroic qualities. For me--it makes their defeat all the more to cheer for.

Edit: To elaborate- I enjoy the occasional rooting for the villain, especially if they do something interesting. For me--there's nothing more frightening than a villain that does something friendly, kind or heroic, because you know they either don't mean it, or are trying to mind break the actual heroes.

Also as a bonus--I like a villain that has very skewed ideals that motivates their cause; especially if their ideals are in tune with the hero. So--as an extreme case:

If the hero is striving for world peace by eliminating animosity; the villain would be striving for world peace by removing people from it.

A villain who does heroic deeds for immoral motives is a concept I do not see to be much explored. Usually the villains do a heroic act for their own benefit or do an evil act for "heroic" reasons.

@Irineu, depend on the antagonists For an example, if antagonist is a god, then he has a god complex because he is a god. Nothing wrong with that.
Yes, I could see the situation where a god complex on a protagonist would not make sense like a zombie.

I know right that the lack of diverse personality of antagonists makes the story boring quick.

Unfortunately, gods being villains in RPG games is becoming a cliché these days. In Greek mythology, it is said that gods have a human nature, they can feel love, hate, envy and other feelings that a human could feel. A human could simply perform an action that a god would accomplish if he really were powerful.

 

[NinjaKittyProductions]

I think the alignment system in D&D quite interesting. A villain with god complex is not necessarily in the Lawful Evil group (I think most of them are closer to being Neutral Evil than Lawful Evil).

I agree. You could even have a Lawful Good npc/player that believes themselves to be godly. It would be accustomed to a hero that believes themselves to be unbeatable and able to take on any challenge no matter how impossible. People tend not to think of heroes in that light though... usually only villains.

 

[Kupotepo]

@Irineu, my point is that if you are a god, how do you think about yourselves and others have supernormal power which ordinary people didn't have. I talk about real people.
Yes, in the fantasy game, you can make anything happen which depends on your tenets of your world.
Of course if your game is setting on the Greek world, yes I have to agree with you.

 

[Wavelength]

I do think that the "god-complex" ("GC") type of villain can work pretty well - I believe the key is that these traits need to MAKE the villain, not just be ways to exaggerate a character that is already villainous.

A GC type of villain does tend to include all of those things you mentioned (apathy, arrogance, tendency toward misanthropy, etc.), but he (or she or it) doesn't need to be setting out to do evil, and can be villainous despite positive personality traits. When done well, this type of villain generally won't actively betray or hurt people who are loyal to them, will be willing to work with heroes to achieve shared goals, and (partially due to their own inflated ego) might even show generosity, kindness, or general affability toward bystanders.

Their goals will usually sound good - at least in theory - but they will probably be too extreme for reasonable people to agree with. For a really well-written GC villain, the goals can even be reasonable, with the villain's arrogance and willingness to purge anyone who so much as disagrees with them being what makes the heroes decide he needs to be stopped.

Tales of Symphonia's big bad is one of my favorite examples of a GC villain.

I think the GC thing can even work well for a hero - it's not really explored often, probably because this type of character is usually portrayed as too strong to need a party around them - but it would be pretty neat to have this type of character with good intentions but very little compassion, humility, or mercy, working alongside a more moderate-minded group of heroes. Instead of needing to turn on each other, perhaps something happens to this GC Hero to force them to confront the fact that their extreme zeal is actually working against what they're trying to accomplish.

 

[Tai_MT]

The problem I often have with "God Complex" villains, or characters in general, is that they are written in such a way that they should've never come into power to begin with. They are overtly evil and would've probably ended up in prison long before they had their ambitions. These characters are often "kings" or rulers... or somehow have amassed their own army... and I just go, "who in any right mind would follow this character? Who wouldn't be sending constant assassins to take this guy out?".

To that end, I prefer such characters be "well written". As in, their "God Complex" is merely a byproduct of their own life experiences and isn't their primary driving trait. It is one of their character flaws. It only rears its head and comes to light when all their carefully laid plans are starting to come unraveled. It turns into extremism at that point because the character is being forced to confront this character flaw and being forced into seeing that they are indeed fallible, destructible, stoppable, and their ideas not held in high regard.

In the face of overwhelming evidence that they are wrong, they would strive to prove themselves right. To continue to assert they are right is merely delusion... and at that point, you're probably writing a "Crazy" character and not really someone with a "God Complex".

In short, I mostly like my characters to be believable. Their logic to make sense. Because to get as far as they have, it had to have made sense to others at some point. Especially to gain power, influence, or followers. It has to be praise-worthy at some point for those things as well. In most any setting, troublemakers are pretty much put down or locked away quickly simply because they're a danger to society. They are rarely ever left to fester and grow. As such, I prefer the writing be more realistic for such characters in that they're not really bad people. The "God Complex" is simply a character flaw that only shows up when their plans and beliefs have come into question.

I don't believe a realistic portrayal of a "God Complex" character involves "world domination" or even "extermination of the entire species". God Complex characters typically have noble aspirations and goals. They think they are working to the benefit of everyone. They hold opinions and views that can realistically or even easily sway others to their cause. They don't say, "I want to take over the world". They say, "I want to unite the world". They don't say, "I want to wipe out the human race", they say, "I want to make humanity even better by bringing us into the next stage of our existence".

I always find it very strange when people write "God Complex" characters as little more than unhinged dictators who would probably never made it into power and most certainly wouldn't have anyone following them, unless those people were as unhinged as they were.

 

[Kupotepo]

@Tai_MT, your worldview of the world is very positive. It is hard to find a good leader to rule if you are looked at world history. I agree with "God Complex" is not a primary driving trait. Many narcissistic and sociopath leaders with a charismatic skill told themselves that, so to protect their ego from criticism or face realities.

I agree that ordinary humans have a rational decision making skill. However, many dictators or dictator regime decided who is a danger to society. Now they are a good person immediately. It is called psychological projection. The problem is a one of narcissistic and sociopath person to enslaves the whole society.

However, some people do things for sake of maintaining power, survive, and eliminate the threats. You can look into the world of authoritarian, not of democracy of course.

That is my thought from past history.

 

[Tai_MT]

Well, if we're looking at dictators throughout history, they typically come to power through fear and subjugation. However, they typically end up with a lot of attempts on their lives during their rule. Either from internal assassins or through external conflicts.

These people aren't typically ones with "God Complexes" as they lack any ability to play a "long game" or to justify their actions as anything more than self-serving (even to themselves). These villains, written well, amass an army because they've convinced people it's better to be in power with him/her than it is to not be in power and be subject to the terror and horror of the common populace. But, they typically suffer from paranoia as time goes on or have to live in seclusion as their rein continues due to the amount of people and countries that want them dead. These sorts of people only really rise up in places where there's already a corrupt system of government and virtually no personal freedoms/security.

Someone with a "God Complex" being a villain or a ruler is someone who got there typically through moral ideals and a "cult of personality". Namely, everyone loves them and wants to do whatever they tell them, since they agree with that person. It is only when things start going "off the rails" for these people with a God Complex that they begin running "downhill" very quickly with harsh punishments and extreme measures just to get the sense of "control" back.

My favorite part of writing is "the people", so I've done a decent amount of work in studying human behavior, psychoses, and inter-personal relationships. I mean, I'd never pass a college course on it, nor could I ever be an expert... But, I can write pretty convincing characters that a person might realistically think they know in their own lives. Human history and the nature of governments and morality over time are some pretty interesting subjects to study. Especially if you try to look into personal details of how some of these people actually came into power. How does a "Jim Jones" get into power and become the leader of a Cult? Well, very carefully, apparently. How does a man half the world away incite a genocide without anyone batting an eye? I mean, it's all very interesting stuff. It all has a logic to it as well. It all makes sense in the context of how, where, and when it happened.

A "God Complex" person exists with or without an army. They can have it without being a hero or a villain. But, when you write it into a hero or villain role... you need to put in the realistic aspects of how it transpired that they managed to not be a jerk to people long enough to acquire power in the first place.

 

[Kupotepo]

A "God Complex" person exists with or without an army. They can have it without being a hero or a villain. But, when you write it into a hero or villain role... you need to put in the realistic aspects of how it transpired that they managed to not be a jerk to people long enough to acquire power in the first place.

You are corrected. If you are studying totalitarianism, those leaders can change to different personalities in a matter of second. I think it is common wisdom not fight the powerful other when you do not have enough power.

a corrupt system of government and virtually no personal freedoms/security.

That is the problem because all forms of government can be exploited without the balance of power safeguards. Even in a democracy, the process is called "dehumanization" can make rational people into irritation people. It is a sad war still occurred externally and internally, but it has still happened in the world as long name calling and group demonization existed.

 

[Irineu]

The problem I often have with "God Complex" villains, or characters in general, is that they are written in such a way that they should've never come into power to begin with. They are overtly evil and would've probably ended up in prison long before they had their ambitions. These characters are often "kings" or rulers... or somehow have amassed their own army... and I just go, "who in any right mind would follow this character? Who wouldn't be sending constant assassins to take this guy out?".

To that end, I prefer such characters be "well written". As in, their "God Complex" is merely a byproduct of their own life experiences and isn't their primary driving trait. It is one of their character flaws. It only rears its head and comes to light when all their carefully laid plans are starting to come unraveled. It turns into extremism at that point because the character is being forced to confront this character flaw and being forced into seeing that they are indeed fallible, destructible, stoppable, and their ideas not held in high regard.

In the face of overwhelming evidence that they are wrong, they would strive to prove themselves right. To continue to assert they are right is merely delusion... and at that point, you're probably writing a "Crazy" character and not really someone with a "God Complex".

In short, I mostly like my characters to be believable. Their logic to make sense. Because to get as far as they have, it had to have made sense to others at some point. Especially to gain power, influence, or followers. It has to be praise-worthy at some point for those things as well. In most any setting, troublemakers are pretty much put down or locked away quickly simply because they're a danger to society. They are rarely ever left to fester and grow. As such, I prefer the writing be more realistic for such characters in that they're not really bad people. The "God Complex" is simply a character flaw that only shows up when their plans and beliefs have come into question.

I don't believe a realistic portrayal of a "God Complex" character involves "world domination" or even "extermination of the entire species". God Complex characters typically have noble aspirations and goals. They think they are working to the benefit of everyone. They hold opinions and views that can realistically or even easily sway others to their cause. They don't say, "I want to take over the world". They say, "I want to unite the world". They don't say, "I want to wipe out the human race", they say, "I want to make humanity even better by bringing us into the next stage of our existence".

I always find it very strange when people write "God Complex" characters as little more than unhinged dictators who would probably never made it into power and most certainly wouldn't have anyone following them, unless those people were as unhinged as they were.

You can see that the mentality I approach on the topic is similar to a god complex of a false prophet. Paranoia is not a consequence of this type of mentality, but another symptom that is commonly accompanied by people with this complex. So much that a dictator-minded character would only tolerate being ruled by a 100% identical clone, that is, in his mind, he is the only one who can rule.