Values of Villainy: A Typology of Antagonists in Superhero Films Through Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2026.839Keywords:
film villains, superhero films, Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values, moral psychology, audience receptionAbstract
This article investigates the motivational grammars of villains in Hollywood superhero films through the lens of Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values. By analyzing the discourse of eight iconic antagonists, we identified three clusters: Ambiguous Tragedians, whose villainy emerges from wounded subjectivity and marginalization; Revolutionary Calculators, who justify domination through distorted appeals to justice and order; and the Chaotic Nihilist, represented solely by Heath Ledger’s Joker, who embodies systemic collapse and anarchic spectacle. The findings show that villains operate as moral rhetoricians, dramatizing value tensions, distortions, and voids. These insights highlight the potential of integrating psychological theory and film analysis, while also pointing to new agendas for cross-cultural, multimodal, and reception-oriented studies of villainy.
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