Everyone loves a bad guy. But among the millions of cinematic antagonists who've ever terrorized the screen, which baddies are too good to forget?
In a 2012 article published by Wired, author Travis Langley collected the teachings of several notable figures in psychology who theorized our interest in evildoers. Psychiatrist Carl Jung had a theory about the shadow self, in which we are challenged to confront "darker" versions of ourselves in order to grow. Meanwhile, Sigmund Freud believed there's an inherent interest in wish fulfillment – villains (mostly) get away with things we wish to do ourselves without consequence. Abraham Maslow also proposed the "hierarchy of needs" – when people go without their needs fulfilled, they begin to envy those who do. Villains are often people who've been slighted by society and wish to instill their own brand of justice in the world.
