A villian with a difference

“Some might claim that I am a villain. It’s certainly true that my actions are often suspect, or even evil. But consider the alternative: a land without heroes. Oh, you don’t think so? Think back. Why did each and every one of you become a hero? To combat me, though you may not have known it at the time. Consider the world as it was before me. Peaceful. Unified. And completely devoid of opportunities for heroics. Every hero needs a villain. You are the heroes, I am your villain. I gave you a reason to become heroic. Be honest with yourselves. How many of you would still be living your peaceful, vulnerable lives, having never wielded a weapon, if I was not here? I thought so. I, with my murder and genocide and destruction, gave all of you a reason to become heroes. For the good of humanity.

Don’t laugh. What would you have done, had you found what I found? If you knew that, before the century was out, there would arise a threat so great and terrible that no one man could stay it, and that its victory would spell the end of the human race? What could I do, as one man, knowing that no-one would believe the truth? I could not be the hero, so I set out to become the villain. A villain so reprehensible, so evil and so powerful that an entire league of heroes would rise up and unite against me, and so give humanity a fighting chance.

I cannot say that I don’t regret my actions, for there have been many dark and terrible deeds done for the sake of necessary evil. I will not ask forgiveness, for it will not be offered, and nor should it. I will not say that my deeds, by their purpose, were not evil, for many were by necessity unforgivable. I will not say that it was the only way, for I am but one man, fallible and alone. But I will say that the sacrifice was worth it, as you gather here for my final victory. Doomed I may be, but I have created you, humanity’s greatest hope. And now that I have trained you, matured you and ensured your occupation until such time as you are needed, I can die happy, knowing that every dark act, every murder, every taint and blemish upon my soul, was ultimately worth it, to give life to humanity.

Perhaps, now you will know this, I should surrender, end this without death. But I have been steeped in evil for too long to easily accept such an act. Perhaps, finally, I have lost myself, and become what I sought to portray. So we shall have one final battle my friends, enemies, allies. One last fight to end it all, to begin humanity’s salvation.”

++Final message of Dark Lord Synthraxx, activated after his final defeat at the hands of the newly-formed League of Heroes, leading to the end of the oppression of the Dark Empire. The last of the plans set in motion by Synthraxx was finally defeated 10 years later, 3 months before the Reckoning.++

========

Author's notes:

I was thinking about a lot of stuff when I wrote this. Mainly about how I wanted to see a villain who wasn't necessarily evil, but also about how a villain's motivation is often independent of heroes, but a hero's motivation almost always includes some kind of villain.  Also, you know how in games the villain always starts off by attacking you with his weakest troops, and keeps sending progressively stronger ones so that by the time you face him you're powerful enough to defeat him? That makes sense with this guy.