Adaptational Villainy: Difference between revisions

* In ''[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13655556/chapters/31364238 Troop of Beasts]'', since Kakarot never hits his head, he never becomes the kind, happy Goku. After successfully killing Gohan (which he does while in full possession of his faculties, rather than after turning into an Oozaru), he slaughters everybody he comes across. Oh, and after forcing Colonel Violet to show how children are made, he starts violating huge numbers of women. Then, after the Red Ribbon Army is defeated, he becomes a warlord who subjugates many communities through brutal conquest. While he [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones|comes to deeply care for his family and those he calls friends]] and [[Took a Level In Kindness|becomes more pleasant overall]], he's still not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination.

** And ''Troop of Beasts'' is far from the only fic of its kind. Goku never hitting his head and growing up evil (or at least, far rowdier and with looser morals) is a ''very'' popular [[Fandom-Specific Plot]].

 

* One of the most famous examples is Kaa from ''[[The Jungle Book (novel)|The Jungle Book]]'' by [[Rudyard Kipling]]. In the book, he is a mentor and friend of Mowgli, helping to save him when he is kidnapped by monkeys and offering him advice for battle, indeed never harming or threatening him in any way. The other animals in the jungle respect and fear him for his [[Old Master|wisdom]] and powers of hypnosis. In the [[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|Disney movie]] and its sequel, he is a [[Smug Snake|cowardly, greedy villain]] who only sees Mowgli as potential food. Apparently [[Executive Meddling|it was thought by Disney]] that audiences [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|wouldn't accept a snake as a heroic character.]] And in the sequel [[Villain Decay|Kaa loses any menace he once had]]. The live-action remake of the movie portrayed him as a mindless monster who is used as a [[Shark Pool]] by King Louie against thieves (in the novel, incidentally, Kaa was the only animal that the monkeys were afraid of); this depiction draws on a ''different'' snake who appeared in ''The Second Jungle Book''.

** Speaking of ''[[The Jungle Book (novel)|The Jungle Book]]'', [[Big Bad|Shere Khan]] himself is upgraded slightly with each Disney adaptation. In the books he was an antagonist, but represented as somewhat pitiful, is something of an arrogant fool, and is taken half-heartedly by a lot of residents of the jungle, including Bagheera. In the original Disney film, he is somewhat [[Laughably Evil|comedic]] and playful, but is genuinely feared and implied to be stronger than many animals put together. In ''[[Tale Spin]]'', he is given a much more deathly serious and calculating demeanor, but also is rather [[Affably Evil|affable]] and more of an [[Anti-Villain]] in many of his appearances, with [[Even Evil Has Standards|a moral code]] that restrains his villainy. In the sequel to Disney's ''Jungle Book'' he is an [[Knight of Cerebus|out and out dark presence whose only goal is to rip Mowgli to shreds]].

* Both played straight and inverted in ''[[Shrek]]'' - Prince Charming, [[Little Red Riding Hood]], and the [[Fairy Godmother]] are villains while [[The Big Bad Wolf]] is one of the heroes, along with traditionally villainous creatures like ogres and dragons.

* Bowser from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' is a much more malevolent character in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' than he is in the games he hails from. Instead of a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]] who treats his minions well and doesn't get up to much worse than trying to take over the world, he's a [[Jerkass]] [[Bad Boss]] willing to hurt minions who annoy him, and a sadistic [[The Sociopath|sociopath]] who will gladly murder and torture people to get what he wants, as well as destroy the Mushroom Kingdom entirely. Even his obsessive crush on Peach is subject to this, with him trying to murder her when she rejects him during their forced wedding. Compare that to the games, where he's merely a pushy, immature jerk who genuinely loves her (even if he isn't considerate of her feelings).

* In the original ''[[Land of the Lost (TV series)|Land of the Lost]]'' TV show, Enik the Altrusian was [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|gruff and somewhat self-centered]], but was otherwise a good guy and helped the main characters when they needed it, in contrast to his more vicious Sleestak relatives. In the [[Land of the Lost (film)|2009 live-action]] [[The Film of the Series|movie]], he is a [[Manipulative Bastard]] who wiped out his own people, tries to [[Take Over the World]] with an army of mind-controlled Sleestaks, and briefly tricks the main characters into helping him do so.

* In the book ''[[The Space Odyssey Series|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' by [[Arthur C. Clarke]], HAL-9000 is a beautifully-defined and deeply sympathetic character who is so human that he develops a psychosis. [[2001: A Space Odyssey|The movie]], deprived of the ability to use an [[Author Tract]] to make this clear, makes HAL seem far more monstrous than the original intent, and sadly the film is often cited as an example of [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot]].