It's Already Too Late For Some Families

A recent news story from USA Today (March 11, 2025) brought to light the tragic suicide of a 13-year-old girl who became entangled in an online community that revered the Columbine school shooters as victims rather than perpetrators. This heartbreaking incident underscores the real dangers of glorifying or sympathizing with those who commit violent acts: a phenomenon that can have devastating effects on impressionable young minds. This horrific tragedy also prompts a critical examination of the role that media, including films from studios like Disney, plays in shaping how children and teens perceive right and wrong, and even good and evil.

In recent years, Disney and other movie studios have released films that reframe their villains as sympathetic figures, complete with compelling backstories and relatable motivations. While this trend can enrich storytelling, it also risks blurring moral lines, particularly for young audiences still developing their sense of ethics. Depending on where you sit politically, you might even believe this is in fact the intention of the progressives running these studios, intent on indoctrinating youth in the fallacy of relativism at a young age. That's a topic for another day. For now, we’ll explore how these portrayals can lead children and teens to sympathize with real-life criminals, potentially resulting in harmful consequences for both individuals and society. We’ll start by examining a list of films featuring sympathetic villains and then delve into the broader implications.

Sympathetic Villains in Film: A Growing Trend

Hollywood has increasingly embraced the idea of humanizing villains, transforming them from one-dimensional evildoers into complex characters that audiences can empathize with. Below is a list of films from Disney and other studios that exemplify this trend, along with explanations of how each makes its villain likable:

• Cruella (2021, Disney)

  This live-action prequel to 101 Dalmatians reimagines Cruella de Vil as a talented but troubled fashion designer named Estella. Her descent into villainy is framed as a response to childhood trauma and betrayal by her mentor, the Baroness. By showcasing her wit, creativity, and underdog status, the film makes Cruella a character viewers can root for, despite her morally questionable actions.

• Maleficent (2014, Disney)

  A reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, this film tells the story from Maleficent’s perspective. Betrayed by her lover, who cuts off her wings to gain power, Maleficent is portrayed as a victim of human greed. Her curse on Aurora stems from pain rather than malice, and her eventual redemption arc—saving Aurora—further cements her as a sympathetic figure.

• Wicked (2024, Universal Pictures)

  Adapted from the Broadway musical, Wicked reinterprets the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Named Elphaba, she’s depicted as a compassionate, misunderstood outcast who faces prejudice due to her green skin and magical abilities. Her "villainy" is shown as a rebellion against injustice, making her a tragic hero rather than a traditional antagonist.

• Joker (2019, Warner Bros.)

  This origin story of Batman’s arch-nemesis, Arthur Fleck, portrays him as a mentally ill loner neglected by society. His transformation into the Joker is a slow unraveling triggered by rejection, poverty, and cruelty, inviting audiences to feel pity for his plight even as he descends into violence.

• Venom (2018, Sony Pictures)

  Though technically an anti-hero, Venom is a monstrous symbiote who bonds with journalist Eddie Brock. His violent tendencies are offset by a quirky personality and a protective loyalty to Eddie, making him a likable figure despite his deadly actions.

• Suicide Squad (2016, Warner Bros.)

  This film assembles a team of supervillains—like Harley Quinn and Deadshot—who are given backstories that highlight their personal struggles and vulnerabilities. Their mission to save the world, paired with moments of humor and camaraderie, casts them as flawed but redeemable underdogs.

• Despicable Me (2010, Universal Pictures)

  Gru begins as a supervillain plotting to steal the moon, but his gruff exterior hides a longing for love and approval. His bond with three orphaned girls transforms him into a caring father figure, making him a villain-turned-hero audiences adore.

How Sympathetic Villains Can Influence Children and Teens

Children and teens are still forming their moral frameworks, relying heavily on external influences like media to understand concepts of good and evil. When films portray villains as sympathetic, it can muddy these waters in ways that have serious repercussions:

• Desensitization to Violence

  Seeing a villain’s harmful actions as understandable—say, Cruella’s revenge or the Joker’s rampages—can dull a child’s sensitivity to the real-world impact of violence. Over time, they may view such behavior as less shocking or even acceptable under certain conditions.

• Admiration of Harmful Figures

  Charismatic villains like Gru or Harley Quinn can become role models, admired for their strength, defiance, or cool factor. This admiration can spill over into real life, where teens might romanticize figures like the Columbine shooters, seeing them as misunderstood rebels akin to their favorite characters.

• Moral Confusion

  When a villain’s actions are justified by a tragic backstory (e.g., Maleficent’s betrayal), young viewers may struggle to see why those actions are wrong. This can weaken their ability to distinguish between justifiable emotions and unjustifiable behavior.

• Risk of Emulation

  In extreme cases, kids might mimic the behaviors of sympathetic villains, believing that acting out—whether through aggression or rebellion—can be excused if they feel wronged. This could manifest as bullying, defiance, or worse.

Some of the teens that the aforementioned 13-year-old-girl regularly chatted with were themselves planning on planting bombs in an Indiana high school. Because they were all being bullied and sympathized with the Columbine shooters, the kids she was talking to never thought to talk her out of committing suicide (like the shooters) and the girl never bothered to dissuade the boys from trying to blow up the school. Too many parents have ignored the sinister nature of relativism and have instead taught that everyone (except maybe Donald Trump) has their own truth and there is no such thing as objective good or evil.

The Real-World Consequences: Sympathizing with Criminals

The USA Today story of the 13-year-old girl illustrates how media-influenced perceptions can intersect with real-world tragedy. The online community she joined reframed the Columbine shooters as victims, a narrative that echoes the sympathetic treatment of fictional villains. When children and teens internalize these portrayals, it can lead them to sympathize with real-life criminals, with dire consequences:

• Glorification of Criminals

  Online spaces can amplify the idea that perpetrators of violence are misunderstood heroes, much like Elphaba or the Joker. This creates a dangerous feedback loop where harmful ideologies gain traction among vulnerable youth.

• Reduced Empathy for Victims

  Focusing on a criminal’s “side of the story” can overshadow the suffering of their victims. If teens see shooters or other offenders as sympathetic, they may downplay the pain inflicted on others, weakening their compassion.

• Potential for Copycat Behavior

  Idolizing fictional or real-life villains can inspire impressionable individuals to emulate them. The Columbine case itself has spurred copycat incidents, and media that romanticizes flawed characters may unwittingly fuel this trend.

The Broader Impact on Society

The effects of sympathetic villain portrayals extend beyond individual minds to shape societal attitudes in sinister ways, too:

• Normalization of Violence

  As audiences grow accustomed to seeing violence as a byproduct of a villain’s pain, real-world aggression may provoke less outrage. This can hinder efforts to combat issues like school shootings or gang violence.

• Erosion of Moral Clarity

  A culture where good and evil are relative—rather than distinct—can struggle to uphold ethical standards. If wrongdoing is perpetually excused, it becomes harder to hold individuals accountable.

• Media Feedback Loop

  The popularity of films like Cruella or Joker encourages studios to produce more content with sympathetic villains, perpetuating the cycle. In the age of social media, these narratives spread rapidly, amplifying their reach and influence.

What Can Be Done?

Mitigating these risks requires collective action:

• Parental Guidance

  Parents should watch films with their kids and discuss the characters’ actions, emphasizing that feeling sorry for someone doesn’t excuse harming others.

• Media Literacy Education

  Schools can teach students to critically analyze media, helping them separate entertainment from reality and recognize manipulative storytelling.

• Responsible Storytelling

  Studios like Disney should balance complex villains with clear moral messages, ensuring that harmful actions aren’t glorified or left unaddressed.

Conclusion

The tragic loss of a 13-year-old girl to a community that idolized the Columbine shooters is a wake-up call. While films that humanize villains—like Maleficent, Cruella, or Joker—can captivate audiences, they also carry the risk of distorting young viewers’ perceptions of morality. When children and teens sympathize with fictional evildoers, they may extend that empathy to real-life criminals, with devastating consequences for themselves and society.

By fostering critical thinking and responsible media creation, we can enjoy nuanced storytelling without sacrificing the clarity between right and wrong. It’s a delicate balance, but one worth striking to protect the next generation from the dark side of sympathy.