Have you ever liked a villain more than the hero? Who and why?
Maleficent. The live-action version. And honey, I am not even going to pretend this was a difficult decision.
Listen. I’m not saying cursing the baby was a healthy coping skill. I’m saying the woman had excellent cheekbones, a complicated backstory, and room for growth. Some of us go to therapy. She went with horns and dramatic entrances.
Bless her heart. We’re rooting for her, not her coping skills. Kids are difficult, I get it! But ma’am, we usually try a snack and some quiet time before placing a curse on the entire situation.
Aurora is precious. Truly. But Maleficent walks into a room looking like she knows everybody’s secrets and has already decided whose casserole she will not be eating. I’m sorry. That is the character I’m watching.
What gets me, though, isn’t the outfit. It’s that furious, wounded heart underneath it.
She gets hurt, builds herself a terrifying exterior, and makes being unapproachable practically a full-time occupation. Then here comes this little girl, wandering straight past all that emotional security like she has a visitor’s badge.
And the woman who was absolutely, positively, DEFINITELY not getting attached gets attached.
That’s my favorite part.
Not the revenge. Not the curse. The reluctant tenderness. That slow realization that she cares about somebody more than she cares about keeping up her reputation as the scariest bitch in the forest.
She has the energy of someone who announces, “I don’t like children,” while discreetly checking whether one particular child has eaten, is warm enough, and has anybody bothering her.
Still scowling, of course. We have an image to maintain.
I don’t need my favorite character to make good decisions in every scene. Sometimes I want to watch somebody make an absolute mess, discover that her heart still works, and start trying to do better. Preferably in a spectacular hat.
So yes, I’m Team Maleficent. I’m bringing her a sweet tea and suggesting we leave the children out of any future disagreements with their parents.
And that beautiful little horned raven? That’s our girl in bird form. Blue eyes, glossy feathers, and the expression of somebody who loves you very much but would appreciate you knocking first.
Now be honest: which fictional villain had you thinking, “I cannot defend your behavior, but I would absolutely sit beside you at dinner”?
Honey, Be Honest 
Leave a comment