Born Bad but Became Good

Nature vs. Nurture. It is the constant argument people have about what determines a person’s behavior. Now in the real world we tend to fall into the roles we are either born or raised into. But in the world of fiction it is always far more interesting for characters to play against type.

Mephisto aka The Devil

Now if we are to believe the world of fiction, the most evil being in all existence is The Devil. I'm not debating issues of religion so I am solely reffering to the depictions of the Devil in various fictions. He is the ultimate enenmy of man. And since he is the ultimate evil, it is assumed that the son of said Devil would be just as evil. And that is where we get to the playing against type with Danny Wormwood and Daimon Hellstrom, both fictional sons of the Devil and both characters who strive to do good with their lives.

Daimon Hellstrom, star of The Son of Satan comics published by Marvel Comics is basically a super hero. He rules a corner of Hell and is powered by the souls of the damned but he uses those aspects to do good in the world.  To do good in a world that can obviously see his demonic aspects and treats him accordingly. Further proof of his noble nature is that he has a sister, Satana, who freely and joyfully embraces her evil side while Daimon fights to control his.

While not a super hero, Danny Wormwood is also a son of the Devil (different Devil daddy than Daimon) who has abandoned the role he was born into. In the Avatar Press mini-series Chronicles of Wormwood, Danny Wormwood is the Anti-Christ. His purpose in life is to begin the Apocalypse and end the world. Instead he becomes a TV Executive and settles down to a quiet life with his girlfriend, and his best friend a talking rabbit (and a mentally handicapped Jesus who spends all his time at a bar). Now while he is not saving anyone like the heroic Son of Satan above, he is never the less choosing to fight against his true nature, which takes just as much moral fiber as being a super hero. His true nature is to be evil and sometimes choosing to just not be evil is as good as being good.

Now going beyond good and evil (unintentional Nietzsche reference), sometimes it is just raw animal nature that makes one behave badly. Something deep down that forces and controls their actions just so they can survive. For this type of behavior I am going to examine a popular anti-hero, Blade. For those unfamiliar with comics or who did not see the 1998 film, Blade is a half human half vampire hybrid. While he has none of the weaknesses of typical vampires, he still has their super human strength and their thirst for blood. Both of which he uses to hunt the bloodsuckers down.

Now there have been several vampires-turned-hero characters in film, television and comics (future blog entry?) but there is a very special reason I chose Blade. He was born the way he is. The other vampire characters who became heroes can remember a humanity prior to their being turned and can remember what life was like without their thirst for blood. Blade has never known a life before his thirst.

And that is what makes Blade’s fight against his base nature so amazing. It IS his nature. Drinking blood is as natural to him as drinking or eating is to a normal human. There is no alternative reference for him to realize his thirst for blood is wrong. But he sees the immorality in killing humans so he can survive. Like a vegetarian he finds killing for food morally wrong. He even develops a serum that makes him feel like his blood is burning  in order to make up for his physical need for blood. More than just going against his nature, he goes to extremes to deny and hate who he naturally is.

The capacity for good or evil is in every character. While it is enjoyable in fiction to see a noble character’s fall from grace it can be just as interesting to see an individual from infamous origins rise to a position of virtue.