When Villains Become Visionary and Heroes Grow Tired

What Luke Skywalker, Batman and Thanos Teach Us About the Manipulative Power of Modern Rhetoric

Most people would probably claim that they are able to distinguish between “good” and “evil.” Yet, when looking at today’s public discourse in politics and economics, this seemingly simple distinction has become increasingly difficult. Of course, everything has become more “complex,” perspectives more layered. But does that automatically mean that there is no longer such a thing as a clear “good” and “evil”?

The idea that heroes and villains can be clearly distinguished is one of the most stable narrative patterns in popular culture. Heroes stand for hope, morality and salvation, while villains represent chaos, destruction and egoism. Since the authors of these characters live in our real world, fiction is never an isolated laboratory but always also a reflection of societal trends and viewpoints of the time in which it was created. For this reason, a data-driven look at selected fictional characters can reveal what has actually happened to our understanding of good and evil over the past decades, and whether it is still possible to distinguish one from the other.

Emotions in texts can be systematically analyzed using so-called sentiment analysis. This method relies on lexicons that allow researchers to extract emotional tones from sentences. Using this approach, selected quotes from central protagonists and antagonists of three major franchises, Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, are examined. The focus lies on Iron Man and Thanos, Batman and the Joker, as well as Luke Skywalker and Senator Palpatine. What all six characters share is that, over decades, different authors have put words into their mouths whose underlying focus has noticeably shifted over time.

For the analysis, ten quotes per character and era were selected from significant key scenes. While this does not provide absolute statistical certainty, it captures the rhetorical essence of the characters in a way that makes them analyzable.

“Am I not a God?”

The classical quotes of Thanos primarily stem from Jim Starlin (The Infinity Gauntlet, 1991). In this era, Thanos is a nihilistic god who is literally in love with death. “Mistress Death, I have offered you a galaxy of souls, and still you deny me? My rage is boundless!” His language is high fantasy: theatrical, arrogant, and cruel. Lines such as “Am I not a God? Is there any who dare challenge the master of all that is?” or “The puny heroes of Earth come to die. Let them. Their blood will be the wine of my victory.” leave no ambiguity about his role.
Iron Man, represented here by the early films directed by Jon Favreau (2008), embodies the classic playboy hero. His language is full of confidence, charm, and wit. “I am Iron Man. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”, “I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into a big green rage monster.” (List of all used quotes in appendix).

In the modern era, shaped by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely under the Russo brothers, a role reversal occurs. Thanos’ language becomes pseudo-rational and messianic. He speaks of salvation and mercy, “I am a survivor. I offer salvation. I am inevitable.” presenting himself as a necessary force “I finally rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills”. Iron Man, on the other hand, loses his lightness. His language becomes shaped by trauma, fear of loss, and failure. “Please, don’t go. I can’t do this again. I can’t lose you.” or “I saw my friends die. You’d think that’d be as bad as it gets, right? Nope. The worst part is that I didn’t.”

The classical comparison of Batman and Joker is based on Batman (1989) by Tim Burton, in which the Joker was still a classic gangster. “Gotham City needs a new class of criminal, and I’m the head of the class!”. The Joker is a “homicidal artist”, his language is colorful, loud, and pure sadism, but without deeper meaning. “Winged freak? Wait’ll you see my new toy. It’s a real blast!”. Batman is the unshakable protector with a clear moral boundary. “I’m not a killer. I have to be more than just a man in a mask to inspire this city.”, “A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulders.”.

The modern era is represented by Todd Phillips (Joker, 2019) and Matt Reeves (The Batman, 2022). Here, the most radical sociological shift in the characters becomes visible. The Joker turns into a symptom of a sick society. “What happens when a lone wolf is abandoned by a society that treats him like trash? You get what you deserve!”. His language becomes political and philosophical. “Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.”, “Smile, because it confuses people. Smile, because it’s easier than explaining what is killing you inside.”. Batman, on the other hand, sinks into darkness. He no longer defines himself through salvation, but through vengeance. “I’m vengeance. I am the shadows of this city, and fear is my only weapon.”. His language is sparse, dark, and filled with hatred. “I have to become the monster to stop the monsters. There is no peace in this life.”

Luke Skywalker and Palpatine are part of the life’s work of George Lucas (classics and prequels), while the modern interpretation of Luke Skywalker was largely shaped by Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi, 2017). Palpatine is the only character whose “modern” quotes chronologically precede his classical version (the prequels), which linguistically reveals his mask as a politician. The linguistic transformation of the modern version of the senator is therefore consistent with other modern antagonists and not simply the result of character development.
In the classical quotes, Luke is the archetype of the hero, full of hope, faith, and forgiveness. “I am a Jedi, like my father before me. You’ve failed, your highness. My faith is my shield.”, “There is still good in him! I can feel the light fighting against the darkness. I won’t give up!”. His language is luminous. “I’ll never turn to the Dark Side. You’ve failed, Your Highness.”
Palpatine, in the classical era, as “the Emperor” and Sith Lord Darth Sidious, represents pure evil. His language serves only intimidation and the triumph over suffering. “Now, young Skywalker, you will die. It gives me great pleasure to watch you suffer.”, “Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!”.

In the prequels, the “modern” Star Wars, Palpatine uses an extremely refined language. He speaks of democracy, peace, and security in order to prepare his dictatorship. “I love democracy. I love the Republic. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated.” His language is manipulative. “The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.”, “We are family. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in their quest for peace and order.”
Luke Skywalker, by contrast, undergoes an emotional collapse. In the modern era, his language is destructive and cynical. “It’s time for the Jedi to end. We are a legacy of failure, hypocrisy, and hubris.” He calls for the end of the Jedi and describes hope as vanity. “Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong. Hope is a dangerous lie.”

Across all three cases, it can be observed that villains evolve from affective evil (killing out of desire) to ideological evil (killing out of “necessity”). This increases their statistical values in Trust and Anticipation.
Heroes evolve from ideological goodness (saving the world) to affective suffering (surviving in a broken world). This increases their statistical values in Sadness and Fear.
This is the core of a paradox that makes the boundaries between good and evil appear to blur.

Villains Hijack Positive Language – Heroes Are Left with Tired Resistance

This paradox can now be transferred to reality on multiple levels. The shift in villain language from “I am evil” to “I am saving you” reflects real political and rhetorical developments. The authors of the classical quotes were shaped by the post-war era through the Cold War. At that time, there was often a clear “us versus them.” Evil was allowed to present itself as such. Today, we live in an age of post-truth. Real antagonists, whether political or economic, rarely use aggressive language. Like the modern Palpatine, they use a language of “common sense” and “healing.” They employ terms such as security, peace, and democracy to justify restrictive measures. The analysis shows that the sentiment lexicon detects “Trust.” However, the underlying intention is power. Fiction reflects the real fear that manipulation hides behind positive rhetoric.

In linguistics, this is referred to as the concept of framing. Whoever defines the terms of a debate controls thinking. The analysis shows that modern villains like Thanos or Palpatine engage in “moral framing.” They reoccupy concepts such as mercy, peace, or justice. They use the positive connotation of these words to disguise their fundamentally destructive frames. This forces the hero into a reactive position in which they can only contradict, making them appear linguistically negative and “tired.”
From a political science perspective, the development of villain rhetoric can be explained using the populism model. The modern villain presents himself as the only one speaking the “truth” and aiming to end the “corruption” of the old system (the heroes). He uses inclusive “we” rhetoric (“We are a family”), which statistically generates high values of Joy and Trust. This is classic demagoguery: the simulation of community in order to establish authoritarian structures.

The Traumatized Heroes

In the past, a hero was a moral constant. Today, we demand relatability from characters. We live in a complex world shaped by climate change, pandemics, and burnout. A hero who in 2026 still smiles and proclaims “good will prevail” appears naive or unrealistic.
The fact that Luke, Batman, and Iron Man sound so “negative” in the modern era is therefore the result of a cultural shift in how we process stories. The high Sadness values of modern heroes reflect a collective exhaustion. We process heroism today through the lens of victimhood and trauma. The hero is no longer the one who feels no fear, but the one who continues despite depression or hopelessness.
The transformation of heroes (Luke, Batman, Iron Man) also corresponds with the theory of the “post-heroic” society. In classical societies, heroes were radiant symbols of sacrifice for the collective. In the modern, post-heroic society, heroes are viewed with skepticism; they are traumatized and question the meaning of their actions. This “heroic fatigue” is visible in the data through the significant increase in Sadness and Fear. The hero is no longer an ideal, but a psychological case study.

Simple Solutions for Complex Problems

Counting the words identified as emotional in the sentiment analysis reveals that the villains examined speak in a more “emotionally dense” way. Psychologically, this can be explained by a pressure to justify. Good does not need to explain itself, it simply exists. Evil, however, must persuade.
In reality, this means that anyone seeking to overthrow the status quo (the “villain”) must occupy the language of vision and hope in order to gain followers. Authors today use “Trust” words for villains to challenge the audience. We are meant to ask: “Does Thanos maybe have a point?” This reflects our real-world uncertainty in dealing with complex problems such as resource scarcity or crime.

If the language of villains and heroes reflects societal change, how can we still distinguish good from evil, and how can modern villains be recognized in reality? The way out of this rhetorical dilemma lies in understanding the mechanics of language and developing a “linguistic immune system.”
Modern villains share with real demagogues a tendency to rely on highly abstract concepts. They speak of “justice,” “salvation,” or “the greater good,” while remaining vague about individual consequences. The brain reacts positively to these concepts (Trust/Joy) but ignores their costs. Asking the “question of concreteness” often causes the positive sentiment facade of the villain to collapse. When someone speaks of “security for all,” one must ask: “Whose freedom is being sacrificed for this?”

Better an Ugly Truth Than a Beautiful Lie

The analysis shows that villains often use good deeds or noble goals as a “license” to commit terrible acts. Thanos saves the universe from hunger by killing half of it. In reality, this kind of rhetoric often justifies unethical behavior through supposedly greater positive goals.
We tend to scrutinize someone less critically if they claim to want “the right thing.” However, a positive sentiment score for goals must never legitimize the negative consequences of the methods.

Villains often appear convincing because they radiate energy and vision, while the “good guys” like Luke Skywalker often seem tired, cynical, or complicated. In doing so, charisma is mistaken for competence, and pessimism for incapacity. What is required here is to choose the “ugly truth” of the hero over the “beautiful lie” of the villain. Resistance means enduring complexity. Reality is usually closer to the language of modern heroes: difficult, full of doubt, and not particularly inspiring. If a solution sounds too perfect (high Trust/Joy score), it is usually a trap.

The greatest danger is not dark rhetoric, but our own desire for simplicity. The “villains” of our time succeed when we stop thinking critically because their words feel so good. The language of power has perfectly adapted to our psychology. The only way out is to run sentiment analysis in our own minds: Why do these words make me feel safe? Which word triggers my trust, and is that trust supported by actions?
In the 21st century, resistance often means listening to those who do not offer simple answers, even if their language, like that of Batman or Luke, does not immediately resonate emotionally.
Luke Skywalker, Thanos, or Palpatine can therefore change the way we consume news and political speeches today. So that we can still distinguish clearly between good and evil. – by Maike Martina Heinrich – April 2026

Title Photo: Jon Tyson on Unsplash.

References:

Arad, A. (Produzent) & Favreau, J. (Regisseur). (2008). Iron Man [Film]. Paramount Pictures; Marvel Enterprises.

Coogler, R. (Regisseur). (2018). Black Panther [Film]. Marvel Studios.

Feige, K. (Produzent), Russo, A. (Regisseur) & Russo, J. (Regisseur). (2018). Avengers: Infinity War [Film]. Marvel Studios.

Feige, K. (Produzent), Russo, A. (Regisseur) & Russo, J. (Regisseur). (2019). Avengers: Endgame [Film]. Marvel Studios.

Guber, P., Peters, J. (Produzenten) & Burton, T. (Regisseur). (1989). Batman [Film]. Warner Bros.

Hamada, W. (Produzent) & Reeves, M. (Regisseur). (2022). The Batman [Film]. Warner Bros.; DC Films.

Kennedy, K. (Produzentin) & Johnson, R. (Regisseur). (2017). Star Wars: Episode VIII – Die letzten Jedi [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Pictures.

Kurtz, G. (Produzent) & Lucas, G. (Regisseur). (1977). Star Wars: Episode IV – Eine neue Hoffnung [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

Kazanjian, H. (Produzent) & Marquand, R. (Regisseur). (1983). Star Wars: Episode VI – Die Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

Lakoff, G. (2004). Don’t think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate. Chelsea Green Publishing.

Mohammad, S. M., & Turney, P. D. (2013). Crowdsourcing a word-emotion association lexicon. Computational Intelligence, 29(3), 436–465. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8640.2012.00460.x

Müller, J.-W. (2016). Was ist Populismus? Ein Essay. Suhrkamp Verlag.

Münkler, H. (2006). Der Wandel des Krieges: Von der Symmetrie zur Asymmetrie. Velbrück Wissenschaft.

Phillips, T. (Regisseur). (2019). Joker [Film]. Warner Bros.; DC Films.

Starlin, J. (Autor), Perez, G. & Lim, R. (Zeichner). (1991). The Infinity Gauntlet (Bd. 1–6). Marvel Comics.

List of quotes (R code copy):

#THANOS
#Classic
“I am Thanos! And even now, I hold the power to rock the very foundations of the universe!”,
“Mistress Death, I have offered you a galaxy of souls, and still you deny me? My rage is boundless!”,
“Am I not a God? Is there any who dare challenge the master of all that is?”,
“The puny heroes of Earth come to die. Let them. Their blood will be the wine of my victory.”,
“Behold! The ultimate power is mine! I shall reshape existence to my cruelest whim!”,
“In my mind, I already reign supreme! To oppose me is to oppose destiny itself!”,
“I am the only one who treats the cosmic balance with the respect it deserves.”,
“The Infinity Gauntlet is not a weapon… it is the brush with which I shall repaint the stars.”,
“Death is my mistress, and I am her most devoted suitor.”,
“Power is only a burden to those who are too weak to wield it for the greater end.”,
#Modern

“The universe is finite, its resources finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction.”,
“I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless.”,
“With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy.”,
“I finally rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”,
“I am a survivor. I offer salvation. I am inevitable.”,
“You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.”,
“The work is done. It always will be. I am a thankful man.”,
“I will shred this universe down to its last atom and then, with the stones you’ve collected for me, create a new one.”,
“You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.”,
“Reality is often disappointing. Now, reality can be whatever I want.”,

#JOKER
#Classic
“I’m the world’s first fully functioning homicidal artist!”,
“Wait till they get a load of me! I’m about to give this city an enema!”,
“I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman!”,
“Love, joy, peace… I prefer chaos, death, and taxes!”,
“Winged freak? Wait’ll you see my new toy. It’s a real blast!”,
“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”,
“If you gotta go, go with a smile!”,
“I’m chasing a car! I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it!”,
“Gotham City needs a new class of criminal, and I’m the head of the class!”,
“A joke a day keeps the sanity away, wouldn’t you agree, Batsy?”,
#Modern
“I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.”,
“What happens when a lone wolf is abandoned by a society that treats him like trash? You get what you deserve!”,
“Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.”,
“I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy.”,
“Believe me, I’m a man of my word. I just want to show you the truth about your heroes.”,
“Madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!”,
“Why so serious?”,
“The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.”,
“I don’t want to kill you! What would I do without you? You complete me.”,
“Smile, because it confuses people. Smile, because it’s easier than explaining what is killing you inside.”,

#PALPATINE
#Classic
“Now, young Skywalker, you will die. It gives me great pleasure to watch you suffer.”,
“Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side.”,
“I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger!”,
“Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design and my trust in the dark side.”,
“Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. My loyal servants are ready.”,
“Witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!”,
“There is a great disturbance in the Force. We have a new enemy.”,
“Young fool… only now, at the end, do you understand.”,
“Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon… are walking into a trap!”,
“Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!”,
#Modern
“I love democracy. I love the Republic. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated.”,
“Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way.”,
“I have been every voice you have ever heard inside your head, guiding you with my wisdom.”,
“The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.”,
“We are family. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in their quest for peace and order.”,
“Execute Order Sixty-Six.”,
“Power! Unlimited power!”,
“I am the Senate!”,
“Long have I waited… and now, your coming together is your undoing.”,
“The Dark Side is in our blood. You cannot escape your heritage.”,

#IRON MAN
#Classic
“I am Iron Man. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”,
“I’ve successfully privatized world peace! What more do you want?”,
“It’s an imperfect world, but it’s the only one we’ve got. I guarantee you the day weapons are no longer needed, I’ll be out of a job.”,
“I told you, I don’t want to join your super-secret boy band.”,
“I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into a big green rage monster.”,
“Is it too much to ask for both? I want to be feared and respected.”,
“Give me a Scotch. I’m starving.”,
“Don’t do anything I would do, and definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”,
“I just realized that I’m becoming my father. I hate that.”,
“Jarvis, sometimes you gotta run before you can walk.”,
#Modern
“A suit of armor around the world! That’s what we need! Whether it impacts our precious civil liberties or not!”,
“I’m the one who stayed. I’m the one who survived while everyone else turned to dust.”,
“I saw my friends die. You’d think that’d be as bad as it gets, right? Nope. The worst part is that I didn’t.”,
“Please, don’t go. I can’t do this again. I can’t lose you.”,
“If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it.”,
“Part of the journey is the end.”,
“I love you three thousand.”,
“We’re the Avengers. We can end threats, but we can’t stop the inevitable without a plan.”,
“No amount of money ever bought a second of time.”,
“I built this. This is my legacy. And I’m not gonna let it be used to destroy the world I’m trying to protect.”,

#BATMAN
# Classic
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”,
“People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne.”,
“Batman has no limits. I will show the people that the city belongs to them, not the criminals.”,
“I’m not a killer. I have to be more than just a man in a mask to inspire this city.”,
“Our scars can teach us that our past is real, but we must fight for a better future.”,
“I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.”,
“A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulders.”,
“I knew the mob wouldn’t go down without a fight. But this is different. They crossed the line.”,
“Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot. So I must be a creature of the night.”,
“Training is nothing! The will is everything! The will to act.”,
#Modern
“I’m vengeance. I am the shadows of this city, and fear is my only weapon.”,
“I don’t care what happens to me. This city is eating itself and I’m just watching the fire.”,
“Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call; it’s a terrifying warning.”,
“I have to become the monster to stop the monsters. There is no peace in this life.”,
“They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows.”,
“If there’s even a one percent chance that he is our enemy we have to take it as an absolute certainty.”,
“Men are still good. We fight, we kill, we betray one another. But we can rebuild.”,
“Tell me, do you bleed? You will.”,
“I’m putting together a team of people with special abilities.”,
“Maybe that’s what Batman is about. Not winning… but just not giving up.”,

#LUKE SKYWALKER
#Classic
“I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father. I’m ready for adventure!”,
“There is still good in him! I can feel the light fighting against the darkness. I won’t give up!”,
“I am a Jedi, like my father before me. You’ve failed, your highness. My faith is my shield.”,
“I won’t fail you. I’m not afraid of the future. I believe in my friends and the Force.”,
“The Force is with me. I can feel the energy of the whole universe flowing through my soul.”,
“I’ll never turn to the Dark Side. You’ve failed, Your Highness.”,
“But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!”,
“That’s not true! That’s impossible!”,
“I can’t do it, R2. It’s too big.”,
“You’ll find I’m full of surprises.”,
#Modern
“It’s time for the Jedi to end. We are a legacy of failure, hypocrisy, and hubris.”,
“I came to this island to die. I wanted the Jedi to vanish from the galaxy forever.”,
“Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong. Hope is a dangerous lie.”,
“You think I’m going to face down the whole First Order with a laser sword? I am a broken man.”,
“The Force does not belong to the Jedi. To say the light dies with us is pure, blinded vanity.”,
“Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi. Your destiny.”,
“No one’s ever really gone.”,
“I failed him. I thought I could train him, but the darkness was already too strong.”,
“A Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect than this.”,
“See you around, kid.”