The Monsters Among Us

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

— Proverb

If you haven’t watched the spin-off miniseries from the 2022 The Batman film, The Penguin — do yourself a favor, and give it a go.

I’m gonna do my best not to spoil the story for you, but let me just say that the series presents a refreshingly layered character study. Narrating the titular villain’s ruthless rise to power, it truly makes you reflect on our human condition — particularly the monsters that live among us.

Much of popular art has employed an empathic approach in telling the villain’s story. Rather than purely demonizing the villain, we are given insight into their motivations — which are, more often than not — relatable, or at least, understandable reasons for why they commit their evil ways.

In doing so, we’re reminded of their humanity, and perhaps more importantly, ours, too. We’re made to consider the uncomfortable question: would we really be that different, had we lived their lives?

I’d be the first to say that this narrative approach isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s pretty noble, and it’s what we should generally strive for as artists, and as decent human beings.

But as with most things in life, it comes with a bitter caveat: not everyone deserves our empathy. And The Penguin serves us this harsh truth.

Yes, the series does shed light on the vulnerable and relatable side of the Penguin. There are moments that might even make you root for him. But ultimately, it hammers in the point that despite some flashes of redeemability, he repeatedly chooses to embrace his monstrous nature.

The reality is that there are genuinely horrible people in the world — who, like the Penguin — only truly care about themselves. They’re willing to do absolutely anything, and use absolutely anybody — even those dear to them — to claw their way to the top.

A person’s humanity isn’t a free pass for the harm they choose to inflict. Even when we understand the reasons behind someone’s cruelty, it doesn’t mean we have to excuse it. 

At the end of the day, having empathy might help us understand the villain — but having wisdom reminds us not to follow them.