Necessary Evils: Villains Motivated by Survival

Agent Smith (The Matrix Trilogy)

In many cases in SF, the villains are not necessarily evil or malevolent, but merely do what they need to in order to survive. Sometimes they insert malice into their acts of survival, but frankly, so does everyone. Then there are those who carry it a bit too far. In every such case, however, the primary motive is staying alive, or, for some—usually immortal characters—the issue becomes feeling alive, and they will usually go to any lengths to achieve this.

Let's begin with a discussion of a familiar topic: vampires and werewolves. In their many representations in science fiction and fantasy, these two species are frequently portrayed as monstrous villains for whom little sympathy can be garnered. At times, however, they are portrayed in more sensitive lights, such as in George MacDonald's “The Gray Wolf” (1871) and in Bram Stoker's “Dracula's Guest” (1897). In the former the werewolf is still a menace but a pitiable one with whom we can identify, and in the latter the vampire actually rescues the protagonist from harm. Tales like these beg the question: can we really blame vampires and werewolves for succumbing to their nature? Do they not have to feed, the same as the rest of us? It is doubtful that a vampire would think much of draining you or I of blood, just as you and I think little of slaughtering a chicken or a cow for our own consumption. Is that morally wrong? Some would say yes. But what else is a vampire to do? Humans can change their diet. A vampire cannot. As for werewolves, their transformed states leave them at the full mercy of their primal temptations. How can we blame them for being unable to control themselves? Where do we draw the line between survival and sin?

C. L. Moore wrote “Shambleau” in 1933, and many of the above questions can be applied to this short story. Shambleau is a medusa-like creature that feeds upon the life force of her victims while exposing them to pure pleasure. Shambleau's complexity lies in the fact that while she kills to survive, she selects as her victim the very man who saved her life, which seems a poor way to return the favor. But considering her difficulty in acquiring any prey at all, can she be blamed for capitalizing on her best chance to survive?

A similarly interesting character is Gollum from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937). Addicted to the Ring of Power, Gollum has transformed into a pathetic wretch and is totally dependent on the Ring for his stability and well-being. His actions toward reclaiming his prize are reprehensible, but, while clearly of a weak and greedy nature, does he deserve any more hatred than we attribute to a drug addict? Is he a villain or a victim? The same question can be asked of E. E. Doc Smith's Ten Thinkers in “Robot Nemesis” (1934). Though they plan to drive the human military fleet into the sun and lay waste to the defenseless human race, the robots justify their actions with the knowledge that the humans tried to initiate genocide against the machines and have no qualms about completing the process if they get a chance. With a kill or be killed mentality, what would you do?

A slightly more violent villain with interests in survival is Liquid Snake from the video game Metal Gear Solid . A product of genetic engineering, Liquid was one of three clones of “Big Boss”, the greatest soldier who ever lived. In addition, Big Boss's soldier genes were used to enhance the combat capabilities of regular troops, leading to the creation of a unit of “Genome Soldiers” that follow Liquid Snake's lead when he stages a revolt that his fellow clone, Solid Snake, must thwart. Liquid's intentions stem from the fact that he has noticed something troubling about his own genes, and has demanded that the government turn over the frozen body of Big Boss to rectify the issue:

LIQUID SNAKE: Have you ever heard of the Asymmetry Theory? Nature tends to favor asymmetry. Those species which have gone extinct all show signs of symmetry. The Genome Soldiers all suffer from the same problem…signs of symmetry. So do I, as do you. That's right! We're all on the verge of death at the genetic level. We don't know when or what kind of disease will occur. That's why we need the old man's genetic information.

SOLID SNAKE: You want Big Boss's DNA so you can save your family? That's very touching.

Liquid's argument is a compelling motive. If he hadn't hijacked nuclear weapons with the intent of using them to create a world of chaos where soldiers can thrive, he might even win sympathy. Nevertheless his motivation is at least understandable.

But while many villains do what they do to ensure continued survival, there are some who merely wish to make life worth living, or, in some cases, to just die. Immortality, long sought by humans, is frequently portrayed as more of a curse than a blessing, especially when restrictions to freedom are placed upon that immortality. Agent Smith, the primary villain in the Matrix movies, feels trapped within the artificial reality he has been ordered to patrol. He wishes for freedom from this program, and to do that he must find the human stronghold of Zion and destroy it. To that end he captures the human rebel leader, Morpheus, and confesses his true motives:

AGENT SMITH: Can you hear me, Morpheus? I'm going to be honest with you. I hate this place…this zoo…this prison…this reality…whatever you want to call it. I can't stand it any longer. It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel…saturated by it. I can taste your stink. And every time I do, I feel I have somehow become infected by it. It's repulsive. I must get out of here. I must get free, and in this mind is the key. My key…once Zion is destroyed there is no need for me to be here, you understand?

In the final episode of the trilogy, Smith becomes a computer virus that corrupts every person within the Matrix and threatens to spread outside the program into the real world where he will dominate both the machines and humans. Faced with the potential of Smith's plans reaching fruition, hero Neo and the machine king are able to unite against their common enemy Smith, who above all else desires to free his mind from the stifling prison it is forced to monitor.

The character Albedo in the Xenosaga video game series is another immortal who can't reconcile with the circumstances of his existence. “Free from the bonds of flesh, a pure consciousness has no true form,” he declares at one point. “All that exists…is the longing for reality.” Without a death to call his own, Albedo doubts the validity of his own existence and goes to extreme lengths to change this. Like Liquid Snake, Albedo is a product of genetic manipulation, and has the ability to rapidly stimulate cell-growth, resulting in his immortality. He can lose limbs—including his head—and re-grow them without lasting harm, as he demonstrates by re-growing a severed arm in front of the heroes: “What pain, so sweet, so alive! Pain is such a vital part of realizing one's existence!” With only this pain to substitute for the mortality he cannot obtain, Albedo becomes increasingly unstable and malevolent, desperately trying to find a reason for his existence, which is essential for his mental survival. As one of the heroes puts it:

ZIGGY: Death is rest for the soul. Who was it who said that? If the body did not die, and the fears borne in the mind just continued to pile up, the world would be nothing more than an eternal prison.

While prone to malevolence, characters like Albedo and Agent Smith do what they do because of an internal desire that can destroy them even if the outside world cannot, and they must satisfy this desire or be consumed by it.

These and many other SF villains engage in their missions against the protagonists due to necessities of survival. We may not like them for it, but in many cases it is difficult to morally judge them for doing what we as a people already do ourselves in relation to lower species of animals. When life's functions are carried out in an overly sadistic way, then there is room for condemnation—otherwise, the acts are necessary evils.