echo by Tiffany Hoo
“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.”
In a world where darkness cannot exist without light (and vice versa), superheroes came about because supervillains exist as well. However, the line that separates good from evil is paper thin and some events happen that drive villains to redeem themselves.
Here, we discuss how a few of the world’s most iconic comic supervillains came to give up on their evil cause, with some choosing to work alongside their former hero enemies to save the world from harm.
In the popular X-Men’s franchise, Rogue was a villain who first appeared as a member of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who were bent on letting mutants run the world. She has uncontrollable ability to absorb and at times, remove the memories, physical strength, and powers of anyone she touches. Therefore, Rogue considers her powers a curse and dons gloves to protect herself from others. For most of her life, she avoided contact with humans, to the point she was convinced humans and mutants could never coexist. However, she eventually turned to Professor X to help her deal with the ever-louder voices of people whose memories she absorbed that were haunting her mind. Grateful for Professor X’s help, she defected from Mystique’s brotherhood and has fought alongside the X-Men ever since for harmony between humans and mutants.
Natalia Romanova, or better known as Black Widow, was introduced as a Soviet Union spy who was sent to the US to assassinate a traitor of the union. There, she fought against Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, who foiled her plans. She and Hawkeye then paired up to defeat Iron Man together, but they eventually fell in love with one another. Fearing she would leave for the US to be with Hawkeye, her employers kidnapped her and brainwashed her. Hawkeye soon chooses to be a part of the Avengers and strives to bring Black Widow to the good side. She eventually frees herself from the brain conditioning and even joins the Avengers in the fight against evil.
Last but not least, how could we ever forget the infamous Deadpool! The ‘Merc With A Mouth’ is a disfigured and mentally unstable mercenary who has superhuman accelerated healing abilities and amazing physical prowess. He was initially a direct rip-off of the Teen Titan’s Deathstroke and an antagonist who launched attacks against the new mutants. However, with the passing of time, he evolved into a hero in his own right by working alongside other superheroes (though not obediently)!
Truly, there is no end to the inherent goodness in humans. Some give into remorse and ascend the path of good. Some turn away from their old ways in order to atone for their past sins. Essentially, there is no real evil in this world. It is our choice which determines otherwise.
