NT/NF Villains - Evaluating Evil-doers by Type
posted by agammy
So Heroes is one of my favorite shows on tv right now, with my favorite character being the misunderstood and tragically flawed Gabriel Gray (better known as Sylar.)
I think Sylar is an INFJ gone bad - he’s quiet, focused, and his base power is “intuitive aptitude,” or the ability to innately understand and manipulate patterns within complex systems. I say he’s an F because he will do anything for friends or family (which leads him to be taken advantage of much of the time) and his main motivations seem to be exploring his own identity, and looking for acceptance and self-awareness. I really like him as a villain because while he isn’t the stereotypical mastermind “NT,” he is super relatable, hopelessly tormented, and really affected by the people around him.
Villains like Sylar provide a strong contrast to the Hannibal Lecters, Lex Luthers, and Stewie Griffins of the world, who are masterminds with very few personal attachments.
Watching Heroes this week, I started thinking, “Who makes better villains, ‘NFs’ or ‘NTs’?”
(Not to say individuals with a Sensing preference can’t be good “bad guys” - for example - a lot of the villainous school directors in movies are ISTJs - but most legendary “Supervillains” have a preference for Intuition because of their ability to create global schemes while anticipating and deflecting the efforts of the “good guy,” and tendencies to be novel and unusual.)
Having a preference for Intuition and Thinking myself, I have to say I can almost relate to the way NT villains conceptualize their evil schemes, but I am much more terrified of an NF villain - whose motivations I REALLY don’t understand. (Below - my favorite Supervillain of late)
Audience - feel free to weigh in - who is your favorite villain and what type do you think they are? And can you think of any awesome Supervillains with a preference for Sensing?
dmoroni
February 13th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I like the ENFJ con-men villains - they’re having so much fun as they’re taking Vegas for a ride
bpotter
February 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
What a phenomenal post! I totally agree about Sylar. There have been so many episodes where I’m sure there’s a good guy inside (NF). Very complex character!
Do you watch LOST? What about Henry? I would guess he’s INTJ.
agammy
February 18th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I totally agree - I can see INTJ for sure!