New!
Author resources • Lorehaven Guild
Podcast sponsors • Subscribe for free
Crew manifest Faith statement FAQs
All author resources Lorehaven Guild Subscribe for free

148. Why Do Some Christians Revile ‘The Chosen’? | with Josiah DeGraaf and Jenneth Dyck
Fantastical Truth Podcast, Feb 7, 2023

Into the Darkness
Reviews, Feb 3, 2023

The Chosen Succeeds Where ‘Woke’ Stories Fail
Jenneth Dyck in Articles, Feb 2, 2023

Library

Find fantastical Christian novels

fantasy · sci-fi · and beyond
middle grade · young adult · grown-ups
All novels Search Add a novel
The Wayward, Tabitha Caplinger
Fortified, V. Romas Burton
Canaan Sleeps, Daniel Camomile
Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
The Genesis 6 Project, Michael Ferguson
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
Dream of Kings, Sharon Hinck
The Change, Bradley Caffee
Podcast

Get the Fantastical Truth podcast

Podcast sponsors | Subscribe links
Archives Feedback

148. Why Do Some Christians Revile ‘The Chosen’? | with Josiah DeGraaf and Jenneth Dyck
Fantastical Truth, Feb 7, 2023

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

Quests

Join our monthly digital book quests.

Lorehaven Guild Faith statement FAQs

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, February 2023

Prince Caspian
Book Quests, January 2023

Dream of Kings
Book Quests, December 2022

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Book Quests, November 2022

Reviews

Find fantastical Christian reviews

All reviews Request review

Into the Darkness
“Charles Hack’s Into the Darkness summons a close-range science fiction story, focusing on the personal challenges of space warfare among alien cultures with a steady pace and serious tone.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 3, 2023

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

Gifts

Find new gifts for Christian fans

Archives

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

Speculative Faith | archives

Lorehaven issues (2018–2020)

Order back issues online!
New
Library
Podcast
Quests
Reviews
Gifts
Archives
Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Subscribe free to Lorehaven
/ SpecFaith /

It’s Good To Be Bad

The story world has always spun tales of lovable rogues. Robin Hood and his merry men. Riddick. Han and Chewy. Jack Sparrow. The Misfits. Motley Crue…wait, nevermind. Anyway, we love stories about surly tough guys who just want to look out for number one and end up doing good along the way.
Mark Carver on Aug 10, 2016
1 comment

I haven’t seen the new Suicide Squad movie, and from the conflicting reviews, I’m not in any hurry. The cute tagline “Worst. Heroes. Ever.” makes it obvious that this is no ordinary superhero movie. I have seen the animated (and shockingly graphic) precursor Batman: Assault on Arkham, where the Suicide Squad is sent on a search-and-destroy mission simply because their heads will explode if they don’t accept. Mercenaries without getting paid, so to speak. Nothing really heroic, just survival. From what I’ve heard about the new movie, though, there is a greater evil than their merry band of miscreants, though they don’t set out to stop it out of the goodness of their hearts.

Image copyright Warner Bros.

Image copyright Warner Bros.

The story world has always spun tales of lovable rogues. Robin Hood and his merry men. Riddick. Han and Chewy. Jack Sparrow. The Misfits. Motley Crue…wait, nevermind. Anyway, we love stories about surly tough guys who just want to look out for number one and end up doing good along the way. They may be bad and selfish, but they end up fighting someone or something worse, which makes them less bad by default. A memorable quote from The Chronicles of Riddick: “In normal times, evil should be fought by good, but in times like this, well, it should be fought by another kind of evil.” Doesn’t really make sense when you break it down, but it makes for good entertainment.

There is also usually some element of redemption in these kinds of stories. Deadshot’s love for his daughter adds a soft spot to an otherwise cold killer. Riddick is ruthless but only to those who deserve it and helps others even when it puts his life in danger. Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor. We have a hard time rooting for someone who is pure evil, even if they do some “good.” We want to see some change in their character, some melting of the ice. Hannibal Lecter helped Clarice Starling catch the skin-wearing psychopath, but he stayed just as evil and sadistic as he was when we first met him. No one could consider him to be a “hero.” The notion that good triumphs over evil is an inherent human hope, and we reflect it even on those who are evil but do some good actions.

The theme of the Bible is that God, the ultimate good, triumphs over the evils of sin and death. There is no heart too cold for Him to thaw, no sin too black for him to erase. We desperately need to believe that this is true, because we lost without it. We impart this need onto the fictional world as well. Traditionally “good” heroes like Superman or Spider-Man start out good, fight the good fight, maybe a little compromise or moral conflict here and there, but in the end, good wins, and they remain good. Yet it is the evil “heroes” that challenge us with the added need for redemption. We don’t necessarily want them to become “good” but we don’t want to see them revel in evil. We want them to stop and think, “Maybe blowing up innocent people isn’t the best use of my time. I’ll still smash windows and punch out the cops, but maybe there’s more to life than this…” We cheer when characters like Spawn or Ghost Rider, regular guys inadvertently thrown into the supernatural realm, use their evil-borne powers for good instead of doing the devil’s bidding.

Image copyright Sony Pictures

Image copyright Sony Pictures

As believers, we know this isn’t just wishful thinking. The world is full of awful people whose lives have been transformed by the healing power of God’s grace. Even those who resist God’s love sometimes feel convicted and forsake their evil pursuits because of their own conscience. Just as light overpowers the darkness, so does good overpower evil. It may take awhile, and the darkness may never leave some people completely, but everyone knows the strength and power of love, even when it’s on the comic page or movie screen.

Mark Carver
Mark Carver writes dark, edgy books that tackle tough spiritual issues. He is currently working on his ninth novel. Besides writing, Mark is passionate about art, tattoos, bluegrass music, and medieval architecture. After spending more than eight years in China, he now lives with his wife and three children in Atlanta, GA. You can find Mark online at MarkCarverBooks.com and at Markcarverbooks on Facebook.
Website · Facebook · Twitter
  1. Janeen Ippolito says:
    August 10, 2016 at 2:10 pm

    Nice, thoughtful take on the evil-with-a-sliver-of-gold character type and the underlying attraction to that type.

    Reply

What do you think? Cancel reply

Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

Wear the wonder:
Get exclusive shirts and beyond

Listen to Lorehaven’s podcast

Authors and publishers:
Reach new fans with Lorehaven

Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter