Some of my favorite characters in the geek universe aren't the clean cut heroes. Everyone loves a good anti-hero and nobody tops are really compelling villain, but do you really want to work with them magickally? Absolutely! The energy stores available to a really amazing villain are incredible. However, you need to be extremely careful about how you do it.
The whole point of working with pop culture characters in magick is to utilize the rapport you've already established with a character and to tap into the energy that you and every other fan has pumped into it. The rapport you have with a character is the same whether it's a hero, villain, or something in between. The energy surrounding a character, however, is extremely different when we're talking good guys and bad guys.
Let's take a look at the energy of an anti-hero as opposed to a straight up good guy. A black and white hero, Superman for example, embodies purely "positive" traits such as honesty, loyalty, compassion, etc. (Yes, yes, I know every hero has a dark side and that those are the best stories - just go with me on this.) Such upstanding and forthright heroes tend to gather very strong positive energy and you can absolutely count on that energy to want to "do the right thing," making it pretty darn safe to work with. A good anti-hero is a lot more complicated; they tend to have fairly obvious flaws (think Wolverine's anger management issues or Deadpool's insanity -
seriously, I love the character but work with him at your own risk) and don't always stand on the moral high ground. The energy surrounding an anti-hero is a lot less predictable than the energy of a more clear cut hero; sometimes it's extremely positive and other times it's quite negative, and that energy can change rapidly - particularly if the character is still evolving in the public consciousness. That means you have to be even more careful than normal to be precise about which version of a character you want to work with (see my
previous post for more info). If the energy you want is from a character during a particular comic issue, television episode, or movie you need to explicitly say so and be totally sure of your intent before you start your working.
And then there's the true villains - The Joker, Darth Vader, Loki, Malificent. I adore villains and I tend to work with them a lot. Yes, I like to play with fire, but you should know that about me by now. Working with villains is just like working with anti-heroes, but much much hairier. Villains have baggage, lots and lots of baggage, and that carries over into the energy that's available surrounding them. Their energy is strong, often stronger than that of the heroes that fight them, but it's often tainted. It's the nature of a villain (in everything but horror movies) to ultimately lose the battle and that inevitable failure can, potentially, affect your working if you're not extremely careful. When I work with villains I tend to utilize just one or two qualities that the villain embodies. For example, utilizing Loki's ability to talk anyone into just about anything or the Joker's ability to disrupt established patterns (no matter what the cost or consequences). Villains also tend to have more of a mind of their own, so you must be extremely precise when outlining your intent in using them. Give the mind of a villain an inch and it will take ever so much more than a mile. I mean it, be careful!
*Steps down from moral high ground* And sometimes you just need to do a working that requires more moral ambiguity than Captain America can provide. We're all our own people and can do whatever we want as long as we're willing to accept the consequences of our actions. If what you really want is to cause a little chaos, then working with a villain will do that. There will be a price (there's always a price), but the work will get done. I'll leave it at that.
Other Posts on Pop Culture Magick for Geeks
The Things With The Stuff - A basic introduction to using pop culture characters in magick
Who's Your Doctor? - Thoughts on determining version of a character you want to work with
Bag of Holding - Tools, props, and altar swag
