A growing number of films and television shows are subverting the traditional portrayal of villains by focusing on seemingly 'nice guys' who conceal their malevolence behind a charming facade. Netflix's hit series You, now in its third series, exemplifies this trend, presenting a protagonist who is both a serial killer and a charismatic bookseller.
Historically, film and TV have often coded villainy through physical disfigurement, as seen with Freddy Krueger or Rami Malek's character in No Time To Die. However, real-life perpetrators are rarely so conspicuous, often described by neighbours as 'ordinary' or 'family men'. This disconnect has spurred a wave of stories that challenge preconceptions about who can be dangerous.
In You, Penn Badgley plays Joe Goldberg, a man who stalks, hacks, and kills while maintaining a self-image as a morally righteous 'nice guy'. His voice-over narration presents him as witty and clear-thinking, yet his actions are undeniably villainous. This trope is also explored in Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman, where would-be date rapists protest their innocence, and in Rose Plays Julie, where a celebrity archaeologist hides a history of sexual offences.
Dr Catherine Wheatley, a senior lecturer at King's College London, notes that these characters genuinely believe they are innocent, creating a 'problem of conflicting visions'. Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You similarly shows that violations of consent can come from the most innocuous-seeming individuals. These narratives expose the insidious paradigms of 'acceptable' masculinity long embedded in culture by film and TV.
