why do we root for the bad guy (Scarface and many others)

Do you ever notice that bad guys or villains are often our favorite characters. this goes for adults and children, in TV and in the movies. There is something about a villain that is truly appreciative. Is it the fact they are willing to do what us good people are not. Or is it that we feel a bond to them because we feel there is a part of them within us. Villains in some ways stay disliked, when you think about Lex Luther (Superman), the Green Goblin (Spiderman), or Two Face (Batman), there is no hope for the success of evil. Yet, when we watch a villain like Scarface move his way through the ranks through murdering people we love it. Did anyone want to see Scarface die in the end. No we wanted him to kill everyone who broke into the house. Its strange but we wanted him to continue to evolve into the top drug dealer. Even though what he was distributing kills people we wanted him to make it. His speech about the bad guy was incredible and on point with this article. He really lets people feel his hatred for being considered the bad guy and how someone has to be the bad guy. He basically says everyone is the bad guy you just pick the worst guy or someone with morals similar to other and choose the bad guy based off of that. Every cruel thing and immoral thing the average person does looks for ways out of it. This way they say that someone else made them do it like the devil (Lucifer's Question http://joedolphin88.hubpages.com/hub/Lucifers-Question)

I think one thing Scarface had was the redeemable quality. He spoke of honor, his bond is his word, and no killing wife and kids. The humane side of him keeps us all thinking this is the hero of the story he's really not a bad guy. Similarly, Carlito from Carlitos Way is an ex drug dealer but he has many redeemable qualities. The entire time he tries to go legit but he tries to make that little extra illegal money for his girlfriend and unborn child. He ends up being too kind and letting a new kid on the block live, who kills him at the end of the movie. We all wanted him to get on that train and live.

When I was a child there was a show called Dragon Ball Z. The main character was Goku and his son Gohan. They were both extremely kind and good. There power in a sense stemmed from there kind spirit. They were of an alien race called saiyins. Living on earth they defend and do things in the name of justice and peace. In this show however, the first super bad guy (not Raditz) to come to earth is a saiyin named Vageta. He comes with his Sidekick Nappa to recruit Goku for domination of the universe. Vageta was Prince of the saiyins. Now vageta through out the enitre series becomes a main character. he eventually turn good but always has evil in his heart. Through out the Television series he murders the innocent destroys planets with living inhabitants he feels weak. He is purely ruthless and evil. He'll use anything and anyone to win and will kill his ally's if he feels they are disregarding orders. He is murderous and wishes to fulfill his selfish desires. He is fueled through his desire to defeat anyone who stand in his way and revenge. This was my favorite character in the show and many other. In this case not everyone rooted for him but myself like many did root for his success. There was something to admire in his evil ways. Again it was that redeemable quality of the means to some of his evil. Revenge can be understood and the willingness to act on it is something we can only do through a television character.