The Apocalypse: Justifying The Modern Villain?

Our world evolved through civilizations coming together. Every society, community, tribe of this world is founded on the cornerstones of mythology which shapes their primary ideologies. Since times immemorial, 'apocalypse' has been an important part of all the existent mythologies of the world. The Norse talks about 'Ragnarok', Islam has 'the day of resurrection', Christianity has 'apocalypse', and Hinduism has 'pralaya'. These are just a few examples of the belief that at the end of time approaches, the mankind will perish in a powerful storm and give way to a renovated, renewed world. Over the period, this mythological concept has been adapted in literature, films, and almost all mediums of storytelling. In the twenty first century, there have been multiple films and television shows where the villain of the story has used this concept as a way of purifying the world. Whether it will be Ra's Al Ghul bent on destroying the city of Gotham or Guruji in Sacred Games trying to usher in Satayuga by planting a nuclear bomb in Mumbai. The villains of twenty first century have been trying to justify their violence by labelling it as a purification of the society. This paper attempts to study this trend through the study of Marvel's most famous villain, Thanos and Guruji, the newest villain to enter this category. Through the study of these characters, the paper looks into the nihilistic approach of these characters towards the world and attempts to answer whether their villainous acts are justified through mythology and philosophy.