But from the very moment we meet him his sadism is always couched within the context of his need to have his brother George at his side. It's an unexpected vulnerability to the character, and even as we remain scared of him and horrified by him at times, it gives him a lot more layers. I'm not sure I'd say we ever empathize with him exactly, but there is something deeply pitiful about him. That's a very unexpected way to position the antagonist--and it really works.
In THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE (which is not getting as much Oscar buzz for its writing or direction as it should; it's a fantastic film), the creative team make similarly interesting choices with Andrew Garfield's Jim Bakker. As the film is told through the eyes of Tammy Faye, there is no hint that Jim is the antagonist until pretty far along in the second act. And even then, until we get to the midpoint, in which we see Jim both laughing at his wife's make-up with some of the crew and "rasslin" with his male assistant, what hints we get are only briefly mentioned. Tammy didn't think anything of them so we don't dwell on them either.
On the one hand, the story of Jim Bakker is so well known that perhaps writer Abe Sylvia thought the script really doesn't need to do much of that work, it's all already there.
But it also allows the character to be more straightforward in a way. Rather than the guy with some big secret or some kind of snake oil salesman, he's truly idealistic and positive; also overawed by the big players; also capable of real conflict with his wife.
Calling that "straightforward" really undersells it. Once again, it's about layering. The writing and performance by Garfield refuses to simplify him to slick or two dimensional, opting instead for something a little more enigmatic, which invites us to fill in the blanks instead (again, just like Tammy Faye).
I see the same dynamic at work in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. Each of the villains is given so much more room to be more than a Super Hero Bad Guy. And I found the film a lot more thrilling just for that (let alone all the other good stuff that happens in it). We've seen Otto Octavius or Elektro or any of the other villains do "bad". What happens if we dig into the rest of them? Answer: You discover there's a ton more heart to the film and a lot more complex stakes, too.
