One of the most shocking cinematic moments in my life came during the film Unbreakable.  And for once this isn’t a reference to the scene where Samuel L. Jackson falls down a flight of stairs breaking every bone in his body.  That still makes me shudder.   

What I’m talking about is the unexpected twist at the end.  (for those of you who haven’t seen this movie, stop reading now).  At the time I didn’t know who M. Night Shyamalan ways, and I didn’t know about his penchant for surprise endings.  So when Jackson revealed himself to be the main villain I was shocked.

I never expected him to be a villain, but it all made sense.  The whole point of the movie was that there are real life superheroes.  And if that’s the case, there must be real life villains.

And obviously there are. 

But this was a surprising admission for a movie.  So this is what I thought of when I read about a man in Florida who is currently standing trial.  This individual has declared that he wants to be evil, just like Mr. Glass from Unbreakable.  And to prove his evilness, he wants to be allowed to wear a cape and carry a cane. 

On the surface it’s kind of funny.  Except that this man has a history of mental illness. 

I love comic books because of their crazy and outlandish villains.  I love watching good triumph over evil.  And I look at it as “entertainment.”  But sometimes a good dose of reality reminds me that evil isn’t just limited to comic book villains. 

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