Viewers are wondering if Willy Wonka is an evil villain and bad person. Having become a pop culture icon since his inception in Roald Dahl’s books and the film adaptations that came after, the man has been shrouded in mystery. Is he evil?
Is Willy Wonka a villain and a bad person?
Willy Wonka is not inherently a villain or a bad person. However, he does seem to have a dark side as he appears very secretive and also commits some atrocious actions in the films.
For instance, Wonka keeps lots of secrets, so much so that Charlie and other kids who visit his chocolate factory have little to no knowledge about his personal life, which leads to the possibility that he is not as innocent or simply eccentric as he tries to seem. Furthermore, one line uttered by Wonka in the film lends credence to the possibility that he has some moral ambiguity that teeters between line of evil and good when he says:
“What I say is that if a man really likes flaying people alive, he ought to have the chance of doing it in a good cause, not just for the fun of it.”
This suggests that Wonka may have a pretty ruthless streak and a questionable and somewhat horrendously misguided morality which he keeps under wraps from people around him.
As for the atrocious actions, Wonka exposes the character flaws of Augustus, Violet, Mike, and Veruca in a manipulative manner by tailoring the candy-making process to expose each of their weaknesses, rather than honestly calling them out on it.
Why does Wonka come across as evil?
Willy Wonka comes across as evil due to his deceptive nature, manipulation, and greed.
An example of Wonka’s deceptive nature is when he omits important information that puts visitors’ health in jeopardy. He explains that a lickable wallpaper Charlie and the other children come across is in the experimental stage, but does not disclose the truth about it being a deadly trap.
Additionally, Wonka also manipulates children, parents, and even his own workforce to accomplish his own goals. This is shown when he betrays one of his employees to protect the secret of his everlasting gobstopper recipe.
For more Wonka content, find out when 2023’s Wonka will leave movie theaters. Also, here is ComingSoon’s review of 2023’s Wonka.
