Half-Baked Redemptions

A Half-Baked Redemption is when a villain who is portrayed as irredeemably evil or passes the “Moral Event Horizon” suddenly redeems themselves without any hints of redemption prior to this. This kind of redemption is a poor move in terms of writing and teaching mercy and forgiveness in fiction.

Why This Happens

 * Many parents and writers are convinced that it is the right way to teach children the importance of mercy and forgiveness.
 * People often confuse the idea of justice with revenge or violence.
 * Some are scared of the very concept of the villain dying and want to avoid it at all costs.
 * Due to the rise of radical feminism propaganda, some female characters end up being redeemed just to promote an ideology.

Why This Kind of Redemption is Not True

 * 1) These redemptions are often thrown in at the last minute, lack any proper structure, feel forced and are rushed by skipping important steps of a redemption arc.
 * 2) It creates a misguided and false belief that everyone can and will redeem themselves, even though there's plenty of villains out there who didn’t redeem themselves and suffered the consequences of their actions.
 * 3) Many of these examples are villains who have already crossed what is called the Moral Event Horizon, which means they have committed an act so evil or selfish or have crossed so many moral lines that audiences won't want them to be redeemed anymore, meaning these redemptions are forced down audiences' throats.
 * 4) *Also, having a villain commit terrible acts and refuse to give up, only to have the heroes force them to redeem themselves is a waste of suspense.
 * 5) Most of these villains didn't do anything at all to earn redemption, yet they are still easily forgiven and even rewarded.
 * 6) Insisting on this kind of redemption all the time can make audiences annoyed and become tired of the idea of redemption all together.
 * 7) It is extremely limiting to viewers of all ages.
 * 8) While it does succeed in teaching that mercy is possible, it purposely leaves out the fact that it does not always work.
 * 9) Depending on your view, this move means the villain is getting away with the terrible things they did without any punishment whatsoever and they are still a threat, and it's being treated like it's a good thing.
 * 10) Making characters who are supposed to be "heroes" force this kind of redemption and treat it as a good thing turns those characters into one-dimensional, unrealistic, and worst of all... downright flat.
 * 11) If heroes chose to just forgive the villains and disregard the horribly evil things they committed, they will come off as immature, foolish, cowardly, stubborn, and reluctant to accept the reality of the situations.
 * 12) It can look like the story is demonizing characters for having boundaries and being cautious instead of insisting on mercy for "everyone".
 * 13) It is also a bad influence to viewers as anyone, in reality, could be easily killed or have their lives ruined by a bad person or someone evil when and if they do show mercy.

The Only Redeeming Quality

 * 1) While many of these redemptions are forced, some redemptions are at least well-written such as Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Karai from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 and 2012) and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader from Star Wars.

How to Give a Villain a Proper Redemption

 * 1) First of all, redemption is very hard! Meaning you can't just forgive villains instantly because sometimes it angers the fans.
 * 2) If you want to redeem a villain, give them an understandable backstory and their flaws because it's important for a villain to redeem.
 * 3) *However, even if their backstory and flaws are understandable, do not use it as an excuse to redeem them if they cross Moral Event Horizon.
 * 4) Do not ever skip steps of a redemption arc. Even if one part is left out, the redemption will look forced.
 * 5) Do not make a villain irredeemable and then redeem them anyway. This means if they commit anything that is going too far, they cannot be redeemed anymore (we´re looking at you, White Diamond!).
 * 6) Make fans want the villain(s) to be redeemed in the first place. Never redeem a villain whom fans have always hated.
 * 7) If it becomes clear that a villain won't change no matter how many chances of redemption they're given, then do not hesitate to give them their comeuppance (whether it's defeating, imprisoning, humiliating, throwing out, or even killing them).