e431. Henchmen, Heavies, Minions & Muscle: Narrative Dynamics of the Hired Goon

Behind every great villain is… frankly, well, often there’s another bigger villain pulling the strings. But the truth is, while we often celebrate “the big bad” some of the most interesting villainy comes from the lieutenants that the hero meets along the way to facing the big bad. Sometimes, these henchmen might even eclipse the big bad himself. However, we don’t really think about them much. At least not classically. On the other hand, there’s literally a huge animated movie in theaters right now, all about little characters whose job is to assist a greater villain. So on this week’s episode, we thought we’d talk about the very idea of henchmen and minions and what exactly makes them tick. Hannah, Maybe and Mav are joined by returning guest Josh Stroud to explore the hired goon. How is a henchmen different than a sidekick? Why are they so fascinating? Why do we not really think about them? Listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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