Adi Shankar’s Castlevania has received praise through and through. From the first season to the last, following even the spin-off series, praise has become more of a shadow of the fan-favorite Netflix franchise. There are many ways in which the series comes off as unique. Whether it is through the approach of an anime-like adaptation or because of the darkness it is unafraid to dive into, Shankar’s series is one to commend.
One of the things that stand out in the series is the complexity of its villains. They are less villains than they are people. Dracula, Death, Isaac, and even Carmilla have their moments to shine as people beyond what makes them human or the lack thereof. They are not evil for the sake of being so, and that changes everything.
Adi Shankar Understood the One Rule to Keep Castlevania on Top
When speaking with Inverse, Adi Shankar opened up about how there were many things that needed to be kept in mind when creating Castlevania. There was something he could not ignore and that was that a villain cannot do bad deeds for the sake of it. In his own words, “Your story is only as good as your villain.”
We live in a world that isn’t black and white. The show exists in a world that isn’t black and white. So, to have started with Dracula as this ‘monster’ would have been a disservice to not only his character, but to this entire mythology.
The story becomes so much better because Dracula is a villain you cannot hate. He is a villain you sympathize with and understand rather than despise. It is not about his humanity but his cause. Is he just a villain causing chaos for the sake of it or one that wreaks havoc for a purpose that reflects his soul?
It has been said many times over that Dracula is perhaps more human than many of the characters who actually stand of that species. It is not just because of the time he has spent in the world but also because of those around him. To portray him as someone who is solely evil would be disloyal to all the lore that decades have dedicated to establishing his character.
The World Isn’t Black and White
No character in Castlevania is simply good or bad. In a realistic world to take into account, no being is simply good or bad. The Yin and Yang hold true in almost all cases. Evil resides in good as good does in evil. Adi Shankar had that trait in mind when creating and adapting the world of Castlevania as well.
You look at everything I’ve ever done, and the only common thread is that, yeah, they’re all violent, tend to be R-rated and mature, stuff like that, but they’re all about antiheroes. I can tell you from firsthand experience: writing antiheroes is difficult. You don’t want to make, like, the emo kid who is just kind of a downer for no reason.
He took into reference all his other works, claiming that creating a character whose moral grounds are so strong is easier than creating one whose inner workings rely on constant dilemmas. In a similar pattern, bringing together morally conflicting characters was a task he was willing to take time and again.
There were no exceptions either with Trevor, Alucard, Hector, Isaac, and many others finding themselves split between their beliefs and the outlook of the world they came to create for themselves. It is this constant back and forth with oneself that made Castlevania an even more captivating show than it already was.
Castlevania is available to watch on Netflix.
