the minute a somewhat attractive white male is cast as a villain, you can bet your sweet ass he’ll have tons of admirers willing to excuse every single thing he’s ever done, find him a redemption arc and a love interest

murders people? “okay, but He Had A Difficult Childhood!!” abuses others? “omg don’t throw the word Abuse around!! people use it to Cope!!” throws a hissy fit that would be unforgivable in women and people of colour? “he’s Mentally Ill!! stop being gross!!” commits or attempts to commit genocide? “yeah but I’m not excusing it?? besides I choose to see Good in people, unlike yourself; he will be redeemed” is literally not redeemed at all by the narrative? “that’s so unfair!! he deserved better!! in my head he completely changed after the canon events happened, not that he needed to because this diminutive, insignificant thing he did totally shows he was sorry”

like, it doesn’t even have to be conventionally attractive: unless he’s fat or has a very unconventional physical trait or disability, a white male will be seen as attractive even if it’s the most morally disgusting person to have ever walked this earth

basically, a villain won’t be universally found unforgivable and irredeemable and truly seen as what he is—an antagonist and a villain who deserves to pay for his bad deeds—if he’s a white, non-fat, non-disabled man

meanwhile women and non-white men playing the good guys are torn to shreds for so much as looking too aggressively at a potted plant

so yeah, excuse me for not being sooo “open minded” about white antagonists getting redemptions they don’t deserve and being paired with people who deserve better