Continued comparisons

One study manipulated what characters looked like and measured audience perceptions. They hoped to find out if simple differences in appearance would be enough for viewers to perceive a character as a hero or villain.

The findings indicate that we judge based on comparisons and not because of using an objective standard of morality. Heroes were judged to be more heroic when they appeared after a villain, and villains were judged to be more villainous when they appeared after a hero.