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I have often pondered the question: “Do the bad guys know that they’re the bad guys, or do they believe they’re good?” Looking through history, we do know that there are examples of this being true. But, rather than revisiting some of the atrocities that have taken place throughout human history, let’s take a look at a franchise such as Star Wars. Does Palpatine, Darth Vader, or any other Sith know they are evil or are they the good guys in their own narrative?
Palpatine may have known he was evil because he had very few redeeming qualities, but Anakin Skywalker did believe he was committing his evil deeds in the name of good, telling Padme on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith that he had “brought peace to the Republic.” There have been times that I have thought I was alone in this train of thought, but it turns out I’m not as even Helldivers 2 players have begun to question whether the Helldivers are the good guys in this game.
In a post on Reddit, Helldivers 2 players discussed how terrifying the Helldivers must be to the Terminids and that it is difficult to blame them for attacking and fighting back. U/PikachuFan2222 noted how “anywhere from 1-20 guys just show up, slaughter 100s of their troops, destroy several key infrastructure points, and leave in under 40 minutes.” When you think of a mission in this way, it is hard to disagree with. It is said that the Terminids have an “instinctive urge to reproduce, spread, and destroy democracy,” which makes them sound evil. But, the Terminids only became a threat after killing civilians on Super Earth after being held captive in specialised farms, so who can blame them for being annoyed with the human race?
On the other hand, the same can’t be said for the robots in the game, the Automatons, who have been created to be bloodthirsty with one goal and that is to destroy the Helldivers and Super Earth. Corpses of Terminids can also be found on planets that the Automatons occupy, showing that the robot’s only goal is to destroy all natural life forms. So, the next time you jump into Helldivers 2, take a moment to consider what role you’re playing and whether you are killing for the greater good or whether you’re being manipulated by Super Earth, unless you’re fighting the Automaton, in which case just go all out and destroy those robots without mercy.
While you ponder over this new perspective and your role in this ongoing war, we recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guides to help you create the best loadout for your Helldiver so you can eradicate an entire species in the most efficient way possible.
