[FatherCrixius]

I agree completely except the “every good villain rationalizes themselves as doing the right thing”. Three out of seventeen of my villains (that I can think of off the top of my head) think they’re in the right.

A good outer example of a villain who doesn’t think they’re right is Xykon of the Order of the Stick.
A good example of a villain who does think they’re in the right is Stanley from Erfworld.

Both are tropes. Both have their uses.

Can't speak for either of those, but I was referring to more that they believe their actions are- at the least, justified, not that they are simply misguided heroes. Be it perpetuating what happened to them, having a moral doctrine that harms more than it helps, or something similar. Pure, cartoonish evil is a trope that rarely enhances the characters. 'Being evil for the sake of being evil.'