This comic from Louis Ghanem at Scrawl Space illustrates a couple of trends we’ve noticed. If you have a story in which the villain is the most interesting character, that villain will become a fan favorite. The producers will be then excited to bring the character back, but tend to “rehabilitate” him and put him on the “right” side (cough*Darth*cough). This is usually a mistake, because the changes in the character sometimes take away the charm that made him popular, or else it’s just not believable. Or both. I have yet to see Maleficent, but from what I’ve read, Disney made her sympathetic and redeemable, which I feel is a mistake.
The other truth I see is that a young girl’s consideration of a classmate or friend can change quickly when he expresses admiration for her (it rarely works that way with strangers). It was true when I was young, and I’ve seen that happen in many of my daughters’ circle. That’s not always a bad thing, but Loki could be trouble. -via Geeks Are Sexy