The Danny Masterson Letters and the Harm of the One-Dimensional Villain Myth

By Omny Miranda Martone & Esther Yankah Koranteng

Most stories have a villain. Their identities? Scheming, dark, looming figures who would absolutely steal candy from a baby. In popular media, the villain is someone whose entire identity revolves around being evil. Even when they are more nuanced, it settles right back into the imagery of seething individuals who spend every waking moment scheming; their every good deed is part of some ploy. But this isn’t always reality. Villains are not always easily recognizable or persistently evil. Perpetrators of sexual violence, the villains in every survivor’s story, aren’t always who we expect them to be. The pervasive myth that perpetrators are one-dimensional ‘bad guys’ perpetuates rape culture, discourages belief in victims, and shields perpetrators from accountability.

Danny Masterson, best known for his role as Steven Hyde in ‘That ‘70s Show,’ has been sentenced to 30 years to life for two accounts of forcible rape. Prior to this, more than 50 people wrote letters to the judge in support of Masterson. They spoke positively of his character, in an effort to reduce his potential sentence. The 50+ people include his co-stars from ‘That 70s Show’ Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.?

The support letters for Masterson, highlight the pervasive myth that perpetrators of sexual violence are always one-dimensional. Their letters paint Masterson as an “innately good and kind person” who “treats everyone with respect.” While this may be accurate in their experience with him, their positive perception of him led them astray. The myth that rapists are evil in all aspects of their lives, and thus easy to spot, is part of rape culture. It results in not believing victims and victim blaming. They paint him as a character whose identity directly contrasts with the stereotypical ideas we have about perpetrators of sexual violence. It is unsurprising that they took this contrast as a symbol of Masterson’s harmlessness. We want to think we are a good judge of character and that no one we allow in our lives would ever commit such atrocities. It makes us feel in control and safe. This obscures the uncomfortable reality that perpetrators are often people we know and love.?

It's hard to grapple with the fact that perpetrators are often good people in other aspects of life. They are not easy to spot. They can appear to be good friends, good parents, good coworkers, and seemingly good people. Rapists are multidimensional people. They lead lives outside their violent acts, but that does not excuse or negate their harmful actions. In addition, perpetrators often weaponize their positive characteristics to commit sexual and domestic violence. They cultivate a friendly, caring character and build status in their communities. This tactic grants them access to their target victims, leverage when claiming innocence, and the power (social and financial capital) to silence victims and calls for accountability. As Wagatwe Wanjuke says, "It takes a village to protect a rapist," so rapists construct a village that will protect them.

In his letter, Kutcher wrote,

“While I'm aware that the judgment has been cast as guilty on two counts of rape by force and the victims have a great desire for justice. I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing. I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would be a tertiary injustice in and of itself.”

In response, the judge stated that the letters show how

“...the offender is able to construct an image of himself that is very different from reality. The statements are a perfect illustration of the insidious nature of tragedy experienced in private.”

Even following the awareness of his guilt, the stars were unable to truly recognize the gravity of his offense or their folly in assuming that he is harmless. Their only focus was getting him a lighter sentence, at the expense of justice for victims.

Many feel that Ashton Kutcher’s support for Masterson is ironic considering he is the founder of Thorn, an anti-trafficking organization. Instead, it is a testament to how pervasive the myth of the one-dimensional villain is. Kutcher founded Thorn despite having no experience in the field. The organization has been widely criticized for falsifying data, increasing government surveillance, and attacking victims more than perpetrators.? Yet, when faced with a serial rapist, Kutcher tried to thwart justice.?

Kutcher and Thorn are a testament to how many people fight against an imaginary idea of abuse and sexual violence, instead of fighting the actual issues and their real roots. Fighting the real roots of sexual violence would mean admitting that rapists are sometimes friends, family, and community who should be held accountable. It would mean grappling with the fact that they might not be as “safe” from sexual violence as they previously thought. Fighting the real roots would also mean confronting sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and other systemic forms of oppression. It would mean having to confront their own biases. As a result, they choose to happily direct their efforts to the “fictional villain,” pleading for leniency with “good men” and sometimes women.?

Truly addressing sexual violence requires a deeper examination of society and a commitment to fighting rape culture, challenging biases, and confronting systemic forms of oppression.

We must look deeply at society and ourselves. We must fight rape culture and push back against ideas and systems that propagate it. Primarily, we need to stop falling for the misconception that rapists are evil in all aspects of their lives, and thus easy to spot. We need to stop dubbing perpetrators as less deserving of accountability because they are “good parents," or we think we know “their character.” We need to create spaces and systems for people to share their experiences with the assurance that we will believe them when they tell their truth. Most importantly, we need to advocate for the prevention of sexual violence, fight systemic oppression, and confront rape culture in the many ways it manifests.