Maleficent

It's the age of the anti-hero -- critically acclaimed shows focus on people like Don Draper and Nucky Thompson, exploring the lives of drug dealers on Breaking Bad and Weeds. Even the superheroes are arms dealers, vigilantes, or have serious anger management issues.

Early on in Generations, the point is made that "devil child" movies first appeared with Generation X - Rosemary's Baby (1968) being an early example, followed by The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976), and others. Firestarter and Children of the Corn (both 1984) are given as a point where it ended, as the Millennials were being born, implying that children were again seen as a good thing. But for the Xers themselves it continued apace, with representatives like the high school gangs of Class of 1984 and the teen vampires of The Lost Boys (1987).

And then, then they pull out Maleficent, a full-on villain who threatens a baby girl with death because she wasn't invited to the christening.  No anti-heroics here: She crashes the party, pronounces a curse, ensures it takes place, and eventually turns into a dragon that breathes green flame.

Although I understand this more recent film is trying to show her own goals and motivations.

In any case,  she's played by the lady who is arguably Generation X's biggest (female) movie star.


Which suggests there's a time to accept that some generations get to play the good guys,.. and others just don't.

At some point, decisions will be made that will make anti-heroes (and villains) less ubiquitous on television and in the movies. They will probably be replaced by more intentionally heroic people, who will be placed in situations where there isn't a good response, at least not without sacrificing something dear.. But that probably won't be soon.