Why Does The Bad Man Betray The Protagonist In The Novel?

The protagonist in 'The First Bad Man' is Cheryl Glickman, a neurotic and intensely private woman who works at a women's self-defense organization. Cheryl's life revolves around rigid routines and peculiar fantasies until her boss's daughter, Clee, barges in and turns everything upside down. Clee is everything Cheryl isn't—wild, messy, and utterly unpredictable. Their forced cohabitation forces Cheryl to confront her repressed desires and fears. The novel delves into Cheryl's bizarre inner world, where her quirks and obsessions make her both relatable and unsettling. Miranda July's writing captures Cheryl's voice perfectly, making her a memorable and deeply human character.

I recently grabbed 'The First Bad Man' online and found several great options. Amazon has both paperback and Kindle versions, often with quick shipping if you're a Prime member. For those who prefer supporting indie bookstores, Bookshop.org lets you buy online while contributing to local shops. The ebook is available on platforms like Apple Books and Google Play if you want instant access. I noticed some used copies floating around on AbeBooks at lower prices too. If you're into audiobooks, Audible has a solid narration of it. Just search the title on any of these sites and you'll find it easily.

Flipping through my manga shelf, I started thinking about how a single scar can carry an entire backstory without a single line of exposition. In a lot of stories, the 'bad man' gets his scar in one of several dramatic ways: a duel that went wrong, a betrayal where a friend or lover left a wound as a keepsake of broken trust, or a violent encounter with a monster or experiment gone awry. Sometimes the scar is literal — teeth, claws, swords — and sometimes it's the aftermath of a ritual or self-inflicted mark that ties into revenge or ideology. In my head I can picture three specific beats an author might use. Beat one: the duel that reveals the villain's obsession with strength; the scar becomes a daily reminder that they can't go back to who they were. Beat two: the betrayal scar, shallow but symbolic, often shown in flashbacks where a former ally stabs them physically and emotionally. Beat three: the accidental scar, from a failed experiment or a war crime, which adds moral ambiguity — are they evil because of choice or circumstance? I love when creators mix those beats. For example, a character who earned a wound defending someone but later twisted that pain into cruelty gives the scar a bittersweet complexity. I also enjoy how different art styles treat scars: thick jagged lines in gritty seinen, subtle white streaks in shonen close-ups, or even a stylized slash that almost reads like a brand. For me, a scar isn't just a prop — it's a narrative hook. When it's revealed cleverly, it makes me flip the page faster, hungry for the past that one line of ink promises. It keeps the story vivid, and I always find myself tracing the scar with my finger as if it might tell me its secrets.

The plot twist in 'The First Bad Man' hit me like a freight train when it revealed that Cheryl's obsessive love for Philip wasn't just one-sided fantasy—it was a mirror of Clee's own hidden obsession with her. The entire dynamic shifts when Clee, who initially seemed like a chaotic intruder in Cheryl's meticulously controlled life, turns out to have been manipulating situations to get closer to her all along. Their violent sparring sessions weren't just random aggression; they were a bizarre courtship ritual. The book masterfully subverts expectations by making the 'manic pixie dream girl' archetype the one with agency and dark intentions, while Cheryl's rigid worldview gets dismantled piece by piece. What starts as a story about unrequited love becomes a twisted mutual obsession that blurs lines between desire, control, and identity.

Hunting down the 'bad man' action figure online can turn into a little treasure hunt and I actually enjoy the chase. I start with the big marketplaces: Amazon and eBay often have new and used listings, but for rarer releases I check Entertainment Earth, BigBadToyStore, and Sideshow Collectibles. Those specialty shops sometimes have exclusive variants or preorders. I also keep an eye on Walmart, Target, and GameStop for mass-market drops if the figure gets a mainstream release. If the figure is obscure or discontinued, I pivot to secondhand markets: Mercari, Depop, Facebook Marketplace, and Etsy (for customs or repros). For Japanese or Asian releases I use Mandarake, Yahoo Japan Auctions, Buyee, and HobbyLink Japan. Pro tip: set saved searches on eBay and alerts on Google Shopping or use Keepa for Amazon price history. Always check seller ratings, request clear photos of box seals and accessories, and compare SKU or manufacturer markings. I usually bookmark social accounts of small sellers and Discord collector groups too. It's a fun scavenger-hunt vibe and I love the payoff when a hard-to-find piece finally shows up in my cart — feels like a little win every time.

Miranda July's 'The First Bad Man' dives into mental health with raw honesty, focusing on Cheryl's obsessive-compulsive tendencies and social isolation. The novel portrays her rigid routines and irrational fears not as quirks but as survival mechanisms. What struck me is how July normalizes Cheryl's inner chaos while showing its toll - the way she fixates on a coworker reveals how loneliness distorts perception. Her eventual breakdown isn't dramatic; it's a quiet unraveling that mirrors real mental health struggles. The book's genius lies in making Cheryl's growth feel earned - her bond with Cleo doesn't 'cure' her but creates space for imperfect healing. For those interested in unconventional mental health narratives, 'Convenience Store Woman' offers a similarly nuanced take.

Depending on which 'new' Batman you're talking about, the role of the main villain shifts — but if you mean the big 2022 film 'The Batman', the principal 'bad man' is the Riddler, played by Paul Dano. I got pulled into Dano's version because it's nothing like the campy versions a lot of people remember. He takes a quieter, unnerving approach: more like a calculated madman who operates through puzzles and public shocks than a flamboyant showman. The movie also layers in other antagonists — Colin Farrell is basically unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, thanks to heavy prosthetics and a performance that's equal parts sleazy and tragic. John Turturro pops up as Carmine Falcone, which gives the film that old-school crime vibe. Robert Pattinson anchors everything as Bruce Wayne/Batman, but the Riddler is the one driving the terror plot. If you're after a single name to point to, say Paul Dano for the Riddler, and add Colin Farrell as a major secondary villain. I personally loved how Dano leaned into menace through silence and whispers — it felt raw and modern, and definitely stuck with me after the credits rolled.

it’s one of those arcs that refuses to be neat. At first he’s presented as a textbook bad guy: selfish decisions, a trail of hurt, and a charisma that makes his cruelty almost magnetic. The show peels him back in layers, though—childhood wounds, a betrayal that hardened him, and choices made under pressure rather than pure malice. What sells the redemption is that the writers force him to face the people he hurt. It’s not a single dramatic confession but a gradual unspooling: returning things he stole, sitting through the uncomfortable silence of victims’ testimonies, and failing several times before actually doing the right thing. Midway through the series there’s a pivot scene that always gets me: he’s given a real chance to walk away and take the easy route, but instead he opts for visible accountability. He accepts legal consequences, participates in restorative justice, and starts doing the small, tedious work of repair—apologies that are specific, reparations that are real, and consistent acts of service. Importantly, the show refuses to erase his crimes; friends and former victims aren’t suddenly cordial. That tension—between societal justice and personal change—is where the arc feels honest. By the finale, redemption isn’t a trophy he earns; it’s a quieter life rebuilt from fragments. He doesn’t get full forgiveness from everyone, and some scars stay raw. The emotional payoff for me is seeing him choose humility over pride and finally prioritize other people’s safety over his ego. That slow shift in priorities is what made the story stick with me long after the credits rolled.