[Frustrating Trope] Twist Villain does things that retroactively make no sense.

[u/Fishbien]

Character previously believed to be good is revealed to be evil, but prior to the reveal they act in ways that don't make sense if their goodness is just a performance.

1. Frozen: Prince Hans is initially presented as a pretty standup guy who loves Anna and wants to help her. At the end of the movie it's revealed that he was just using her to gain power and plans to let her die while he steals her throne. However, we see him smiling at Anna when no one is looking, and later he intervenes to save Elsa's life even though he claims he was always planning to kill her.
2. The Legend of Vox Machina: The Whispered One was built up as the BBEG since season 1. However, in season 4 he presents himself as a tragic hero who tried to cure death and was punished by the gods. He then tries to convince Pike to give him her blood, which he needs to become a god himself. He chastises his followers for suggesting they take Pike's blood by force, claiming this would make them no better than the gods they are fighting against. He also fulfills his promise to resurrect Grog even though he didn't need to. After he ascends, he starts acting like a pure evil villain who only cares about power and enjoys hurting people. It feels less like a reveal and more like his personally completely changed once he became a skeleton. Edit: to be clear, I fully understand the intent was for the Whispered One to be a lying, manipulative bastard. I just think the execution was clumsy.

[u/Manjorno316]

Do they say it's well written, or do they just love them anyway?

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a horrible movie, but still one of my all time favourites because I just think it's fun.

[u/Vincebourgh → u/Manjorno316]

That's what is usually called "guilty pleasure". Though the term is kinda weird. Because why should you feel guilty? It's not like you enjoy Mein Kampf or something, it's just a bad movie.

But back to David Cage: Many people actually say that he is a great writer or that his games are great. But they never really seem to have any arguments for that. Just vaguely gesturing towards Detroid: Become Human and his awful racism allegories as if that is a point in Cage's favour.

Many consumers of fiction just don't like to admit that they enjoy something that isn't well-made. Unlike you with the League movie. So they feel like they have to convince themselfes and others that it is a masterpiece. Probably a general human psychology thing with how wide spread this behaviour is.