Fanboys Anonymous

I've had some time to digest Kick-Ass 2 (my reviewpoint here) and try to think about what I'd like to see in what should be an inevitable sequel to round out the trilogy, Kick-Ass 3. One of the main things is that I'd like to see a redemption for the character of Chris D'Amico, aka Red Mist / The Mother Fucker.

Really...can this face end up being evil in the end?

You might think this is an odd way to go, perhaps even impossible. After all, the last film had him not only killing his mother, but not caring about any of the other deaths around him (some of which he directly caused). Maybe he got his just service by being crippled and that's the end of the story - evil gets punished.

However, I think the character's arc almost demands that he return to the side of good. If he doesn't, what's left for him to do? Keep in mind that the movies don't exactly follow the comics, so we don't know what the storyline is going to be for the third film, but if they left him alive, they clearly have hopes that he will show up in some capacity.

In the first movie, he starts off sympathetic to Kick-Ass and legitimately seems to befriend him, but then his lust for power and to appease his father gets in the way, so he betrays Dave. The two fight and end up stalemating each other. In the second film, he has a motive of vengeance. Kick-Ass also has that same motive and wins. In the third film, he can't just want to get back at Kick-Ass for his deformity and then lose again, nor could he obviously be the one to kill Kick-Ass when he has no limbs.

With the likeability of this character and the general attitude that he's a fuck up, Chris D'Amico needs to do something in Kick-Ass 3 to turn back to the side of good.

They're opposite sides of the same coin - a phrase often used to describe Joker/Batman, Superman/Luthor, etc. What's more interesting than when those two entities join forces?

If the story of Kick-Ass is that anyone can be a hero for any particular reason and in any fashion (exhibited by everyone from Dave's father sacrificing himself for his son, Colonel Stars and Stripes recanting his former criminal ways, etc), then the story needs to end with Dave inspiring someone who is bad to turn good, instead of just "another person that was wronged decides to become a superhero" like everyone else.

That is the ultimate victory. It's something that we can't see happen to Joker or Lex Luthor, as they're ongoing characters, but it can happen with Chris D'Amico.

Let's say that the third film focuses on his uncle, who was teased as being a legitimate brutal threat with a lot of pull, as the main villain. Chris should theoretically be on board to work with him for a while, but at the end, give up information or something that leads to his uncle's downfall and Kick-Ass's victory.

Maybe he sacrifices his life in the process. Maybe he doesn't. That depends on what's set up ahead of time.

But the bottom line is that it will fall quite flat if Chris D'Amico simply goes for another vengeance plot and ends up defeated. There's nothing to gain out of it.

What do you think about this possible option? Would you like to see it incorporated into Kick-Ass 3? What other ideas do you have for the next film?