Do we like them?

Do we like Mewtwo?

A character from Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998)

Our score: 6 out of 10. He starts out angry and does real damage, but he's hurt and confused rather than cruel. He ends up somewhere we can respect, so we'd back him, with some wariness.

Mewtwo is a Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon, genetically engineered from the DNA of the rare Mew. He is one of the strongest beings in the Pokémon world. He is made in a lab by scientists who want a perfect fighter, and the film follows him as he tries to work out whether that origin decides who he is.

When we meet him, he is bitter about being used as a tool, and he distrusts both humans and Pokémon. He invites top trainers to his island under false pretences, and his plan puts a lot of people and their Pokémon in danger. His anger is understandable, but it is aimed at people who did nothing to him.

We score him 6 out of 10. His pain is real, and the film is a story about whether a made creature can choose who it becomes. He is dangerous and frightening in the first half, but he is thoughtful, and he gets a chance to see what he is fighting over. He is a sympathetic antagonist, not a hero.

By the end he has stopped trying to dominate others and wants only to live his own life. He erases the memories of those involved and goes into hiding. He later returns as a quieter figure in the sequel.