It’s hard for me to decide blame on those problems when it’s cast across so much media, and isn’t the fault of one particular author.

These days, gay representation is common, so if someone made a queer villain, I’d think “Ooh, that’s a cool new idea!” Back then, of course, it would’ve been the hundredth one turning them into villains.

I agree it was a bad pattern, but the blame is so shared I’d almost rather focus on praising media that bucks the trend than specifically demonizing media that followed it, especially because it becomes difficult to trace back to the “beginning” of the trend (before it was even a trend!)

Same thought goes towards the old “princess in a castle” trope, which was at one point a regal fantasy before it became a repressive routine story element.