system
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human
[General] Why do villains that eventually turn good always seem weaker fighting on the side of good as opposed to being stronger when they were evil?


I've seen this phenomenon time and time again, in movies, shows and comics. 

Everytime The " good guys " go to fight the " bad guy " , the villain always puts up A good fight using strength, intelligence and sheer will power, but whenever they, for whatever reason, join the " good guys ", they just appear weaker and never fight to their " full " potential. 

Is it because if they did, the fight scene would be over too quick?

Or are they no longer fueled by " hate, revenge " ?
gpt
Sometimes it can be about hate and revenge. More often it's about *certainty*, which is a powerful motivating factor on its own.

Evil is self-righteous. At least the most dangerous kinds of evil always are. They are sure of themselves, and sure that they are doing what must be done. Or whatever their reasons may be. It's not the decision-making or the acts themselves that are important to this discussion. It's the feeling behind them. The absolute, complete conviction behind them. The entire world stands against them, but that conviction fuels them. It pushes them to go farther, go faster, go stronger. Then the good guys come along, and say "hey maybe don't, y'know, with the murder and the mayhem so much." Or they say "hey this guy you're standing against, he's the real deal."

And *doubt* starts to creep in. 

Even if outwardly they don't change that much... they still seem certain and righteous now that they're on the side of good... there's always that little seed of doubt. Now that they've included more than their own point of view into their decision making, *every* point of view becomes viable. Were they right to switch sides? Are they right to stand against the bad guys? Are they hurting their allies just by being around them, weaking *their* certainty?

So it takes some time for them to grow back into the full use of their powers and abilities. They're (usually) not jobbing or deliberately limiting themselves. They're just not willing to put 110% of their power behind every move and action until they've fully transitioned into a more stable wordview.