Kevin Khatchadourian is the main antagonist of the 2011 film We Need to Talk about Kevin, based on the novel of the same name.
He is a psychopathic teenager who only reveals his true colors in front of his mother, the main character of the story, while keeping up a facade of a normal teenager before it. This was up until three days before his 16th birthday where he chose to give into his violent impulses and commit a massacre on his fellow students, alongside killing his father and sister.
He is portrayed by Ezra Miller.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- From the moment he was born, he would go out of his way to torment his mother, Eva, constantly crying, not interacting with her during playtime, and intentionally not potty training to rile her up.
- As a child, he destroyed Eva's sentimental room after insulting her for being sentimental in the first place.
- He would consistently bully his little sister, Celia, despite her looking up to him.
- It's implied he caused Celia to go blind in one eye by convincing her to wash it with cleaner fluid.
- He likely murdered Celia's guinea pig, Mr. Snuffles, and disposed of what was left of its corpse in the drain.
- He shot Celia and his father was a bow and arrow, killing them.
- He committed a massacre in his school, murdering many of his classmates with the same bow and arrow by locking them in the gymnasium. A survivor was bound to a wheelchair for the foreseeable future.
- It's revealed he intentionally chose to the crime before his 16th birthday so he'd be charged as a minor and face a lighter sentence, with him also taking Prozac as a means of using the defense that he wasn't in his right mind.
- His actions ruined Eva's life as she lost her husband and daughter, alongside having her reputation ruined by those who held her responsible for Kevin's actions.
- The possibility of him feeling remorse for his crimes is left far too vague to be redeeming. He only says he doesn't know why he did it, which may have just meant that he didn't think it was worth the punishment.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil[]
- While incredibly twisted, there are several instances that show he genuinely loves his mother.
- The fact that she is the only person he drops his facade around shows he values her enough not to lie to her.
- He genuinely enjoyed her affection when she read him a story while he was sick as a child.
- He was shown looking at her picture at a bookstore when he thought no one was watching.
- He actively chose to spare her life in his massacre, something he stated was done intentionally out of mercy later on.
- He hugged her when she visited him before his transport to Sing Sing Correctional Facility.
- His final scene is played for sympathy as he confides that he’s afraid of going to an adult prison, says he's never been happy in his life, admits he doesn't know why he killed all those people, and hugs Eva.
Trivia[]
- Only the movie version of Kevin is Near Pure Evil as the version from the book is far too much of an ambiguous character, with it questionable if he was the psychopath Eva presented him as or just an insane child who wasn't given the proper care and support from his mother. Unlike his movie counterpart, it's also clear that he feels remorse for his crimes as he apologizes to Eva when she hugs him.
External Links[]
- Kevin Khatchadourian on the Villains Wiki.