>>283254693
I disagree. Authors don't write evil characters with redeeming traits so people can like them without worrying about it. They have redeeming traits to make them different from other villains who are straightforwardly evil. It's variety. Plenty of plainly and simply evil characters are well loved by fans of the series they are in. Evil characters are often fun because they are evil, not in spite of it. You can find both kinds of characters that are popular; tragic backstory evil characters and pure evil characters.
Part of what makes Sommers so fun isn't just that he's a retard. It's that he's evil and loves the fact he's so evil. He thinks about it artistically and poetically. That's what gives him a fun trollish vibe. Characters with a tragic backstory are really interesting in a series where every other villain is pure evil, and characters who are pure evil are really interesting in a series where every other character has a tragic backstory (this is why I like Jagi from Hokuto no Ken so much).