That is a very interesting question.

But to go deeper into this question we may have to ask us : What is a villian exactly?

I think when someone mentions the role “villian” we mostly think of an evil character who just wants to hurt because they can. But there is also a lot of media which handles this role more complex and more realistic. In the manga and anime series Naruto for example we will meet a lot of people who got put into this role. There is on organisation named Akatsuki who is known for killing people, destroying lives and all things a typical villian might do. But with time readers and watchers will find out that the members of this organisation also have a past, their dreams and hopes. They have a different kind of seing the world based on their own experiences and formed believes. And with even more time we as an audience can start to understand that they are not only “evil”. They are just another side of this world. And when we take this into the real world I think that is the same.

There are positions and opposide positions. There is always a “villian” in our own story book.

“Why do villains exist in media and real life?” I think there is no easy way to answer this questions. I am also just one of many people sharing my thoughts. Maybe there are no villians at all and it is just a point of view.