For Decades, Nazis Were Hollywood's Ultimate Villains, the Polar Opposites of Any American Hero

A look back at how big-screen marketers embraced fascist foes

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Stories need stakes, something that the protagonist is either trying to make happen or working to avoid happening. Those can be big—think about any of the recent superhero movies where a giant sky laser is threatening to bring down (fill in the blank invading army)—or more personal, involving family, relationships, jobs and the like.

For more than 50 years, Nazis were a good go-to antagonist for movies. Not only were they unquestioningly evil, but the stakes were implied by their presence: World domination, mass extermination of those deemed “undesirable,” and the collapse of the Western world.

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