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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40490
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40490
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'll try to answer your question:

> Will computer virus characters tend to act like over-the-top villains? Is this the most likely way for them to act? With reasoning or not?

Eh, no. There is no reason for _every_ "viral" character to behave like the "Swayzak" you are referring too. I understand you like the character and the archetype, but that's all there is to it. The evil AI has been done already _ad nauseam_, but there is no reason why it should stick to the "over the top, one dimensional, chaotic villain".

Other media have portrayed evil virus-like AI differently (e.g., Agent Smith in the Matrix or Ultron in Avengers 2, even if I would not take the latter as a good example).

As CortAmmon mentions in the comments, "evilness" may rather stem from the lack of a moral compass, rather than a sentient choice of evil over good. Another widely used trope is being evil due to "an excess of logic".

In the end, we're still in fiction. You can characterize your character however you like, if you are consistent about it. It's fine if you want to keep characterizing your virus that way, but I'd ask myself: if he does it for "fun", what is his definition of fun? It would be nice to see an evil AI who does it for a innate sense of curiosity (e.g. "I want to see people react to bad things") rather than for being evil per-se.

Original score: 1