[ WP ] A supervillain takes over the world . Inexplicably , the quality of life improves .

I was homeless, you know. Like so many others, it was a vicious spiral of drug addiction, no education, and despair. That was all Pre-Morentower, of course: now that he's running things, there is no more homelessness. And addicts are given the help they need, not shunned. 
 
 I used to sleep in an alley near Midtown right near where there was a vent from a restaurant. It would keep me warm, and somehow it felt like the *scent* of food made the hunger pangs just a little bit better. Like I could somehow trick my body into thinking that it had eaten if I could just overwhelm my sense of smell. During the day, I'd park myself in front of one particular high rise that had a fat, lazy security guard who did n't care enough to chase me away. I'd hold my sign in front of me and watch the stream of businessmen enter and exit all day. The few that noticed me tended to sneer in disgust. It's funny, because *now* when I walk past, I get smiles and waves. We're still the same people, but wearing different clothes. Maybe it's because people just seem *happier* now. 
 
 The greatest day of my life before Duke Morentower took over was the time that I saw The Condor. For one second, it was like those businessmen and I were on the same team. We stood together in the middle of a thunderstorm, craning our necks at the sky and [ watching the battle between the Condor's triplane and the Duke's Zeppelin ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/2l5vum/wp_heroes_and_villains_are_paid_by_the_hour_with/clrsiia ). None of us said a word to each other, but we all cheered on the Condor together. And when Duke Morentower's airship finally plunged out of the sky in a plume of billowing black smoke, we all cheered till our throats were hoarse. The clouds parted in an instant like God himself had blessed the outcome of this battle. One of the businessmen even wrapped me up in a big joyous hug, not even caring that my filthy rags were pressed up against his fine Armani suit. 
 
 And then the moment was over. The smoke cleared, the guns quieted... and we were back to our normal lives. The businessmen remembered that I was a subhuman worm not even worth sparing a momentary glance from their newspaper, much less the extra change rattling around their pockets. Despite the Condor's victory, nothing changed. Nothing got better. The hero was n't on my side; he was fighting to maintain the status quo. So why had I cheered for him? 
 
 I wish I could go back in time and tell myself what I know now. That the Condor was just a standard bearer for everything that was wrong with this city. He upheld the corrupt and defended the rich in their never-ending crusade against the defenseless. Duke Morentower was the only one with a plan to actually make the city better. He gave me a job, which allowed *me* to get a home and a life. *The Condor* was the real villain. 
 
 If I ever see him again, I wo n't be cheering. I'd like to spit in the bastard's face. 
 
 -- -- - 
 
 This story is a sequel/alternate viewpoint to [ this story from the hero's perspective about dealing with his own defeat ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/3taisr/wp_the_villain_wins_and_everything_is_better/cx4idvj ). 

