There are generally two kinds of antagonists. One is the Joker, and the other is the behind-the-scenes manipulator. In many low-level literary works, creators only design the former, an antagonist that embodies many stereotypes.
They are full of bad intentions, not very smart, and try every possible way to cause trouble for the protagonist, ultimately falling into their own trap. Once successful, they become rampant. If things go wrong, they complain about everything, and after being exposed, they start crying and repenting.
Such Joker roles are useful but only suitable for a fleeting appearance, pushing a short storyline, and cannot be used as a major antagonist. Otherwise, a protagonist opposing such a person would seem to lack breadth.
The creation of a major antagonist always follows a principle, which is to shape them as a protagonist.
In their own mind, antagonists do not consider themselves as antagonists. They believe that they are right, or rather, only those who firmly believe they are right can have enough willpower and resilience to carry out a series of schemes by any means necessary to eliminate the protagonist.
The protagonist fights the antagonist to save the world, while the antagonist fights the protagonist also to save the world, except the world they want to save is different.
Take Superman and Luther, for example. Superman wants to save a world where everyone lives harmoniously; Luther wants to save a world without Superman.
Superman believes that all people should coexist peacefully, whether humans and humans or humans and Superman. Whoever does evil, he stops them. But Luther believes that Superman himself is the greatest danger and his existence is unreasonable and should be eliminated.
Their motives are both very reasonable. From their perspectives, this indeed makes sense. However, these motives themselves conflict, which is why they have been enemies for so long.
An excellent standard for rivalries is that if one party is willing to put down their principles, or change certain conditions so that the conflict is not irreconcilable, then the two sides, not only would not be enemies but might even become very good friends.
Saphire is undoubtedly such an antagonist. Setting aside his twisted worldview, whether it's talent, strength, intellect, or demeanor, he is clearly another Supreme Magician. However, the magical realms he and the Supreme Magician want to save are different, making them inevitable enemies.
Such a creation has another benefit: no matter who defeats whom, the audience will not have much to say. Because from the audience's perspective, it's like a battle between a just Supreme Magician and an evil Supreme Magician. No matter who wins, it actually makes sense.
If the evil Supreme Magician wins, it's because he has talent and means. Deviousness is the free pass of the wicked. The Supreme Magician loses to him only because of excessive adherence to the principles of justice, which ironically enhances his tragic heroism.
If the just Supreme Magician wins, it's because most people in the world support justice. Saphire, going against the current, ultimately evil cannot triumph over righteousness. There might even be those who regret for him, imagining what the magical realm would be like if he had won.
And suppose, according to the original setting, Saphire was portrayed as a clown jumping up and down; then if the protagonist won in the end, the audience wouldn't think much of the protagonist, just that it was deserved; and if somehow, he failed, then it'd be a complete collapse of both plot and character setup.
The relationship of equal strength always allows for more room for imagination, greatly enhancing the level of discussion, and also expanding Iphamoni from a children's film into the adult circle. Adults are the main consumer force, especially concerning subsequent consumption and IP operations beyond movie box office revenues, leading to a lasting impact.
About the school doctor, there is little focus in the second installment; instead, the roles of Strange and Wanda have increased. These two play roles similar to a strict father and a nurturing mother in the show, constantly urging the protagonist group to grow stronger.
The main storyline of the second year is the attack on the New York Temple. The first-year vampire invasion had everyone on edge, and with the Temple again under attack, the professors mobilized en masse, with even many senior students involved, resulting in relatively lax internal supervision, and the conflicts between academies became increasingly intense.
Evidently, the protagonists have some adversarial groups within the school. The second year mainly revolves around the relationship between students. Due to the lack of professorial restraints, students begin forming factions, attacking each other, opposing one another, dragging almost everyone into it.
Eventually, a brawl broke out, resulting in student injuries. The protagonists were also involved, even wrongfully accused. The fake dean added fuel to the fire, eager to throw them directly into prison. Fortunately, the protagonists obtained the most crucial evidence through investigation, arguing their case, barely restoring the situation.
Yet, Iphamoni fell into a predicament again. Successive years of turmoil and poor student management led to significant complaints from parents, putting the school at risk of disbandment.
At this time, a fugitive who attacked the New York Temple broke into the academy, taking hostages. In the most critical moment, the protagonist team joined hands with former adversaries to turn the tide, not only resolving the fugitive but also showcasing the students' strength and wisdom, saving the school from disbandment.
Shiller only got part of the script, mostly related to him. He didn't know what happened to the students later, but after watching the initial cut, he understood the director's intention.
In the past scenes with Saphir, Saphir appeared very gentle throughout. But in the first film, the school doctor Elderidge was quite terrifying. Chris blurred Saphir's face with camera language, making it difficult for the audience to guess that they were the same person.
However, the audience knows it's the same Supreme Magician, yet in Saphir's story, he is profound and wise; in the modern children's storyline, he is gullible and incompetent. This contrast makes the audience suspect whether the Supreme Magician shown in both segments is the same person.
In other words, Chris cleverly used Saphir's past scenes to play a narrative trick, making people think Saphir couldn't be the school doctor, thus planting a seed of doubt that made people question if the Supreme Magician had been swapped.
No wonder he wanted to put Saphir's past scenes at the beginning. During the first part, the principal didn't have much screen time, so people didn't really know what kind of person the Supreme Magician was.
The opening segment shows the Supreme Magician's suspicion towards Saphir, and Saphir's subsequent actions confirm his wisdom, raising the audience's admiration for the Supreme Magician.
Yet, it didn't last long; during the brawl incident, his partial behavior and reckless punishment of students made the audience doubt: would the wise Supreme Magician really do such foolish things?
Sure enough, after the movie was released, countless viewers started speculating whether the Supreme Magician had been swapped, and whether the one currently in the school, causing chaos, was fake, especially since a grown mage managed to infiltrate the school and hold hostages.
However, due to Shiller's excellent performances in both plays, no one has guessed that the school doctor is suspicious. It can only be said that dissociative identity disorder indeed works; although it's the same person, they appear in two completely different ways, and no one suspects him.
Many viewers regret the school doctor not appearing much in this part, but Wanda has gained countless fans. Amidst the chaos, he consistently protects the students and trusts the protagonist group to not be the culprits. During the hostage situation, he even stands up, willing to replace the hostages and rescue the students.
While filming this part, Wanda was never quite in character. It wasn't that he didn't love the students or lacked a sense of sacrifice; rather, facing the perpetrator with students in their grasp, he had to use all his willpower to refrain from slapping them to death.
And just when he got into character, watching Wanda perform with deep emotion to persuade the kidnaper to exchange hostages, those who know her couldn't hold back: "Are you saying you want to warn the Scarlet Witch by holding her neck to behave well?"
Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Thankfully, the actor playing the kidnapper didn't know the Scarlet Witch's true nature. Faced with the anxious Wanda, he acted quite convincingly fierce. If Big Shadow had played him, surrendering would be the least he would do.
Apart from the tense and exciting battles, there were naturally some touching and comedic parts, and these were taken on by the Hippo Goddess. When the first part aired, most people thought the Hippo Goddess was an effect until she appeared in the behind-the-scenes promotions, and people learned she was actually real.
The Hippo Goddess's performance in the movie wasn't much acting either. Chris even shot many clips of her caring for the young actors on set and directly included them in the final cut, and no one thought it was inappropriate.
Of course, in this part, the Hippo Goddess also accumulated several classic scenes, such as the part where she sadly ate a watermelon after hearing that Iphamoni would dissolve, just like a real hippo eating a watermelon. Crying while devouring a whole watermelon in one bite made people laugh heartily.
The other professors had some screen presence, but not much. The brawl incident allowed viewers to see the professors' stances: most care for the students, a very few are protecting their own interests, clearly setting the stage for the final showdown.
Billy also got a cameo role, which involved him delivering an elbow blow to one of the protagonists during the brawl and almost striking a professor with lightning—a clumsy senior student.
Billy was very pleased with this role as it allowed him to interact with the protagonists. He even had a lengthy scene with one of them, and he summoned the lightning himself, using stored divine power.
Billy practiced for a long time to summon this lightning. Usually, he can only use superpowers in his Shazam state; in the body of a child, he can't use any powers.
However, a hospital had previously diagnosed that if he continued switching to adult form, it might affect the development of his child body. Recently, Billy has been trying to avoid switching to Shazam, but he doesn't want to give up superpowers, so he constantly practices using superpowers in his child's body.
Before, with no urgent need, he practiced casually. But to be in the movie and interact with the protagonist group, he really practiced eagerly day and night. His hard work paid off, and he ultimately succeeded.