Touched by the hand of God

You know what I'm sick of? Villains that aspire to godhood. I've seen plenty of them in JRPGs - the Final Fantasy series being a frequent offender - but the same could be said for movies, TV, and books. It's something that I've heard so many times that now it comes across as being run into the ground. Granted in gaming terms it does raise the stakes quite considerably with the villain seeking the infinite, universe-shaping, powers of a divine entity but the 'villain-seeking-godhood' has been so many times it seems more like an endorsement for secularism. Or worse, a lazy writer doing a half-arsed job.

But despite my grumbling, I still think there is an idea there. As stated above, it does raise the stakes for the player for a mortal man to defeat an immortal is certainly an incredible achievement (just ask Kratos). However, if that is the case then balance must be determined - in the form of the villain's task to achieve godhood being a grueling undertaking in itself. You never see a villain do such a thing don't you? You never see the lengths the villain goes to in their quest and with such a goal one can assume said quest will never be easy. Okay so maybe Kratos could be an exception but it should be noted he wasn't actively seeking godhood - he just happened to replace the guy he bumped off.
How come you never see the lengths the villain goes to secure his goal of godhood? Previous experience shows such villains are either dismissed as just being bonkers or seeing divine ascension as a way to a) exorcise some childhood resent and/or b) get revenge one some prick. However, with the right thought behind it, the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope could be made to work. It is, after all, the story of a person of a humble background doing something that ultimately changes the world around them in a major way. And those stories will never get old - because if it's not Jesus Christ then it's Luke Skywalker. Or G'Kar. Or Harry Potter. Or Twilight Sparkle.

That being said if I were to write a villain based on the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope what would I do? Well, I would do an extensive exploration of his motivation. Not the tried and tested motives explained above - no my 'villain-seeking-godhood' would be someone who would use it to justify their existence. He/She would be leading an empty life and, upon seeing the adulation lauded on the heroes figures around them, concludes that such adulation would suit them very well - and give their life meaning. So believing that divine ascension is goal worth fighting for, they set out to get it. 

That's what I'd do and that's what I believe the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope needs to get some life back into it - and hey, the further the villain movies away from the Chaotic Evil alignment the better.
But I still think people won't buy it - at least in a gaming sense. After all, why would anyone play a game where they have to fight a villain who is doing what they do in an attempt to find meaning in an empty life?