The I Am Legend Detail That Has Fans Looking Twice At The Infected

The film seemingly sets up the Darkseekers as the villains, with Neville locking himself in his home at night, listening to the terrifying sounds of them feeding outside his fortified door. He is careful not to enter dark buildings during the day, knowing that is where they sleep to avoid the sun. The film even gives Neville a primary antagonist, via an alpha male (Dash Mihok) who plays a big role in the climax. 

But what if Neville is the villain? 

Reddit user u/J_Schermie posits that the movie gives us all the evidence we need to see that Neville was not only the bad guy, but the infected were afraid of him. Essentially, the Darkseekers have formed their own society, which Neville is so prejudiced against (due to being so connected to the pre-pandemic human society that he lost) that he doesn't realize they're trying to go about their lives, watching him fearfully as he rolls around blaring music and attacking them whenever they cross paths. As the user points out, "After he sets his trap, we see the one infected guy get super-pissed, exposing himself to sunlight just so he can glare at the doctor." Furthermore, based on the Darkseekers observing Neville, they probably knew where his home was the whole time — and only acted aggressively when he took captive the alpha male's lover.

This theory actually makes the movie line up closer to the unforgettable ending of Matheson's book, as pointed out by another Redditor: "Basically he realizes that they're not actually mindless, and that he himself is the monster of the story that's been hunting and killing these people." 

Unlike many internet theories, this hypothesis holds serious weight, and makes the movie far more powerful than it initially seems.