Dr. Fisher’s explanation points to why so many villainous characters consistently have impeccable jawlines (including some animated villains, like Lord Farquadd, who has arguably one of the most defined jaws and chins in all the land). A razor sharp jaw exudes many stereotypically masculine qualities: Aggression, power, dominance, drive, confidence, vitality and a competitive spirit, all of which go into crafting the perfect villain.

According to plastic surgeon Barry Weintraub, when the camera is able to capture these features under the perfect lighting, it’s impossible to deny the power they exude. “If you look at that person from the side, it’s a series of S’s,” Weintraub says. “You’re out at the forehead, in at the temple, out at the cheekbone, in at mid-face, out at the jawline and in at the neck. As a result, when the camera catches facial features of that nature, they are very, very strong.”

These features act like a double edged sword (because, you know, they’re sharp). They’re intimidating and intriguing at the same time. You know these characters are bad, dangerous and even murderous, but the appeal of being sliced by their jaw is often too tempting to dismiss.

“The strong jawline is associated with alpha males,” says Professor Frankie Bailey of the University at Albany’s School of Criminal Justice. “[These are] men who are going to be the leaders, who are going to take charge, who are going to go out and face danger.” Or, in this case, they’re the ones who devise said danger.

A strong jawline, according to Bailey, also informs viewers that this character is a good thinker and has a solid head on his shoulders. After all, devising a plan to kill three members of your crush’s family and get away with it requires good planning and thinking. Anyone can be a villain, but those with powerful jaws seem to be the most successful.

How, though, do we as the audience perceive these characters differently because of their genetically manufactured facial features? According to Jean Haner, an expert in Chinese face reading, the structural features of a man’s face tell us a lot about their personality, their past and their inner workings. The 3,000 year old Chinese practice began as a way for doctors to assess a patient’s health through the physical features of their face. As time went on, they began to notice how these facial features also played a role in their patient’s personality, as well as thought and action-making processes.

Haner points to strong jaws as being a sign of a forceful drive and commanding spirit, mentioning how they may be sexually stimulating and appealing, sublimily making the viewer fall in love with the bad guy. When shown photos of Vogel, Haner says that his jaw—along with the lines on his forehead, which in face reading point to a troubling experience from his 20s—is clearly one of a villain, adding, “When people have a really strong jawline, if you look at their temples, the hairline often juts in at the temples as [Vogel’s] does. That’s an extra sign of a bad boy: A sign of a rebel.”

Haner pointed to Vogel’s beard, an added layer of traditional masculinity that helps to make a defined jawline even more prominent. “If a man grows a beard on top of his jaw line, it increases the strength of that message, so it actually benefits him to have a beard.”

Haner also reviewed the jawlines and facial features of some other notable villains: Penn Badgley of You, for instance, has one of the most pronounced jawlines in Hollywood. Haner explained that “this is someone who has a lot of drive...a lot of testostoerone, a lot of sex drive, but also the emotional depth,” which is true about Badgley’s character on the show (as well as his character in Gossip Girl who, depending on who you ask, is also a villain).