Yes, Columbus discovered America, but do you know how many deaths and how much destruction it cost? Columbus went to explore the ocean and he found a new continent, North America. He was actually looking for India and its gold but found a different place. Exploration of North America brought so many bad things to people. All of those things happened because of Columbus. It makes one want to say that Columbus is a villain.
First thing that makes Columbus a "bad guy" is lying. Columbus lied to the queen about the explored island. He said that there's a lot of gold and spices, and people there would share anything with anyone. Columbus also lied that he reached Asia, which was his destination spot. He said all those things to make the queen believe that he's a good man and to save himself from the death. This doesn't only make him a liar but it also makes him selfish.

Another interesting fact about Columbus being a villain is that he deculturalized people. When Columbus met Arawak Indians in North America, he wanted to make them just like Europeans. He was trying to make them all Christian. He was also giving women less power and less rights, and women had to work at fields and men had to work on deadly mines. A lot of people were protesting but if they protested, they were getting killed. That's another thing that makes Columbus a villain.

The last but the worst thing that Columbus did to gain a "bad character" name is genocide. When Columbus went to America second time, he brought a lot of Indians (Native Americans) back with him to make them slaves to work for his queen. A lot of people died on the way to Columbus's country, and others were dying because they worked hard as slaves in mines and fields, which was hard and dangerous. And that's the third reason to call Columbus a "bad guy" of the story.

Columbus wasn't that much of a hero, as many people would