here is one of the rails i follow away from this logic line. badges. the OP mentioned badges. IF you are a BADGER.... you can kiss your sweet innocence goodbye. Or, if a villain, get ready to save the world. A few times. No BADGER, no true BADGER is alignment true.
and... just like Bank badges the DEVs would be pestered into setting up ways to get these badges if passed over. They even finally fixed old Pither.
So, badges for not killing people, or pretending to be a good guy while selling nuclear dirty bombs to Freakshow, whatever....
Then everyone is like "I dont want to be a Lackey" "My villain would never do that" "I only drain the drugg addled homeless when i'm starving" - wait, that last one may just be me. Anyways, NO ONE FORCES A VILLAIN TO DO ANYTHING. You can street hunt to 50 and only do the arc where you hand Recluse his head if you want. Or dont do that.
Or... You can start in the ZIG, breakout, and run every single RED story arc, stopping experience to do so. Get to know the Isles. You are going to be a Destined One baby!