 Montalbán said in promotional interviews for the film he realized early on in his career that a good villain does not see himself as villainous . The villain may do villainous things , but he feels that he is doing them for righteous reasons . Montalbán further stated he always tried to find a flaw in the character , as no one is completely good or completely evil ; while Khan had a rather distorted view of reality and therefore performed acts of evil , he still felt that his vengeance was a noble cause because of the death of his wife . Khan quotes the character of Ahab from Moby @-@ Dick throughout the film , driving home his lust to make Kirk pay for the wrongs he has inflicted upon him . 
