Since the earliest fairy tales, few characters have struck fear in the hearts of children like the Wicked Stepmother. She’s the definitive evil woman—someone who perverts the “greater good” of motherhood by invading a child’s family, usually for her own selfish ends. Here’s our Take on the Wicked Stepmother and where she comes from, the psychological roots of our mistrust toward stepparents, and whether she’ll ever be allowed to be part of the family.