My sense of it isn't that some single individual suddenly appears and embodies evil in the way a movie villain does. When I think about it, it reminds me more of the themes in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, where darkness is always seeking embodiment in the world. But rather than one person, I see it as something that can express itself collectively through humanity.
In the same way that Christ can be understood as opening a channel to love, truth and higher consciousness, the opposing force seems to work through fear, division, materialism, control and disconnection from the heart. I don't think it needs a single body. It can manifest through systems, institutions, technologies, ideologies, and ultimately through each of us whenever we lose touch with our humanity and enter the shaddow.
That's why I think the real work isn't looking for some future villain. It's paying attention to our own consciousness. The more we remain grounded in love, presence, compassion and truth, the less room there is for those forces to act through us. In that sense, the battle isn't against a person but against the tendency within humanity to forget who we are.
Personally, I think whether one views Ahriman as a literal spiritual being, an archetype, or a metaphor, the question remains the same:
How do we stay human in an age of increasing distraction, fear, technological power and polarisation?