Has it been confirmed that Makuta is behind this? Both Ekimu and Makuta were asleep to my knowledge. Makuta could just be a red herring for old fans to keep the (hypothetical) real villain a surprise.
True, but even in HF most sets are designed to look either heroic or evil and shed light into their character.
Most media use many design cues that the audience either consciously or subconsciously pick up to inform them about the character. For instance, if a character has big, wide eyes it implies innocence. Characters with sharp, angular eyes imply sinister intent.