That reminds me very strongly of the way that the Gnostics saw the Serpent as the savior -- the one who brings the knowledge that frees us from the mental slavery of the demiurge and the other archons.

If the Gnostics were right, then Justin was seeing the same evil forces of global domination as they were. But he misunderstood its source, since he could not see the creator as evil. In his mind, the interlopers were evil -- which is where (the Gnostic viewpoint would say) he got it wrong.