What makes great villains

We learn their history, and the whole perspective changes. There are many ways in which a villain can stand out from the crowd, and a truly great one will often do so in more than one. Memorable villains stand out not only by their actions and principles, but by the fact that they have unique goals and a unique ability to reach those goals.

They can either be hyper-intelligent, hyper-resourceful, hyper-focused, or simply set themselves apart by way of not adhering to the same rules everyone else respects. They have highly peculiar tastes and particular speech patterns. All these unique elements combine to make them unforgettable. Check out this clip of Hannibal from The Silence of The Lambs and ask yourself this: could it, from the first three words, have been anyone else talking?

Well, the next step is to look at how they integrate into your plot. One major, but easy thing you can do to ensure that your villain has impact is to let them win. Some writers go as far as to say that they should almost always come out victorious, but that depends on your plot structure and hero.

Check out this excellent Thanos scene from Avengers Infinity War that blew fans away; a win that nobody saw coming. Possibly the hardest item on the list, a great villain needs to be able to make us jump out of our seats. Predictability is the bane of excitement, as well as counterproductive to giving your hero dynamic challenges to overcome. Surprises can come in many forms, from unexpected coups to moments of kindness and humanity.

Sometimes, the simplest knee-jerk reactions are what will have your audience gasping. And their magnetism comes from the emotional power they have over you. Explore that feeling, and use it.

A good villain will make it almost impossible for your hero to win. In fact, at the beginning of the story, it should be obvious that your hero doesn't have a hope's chance in hell. A powerful villain will keep the stakes as high as possible.

They will be so powerful that there is only the slightest, most infinitesimal crack in their armor that a hero might exploit… if the hero can grow strong enough. And remember, power does not have to mean physical strength.

Here are some areas your villain can stack up:. One strategy here is to give your Hero a new villain at each stage of their life. This works best if you want your hero to drive the story, and you need to give them time to grow.

Here's an example:. Act 1: At home, Harry suffers under the reign of his tyrannical-but-lazy Uncle Vernon. Vernon is by far the least intelligent villain Harry faces. He uses his brute strength and authority to abuse Harry. Snape is similar to Vernon in that he dramatically outranks Harry, but Snape is also an insidiously clever opponent - and uses his sharp tongue to cut Harry down.

Act 3: At the end of the 3rd act, Harry uncovers the true villain - the supremely powerful Lord Voldemort. Even in his weakened state, Voldemort is power and fear incarnate. This allows us to watch Harry grow, and gives him ample time to realistically gain the wisdom he needs to defeat his foes. Anakin tried to rationalize this as an act of good, but knowing deep down that he had crossed an uncrossable line, this broken limit caused him to sink deeper into his unhinged misery.

In another example, Hannibal Lecter had a strict moral code centered around a perceived notion of "civility. Situations ripe with conflict will happen at the razor-thin boundary of your villain's moral code. One of my favorite examples is this scene from No Country for Old Men:. These two threads represent your hero and your villain.

You can decide which is which, it almost doesn't matter, because both characters share the same fate When one pulls on their thread, the other must pull back , or lose. How do you create this thread in the first place? At some point, the two characters will have to cross paths - and when that happens, only one will emerge, victorious. Clarice needs Hannibal's help to capture a different serial killer.

Her motivation is clear: bring Buffalo Bill to justice. At first, it appears they can help each other: Clarice can give Hannibal increasing amounts of freedom without letting him free , and Hannibal can help Clarice find the killer Hannibal uses Clarice's blindspots to escape, which means that even though Buffalo Bill is dead, a far more dangerous villain is on the loose. Every villain must have a journey - brimming with narrow victories and devastating defeats.

Their status should change throughout this journey, and when this does, your audience will expect them to move in specific directions. Use this golden opportunity to keep them guessing. It's all about agency - a character's ability to act. As long as your villain is actively making choices , they get to make dangerously unpredictable choices. And they should. In some cases, the story starts when your villain has already begun the final phase of their "grand plan. And from Star Wars , Emperor Palpatine has already taken over the galaxy and is so close to crushing the Rebel Alliance.

Both Voldemort and Palpatine bear literal scars from their journey. It's the reason why, from the moment they step onto the scene, we fear them - and want them to lose.

For more on this subject, I want to strongly suggest K. You need to be familiar with their way of thinking, their emotions, their culture. How do they view death and pain? These are all viable elements and catalysts in a story, but lack the ability to intentionally act against the protagonist.

If one of these are what your protagonist fights against, try to personify the core of the struggle in a character. Instead of the destruction of war, try a battle-driven general with a few lax morals. While facing a situation or external antagonist, they may struggle with a decision: emotional, intellectual or moral.

What can hinder a protagonist from taking action or making a decision is different for every character. Generally, the protagonist is the first character you develop, so go back to your notes to look for their weaknesses and flaws. Overconfidence in their abilities could lead to a lot of trouble, and good qualities can lead to challenges if they go too far.

Taken to an extreme, that strength can become a weakness. Is loyalty always the best path to follow? Is it really okay to sacrifice one life to save many? Self-doubt is another prevalent internal antagonist in fiction and real life. Having an external villain while the hero deals with an internal one really keeps a story moving forward.

The external villain may not have anything in common with the inner one, or they may draw attention to it. Readers relate to characters who have internal conflicts as well as external conflicts. Internal villains can be symbolised in an external one to great effect. By defining your villain, you have to be careful of not implying generalisations about others within the same gender, environment, race, and so on.

A current prickly but progressive choice is a queer villain—but it can be done well! The first way to avoid generalisations is for the villain to clearly separate themselves as an individual, acting without the support of others. This can be done through dialogue or actions of either the villain or others from the same people group.

We stand apart. This is a successful technique, but may not work in all occasions such as historical novels. Sometimes the key is going to be counterbalance… note that most police procedural shows on television have multi-ethnic casts both in and out of the squad room. Harry Potter does this well; there are both good and bad pure blood witches, muggles and half-bloods. Try to avoid minorities or disadvantaged groups in general. First, think carefully about whether such an antagonist is necessary for your story.

If it is, make sure to use one of the methods to avoid generalisation. In The Lord of the Rings the orcs are seen to be horrible and evil, as a whole. Shoot me? I pull the trigger. Let the consequences come, whatever they may be.

Thank you for reading the blog and sharing this question. I just absolutely adored his traits and the mysterious evil aura about him, the extent of his power. I want to create a villain something like that, but neither do I want to lift qualities straight out of him.

Hi there, thank you for sharing your challenge. That sounds an interesting type of villain. For example, do they have close allies who share their agenda, or are they merely charismatic and able to intimidate or sway people? Your email address will not be published.

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I love that, Tammy. Shades of Pratchett. Now i want to read that ovelord book.