forum What makes a good villain?

Started February 10, 2018 by @itsnamira

tune

I'd like to know your thoughts on this.

A well rounded story and personality. Definitely don't make a static villian, it ruins the whole thing. For instance, what happened to them that was so bad that it makes them this way? Did they have no choice in the matter? My favorite books are the ones with good villains. Sarcastic humor doesn't hurt, either.

I think one thing that makes a good villain is having them do whatever it takes to reach their goal. If they are truly evil to let them be evil, not bad and break the law evil, but truly evil.

@KaceyMarie I agree. Their stories and motivations are extremely important to the character. I also really love sarcastic humored villains, or just any villain with a sense of humor. I like to think that it gives a little humanity to them.

@BookNerd interesting. And how would you define 'truly evil'?

I always find irony as a good way to write for the villain. Like let the reader know that the person is evil but leave the book characters in the dark. Because the worst villains are the people closest to us. Because they are the ones that can hurt us the most.

I recently read a Stephen King book and the villain wanted power over multiple universes or dimensions I can't remember exactly, but he was willing to destroy anything and anyone, including his own son. He also had one of his henchmen run a place that tortured teen boys so he could rise to power, and was willing to kill an innocent child to get what he wanted. I don't know, I guess when the villain has a goal in mind and goes for it no matter the pain they'll be inflicting, especially if they know before going into it, makes them evil to me.

I don't really have a "villain" in my story, which involves war and politics mostly. The people that you could say are the villain are those who believe that the ends justify the means.

Is that the dark tower stephen king one? Or just another book?

I think truly evil is anyone who's willing to set aside human life to get what the want, which is the most precious thing that's ever existed. To kill a person is to kill an opportunity at peace.

I think that what makes the best villains, is them being really, irredeemably evil. As in, they don't have a reason for being bad, they just are for no reason, they won't stop, and they won't change. Ruthlessness makes the best villains. They'll sacrifice anyone to get their goals. Make it to where the hero has no choice but to waste them.

@shurikenwolfbadass_13 I'd have to disagree with you on that first part. Having a villain just for the point of having a villain is not good. Its pointless. There are plenty of villains in movies and books are evil just for the point of being evil and being a inconvenience to the main character. And like I said, that is completely pointless and it just ruins the whole story. Its kind of like taking an apple out of the fridge and hoping that your dog will come and put it back for you lol. The apple is the villain and the dog is the main character, or the hero. You had absolutely no reason for taking that apple out of the fridge other than to make your dog slow down and try and put it back for you so hes late to dinner. Your character will strive for power, money, fame, revenge, etc. If you want your character to seem three dimensional you must give them a motivation for this desire of power. This motivation might derive from personal trauma and resulting in bias.

I think a way to make a good villain is to make them good and evil if that makes sense. Of course they can be deceiving and manipulative or whatever, but make them have some good traits too! Maybe they are an extremely loyal friend. Maybe they are super loving of their family. Maybe they are strong and courageous.
Make them relatable. Doing so will not only give your readers a connection with the villain, which you want so when the villain does something bad it will break their heart, but it will also make you villain seem more 'human' in a way. You want your villain to seem human in some way so your readers will understand your hero's struggle with them.
Of course, your villain has to believe what they are doing is good. Just like Adolf Hitler, he believed that what he was doing was honestly the best thing for everyone. But, everyone else knew that it was wrong. Your villain might have a moment where they go 'oh man, what am I doing?' and they realize that their evilness isn't exactly whats good; but the'll keep going forward and striving for their power anyways.
Another thing, avoid stereotypical villains and dialogue. Try and doge things like 'Well we meet again, xxx.' Or 'Did you really think you could defeat me?' etc. etc. etc…
That is all I could think of at the moment. But good luck with your villain and hope I helped!

I can see tyhst. But look at Freeza from DBZ.

My boi Frieza is one of the most successful villains ever, he's cruel, callous, ruthless, and immature, furthermore, he has no reason for what he says or does, and he's irredeemably evil, and more importantly campy as hell. But he's somehow unique in the fact that he's so generic.

But he's not even the best villain in my opinion. Lucifer from Supernatural takes it for sure, because he's so complex, and you like him even though you know you shouldn't (just like Frieza), he's a badass, and he's not at all what you were expecting when you thought of Satan, and he defies your expectations every single time!

If every villain was as complex, unique, justified, and semi-insane as Luci, well you get the picture. That's how you make a villain.