How to Write Villains like an Evil Mastermind!
Transcript:
*singing* Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?
*evil laughter* Evil, yes...
So recently I was listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, as one does, when my brother mentioned that he liked how relatable Burr was. Though Burr is technically the villain of the story, he has believable motivations. He isn't bad just for the sake of being bad.
In fact, I'd argue that he's not bad at all. He just made a mistake.
Hamilton and Burr are similar in many ways, several which the musical makes direct parallels to. Anyways, this got me thinking on how important it is to love your villain.
An antagonist that is relatable to your protagonist is one of the marks of a good story.
Especially in genre stories it is very easy to make your villain seem larger than life. A tragic backstory isn't enough to excuse your characters actions. In the timeless words of Jake Peralta: “Cool motive, still murder.”
Your villain must have reasonable flaws and understandable motives. They should be similar to your main character in some aspect, and most importantly, they should want the same thing.
“Ehh, Lily,” you say, “but villains always want the opposite thing!”
But do they?
Let's look at some notable villains: For example, Voldemort. Yeah, it can be argued—well, no, it's true—that Voldemort is fighting for the destruction of all muggle borns and the enslavement of both the Wizarding and muggle races, but what he's really fighting for is a world that fits his standards.
They're terrible ideals and he should seek therapy, but that's what he wants.
And that is sort of what Harry is fighting for, it’s just that he has different standards. Much, much different standards. They are similar in many other ways, too many to list here actually, but for example: broken homes and lonely childhoods.
Another great example is Nick and Amy from Gone Girl. Neither one of them is an A+ person, but they sort of complement each other in a sick and twisted sort of way.
Think seriously about that do-or-die moment when you character thinks, “If I do this, am I just like them?”
The answer should be,“Yeah, a little bit.”
You shouldn't hate your villain. If you feel seething rage every time you write them your reader probably will too, but will that push them finish through or will it tire them out?
A reader can escape whenever they want to.
They can hate the villain, but they must also want your hero to win.
This is not just a technique to sympathize with your antagonist, but to make them believable. If your villain is too cartoony, the suspense will bleed right out of your story. Likewise, if your main character is too perfect, nothing will ever truly be in their way.
Remember that a villain is a hero in their own story.
They believe they are doing the right thing. How is your hero the villain in their eyes? What are their motivations? What leads them to think that way?
Who is your favorite villain? Let me know below.
Do you have any good examples? Go for it! I wanna know!
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*evil laughter*
Now I'm off to do perfectly hero-esqe, non-villainy things. I will see you soon. Bye.
