How to Create the Perfect Villain
The key to creating the perfect villain is to not create a villain at all. It really is that simple. I know most people have not read my book, and nobody has read my entire series, but if there’s one thing I can say about this passion project of mine, it's that I’ve created a very compelling ‘villain’. I think my self-perceived success in creating this character lies in one simple reality – I stopped trying to make him a villain. I relinquished the need to make him evil or nefarious and just let his actions speak for themselves. Sometimes his role as the villain seems obvious, other times it feels less cut and dry, and my entire story is better because of it.
So, if someone were to ask me how to create a good villain, I would implore them not to create a needlessly evil mongrel, twisting his mustache by the train tracks. Instead, create an antagonist whose personal journey inherently thwarts your main character’s own objective(s) in a way that creates meaningful conflict. I think this subtle shift in mindset creates a wayyyy more compelling story. Personally, I’m tired of the Saurons with their evil eyes, or the emperors with their blind lust for power, because let’s be real, most people, even the worst among us, were not just born bad. The path to the dark side is often laced in tragedy, and boy do I love to write a good tragedy.
Honestly, I think most movies and books don’t do a very good job of creating nuanced villains. One may argue this point in light of the ‘humanizing the villain stories’ that have gained popularity in recent years. I’m talking about stories like Wicked or Maleficent. There is an attempt to humanize, and tell the story of a character that was once considered purely, irredeemably evil. While the attempt is noble, there’s one fatal flaw in all of these stories, cheapening them significantly. When we see Elphaba or Maleficent’s side of things, another character simply takes their place as the villain, blindly twisting their mustache while lightening crackles in the background. These stories don’t get rid of the ‘villain’ trope, they simply replace it with another villain, repeating the cycle – boring. I’m going to protest if we ever get Morrible the Musical!
I don’t write this way. I don’t think I could ever write this way. To anyone reading my books, now is just as good a time as any to make the declaration that I don’t do villains. I simply write about people. People who are flawed. People who have their own compelling backstories. People who may commit wicked deeds, but their motivations are always carefully thought out and eventually revealed, and no, the motivation is never a primordial temper-tantrum over wanting more power. I think this makes stories so much more compelling than dark rebels without causes. If by the end of my book(s) the reader doesn’t quite know who to route for, I’ve done my job.
Maybe that’s why I liked Attack on Titan so much. You can critique almost every character. You can criticise the heinous acts they commit, but you can never say you didn’t understand where they’re coming from. Despite your disapproval, you’re forced to empathize. I suppose that’s what I want to accomplish in my own writing. Whether you agree with my antagonists or not, you’ll always know where they’re coming from by the end of the story, and that is what good storytelling is all about. In my opinion, of course.