Villains. Some are dark lords bent on dominion of a world (Sauron) while others set their sights on destroying many worlds (Darth Vader). Some want a million … err.. billion dollars (Dr. Evil), and some desire only mayhem and chaos (the Joker). But one thing remains constant: Every great story has a great villain. Or at least, I think they should. So let’s talk villains.

There are numerous ways to categorize villains, and that’s not what I want to explore today. For this post, let’s get personal. Writers often have the perfect villain in their mind when they begin to write. How and why we come to that decision — our perfect villain — is probably based on several factors. What works best for the story? How do we see (or want to see) evil? Is there a redemption arc? Perhaps the entire story is told from the villain’s point of view (think The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis or modern TV like The Sopranos).

Here’s my perfect villain, and why:

A villain you love to hate.

That’s right. I want a villain the reader will despise. I want there to be a visceral reaction to a villain. And I want that reaction to be revulsion. Hate. Loathing. I want the reader to seethe with anger whenever the villain makes an appearance, to the point where they see red.

I do not ascribe to the belief that hate is the opposite of love. (Apathy is the opposite of love.) Both love and hate are strong emotions. Both cause us, as humans, to react. They stir something deep within us, and compel us to action. Oftentimes, that action is reckless. Think about the hero who embarks on an impossible quest to prove their love. In the same vein, think about the hero who rushes into an impossible battle to destroy an enemy they hate. One has to care in order to hate. Hence, hate is much closer to love than many of us want to believe.

But in order to truly, deeply hate (just as in order to truly love) one must have an understanding of a person. This means that villains cannot be one-dimensional. A reader must understand their motivations. Readers don’t have to agree with the reasons villains do what they do. But villains must have a reason for their villainous activity.

Think of the villain you love to hate the most. I bet you know their backstory, why they are doing that they do, and there is a part of you who understands why they are doing it. Because one-dimensional characters may be awful… but cannot truly, deeply hate them. We can only do that when we know the why behind their actions.

Irredeemable

I love villains who are beyond redemption. I don’t want the villain to realize their evil-ness and come around to the viewpoint of the hero. Remember: I want a villain I love to hate. And I can’t hate someone who abandons their villainy.

And for me, I can’t even respect a villain like that. If you get to the point of being a villain, only to change your mind on a whim, you have no backbone. No scruples. No belief in what you are doing. I want a villain who is in so deep — who believes so thoroughly in what they are doing — that no hero can convince them otherwise. To be, that’s much more realistic than a villain who can be redeemed through the actions of or a conversation with a hero.

This is not to say I am against redemption arcs. I love a good redemption arc. But for me, it is those around villains who can be redeemed. They are a bit removed from the evil, and they have the chance to see the error of their ways. That, to me, is a WAY more interesting story. Make the villain committed to her/his/their goals. After all, most great people have an incredible amount of focus and determination. And they will not be deterred.

So bring on the redemption. But not the Big Bad. That person must remain unredeemable.

Self-Righteous

Good villains don’t think they are villains. The best villains think they are the hero.

Take Thanos in the MCU. Sure, he wants to destroy half the life in the universe. But he has a reason. In his mind, he is doing good. He is saving the universe through his actions of destroying half of it.

And he will not be dismayed. Not by Captain America, nor Iron Man, nor every Avenger in the universe. He believes in his cause down to his core. In his mind, he is the greatest hero in the universe, and folks like the Avengers simply don’t understand the necessity of his goal. From the Thanos perspective, he is the underdog hero fighting against a team of villains who are determined to foil his attempt to save the universe.

That’s a great villain. You understand him. He’s unredeemable. And he’s self-rightesous. How can you not hate him? And how can you not love to hate him?

What’s your perfect villain? Let me know in the comments!