Heroes and Villains
Day 3 of me blogging about character development this week! A question that came up on Twitter was how to write a good villain or a good antagonist. I’m always interested in villains; I generally love them more than I like the protagonist, but this is probably because I have a not-so-secret desire to be an Evil Genius™.
Snidely Whiplash
Villains are tricky to write because one misstep and they turn out like Snidely Whiplash. Similarly, heroes can be difficult to execute well without becoming Dudley Do-Right. I’m not a fan of the Good vs. Bad story because of the moral/ethical value judgments placed on either side and/or the tendency to devolve into cartoonish shorthand. My mother calls this the Kongji, Patzzi syndrome.
Kong-ji, Patzzi is a Korean fairytale (often called the Korean Cinderella) in which there is a “good girl” (Kongji) and a “bad girl” (Patzzi). Kongji is virtuous and good while Patzzi is bad-tempered and ill-mannered. You all know the story: the moral high ground triumphs.
Personally I find the idea of moral/ethical high ground tedious, which is why I reject the terms “hero and villain” and instead prefer “protagonist and antagonist”.
A (Wo)Man I Can Get Behind
At first glance, you’d think the protagonist would be easy to write. S/he’s the hero(ine)! You’re supposed to root for the protagonist! You’re supposed to want them to triumph!
You’re supposed to, but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, protagonists are as bland as unsalted butter. The writer is so focused on making the character “likeable” and “sympathetic” and “cool” that s/he forgets to make the protagonist human. Or the protagonist is Always Right, so morally and ethically superior to all the other characters that you just want to topple him/her from a pedestal. Suddenly, writing the protagonist doesn’t seem as easy anymore.
The thing that makes me sympathize with a protagonist is when I believe in his/her worldview. In other words, when I agree with what s/he thinks is the right thing to do. This is separate from Being Right. One is active, the other is passive. The protagonist is trying to do the right thing, something which I think we all strive for. I root for a protagonist because I believe what s/he is doing is right.
I Find The Villain Strangely Seductive. Yes Like That.
On the other hand, the antagonist must have a worldview in opposition to the protagonist. If that sounds all literary-term-ish, then sorry. But it’s still true. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the antagonist is “wrong” or that his/her desires are the direct opposite of what the protagonist wants. It just means that what the antagonist wants prevents the protagonist from realizing his/her goals.
If that sounds too simplistic, it is. As a reader, I should want the protagonist to “triumph” (whatever that means) and the antagonist to get his/her just desserts or be redeemed. The best antagonists have a flawed worldview, but one that the reader understands, even if s/he can’t support it. I love villains in movies and TV shows, because the best and most complex are so compelling and seductive, it’s hard not to be drawn in even as I’m repulsed.
What Is the Protagonist’s Relationship to the Antagonist?
Benjamin Linus from LOST, Mrs. Coulter from HIS DARK MATERIALS, and Melisande from the KUSHIEL’S LEGACY series are all extraordinarily complex, morally repugnant, yet sympathetic and seductive antagonists whose relationship to the protagonist(s) is just as complicated as they are. If the only reason an antagonist is in your manuscript is to serve as the protagonist’s foil, then I’m less interested. Why is the antagonist in your manuscript? Why is s/he in opposition to the protagonist? What is the exact nature of their relationship?
Mrs. Coulter is Lyra’s mother. Melisande is Phèdre’s patron and former lover. Ben is a former foe and reluctant ally to the survivors of Oceanic 815. Each of these villains have a redeeming quality, even as I think what they do/believe is “wrong”. Mrs. Coulter has a hidden maternal side, Melisande is a woman of her word and in her own way honourable, and everything Ben does is in service of what he believes is right. (Even if it isn’t.)
The long and the short of it is: the antagonist needs to be just as three-dimensional as the protagonist. But we all knew this.
Anyway, thoughts? Who are some of your favourite villains/antagonists?
I love this post, SJ. I’ve really been giving this some thought in my writing lately.
As for my own favorite antags, there are just too many. I love Randal Flagg in the SK-Verse, the sheriff/devil in the too-short-lived TV series American Gothic, and Lex Luthor (duh!).
- Ray
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Your articles on characters are giving me plenty to think about.
My question is, how do you establish a really great villain if they are actually a traitor within the close ranks of your protagonist? I mean, how to develop them as a character seems obvious, but how to show their villainy and motives without that sudden AHA! moment at the end. Hmmm. Maybe I’m amking things difficult for myself.
My personal fave antagonist was Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII. Tragic, vengeful, and almost ghost-like for the majority of the game. There’s something awesome about a villain whose mystique is established before he even takes center stage.
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Who doesn’t love an Evil Genius!!?
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Oooh, I love a good villain. :) I think one of my favorite protagonist vs antagonist couplings is in Watership Down. Bigwig (Thlayli) vs. General Woundwort. (Even though I guess technically Hazel, not Bigwig, is the main protagonist. But I thought Bigwig was much more interesting than Hazel, who falls into the Dudley Do-Right category imo.) General Woundwort had understandable motives, even though he is ruthless and cold. And Bigwig is blunt and defiant and courageous and occasionally pigheaded. Awesome.
I also love Melisande. She is so sexy and twisted!! >:D
I’d think of more but I ate too much for dinner and am really sleepy.
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You know, it’s funny: I just looked on GoodReads to see what books I’ve read lately, which would thereby help me remember which villains I’ve liked, and guess what? Most of the books that I gave lower ratings were books that had lame “bad guys” (and Bad Boys, for that matter). Interestingly, the books that have the highest ratings, for me, are much less about good vs. evil and much more about personal journeys. I’d never concretely realized that before. Thank you!
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