Disney Villains
Say what you want about Disney, but they always have great villains. Scar, Jafar, Hades, and Maleficent are only a few and most people can quickly rattle off most of them. The heroes are remembered easily because their names are in the title. The villains have to be memorable for being evil and that’s always a challenge.
As a writer, I try to put a bit of humanity into my villains. That spark that shows they aren’t 100% evil and monstrous. Even my demons and vampires have some type of human flaw. This isn’t to say the full monster villain is worthless because it depends on the story. If you need a rampaging destroyer then giving him a sense of doubt might not be a good idea. A love of kittens would make him seem like a joke. Still, your main villains typically require intelligence and cruelty with something that can hook the reader into their story.
A way that I once looked at it is that the hero and the villain are competing for my attention when reading. Am I more interested in the hero’s tale or the villain’s tale? I always want to have moments where I’m fascinated by the villain and part of me believes he or she will succeed. This is why I think it’s more of a challenge to write a villain, but it’s a lot more fun because they can do whatever they want at times. Burn that village to the ground? No problem. Punt baby elves into a dragon’s mouth? You got it. Cheat on the final test? Sure if that’s the story you’re going for.
I can’t actually pinpoint a specific villain type that I like, but I know my one requirement. I need my villains to be entertaining. I don’t even need depth because the rampager can be entertaining if done correctly. Definitely all in the writing and it’s more important for villains than heroes because villains are the reason the story is happening. Without them, the hero has nothing to go up against.
So, what do you look for in your villains?
Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Coming July 31st!!!!
Legends of Windemere 
I like my villains to have a sense of humor, A twisted one maybe but still, It is a good way to give them dimension and depth while still keeping them villains.
LikeLike
Those are always fun. Gotta love the Joker types.
LikeLike
I definitely enjoy villains who are just out-right crazy – they often make for some of the best humor. However, I really like it when you can read a villain’s back story and empathize with their plight – understanding how it is they got to be the way they are. It gets boring, in my opinion, if all the villains are just crazy evil for no particular reason.
LikeLike
Just like heroes, we need a variety of villains. One of my favorites is the villain that thinks he or she is a hero.
LikeLike
Ooh yes! Mine too. Excellent example.
LikeLike
funny thing about Scar… he’s also Hamlet’s uncle as the Lion King is a retelling of Hamlet… most Disney Stories are dealing with well established Villians. I think the key to a successful villian lay in the possability of redemption. and also explore the motivations of such a person…
LikeLike
Motivation exploration is definitely important. I wonder about the redemption thing. I’m sure there are some popular villains that don’t even come close to having a redemption moment. I keep thinking Voldemort.
LikeLike
I actually enjoy more writing my villian scenes than the heroes. Viallians let you do whatever you want. Human flow is important but not necessary! 😀
LikeLike
The vast possibilities of villains definitely make them the more entertaining to write.
LikeLike
Of course! Muhahahahah!
LikeLike
Yess I like villains with a devilish kind of humor, also the split personality villains i like cause you never know ehat to expect. A villain like Jafar.. Crazy , full of himself, split personality and there it comes! Sarcastic! I love thesrcasm of villains, but every villain has also a weak spot, in some stories i like it but not over do it..
LikeLike
Never got the split personality vibe from Jafar. I always thought he was an oily conniver. Probably because I never trust a guy with that type of facial hair.
LikeLike
Two Hs–Humor and Humanity. That’s why I so love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. His villains have both. But if I can’t have humor, I want the humanity, ala Macbeth.
Hades is one of my favorite villains in the Disney canon. He was delightfully sarcastic.
LikeLike
Hades was great. The arrogant wit on some villains really makes me root for them.
LikeLike
I’m not especially picky about villains in other stories. Just as long as they’re entertaining and I understand what their plot is and they’re at least a little threatening, that’s usually good enough for me. Big bonus points for when they have some real depth to them too, of course. The Disney villains are always great because they usually have all of these going for them.
As for my own villains, they’re a little tricky. In the series I’m writing now they’re a balancing act between rampaging destroyers and recognizably human. The way I look at them is that in they’re own story, they’re the heroes out to right what they see as wrongs: unfortunately for everyone else, their story is rather twisted. My favorite sort of villains are the ones who sincerely think they’re the good guy, actually.
LikeLike
Those are great villains, but they’re probably one of the hardest to write. I think I’m verging on that with one of my villains. He wants to rule the world because he believes him ruling would unite everyone, but he’s openly cruel and monstrous. It’s coming off like a ‘be the monster to save the world’ type of thing.
LikeLike
So long as I can comprehend the villain’s motivation, and feel that he is a true threat to the protagonists, I’m good. It depends on the story if s/he should be darkly humorous, etc. I read a lot of mysteries, so I am often partial to the villain you can’t quite put your finger on – or know when they will strike next.
LikeLike
It’s interesting how so many people are calling for humorous villains. I like them too, but I also enjoy a villain that doesn’t have a sense of humor. They get angry and frustrated so easily.
LikeLike
They do! And usually, I see a villain as an angry, frustrated person. I like ’em funny if the work calls for it, but really, I want to dislike my villain and root for the hero.
LikeLike
Wait until book 5 of my series. I’ll give you a villain that you’ll want to die a horrible death. Even I want this guy wiped off the face of the planet and I made him.
LikeLike
Wow! That’s one heck of an indictment.
Do you see a difference in how you approach an adversary vs. a true villain?
LikeLike
I don’t really differentiate them. Adversaries are a type of villain. For example, Trinity is a villain and a rival of Nyx. Their level of humanity and evil is what makes them different.
LikeLike
Intelligence.
LikeLike
Always a plus.
LikeLike
But seriously, what is a villain without it? Where’s the fight if he’s easily outsmarted? Without intelligence he becomes Goliath – only good for one battle.
LikeLike
Depends on his ability and the story. There are villains that are brutal monsters and they bring out another type of villain. There are stories where the heroes are struggling to destroy a rampaging beast that simply has great power. Like a thinking villain, the heroes are forced to overcome a greater power only it’s all magical or physical.
The fun of such a character is that they put the hero in an interesting decision. The hero either falls to the brutal, monstrous level to combat the villain or rises in power/intelligence to find a way to win. Though, these villains do tend to stay in a single story or are in the role of secondary villain.
LikeLike
Ah. I was talking about a main character in a lengthy story. Pure physicality has its limits, as does magic unless there’s an element of indestructibility, in which case the hero can’t win anyway. But even with pure force, and villain will usually need to figure out ways to adapt, if the hero is clever.
Don’t you agree?
LikeLike
Nothing is ever truly indestructible. The example that comes to mind is Doomsday. This is the primal, physical monster that killed Superman in the 90’s. His entire storyline was him destroying his way to Metropolis and every trap failed. Superman had to get himself ‘killed’ to defeat him. The problem is Doomsday returns from the dead and is immune to whatever killed him before. So, heroes have to always find new ways to take him out. Although, he evolved an intelligence and, last I heard, wasn’t sure of his purpose. Not sure where they went.
Most main villains do need to adapt to some extent. A clever hero would force such a thing for an extended rivalry. I’m curious what this would mean about a purely physical hero and a thinking villain. Does that equation have the same flaws as the other way around?
LikeLike
Okay, you got me there. Doomsday is like a virus. ‘Nuf said. 🙂
The other way ’round? I think it would have the same flaws, if not more. It’s hard to empathize with a hero who has no brains, so I think in the end, the audience would be rooting for the villain. What do you think?
LikeLike
Hard to say. After I made the comment I remembered that Hulk was originally a simple, animalistic brute. One of his arch-enemies was a highly intelligent villain named ‘The Leader’. Hulk always managed to win through finding new levels of strength and rage. I guess it all depends on the storyteller.
LikeLike
… but the audience sympathized with the Hulk because he was an everyday type of guy most of the time.
Anyway, I’m not trying to argue. But you have given me something to think about, and for that I thank you kindly, sir.
🙂
LikeLike
Same here. Guess it is easier to be a mostly physical hero.
LikeLike
Pingback: What Do You Look for in a Humorous Villain? |Catching up with Legends of Windemere | Hey Sweetheart, Get Me Rewrite!
Pingback: Revisit: What Do You Look For in a Villain? | Legends of Windemere