Stephen by Kayla Matt
One part of The Mercenary Prince that I’ve yet to mention is that it’s a big step in Stephen Kernaghan’s development. This seems to be running alongside Delvin’s journey and it isn’t pretty. Mostly because he’s a sadistic monster who has rapidly become more unhinged as the series progresses. So how do you evolve a villain who you want to stay truly evil?
I won’t call myself an authority on this because there’s probably a hundred ways to accomplish this feat. I went with Stephen getting worse and becoming even more monstrous with every defeat and victory. His goal has become entirely about bending Nyx to his will and using her against his father along with Trinity. It’s no longer about the champion prophecy or being a good son, which makes him more dangerous than ever. In a way, he’s become weaker too because he lacks what little caution and patience he had. This book is where Stephen either recovers or breaks entirely, which does culminate in one of my favorite scenes to write. Still, it wasn’t easy keeping him truly evil through it all.
Part of the problem is that I enjoy villains with a touch of humanity in them. The Lich had loyalty to his master and Trinity fights for her people. Baron Kernaghan is rather benevolent and kind for an immortal warlord. Stephen never had a good side and I made it a point to prevent that from coming up. In fact, one could see how he’s probably the weakest of all the characters in the series. Sure, he has magic and power to throw a small army around with ease. Yet, mentally he’s really nothing more than a scared man who is doing whatever he can to prove he is powerful. I’ve come close to pitying him at times, but then I remember how much of a bastard he is. Stephen is definitely one who earns whatever hate he gets. This makes his evolution even more difficult, but maybe one could call it a de-evolution instead.
What do you think about evolving villains? What’s your favorite one where the villain didn’t become a hero?
Legends of Windemere 
Now that’s intriguing. I like the idea a lot. Wasn’t Rich Man Poor Man peppered with some of this? It’s decades old now, but two brothers go different directions based upon good or bad breaks.
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I’ve heard of the concept, but never saw or read it. Hate to admit that I’m not sure if that’s a book or a movie. Though I do think the idea that the breaks one gets in life affect how they grow. We only have so much control over our environment, so there’s always going to be an aspect or two that appears because of that.
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I remember it as one of the first mini-series. Doesn’t matter, the concept as it relates to your post was what grabbed me. Failures can make a person bitter and jealous as easily as they make some stronger. It sounds awesome to me.
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True. With Stephen, a lot of it is that he didn’t fail too often. At least until he met this generation of champions. Part of the grand finale in ‘Curse of the Dark Wind’ really shows how sheltered he is for a bad guy. Some day, I’ll write a story that includes Stephen’s mortal days. It’s in one of these books even though he isn’t the main character. Won’t say whose origin story it is though. 😉
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I’m enjoying the fact that Stephen is so hated. Evolving a villain is tough because of the temptation to bring that person over to the side of good, thus rendering him or her ineffective as a villain.
One of my favorites is Mac Dara in Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series. We see the love he has for his son. But he’s still the villain.
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Seems pure evil villains aren’t appearing as often as they used to. Unless they’re a demon, they tend to have good intentions or are misunderstood in some way. Need more baddies who are evil for the sake of being evil.
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What helps is when the villain thinks he or she is totally in the right. Mac Dara is that way. No one has the right to stand in his way!
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True. Though with Stephen, I’m pretty sure he knows he’s evil. The Baron is more along the lines of thinking he’s saving or protecting the world with an iron fist. Stephen is more the villain type who wants to see things break.
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Hi Charles…I have a trilogy where the villain is introduced in the first book. Through flashbacks I show the reader that she wasn’t born evil, but the events that led her to lose her humanity. In the 2nd book she has such a minor part that her name isn’t even mentioned. The 2nd book has another villain that she is secretly manipulating. In the 3rd book, she roars back with a vengeance! I wrote her as one of the most foul, indignant and utterly worse kind of person to ever live. At the end, as her life is slowly coming to its end, i had her soften up…until the last minute when I showed it was all a ploy and she was never repentant. She died after committing the one thing she had wanted from book one…and my readers LOVED it! They cried, but agreed that she was the most horrible person since Cruella DeVille.
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That sounds awesome. I love how you had her almost nonexistent in the 2nd book and then returned in the 3rd. That sounds like a great tactic to keep the character fresh. I had a few people mention they were sad to see one villain go, but I didn’t make him unrepentant at the end. I think. He was an odd one. Anyway, that’s a great twist that you don’t see very often outside of comedies. Nice to hear of it being used for something serious.
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My villain is totally convinced that he is on a mission from God to eliminate Westerners. He has no remorse when it comes to innocent fatalities yet is so very fussy about his coffee. He has also fallen in love, and the person is a Westerner. His other weakness is he has respect for the protagonist even as he wants to eliminate him.
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Sounds like a lot of conflicting emotion, which means a lot of paths to take with him. Except for the coffee. That seems to be a thing that will never change.
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True
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my villiain in Wisp has no remorse no spot of kindness in him and uses everyone to get what he wants and at the very end he still clings onto someone to make sure he doesn`t disappear.
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I’m very curious about the disappearing thing. Reminds me of characters who need to be believed in to exist.
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he rather than disappears, well he takes over someone elses body and that someone is a very important character in the book. Therefore he is so ruthless that he just wont be killed. I hope Im not rambling here. lol
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Makes sense. You have to explain without spoilers, which is always a headache.
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He sounds like the kind who might pretend to change, in order to fake out his enemies, but then deliver a sucker punch.
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Stephen? Probably near the beginning to get information that will used to torment his enemies later. Stuff like phobias, precious objects, loved ones, and anything else he can use as weapons or hostages. As he progresses, he’s more into getting acknowledgement for his deeds, so he becomes less subtle. Part of his history is spending centuries working in the shadows, which might have been torture for a man with his level of ego.
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Voldemort had a mean streak from the time he was a child and became a worse and worse monster as he aged. Rowling had more than one evil person in her stories. — Suzanne
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Have to admit I never got very far in the series because of blabbermouth friends. Did they ever explain why Voldemort was so evil?
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I love when villains are painted in the same way as heroes–they evolve. Too often we see a single-minded villain who has so much power that they just stand around waiting for someone to come at them. A touch of humanity will make the reader grieve just a little when they are finally vanquished. I love the evolution of a villain.
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Very well said. Even if the touch of humanity doesn’t make a reader grieve, it gives so much more depth. Otherwise, the villain is nothing more than an obstacle than a character.
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