Zim!
This is harder than I thought it would be. Mostly because I’m trying to predict what people will say. There’s always a wide variety of passionate opinions about villains, so tips can fall flat on the wrong ears. Some people feel they should never be sympathetic and others think they always should. Some people think you can’t write a book from their perspective and others think you can. The issues go on for every detail . . . So, here we go.
- Unless pure evil, a villain doesn’t realize they are the bad guy. They think they’re the hero, which has to be shown on some level. This way, the audience can kind of get behind them in some fashion. Not so much to win, but to continue reading the story to see what happens. Get them invested in seeing how the villain fails and maybe surprise them with a victory.
- Villains tend to get away with being over-the-top when they’re in the antagonist role, which results in the hero being more grounded. Authors may think they have to switch this when the roles are reversed. You don’t necessarily have to. The villains can still be dramatic and over-the-top since that’s what they do. Again, they do this stuff when they think they’re the hero, so they would do it when they are the ‘hero’ of the story. A good example is ‘Megamind’ when he is in the villain role or even Zim from above.
- Confidence for a villain doesn’t mean they are stupid. They might firmly believe in what they are doing and doubt they can fail. This doesn’t mean they will always miss obvious problems or fail to learn from mistakes. Like any protagonist, you need them to grow throughout a story and be aware. If they are always falling for ridiculous tricks and making stupid mistakes, people will lose interest.
- A comedic story doesn’t have to put the villain protagonist in the comic relief role. They have minions for that. There can be some moments of silliness, but an option to keep them ‘strong’ is to have them be the straight-man within the chaos. It could be that they don’t even notice or recognize the craziness because that’s just the world they live in.
- Part of the reversal is that the villain may end up reacting to the heroes. Usually, the heroes are responding to what the villain does and this pushes the story. Now, you have the opposite. The villain protagonist could be proactive with going through with their plan, but they can make adjustments as the heroes act. This can explain the times a bad guy shows up and is mysteriously stronger or prepared for at least part of the hero’s plan. Now, the villain is no longer living in ignorance.
- A challenge here might be setting and supporting cast. Villains don’t typically walk around in public unless they are committing a crime. So, an author might keep them in their lair and only surround them with minions. Maybe they’ll interact with other villains, but there is an urge to not have them show any signs of normalcy. This doesn’t have to be the case. Villains can have alter-egos as well in order to enter society and do any normal stuff that interests them. I mean, they might want to visit a zoo, museum, do food shopping, catch a play, etc. Sounds silly, but villains that aren’t pure evil have these interests too.
- Show a little depth that wouldn’t normally be seen. Do they actually care about any of their minions? Is there any respect towards the heroes? Any doubt that counters the usual confidence? This is an opportunity to demonstrate that a villain can be multi-faceted in the same way as a hero.
Legends of Windemere 
Great tips! Gru is a great example of a character with depth. He cares about the minions. Such a great movie series! I’m working on a book with an antagonist who doesn’t think he is the villain. He feels justified in everything he does, though he kills many people. He’s one of my main characters. I wanted to give a reason for why he thinks the way that he does.
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Sounds like a challenging story. Always find it hard to have a character justify killing so many for flimsy reasons.
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He wants revenge against his own people for their rejection of him. But he wants to frame others so a war will start.
I wish I could write a fun villain story like Megamind or Despicable Me. I would like to see Invader Zim.
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I found ‘Invader Zim’ somewhere, but I forgot where it was. May have just been YouTube. With the character, it’s interesting how he sees himself as a good guy while framing others. It’s like he feels he’s a good guy because he was wronged in the past. Met people like that and they can get creepy pretty fast.
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I think these tips are great. Giving a villain interests beyond the obvious desire to make the hero’s life miserable really gives a well rounded approach to the evil. Well done, Charles.
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Thanks. 🙂
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I hear it so often, that the villain believes they are the hero, and I just don’t buy it. I watch kids in my groups at school being cruel and bullying, and they never believe they are doing the right thing. They know what they’re doing is wrong.
Maybe there’s something they want, and they think it’s ok to do that so they get what they want.
Maybe they’re mad and want to get back at the other kid.
Maybe they think they’re smarter and won’t get caught. (They always seem surprised when I call them to sit with me.)
Maybe their parents always excuse them, so they figure other adults will, too.
Whatever excuse or grievance they have, they know what they’re doing is wrong but they do it anyway.
This is the depth writers should put into our villains. Not cute pets or minions. Not a “noble cause” or revenge for a loved one. A villain knows they are doing wrong. They choose to do it anyway. THEIR CHOICES make them villains.
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I’ve seen a few bullies who justify their actions. They claim it was done to them first or other kids didn’t get in trouble, so it can’t be wrong. Adults just gaslight with their abuse to make even themselves think they’re right. That’s what narcissists are at times.
I think part of the issue with a villain knowing they’re wrong is that means they’re willingly evil. That’s not forgivable for most. It means bad people in the real world always know they’re evil and can’t be forgiven. They choose to be evil knowing it is evil and not because they thought it’s good. You eliminate a lot of moral gray area this way.
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I like these tips. I haven’t really gone down this path, but I can see it being something I might try one day.
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Thanks. 😊
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