What Makes a Good Villain?
What Makes a Good Villain?
Hello, and welcome to Nadi Abdi’s blog on Writing, Reading, and Politics. I’m your hostess, Nadi Abdi, author of Power of the People: The Demon Cleaner book one.
Today, we’re discussing villains. Specifically, basic traits that make a good villain.
First, we have to define “good.” Do we mean good as in you’re a bad guy, but I understand you? (e.g. Magneto. The first old, white man I ever loved.) Or like, good as in memorable, but a terrible person? (Fuck you, Joffrey. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.)
For option A, think of a problem. Think of the wrong way to solve that problem. Have your villain do that. Add some skewed rationale. Some charisma. Then you have a good base.
After that, you have a few things to consider. How likable do you want your villain to be? How much do you want your reader to question the validity of the villain’s arguments and actions? Years later, we’re still arguing whether or not Thanos was right. No one’s arguing that Scarlet Witch was right, but there are plenty who still sympathize with her. (She was wrong, by the way. She held a town hostage and murdered her way through multiple universes. Argue with your mama.)
A friend once said, high charisma is the mark of a villain. And, I mean, he wasn’t wrong. Because, why do you need to be so charming? What are you trying to convince me to do? What are you trying to convince me to let you do? Why is there so much convincing going on? It’s suspicious. This, of course, would apply to just about every politician. I can’t think of one that I’d trust with my SSN. They’d probably get me arrested for something that I’m only capable of in fantasy. But when your charisma is high, you can convince people that the fantasy is real. (Remember that scene in Boondocks when Ed and Gin convinced the cop that the man in the convenience store had a gun even though he did not?)
For option B, pick up a history book. Flip through it and find the worst atrocities ever committed. Research the worst methods of torture ever used (probably in America). Have your villain do all of that and for no other reason than they can (definitely an American). Give that muthafucka zero charisma. We are living on power alone. It doesn’t even have to be their own power. They could have proximity to power (prince/princess). And that’s enough.
This person should have NO redeeming qualities. They chew with their mouth open. They have all the rhythm of jello in an earthquake. They’d kill someone for waking them out of their sleep (The Mountain). Meanwhile, it was them. They snore loud and woke themselves up. I will never forget that line in Fresh Prince of Bel Aire when dude was like, “I’m just here to make sure he’s dead.” Villain B has lived that kind of life.
There are lots of options for villains. Not all villains are memorable. Some are only remembered for the trouble they caused and fucking up other people’s day. But when we’re talking about good villains, we’re talking about memorable villains, we’re talking about villains who contribute more to the story than just a reason for the hero to exist. A character who brings more than just conflict and drama, a character whose absence doesn’t mean peace for everyone else because the damage they’ve done is irreversible. These people leave scars that last for generations.
The higher up the hierarchy, the more autonomy the villain has, the more damage they can do. Cinderella’s family only matters in Cinderella’s home and with the existence of Cinderella. Outside of her and her home, they’re nothing.
Meanwhile, MCU’s Hela…they had to destroy their whole planet to get rid of her, forever changing the futures of an entire species. Asgardians are now relocated to Earth, which will change the way they eat, the way they evolve, the ecosystems they have access to. They have to learn to navigate Earth politics which is a hellscape. Hela is dead and so is the life they lived.
When I was making Izzy Castor, the villainess in Power of the People, one of the main questions I asked myself was, “What would she do if Lillas wasn’t around?” I wanted her to be as autonomous as possible. She’s not a villain in answer to Lillas. She does things the way she does things. She and Lillas just had no reason to collide prior to the events in Power of the People.
Anyway, when you’re making your bad guy, ask yourself why they’re doing what they’re doing and where would the story be without them. Answering those two questions will put you on the right track.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Come back next week. We’ll discuss more about writing, reading, publishing, and everything in between. I’m Nadi Abdi. See you then.
Read more by Nadi Abdi
The Demon Cleaner: Blog, Substack