Every great story needs a compelling bad guy. Of course, there are many amazing stories where the main character is pitted against just negative circumstances or things such as the wrath of nature, but for action and adventure, it can be fun to have a villain tormenting your hero.
And a lot of the advice from 5 Tips for Building Your Protagonist can be used for creating your antagonist as well, which is why I decided to go with three tips today.
That being said . . . here are:
And a lot of the advice from 5 Tips for Building Your Protagonist can be used for creating your antagonist as well, which is why I decided to go with three tips today.
That being said . . . here are:
1. Compliment Your Hero
And I'm not talking about saying how nice their smile is or noticing how well their cape goes with their shoes, but complimenting them by being on the other end of the spectrum. (Almost like a color wheel . . . sort of . . . )
For example, Harry Potter and Voldemort are both amazing wizards, but they decide to use their powers for very different reasons. Harry wishes to protect the wizarding world while Voldemort wishes to talk to snakes and cause mayhem.
And your opposing characters don't have to be so similar to the point that they are both "wizards." Your hero and villain can compliment each other a variety of different ways. Just look at Batman and The Joker.
(Or as the Dark Knight movie describes them: an unstoppable force vs. an immovable object)
Batman is all about rules, self-discipline and . . . well . . . being serious. Meanwhile the Joker turns all of Batman's notions on top of their heads by being about random, maniacal nonsense, anarchy, chaos and . . . well . . . being really silly about it all.
These guys are on such opposite sides of the spectrum, but they compliment each other so perfectly. They are similar in their drive, determination and abilities, but their causes are so polar opposite making them the perfect example of good verses evil.
For example, Harry Potter and Voldemort are both amazing wizards, but they decide to use their powers for very different reasons. Harry wishes to protect the wizarding world while Voldemort wishes to talk to snakes and cause mayhem.
And your opposing characters don't have to be so similar to the point that they are both "wizards." Your hero and villain can compliment each other a variety of different ways. Just look at Batman and The Joker.
(Or as the Dark Knight movie describes them: an unstoppable force vs. an immovable object)
Batman is all about rules, self-discipline and . . . well . . . being serious. Meanwhile the Joker turns all of Batman's notions on top of their heads by being about random, maniacal nonsense, anarchy, chaos and . . . well . . . being really silly about it all.
These guys are on such opposite sides of the spectrum, but they compliment each other so perfectly. They are similar in their drive, determination and abilities, but their causes are so polar opposite making them the perfect example of good verses evil.
2. Give Them a "Good Cause"
As crazy as it sounds, many compelling villains THINK they are doing good. Or at least there is some powerful, deep, emotional reason that is motivating them.
Take Khan from the new Star Trek. (Spoiler Alerts!) This crazy, futuristic space baddie is so wrapped up with protecting his crew, and ensuring they can one day be unfrozen again, that he will justify any action - no matter how evil or horrendous - as a necessary step he had to take to bring back his people. And in a scary way . . . we kind of feel for him.
That being said, your villain will only be as strong as their MOTIVATION (and usually the strongest motivations come from a desire to do "good" - no matter how twisted your villain's definition of "good" may be) If there is no strong, compelling reason for your antagonist to be evil, then they will end up being a regular, two dimensional bad guy.
And as scary as it sounds, give them some sort of motivation that might even challenge or conflict your reader - even if for a split second - and go "I can see where he's coming from."
Take Khan from the new Star Trek. (Spoiler Alerts!) This crazy, futuristic space baddie is so wrapped up with protecting his crew, and ensuring they can one day be unfrozen again, that he will justify any action - no matter how evil or horrendous - as a necessary step he had to take to bring back his people. And in a scary way . . . we kind of feel for him.
That being said, your villain will only be as strong as their MOTIVATION (and usually the strongest motivations come from a desire to do "good" - no matter how twisted your villain's definition of "good" may be) If there is no strong, compelling reason for your antagonist to be evil, then they will end up being a regular, two dimensional bad guy.
And as scary as it sounds, give them some sort of motivation that might even challenge or conflict your reader - even if for a split second - and go "I can see where he's coming from."
3. Sympathy for the Devil
Every good villain has a compelling back story. Yes, there are plenty of bad people in the world who are just born that way, but a good story villain has gone through some sort of struggle.
Keeping with the Star Trek theme - Captain Nero didn't just wake up evil one day. If anything, you'd say at one point he was good. But after watching his home planet explode, losing his wife and being marooned in space for decades, Nero found a hatred growing within himself - along with a hunger for revenge.
And while we might not agree with him, that's a pretty strong and compelling reason to turn bad. If anything, Nero is now this complex, deep, emotionally driven villain.
So your antagonist's back story is crucial - people LOVE to learn what caused someone to become evil. (Think of it as a strange curiosity.) And there are a million things you could write about that would force your antagonist to be driven towards the dark side, or madness, or whatever you want to call it.
Maybe your villain once fought for good, much like your hero, but something changed him. Or maybe he was tormented while growing up, or teased or bullied or something traumatic happened to him. (Such as his home planet blowing up.)
Either way, by giving them this compelling back story you're giving your villain depth - making them less like some one dimensional "Dr. Evil" character, and more like a real human being.
Because whether your writing the part of a hero or bad guy, they need to be human on at least some level. Both should be somewhat relatable to your reader, and that will not only draw your audience in, but compel them to feel some sort of strange sympathy for your villains.
Keeping with the Star Trek theme - Captain Nero didn't just wake up evil one day. If anything, you'd say at one point he was good. But after watching his home planet explode, losing his wife and being marooned in space for decades, Nero found a hatred growing within himself - along with a hunger for revenge.
And while we might not agree with him, that's a pretty strong and compelling reason to turn bad. If anything, Nero is now this complex, deep, emotionally driven villain.
So your antagonist's back story is crucial - people LOVE to learn what caused someone to become evil. (Think of it as a strange curiosity.) And there are a million things you could write about that would force your antagonist to be driven towards the dark side, or madness, or whatever you want to call it.
Maybe your villain once fought for good, much like your hero, but something changed him. Or maybe he was tormented while growing up, or teased or bullied or something traumatic happened to him. (Such as his home planet blowing up.)
Either way, by giving them this compelling back story you're giving your villain depth - making them less like some one dimensional "Dr. Evil" character, and more like a real human being.
Because whether your writing the part of a hero or bad guy, they need to be human on at least some level. Both should be somewhat relatable to your reader, and that will not only draw your audience in, but compel them to feel some sort of strange sympathy for your villains.
- BONUS TIP -
4. Bring em' Out
Okay I lied there are four, but I already did the graphic for this post so I'm in way too deep! So one last, super quick tip!
Just like your hero, give your baddie plenty of air time. If you write a compelling enough villain, your audience should be just as interested in them as they are in your hero - this goes back to what I once said about staggering elements (Dark Vs. Light). So do yourself and your bad guys a favor and bring them out as often as you can - and not just lurking behind the curtain waiting to say a few lines at the right moment.
Just as you would show a character arch in your main characters, show a slight one in your villain. Give him a back story, give him his own chapters to build himself, and let him be loved just as much as your audience loves your hero.
After all, which character was everybody excited about in the Dark Knight? The Joker!
Who does everybody LOVE in Thor and The Avengers - Loki!
(And of course they were both played by very talented, deep and complex actors - directing this point back to tips number 3 and 4)
So give your villains time to shine!
That being said . . . get writing!!
Just like your hero, give your baddie plenty of air time. If you write a compelling enough villain, your audience should be just as interested in them as they are in your hero - this goes back to what I once said about staggering elements (Dark Vs. Light). So do yourself and your bad guys a favor and bring them out as often as you can - and not just lurking behind the curtain waiting to say a few lines at the right moment.
Just as you would show a character arch in your main characters, show a slight one in your villain. Give him a back story, give him his own chapters to build himself, and let him be loved just as much as your audience loves your hero.
After all, which character was everybody excited about in the Dark Knight? The Joker!
Who does everybody LOVE in Thor and The Avengers - Loki!
(And of course they were both played by very talented, deep and complex actors - directing this point back to tips number 3 and 4)
So give your villains time to shine!
That being said . . . get writing!!