Villains and Villainy- The Redeemed

Alright, so here we come to our final villain type and one of my personal favorites. The redeemed villain. This is the villain that starts out bad. The villain that in the beginning you hate and want to see go down. But over the course of the story, you slowly warm up to them as you discover their motivations were grayer than you thought.

You can probably name off several redeemed villains off the top of your head. They’re everywhere throughout literature. It’s not hard to see why, either. All throughout this series, my continued mantra has been ‘make your characters human’. This trope capitalizes on that by breaking through an audiences initial first impressions and changing their minds.

Remember Severus Snape? Of course you do. The mean professor who was a red herring for half of the evil doings at Hogwarts? Who likes him? 

Well... a lot of people now. Because while Snape’s actions are still incredibly problematic and he really is a pretty terrible person for taking out his anger on children who he had authority over, by the end of book seven, we see the reason behind his actions. We see some of the tremendous good he has done through the tremendous bad. And we soften to him.

A lot of the villains I’ve talked about in this series get their redemption too. Lots of baddies from Once Upon a Time and Avatar the Last Airbender get their redemption (We’ll talk about Zuko in the spotlight). They have an arc that eventually leads them back to the good side. None of them start out evil, so they don’t have to end evil.

The key to pulling off a good redeemed character is to know where they’re going from the get go. That way you can smooth the transition and plan for it. You can add hints even at the beginning that your villain isn’t all bad. You don’t want a redemptive arc to just pop out of nowhere or it feels cheap and disingenuous. The result shouldn’t make the reader think, ‘what?’ It should make the reader think, ‘Of course! How did I not see the signs?!’

What’s so wonderful about this trope is it truly plays off the complexities of human nature. All human beings have a dark side, and some let it take over more than others. But it’s never too late to turn back and do good. It’s a hopeful trope and probably the one I use the most in my writing. These characters, the redeemed villains, are my absolute favorites in any given series. Because they make me so happy when they get back on the right path.

Thanks for reading. See you for the villain spotlight on Friday!

Villains and Villainy- The Lucifer Figure

Hello and welcome back to the villain series where we’re tackling the many different shades of villainy and honoring some of the best representatives. Or… shaming them. Depending on how you look at it.

Today let’s look at the baddest of the bad. The trope that aims for hell more than any others. Yep, I’m talking about the Lucifer figure.

The devil is one of those things a lot of villains choose to emulate, mostly because he is the symbol of pure evil for many people. So many dark traits from this guy. He’s a deceiver and a trickster. He’s governed by pride and ambitious to a fault. He’s unrepentant and opposes all things good. A Lucifer figure is ALWAYS the big bad guy. Never a henchmen. They’re the one running the show and often the shadow on the wall, the puppeteer of all the other villains in the story.

Take Sauron for instance. We don’t see him much but we see his influence. We see the destruction his armies sew across Middle Earth. But we rarely see him or hear him speak really. It’s his presence that matters. It’s his work.

Or take Father from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. He controls the homunculi and is the driving force behind most of the wrong doings across Amestris. His servants do most of his dirty work and he rarely gets involved in the action himself (except at the end), but we feel his power none the less.

And that, I think, is the secret to pulling off a good Lucifer figure. Unlike other villains on this list, you’re not trying to make them human. If you want a straight up, pure evil, nonredeemable villain, keep them in the background.

Its easy to overplay your hand with a super evil villain and they can become ridiculous if they get too much page or screen time. But if instead you focus on the destruction of their evil, we’ll feel their presence without even meeting them. It will make them over all stronger.

Sometimes its okay to have a pure evil villain. But don’t leave them in the spotlight for too long or it will seem like you're trying too hard. Let their deeds speak for them.

Villains and Villainy- The One you Hate

Remember how last week I talked about villains you just can’t hate? And how in general I’ve discussed a lot of villains on this series that I also love to hate or hate to love for all their delicious villainy.

Well this week, we’re covering the opposite of that category. Because there are some villains that are, objectively, great villains. They do evil things and they advance the plot wonderfully.

But oh my god, you’ve just got to hate them.

Just wait for the spotlight on Friday. Its coming

This week is less a type of villain and more a… category of response to villains. The spine tingling, stomach roiling disgust that you feel when you walk on screen? That’s one of these villains. And this is probably different for everyone honestly. Everyone responds differently to certain villains. But there are definitely some baddies that… no one likes.

Like Lady Tremaine from Cinderella. Don’t you just want to smite her when she gives one of those looks to Cinderella.

Or Hans. Does anyone not want to punch Hans in the face for deceiving us with his charm?

Get him Ana

These villains are, however, in a lot of ways, some of the best villains. Because in the end, aren’t you supposed to hate the villains? These are the ones that actually do their job. Often I’ve found myself in the position of liking a villain more than a hero because they’re more interesting.

With these baddies? I never have that problem. I guess it’s good to know that I have standards.

Villain Spotlight- Maleficent and Azula

So… Maleficent and Azula are fabulous.

Like, I know I should hate them but… I just can’t. They wear their evil so well. Something about animated villains just gets me, man. So let’s talk about why I like them. 

First off, Maleficent. The evil queen might be the first but Maleficent perfected the art. She cursed Sleeping Beauty because she wasn’t invited to a birthday party (which was actually a pretty serious snub back in the day). Petty, perhaps, but she was a little justified based on medieval customs. And she really knows how to leave a party

Maleficent is one of those villains that embodies class. She knows how to carry herself, how to speak, and even when she loses her cool, she never seems like a child throwing a tantrum. She’s scary and maintains her dignity.

Also, SHE TURNS INTO A DRAGON!

Where were you on that one live action remake?

She’s just one of those powerhouse villains that will go down in history. And she’s still probably one of the best Disney villains of all time.

Another monarch I adore is Princess Azula, from Avatar the Last Airbender. She was raised in a life of privilege but rather than act like a spoiled brat, she is a genuinely capable strategist. She knows how to play the game better than most of the other characters, often outwitting the adults of other nations. And she’s only fourteen! This was a Maleficent in the making if you ask me.

She’s also completely nuts.

Azula is pretty much unlike any other villain I’ve ever seen before. Young but intelligent, crazy but put together the next minute, a capable villainous with her own backstory. I could go on forever about how much I adore this show in general, but Azula is the star today. And I just cannot hate her. Its so much fun to watch her play off the heroes and there are points she even draws sympathy from you.

What I appreciate about both of these female villains is that neither are motivated by men or beauty as so many evil women seem to be in the media. Not that some aren’t but its nice to see villains who are strong and own their femininity without compromise or reliance on men. Maybe that’s why I like them so much.

Maleficent and Azula. Fabulous villains you just can’t hate.

Villains and Villainy- The Monarch

This week on the blog, we’re talking about the monarch archetype. Now this one is very similar to the tyrant archetype, because monarchs can indeed be tyrants. But I do classify them as different for a few reasons.

1.  Monarchs have a more regal bearing about them. Tyrants more often are war lords and dictators. Monarchs are royalty. Now of course the line here is thin and easily crossed. The Lord Ruler, for instance, who we talked about earlier, certainly had a regal bearing. But this leads to my second distinction:

2. While tyrants are those who seize power, monarchs are usually born into it. This causes very different character traits. Tyrants believe they have earned their power while monarchs are born thinking they have an inherent right to it. This often means very different character arcs and goals. Again theirs a fine line if some monarchs come into their power by dethroning the previous dynasty, but you get the gist.

Of course this distinction is my own and can’t be found any books. Its also very likely that I made this a separate category to brag about more villains. I only want to spotlight two villains a week… because I’m particular about patterns in that way.

One of the reasons spotlighting monarchs is so important is because we get some of our best evil women from this category!

Evil queens! Evil queens everywhere. From Disney, to Game of Thrones, to Once Upon a Time. Some of the most iconic villainesses come from this category and they make their bad deeds so fabulous.

Some of my favorites include Queen Cersei from Game of Thrones, Regina from Once Upon a Time, and of course her ancestor, the original Evil Queen.

As stated before, any villainous monarch can deal with a lot of interesting issues. They often think the world is owed to them because of how they have been raised. But there is a great variety to be found here. Some are petty and treat their kingdom like a child might a toy. Others believe they are working for the greater good but their actions get lost among the way. You can make a monarch villain as complex and sympathetic or as completely horrible as you like...

We’ll get to you later, Joffery.

Whatever the case, its important to consider how their roots have effected them and how their lavish way of life might explain their terrible actions. This will make them human. And that, if you might have noticed, is the theme here in our keys to successful villains.

Join me on Friday for a look at two of my favorite monarchs! Warning, expect a lot of fangirling J

Villains and Villainy- The Joker

Whew! I'm back. I know I haven't been updating for the past couple of weeks. Ending the school year and moving back home has been crazy. But at last the summer has begun and we can continue our villain series where we left off.

This Wednesday, we're covering a villain type which can be easily lumped in with ‘The Crazies’ but is different in some ways. I call it the Joker. And yes, the Joker himself is a member of this little sect, but more on him in our villain spotlight Friday.

A villain can be a joker without being crazy. Though often the two do seem linked. I’ve talked about villains who have fun with their work and the joker is the epitome of that.

Joker villains have a twisted sense of humor about life. They’re often smiling and usually have a witty quip ready to go no matter how devious their actions. They take the heroes pursuit of them not as an offense to their power but rather as a fun game to play. Often times, the most psychopathic of villains fall into this group because they find humor in the darkest of things. They’re terrifying but always interesting to watch.

The joker is a very flexible villain type as well. They can be the mastermind, the henchman or an agent of chaos out for themselves, but they’re always intriguing. It is important however, to ground them. They can’t find everything funny. They have a method to their sense of humor. And there are probably some things they can’t laugh off. Making a joker that can laugh at anything makes them untouchable which dispels any tension between the hero and the villain. We want to have hope that the hero can get to them or we’ll detach from the conflict.

So go ahead, make your villain a comedian or a clown. Give them a sense of humor as black as pitch. But remember, there’s a human face behind the makeup that will make them all the more interesting.

Villain Spotlight: Bellatrix Lestrange and Zane Venture

For our villain spotlight this week, I’ll be looking at two very different characters that both, none the less, fall into the ‘crazies’ category.

First is Bellatrix Lestrange, of Harry Potter fame. In the books and especially the movies, Bellatrix is sadistic, crazy and loves every minute of it. As one of Voldermort’s top death eaters, she is a force to be reckoned with it. And she is nuts. 

Helena Bonham Carter brought her perfectly to life in the movies, having her skip about, laugh and sing at all the most inappropriate moments. The aftermath of Sirius Black’s death and Dumbledore’s death are noticeable examples. And she’s so happy, it’s almost hard not to laugh. And you feel terrible for it.

She’s makes you hate her and love her all at once, drawing in your interest. Which is what any good crazy should do. They should fascinate you and make you want to know more.

The second villain is just as much an interest magnet. Zane Venture, from the Mistborn trilogy, is a mysterious, powerful character plagued constantly by voices telling him to kill everyone around him. He has a great presence every time he’s on the page and you want to know more about him. Also, everyone should read that trilogy, because I said so.

Unlike Bellatrix, however, Zane tries to suppress his madness. He is a much more serious character and has a lot of elements of a mastermind in him. But I still place him in the category because he really is pretty off his rocker. A little less obviously than Bellatrix, and he carries himself entirely differently, but he is none the less a crazy.

That’s the key to a crazy villain. They don’t have to make sense, but they should tempt the audience to want to make sense of them. Get that right, and you have a solid villain like these two baddies. And a little excitement for any plot.

Villains and Villainy- The Crazies

Welcome back to Villains and Villainy! Last week, we looked at the masterminds, some of the villains who have the most fun, hands down. But if there are any villains that are more fun to watch, it’s the crazy ones.

Like Azula... who is crazy, but I will be looking at for a different category

These villains are completely nutty and don’t operate on the same rules that the heroes do. They have off the wall reasons for doing things, or perhaps no reason at all. And they’re always a delight to watch.

In fact here's a battle between two nutjobs from Baccano. Gotta love 'em

It should be noted that I do not mean ‘crazy’ in the sense that a villain has a mental illness. While this might be true of some in the archetype, I recommend against using a mental illness as a cheap, easy explanation for why your villain does what they do. Also, misrepresentation of mental illness is a problem and it needs to be avoided.

No, when I talk about crazy villains, its all in their carriage and how they handle life. There may not be anything technically wrong with them, but there world view is twisted into seven kinds of knots.

The fun think about this villain type is that it has so many possibilities and levels. A villain can have a touch of crazy or be absolutely gone. The key is to find the balance that will make your story the most interesting.

For instance, a villain has to be sane enough to offer a challenge for the heroes. If they’re completely nuts, they won’t be much of a threat. And yet, they’re also unpredictable which makes it hard to predict their movements. Their off the wall view on life can often lend to interesting spotlights on the human condition. It helps us see human beings from a different angle and its endlessly fascinating.

The crazy villains often have so much fun with what they’re doing as well, and I can get behind any character who has a passion for what they do. But they do not necessarily have to enjoy what they do. They can be disturbingly crazy as well, not enjoying what they do but still believing in some way, that what they’re doing is ultimately right. In my spotlight this Friday, I will look at two different villains who each handle their insanity very differently.

The key thing to remember with crazy villains is that they still need rules. You can’t excuse yourself from the mechanics of reality. And if you do choose to give them a mental illness of some kind, be damn sure you research it, because mental illness does not need misrepresentation.

Every nutty villain has rules. But these are rules that make sense to them. And as long as they make sense to one person, you have a solid foundation for a crazy.

Villain Spotlight- Rumpelstiltskin and Petyr Baelish

Forgot to post this last Friday so we're skipping the book review this week and instead doing this late villain spotlight!

Today I get to spotlight two of my favorite villains. Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time and Peytr Baelish from Game of Thrones. These are two highly intelligent villains with intricate plots that spread over several years. And they both have such fun with what they do, its hard not to enjoy it with them.

First there’s Rumpelstiltskin, also known as the Dark One, also known as the Beast and the Crocodile (Once Upon a Time is complicated). He has a long time plot spanning multiple seasons of show. He has no qualms with manipulating anyone to get what he wants. But what is it he wants? Not more power or anything evil like that. He wants to find his son, who he lost a long time ago, and reconcile with him. The one deal he ever broke resulted in him losing the thing he cared most about and that has driven him since then. He’s lost himself along the way and succumbed to the darkness, but his end goal never changes.

Until season 4, but that season doesn’t exist as far as I’m concern.

Most of the series, Rumpelstiltskin functions as a troll. He trolls all the characters and has them all dangling on strings. He’s clearly the smartest one in the room and everyone else is playing catch up. And he’s just so… delightful. Props to Robert Carlisle for such an amazing performance.

Next is Petyr Baelish.

He’s an interesting character who, far from being the main villain at any point, is always in the shadows behind all the real players, pulling strings and slowly making his way to the top. His goals are not particularly honorable. He wants to end up on the iron throne as much as anyone else. But unlike most of his adversaries, he’s patient and extremely smart. Parts of his plan are still unfolding even five seasons in. Also he has this monologue.

He’s surprisingly honest about his devious intentions and that honesty somehow tricks some people into thinking they can trust him. When they shouldn’t. Like, it’s the worst decision you could make.

I’m really interested to see where he goes in future seasons. He’s a terrible person, but he’s so good at it, and works very hard at his plotting. Hard work and genius are hard not to respect… even when coming from someone like Baelish.

Those are my spotlights for this week. What are some of your favorite mastermind villains? Let me know in the comments.

Villains and Villainy- The Mastermind

This week we look at one of my favorite villain archetypes: The Mastermind. This is the villain who has everything planned out. They’re the valedictorians at the school of evil and have everything planned out miles before the hero does. Sometimes they are the main villain and sometimes they work from the shadows, an unseen threat. Either way, they’ve got the world on strings.

One of my favorite traits in a good villain is intelligence. I think it makes for a lot of interesting dynamics, especially when the hero’s main virtue is intelligence. Two masterminds against each other is the stuff that legends are made of. Think Moriarty and Sherlock. 

An intelligent villain can also help a more impulsive, brawny hero grow. If the protagonist would rather act before think they often have to change in order to match a villain’s careful planning.

I think I just get great enjoyment when the hero thinks they have everything figured out and the mastermind pulls one over on them. They are very versatile villains. But there are still plenty of bad ways to write a mastermind.

Some of the most enjoyable villains are the ones who enjoy themselves. And in the case of masterminds, this is often the case. They’re smarter than everyone and they know it. Its often most fun to watch a villain when they are enjoying themselves. But they can’t be cartoony in the same way. Bond villains tend to be masterminds, but they’ve become such a stereotype they’re more a joke than anything. Mostly because they do stupid things. Like not kill Bond.

Because you suck at murdering!!!

No, masterminds have to have humanity to them as well. They need a method to their evil because everything they do is methodical. They need a goal and sometimes that goal can be perfectly sympathetic. Sometimes not. You have flexibility with masterminds over how evil you want to make them.

The most important thing is have fun. Bask in the genius of your villains. It will push your heroes to the brink and make the plot infinitely more interesting. And let yourself go along with it. Sometimes its fun to slip into your characters, especially when they’re the smartest one in the room.

Villain Spotlight- President Snow and the Lord Ruler

Time to spotlight some villains who perfectly fit the archetype of the tyrant: President Snow from the Hunger Games and the Lord Ruler from the Mistborn trilogy.

Let’s start of with President Snow, who all things considered, has more bad points than good points in the books. And honestly I didn’t find him entirely interesting in print, probably because we didn't see as much of him. The movies on the other hand? Give Donald Sutherland the part and give him some extra scenes and you have a more better developed character.

In the movies we see Snow in his element. We see him as a dictator but also with his Granddaughter. We see him in his garden, trimming flowers because, hey, he has hobbies. And there is a certain method to his cruelty. Like with this quote:

It shows how much Snow really understands the human mind. He’s a terrifying villain but there are brief, glimpses of his humanity. He does want to prevent war because a war will be devastating for both sides. I mean, he’d prefer that things only be devastating from one side but, still.

On a larger scale from Snow is The Lord Ruler from the Mistborn trilogy. Which by the way, if you haven’t read these books, you’d better because they’re amazing and I adore them. The first book of this series starts with a small group plotting to overthrow a man who has ruled for a thousand years as practically a god. We don’t see much of the Lord Ruler but when he comes out, he does so in a big way. Talk about a villain having presence. He radiates it. He feels like a man absolutely secure in his power. A big bad in every definition of the word. Honestly, if he had no redeemable human characteristics, I still would have given him a pass because dang.

But, Brandon Sanderson doesn’t like simple answers. And after we have well learned to hate the lord ruler, we begin to see the reason for everything he has done. And I can’t begin to give them away because you should just read the books. But its really incredible the level of complexity Brandon Sanderson added to this character who could have been just a typical tyrant. Its incredible. And he’s definitely my favorite tyrant character I’ve read in any book or seen in any movie.

Those are my spotlights for this week. I know there are a lot of great tyrants but some will fit into later categories. These two I thought defined what I was looking for in a good tyrant. I hope that looking at these two as examples will help you in your own writing.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Villains and Villainy: The Tyrant

Kicking off the villains series with a vengeance, let’s start with a very popular archetype: The tyrant.

Read any dystopian fiction lately? Then you know all about the tyrant. This villain is the person at the top of the food chain, the ruler of a country who rules with an iron fist. This is the person who inspires rebellions and causes a few lone heroes to stand up and demand justice for the common people. Its no surprise that this villain is popular. They set off conflict on a large scale and often times, taking them down is a monumental task.

But there are ways to write a good tyrant, and there are ways to write a bad one.

I think the biggest danger in writing is the tyrant is making them boring. Its really easy to do, considering how popular this archetype is. In a lot of cases, we may look at the big bad for a dystopian novel, shrug and say ‘seen it’. So they execute people for no reason. So they start wars that sweep across the land, leaving ashes and death in their wake. So what?

What’s important about writing a tyrant is that we get into their head. Because no tyrant really sets out to be a tyrant. That’s what makes them interesting. They set out with a noble cause and ultimately think they are doing the right thing. That’s the key. Don’t just show us reasons to hate them. Show us reasons that they might be justified.

I’m gonna throw out some examples that will not be in my villain spotlight on Friday. These examples happen to be from Avatar: The Last Airbender and the sequel series, Legend of Korra.

In Avatar the Last Airbender, there’s the fire lord Ozai. He’s bad news: a powerful fire bender who is obsessed with conquering the rest of the world and destroying the avatar. He’s got some cool things in his favor. He’s got an awesome design and presence and he’s voiced by Mark Hamil of Starwars and Batman the Animated Series fame. But he’s not that… interesting. He’s just kind of evil. We don’t see why he became this way or why he does most of the evil things he does. He’s an obstacle, but not much of a character compared to his children Azula and Zuko (both of whom I will look at later in this series).

Then there’s Kuvira, from Legend of Korra. This is a woman who clearly has good intentions. She’s tough, organized and disciplined and her soldiers are loyal to her. She does help the earth kingdom, as long as they accept her rule. She pushes her regime on others by force if necessary, but she believes the ends will ultimately justify the means.

Now of course, she’s ultimately as tyrannical as any of the other dictators, but seeing the positive sides of her is important. We see the help she gives and the parts of her that make a good leader. And she’s also just kind of a bad ass. 

Her fighting style is amazing. Though I’m ultimately more interested in the characters of the original show, I can’t deny that Legend of Korra had some really memorable villains.

So are you writing dystopian or fantasy fiction hinging on a tyrant? Don’t just make them evil. Even the worst people in history had virtues. If you want your tyrants to be interesting, make them human first and villains second.

Villains and Villainy- Introduction

Now that my editing series has drawn to a close, I think it’s about time that we start a new one! This time on a subject dear to my writer’s heart: villains.

Honestly, is there anything more fun to write than villains? There’s something fascinating about them no matter their type. It’s the hero that leads the story, but it’s the villain that strings them along and creates a truly interesting web of a plot. And a poorly written villain can make a story fall flat in an instant.

I’ve raved about various types of villains in the past. But I figured, there are so many shades and colors of villains that they deserve their own series. So for the next several weeks, each Wednesday, we’re going to be exploring a classic villain type and how to do them justice in your writing.

And every Friday starting next week there will be a Villain Spotlight, drawing attention to some of the best written villains in books, movies and TV shows. There are of course, a lot of amazing baddies to pay homage to. I’ll be look closely at some of my personal favorites but feel free to offer up suggestions of some of your favorite villains. I know there are so many to choose from and I want to talk about as many as possible.

In the meantime, have a pleasant week!