The makings of a compelling villain
Villains, or — in the less megalomanic sense — antagonists, are integral to a good story. Whether they’re tangible beings (human, animal, monsters, even machines) or intangible (a weather phenomenon, natural disaster or simply challenging circumstances) they deliver both the objectives and obstacles that a protagonist needs to engage with. Without an antagonist, there are no stakes, no tension and no triumph.
I recently hit a snag in a horror script I’m writing, which has turned my mind to villains in particular. I realised that in focusing so much on my protagonists, I lost sight of who the villains were. In my case, they’re semi-tangible: ghosts that are currently doing little more than raining chaos and death around my hero, purely for the sake of propelling her forward in her effort to escape. My villains are weak and gratuitous, serving a purpose without much thought given to why.
I mean, they’re ghosts, right? Bad ghosts, in a horror script, doing what I need them to do.
And that, I realise, is exactly what’s not working.
Villains, in any form (yes, even my ghosts) should be as emotionally complex as the protagonist, or any other character in the story. Maybe even more so, since unlike the hero, they have taken the “unrighteous” path. Which in their mind is perfectly righteous. And there lies the distinction which makes a compelling villain, or antagonist.
Here are some tips that helped me flesh out my villains, and re-balance the tension that was fizzling away:
Flip your POV: villains are the protagonists of their own story. If this was their movie, what are their objectives? What was their inciting incident? What is at stake for them, and what are the obstacles? The same rules that apply to the hero’s journey apply here too. Get to know who your antagonist is, what they want, how they want to get it.
Think about their morality: how do they justify their ideas and actions? Thanos from the Avengers’ movies is a great example. Even by his own standards, his quest to eliminate half of life in the Universe is a horrific act, but he has valid, thought-out arguments to support this necessary evil. Even warped morality has its place as a thought-provoking premise.
Find what change they undergo in their journey: Whether they fail in their quest, lose everything, or see the error of their ways, an irrevocable change will occur to them. What is it, how does it affect their inner world, inform their actions?
Create empathy: This is often mistaken for “make them likeable”. It is possible to dislike someone, but still empathise with them. All we need, is something we can identify with; they could be coming from a place of loss, or loneliness, or a need to better themselves and / or the world around them. However misguided their beliefs or actions, these are all visceral emotions we can understand. And emotions are the building blocks of writing, what we have to work with, to connect audience and characters in the storytelling experience.
We love great characters. Without them, no story is worth its salt. And we only need to look at the success of so many anti-hero movies, to validate the fact: what makes us invest in a story are compelling characters, good and bad. We want to know them, understand them, feel what they feel and see them through their journey all the way to the end.
written by Patty Papageorgiou
