Why do villains become villains

Much like Harry. Snape was overly harsh to Harry although not without reason and was a liar. In this sequel series, the Light and Dark prophecies come head-to-head. The fate of the world depends on the choice of a single, neutral character. Unless the neutral character decides that it is. Science fiction has been doing great authentic villains for decades.

Pick up almost any sci-fi story, and the concept of the evil antagonist is questioned. The Star Wars canon, one of the more well-known of its genre, is no exception. Anakin Skywalker , hero-turned-villain, joins the dark side after visions of his mother dying make him terrified of losing his wife. Unfortunately, the dark side encourages him to let out his anger unchecked and he accidentally causes the very thing he feared. After failing as a husband, he almost makes the same mistake as a father.

But in those last moments, he turns against the dark side and sacrifices himself to save his son, Luke. Your story needs an antagonist. They exist, in essence, to drive the plot forward, but are so much more than that. They are a character in their own right—and one of the most important. Villains are not necessarily evil. Instead, they are opposite.

A useful technique for choosing an antagonist is to examine the protagonist. What sort of character would challenge their strengths and bring out their weaknesses? As with any other character, you need to work out the basics: gender, occupation, race, species, socioeconomic standing, and so on.

While the antagonist stands in opposition to the protagonist, you want to create similarities. Similarities can be in philosophy or actions. A great example of the former is Sherlock and Moriarty: both are geniuses who work with puzzles, but with differing beliefs and morals. In X-Men , Xavier and Eric Magneto share similar goals and ideals, but their actions and methods to reach those goals puts them in opposition to each other.

The contrast between hero and opponent is powerful only when both characters have strong similarities. Villains who are—or who, at one point, were—human have the greatest chance of being relatable, and therefore more believable.

So, what if you really want to go with the traditional, totally-evil villain despite everything? The best villain identities to start looking at are non-human ones. Try a computer, an alien, or a supernatural being that has never been human—such as a fairy, or a demon. Their motives could be very pure saving the world, protecting the weak but if their information or perspective is flawed it could lead to a villain that needs to be stopped. Not only is this a very hurtful stereotype, it is also extremely inaccurate.

The vast majority of individuals with mental health struggles are not any more violent than anyone else, they are in fact much more likely to be a victim of violence.

Why worry about character motivation? Our characters are critical to bringing our story to life…. Your email address will not be published. Skip to content. Behaviorist B. Skinner would likely argue that we can find it reinforcing to watch or read about supervillains, but without knowing what's reinforcing about them, that's a bit like saying it's rewarding because it's rewarding. Throughout history, humans have been captivated by stories of heroes facing off against superhuman foes.

But what specific rewards, needs, wishes and dark dreams do supervillains satisfy? Freedom: Superpowered characters enjoy freedoms the rest of us don't. Nobody can arrest Superman unless he lets them at least not without kryptonite handcuffs.

Even while sitting in prison, Will Smith's superhuman protagonist in the movie Hancock is as free as he chooses to be. As much time as supervillains spend locked up, they seem to escape as often as they please, to run unconstrained by rules and regulations.

Cosplayers who dress like Wonder Woman and Captain America can't do any crazy thing that crosses their minds without seeming to mock and insult our heroes, whereas those dressed as villains get to go wild. Supervillainy feels liberating. Power: Maybe you envy the power these evil characters wield. While that's also a reason to adore superheroes, good guys don't ache to dominate.

Stories like Watchmen and Kingdom Come show how heroes become menaces when they try to take over. So when dreaming of superpowers, maybe you relate to characters who dream of power as well, from the Scarecrow who controls individuals' fears to Doctor Doom who's perpetually out to dominate the world.

But for now, entertain that immediate first reaction. Where was your heart and mind then? But I am telling you to tap into your dark side long enough to know what makes a good villain tick. Maybe in childhood, maybe in adolescence, maybe later. At some point, rather than learning and growing, their maturation process stunted and stalled.

Roots of bitterness and anger sprang up in them. On the surface they may have many, if not most, of the same attractive qualities of your hero. But just beneath the surface fester the qualities you can access in yourself if you allow yourself to. But giving him motivation will make him more than a cardboard cutout. So conjure a backstory for your villain. Make him real and believable and credible—even attractive in many ways.