This has become the third instalment of my character creation series, it seems. But, moving on, I'm going to be talking about how to create realistic villains today. And everything in this essay can be applied to original fiction, as well as just fanfiction. Let's begin.
First off, I'm gonna start by saying that your villains, in a way, need to be like your heroes. How, you may ask? Well, your villains, like your heroes, need to have motivations. Likes. Dislikes. Hobbies. Fears. But mostly, motivations. You see, real people often don't do bad things just for 'TEH EVULZ!1!' They have reasons, even if those reasons are bad, for doing the things they do, and the same needs to apply for your villains.
If your villain hates your protagonist, why? Is said protagonist responsible for something bad happening to your villain? Is your protagonist a member of a rival clan, or family, and the villain sees it as their duty to defeat them? Are they love rivals? Almost any reason will do, as long as it's believable.
If your villain is trying to capture a legendary pokemon, despite knowing the immense amount of time, effort, and resources doing so will take, why are they doing it? If your villain is trying to steal a valuable artefact, why are they doing that? If your villain is plotting to kill your protagonist, or someone close to them, why? What could they possibly have to gain from it? And now, some examples, using some of my very own villains:
Sophie is desperate to crush Daniel at the grand festival, or at least beat him in a contest battle, because his uncle defeated her mother, thus making her to end her career as a coordinator in shame. She thinks that the only way to restore the glory of her family name is to defeat him. Sara threw away Nekane as a doll, because she had outgrown her. Professor Arbola wanted to gather the souls of one thousand pokemon to offer up to Vidangel, a legendary pokemon who has the power to restore a single human life, if offered one thousand pure souls. She wanted to use it to bring her beloved daughter, who had died in a freak accident, back to life.
Now, go and revise your villains!
First off, I'm gonna start by saying that your villains, in a way, need to be like your heroes. How, you may ask? Well, your villains, like your heroes, need to have motivations. Likes. Dislikes. Hobbies. Fears. But mostly, motivations. You see, real people often don't do bad things just for 'TEH EVULZ!1!' They have reasons, even if those reasons are bad, for doing the things they do, and the same needs to apply for your villains.
If your villain hates your protagonist, why? Is said protagonist responsible for something bad happening to your villain? Is your protagonist a member of a rival clan, or family, and the villain sees it as their duty to defeat them? Are they love rivals? Almost any reason will do, as long as it's believable.
If your villain is trying to capture a legendary pokemon, despite knowing the immense amount of time, effort, and resources doing so will take, why are they doing it? If your villain is trying to steal a valuable artefact, why are they doing that? If your villain is plotting to kill your protagonist, or someone close to them, why? What could they possibly have to gain from it? And now, some examples, using some of my very own villains:
Sophie is desperate to crush Daniel at the grand festival, or at least beat him in a contest battle, because his uncle defeated her mother, thus making her to end her career as a coordinator in shame. She thinks that the only way to restore the glory of her family name is to defeat him. Sara threw away Nekane as a doll, because she had outgrown her. Professor Arbola wanted to gather the souls of one thousand pokemon to offer up to Vidangel, a legendary pokemon who has the power to restore a single human life, if offered one thousand pure souls. She wanted to use it to bring her beloved daughter, who had died in a freak accident, back to life.
Now, go and revise your villains!
