Villains
| Rank | Villain | Notes |
|---|
| 1 | Hannibal Lecter | Received Academy Award for performance |
| 2 | Norman Bates | Loosely based upon Ed Gein |
| 3 | Darth Vader | |
| 4 | The Wicked Witch of the West | |
Villain Characteristics Checklist:
- He's convinced he's the good guy.
- He has many likeable qualities.
- He's a worthy enough opponent to make your hero look good.
- You (and your reader) like when he's on stage.
- He's clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect.
- He can't be a fool or a bumbler.
4 Tips for Writing Compelling Villains
- Make sure your villain has a strong connection to your hero. A true villain is inextricably connected to the hero and aids in the hero's character development.
- Make them a worthy opponent.
- Put yourself in your villain's shoes.
- Consider your villain's motivation.
The term is strictly defined as a character who has heroic goals, personality traits, and virtues but is ultimately villainous. Their desired ends might seem promising, or like they would build toward a utopia, but the means that they use to get there are evil.
ENTPs are arguably the most common type of villain personality types because they love to watch the world burn and play by their own rules. Often times these personality types are villains because they are told "no" or they don't agree with certain rules put on by the hero.
The Pure Evil Villain must have a clear moral agency. They must know what is right and wrong but choose to do what is wrong and stay evil. In many cases such as a villain being mentally insane, possessed/brainwashed, or just does not know what is right from wrong, then the villain cannot qualify.
evil have been done to death, creators need to think of new stories and story elements to keep consumers interested in their work. One way to do that is a third-act twist, which when done right can really enhance a story. And a twist villain can be a very good third-act twist, if you're careful with it.
Disney Villains
- Fairest of All (2009)
- The Beast Within (2014)
- Poor Unfortunate Soul (2016)
- Mistress of All Evil (2017)
- Mother Knows Best (2018)
- The Odd Sisters (2019)
- Evil Thing (2020)
- Cold Hearted (2021)
John Mills is the central antagonist in the 2004 crime thriller Twisted. Mills is the ex-partner of Jessica Shepard's police father, eventually becoming her superior once she joined as well.
She sees it as a survival story, with herself cast as the heroic victim. Even monsters, like the shark in Jaws or the velociraptors of Jurassic Park, can be heroes of their own story. In Aliens, the Queen is defending her brood.
Create a cluster of clues and squeeze the real clue in with all the others. Hide the clue in plain sight. While your sleuth interviews the villain as a suspect, they rattle on with false clues but one real clue is hidden in the cluster.
even if they're the villain. First, write four sentences about your villain's ORIGIN before they were a villain. Then, write three sentences about their PERSONALITY, and/or events that happened that turned your character into a villain.
10 Simple Tips For Writing Clever Plot Twists
- Approach your story as a reader.
- Use subtle misdirection.
- Use even subtler foreshadowing.
- Let your characters create the plot twists.
- Ensure your twist is believable and necessary – and makes sense.
- Disguise a plot twist… within a plot twist.
7 Tips for Finding the Villain Within
- Understand exactly the kind of villain your character is.
- Explore the rage.
- Find their poker face.
- Don't be afraid to get ugly.
- Find the humanity and humor.
- Watch great villains on TV and in films.
To make a character a bit more unsettling and potentially reveal more about their creepy nature, consider giving them one, two, or many of the traits and behaviors listed below: Erratic and unpredictable emotions. Unapologetic non-conformance to societal norms. A careless appearance; especially messy or greasy hair.
How to Write a Villain Protagonist in 6 Steps
- Mix character traits.
- Keep the stakes high.
- Use internal monologue.
- Understand the character's morality.
- Build the backstory.
- Consider your antagonist.