I don't think so.. If you don't know the villain's motivations, it makes the villain easier to forget. In the other hand, unexpectable villains are terrifying because we have this tight suspense of the "unknown".
Agree. I think the best example of this is Negan from The Walking Dead. He is THE most unpredictable villain you'll see imo. The show ends up dimming his flame but he was terrifying in the beginning.
I learned the best way to write an antagonist is to give them an arc just like the protagonist. It could be a negative positive or flat arc depending on the story but it has to mirror the protagonist's arc some how.
Yes I agree completely a great villan should reflect the craziest complexities of humanity because just being plain evil is stale but having a character who is the hero of his own story and has insecurities and flaws and actually shows traits that even the main protagonist displays can be really great
@@jobolds6146 It really depends. Pure evil villains can be just as good as complex one, they just need more raw charisma, a compelling presence and to just give the reader\viewer one hell of a show.
@Kya Brown My villain is the protagonist, but she doesnt realize until when she kills the villain(her in the future who time traveled to the past) she dies as well, instead of different realities/timelines being made, there is one strict timeline where if the past changes the future changes in that same timeline. If that makes sense
The most amazing villains are actually the tragic heroes (negative character arc). It is so beautiful to watch them descend into darkness (Daenerys - I wish we had more time seeing this process).
I think watching a hero slip down into dangerous territory of morally grey and even dark choices is interesting. You can’t have a good redemption arc without that.
Exactly everything in GoT was done in so much hurry. Danny's arc would have been really great if execution was done in better way not like d way suddenly rushed up.
In some of my stories, one of the villains is a character who became an abomination after a scientific test drive goes horribly wrong. Another villain I made is a wolf who was forced to learn how to kill animals by the main antagonist after getting kicked out of the pack for hesitating on killing their prey. One thing we learn about tragic villains in my opinion is that they use to be regular or even kindhearted people and one bad day or one horrifying event can affect these characters negatively to the point that we start watching them succumb into the dark side.
Good video, thanks! Side note: "protagonist" and "antagonist" does not mean "hero" and "villain," respectively. The protagonist is merely the lead character of the book, and the antagonist is the character (or other external forces) in opposition of the protagonist. If your story is from the perspective of a villain fighting a hero, the villain would still be the protagonist, and the hero would be the antagonist.
They would just be considered a Villain Protagonist like Rick from Rick and Morty he's the main protagonist but is a narcissistic manipulative and abusive murderer.
One of my favorite villains is Medusa from Soul Eater because she's pure evil, super smart, very manipulative, and always wins. Even though she doesn't have a fear, she's a really memorable villain
Exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you. I have my first novel sitting at 65,000 words and now I have an idea of how I can surface the villain earlier in the story as well as weave in a more interesting back story. Keep up the great work!
You can still write an incredible villain who knows he is evil though. That is insanely compelling and interesting and we need to see more of those villains.
That's great, but unless it's a horror story, we have to see the build up or it becomes ridiculous. Consider Walter White. His initial motive is to make quick money to provide for his family when he dies of cancer, but over time he becomes more and more evil, and he enjoys it but still doesn't consider himself a bad person. That is, until the end of Season 4 when he realises he is evil and then he embraces it. It wouldn't work (outside of the horror genre) if we were introduced to a villain who knows he is evil, but doesn't care about it, without knowing why.
A perfect villain would be the one who wants his desire to come to reality. He or she is willing to give up anyone to fulfil their desire. They will make sure that their plan is perfect and they will again success no matter what until the hero/heroine defeats them. Love your videos. I can't wait for 100 Days of Sunlight to come out on 7 August. You are the main reason why I have started writing my book. Love you 3000 : )
Time stamps: (editing in progress) 2:05 Why does your Villain hate your hero? 3:06 NEVER GLORIFY YOUR VILLAIN 4:20 basic character building blocks Basic framework: Fear- Goal- Plan
This was EXACTLY the video I needed! Thank you! I've been struggling with my villain, but after watching this and answering all of the questions, I actually have an awesome villain completely fleshed out with a backstory and everything!!! Thank you!!!
I question whether all villains must be sympathetic. Consider the Joker. Enduringly popular, but his only mission is chaos, and he has no real virtues to speak of.
Joker's only mission is not chaos. He actually has a point to make and a clear motivation. The Joker is good not because of his pure evilness or because of his chaos, he is good because of his beliefs and philosophies. His belief that all people deep down are evil, and all it takes is a push, perfectly opposes Batman's faith in the good of the people of Gotham. Joker wants to prove that his worldview is the correct one, and that's what drives his character. Without this parallel, the Joker would not work.
I watched another video on this. The reason why the joker works as a villain is because deep inside we all wonder what the world would be like if we stood up to its rules, there's a part of us that empathizes with standing against "corrupt" authority, or any kind of authority for that matter you don't have to agree with a villain's actions or even sympathize with them, so long as there's a part of you that relates to them or even a deep curiosity of how they could change and affect the world they live in, you'll be drawn to the story
I love the responsibility you put on writers here to be intentional with message. I feel like this is my main problem with so much modern media. The writers unintentionally send the most horrendous messages to the audience, and they don't take seriously their role as story tellers.
I have a charcter who starts out good, in fact, his views at the beginning aligns directly with the protagonists, however, his greatest fear turns him to the villain out of desperation.
I like villains with very strong personalities. I think it’s great when they are hilarious, especially when saying rude or offensive things in funny ways because a villain can be rude and insensitive and funny at the same time. Also I like if they embrace unpopular opinions and express it in funny ways, like hating dogs, or children, or weak people, etc. I especially like if the villain is pestered by nuisances that they aren’t allowed to act on for a while… And then when they finally can they get to remove them in the funniest way.😂
I don't know, I've just known too many people who don't care if they're the hero of their own story or not. Who actually sometimes embrace not being the hero of their own story. I do think it makes for great villains, but I don't think they're the only villains out there. Sometimes a good old pure evil villain is what the story needs. But sometimes you need something you want and I think this is a great Place to start for that. thank you
Oh man, after watching this, I cannot wait to get on my laptop and write tomorrow!! This video came at the right time! My favourite villain would be Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove
"And we'll just have to wait until season 5 to see if Ross finally pushes George off a cliff." Well there is a cliff involved, but Ross isn't the one who makes him start to fall..... Season 5 George just brings his story and character to a whole new level. Jack Farthing is absolutely incredible
One of my favorite villains is Hal from Megamind. This is the kind of villain who has quite a realistically creepy obsession behind Roxanne. This is one of those "Nice Guys" who think that because he's nice to a girl he likes, the girl owes him affection in return for being "Nice". But not only is this misbelief stupid, but Hal's not really a nice guy. He basically wants Roxanne just for sex. That's it. And I like this villain because it's what we see in other certain guys in real life. The "Incels" as we call them. Mostly high schoolers back in my day. So seeing Hal getting defeated by Megamind was really satisfying.
VILLIANS!!!!!!!!!!! (all the normal people are weirded out by how excited we writers are about villians hahahahaha) But in all seriousness, I LOVE villians. I am also terrible and writing them so THIS IS BEYOND HELPFUL THANK YOU SO MUCH. Honestly I think the best kind of villian is one with a sense of humor because then I relate to them and even though I hate them I also reaaallyyy like them! Oh btw, my family started watching Poldark, we got to season 2 but it was getting less and less family friendly so we stopped. I would like to know your opinion though, do you think it's still a good series to watch? Not as a family with little kids of course, but is it worth it? When we left off, Ross seemed to be straying more and more into the darker parts of his character and being an idiot and I don't know that I can stand a main character like that 😂😂😂 I get so worked up cuz I want to slap some sense into them 😂😂😂 But anyway yes, what's your opinion?
A VILLAIN WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR < yes. :') I'm so glad you liked this video, Esther!! And hehe yes, Poldark… I wouldn't call it family friendly necessarily, especially after season 2. I would say it's like PG-13. AND OH MY GOODNESS YES ROSS IS SO FRUSTRATING I COULD SMACK HIM. He definitely does stray (a lot) but I did like how (at least in seasons 1 and 2) he does realize what matters in the end and what a fool he's been about many things. But honestly going into season 3 and 4 the writing goes REALLY downhill and all the characters start acting out of character and the whole thing gets pretty dragged out. So you've probably seen the best of it HAHA 😂
People usually like the villains more because writers create more backstory ad internal relations for them. That's what I've been told. Plus, they're just cool!
@@AbbieEmmons Never watched the show but I saw according to Google it was a reboot of the older version on Masterpiece or something, perhaps that writing is better? Cheers!
Favourite villain ever - Archibald "Archie" Cunningham in Rob Roy. When he died at the end, the entire audience stood up and started clapping. I'd never seen a reaction like that in any movie theater ever.
3:00 I don't know if I agree. I absolutely think you can make the reader care about and understand the villians motivs to the point that you start to feel for the villian. I don' think "the bad guy is the bad guy" needs to be case in every story. Why can't the antagonists motivs just happen to stand in the way of the protagonist or what if the antagonists actions is for a good cause but the protagonist just happens to stand in the way for his dream. Maybe the protagonist and the antagonist just has different worldviews and their motivs goes against ech other. It's not the same as having two protagonists, you are still stuck mainly following the protagonist as in most stories. Even in stories were the protaganist is the bad guy you're still hoping (or at least somewhat hoping) for him to succed on whatever his doing. I think any good writer can make you be on the protagonists side while still making you feel for the villian.
5:13 Prepping a creative writing class on characters, especially villains, and watched this video JUST for this point. Thanks so much- I needed the reminder!
I know I'm a few years late to the party, but I have been LOVING all your content and watching a good majority of it. After watching this one, I think I've pretty much nailed all the points you brought up, so that is reaffirming. But, I will continue to keep everything in mind as I develop them further. Thanks Abbie!
When it comes to hero/villain relationships and how they interact, my fav show is Once Upon A Time. It does so well with what makes a villain a villain and a hero a hero. It’s just done so well. Regina’s whole character is AMAZING
Abbie seems to think that every character's main flaw is purely ideological, and rooted in fear. This isn't the case. Stories are about the choices that characters make, and villains are characters who make a lot of morally wrong choices. That is the only thing that is essential to all villainous characters.
I've always found the "villain is the hero of their own story"-advice really limiting. I mean sure, every villain needs at least some kind of motivation to their actions, and preferably (not always) a back story as well to show who they actually are, but they don't have to think that their actions are right. It places boundaries to what the villain can or can't do, a moral line they would not cross. I think there absolutely is a place for villains who lack morality, those who are out for power, status or personal gain, who aren't afraid to snuff out the innocent only to prove a point or to terrorize the heroes, or perhaps just to feel empowered over it. A villain who doesn't have any moral boundaries is far more terrifying and unpredictable than those who act by their moral code and think what they do is justified. One I can sympathize with, but it's the other that keeps me on the edge of my seat every time they appear anywhere near the characters I've grown to care about.
Zaheer from LOK is hands down my favorite villain, not only because his ideological position, the inherent danger of the avatar, was something I agreed with when he articulated it, but his personal charisma and the fact that he overcame impressive odds to become one of the most skilled airbenders in history. Hard not to root for someone like that.
Some of the greatest ones are actually aware what they're doing is wrong, and feel guilty, but feel they have no choice, or even admit to themselves that it's selfish
This is helpful, first time I watched it I returned to my story and did profiles on all the villains for my story, which was a challenge because ultimately the "villain" is actually a dark conspiracy committed to misdirection and subterfuge each member of the conspiracy has unique motivation from sadism to a desire to change the world for the better the challenge is you don't know who all the villains are until the final act
It blows my mind how much Takuto Maruki from Persona 5 Royal fits your description of a good villain literally word for word. Want to turn his desires to reality (in more ways than one), thinks he is the hero and what he is doing is right and will do everything he can to achieve it. Not to mention the only thing standing In is way is the hero “not necessarily in reality but in his mind” any fans know exactly why this is relevant. (His palace)
I'm working on a YA epic fantasy, book 2, where a side character in book 1 becomes a villain in book 2, and so there's a lot of inner conflict from her POV which is fun. Your video has been a nice inspiration to keep me on track with her, I'm doing okay in this process (while I procrastinate on the actual writing) ;)
Thank you so much! I still need a villain for a tv show that I'm waiting and this was pretty helpful! Also, my favorite villain is Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls! Love that triangle!
I certainly don't agree that villains are "inherently evil" or that evil people are "subhuman", but I see where you were going with that at least? Good advice overall.
Been watching your videos to think of ideas for a light novel or comic book and I have to say they have been really helpful, so thanks for that. Also my favourite villain is probably dio brando purely because of how twisted his beliefs are when it comes to how he views others as naturally inferior to him and how he tricks others to get to his own desires
Just a few nights ago I was mapping out a villain using the ennegram. I found what I consider to be his core personality (1), then chose one of the connecting personalities to be an extension of his positive traits (4) and the other to be an extension of his negative traits (7). Now I can't wait to flesh him out.
Not quite on the topic of villains (mine is a fake friend - I SO look forward for the heartbreak that I get to write) but on the video itself. I LOVE what you did with your audio. Paused at the right moment and pulled through until the end. I enjoyed it! ♥
In the Dark Knight Trilogy, we have 2 villains- Ras al Gul and Bane, who have materialistic desires. Both these characters wish to destroy Gotham and they really don't seem to have any form of emotional attachment with what they are doing. Whereas Joker and Two face are 2 villains who do not have any materialistic motive behind what they do. Joker simply wishes to make Batman break his oath of never taking human life and Two face wants revenge from Batman and Gordon because he feels he has been a victim of their deeds. That's what makes the Trilogy so legendary.
Your videos are SO helpful, thank you Abbie! Current favourite villains/pseudo villains: Kennit (Pirate) and Paragon (Mad Ship) from the Robin Hobb 'Liveship traders' series. She's incredible at constructing complex stories with multiple sub-plots in a universe of her own creation. Her villains are complex, simultaneously lovable, relatable, detestable, unforgivable, and have terrible (yet could happen to anyone) events that carved their fears deeply into their psyches and drive them forward, leaving the reader anticipating terrible things even when they have been redeemed (Paragon in the Fitz & Fool series).
@@AbbieEmmons Your videos are amazing, you're such an inspiration. I've been procrastinating on my thesis the last few days and planning my novel (that I've had in my head and scribbled on little notes since 2011). You've helped SO much, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Going to start writing it the moment I hand in the tome, I finally have something tangible to look forward to afterward... I think everyone who loves reading should read Robin Hobb's books. Her Fitz & the Fool series is where I started... Order to read: Fitz and Fool - read first trilogy. Turn to the Liveship traders series. Then return to the Fitz & Fool series for the second, and third, trilogies if you get into it. I couldn't put them down, I've read almost twelve of these huge books in a year on top of all the other stuff I should have been reading.
I love this video! Just earlier, I saw a post about how some ppl grow tired of seeing the "villain with a tragic backstory" or "villain with a reason other than being evil". They said they wanted to see more of villains JUST being evil for the sake of it. Of course, this is personal preference, and I can respect that 😂 I, however, like stories with villains that are more complex and more than what meets the eye 🤣 reality is not black-and-white, and I really love to see that in the characters, villains, and stories I read. Great video!!! 🔥🔥🔥
yeah but you cannot deny the sheer awesome villains like emperor palpatine who is like the only guy in the Star wars movies who loves every second of his life till the end. so irredeamable enjoying his lust for ultimate power .
I want to wrtite a villain right now, omg hahahah I like "Black Jack" or "Jack Randall" by Outlander. He's despicable and I hate him, so I know he's a very well-written villain. And I love Poldark!!!
Abby, you're so wonderful. I'm a 40 year old mom of a 10 yr old girl and I'm trying to get her hooked onto your videos. You're so wholesome! Please have (real, not just paper) children of your own someday. Your psychological insights would make you a great mom!
there's also a difference between an antagonist and a villain. an antagonist works against the protagonist, but isn't necessarily all blood and guts and glory. in the book i'm writing, the hero is the protagonist (obviously) who battles against the antagonist, who is the supposed "villain," but the word villain doesn't accurately describe him. the true villain of the story is completely different than him and pretty terrible, therefore when the true baddie comes out, the story gives the reader a chance to realize "oh wait the antagonist isn't actually that bad compared with this horrible villain that i kinda wanna throw off a bridge."
Really enjoyed the video! I've been creating many different villains over the last couple of months, and the first thing I do similar is going for their past, most of the time I want to give them a past that is either a means for their goals or the reason they're so.. messed up. I don't always give them a fear to say, but I do strive to make them human enough. One I find most enjoyable, although not a great example is my Hans kleiser. A German surgeon with refined techniques who unfortunately was struck by a car, and other lesser surgeons messed up their work on his face. Terrified and outraged, in frenzy he attempted his best but it resulted in him wrapping up nearly his entire head except for his left eye, bloodstains around the bandages, stitches visible, and nearly all his hair gone. His beloved married his brother, which he blamed on the loss of his face. In modern times he was appointed to a growing organization to return the german glory and acted as both their highest-ranked member as a chief surgeon to experiment on soldiers and to torture their victims, ultimately facing off against a heroine Diana, and taking his life in a final gambit.
Binging through all your Videos while working on my own YA Romance. While knowing about plot structure and outline basics those comments/explanations here and there and examples are something that really help and motivate me. I'm sort of using those videos for motivation and for enhancing my novel. Thank you so so so much.
I needed this. I needed this so damn much. I literally halfway crealated my villain jotting down notes while watching this. This was the first video of yours I've ever watched. I'm addicted. 💚💜
One of the best done villains I have ever seen is Petro from Kurt Seyit et Sura, a Turkish period romance drama, one of my favourite series of all time.
I’m actually really happy with my latest villain. My protagonist has two older brothers and the eldest is the villain of the story. She used to look up to him and tried to emulate him, so she essentially is a mirror of him, but she refused to follow their family’s bigoted ways and escaped. When she was just a baby, and her eldest brother was about ten, there parents died and they were taken in by family friends who ended up controlling the three children for their own means. Her brother was a puppet for all his life, forced to marry a woman he despises. He retaliates by becoming a puppet master to his siblings. He loves his family, but not for what they actually are. He loves the perfect image of his family. When the second brother has an affair from his arranged marriage, the eldest brother goes crazy and puts him under a mind control. That’s why the protagonist ticks him off so much. He basically groomed her to be just like him, conniving and manipulative, because he wanted to control her. Instead, she rebelled and fought against him. That’s why he wants her dead. She’s what he could have become and he wants to prove that his way was the only way to survive.
I really like villains who are actually heroes. What I mean, is, villains that have the same goals as the heroes but go about achieving them in a much different and morally wrong way.
The fact that you said they are inherently evil right at the start was quite surprising. There are many great villains who aren't evil. In fact, that's often a good way to create a truly terrifying villain. If you're looking at villains through the lens that they're inherently evil you're looking at them in a very shallow and simplistic manner. That's the old black and white method of character creation. We've moved past that. It doesn't even hold up in reality either. Actions can be evil (although even many actions are a grey area viewed as evil by some, and perfectly fine by others. Think about real life and you'll come up with many examples)
oh thank you for this vid! I'm trying to find some good videos that can help me make my villain a good villain for my D&D campaign and how I can make her more understandable, and this definitely helped!
For me I take stuff from real life as inspiration for my villains. I make them embodiments of a single aspect of darkness. My favorite ones are blind rage and slippery manipulation. A villain that's so furious and relentless that anything that takes a breath is in their way. Or A villain who wants the world in his hands and will either manipulate, subjugate, or eliminate his enemies until he's on top, like theyre all ants at the top of an ant lion pit and he's pushing them into it.
I love this and all your suggestions. I am currently writing a story where my villain is actually one of the protagonist’s best friends. He, outwardly does not appear to be the villain, but his motivations steer him in that direction, eventually causing him to directly oppose and eventually destroy the protagonist’s goals… mostly. Any ideas on where the villain isn’t obvious?
My biggest difficulty is making my villain. Because most of the time, I focus on the development of my main characters and less on the conflicts behind my villain characters. Especially when majority of the story is about the hero's journey.
One of my favorite villains of all time is a guy none of you know anything about, and least of all me. Still do not know his name. All that is known about this villain for sure is, he is incredibly realistic. He utilizes realism to its fullest potential at the expense of the European Union. He is an adult guy who dreams about a future Europe where nations govern their own fate instead of mere, obsolete superstates. Its a comic world where the EU exists as an animated entity created by failed supervillains from the real world. We are never told exactly who created the EU in this comic or why, but once I saw this villain´s face and the code he lived by which I think was to be happy and cheerful no matter what and refuse to let tyrants tell himself what to do, causing himself to be misunderstood as an actual villain. Still can not remember the name of the comic.Thank you!
Favourite villain without a doubt is Jean Brodie from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, excellently played by Maggie Smith in the film version. A really charismatic character who draws you in but her subtle-yet-significant narcissism has such a ruinous effect on others and herself.
I love how Abbie says "my friend" instead of "my friends". Seems more personal that way. Oh, and model your villain after the worst manager you ever had.
my favourite villain of all time is Loki and Bellatrix cause their author gave them such a great backstory that makes me love them. Plus can you how to make a good anti-hero in the story ?
![How To Write A Great Antagonist - Eric Edson [Screenwriting Masterclass]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mkSZOCcBLhI/mqdefault.jpg)
I love writing villains because they are so complex and fun. I like the type of villain who is sensitive, still human, yet totally evil.
YESSSS I agree 1000% Ivie :')
Agreed 👍
Guess I'm on the right track
**cough cough** aaron warner
I really struggle with my viallians! I love them but I have a hard time writing them.
When the reader doesn't know what the villain's motivations are or what they are going to do next, they're absolutely terrifying!
Michael Myers from original Halloween
Uh, I think you should know the villain's motivations or keep it as a mystery and reveal it in the third act or the finale of your story.
Thats what i write
I don't think so.. If you don't know the villain's motivations, it makes the villain easier to forget. In the other hand, unexpectable villains are terrifying because we have this tight suspense of the "unknown".
Agree. I think the best example of this is Negan from The Walking Dead. He is THE most unpredictable villain you'll see imo. The show ends up dimming his flame but he was terrifying in the beginning.
I learned the best way to write an antagonist is to give them an arc just like the protagonist. It could be a negative positive or flat arc depending on the story but it has to mirror the protagonist's arc some how.
Wow, thanks for saying that. I'll think about it XD.
Yes I agree completely a great villan should reflect the craziest complexities of humanity because just being plain evil is stale but having a character who is the hero of his own story and has insecurities and flaws and actually shows traits that even the main protagonist displays can be really great
@@jobolds6146 It really depends. Pure evil villains can be just as good as complex one, they just need more raw charisma, a compelling presence and to just give the reader\viewer one hell of a show.
Tomura Shigaraki
Ooh ooh ooh, what if the villain is actually emotionally attached to the hero?? Could make things quite intriguing.
The Joker
THANK YOU for bringing that up. That’s how my story is and it makes your book a lot more interesting
@Kya Brown WOAH.... MIND BLOWN 🤯
Kya Brown that would be cool like a mr glass thing but make them childhood friends before he’s revealed to be a villain
@Kya Brown My villain is the protagonist, but she doesnt realize until when she kills the villain(her in the future who time traveled to the past) she dies as well, instead of different realities/timelines being made, there is one strict timeline where if the past changes the future changes in that same timeline. If that makes sense
The most amazing villains are actually the tragic heroes (negative character arc). It is so beautiful to watch them descend into darkness (Daenerys - I wish we had more time seeing this process).
I think watching a hero slip down into dangerous territory of morally grey and even dark choices is interesting. You can’t have a good redemption arc without that.
Exactly everything in GoT was done in so much hurry. Danny's arc would have been really great if execution was done in better way not like d way suddenly rushed up.
In some of my stories, one of the villains is a character who became an abomination after a scientific test drive goes horribly wrong. Another villain I made is a wolf who was forced to learn how to kill animals by the main antagonist after getting kicked out of the pack for hesitating on killing their prey. One thing we learn about tragic villains in my opinion is that they use to be regular or even kindhearted people and one bad day or one horrifying event can affect these characters negatively to the point that we start watching them succumb into the dark side.
Breaking bad tv series the best
Ah! But we still have the Winds of Winter to come to see Martin's true vision.
It's hard to believe your videos are not more popular
wow thank you!! 😊💛
YES I LOVE HOW SHE SPEAKS¡
Yes. The best! An amazing teacher.
So true! Such good advice she gives😆
Good video, thanks! Side note: "protagonist" and "antagonist" does not mean "hero" and "villain," respectively. The protagonist is merely the lead character of the book, and the antagonist is the character (or other external forces) in opposition of the protagonist. If your story is from the perspective of a villain fighting a hero, the villain would still be the protagonist, and the hero would be the antagonist.
Artemis Fowl book 1 comes to mind...
@@KitKat_-up4dm death note and breaking bad too
@@ASmartNameForMe death note for sure.
They would just be considered a Villain Protagonist like Rick from Rick and Morty he's the main protagonist but is a narcissistic manipulative and abusive murderer.
And the protagonist from Catch Me if You Can.
One of my favorite villains is Medusa from Soul Eater because she's pure evil, super smart, very manipulative, and always wins. Even though she doesn't have a fear, she's a really memorable villain
Exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you. I have my first novel sitting at 65,000 words and now I have an idea of how I can surface the villain earlier in the story as well as weave in a more interesting back story. Keep up the great work!
I'm so glad you found this video helpful, Mike! Thank you so much for watching! 😊
You can still write an incredible villain who knows he is evil though. That is insanely compelling and interesting and we need to see more of those villains.
That's great, but unless it's a horror story, we have to see the build up or it becomes ridiculous. Consider Walter White. His initial motive is to make quick money to provide for his family when he dies of cancer, but over time he becomes more and more evil, and he enjoys it but still doesn't consider himself a bad person. That is, until the end of Season 4 when he realises he is evil and then he embraces it.
It wouldn't work (outside of the horror genre) if we were introduced to a villain who knows he is evil, but doesn't care about it, without knowing why.
@@dp-g5i Im saying a villain doesnt have to be sympathetic to be likeable. Like say Frieza from Dragon Ball Z.
"Actually it sounds very fun!" That's exactly what I was thinking 😂
HAHA :'')
A perfect villain would be the one who wants his desire to come to reality. He or she is willing to give up anyone to fulfil their desire. They will make sure that their plan is perfect and they will again success no matter what until the hero/heroine defeats them.
Love your videos. I can't wait for 100 Days of Sunlight to come out on 7 August. You are the main reason why I have started writing my book.
Love you 3000 : )
Time stamps: (editing in progress)
2:05 Why does your Villain hate your hero?
3:06 NEVER GLORIFY YOUR VILLAIN
4:20 basic character building blocks
Basic framework: Fear- Goal- Plan
This was EXACTLY the video I needed! Thank you! I've been struggling with my villain, but after watching this and answering all of the questions, I actually have an awesome villain completely fleshed out with a backstory and everything!!! Thank you!!!
Wow, that's so awesome!! I'm so glad this video inspired and helped you develop your villain! 💛✨
You make me want to write again 😩
I'm so glad! 💛
“Everyone starts out good.”
That would be an amazing untruth for a character to discover.
This video came right when I needed it! My favorite villain is Loki! I really need to study him more. Thanks for the video! 😘😘😘
I'm so glad you liked the video! Thanks so much ❤️
Loki's my favorite too. I think I almost like him too much
I actually looked up this video so *I* could analyze a character deeper.
I prefer Thanos since Loki isn't a villian half the time.
Yes Loki is awesome!
I question whether all villains must be sympathetic. Consider the Joker. Enduringly popular, but his only mission is chaos, and he has no real virtues to speak of.
Of course not.
Joker's only mission is not chaos. He actually has a point to make and a clear motivation. The Joker is good not because of his pure evilness or because of his chaos, he is good because of his beliefs and philosophies. His belief that all people deep down are evil, and all it takes is a push, perfectly opposes Batman's faith in the good of the people of Gotham. Joker wants to prove that his worldview is the correct one, and that's what drives his character.
Without this parallel, the Joker would not work.
I watched another video on this. The reason why the joker works as a villain is because deep inside we all wonder what the world would be like if we stood up to its rules, there's a part of us that empathizes with standing against "corrupt" authority, or any kind of authority for that matter
you don't have to agree with a villain's actions or even sympathize with them, so long as there's a part of you that relates to them or even a deep curiosity of how they could change and affect the world they live in, you'll be drawn to the story
There are numerous iterations of the joker I think the Dark Knight version is perfect example of this basic formula minus a backstory
Buffalo Bill/Jame Gum from Silence of the Lambs was not at all sympathetic but was extraordinary.
I love the responsibility you put on writers here to be intentional with message. I feel like this is my main problem with so much modern media. The writers unintentionally send the most horrendous messages to the audience, and they don't take seriously their role as story tellers.
I have a charcter who starts out good, in fact, his views at the beginning aligns directly with the protagonists, however, his greatest fear turns him to the villain out of desperation.
same in my story, But she turns evil over the action of protagonist, and he made her live her greatest fear
Omg when she said to make a good character and then destroy them I was like; ok now this is fun
But the sad thing is that I already did it
I like villains with very strong personalities. I think it’s great when they are hilarious, especially when saying rude or offensive things in funny ways because a villain can be rude and insensitive and funny at the same time.
Also I like if they embrace unpopular opinions and express it in funny ways, like hating dogs, or children, or weak people, etc. I especially like if the villain is pestered by nuisances that they aren’t allowed to act on for a while… And then when they finally can they get to remove them in the funniest way.😂
My favorite is the villain that gets a redemption arc. It’s so good
I don't know, I've just known too many people who don't care if they're the hero of their own story or not. Who actually sometimes embrace not being the hero of their own story. I do think it makes for great villains, but I don't think they're the only villains out there. Sometimes a good old pure evil villain is what the story needs. But sometimes you need something you want and I think this is a great Place to start for that. thank you
Oh man, after watching this, I cannot wait to get on my laptop and write tomorrow!! This video came at the right time! My favourite villain would be Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove
wow I'm so happy this video inspired you! Thank you, Alexandria! 😊
Call me cliche or regular but I love Voldemort his motivation and desire and internal conflict is spot on!
I love it when you can relate to a villain like they want something you know you'd want if you were pushed further
My favorite literary villain is The Darkling in Leigh Bardugo's Grishverse series. Just love him!
"And we'll just have to wait until season 5 to see if Ross finally pushes George off a cliff." Well there is a cliff involved, but Ross isn't the one who makes him start to fall..... Season 5 George just brings his story and character to a whole new level. Jack Farthing is absolutely incredible
YES! seriously one of the best if not THE best actor in the show... damn
@@AbbieEmmons You said it!!
“I don’t have anything to loose” the number one quote villains say when they’re about to go all out on the hero.
One of my favorite villains is Hal from Megamind. This is the kind of villain who has quite a realistically creepy obsession behind Roxanne. This is one of those "Nice Guys" who think that because he's nice to a girl he likes, the girl owes him affection in return for being "Nice". But not only is this misbelief stupid, but Hal's not really a nice guy. He basically wants Roxanne just for sex. That's it. And I like this villain because it's what we see in other certain guys in real life. The "Incels" as we call them. Mostly high schoolers back in my day. So seeing Hal getting defeated by Megamind was really satisfying.
VILLIANS!!!!!!!!!!! (all the normal people are weirded out by how excited we writers are about villians hahahahaha) But in all seriousness, I LOVE villians. I am also terrible and writing them so THIS IS BEYOND HELPFUL THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Honestly I think the best kind of villian is one with a sense of humor because then I relate to them and even though I hate them I also reaaallyyy like them!
Oh btw, my family started watching Poldark, we got to season 2 but it was getting less and less family friendly so we stopped. I would like to know your opinion though, do you think it's still a good series to watch? Not as a family with little kids of course, but is it worth it? When we left off, Ross seemed to be straying more and more into the darker parts of his character and being an idiot and I don't know that I can stand a main character like that 😂😂😂 I get so worked up cuz I want to slap some sense into them 😂😂😂
But anyway yes, what's your opinion?
A VILLAIN WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR < yes. :') I'm so glad you liked this video, Esther!! And hehe yes, Poldark… I wouldn't call it family friendly necessarily, especially after season 2. I would say it's like PG-13. AND OH MY GOODNESS YES ROSS IS SO FRUSTRATING I COULD SMACK HIM. He definitely does stray (a lot) but I did like how (at least in seasons 1 and 2) he does realize what matters in the end and what a fool he's been about many things. But honestly going into season 3 and 4 the writing goes REALLY downhill and all the characters start acting out of character and the whole thing gets pretty dragged out. So you've probably seen the best of it HAHA 😂
People usually like the villains more because writers create more backstory ad internal relations for them. That's what I've been told. Plus, they're just cool!
@@AbbieEmmons Never watched the show but I saw according to Google it was a reboot of the older version on Masterpiece or something, perhaps that writing is better? Cheers!
Favourite villain ever - Archibald "Archie" Cunningham in Rob Roy. When he died at the end, the entire audience stood up and started clapping. I'd never seen a reaction like that in any movie theater ever.
3:00 I don't know if I agree. I absolutely think you can make the reader care about and understand the villians motivs to the point that you start to feel for the villian. I don' think "the bad guy is the bad guy" needs to be case in every story. Why can't the antagonists motivs just happen to stand in the way of the protagonist or what if the antagonists actions is for a good cause but the protagonist just happens to stand in the way for his dream. Maybe the protagonist and the antagonist just has different worldviews and their motivs goes against ech other. It's not the same as having two protagonists, you are still stuck mainly following the protagonist as in most stories. Even in stories were the protaganist is the bad guy you're still hoping (or at least somewhat hoping) for him to succed on whatever his doing. I think any good writer can make you be on the protagonists side while still making you feel for the villian.
5:13 Prepping a creative writing class on characters, especially villains, and watched this video JUST for this point. Thanks so much- I needed the reminder!
I know I'm a few years late to the party, but I have been LOVING all your content and watching a good majority of it. After watching this one, I think I've pretty much nailed all the points you brought up, so that is reaffirming. But, I will continue to keep everything in mind as I develop them further. Thanks Abbie!
When it comes to hero/villain relationships and how they interact, my fav show is Once Upon A Time. It does so well with what makes a villain a villain and a hero a hero. It’s just done so well. Regina’s whole character is AMAZING
I'm not sure every villain needs a fear though. I find Hannibal Lecter to be a great villain. He doesn't have any real fears though.
Abbie seems to think that every character's main flaw is purely ideological, and rooted in fear. This isn't the case. Stories are about the choices that characters make, and villains are characters who make a lot of morally wrong choices. That is the only thing that is essential to all villainous characters.
If you'll read the third Tomas Harris' book about Lecter (Hannibal) you'll find out his fears, conflicts, backstory etc.
I've always found the "villain is the hero of their own story"-advice really limiting. I mean sure, every villain needs at least some kind of motivation to their actions, and preferably (not always) a back story as well to show who they actually are, but they don't have to think that their actions are right. It places boundaries to what the villain can or can't do, a moral line they would not cross. I think there absolutely is a place for villains who lack morality, those who are out for power, status or personal gain, who aren't afraid to snuff out the innocent only to prove a point or to terrorize the heroes, or perhaps just to feel empowered over it. A villain who doesn't have any moral boundaries is far more terrifying and unpredictable than those who act by their moral code and think what they do is justified. One I can sympathize with, but it's the other that keeps me on the edge of my seat every time they appear anywhere near the characters I've grown to care about.
Roy Batty from the original Bladerunner. You feel attracted by him horrified compassionate and terrified. Great villain.
Villains are not always evil or subhuman, sometimes they are just characters with goals that oppose the goals of the main character.
Zaheer from LOK is hands down my favorite villain, not only because his ideological position, the inherent danger of the avatar, was something I agreed with when he articulated it, but his personal charisma and the fact that he overcame impressive odds to become one of the most skilled airbenders in history. Hard not to root for someone like that.
Some of the greatest ones are actually aware what they're doing is wrong, and feel guilty, but feel they have no choice, or even admit to themselves that it's selfish
I like this writing channel cos she is the only few female youtuber that speaks with a normal voice.
I love creating villain characters even if they don't necessarily have a story attached to them, so this should be a very fun video to watch!
This is helpful, first time I watched it I returned to my story and did profiles on all the villains for my story, which was a challenge because ultimately the "villain" is actually a dark conspiracy committed to misdirection and subterfuge each member of the conspiracy has unique motivation from sadism to a desire to change the world for the better the challenge is you don't know who all the villains are until the final act
It blows my mind how much Takuto Maruki from Persona 5 Royal fits your description of a good villain literally word for word. Want to turn his desires to reality (in more ways than one), thinks he is the hero and what he is doing is right and will do everything he can to achieve it. Not to mention the only thing standing In is way is the hero “not necessarily in reality but in his mind” any fans know exactly why this is relevant. (His palace)
I am attempting my first novel, and having a bit of fun subtly planting the idea, that the villain might just have been right.
YES George is SUCH a good example!!
My favorite villain is a politician who wants to stop everything from moving and changing. With glue.
Thank you so much! I don’t like using any novel-writing tutorials except for yours!
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog delightfully flips the hero/villian dynamic.
I think great villians have a death grip stare with a smile. And they foretell the impending stakes for the hero.
Villains are so much fun! You can make them desire anything.... anything anything!
I love that she used poldark as an example, poldark is a masterpiece
"Hitler loved his pet dog"
Me: *Crying Laughing*
I'm working on a YA epic fantasy, book 2, where a side character in book 1 becomes a villain in book 2, and so there's a lot of inner conflict from her POV which is fun. Your video has been a nice inspiration to keep me on track with her, I'm doing okay in this process (while I procrastinate on the actual writing) ;)
Thank you so much! I still need a villain for a tv show that I'm waiting and this was pretty helpful! Also, my favorite villain is Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls! Love that triangle!
I certainly don't agree that villains are "inherently evil" or that evil people are "subhuman", but I see where you were going with that at least? Good advice overall.
Been watching your videos to think of ideas for a light novel or comic book and I have to say they have been really helpful, so thanks for that. Also my favourite villain is probably dio brando purely because of how twisted his beliefs are when it comes to how he views others as naturally inferior to him and how he tricks others to get to his own desires
Villains don't always have a motive sometimes they just have a goal
Just a few nights ago I was mapping out a villain using the ennegram. I found what I consider to be his core personality (1), then chose one of the connecting personalities to be an extension of his positive traits (4) and the other to be an extension of his negative traits (7).
Now I can't wait to flesh him out.
Not quite on the topic of villains (mine is a fake friend - I SO look forward for the heartbreak that I get to write) but on the video itself.
I LOVE what you did with your audio. Paused at the right moment and pulled through until the end. I enjoyed it! ♥
oooh a fake friend, that's good!! 😍 and omg thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!
Here’s my favorite villain
:funny valentine
Step One: Give them a badass theme song! ... no? xD
feeling good or seven nation army😼
Theme song?
Book?
Teach me your ways!
In the Dark Knight Trilogy, we have 2 villains- Ras al Gul and Bane, who have materialistic desires. Both these characters wish to destroy Gotham and they really don't seem to have any form of emotional attachment with what they are doing.
Whereas Joker and Two face are 2 villains who do not have any materialistic motive behind what they do. Joker simply wishes to make Batman break his oath of never taking human life and Two face wants revenge from Batman and Gordon because he feels he has been a victim of their deeds.
That's what makes the Trilogy so legendary.
Love these writing videos Abbie!!! I'm learning so much - thanks for putting all of these out!
Your videos are SO helpful, thank you Abbie!
Current favourite villains/pseudo villains: Kennit (Pirate) and Paragon (Mad Ship) from the Robin Hobb 'Liveship traders' series. She's incredible at constructing complex stories with multiple sub-plots in a universe of her own creation. Her villains are complex, simultaneously lovable, relatable, detestable, unforgivable, and have terrible (yet could happen to anyone) events that carved their fears deeply into their psyches and drive them forward, leaving the reader anticipating terrible things even when they have been redeemed (Paragon in the Fitz & Fool series).
I'm so glad you liked this video, Nicola! 😊 thank you!! and ooh that sounds so good!! I'll totally have to check out this author 😍
@@AbbieEmmons Your videos are amazing, you're such an inspiration. I've been procrastinating on my thesis the last few days and planning my novel (that I've had in my head and scribbled on little notes since 2011). You've helped SO much, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Going to start writing it the moment I hand in the tome, I finally have something tangible to look forward to afterward...
I think everyone who loves reading should read Robin Hobb's books. Her Fitz & the Fool series is where I started... Order to read: Fitz and Fool - read first trilogy. Turn to the Liveship traders series. Then return to the Fitz & Fool series for the second, and third, trilogies if you get into it. I couldn't put them down, I've read almost twelve of these huge books in a year on top of all the other stuff I should have been reading.
I love this video! Just earlier, I saw a post about how some ppl grow tired of seeing the "villain with a tragic backstory" or "villain with a reason other than being evil". They said they wanted to see more of villains JUST being evil for the sake of it. Of course, this is personal preference, and I can respect that 😂 I, however, like stories with villains that are more complex and more than what meets the eye 🤣 reality is not black-and-white, and I really love to see that in the characters, villains, and stories I read. Great video!!! 🔥🔥🔥
yeah but you cannot deny the sheer awesome villains like emperor palpatine who is like the only guy in the Star wars movies who loves every second of his life till the end. so irredeamable enjoying his lust for ultimate power .
I’m so inspired to write out the character profile for my villain now.
Awesome!! Thanks so much for watching! 💛
I want to wrtite a villain right now, omg hahahah
I like "Black Jack" or "Jack Randall" by Outlander.
He's despicable and I hate him, so I know he's a very well-written villain.
And I love Poldark!!!
YAY A FELLOW POLDARK FAN *high fives * I'm so glad this video inspired you, Gisele!
Gisele Dute I know I'm a great villain haha.
Abby, you're so wonderful. I'm a 40 year old mom of a 10 yr old girl and I'm trying to get her hooked onto your videos. You're so wholesome! Please have (real, not just paper) children of your own someday. Your psychological insights would make you a great mom!
there's also a difference between an antagonist and a villain. an antagonist works against the protagonist, but isn't necessarily all blood and guts and glory. in the book i'm writing, the hero is the protagonist (obviously) who battles against the antagonist, who is the supposed "villain," but the word villain doesn't accurately describe him. the true villain of the story is completely different than him and pretty terrible, therefore when the true baddie comes out, the story gives the reader a chance to realize "oh wait the antagonist isn't actually that bad compared with this horrible villain that i kinda wanna throw off a bridge."
My favorite hero / anti hero combo!!! How I wish I could rewatch Poldark again for the first time 😭
I LOVE ,,POLDARK''. 😍Thank you for this example and super case study!
Really enjoyed the video! I've been creating many different villains over the last couple of months, and the first thing I do similar is going for their past, most of the time I want to give them a past that is either a means for their goals or the reason they're so.. messed up.
I don't always give them a fear to say, but I do strive to make them human enough.
One I find most enjoyable, although not a great example is my Hans kleiser. A German surgeon with refined techniques who unfortunately was struck by a car, and other lesser surgeons messed up their work on his face. Terrified and outraged, in frenzy he attempted his best but it resulted in him wrapping up nearly his entire head except for his left eye, bloodstains around the bandages, stitches visible, and nearly all his hair gone. His beloved married his brother, which he blamed on the loss of his face. In modern times he was appointed to a growing organization to return the german glory and acted as both their highest-ranked member as a chief surgeon to experiment on soldiers and to torture their victims, ultimately facing off against a heroine Diana, and taking his life in a final gambit.
Binging through all your Videos while working on my own YA Romance. While knowing about plot structure and outline basics those comments/explanations here and there and examples are something that really help and motivate me. I'm sort of using those videos for motivation and for enhancing my novel. Thank you so so so much.
My all-time favourite villain is DIO from jojo. Especially him in part 3.
I needed this. I needed this so damn much. I literally halfway crealated my villain jotting down notes while watching this. This was the first video of yours I've ever watched. I'm addicted. 💚💜
One of the best done villains I have ever seen is Petro from Kurt Seyit et Sura, a Turkish period romance drama, one of my favourite series of all time.
I’m actually really happy with my latest villain. My protagonist has two older brothers and the eldest is the villain of the story. She used to look up to him and tried to emulate him, so she essentially is a mirror of him, but she refused to follow their family’s bigoted ways and escaped. When she was just a baby, and her eldest brother was about ten, there parents died and they were taken in by family friends who ended up controlling the three children for their own means. Her brother was a puppet for all his life, forced to marry a woman he despises. He retaliates by becoming a puppet master to his siblings. He loves his family, but not for what they actually are. He loves the perfect image of his family. When the second brother has an affair from his arranged marriage, the eldest brother goes crazy and puts him under a mind control. That’s why the protagonist ticks him off so much. He basically groomed her to be just like him, conniving and manipulative, because he wanted to control her. Instead, she rebelled and fought against him. That’s why he wants her dead. She’s what he could have become and he wants to prove that his way was the only way to survive.
Girl you are so under-rated
I really like villains who are actually heroes. What I mean, is, villains that have the same goals as the heroes but go about achieving them in a much different and morally wrong way.
The fact that you said they are inherently evil right at the start was quite surprising. There are many great villains who aren't evil. In fact, that's often a good way to create a truly terrifying villain. If you're looking at villains through the lens that they're inherently evil you're looking at them in a very shallow and simplistic manner. That's the old black and white method of character creation. We've moved past that. It doesn't even hold up in reality either. Actions can be evil (although even many actions are a grey area viewed as evil by some, and perfectly fine by others. Think about real life and you'll come up with many examples)
This is so well spoken and clear! I have not watched all of your videos but it already helps me so much!
This video came out at the perfect time! I really needed this because I'm currently writing the backstory for my novel's villain. Amazing video😍😍😍
I'm so glad this came at the right time for you! 😊 thanks so much for watching!
oh thank you for this vid! I'm trying to find some good videos that can help me make my villain a good villain for my D&D campaign and how I can make her more understandable, and this definitely helped!
You are so aesthetic and this video was so helpful thank u
This really helped me, and also I agree, Poldark is great
For me I take stuff from real life as inspiration for my villains.
I make them embodiments of a single aspect of darkness.
My favorite ones are blind rage and slippery manipulation.
A villain that's so furious and relentless that anything that takes a breath is in their way.
Or
A villain who wants the world in his hands and will either manipulate, subjugate, or eliminate his enemies until he's on top, like theyre all ants at the top of an ant lion pit and he's pushing them into it.
Admit it. We all thought of Azula.
I love this and all your suggestions. I am currently writing a story where my villain is actually one of the protagonist’s best friends. He, outwardly does not appear to be the villain, but his motivations steer him in that direction, eventually causing him to directly oppose and eventually destroy the protagonist’s goals… mostly. Any ideas on where the villain isn’t obvious?
My biggest difficulty is making my villain. Because most of the time, I focus on the development of my main characters and less on the conflicts behind my villain characters. Especially when majority of the story is about the hero's journey.
My favorite villain: the diabolical editor Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) in The Devil Wears Prada.
Great advice, thoughts, and methodology for villains. Also, the excellent series on plotting is a MUST SEE! Thanks Abbie! You DA [WO]MAN!!!!
One of my favorite villains of all time is a guy none of you know anything about, and least of all me. Still do not know his name. All that is known about this villain for sure is, he is incredibly realistic. He utilizes realism to its fullest potential at the expense of the European Union. He is an adult guy who dreams about a future Europe where nations govern their own fate instead of mere, obsolete superstates. Its a comic world where the EU exists as an animated entity created by failed supervillains from the real world. We are never told exactly who created the EU in this comic or why, but once I saw this villain´s face and the code he lived by which I think was to be happy and cheerful no matter what and refuse to let tyrants tell himself what to do, causing himself to be misunderstood as an actual villain. Still can not remember the name of the comic.Thank you!
Favourite villain without a doubt is Jean Brodie from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, excellently played by Maggie Smith in the film version. A really charismatic character who draws you in but her subtle-yet-significant narcissism has such a ruinous effect on others and herself.
One of my favorite villains right now is August from the Swedish show Young Royals !👌
I love how Abbie says "my friend" instead of "my friends". Seems more personal that way.
Oh, and model your villain after the worst manager you ever had.
my favourite villain of all time is Loki and Bellatrix cause their author gave them such a great backstory that makes me love them. Plus can you how to make a good anti-hero in the story ?