Creating Believable Villains, Creative Writing

Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Writing Tips

Apr 30, 2009

While many writers of speculative fiction have a great idea of how their hero or heroine might act in any given situation, the same cannot always be said for villains!

Doing background work before putting pen to paper with regards to science fiction and fantasy writing is of utmost importance – it allows one to lay a firm groundwork down that will not only spur great ideas when it comes to character and plot development, but also ensure consistency with regard to facts as well as minute details. While a great deal of pre-production work on a novel or other piece of writing may be dedicated to the protagonist, many writers make a cardinal mistake in not assessing the value of a well-crafted antagonist or villain.

Forget the Cloak and Wizard Hat

The best villains are thoroughly unconventional, unpredictable, and morally ambiguous. Evil characters who are evil for the sake of being a literary device and nothing more are both predictable and flat - they lack a moral depth that constitutes a great deal of the impact and gravity that is the villains main export and contribution to a work of fiction.

In terms of a fantasy framework – an excellent example of an unconventional villain might be a coven of druids and other natural magicians whom are conjuring forces of nature to strike at any outpost of civilization, beginning with frontier towns at the beginning of the novel and culminating with a deathly entanglement of a nation's capitol with poisonous, power-leeching vines. The motivation of these politically radical spellcasters is to combat what they see as the destruction of the earth via pollution, urbanization, and disregard for the natural sphere of life. Not only does this allow for a socially relevant commentary to be held within hypotheticals in your own narrative, but it also gives far more emotional and intelligent gravity to your antagonist and allows for deeper reading.

In a science fiction plot example, a "barbaric" race might be attacking human colonies exclusively - not only backed by a shadowy alliance of anti-human bigots who are funding the war effort – but because this race needs oxygen in order to breathe, and the human race has the largest supply and isn't giving it up any time soon. This approach not only creates a bit more controversy but it also layers the opposition – now your protagonist or band of heroes will need to not only end this alien threat (or reach a peaceful resolution) but root out the extremist backers and put and end to their scheming, diplomatically or via force.

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Villains are called such because they are willing to do things that are morally reprehensible or irresponsible to the general population. Thus, a villain varies in definition from culture to culture, from race to race. This is important to remember, because many such villains are actually capable of conversion from villain to anti-hero – a plot device that when executed properly can be extremely exciting!

The best villains are rebellious, individually motivated, intelligent, and capable. The villain must be impressive to the reader – otherwise the outcome becomes not only obvious but the climactic confrontation between the two opposing forces, protagonist and antagonist, will not only be lackluster but entirely mediocre. Mediocrity is the death knell for any work of fiction; fantasy and science fiction are exciting because they distort and enlarge the boundaries of the possible and impossible and present characters that, while complex and multi-faceted, are also larger than life in their image and presence.

Creating believable, complex, and impressive villains with a keen sense of cunning, tact, intelligence, and strength will surely pay off in the long run. Instead of relegating your plot to the realm of the expected and derivative it would be very prudent to invest as much effort into moulding the perfect villain in the same spirit that one would create a glorious hero.

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